Chapter 879: Not Understood

Taking advantage of this unpleasant parting, He Lingchuan clearly defined the boundaries of their respective responsibilities. He had to make Wen Daolun understand that some boundaries could not be casually crossed, and some wills could not be imposed on others. Most importantly, he had read later historical records and knew that Wen Daolun and Panlong City's approach to dealing with the Takikawa water bandits was wrong!

The window of opportunity to reverse the unfavorable situation for Yuheng City and the Takikawa trade route was too short. He Lingchuan truly had little time left, but he had too many things to do and no time for such pointless formalities. Rather than slowly working things out with Wen Daolun, it was better to make him quickly face reality so that they could each fulfill their duties later, staying out of each other's way.

"Mr. Wen appears gentle, but he is actually stubborn," Sun Fuling also remarked. "Indeed, you can't easily persuade him."

"If their approach worked, why was Commander Xiao transferred?" He Lingchuan said indifferently. "Before I took over Yuheng City, they tried for more than half a year. Not to mention eradicating the Takikawa bandit menace, they couldn't even distinguish between bandits and civilians within the marshes!"

"In the past, the Panlong army was always successful in eliminating desert bandits. But desert bandits were poor; they robbed with pitchforks and wouldn't fight to the death if given a way out. Takikawa water bandits, however, were wealthy bandits, having pursued this livelihood for generations. Those water strongholds in the marshes — you couldn't tell if they were villages or bandit lairs. Simply beheading bandit leaders was useless; kill one today, and two would appear tomorrow, like a hydra. According to Commander Xiao and Mr. Wen's methods, these bandits could never be eradicated unless the entire Takikawa region was leveled and everyone was killed."

As he spoke, he blanched a slice of mutton, blew on it to cool it, and then placed it in Sun Fuling's bowl, saying, "Eat."

Sun Fuling chewed delicately, and only after swallowing did she say, "Mr. Wen thinks there's no need to rush; after all, this is Panlong City's territory now."

"He's not urgent, but I am," He Lingchuan thought to himself. "I've seen how things unfold later; how can I allow Yuheng City to walk straight into a dead end? Old Wen has no idea I'm saving him!"

According to original history, Wen Daolun would die because of the bandit menace. By changing this history, He Lingchuan was essentially saving his life.

"The Takikawa bandit menace is backed by Beijia. Alas, if it's about attrition and persistence, who can outlast Beijia? But if we try to forcibly eliminate them with military might, the Yuheng City army would suffer too many casualties, which would play right into Fushan Lie and the Xiji puppet army's hands." He Lingchuan sighed deeply. "If the Great Wind Army were assigned to me, even half of them, I could forcefully flatten Takikawa. Alas, reality is too harsh; I can only rely on the Yuheng Army."

His aspiration for the future was to train the Yuheng Army to the standards of the Great Wind Army and turn them into an invincible force. But there was still a long way to go.

Sun Fuling asked, "Is your current approach to use bandits to control bandits and isolate Fushan Lie?"

"Who would choose a life of licking blood from a blade when they could live peacefully?" He Lingchuan said concisely. "As long as Qianjin Stronghold and the Ball Gang accept my proposal, other gangs will follow suit."

This was called the demonstration effect. No matter how much he talked a good game, the bandit gangs had to experience the benefits themselves before they would willingly work for Yuheng City.

"From now on, we will only fight the Xiji puppet army. If they invade the territories managed by other gangs, don't blame us for joining other gangs to beat them back."

Sun Fuling took a sip of wine. "You barely managed to beat these gangs half to death, and now you're using road taxes to support them. Aren't you afraid they'll grow stronger again and become road bullies?"

These were Wen Daolun's doubts and dissatisfactions.

"If I beat them half to death, it would only benefit Fushan Lie," He Lingchuan observed clearly. "The more ruthlessly I suppress the bandits, the stronger Fushan Lie's power will become."

The greater the external pressure, the stronger the internal consolidation in Takikawa, and the game of "big fish eats small fish" would play out frequently. He hadn't forgotten Wu Shaoyi's testimony obtained from the old water lizard more than a hundred years later, which revealed that it was precisely Fushan Lie's annexation of the Takikawa water bandits, becoming an uncontrollable force, that caused so much trouble for Yuheng City. Since He Lingchuan had intervened in this history, he had to cut off the root of the problem. The successive bandit attacks on the city, as they happened in the original history, had not occurred. As the Grand Commander, He Lingchuan had already made a good start, and he needed to continuously expand this advantage.

"As for the water bandits like Qianjin Stronghold, they need fewer restrictions to allow them to operate freely," He Lingchuan said, reining in his smile. "Ultimately, this is still an act of pacification. The bandits will eventually realize that their ultimate authority is no longer their gang leader or stronghold chief, but Yuheng City!"

Sun Fuling picked up a piece of lamb spine and pouted. "It would be so much better if you and Mr. Wen were also this frank with each other."

He Lingchuan smiled without speaking. It sounds simple, but where is the logic in one top leader confiding in another, or one top leader giving a work report to another? Anyone who did so would be compromising with the other party. Some things, due to status, simply couldn't be said. Otherwise, why would Wen Daolun have asked Sun Fuling to mediate? Madam Sun would also carefully consider these words before relaying them to Wen Daolun.

A little sauce stained the corner of her lips. He Lingchuan raised his hand and wiped it off for her, then naturally put his finger to his own mouth and sucked on it. Madam Sun gave him a sidelong glance, and her pretty face seemed to redden even more.

***

Panlong City, Gange Hall.

Wen Daolun's urgent report lay on the table; everyone present had already read it. Zhong Shengguang asked concisely, "Well?"

Assistant Commander Zhao Xianhe shook his head. "A few small nests of water bandits – not only are they not being suppressed, but they're collecting road taxes, and we have to support them. This is preposterous!"

"I've never heard of anything so outrageous! How did He come up with this?"

General Nanke asked, "What does this 'share' mean?"

"Of the road taxes collected by the water bandits, twenty percent goes to Yuheng City. If their managed section of the road is safe for half a month, this money is returned to the bandits," Zhao Xianhe explained. "At the same time, Yuheng City also has to provide them with additional subsidies."

General Nanke grew angry upon hearing this. "Simply giving them all the road taxes is outrageous enough. Why should Yuheng City subsidize the water bandits? Isn't this just enabling them to live lavishly? Hey, how much money will Yuheng City lose this way?"

"Wen Daolun has done the calculations," Zhao Xianhe continued. "If only Qianjin Stronghold and the Ball Gang are currently hired, roughly two thousand taels of silver will be needed every three months. If more than thirteen bandit gangs are pacified, that figure would likely increase to over six thousand taels."

General Nanke immediately said, "Then I object."

Zhong Shengguang pointed to the urgent report. "Wen Daolun also summarized He Lingchuan's intentions. Have you read it?"

"Yes, we did," came the reply. "Isn't it just about isolating Fushan Lie and launching a full-scale attack on the Xiji puppet army?"

Zhao Xianhe mused, "Over the past thirty years, Fushan Lie has risen to prominence, shining brightly in the talent-rich Lingxu City. Since we know this person has infiltrated Takikawa, he certainly cannot be taken lightly. However, to say that he alone can stir up trouble in the old Xiji territory is an exaggeration."