Chapter 876: Alternative Submission

"Alright, Master, I'd like to treat you to a meal. How about the newly opened Quanfu Restaurant? Their signature dish, 'Rabbit Three Ways,' is quite good."

"What kind of signature dish has such an unappealing name?"

They enjoyed a delightful meal.

After seeing the Master home, He Lingchuan returned to the City Guard Office and immediately summoned Red Falcon for questioning:

"You've been in Panlong City recently, haven't you?"

Woken by He Lingchuan, Red Falcon's voice was heavy with sleep. As a diurnal raptor, it should have been asleep at this hour! "Yes, I've made several round trips delivering messages."

Elsewhere, messenger pigeons and cranes were used for deliveries; only Panlong City made it run errands back and forth like this.

"Have you seen General Hong?"

"Yes, I have." Red Falcon twisted its neck. "Do you have another message for me to deliver?"

"Where has General Hong been for the past month?"

"She returned from the northern front half a month ago, stayed in Panlong City for nine days, and then went back to the front."

"Is she alright?" He Lingchuan added. "She wasn't injured, was she?"

In the Panlong Secret Realm, General Hong did not appear in person, but transformed her power into armor, lending it to him to fight the Netherworld Heaven clone and True Master Sanshui. However, he could tell this was outside the Great Gourd's allowed scope.

As powerful as General Hong was, she still resided within the Great Gourd. How could she openly defy the Great Gourd's will without paying any price?

Years ago, the true form of the Hundred-Faced Nightmare couldn't even evade the two chains of the colossal red shadow before being devoured by it.

"General Hong?" Red Falcon tilted its head. "She has the body of a demigod; any injuries heal quickly. You know that."

"So she's been acting normally?"

"She's still massacring people on the front lines, very agile."

It seemed General Hong was fine. He Lingchuan murmured in understanding, tore off some meat, and fed it a few chicken drumsticks.

Four days later, at Baicheng Post Station.

On the southern trade route, this was the closest post station to Longchuan Lake, built right by the water dock.

Over ten years ago, Longchuan was plagued by bandits, and this place fell into disuse. It was only rebuilt after Panlong City took over Xiji's territory.

Even so, merchant caravans preferred to take a detour rather than pass through here, so Baicheng Post Station had not yet opened for business.

Only today, the post station was full of guests.

All of them uninvited.

Dozens of small boats emerged from Longchuan, their tops and sides reinforced with special plate armor to defend against arrows.

They circled halfway before docking at the water dock, and over a hundred people disembarked.

The scouts sent ahead had returned and reported to the two leaders at the front: "There's no ambush in the nearby woods, and there are nearly a hundred people inside and outside the post station. Butcher He is sitting right outside."

One of them sneered, "Hmph, how bold. Why don't we just shoot him dead with an arrow?"

Cutting off someone's livelihood is like killing their parents. Mentioning this "He" fellow made everyone in Longchuan itch with hatred.

"Master Xu, calm down," the other said. "Even if we kill him, Panlong City will just send a new commander."

The group proceeded cautiously, with mixed feelings. Just as the scouts reported, the path was peaceful, with no ambushes.

Before long, they turned a corner to find Baicheng Post Station clearly in sight.

The tables and chairs from the post station had been moved outdoors, offering a beautiful view of the mountains and water. A man sat at a table, waving at them with a welcoming smile, as if greeting old friends.

Was this fellow "Butcher He," whom everyone in Longchuan spoke of with dread? He looked too young, didn't he?

The two leaders exchanged glances, instructed their men to spread out and remain vigilant, and then walked forward with a dozen or so of their close associates.

Behind He Lingchuan stood only Hu Min and Men Ban; the other guards were several yards away, as a sign of sincerity. Otherwise, the bandit gang opposite might not have dared to approach.

The two leaders approaching them were one tall and one short, one stout and one thin.

He Lingchuan knew that the tall, stout one was Tao Lin, the chieftain of Qianjin Fort, and the other, a short, dark, and skinny man, was Xu Zeshou, the leader of Qiuhua Gang.

"Leaders Tao and Xu, please have a seat!" He Lingchuan had two chairs placed opposite him.

Tao and Xu exchanged glances, smoothed their clothes, and sat down. Their close associates stepped forward a few paces, forming a semi-circle around He Lingchuan.

These men eyed him intently, but He Lingchuan ignored them.

Just as they sat down, a shrill "woo" sound pierced the air nearby.

Tao Lin frowned, and Xu Zeshou's body trembled slightly, almost making him jump up, but he ultimately steadied himself in a horse stance.

It turned out to be the cast-iron kettle on the stove, which had just boiled.

He Lingchuan noted their reactions, then picked up the kettle and smiled, "Oh, apologies. This is a special iron kettle from Mou Nation. It has a reed in the lid that whistles when the water boils."

Locally, water was boiled in soup-bottles, with the wealthy using those made of porcelain, copper, or tin. However, eastern Mou Nation specialized in cast-iron kettles, characterized by their rounded tops, short spouts, and robust, simple design.

Products from eastern Mou Nation generally didn't prioritize novel styles or intricate patterns.

He picked up two teacups, which already contained tea leaves. With a pour of boiling water and a swirl, a mellow aroma wafted out.

But Tao and Xu remained motionless.

Who would dare drink tea offered by a military commander?

Xu Zeshou said coldly, "What exactly do you want from us, inviting us here?"

"I've heard that Qianjin Fort's bayberry wine and Qiuhua Gang's pearls are highly sought after outside. I personally enjoy Qianjin Fort's bayberry wine and use it every time I host guests."

Qianjin Fort's wine was renowned, receiving praise all the way from Yuheng City to Baisha Bay. The water basin occupied by Qiuhua Gang produced pearl-bearing mussels, which, if well-cultivated, could yield pearls as large as longans, though they were scarce. The former Xiji royal palace housed a black and white pearl with a natural Tai Chi pattern, which had also been sold by Qiuhua Gang.

He Lingchuan continued, "It's clear you two leaders are experts in business. So, I'd like to discuss an excellent deal with you."

Tao and Xu exchanged another glance, remaining silent, waiting to see what he had up his sleeve.

He Lingchuan took a box from below and placed it on the table.

Knowing they wouldn't dare open it, he did so himself.

The box slowly opened, revealing two oval-shaped tokens resting on a brocade cushion.

He Lingchuan took out his own Commander's token and shook it twice, allowing them to see that all three tokens were made of the same material.

"Yuheng City wishes to hire both of you leaders as patrol chiefs on our Longchuan trade route."

"Do what?" Xu Zeshou froze, thinking he was hallucinating from not cleaning his ears for too long. Tao Lin also furrowed his brow.

"Patrol chiefs?"

"Precisely." He Lingchuan had a map of Longchuan laid out and drew two circles on it.

The two bandit leaders saw that the areas he circled were their respective gangs' territories on the trade route, commonly known as hunting grounds.

To avoid conflict, the medium to large bandit gangs in Longchuan had long since divided the entire southern route among themselves, leaving smaller gangs to eke out a living in the gaps.

The meeting point He Lingchuan chose, Baicheng Post Station, was indeed Qianjin Fort's territory.

Such divisions of power were, of course, never officially recognized. He Lingchuan's drawing was direct: "This is Qianjin Fort's raiding territory, and this is Qiuhua Gang's, correct?"

"..." Facing an official, neither wanted to answer such an awkward question.

He Lingchuan placed the two tokens separately within the circles. "From now on, your gangs won't need to plunder anymore. You can just set up checkpoints and collect road tolls."

Wh-what?

The two leaders, who considered themselves worldly, were still shaken by this statement.

Their close associates behind them also exchanged incredulous glances.

Everyone's minds raced, frantically trying to process the news. Xu Zeshou tentatively asked, "Commander He, do you mean that from now on, we're supposed to use official tokens to collect, uh, protection money from passing caravans?"

"Leader Xu, you've summarized it well, but it's not called 'protection money.' It's called road tax."

The two were speechless.

Road tax, as it was called, wasn't that just the transit fee collected by various governments from merchant caravans?

When the water bandits drank privately, they often cursed vehemently, saying how was this any different from what they did? Only because they lacked official backing, their collection of such money was called robbery.

Was Commander He planning to incorporate them and have them collect transit fees for Yuheng City?

Was this an amnesty?

More like an amnesty with benefits, perhaps?

Pure fantasy!

"The current situation on the trade route is not ideal for anyone," He Lingchuan said, taking a sip of tea from his cup. "Your gang members risk their lives, passing caravans are constantly on edge, and my Yuheng City troops spend a lot of time and effort patrolling back and forth. No one benefits. We need to calculate costs. The road taxes I collect mostly go towards fighting, with little left for the treasury, and sometimes I even have to pay out of pocket. You few gangs play cat-and-mouse with me every day, not making much money, and your expenses are higher than before. When you factor it all in, nobody's profiting."

"Honestly, isn't it all just about money in the end? How about this: you collect the road taxes, and we all stop fighting. Wouldn't it be better to earn money peacefully?"

Hearing this, Tao Lin finally couldn't help but ask, "Why should we collect money for the authorities? How much does Yuheng City intend to give us as compensation?"

The former Xiji kingdom had attempted similar amnesties several times before, but the conditions offered were always extremely stingy. At most, Tao Lin would be given a minor county official position, and his many subordinates would be dispersed and resettled elsewhere.

The water bandits might not have been well-educated, but they weren't fools. This was clearly a plan to break up their forces and weaken their ranks, so of course, they wouldn't agree.

Seeing history about to repeat itself, the two bandit leaders remained composed, but a few of their close associates couldn't help but scoff aloud.

Still trying that trick? We've seen through your schemes long ago!

You think you can bait a giant whale with a tiny shrimp? Dream on.

He Lingchuan pretended not to notice their contempt. "The tax rates will follow official standards — no more, no less. But the money collected..."

He paused, and when he saw that everyone's attention was focused on him, he continued, "It all belongs to you."

All... all of it? Others couldn't believe their ears. Xu Zeshou's heart skipped two beats as well, and he exchanged several glances with Tao Lin.

He maintained a calm facade, crossing his arms in a negotiating posture. "How much money can one collect just from passing tolls? So many brothers need to eat..."

He Lingchuan interrupted him, "Just a few pennies? Do you even know how lucrative road taxes can be?"

"Everyone knows that murder and arson are quick ways to make money. But that kind of business is only good for one or two times. The more you do it, the higher the risk and the lower the returns. Not to mention, the compensation payments within the gang are getting heavier and heavier. Sometimes, the money plundered isn't even enough to cover what needs to be distributed, is it?"

At this, the two bandit leaders' expressions darkened.

Happy Qixi Festival.

I originally thought of taking a day off, since you probably wouldn't bother reading today anyway.

But then I reconsidered and decided to update. Those who aren't celebrating shouldn't suffer a double blow.