Chapter 1280

When the staff brought out these gemstones, Lei Ni was also present. The brilliant light they reflected under the sun made her clutch her chest and turn to walk away quickly. No woman could resist such luster.

The third category consisted of various expensive materials and metals, whose value far exceeded that of gold of the same volume. He Lingchuan directly packed them into his own storage space and carried them back to the island himself.

Of the estimated 5.2 million taels, at least nearly 2 million taels were from the materials.

For example, there were four or five pieces of Yu Gold as large as a fist. He Lingchuan didn't recognize the other metals—green, white, red—but when the people from the Songyang Mansion branch rushed over to see them, they stood rooted to the spot, unable to move.

Actually, He Lingchuan had also picked up quite a few magic treasures, but they had stayed in the land of Yin energy for too long, and most were already ruined. The Songyang Mansion branch regretfully collected them to see if there was any possibility of salvage.

Of course, things like divine bones and divine blood were already impossible to estimate in value.

The Xuanlu Ghost King had painstakingly managed the Howling Forest for three hundred years, and the rich family fortune he had saved up all ended up benefiting He Lingchuan.

The Yangshan Archipelago was as happy as if it were the New Year.

The Proprietor was back, and they had their backbone again.

One must know that this treasure was only half of the underground palace's inventory.

Ding Zuodong looked at the glowing wealth before him and let out a long sigh of relief. The Yangshan Archipelago was constantly developing, and land reclamation had begun again; this year's cultivated area would expand by another twenty percent. The residential area also had to be expanded because the permanent population settling on the island had increased again.

New ports, new ships, and new wharves were also in preparation, as the existing transport capacity could not quite keep up with the passenger flow Yangshan was receiving.

All of this required money.

And the Yangshan Archipelago still had to divert wealth and manpower to support the Yangshan Society in opening up the Flash Gold Plain, such as funding the seven-way Allied forces' crusade against Pixia and supplying the reorganization of the Original Homeland Society; these investments would not see a return in the short term.

All grand plans were built on expenditures.

Money, money, money—the lifeblood of Yangshan.

Therefore, once the Xuanlu Ghost King's treasure arrived, the financial situation of the Yangshan Archipelago not only improved immediately but also had a surplus! They were flush with cash, immediately flush.

Ding Zuodong felt that he could sleep with a grin from ear to ear tonight.

But before that, he first reported the work of Yangshan over the past few months to He Lingchuan.

It took five hours in total, and Ding Zuodong talked until his mouth was dry.

The Proprietor inquired about everything, no matter how small, even caring about the private affairs of his subordinates, such as, "What about Qiu Hu and Lei Ni? When I left last time, they were already talking about marriage."

The local customs were very open.

"Uh, they have a good relationship, but marriage seems to be... I haven't heard anything."

He Lingchuan didn't waste time either; the second day after returning to the island, he summoned all the high-level officials of Yangshan to Centipede Island for a top-secret meeting.

The theme was only one: Expand the military and prepare for war!

Qiu Hu and the others were overjoyed, rubbing their hands: "Finally, we can fight!"

Isn't an army raised for a thousand days used for a single moment? Ding Zuodong laughed: "Haven't we fought the pirates on the eastern sea route a dozen times already?"

Qiu Hu glanced sideways: "Do you call that fighting a war? That's called clearing them out, that's called practice!"

The Yangshan Archipelago security team had cleared the waters and trade routes east of the archipelago, including Platinum Island, wiping out over a dozen pirate dens, which greatly ensured the safety of merchant ships.

But for the Yangshan security team, this was nothing more than a dozen training exercises.

Everyone asked urgently: "When do we start fighting?"

"In a few months at the shortest, no more than two years at the longest." He Lingchuan opened the sand table. "Beijia and the Mou Nation have both been getting heated recently, not as lukewarm as before, and both sides are committing more generals and troops. Last month, the Mou Nation suffered two defeats in a row and should be adjusting their tactics. Several big merchants traveling between the Mou Nation and Beijia say that large-scale trade business between the two sides is being interfered with, and they have already abandoned many categories. This is not a good sign; Yangshan will be affected sooner or later."

Don't look at the fact that Beijia and the Mou Nation have been fighting for two or three years; in fact, trade between the two great nations had never been interrupted.

Now that the Mou Nation has begun to restrict trade goods, it shows that the intensity of the war has increased.

The largest customer base of the Yangshan Archipelago comes from these two countries.

"To a certain extent, Beijia is using the Yangshan Archipelago to connect more closely with the Ya Nation and the Xiao Nation, which is reaching its hand into the rear of the Mou Nation." He Lingchuan said sternly, "As the war progresses, I'm afraid the Mou Nation won't be able to sit idly by."

Ding Zuodong asked: "Is the Grand Proprietor worried that the Mou Nation will use force against us?"

"At the very least, it will want us to be pro-Mou and anti-Beijia." He Lingchuan said, "At that time, if we cannot secure more autonomy, our room for maneuver will definitely be compressed."

"Only with an army can there be autonomy. The counter-example is Does Bailie." He pointed to Does Bailie on the sand table again. "Old Man Lu has been home guarding the border for too long and was just transferred back by the Mou Nation. As soon as he left, the Ya Nation provoked two combat demonstrations on Does Bailie's eastern front and incidentally snatched some grain back. Does Bailie is going to start being overwhelmed again."

Wan Sifeng interjected: "Borrowed troops are never sustainable."

"The turmoil in the surrounding areas is the reason for Yangshan's military expansion." He Lingchuan said to Ding Zuodong, "From now on, the Yangshan Archipelago will only retain rigid expenditures; all short-term useless demolition and expansion must be postponed. The operating surplus and the treasure I brought back will be prioritized for military supplies and equipment!"

Ding Zuodong immediately replied "Yes," and Qiu Hu and Wan Sifeng did not hide their joy.

"Now, about the Flash Gold Plain." He Lingchuan pointed to the Flash Gold Plain on the sand table. "Everyone says it is chaotic and disorderly, that the Mou Nation went in and suffered a crushing defeat, and even Beijia can only indirectly control the Flash Gold through the Xiao Nation, Luodian, and others. But the two great powers repeatedly reach out there, which shows that the Flash Gold Plain itself has huge potential, whether in terms of territory, population, resources, or wealth!"

The people present had already been severely shocked by the treasure that the Changlong Martial Escort Agency had brought back and piled into hills, and they all agreed with this point of view, especially the last two words.

"I have traveled there personally for several months; this place has great promise!" He Lingchuan saw their expressions; sure enough, nothing could stimulate a person's ambition and stir their emotions more than wealth. "I am very fond of this place!"

Even Qiu Hu subconsciously clenched his fists: "Please give your orders, my lord."

Although Yangshan is good, it is too small!

Qiu Hu had lived here for more than two years, and he knew every corner of the archipelago not covered by evil energy like the back of his hand.

They were warriors; they needed a broader world.

"The Flash Gold Plain seems to be full of chaos, but it actually has its own endogenous rules that reject the forceful intervention of all external forces." He Lingchuan said sternly, "Our strength and military power are currently not as good as the Mou Nation, or even the Ya Nation, and we have no fame, but this is actually a good thing."

"Regarding the Flash Gold Plain, the overall strategy I have formulated focuses on the four words: 'moistening things silently'!"

(End of Chapter)