Chapter 1100

"..."

He Lingchuan added: "If the top is strong, the bottom follows; if the top is weak, the bottom rebels."

Whether those above and below are of one mind depends on the leader.

Whether retainers and subordinates want to rebel, dare to rebel, or can rebel depends on him, He Lingchuan! Human hearts are the most ethereal things in this world. A superior like He Lingchuan knows very well that loyalty comes from confidence.

If your subordinates have confidence in you, believe you can win, can lead them to rise step by step, and that you have ways to overcome even when encountering setbacks, then they are loyal.

Conversely, heh, what else is there to say?

"If subordinates have thoughts of rebellion or dare to have two hearts, the fault is mine. What are you afraid of?"

If a superior is incompetent or lacks oversight, don't blame the subordinates for turning delusions into plans.

Heaven's way has its constants; things are born and things die.

His attitude made Wanqi Feng's heart settle down as well.

Yes, this is Island Master He.

He didn't even dare to have a single delusion.

He Lingchuan smiled and patted his shoulder: "Look further ahead, don't just stare at the small plot of land right in front of you. Our goal—"

He pointed into the distance, everything understood without words.

At this moment, the sound of flapping wings came from outside; a barn swallow streaked past the eaves, landed on the railing, and shook its feathers, looking slightly exhausted.

It chirped a few times at He Lingchuan and spat out a tiny, thin copper tube from its crop.

New information had arrived.

Intelligence delivered by barn swallows is generally over ultra-long distances.

He Lingchuan took it in his hand, fed it a few small spiritual pills, and thanked it: "You've worked hard."

The barn swallow shook off the water on its body and stood on the railing to rest, digesting the spiritual pills while puffing itself up into a small fur ball.

He Lingchuan said to Wanqi Feng again: "Since the Bailong people are to settle on the island, go find Lei Ni and Ding Zuodong to discuss it properly and find some proper work for the tribesmen. The archipelago is so big, the work will never be finished."

The tens of thousands of newly joined people also need to find work to support themselves.

And for the Yangshan Archipelago, they are fresh blood, labor, and a part of building the islands and strengthening their power.

"Yes!" Seeing He Lingchuan unfold the letter, Wanqi Feng immediately took his leave.

Just as he walked out of the Shuyu Pavilion, wisps of rain hit his face, as cold as the day he and Uncle Hao seized the island.

At that time, they wanted to seize the Yangshan Archipelago merely to find a foothold for their tribesmen and develop slowly.

And now? Now this goal has been achieved; the Bailong tribe has settled in the Yangshan Archipelago, no longer sleeping in the open, no longer hiding east and west, with hope in life and prospects for the future.

And this archipelago doesn't need them to rack their brains to manage and maintain; they just need to develop along with it.

So easy, so little to worry about.

Had his and Uncle Hao's wish been fulfilled so naturally?

Wanqi Feng was in a trance for a moment.

After he left, the Soul-Stealing Mirror asked He Lingchuan: "Are you really not afraid that the Bailong tribe will grow too large and become a hidden danger?"

"Then we manage it properly." He Lingchuan stroked the barn swallow and turned back into the room. "Everything has pros and cons. If you want to develop, you must bear the corresponding consequences; if you fear these side effects, then you have no choice but to be conservative."

One cannot give up eating for fear of choking; one must know how to grasp the main contradiction.

"In the future, our territory will expand, our subjects will increase, and various forces will hear the news and come to join us." He Lingchuan smiled. "If you fear the Bailong people today, will you fear others in the future?"

The Soul-Stealing Mirror hummed: "As long as you know what you're doing, don't capsize in the gutter."

"Wanqi Feng is not stupid." He Lingchuan was not afraid.

After managing it for over a year, he had long held this archipelago firmly in his hands.

He is the hub of the archipelago, and even more, its soul.

Without him, this is nothing but forty-two barren islands.

With a "crack," thunder struck in the sky.

Why was the rain getting heavier? The barn swallow on the long corridor puffed up even more with a "poof." It simply buried its head in its back feathers, preparing to have a good sleep.

He Lingchuan pulled a letter out of the copper tube and saw the unique mark of Songyang Prefecture as soon as he unfolded it.

It was indeed a letter from afar.

In his last reply, he had asked Li Qingge to help keep an eye on the developments within the Yuan Nation.

The main headquarters of Songyang Prefecture had moved to Beijia, but Li Qingge's information was still well-informed.

This time, it was intelligence delivery from the Yuan Nation.

He Lingchuan browsed the letter, and his brows soon furrowed.

The Yangshan Archipelago was too far from the Yuan Nation, a sea voyage of over two months. The last message delivered by the Li Mingyang brothers of Songyang Prefecture was that the Grand Marshal had broken through the Yuan Nation's northern defense line, Ke Jihai had died in battle, the Yuan capital was in an emergency, and He Chunhua was temporarily holding his troops.

Another half-year had passed, and He Lingchuan wanted to know the follow-up.

With the Yuan Nation in civil strife, Songyang Prefecture had long since withdrawn from the Yuan territory, but it still collected some intelligence periodically.

After Grand Marshal Dong Haoming broke the northern battle line, he did not replicate the tactics of Hong Xiangqian from back then by taking ships east, but chose the land route.

This was not because he had any concerns, but because after Woling Pass was broken and the rebel army's ships were all burned, the people's livelihood in that area had never fully recovered, and there simply weren't enough ships to carry the Grand Marshal's army down the river.

Moreover, the Grand Marshal perhaps viewed the Yuan capital as his own possession, unlike the rebel army of the past, and was not in such a hurry to move east, choosing instead to advance steadily.

Marching on land, of course, would be slower, and there were some disturbances along the way. So by the time the Grand Marshal led his army to Shi Huan, over a month had passed since the northern battle line was broken.

Seeing this, He Lingchuan shook his head: "The Grand Marshal made a mistake."

If heaven gives you something and you don't take it, you will suffer the consequences.

The Grand Marshal missed the military opportunity.

Looking further down, sure enough, the Yuan Nation used this precious month to urgently transport supplies and summon a loyalist army.

Part of this credit should also go to He Lingchuan.

The money and grain he lobbied the Rongshan Sect to lend had not been used up even by this time.

Money is money; throwing it out has an effect. The supplies near the Yuan capital were much more abundant than before.

The Yuan royal court recovered from the fear of the northern battle line and, of course, had to make a desperate struggle.

So when the Grand Marshal's army arrived near Shi Huan, it encountered quite fierce resistance.

Leading the army to meet the Grand Marshal were two young generals newly recommended by the Imperial Preceptor. Shi Huan and the nobles of the Yuan capital also understood that this was a battle with their backs to the river; if they didn't win, they would perish. Therefore, those with money gave money, those with grain gave grain, and those with people gave people, actually managing to piece together an army of fifty thousand!

He Lingchuan did not know what the Yuan King's reaction would be when he heard this number at the time. Should he be happy that the Yuan Nation could still gather such an army, or angry at the previous shortage of troops and supplies at the northern battle line? In the following five months, this army held Shi Huan firmly, actually trading blows with the Grand Marshal!

The mirror was also reading the letter and wondered: "Oh my, a rotten ship still has three jin of nails. Could the Yuan royal court not be as rotten as I imagined?"

"No, it is just that rotten. It's just that the Grand Marshal is not as strong as outsiders imagine." He Lingchuan denied its illusion. "The Grand Marshal attacking Shi Huan and the capital is too far from his own Wuzhou, and the supply line is too long. I think his supplies probably have some problems."

When he was in Heishuicheng and Shi Huan, he only felt that the Grand Marshal's army was powerful, able to beat Ke Jihai into returning to the capital to beg for grain and pay.

But from his current perspective, the Yuan court's army was not very good, so the Grand Marshal who could fight the Yuan court's army for a year and a half didn't seem to be that powerful either.

This was just two weaklings pecking at each other.

If He Lingchuan were to do it himself, even if he led the Grand Marshal's army, he should be able to take the capital in a month or two and change the sky for the Yuan Nation.

Holding the letter and looking further down, oh, it turned out that during the five months the Yuan army resisted the Grand Marshal, there were also generals from the east who led troops to come and serve the king.

"It seems the Grand Marshal did not gain the support of the people in the Yuan Nation either; perhaps he had also plundered the common people near the Yuan capital." He Lingchuan was not guessing out of thin air. An army at war cannot lack food and clothing, otherwise, morale and combat power will drop significantly. The Grand Marshal's army went deep into the Yuan Nation's hinterland; once supplies were insufficient, they could only target the surrounding common people.

He Lingchuan had heard plenty of examples of wanton plundering before and after sieges.

At this time, He Chunhua moved—

He finally led his troops north to serve the king.

Counting from the time he was appointed Superintendent of Yazhou and pacified the Longchuan rebels, He Chunhua had been in Yazhou for over a year, and it was said that the government was clear and the people were harmonious, deeply loved by the common people.

He Lingchuan never doubted He Chunhua's ability to govern. Yazhou was the Yuan Nation's great granary, and the past year had seen crop failures everywhere, only Yazhou was uniquely blessed, having experienced at least two bumper harvests of grain.

His luck was truly good.

Places with grain cannot lack soldiers. He Chunhua must have been busy deep-plowing Yazhou while training his troops. Therefore, during the five months the Grand Marshal attacked Shi Huan, he was biding his time, striving to strengthen himself.

"Your father has been hiding for several months, why go north at this time?" The mirror also asked, "Why not wait until the outcome of the battle for the capital is decided and then go pick up a bargain?"

"That would be too late." He Lingchuan was also pondering. "During his time occupying Yazhou, he must have been constantly paying attention to the war situation in the north. Choosing this timing to go north, either he saw a new opportunity or discovered the Grand Marshal's weakness?"

For He Chunhua, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and he would surely be cautious in his actions.

If he couldn't see hope, why would he go north? "It's a pity I am too far from the Yuan Nation, otherwise watching the battle at close range at this time would surely be very interesting."

He Chunhua went north to see the King, and as soon as he entered the royal court, he knelt before the Yuan King, kowtowing several times until his forehead bled, tears and snot flowing as he blamed himself for being late to protect the King, all because of training troops and raising grain.

Songyang Prefecture's intelligence even had such details, so it was likely not a guess, but that Li Qingge still had eyes and ears in the palace.

In fact, the Yuan King was overwhelmed during those days; people's hearts inside and outside the capital were scattered, and bad news followed one after another. The Yuan King even ate uncleaned eggshells while dining.

In times of precariousness, the respect and loyalty shown by He Chunhua as a high official made the Yuan King feel very comforted.

Although He Chunhua came a bit late, he had come after all.

At this very moment, he was that ballast stone, bringing a full sense of security to the Yuan court.

(End of chapter)