Chapter 775: Meeting

Chapter 768: The Meet-Up

This is the training method passed down from Panlong City: emerging from a hail of spears and enduring blood and fire. Those who survive grow rapidly and receive generous rewards.

It is simple, crude, and brutal, but effective.

Every recruit here receives not gentle care, but a life-or-death test.

The Southern Trade Route also became a training ground for the Yuheng City army, sometimes seeing up to two battles a day.

He Lingchuan himself was as busy as a spinning top. From deciding how to fight skirmishes with water bandits to adjusting patrol teams and identifying generals for promotion, he was indispensable for every aspect.

He even checked the latest battle reports while eating, hadn't been home for at least a fortnight, and certainly had no time to accompany Master Sun.

Beyond the water bandits, he was also deeply involved in Yuheng City affairs.

He had initially believed that simply handling military affairs would suffice, thinking it would be straightforward and purely about combat.

Heh, he was too naive.

For cities like Panlong City and Yuheng City, all administrative affairs essentially revolved around military matters and war. He Lingchuan had to meet with no fewer officials at various levels than Wen Daolun.

He even had to make time to give speeches at Yuheng Academy, to boost the morale of students and soldiers.

Great individuals have their own troubles, such as a severe lack of time.

Wen Daolun even pulled him aside to discuss tax reforms. The banditry in Longchuan was a historical issue, stemming from Xiji's oppressive policies that had driven people to rebellion and banditry. Therefore, Yuheng City needed to show the utmost goodwill to its people and find every possible way to separate the government from the bandits.

On this point, Wen Daolun was very eager.

He Lingchuan also noticed that his stays in the Panlong World were getting longer.

Initially, it was just a dozen or so hours, later extending to four or five days, and now it was often ten days to half a month. The longest stretch saw him spend over twenty days in the Panlong World, while only one night passed in reality.

Sometimes he couldn't distinguish between reality and the Panlong World, because the time he spent in Yuheng City was clearly longer than in reality.

This was probably related to the Great Square Pot getting its lid back, wasn't it?

He had a feeling that this world seemed to be becoming more solid.

In any case, after over a dozen guerrilla skirmishes—each a chaotic mix of "kill or be killed" and "chase or be chased"—the number and frequency of robberies by the Longchuan water bandits began to significantly decline.

After all, their numbers and reinforcements were limited. Following several fierce counterattacks by the Yuheng City army, carried out regardless of cost, the water bandits' arrogance was thoroughly suppressed.

Bandits, ultimately, cannot stand against the authorities; this objective truth always prevails.

Under the strict crackdown by the Yuheng City New Army, the Longchuan Trade Route began to revive.

***

The north-central section of the Longchuan Trade Route, Qinglang Post Station.

At this time of year, the small lake behind the post station hummed with frog calls from dawn till dusk. However, one could hear the frogs but not see them, as the lotus stalks grew taller than a person.

Under the scorching sun, He Lingchuan, wearing a straw hat and plain cloth clothes, entered Qinglang Post Station. He tossed some silver bits to the postman, requesting a low table and chairs to be set up behind the station, by the small lake.

It was cool and breezy here.

He wasn't the only one; seven or eight other tables were set up similarly along the lake, spaced far apart. No one would disturb another, and unless they shouted, no one could hear anyone else.

He Lingchuan ordered a large pot of local bayberry wine, along with a plate of salted crispy raw rice, and squatted by the table, nibbling on it.

The aroma of charcoal smoke drifted over in waves. A dark, thin man had set up a grill nearby and had just placed dozens of meat skewers on it, vigorously fanning them with a palm-leaf fan.

He Lingchuan also ordered a dozen skewers to taste.

However, before the skewers were ready, someone approached from the opposite side. The person, also wearing a green bamboo hat, strolled all the way to He Lingchuan, stopped, and asked, "Is this seat taken?"

"No, sit," He Lingchuan said, taking out a wooden cup and filling it with bayberry wine for him.

The newcomer was Skinny. In two months, he had become even thinner and darker.

"Why this wine again?" Skinny complained as he sat down. "I've nearly vomited from drinking it in the fort."

It was ironic that although Longchuan was a haven for water bandits, the best bayberry wine within a hundred *li* was produced right there. The bandits would go out to rob while also selling their local specialties, essentially robbing and earning money simultaneously, without delay.

"Which fort has the best bayberry wine?" He Lingchuan had recruited Skinny from Panlong City specifically to infiltrate Longchuan as an undercover agent. The man was a natural socialite; he could blend in anywhere.

"Qianjin Fort, of course. The bayberries from those old trees are all this big!" Skinny said, putting his thumb and forefinger together, a size He Lingchuan estimated to be about that of a ping-pong ball. "There's also a clear spring behind the fort. Good fruit and good water are essential for brewing good wine."

He Lingchuan asked, surprised, "Weren't you with the Lu Family Gang? How did you get to taste the fruit and spring water from Qianjin Fort?"

Skinny let out a sigh: "The Lu Family Gang disbanded last month. I found someone to pull strings and joined Qianjin Fort."

"Disbanded?" He Lingchuan picked up a raw rice kernel. "Such a large gang, how could it just fall apart?"

The Lu Family Gang claimed to have eight hundred members; though not the strongest bandit group in Longchuan, it was the largest in terms of numbers. In later generations of the Yuan Kingdom, even local regular armies might not have eight hundred men.

By sheer numbers and influence, the Lu Family Gang also held a significant position in Longchuan.

"Three months ago, during the attack on Yuheng City, the Lu Family Gang sent Lu Laoliu, a very important figure in the gang. Boss Lu favored him the most and intended for him to take over. But then..."

"Yes, Lu Laoliu died," He Lingchuan knew, of course. He had seen his head when military merits were counted after the battle.

"Last month, Boss Lu also died of illness. The remaining leaders refused to submit to each other, fought several times, and then took their followers away, so the gang disbanded." Skinny stopped speaking at this point, as the dark, thin young man from the barbecue stall brought them ten skewers.

"The rest are still grilling."

"No rush," He Lingchuan said, after eating a skewer of roasted lamb. "Another ten lamb skewers!"

Fragrant, tender, with just the right hint of charcoal aroma from the lamb fat—neither burnt nor tough.

"Coming right up!"

Other customers around the small lake also found the food delicious and promptly placed additional orders.

The dark, thin young man walked away, smiling. Skinny gestured with his chin towards his retreating back: "Is that guy an informant from somewhere?"

"Sharp eyes," He Lingchuan whispered. "He's one of ours."

Only then did Skinny relax: "That kid's good. Even if he doesn't work as an informant for you anymore, he could still go back to Yuheng City and set up a barbecue stall with this skill to earn money."

"He enlisted two months ago and is quite talented. Later, everyone discovered that his greatest skill wasn't fighting, but grilling skewers."

Skinny quickly ate a few skewers of fatty and lean meat while they were hot, then continued: "The disbandment of the Lu Family Gang is also largely connected to Yuheng City. In recent months, the intensity of patrols along the Longchuan Trade Route and in the plain villages has increased significantly. Water bandits now return empty-handed six out of ten times, leading to widespread complaints."

"This is just the beginning," He Lingchuan said, picking up a steaming skewer of grilled heart tube. "Mmm, fragrant, crispy, and a little sweet. All sorts of monsters and demons are trying to squeeze into Longchuan; I'll make sure they can't even get a bite to eat!"