Chapter 878: Going Home

"And Beiga, I know," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Beiga has a terrifying reputation, but this isn't Beiga territory; it's Panlong City's. They're simply out of reach. Otherwise, why send only one Fu Shanlie to stir up trouble instead of deploying a large army?"

Takigawa is indeed very far from Beiga, separated by several small states like Jin Tao and also by Xiluo.

"As long as the various gangs and factions isolate the West Ji puppet army and don't get involved with them, I'll naturally find a way to deal with them."

As expected, Yuheng City intended to buy them off first to deal with the West Ji puppet army.

Xu Zeshou pointed to the token on the table: "If we're hired—and I mean 'if'—what else would Yuheng City require of us?"

"You'll charge by road section and can't arbitrarily raise prices; I'll send people for regular inspections," He Lingchuan said, pointing to the Takigawa map again. "You must maintain order within your respective sections. If any merchants are attacked or suffer losses, your salaries will be reduced! Furthermore, since the road tolls go to you, the maintenance of the road surface in your sections also falls to you. Whether it's a landslide or a damaged bridge, you must handle it promptly."

There was nothing to argue about; taking public money meant performing duties, and the two bandit leaders couldn't find fault with it.

"When we suppress the West Ji puppet army, your gangs must also contribute personnel and effort," He Lingchuan added. "This can be discussed in detail later."

The two bandit leaders exchanged glances and both said, "We need to go back and gather our gang members to discuss this."

"That's perfectly reasonable," He Lingchuan said, showing understanding. "If you're hesitant, why not try it for half a month? There's no loss or trick involved."

Indeed, the proposals from Yuheng City seemed to benefit the bandit gangs. There was no harm in trying them first.

However, after accepting the official tokens, the Thousand Gold Stockade and the Ball Flower Gang would not only collect money but also have to maintain public order.

The two bandit leaders stood up, politely bid farewell to He Lingchuan, and then, along with their subordinates, turned and entered the waters.

The tea in front of them had grown cold, yet Xu and Tao still dared not drink. However, the initial tense atmosphere, which had been like swords drawn, had dissipated at some point. As soon as they boarded the boat, Xu Zeshou asked Tao Lin, "Old Tao, what do you think?"

"This He fellow shouldn't be a fool; he's offering so many benefits, yet it's still for recruitment!" Tao Lin also mused. "He's afraid we'll side with Fu Shanlie. In other words, if we agree to Commander He's terms, we'll openly oppose Fu Shanlie."

Bandits transforming into official soldiers and then turning around to fight other bandits—it seemed absurd no matter how one looked at it, especially since everyone lived in Takigawa. Could neighborly relations remain harmonious? Unless they found their own backing, like Yuheng City.

"As the He fellow said, there's no harm in trying," Tao Lin also felt tempted. "Anyway, our men are still here. If Yuheng City tries any tricks, we'll immediately revolt!"

Xu Zeshou laughed, "Exactly. If that happens, we'll just discard the tokens and return to Takigawa."

Xu Zeshou also nodded: "Fu Shanlie is a Beiga general; he won't fall for this trick. If he raids our territory, we'll have to protect those 'fat sheep'—I mean, merchant caravans."

Their relationship wasn't originally this good; Xu Zeshou even had a nephew killed by the Thousand Gold Stockade. But the pressure from the West Ji puppet army and Fu Shanlie had brought these two bandit leaders closer. But Xu Zeshou quickly gritted his teeth and added, "Fu Shanlie is determined to expand and has become increasingly rude to us. I hear he's also a ruthless general in Beiga. If we let him continue, Chieftain Tao, all those vanished smaller gangs are a clear warning to us."

As the leader of Takigawa's largest gang, he also deeply feared the West Ji puppet army.

With the Thousand Gold Stockade taking the lead, the pressure on the Ball Flower Gang to accept official tokens would be significantly reduced.

Fu Shanlie and the West Ji puppet army would absolutely not accept Yuheng City's offer of amnesty. Their origins alone set them apart from other Takigawa river bandits. Therefore, the West Ji puppet army would continue to cause trouble on the Takigawa trade routes.

Tao Lin hummed in agreement.

Only after they left did He Lingchuan stand up and stretch, saying, "Work's done, back to Yuheng City!"

He Lingchuan's spirits lifted. He grabbed several documents, tossed them into his storage ring, and declared, "Going back now!"

He then went to the City Guard office to review the intelligence delivered from Takigawa. He had been sitting and reading for only about fifteen minutes when he heard a flutter outside. A bird flapped its wings, flew in through the window, and landed on his desk. The Red Falcon had arrived. It lived on the mountain behind their residence.

"Master asked me to ask you if you're busy tonight?"

"Not busy."

"She wants you to come home for dinner."

The Red Falcon didn't wait for him; it had already flown back to its nest to sleep.

By the time He Lingchuan returned to Yuheng City, it was already dark. Twenty minutes later, he was walking on the winding mountain road leading home. Walking on this road, he felt his entire body relax, the tension and toil of the day vanishing. He knew home was just a few steps away, and whether he walked fast or slow, he would eventually get there.

Below him lay the myriad lights of Yuheng City, but looking up, it was pitch black, save for the lantern flickering at his own doorstep in the evening breeze. Yet, looking at that single point of light above, He Lingchuan walked contentedly, his boots crunching on the gravel. The autumn chill was like water, and the mountain paths at night developed a hidden frost, making it easy to slip. That was home. There was someone he wanted to see at home.

He walked past his own door without going in, and pushed open Master Sun's courtyard gate directly.

Light shone from the window. As He Lingchuan reached the eaves, Sun Fuling opened the door to greet him.

"You're back?"

"It's great, wash your hands and let's eat."

He Lingchuan went to the water jar under the eaves to wash his hands, then joined her in the kitchen. The courtyard was large, with lanterns under the eaves illuminating nearby hibiscus flowers. The plump carp in the pond were sleepy-eyed, lazily flicking their tails when they heard He Lingchuan's footsteps.

The room was simple and bright, with a vase of freshly picked dahlias on the desk.

"How's your health?" He Lingchuan gripped her hand; it was still cool.

However, a rough pottery hot pot was already set up on the round dining table, with charcoal underneath and a lid on top, the broth already bubbling.

"Oh, hot pot tonight?" It was a lamb spine hot pot.

He Lingchuan caught a wonderfully fragrant scent. He reached out and lifted the lid, seeing a golden-red, dark-sauced contents—it was a pot nearly full of lamb spine. Made by Master Sun? It smelled too good to be hers.

He Lingchuan, seeing an opportunity, quickly went into the kitchen to help. He found ten plates neatly stacked with beef and lamb, sliced so thin they were almost translucent. Master Sun's knife skills were as excellent as ever. From the bottom of the mountain to the top, the distance was considerable. Master Sun was truly a rich woman. Sun Fuling seemed to read his thoughts and pursed her lips: "The Quanfu Restaurant you took me to a few days ago also does delivery. So I ordered a pot."

They carried the meat and vegetables into the dining room, and He Lingchuan began to eat the lamb spine. After finishing the meat, it was time to blanch the vegetables. Sun Fuling picked up the bayberry wine nearby and poured him a full glass. By lamplight, her face had a warmer glow.

"It went smoothly, as expected." He Lingchuan then briefly reported the afternoon's meeting with the two bandit leaders to his confidante.

In front of her, He Lingchuan could complain freely: "Mr. Wen himself can't understand it; he always thinks I'm doing pointless work."

"Hmm?" Sun Fuling was slightly surprised. "What do you mean? Mr. Wen is a good person."

Sun Fuling sipped her bayberry wine and slowly said, "A few days ago, your conversation with Mr. Wen ended badly; he stormed off. Afterward, he felt he had been rash, so he came to me to mediate."

Wen Daolun was well aware of Sun Fuling and He Lingchuan's "friendship," and wanted to use her as an intermediary to ease relations.

He Lingchuan was about to gnaw on a lamb spine when he heard this. He first glanced at her, then understood: "He came to you?" Otherwise, how would she know?

"You didn't explain it clearly to him, did you?"

"I did it on purpose," He Lingchuan shrugged. "When minds don't meet, even half a sentence is too much."

"...Are your disagreements with Mr. Wen that significant?" Wen Daolun's assessment of He Lingchuan was that he was resourceful but impetuous due to his youth. Young people, who doesn't have a bit of temper, a bit of drive, who doesn't believe they're right?

"Mr. Wen might not necessarily misunderstand my approach, but that's not the point," He Lingchuan said, eating meat without looking up. "He mostly wants to use this opportunity to assert his authority over me."

"This isn't about good or bad people; it's about the position he holds. A snake cannot function without a head, but it also cannot function with two heads. Who would the body listen to? There must be a primary and secondary role," He Lingchuan said with a smile. "Mr. Wen handles civil administration, and I handle military affairs. By rights, we should be equals. But I'm young and newly promoted by Commander Zhong, so in Mr. Wen's eyes, I'm a junior. He believes his experience is greater than mine, so of course he wants me to show him respect and humbly accept his advice."

In both the workplace and officialdom, this is how it works. Older, more experienced individuals expect newcomers to treat them courteously. Otherwise, they'll make things difficult. People naturally care about hierarchy.

"Commander Zhong and General Hong likely instructed Mr. Wen to support you well when they sent you to Yuheng City for experience. He's probably been quite good to you these past six months, hasn't he? And you upset him with just a couple of sentences."

"Mr. Wen is a respectable elder who always wants to instruct me," He Lingchuan said, grabbing his wine glass and downing it. "But I hold military command in Yuheng City and am responsible for the safety of its people and the peace of the Takigawa trade routes. I cannot keep yielding to him."

To put it bluntly, he was now on equal footing with Wen Daolun, one managing internal affairs and the other external. Wen Daolun wanted to act superior to him, to play the seniority game of officialdom? That wouldn't work!