Chapter 1914: Reason or Madness

Boss Situ He used his current perspective to review the Black Armored Army's attack routes again—each location must have had personnel from Yangshan beforehand, right?

After all, the Yangshan Merchant Guild is everywhere.

He pressed his fingers to his brow and said to the guard beside him: "Go to the Yangshan branch in Jucheng and find Jiang Lishui. If I still can't find him, I'll seal off all Yangshan branches under my jurisdiction!"

The guard received the order and left.

These past two days, the Jucheng branch has been renovating its storefront. He sent someone to summon Jiang Lishui, and the reply was that Manager Jiang was out on official business.

Not there? Hah, he's probably avoiding me?

The threat worked quickly. In the afternoon, Jiang Lishui came with the guard.

"Marshal Situ!" Jiang Lishui bowed with a beaming smile, his courtesy never lacking.

Businessmen, after all—harmony brings wealth.

But seeing Jiang Lishui's fake smile now, Boss Situ He found it extremely annoying, wishing he could drag him out and beat him fifty times with a heavy board.

"Huo Yao is the Great Emperor of Jiuxu, and the Yangshan Merchant Guild secretly hides the Black Armored Army. When do you, the Eastern House, plan to tell me this?"

Boss Situ He got straight to the point, and Jiang Lishui quickly said: "Oh, our Eastern House has profound plans—ordinary people can't fathom his thoughts. I only received his message the day before yesterday, and I was utterly shocked."

Boss Situ He sneered: "The day before yesterday?"

"For such a grand undertaking, how could the Eastern House possibly announce it beforehand so everyone knows?" Jiang Lishui protested, "The Eastern House has underlings like me managing affairs—there are over a hundred of us, usually we only study our business classics, never touching military matters."

He Lingchuan's subordinates are mixed, each doing their own work with clear division of labor. Jiang Lishui's Yangshan branch indeed only does business, never involving force.

Of course, Boss Situ He doesn't believe it. Originally, the Yangshan Merchant Guild took Jucheng as its main base in the central-western region of Shanjin, and He Yao's capable aides Ding Zuodong and Guan Ke were all working here—but somehow, these key figures have all disappeared.

Now thinking about it, He Yao must have intentionally moved the core personnel outward to avoid being wiped out in one sweep by the allied forces. So now, how many people remain in the Jucheng branch?

Jiang Lishui rummaged in his bosom for a while before producing a red-headed letter, which he presented with both hands: "This is the letter from the Eastern House for Marshal Situ."

Boss Situ He snatched it, tore it open, and looked— the first few characters were:

"Situ Brother, please forgive."

He Lingchuan wrote in the letter that he had no intention to deceive; it was simply that this matter was of great importance, and before success, he dared not reveal the heavenly secrets.

"Heavenly secrets?" Boss Situ He sneered, then continued reading.

Shanjin has known no peace for eight hundred years; the people suffer day and night, the world now is like purgory—pitiful and lamentable!

The Heavenly Demon stirs up war, draws forth nightmare energy, extends claws and fangs to suck marrow and fat, harms living beings to enrich itself—hateful and killable!

Having observed Shanjin's path forward, only by driving out evil, uniting goodness, and repelling the Heavenly Demon can we preserve people's lives, pacify people's hearts, fulfill people's wishes, and benefit people's interests. The Black Armored Army and Yangshan Merchant Guild arose precisely in response to the times.

"Drive out evil, unite goodness?" So the Black Armored Army's actions and the Yangshan Merchant Guild's planning are precisely the manifestation of these two?

Seeing this, Boss Situ He felt anger mixed with secret shock—He Yao actually pointed his spear directly at the Heavenly Demon/Heavenly God and set the goal of "repelling the Heavenly Demon"!

Is this just big talk waving a big banner, using grand principles to crush people, or does he truly think this way?

The former still has reason; the latter has already gone mad.

"Situ Brother, with great ambition and talent, concerned for the people's livelihood—the allied forces resist the Heavenly God's claws and fangs, safeguarding peace in one region, their merit is boundless. I sincerely invite Situ Brother, sincerely invite the allied forces, to jointly resist the Heavenly Demon, exterminate evil and eliminate wickedness, to forge a path of survival for the countless beings of Shanjin."

Finally, He Lingchuan said he would certainly return to Jucheng within three months to discuss grand plans with Boss Situ He.

After reading the last character, Boss Situ He almost tore the letter apart with his hands, gritting his teeth: "Madman! Deluded fool!"

He looked at Jiang Lishui's face full of sincere earnestness, anger rising from nowhere: "Come here!"

Two guards responded to the call and approached.

Boss Situ He pointed at Jiang Lishui, turned over several thoughts in his mind, and finally said: "Take him to the Northern Garden for detention!"

"Marshal Situ—" Jiang Lishui hadn't even managed to say two more words before he was dragged away.

Only then did Boss Situ He pick up the letter again, reading it over and over, his face growing increasingly grim.

At dusk, the personal guards reported that the allied forces' leaders had come to Yaopo to seek an audience.

Those who should come still came. Boss Situ He sighed, picked up the cup on the table, drank the cold tea in one gulp, and strode out.

Meanwhile, Jiang Lishui was thrown into the small side courtyard of the Northern Garden of the Situ residence, beside the firewood shed, a place usually few people approach.

The guards shoved him into the courtyard, shut the door—now only he remained inside.

Jiang Lishui leaned against the door, listening for a long while, confirmed the two guards were standing outside, then turned back into the room, found a candle, and lit it.

Then he took out another letter from his bosom, lit it on fire, and burned it.

No mistake, no omission, no single character missed—every word, every line, every detail observed!

He Lingchuan actually sent two letters; if Boss Situ He knew Jiuxu's Great Emperor was him, the red-headed letter Jiang Lishui presented would be that one.

If Boss Situ He didn't know, then Jiang Lishui would deliver another letter, with a different explanation.

He Lingchuan estimated the first possibility was more likely.

Moreover, he also messaged Jiang Lishui, saying Boss Situ He would not take his life; even if detained, it might not be a bad thing—on the contrary, it could protect his personal safety.

At dusk, the allied forces' commanders gathered at Yaopo.

All factions had been stirred by the Black Armored Army's new movements, thus convening to discuss a countermeasure.

The envoy sent by the King of Puli was the Second Prince, bringing fresh, hot news:

"Latest situation: the Black Armored Army coming from the west has already taken Dazhuguan."

Everyone exclaimed in shock: "They just took Pengguo?!"

Dazhuguan is over three hundred li from Pengguo's border—could the Black Armored Army fly there in just two days?

"The Black Armored Army spreads like wildfire everywhere, and with current information in chaos, no one can tell how many Black Armored Army units there really are!" the Puli Prince said coldly, "The unit that took Dazhuguan may not necessarily be the one from Pengguo."

Everyone discussed in confusion.

Taking one city a day, razing three strongholds a night—the Black Armored Army's speed of action is unprecedented. Compared to them, our seven great forces besieging one Chixia, fighting from spring to spring, still haven't fully completed the task.

Alas!

This comparison only makes people feel more apprehensive.

Then the General of Piyun from Tengguo said: "After Pengguo's fall, it's said Yangshan took over people's livelihood and transported grain and supplies to Xun City. Marshal Situ, have you received news—what exactly is the relationship between the Yangshan Merchant Guild and the Black Armored Army?"

As soon as the words were spoken, the envoy of the Kan tribe took up the conversation: "The rumors about the Dragon God, the Black Armor Army, and the Nine Abysses Great Emperor—all of them originally came from Jùlù Harbor. Now it seems, it was done with intent by someone."

They weren't really certain, but standing in the present and looking back, it seemed to be something like that.

Everyone chimed in agreement.

"The first to make contact with the Yangshan Merchant Guild was the Situ family, and it was you father and son who brought this merchant guild into the Allied Forces' territory." The envoy of the Yi State was not polite either: "Marshal Situ, can you clear up our confusion?"