Chapter 79

He Lingchuan asked curiously: "What does this have to do with Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu? Why did they come to seize the Great Fanghu?" "Sun Fuping conspired with the Grand Marshal, and afterward, he was personally stripped of his title of State Preceptor by the King, which is why he never used the State Order from beginning to end in the Panlong Desert." He Chunhua took over, "As for the Xunzhou Governor, he originally belonged to the Grand Marshal's faction and had deep private ties, but he is still holding his troops and has not openly rebelled yet. I speculate that if Nian Songyu could retrieve the Great Fanghu for him, that would be an incredible bargaining chip; whichever side he wants to stand with, it would be easy to negotiate."

A man as shrewd as Sun Fuping stood on the wrong side this time, and the price was his life in Panlongcheng.

Struggles involving power truly do not allow for a single wrong step.

He Yue said clearly: "The grand main battlefield is in the north and center. Heishuicheng and the Panlong Desert are merely tiny ripples caught within it."

He Chunhua and his eldest son looked at each other.

Their thrilling, life-and-death adventure seemed to count for nothing in the eyes of those in power who plan the bigger picture.

He Lingchuan searched his mind for a moment, then gave up. His original self only cared about eating, drinking, and having fun, and had no concept of major national affairs; he had almost no impression of these prominent figures his second brother mentioned.

Lady Ying had been listening on the sidelines and spoke up: "In that case, there was no harvest from the trip to Panlongcheng? And it even cost so many lives."

She rarely interfered in the men's discussions of national affairs, but the He father and sons had narrowly escaped death; they had taken two hundred men out, and only a few dozen returned.

They returned empty-handed, and the dead still needed compensation. Was her husband's adventure not very cost-effective? He Chunhua laughed heartily upon hearing this: "My lady, that's not how you calculate the accounts!"

"Although we didn't get the Great Fanghu, we took out Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping; that is the greatest harvest of this trip!" He grabbed a full cup of wine and downed it in one gulp, "Sun Fuping was one of the primary culprits of this rebellion, and the Wang Ting viewed him as a major threat. I killed him, relieved the King's worries, and boosted military morale—that is a great merit."

He Yue also said: "Sun Fuping served as State Preceptor for many years and knew countless secrets; he was deep in schemes and powerful in cultivation. His going to Panlongcheng to seize the Great Fanghu, whether to assist the Grand Marshal or defect to someone else, was deeply feared by the Wang Ting. We eliminated a future threat for Great Yuan, and in fact, we have also become involved in the war to suppress the rebellion; we might even be rewarded for our merits later."

He Lingchuan laughed: "Killing Sun Fuping was to share the nation's burdens; killing Nian Songyu was to eliminate a threat for the second brother. If we had died in the desert, he would definitely have come looking for you later."

Lady Ying was curious: "What business would he have with Yue'er?"

He Yue's face turned pale, and he said unhappily: "Don't listen to Big Brother's nonsense. However, the Xunzhou Governor didn't get the Great Fanghu and even lost a son; I don't know what he will do next."

He Chunhua sneered: "I was thinking on the road about how to explain the deaths of Sun and Nian to the Wang Ting, but it turns out I was worrying for nothing. Tomorrow, I will send the news of the Xunzhou Governor and Sun Fuping conspiring for the Great Fanghu to the Wang Ting; from now on, he won't have time to come and trouble me."

He Lingchuan remembered his father's worried face during the desert march over the past ten days, and seeing him now beaming with joy, with a faint hint of ferocity between his brows, he knew he had finally let go of the regret of missing the Great Fanghu.

He Chunhua asked He Yue: "Let me test you: if the news of Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping's deaths reaches Xunzhou, how will the Northern Expedition General act?"

He Lingchuan was unconvinced: "Dad, why don't you ask for my opinion?"

"Then you tell me."

"Rebellion." He Lingchuan said with a smile, "Defending himself is useless; apart from rebelling, he has no other choice."

The Xunzhou Governor Nian Zanli was originally in the same boat as the Grand Marshal, but he wasn't at the scene when the Grand Marshal rebelled, and afterward, he kept his troops hidden. Others didn't know what he was planning, but the Wang Ting was certainly dissatisfied: not sending troops to fight the Grand Marshal meant not showing loyalty.

Now that the news of Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping plotting to seize the Great Fanghu has spread, the Xunzhou Governor is truly in a situation where he cannot clear his name, no matter how he defends himself; the Wang Ting will not believe him. Moreover, he originally had ill intentions.

Isn't this forcing him to rebel? "Not necessarily; Nian Zanli still has other choices." He Yue said, "Besides rebelling with the Grand Marshal, he can also defect to the Northern Demon Nation!"

He Lingchuan was stunned: "He is called the Northern Expedition General; hasn't he fought many battles against the Demon Nation?"

It seems he really should find an opportunity to cram these facts.

"Actually, the Nian family has managed the northern lands quite well." He Yue said, "After Father came to Qiansong County, he also fought enemies every three days, and it has been ten years. But look, our border trade is very prosperous now, and our relations with many nations are good."

"That's because there is still the Panlong Desert between us and the foreign enemies; as long as we hold Heishuicheng, the other side can't get in..." He Lingchuan laughed, "Alright, alright, I know what you want to say: Nian Zanli might surrender to the Northern Demon Nation."

"Then his surrender gift to the Northern Demon Nation would be Xunzhou, which is under his jurisdiction." He Yue said sternly to He Chunhua, "Calculating it, he wouldn't lose out, because the Northern Demon Nation would still appoint him to continue serving as the head of a province. Using surrendered generals to govern surrendered provinces is an ancient practice."

"Then he only has these two choices left: follow the Grand Marshal or defect to the Northern Demon Nation." He Chunhua pondered, "Although the Grand Marshal recently suffered a defeat, his foundation is solid; adding the help of the Xunzhou Governor, I don't know when the domestic civil war will end. If he wants to defect north, the Northern Demon Nation would certainly be happy to take another province without shedding blood, and Xunzhou's terrain is critical; once occupied by the Demon Nation, behind it lies a vast expanse of plains and fertile fields, easy to attack but hard to defend."

"In other words, no matter how the Xunzhou Governor acts next, it will be a deep, bloody cut for Great Yuan." He Lingchuan stretched, "If I were the King, I'd rather maintain the status quo."

He Chunhua frowned upon hearing this.

He Lingchuan wiped his mouth and was about to leave the table when he suddenly remembered something: "By the way, Dad, Sun Fuping's staff doesn't listen to me; do you have the user manual?"

After losing its master, the beast-headed staff returned to the appearance of a vajra pestle, remaining silent no matter how he drove it with true qi.

"That staff doesn't actually suit you; why not sell it?"

Lady Ying also spoke up: "After returning from this adventure, there are even more places to spend money; not to mention anything else, how much silver will it cost to distribute the compensation! It's better to sell it for money to fill the deficit."

He Lingchuan crossed his arms over his chest: "This is the reward for saving dozens of people, personally given to me by Dad; how can there be any reason to take it back?"

Trying to swindle him? Family compensation comes from the public account; it doesn't require the He Mansion to pay.

He Chunhua was thoughtful, casually took out a notebook from his bosom, flipped through it with a rustle, and then tore off a page for him: "Here, the usage of that staff is all written on it."

(End of chapter)