Chapter 985: Joint Effort

“Based on my understanding of Lu Zhengsheng and his son, they must be plotting to reclaim the Yangshan Archipelago. It’s just that the eastern front is currently in a tense state, so they temporarily can’t spare attention to the south.”

He quickly wrote a few lines, then took out his personal seal and stamped it at the end of the letter, before putting it into an envelope and handing it to the two men.

“I imagine you two would prefer not to reveal your true identities. Once you arrive in Qucheng, just hand this letter of introduction to Lu Zhengsheng and his son. They will naturally believe you are here to track down a fugitive. I won’t mention your identities as Baygar soldiers in the letter, but I will state that you possess exceptional cultivation and are skilled at hunting demons. The Lu family father and son will then provide assistance.”

After all, Bai Lie is a dependency of Mou State, and Mou State and Baygar are currently at war. These two Baygar soldiers are now appearing in the rear of Mou State. If they were to enter Bai Lie and reveal their identities, it would be difficult to predict the Lu family’s reaction—at the very least, they might not offer help.

However, with Prefect Wu’s letter of introduction, the Lu family father and son will believe these two are He Lingchuan’s adversaries, seeking trouble in the Yangshan Archipelago, and would likely be happy to cooperate.

Ye Qing and the other man exchanged glances, then took the letter. “Let’s hope so,” Ye Qing said.

Prefect Wu’s action seemed enthusiastic, but the subtext was clear: “I can only help you this far. For anything further, you’ll have to approach the Lu family; I’m unable to assist.”

Haha, the old fox just kicked the ball over to the Lu family.

Therefore, they didn’t offer thanks, simply turning and leaving the Maritime Trade Office.

Associate Zhao personally escorted them to the door, then returned to find Prefect Wu already back to handling official documents. He shook his sleeve.

“They didn’t show their official badges, but we knew they were Baygar,” he said.

He had escorted the two men out of the yamen, bowing slightly to bid them farewell. Yet, they had merely walked away, not even bothering to look him directly in the eye.

Such arrogance, huh.

He also overheard the two men muttering, “Cowardly rats.”

Was that remark directed at him, or at Prefect Wu?

“They simply don’t put us in their eyes,” Prefect Wu said without looking up. “Their superior didn’t even come himself; they just sent two subordinates to instruct us.”

Associate Zhao was startled. “Superior?”

“Look at these two. Do they have the demeanor of high-ranking officials?” Prefect Wu glanced at him. “If they want to capture a great demon, how could just two people be enough?”

The Baygar leader couldn’t even be bothered to personally approach the Maritime Trade Office, merely sending subordinates to tell them to cooperate. That was all.

This kind of arrogance, deeply ingrained, was truly unique to the Baygar.

Associate Zhao had merely voiced a casual complaint, not taking it to heart, as he wasn't the only one the Baygar looked down upon. “Sir, aren’t you going to cooperate with these Baygar soldiers?”

His superior had just suffered a significant loss at He Lingchuan’s hands: three excellent cargo ships were scuttled. Although they were quickly towed back to port, they wouldn’t be repaired anytime soon. It was the peak shipping season, yet three ships were laid up for repairs, unable to earn money for the Wu family. How could Prefect Wu feel good about that?

Now that the Baygar were here, why wouldn’t Prefect Wu help them “assist in the investigation of a fugitive”?

It was clearly a perfect opportunity for personal revenge disguised as official duty.

Prefect Wu looked at him and sighed. “Old Zhao, you’ve been with me for so many years, yet you still don’t understand? What benefit would I gain by helping the Baygar against He Lingchuan?”

“Uh... Revenge? Getting it out of your system?”

“Aside from getting some satisfaction, what tangible benefit is there?” Prefect Wu slapped the document onto the table. “The Lu family, by helping the Baygar, might be able to reclaim the Yangshan Archipelago. But if I help the Baygar, will I earn money or acquire land, huh?”

“Uh... It seems neither. But Baygar to our Qing State...”

“That’s something for the sovereign to consider, something for Consort Yu to consider,” Prefect Wu said, pointing to the chair he was sitting on. “It’s not my place.”

One should not meddle in affairs beyond their position. The diplomatic relations between two countries are matters for their respective high-ranking officials; what concern are they to a humble prefect like me?

He only cared about his own patch of ground.

Recalling the three ships, Prefect Wu exhaled, still feeling a little stifled. He Lingchuan had certainly made him uncomfortable, but: “What if the Baygar can’t handle He Lingchuan either? Have you considered that? He’s no easy mark!”

Associate Zhao muttered softly, “But that’s Baygar.”

Prefect Wu chuckled deep in his throat. “If these Baygar soldiers were confident they could directly apprehend Island Master He, why would they need my assistance? Wouldn’t they just go themselves? If the archipelago were off the Baygar coast, there’s no doubt that fellow He would be captured in a blink. But this is the deep rear of Mou State; Baygar’s influence doesn’t extend here, which is why they need outside help!”

“And if the Baygar, even with our help, can’t deal with that fellow He, well, He Lingchuan might not dare do anything to the Baygar, but to us... At that point, both sides would suffer. Tell me, what’s the point?”

That young man is ruthless; he might scuttle all twenty-something of my ships, leaving not a single one!

Even if the Maritime Trade Office could sanction the Yangshan Archipelago’s business, the losses suffered by my Wu family would be real and irrecoverable.

A lose-lose situation, but the Wu family would be the ones truly hurt!

There’s no tangible benefit in helping the Baygar, but there could be substantial drawbacks. Why would Prefect Wu do such a foolish thing?

“Let the Lu family do it,” Prefect Wu said with a smile. “The Lu family father and son will agree at once. If they team up and succeed, it will be just like getting satisfaction for me.”

Associate Zhao immediately said, “You are wise, sir!”

He knew the unspoken words were the key point:

What if they don’t succeed?

The prefect himself has stayed out of it, pushing all the trouble onto the Lu family. By then, if those two sides fight to the death, it will be none of his concern.

That old fox!

Blade Port and Bai Lie were very close, and the main road was well-maintained, flat and straight.

Ye Qing and the other man rode out of Blade Port in the morning and reached Qucheng, the capital of Bai Lie, by afternoon.

Prefect Wu had not exaggerated; his handwritten letter of introduction was highly effective. Lu Zhengsheng, who happened to be at the yamen, immediately met with them.

Just as Prefect Wu had anticipated, on Bai Lie’s territory, Ye Qing and his companion did not mention their identities as Baygar soldiers. Instead, they presented themselves as bounty hunters, tracking a top-tier Baygar fugitive to the Yangshan Archipelago, only to discover their target was being harbored by Island Master He.

Lu Zhengsheng was taken aback, not expecting He Lingchuan to be so audacious as to refuse to hand over even a major Baygar criminal.

This was, this was truly...

He read every word of the wanted poster, then pondered for a long time. Only when Ye Qing grew impatient did Lu Zhengsheng speak: “The Yangshan Archipelago was indeed sold by Bai Lie to He Lingchuan. Due to its unique geography, the agreement explicitly stated that the Yangshan Archipelago bears no responsibility for taxes or corvée labor to Bai Lie, nor is it subordinate to Bai Lie’s political decrees or laws.”

In simple terms, the Yangshan Archipelago is politically and economically independent; it does not obey Bai Lie nor pay money to Bai Lie.

“As long as the Yangshan Archipelago’s actions do not endanger Bai Lie, we have no authority to intervene.”

These were also the terms that were repeatedly negotiated and contested before the agreement was signed. In this regard, He Lingchuan and Ding Zuodong were not about to allow the other party any loopholes. If Bai Lie hadn’t been so desperately short of money, how could they have agreed to such a treaty?

Ye Qing said with a cold expression, “So, you Bai Lie are like Blade Port—you can’t deal with the Yangshan Archipelago, right?”

Their words were truly grating. Lu Zhengsheng felt a surge of anger. “Where are you gentlemen from?”

“Baygar, Leopard River.”

Leopard River was a small military town in the eastern border region of Baygar, also the birthplace of the Black Tiger Army, not widely known publicly.

Lu Zhengsheng was surprised, having no impression of the place name. But anything associated with Baygar was different.

Moreover, this was help offering itself; it would be foolish to refuse.

He asked Ye Qing and the other man, “How many people has your side brought?”

“Six people, with a few more possibly joining later.”

So few? Lu Zhengsheng was disappointed. “With so few people, you intend to capture a top-ranked great demon?”

Well, these Bai Lie people look down on them? Ye Qing’s brow twitched. “We don’t take on a job we can’t handle. Dealing with great demons isn’t about numbers. Every one of us here is highly capable.”

“Baygar’s Heavenly Rank number seven, Earthly Rank number four, and number eleven—they were all apprehended by our leader,” his companion added. “Although this spider demon, Zhuer Niang, is Heavenly Rank number two, she no longer possesses the power of an ancient demon immortal. As long as we lure her out of her lair, we naturally have a way to deal with her!”

The two men were so confident, yet Lu Zhengsheng remained half-believing, half-doubting. He looked again at Prefect Wu’s letter of introduction, which praised these individuals highly.

Strange, how did Prefect Wu know them?

Never mind. In any case, they were the ones taking action, and any problems that arose would be their own responsibility.

Lu Zhengsheng thought of this and casually asked, “Where is your leader?”

To send just two subordinates to approach him—they really looked down on people!

“In the Yangshan Archipelago, monitoring that fellow He.”

Lu Zhengsheng nodded. “I happen to know that a tribe from the Bailong people is also on the island. They are very interested in He Lingchuan’s position as island master.”

“The Bailong people?” Ye Qing asked. “Are they a tribe from Ya State?”

Many tribes from Ya State were known for their bravery and skill in battle; Baygar had some knowledge of them.

“Originally, yes. But they were recently driven out of Ya State and have wandered here. They’ve set their sights on the Yangshan Archipelago, hoping to establish themselves independently,” Lu Zhengsheng said with a smile. “From what I know, they number five or six hundred people and are preparing to make a move in a few days. Why don’t both your sides join forces? I can introduce you.”

Ye Qing’s brow furrowed slightly. “They’re making their move in a few days? What support will Bai Lie provide?”

“We still have an agreement with Yangshan, after all. How could we openly turn against them? We can only provide you with some ships and weapons.”

Ye Qing and the other man exchanged glances, both seeing disdain in the other’s eyes.

Both Prefect Wu of Blade Port and the Lu family of Bai Lie had grievances with Island Master He and wished him ill, yet neither dared to act directly. They even had to be secretive about offering assistance.

Truly as timid as mice!

Lu Zhengsheng also noticed their dismissive expressions and felt a surge of indignation.

If Bai Lie’s attention hadn’t been focused on the east, on the border conflicts with Ya State, and if his eldest son, Lu Qingan, hadn’t repeatedly urged him to temporarily ignore the Yangshan Archipelago, would he have tolerated that young fellow He bouncing back and forth between Blade Port and the Yangshan Archipelago all day long?