Chapter 1075: What I Say Is What You Want to Hear

He Lingchuan could well understand Lu Zhensheng's predicament; if he were to flip-flop now, both sides would likely end up with nothing.

Understanding was one thing, but calculating was another.

"As for the fighting on Baili's eastern front, isn't there Third Master Lu and Lu?"

These few words were like an awl, piercing straight into the heart.

What was even more fatal was that he was right, and the other side had no way to refute it.

Lu Qingbin hesitated for a long time before saying: "Brother He did not guess wrong. Actually, the patriarch issued an order to the front line, requiring that the battle not be expanded and to strive for peace talks between the two sides."

Avoid escalating the conflict? He Lingchuan's mind turned and he understood: "Let you fight, but don't fight too hard. Hmm, Patriarch Lu doesn't want to truly anger the Ya Nation."

The Lu siblings were newborn calves; if they got a burst of energy and really beat the enemy border troops too hard, the Ya Nation would lose face, and if they sent more elite troops to the border, the conflict could escalate into a real war, and the situation would inevitably worsen.

Baili's overall strength was not as good as the Ya Nation's, and they didn't want to reach that point.

Lu Zhensheng, as the head of Baili, naturally had his own considerations.

But from the side, Lu Zhensheng's order happened to confirm He Lingchuan's words: he really wanted to use the "drag" tactic, dragging out time to wait for Lu Qinglin's return.

"But the problem is, will Lu Qinglin really return like a king? And when will he be able to descend as a savior?" He Lingchuan sighed. "If you want to change the current stalemate, either break Lu Zhensheng's wishful thinking, and he will agree to tilt resources to the eastern front; or—you take action yourselves and seize limited resources."

Lu Qingbin's face changed: "Brother He, you can't talk nonsense."

He Lingchuan smiled; this kid was quite sharp, understanding the subtext immediately.

"The law is not passed to six ears. You and I discussed current affairs in Lingxu City without scruples; why can't we talk about it when we reach these overseas islands?" He Lingchuan took out a small jar of wine and two cups from his storage ring, pouring a full cup for him. "Peach wine brewed on the island, have a taste."

Lu Qingbin took it and drank it in one gulp.

"Brother Lu should also think about the future. Now the eastern front of Baili relies entirely on you siblings, which can be called arduous and meritorious; but once Lu Qinglin returns home with a large army, he will be radiant. Will the main family still see your merits in their eyes?"

Lu Qingbin poured himself another cup: "Good wine."

"What's more, the main family doesn't know how to fight, and more than half of the military power is in your hands." He Lingchuan continued to incite. "Even if you have no ulterior motives, will the main family not be wary? I heard that Lu Zhensheng was also a side branch, and he used some means to become the main family; since he rose to power this way, shouldn't he be wary of others doing the same?"

Lu Qingbin drank half a cup of wine in one breath, not saying a word.

Just then, Lu Feiyan ran over and said: "Brother, someone is looking for you."

Lu Qingbin immediately stood up and said to He Lingchuan: "Brother He, excuse me."

He Lingchuan smiled: "Just go ahead and get busy."

Watching the two siblings run toward the bonfire, the Soul-Stealing Mirror in his arms asked: "Hey, isn't your incitement too obvious? Will Lu Qingbin listen to you?"

"Even if he just returned from the front line, how could he not know about the conflict between Lu Zhensheng and me?" He Lingchuan rubbed his eyes. "Why did he come to talk to me? It's mostly the sixth Lu son's idea."

"Then the sixth Lu son wants...?"

"So what I said is what they want to hear, the clearer the better. The predicament facing the Lu family, they understand even more thoroughly than I do. It's a mess, and Lu Zhensheng can only barely maintain it even with all his efforts; it's not just the people of Baili who are suffering, but also others in the Lu family."

"For the Lu siblings, either persist selflessly for the sake of the family until Lu Qinglin returns grandly; or, they must obtain a status in the clan that matches their strength." He Lingchuan said slowly. "The Lu siblings have just begun to show their potential. If they can continue to win, Lu Zhensheng will have to rely on them, and he will have to consider their requests carefully."

The Soul-Stealing Mirror laughed: "So we're back to the old problem, what to do if resources are not enough to distribute?"

"Yes, because Lu Zhensheng's strategy is improper, Baili's financial resources have long been insufficient to support the expenses of two fronts simultaneously. Subsidizing Lu Qinglin means neglecting the eastern front, and supporting the eastern front means failing to cope with the Mou Nation. So Lu Zhensheng is particularly afraid of the escalation of the war on the eastern front, and even demands that Lu Qingbin yield to the Ya Nation and win fewer battles."

He let out a breath: "To be the head of a clan and end up like this, no wonder others in the Lu family are unconvinced."

The Soul-Stealing Mirror was puzzled: "Then why did the sixth Lu son come to test you?"

"He is still wary of Lu Qinglin." He Lingchuan said. "Lu Zhensheng's second son is indeed having a smooth official career in the Mou Nation, and the possibility of him leading troops back to Baili cannot be ruled out. So, the sixth Lu son wants to clarify my attitude, because—"

He Lingchuan sipped his wine: "—I have troops under my command."

The Yangshan Archipelago began to form a guard force eight months ago, and it was an open recruitment; the Lu family had heard the rumors long ago. Because of the island's natural concealment, the sixth Lu son didn't know the specific number of this guard force, but after being in contact with He Lingchuan for so long, he also knew that this island master was definitely not a simple character. The Yangshan Archipelago's industry was getting bigger and bigger, how could there be no corresponding armed protection?

The Soul-Stealing Mirror was startled, then overjoyed: "He finally figured it out? It wasn't in vain that you laid out the plan for so long."

"Not necessarily, perhaps it's just taking precautions, I think it's still a long way off. You also know that human connections and relationships need to be diligently maintained in normal times; it's too late to find them when you need them." He Lingchuan shook his head. "This generation of Lu Zhensheng seems to have a problem: hesitation. Even if a good opportunity is right in front of them, they wait and wait, and it's dragged to ruin."

"Then what do you plan to do?"

"Perhaps, at the critical moment, I still have to give them a push."

Afterwards, He Lingchuan picked up stones to scare the crabs again.

But based on the Soul-Stealing Mirror's understanding of him, this guy probably already had a plan.

The next morning, before the residents of the Yangshan Archipelago had woken up from the carnival of the Spring Splendor Festival, He Lingchuan received good news.

A white egret flew to Centipede Island, folded its wings, and landed to report:

"Island Master, the Suoding Island pier reported two long-distance large ships coming from the west, loaded with monsters, and one of the ships is mainly... mainly wild boar monsters!"

A hold full of wild boars, truly spectacular; he could hear the snorting sounds from far away, and it was an eye-opener for him too.

Boars? He Lingchuan became energetic at once: "Have they come ashore?"

Ling Guang's small blue pill was indeed effective; he had been drinking all night last night, and he didn't have a dry mouth this morning.

"Not yet, they haven't fully docked. The pier isn't sure whether to let them on the island." Huang Zhao sent the white egret to ask He Lingchuan for instructions.

"Don't let them. Tell Huang Zhao to hang a sign on the bow and teach the captain to sail directly to Pansi Island!" He Lingchuan dressed and combed his hair. "I'll be there soon!"

The waters of Pansi Island were a restricted area; foreign ships had no right to enter, and unless they got a temporary sign, they would be driven away by the Earthly Yin Qi.

He Lingchuan had a private pier on Centipede Island, so he boarded a ship directly and rushed to Pansi Island.

Today there was a light breeze, and the blue waves were vast.

He Lingchuan waited at the Pansi Island pier for a long time before seeing two large ships slowly approaching.

Their style was different from the local ships of Blade Harbor, and one look told him they were from the deep ocean.

When the ships docked, He Lingchuan finally saw a burly figure appear on the bow.

What a big wild boar! Its size was almost catching up to Zhu Xiuer, its whole body covered in a layer of gray-brown mud armor, and the tusks protruding from its mouth were longer than those of an ordinary elephant.

"Siwen Wang!" He Lingchuan smiled. "We have been waiting for a long time!"

When He Lingchuan saw it in the Demon Nest Swamp last time, it was defeated by Zhu Xiuer and had to strip down to a bare pig to escape successfully; seeing it again today, he found that the mud armor on Siwen Wang's body was thicker, blacker, and harder than before, and he didn't know if it was out of a compensatory psychology.

Siwen Wang jumped ashore, and the entire pier shook violently, the wood creaking, but fortunately, the quality was excellent, and it didn't collapse on the spot.

This giant wild boar first looked around to observe the surrounding environment.

The island was open, the terrain complex, and the jungle dense; it also smelled the scent of fresh water. Hmm, this place was not bad.

It turned back and roared, and the wild boars on the ship jumped down one after another.

Big and small, of different sizes, they were all Siwen Wang's subjects.

One, two, three, four, five, He Lingchuan counted silently in his heart, counting all the way to thirty-six.

Eh, it seemed to be fewer than he expected.

The wild boars he saw in the Demon Nest Swamp were at least twice that number.

Siwen Wang only brought a small part, or was it...? Another large ship also had some monsters coming down, five of which were birds, two were giant pythons, and there was a monster shaped like a giant dog but with horns on its head, covered in spotted patterns.

Identified by the Soul-Stealing Mirror, this beast was called "Jiao," alert and solitary.

After it landed, it really ran into the jungle in a flash, without looking back.

There were also many hoofed monsters, and what made He Lingchuan's eyes light up as soon as he saw them were two white-bodied, black-tailed Bo.

They were shaped like horses but had mouths full of sharp teeth, and their tails were more like dragon tails than horse tails, very beautiful. Their shoulders were nearly eight feet high, and although their bodies were huge, their posture was exceptionally light; they jumped off the bow and landed on the pier with almost no sound.

This was the real Bo, not the Bo beasts He Lingchuan was most often in contact with.

A difference of one word, but a world of difference.

In ancient times, the Bo was called the wingless Pegasus, capable of flying with the wind; it didn't work today, but that wasn't their problem. The Bo still possessed the talent of riding the wind, running faster and longer than most land creatures, but the spiritual energy was too thin to support their flight.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 1076 =====