Chapter 1163

"Neither Lingshan nor the Mou Emperor intends to investigate the missing tribute case any further, so I naturally respect the client's wishes; besides, the Mou Nation was already secretly colluding with the rebels, so perhaps the Shadow Tooth Guard is also..." He Lingchuan said with a straight face, "Consort Mei just doesn't know it yet. Besides, I only wanted to get clues from Consort Mei; as for whether she lives or dies later, what does that have to do with me?" Different environments breed different people, and the Flash Gold Plain just happened to breed someone like Consort Mei. She couldn't be an isolated case, and there was no point in killing or capturing her.

"Don't think that a grace of not killing her once or twice will make her grateful," He Lingchuan said leisurely. "She has the temperament of a fox or a wolf and sees through this world more clearly than you do. If you encounter this woman again, you must be doubly careful."

Dong Rui sighed softly, feeling somewhat dispirited.

Some people and events on the Flash Gold Plain are like drifting clouds that gather and disperse, parting ways forever.

The words Consort Mei had spoken also echoed in He Lingchuan's mind:

The Heavenly Dao is unjust; I can only fight for it myself!

At least she had succeeded.

On the Flash Gold Plain, and even in this vast, murky world, the wails of most weak people crushed by the millstone of fate go unheard by anyone.

This chaotic and hopeless continent has been thirsting for a little justice and a little hope for far too long.

He Lingchuan had been thinking about the root cause of their misery. Was it truly because the Heavenly Dao was unjust? Dong Rui asked him: "Where to now?"

"Enter the palace." He Lingchuan already had a plan. "We are going to see You Enguang."

This was the outskirts of Xuncheng, and it was right on the way to the Peng Nation's palace.

At this time, only a few days had passed since the fall of the Bo Nation and the new monarch's ascension; the Peng Nation was still in a transition period, and the internal strife had just ceased.

He Lingchuan and his companion walked back to the capital and didn't find that the public order had improved; the places that should be chaotic were still a total mess.

It was likely that the new royal court couldn't spare the effort to tidy up these minor details.

Upon arriving in Xuncheng, He Lingchuan entered the palace to pay a visit to the new monarch.

He had already dealt with this You Enguang back at the Carefree Sect, and he had the Mou Nation's foreign envoy token in hand, so he had a green light all the way and quickly met the new monarch.

This time, He Lingchuan entered the palace as the Lord of the Yangshan Islands to talk business with You Enguang.

Actually, it would have been better to wait a few months to observe the situation, but since he happened to be passing by, he just took care of the matter while he was at it.

Although the foundation of the old Bo Nation was poor, the location of Giant Deer Port was uniquely advantageous; it was the best port in the entire central and western Flash Gold Plain. Countries to the west that wanted to do business with the Flash Gold Plain mostly had to land here.

The Yangshan Islands were no exception.

He Lingchuan's status was subtle; being both a Mou envoy and the Lord of the Yangshan Islands, the double layer of buffs made him You Enguang's most welcome guest.

After friendly negotiations between the two sides, the tariffs paid by Yangshan merchant caravans at Giant Deer Port were halved, while enjoying various conveniences in customs clearance, warehousing, and cargo flow; Yangshan merchants could also enjoy preferential commercial taxes throughout the Peng Nation.

You Enguang had just taken over the mess left by the Bo King, and the Bo Nation could be described as "waiting to be rebuilt." He was thinking entirely about how to make money, so when He Lingchuan came to talk about cooperation, wasn't that exactly what he wanted? They hit it off immediately.

There was also one more clause: Yangshan people could form escort teams and security firms in the Peng Nation to accept private employment and help merchant caravans travel.

In other words, the Yangshan Islands could legally establish armed forces in the Peng Nation. You Enguang was originally somewhat reluctant about this point, but firstly, the other conditions He Lingchuan offered moved him, and secondly, he was well aware of the situation on the Peng Nation's trade routes—they were infested with bandits, and the Peng Nation's own army found it very difficult to clear them out.

If you can't protect people doing business, then it's reasonable for them to establish their own armed forces to escort their own caravans.

Who told the newborn Peng Nation to be small and weak?

At this subtle moment, this disadvantage in position and national strength was exactly the opportunity and leverage He Lingchuan needed to fight for the most favorable negotiation terms, and he seized it.

In the end, both sides took a step back regarding the number, scale, and location of the escort teams, and finally reached an agreement.

Everyone was happy.

He Lingchuan smiled very happily.

As long as a gap was opened in the policy to allow Yangshan's forces "legal entry," they would have ways to break through any subsequent restrictions on scale, number, or location.

Human hearts, after all, how can they resist the temptation of money? An ant hole that collapses a dam isn't dug in a day, right? The mirror made a sound: "The Flash Gold Plain is a hard bone that no one else can chew; are your teeth that good?"

"Bone stew is also very fragrant." He Lingchuan never complained that meat was too little or hard to chew.

He had plenty of self-awareness. How long had Beijia and the Mou Nation been infiltrating the Flash Gold Plain? How could it ever be his turn to eat the delicious meat?

The Yangshan Islands needed the produce of the Flash Gold Plain, especially ores, but the safety of the trade routes had always been a difficult problem that no one could solve. Having the armed forces of the Yangshan Islands personally protect them was the best thing possible.

Not to mention, the mineral veins on the Flash Gold Plain were all occupied by mine tyrants or local forces; the conditions you negotiated with someone today might be denied by them tomorrow, or a few days later, a different group might come to power and refuse to recognize the old accounts of their predecessors.

Where is there any easy business? He Lingchuan had long since seen all kinds of dirty and rotten things.

Especially on the Flash Gold Plain, it was too hard to do business by the book. However, if your fist was hard enough, others would start being polite to you.

How did that saying go? Difficulties are like a spring; if you are hard, it will be soft.

Only by stationing military force could a low-cost and stable supply of ore be guaranteed. He Lingchuan wanted to keep this supply line in his own hands as much as possible.

More importantly, You Enguang allowing him to introduce military force into the Peng Nation meant that the Yangshan Islands had openly reached out to the Flash Gold Plain! From then on, the Yangshan Islands could use this as a base, and by using Yangshan merchant caravans to circulate everywhere, they could bit by bit drive their influence into the Flash Gold Plain.

He Lingchuan still had some thoughts about the Flash Gold Plain, just like he did about Bailie.

On the surface, he came to do a mission for the Mou Nation; in fact, the agreement reached between Yangshan and the Peng Nation was his biggest gain in the Bright Lamp mission! To put it bluntly, he came to the Flash Gold Plain this time to scout the territory and do the groundwork.

The Soul-Absorbing Mirror also basically understood his thoughts and let out a sound: "I hope this Peng Nation can stabilize; otherwise, all your winks will be made to a blind man."

"Who's to say it isn't?" If the Peng Nation collapsed again, its agreement with He Lingchuan would likely be void.

Wanting to do business in a place where the political situation is unstable—this is the political risk the Yangshan Islands must bear.

"I hope the Peng Nation can hold on for a bit longer." This kind of thing was beyond his ability to control.

￥￥￥￥￥

The first golden leaf fell from the paulownia tree on the Chipa Plateau, and He Lingchuan also returned to Panlong City.

Traveling across the ocean to get the Bright Lamp, the process wasn't difficult, but the journey was very long; the round trip took six months.

(End of chapter)