Chapter 617

He waved his hand and said: "It's fine, His Highness did his best. I also know that troops are hard to borrow, and I am very grateful that His Highness still wanted to inform me specifically." He had entrusted people everywhere in Spirit Void City, but in the end, they were all like stones sinking into the sea, and most didn't even have a receipt.

Fu Shanyue even asked someone to apologize to him; this was simply too polite.

"It's just, it's truly a pity."

Troops are hard to borrow—Nian Zanli had a deep understanding of these few words.

Over the past two months, he had made arrangements everywhere in Spirit Void City, hoping that someone could lobby the Emperor to borrow a few more tens of thousands of elite troops for him.

The Battle of Hanhe was a mutual defeat.

He knew very well that whether it was Xiazhou or the Yuan Nation, both had already suffered heavy losses and could no longer withstand a proper war!

As long as he could borrow the troops, Nian Zanli's next victory would be almost a sure thing.

It's a pity, he just couldn't borrow them! The Emperor couldn't be said to be indifferent to his plan to counterattack the Yuan Nation, but he could only be said to have no interest at all.

Even if he described it as something easily within reach.

As the Emperor of Beijia, he had seen and heard too much about painting cakes. And Nian Zanli finally discovered at this time that Beijia didn't seem to have much desire to take down the Yuan Nation.

This country itself was ridiculously large, and its borders hadn't expanded for many years.

He had been so single-mindedly clinging to them, and in the past, they had just gone with the flow, but when it really came time to put in effort, they gave him a cold look to figure it out for himself.

He Lingchuan stroked his chin: "I've also heard of the war in the Yuan Nation; last time you seemed to be in that Xia, Xia..."

"Xiazhou."

"Right, right, you were fighting in Xiazhou." He Lingchuan wondered, "Why does General Nian feel it's a pity not to attack at this time?"

Nian Zanli said decisively: "The opportunity is rare. There are changes on the western front of the Yuan Nation; the Yuan monarch changed the defense of Xiazhou and transferred Zhao Pan, who is skilled in defensive warfare, to the west to resist the Great Coordinator's army."

He Lingchuan was shocked to hear this. Zhao Pan had been transferred away?

But wasn't this just tearing down the east wall to repair the west wall? Two pots only matched one lid; there would always be a hole that couldn't be blocked.

Thinking of the country where the He family originated, he could only let out a secret sigh.

"If I borrow troops and go back now, I can just happen to make a perfect coordination with the Great Coordinator."

He Lingchuan gave an "Oh": "He has the advantage there, right?"

"Not bad. I just received news from the west that the Great Coordinator designed a trap to wipe out the Yuan Nation's great general Wu Di; only one Ke Jihai is left on the western front of the Yuan Nation, and he cannot support it alone." Nian Zanli couldn't help but press his palms together, "If I take the troops back and launch an attack from the north and west with the Great Coordinator, the fall of the Yuan Nation is close at hand."

He Lingchuan was greatly shaken.

Wu Di was dead!

It was Wu Di and Ke Jihai, these two great generals of the Yuan Nation, who led the government troops to successfully suppress the rebellion at Woling Pass and forced the "Holy Master" Hong Xiangqian to commit suicide. He Lingchuan had already seen Ke Jihai in Shi Huan City; he was a rare talent in the Yuan Nation, so he thought Wu Di, who partnered with him, couldn't be much worse.

He didn't expect him to fail in Wuzhou.

Although the Great Coordinator was also experienced in battle and not comparable to those rebels at Woling Pass, the decline of the Yuan Nation's fortune could also be seen from this.

He Lingchuan had long heard He Chunhua analyze that the Great Coordinator Dong Haoming had been plotting a rebellion for a long time; Wuzhou had elite troops and sufficient grain, which contrasted sharply with the Yuan army's struggle on the front lines.

With Wu Di's death, the scales of war were about to tilt.

No wonder Nian Zanli was in such a hurry to borrow troops and go back; his long-cherished wish was about to be fulfilled.

Thinking of this, He Lingchuan sipped his wine unhurriedly.

After chatting for a few sentences, he discovered that this General Nian was completely at odds with the Yuan Nation, to the point of death. Even if the troop borrowing failed this time, he would find ways to counterattack the Yuan Nation in the future.

Deep obsession.

This kind of opponent who would stop at nothing was exactly what the weak Yuan Nation feared most.

Before today, He Lingchuan was still thinking about how to finally prevent Nian Zanli from actually borrowing the troops.

But now, he wanted the life of this General Nian in front of him.

Father and son, let them both die by his hands!

Nian Songyu should walk slowly on the Yellow Springs road; perhaps he could wait for his father to accompany him.

But He Lingchuan had long been able to keep his emotions from showing on his face; while murderous intent was born in secret, he could still lightly pat the low table and look righteous: "Good, good. Then I wish you success on behalf of His Highness and another great achievement for our Beijia."

Nian Zanli said in a deep voice: "I hope so."

The two drank and chatted a few more times.

He Lingchuan thought for a moment and couldn't help but ask the doubt he had held for a long time:

"May I ask a presumptuous question?"

Nian Zanli poured wine: "Please ask."

"General Nian is from the Yuan Nation; why is your heart so set on attacking the Yuan Nation?" He Lingchuan carefully examined his expression, "Is there some deep hatred?"

"The Yuan Nation?" Nian Zanli chuckled twice, "The old monarch is stubborn and arrogant, and the new monarch is mediocre and incompetent. It has only been established for sixty years, yet the royal court is rampant with corruption; you can't find two good officials, and the orders are changed day and night, with no credibility as a country at all, only knowing how to ride on the heads of commoners to act as tyrants. Outside the auxiliary capital of Shi Huan City, there are commoners selling their children; it can be said that the people are living in misery, and people are rising up in rebellion every three days."

He said this in one breath and sighed: "You tell me, what necessity is there for such a regime to exist?"

He Lingchuan clapped his hands: "So the general is wholeheartedly for the people, hoping that the Yuan people will have some good fortune and eventually welcome a good monarch."

Nian Zanli loved hearing this, and the smile on his face became two parts more sincere.

At this time, someone was waving frequently on the shore, and He Lingchuan saw it at a glance and said: "It's time to go back."

After docking, He Lingchuan personally saw Nian Zanli off.

Li Qingge originally hoped he would have more contact with Nian Zanli to find an opportunity to get back the bamboo tube. But He Lingchuan didn't follow her script; he already had a better way.

Passing by Fu Shanyue on the way, this guy was talking to other nobles and said to He Lingchuan when he saw him: "Your trouble has come."

"???"

Nian Zanli said to Fu Shanyue: "Your Highness, I will come to visit again in a few days."

Fu Shanyue also gave him an elegant smile: "Good, I will await your arrival." Then he gave He Lingchuan a wink.

Nian Zanli was tactful and said to He Lingchuan: "Young Master He, stop here; I will stroll around a bit more."

"Fine, General Nian, please excuse me."

Saying "stroll around a bit more," Nian Zanli actually strode away in the direction of the mountain descent.

He Lingchuan knew he had no intention of staying here to socialize either.

Fu Shanyue also looked at Nian Zanli's back and asked He Lingchuan: "What did you talk to him about just now, even boating on the lake together."

"He was still inquiring about borrowing troops, and I politely declined on your behalf."

Fu Shanyue gave an "Oh" and didn't care about Nian Zanli.

He looked behind He Lingchuan: "Look, the trouble is walking toward you."

Trouble?

He Lingchuan turned his head and saw several people coming through the crowd, with a different momentum.

Other guests were all harmonious, but these few had an aggressive momentum, as if they were looking for trouble.

Oh, and there was a bear.

That's right, it was indeed trouble, because he recognized the Concentric Guard deputy commander Fan Sheng and the giant bear Fan Bao at first glance.

Even Fan Sheng was walking behind, so the person who was strolling over at the very front, with his hands behind his back, should be—

He Lingchuan sighed in his heart; what must come cannot be avoided.

Fu Shanyue laughed: "Come, come, let me introduce you; this is the Concentric Guard's Fan Long, the Great Commander. Besides, you have already met Fan Sheng and Fan Bao."

He pointed at He Lingchuan and said to the newcomer: "This is my Chi Yan special envoy for the case, He Xiao."

Fan Long was very tall, with a majestic figure and a thin face, not at all like the square-faced Fan Sheng.

Were they really born to the same mother? He Lingchuan muttered in his heart, but on the surface, he cupped his hands and smiled: "Commander Fan, long admired, long admired!"

"You are He Xiao?" Fan Long also smiled, but the smile didn't reach his eyes, so his gaze remained cold, "We finally meet."

Was this the person who made his two younger brothers and the Concentric Guards the laughingstock of Spirit Void City?

He Lingchuan felt that the look in the giant bear Fan Bao's eyes wasn't as fierce and violent as he had imagined; instead, it avoided his gaze, unwilling to meet his eyes.

Monsters are still honest.

"Everyone is acting according to official business; we still have to cooperate in the future." As the host, Fu Shanyue still had to fulfill the duty of a peacemaker, "I think, how about letting bygones be bygones with a smile?"

He himself had no direct conflict with the Fan brothers, just that he felt incredibly satisfied when he heard that Fan Sheng had lost to He Lingchuan.

The Fan brothers were arrogant and had previously ignored him, the unfavored eldest son of Chi Yan.

"Of course." Fan Long's gaze never left He Lingchuan, "It's rare to meet such a handsome young talent; we should associate more in the future."

His gaze was like a tiger's; ordinary people would likely be scared out of their wits and trembling. But He Lingchuan's will was so firm, and he spent his days with a real tiger like Jiao Yu, so he was already immune to "tiger-like staring." At this moment, he met his gaze, cupped his hands, and smiled: "I will have to ask Commander Fan for much advice in the future!"

This little guy has a lot of guts, Fan Long chuckled: "Don't worry, there will be plenty of opportunities."

Fan Sheng's gaze at He Lingchuan was even more complex and unspeakable, with anger, unwillingness, and suspicion.

After all, he had lost to He Lingchuan, and lost so ugly! After returning to Spirit Void City, he could almost not lift his head amidst the ridicule and pointing of others.

He Lingchuan deliberately summoned a maid, poured three cups of fine wine on her tray, and took one himself: "Second Brother Fan, I offended you at Bai Sha Jue. I was fighting for my life for official business and had to go all out; please forgive me, Second Brother."

Actually, as soon as the Fan brothers appeared and sought out He Lingchuan and Fu Shanyue, the guests nearby immediately gathered to watch the excitement.

Enemies are bound to meet, aren't they? Don't you have to open your eyes wide to see what kind of sparks the two sides will strike? If it's explosive, maybe it will be tomorrow's headline gossip and topic of conversation on the floating islands? Fan Sheng's face was ugly, and he didn't take the wine, just staring at He Lingchuan without a word.

"Then I will drink first as a sign of respect." He Lingchuan didn't mind at all and drank it in one gulp.

Who told him to be the winner? No matter how low he lowered his posture, others would only say he was humble, magnanimous, and not haggling with Fan Sheng.

Now the pressure was on Fan Sheng's side, and this rough man's face turned red.

Turned red from pure anger.

With hundreds of eyes staring here, everyone wanted to see how he would react. Fan Long turned his head to look at him and said in a deep voice: "Second!"

The warning was very strong. Before he came, he had repeatedly warned his two younger brothers not to cause a scene.

(End of chapter)