Chapter 161: I Burned Paper Money for You

"Ah, I think I was washed away by the water, and when I woke up, I was already at a farmer's house." He Lingchuan had to answer vaguely, "There are no days or months in the mountains; how long has it been?" "Almost a month, I guess." The Panlong Wasteland was very large, and it wasn't strange for He Lingchuan to be washed downstream and stay there for ten or twenty days, so Hu Min didn't think much of it, "We all thought you were gone, and even burned paper money for you twice. If you hadn't appeared, we would have burned some for you again on the fifteenth of next month."

He Lingchuan patted his shoulder: "Thanks!"

"Then did you hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"When I burned the paper money, I told you the reason why Governor Sun had to run away with the animal traps. Do you still remember our agreement?" Hu Min was also chewing pork cracklings, "You didn't hear it?"

"I was wondering why I always felt someone was chattering in my ear." He Lingchuan suddenly realized, "So it was you! But I really didn't hear clearly."

At that time, the reinforcements of the Bali people arrived, and their last chariot formation was about to be broken, so He Lingchuan made an agreement with Hu Min that whoever survived and returned would find out the reason why Governor Sun ran away with the animal traps and burn paper money to inform the other.

It was just a whim and a casual remark, but Hu Min had seriously followed through.

He Lingchuan didn't know what he was feeling, but he hadn't felt this way in the Support Army. He grabbed his wine cup and downed it in one gulp: "What exactly was Governor Sun doing it for?"

Those two animal traps were not light; they were made of pure iron, each weighing several hundred jin. At the time the city fell, Governor Sun still had to spend manpower and horse power to drag these two big iron lumps on the road; what exactly was he aiming for?

"It's truly laughable!" The braised goose leg was served, and Hu Min grabbed a piece and chewed slowly, "After Governor Sun arrived at Panlongcheng, he counted his family property and found that those two animal traps were missing, and he wouldn't have it, demanding we go to the river valley to find them back for him!"

"Hehe, Weicheng was gone, and he still thought this was his territory, where he could throw his weight around! Commander Xiao didn't even pay him any mind, and I don't know if Governor Sun finally sent people to find those two iron lumps himself."

"However, I asked his subordinates, and Governor Sun's family was originally just hunters. His grandfather used these two iron traps to catch two fierce beasts; one was a wolf demon, and the other was even more outrageous—it was the White Demon King who had wandered the western Panlong Wasteland for many years!"

"White Demon King?" He Lingchuan had absolutely no impression of it.

"Sixty years ago, the White Demon King was a Bear King that people in the west of the Panlong Wasteland talked about with fear. It was said to be a big demon that had attained climate, liked to eat people, and had eaten living people from several villages. Weicheng sent out demon-extermination teams three or four times, and only one or two people returned alive. When Governor Sun's grandfather found the White Demon King, it was already dead, covered in scars, clearly having been dealt the final blow by the animal trap."

"The White Demon King's skin, gallbladder, paws, and teeth all sold for high prices, and the Sun family relied on this to make a fortune, starting to buy land. The old man invited someone to calculate, saying that their family's luck depended entirely on these two iron animal traps, so they hid the traps well in the ancestral hall. Later, Governor Sun's father bought an officially discarded waste mine, but it turned out the iron ore produced had a very high purity. You also know that weapons and food are hard currency on the Panlong Wasteland, so his family undoubtedly made another fortune; needless to say for Governor Sun's generation, he himself became a governor, so you tell me if these two iron traps are prosperous or not?"

Looking at Hu Min's malicious eyes, He Lingchuan didn't blurt out the word "prosperous," just smiled: "They really are two good things, and they even saved our lives in the process."

If it weren't for the traps being effective and breaking Meng Shan's leg bone, they would probably have had to pay a heavy price to stop this fierce man.

"Yeah, that's why Governor Sun took them with him when he fled, hoping that good luck would always follow his family." Hu Min slapped his thigh, "Oh my, maybe it was because he lost these two things that Governor Sun's days haven't been smooth."

"How so?"

"His family bought a very imposing mansion in the south of Panlongcheng, but after moving in, they found that the original owner had used it to offset a lot of money and ran away. Now the creditors are coming to the door with IOUs, asking Governor Sun for money; if he doesn't pay, they'll sue." Hu Min took a sip of wine, "Also, he brought three or four hundred city guards with him, but Panlongcheng doesn't allow private individuals to carry so many arms, only leaving ten guards for the Sun family, and all the rest have to be broken up and incorporated into the city defense army."

He Lingchuan shook his head: "Governor Sun must be sending people to search the rivers and valleys for those two iron traps now."

"He's shouting about wanting to find Lord Zhong to judge, but unfortunately, this isn't Weicheng where he has the final say." Hu Min said lazily, "Over the years, how many wealthy and noble people nearby have moved to Panlongcheng to seek a moment of peace, and there are plenty who still want to throw their weight around. Hehe, they're just dreaming!"

"Houses in Panlongcheng must be expensive, right?"

The waiter brought the pig head meat, smoked and braised, and mixed with cilantro. Hearing the two discussing, he interjected with extra pride:

"Isn't that so? In the entire Panlong Wasteland, only this place is the safest, and a large number of outsiders move here every year!"

Who doesn't yearn for a peaceful and stable life? Panlongcheng was the safest, so naturally, it attracted the most population.

He Lingchuan was curious: "With so many people, can they all be accommodated?"

"It's okay for now. The city has long been full, and the Chipa Plateau is large; having more people is also good for reclaiming wasteland and mining. Lord Zhong once said that only when there are fewer people is Panlongcheng dangerous."

The first element of war is inevitably people.

Hu Min added: "Houses in Panlongcheng are divided into fifteen grades. Among them, there are five grades of luxury houses, but even the first-grade luxury house cannot exceed ten mu in area; there are nine grades of civilian houses. These are basically for officials, soldiers, and commoners, distributed by the government, and only the fourth and fifth-grade luxury houses can be bought and sold freely."

"What about the other kind?" He Lingchuan had only heard of fourteen kinds.

"There is another kind called 'snail dwellings,' which is where slaves and prisoners of war live."

He Lingchuan expressed understanding; after all, Panlongcheng had always been in a state of war, different from the free circulation of people, money, and goods in ordinary areas, and the decrees issued here were mandatory and controlling.

He sighed. Living was not easy, and Panlongcheng was forced to choose a high-difficulty gameplay.

Hearing his sigh, Hu Min looked over: "I heard you are from Tusu?"

He had indeed told Commander Xiao, and He Lingchuan nodded.

"You will settle in Panlongcheng in the future, right?" From Hu Min's perspective, he couldn't find a reason to say "no."

He Lingchuan had a mouthful of wine and meat, answering vaguely: "I have that thought."

If he entered by dreaming, did that count as settling down?

"That's easy to handle; you made a contribution in assisting the civilians of Weicheng to retreat. At that time, Commander Xiao said, add rank, add grain, add land! Panlongcheng has always been a place with clear rewards and punishments, and these rewards are still there. I'll take you to collect them later!"

Having drunk too much wine, the two began to get familiar, and Hu Min patted his chest to take charge.

He Lingchuan was stunned: "I'm going to have rank and property here too?"

Promotion, salary increase, and buying land all in one step? It was too fast, beautiful like a dream; he only had this little pursuit in his previous life.

Oh no, he was in a dream now.

Hu Min patted his shoulder: "In Panlongcheng, having military merit means having everything!"

Contributions made with one's life were naturally worth heavy rewards.

"To make contributions and establish a career, is fighting the fastest way?"

"That's for sure!"

The two toasted each other, and He Lingchuan remembered another person.

"By the way, how was Meng Shan dealt with?" That guy caused a lot of trouble for the Great Wind Army, but after his leg was broken by the animal trap, he couldn't move. The Great Wind Army unloaded his weapons and ignored him; they must have been too busy at the time, and he didn't know how it was handled afterwards. "Chopped him up?"

"Eh, not to that extent." Hu Min laughed, "General Hong saw him and thought he was a talent, so he locked him up to heal his injuries. His leg was trapped for too long, and it almost had to be sawed off; it's recovering even slower."

"Will he surrender?"

"Not willing yet, but it's hard to say later." Hu Min said, "Panlongcheng has accepted quite a few surrendered generals and has its own set of insights."

"Are there no more defectors?" He Lingchuan wondered, "Human hearts are easily changed; maybe a 'three-surname slave' will appear."

Hu Min laughed: "Not yet."

Speaking of this, He Lingchuan had another question that he had been harboring for a long time: "By the way, when I entered the city, I saw the gate guards were relaxed, and people, goods, and wealth could pass through very easily. Is Panlongcheng not afraid of spies breaking in?"

The strongest fortresses are often broken from the inside; Woling Pass proved this at least twice.

But Panlongcheng had stood for thirty-two years without falling, and had never had such a mishap. Not only He Lingchuan, but countries in later generations were curious about how it was done.

"Not afraid." Hu Min picked up a piece of pig head meat and chewed slowly, "Those harboring ulterior motives toward Panlongcheng will reveal their true colors as soon as they pass the city gate. What kind of method this is, no one knows. Anyway, you just need to know this point: spies just can't walk in through the front gate."

He Lingchuan gave a long "oh," appearing half-understanding.

Of course, three words came to his mind:

Three-Corpse Worm.

At this time, Zhong Shengguang had already successfully offered sacrifices to the gods, and the Mitian Divine Grace had bestowed the Great Fang Hu upon him, so the Three-Corpse Worm was a very powerful tool with various uses.

As long as it was used properly, Panlongcheng would be like a tiger that had grown wings.

He Lingchuan's eyes shifted slightly: "By the way, when did General Hong appear?"

"Hmm... about three years ago."

That is to say, the Panlong Wasteland became an exclave again three or four years ago. If we count the time separately from when Zhong Shengguang took charge of Panlongcheng and began to resist foreign insults, then it should be around the fifteenth or sixteenth year of the Panlong calendar.

He Lingchuan shook his head secretly; the motherland was too weak, which was truly a great pain and torment for the soldiers and civilians guarding the frontier.

Hu Min added: "Speaking of which, many of Panlongcheng's new regulations were also issued three or four years ago, such as the housing grade I just told you about; originally there were only three or four grades, but now they have been expanded to fifteen. Regulations like this are many and detailed, and you'll know slowly."

"I've always been curious, what kind of person is General Hong?" He very diligently refilled Hu Min's cup, putting on a look of humbly listening to instruction.

Hu Min raised his cup and drank: "Can't say. In short, you'll know when you see him."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 162 =====