Chapter 893: Naturally Evil Land

The team had already stepped onto the Longchuan trade route, and the journey was peaceful, with merchants passing by from time to time, looking very relaxed. After traveling for half a day, they arrived at a checkpoint.

Other merchant teams had to line up and pay money here to pass; but He Lingchuan showed his waist token and shook it at the soldiers, and the other party said "Great Commander!" and then stepped aside and bowed to let them pass, without a word of extra nonsense.

Until nightfall, this Great Wind Army team passed a total of three checkpoints, and this scene was repeated three times.

Lu Xun observed for most of the day, but still asked: "Commander He, the checkpoints on this trade route seem to be set up quite frequently, and besides—the soldiers guarding the checkpoints are not the Great Wind Army, right?"

Although these soldiers wore uniforms and hung tokens at their waists, they were bandit-like, standing without any posture, and only subconsciously straightened their backs when they saw the Great Wind Army.

He heard that Panlongcheng was known for its strict military discipline; how could there be such a team?

Of course, Lu Xun was a guest from afar and asked quite subtly.

"No. Mr. Lu's insight is truly sharp." He Lingchuan knew very well what he wanted to ask: "These were originally Longchuan water bandits, and after being recruited, they remained here to collect road taxes. Every time we pass a checkpoint, we walk into the original sphere of influence of this bandit gang."

"This..." Lu Xun was stunned, not expecting this answer.

After the water bandits were recruited, they weren't broken up and trained elsewhere, but instead remained here to watch the road? Originally, they had to rob openly to get money, but now they hold the official banner of Jade Balance City, no longer needing to bleed or sweat, and can get money just by reaching out while sitting? It can be called safe, efficient, and painless.

How could Panlongcheng, which has always been clear about rewards and punishments, be so generous to water bandits?

He Lingchuan explained: "The situation inside Longchuan is complex, and the Xiji troops we scattered also hid in Longchuan, continuing to circle with us. And they also received support from external forces, so this kind of internal and external collusion is very difficult to wipe out. Therefore, we divide the water bandits and resolve the resistance."

He added: "Everything takes the safety of the trade route as the priority, and other problems can be solved slowly."

"Before I came, I heard that the banditry on this trade route in Xiji was rampant, but I didn't expect it to be in good order now." Lu Xun didn't care how they did it; anyway, the security on the trade route was much better: "I also wanted to learn from it."

"Also wanted to" meant that he originally wanted to, but now he didn't. The method He Lingchuan used was originally tailored for Longchuan water bandits, and it would be useless for others to learn.

Everything must start from reality.

"Does Bailie also have banditry?"

"Sigh, where is there none? It's just a matter of degree." His mount was startled by a small wild boar that jumped out from the side of the road, and Lu Xun patted the horse's neck to soothe it: "You have water bandits here, and we have pirates there."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan was curious: "I'd like to hear the details."

Lu Xun didn't expect him to be interested in bandits thousands of miles away, so he said: "The Yangshan Archipelago is on the sea twenty miles southwest of Blade Edge Port, composed of forty-two islands of various sizes. The smallest can only accommodate dozens of people, while the largest main island, Dragon Spine Island, has an area of over seventeen hundred *qing*, and the island has mountains, hills, karst caves, canyons, and even plains and lakes."

He Lingchuan hissed softly. Seventeen hundred *qing* is over one hundred and ten square kilometers; this island is really not small.

"Although this Yangshan Archipelago is my family's territory, pirates have been appearing for years. They rely on the scattered islands to play hide-and-seek with us."

He Lingchuan pondered: "Will they go ashore to plunder?"

"Basically no, they just rob passing merchant ships." Lu Xun explained: "The water area of the Yangshan Archipelago is very wide, on the necessary shipping route heading west. To bypass it completely, you have to walk over two hundred miles more. And the open sea has many winds and waves, so passing through the archipelago, the water surface will be much smoother."

"Are there civilians on the island?"

"Very few, except for a few ports specifically for replenishing food and water."

He Lingchuan slapped a mosquito to death; it was buzzing in his ear, annoying to death: "Can't you concentrate your troops for a few sweeps, and then have the official army station on the island?"

The reason why Longchuan banditry is difficult to eliminate is because a large number of civilians also live in the water marshes, and they have a close relationship with the water bandits, sometimes even being indistinguishable. Whether it was the previous Xiji or the later Jade Balance City, wanting to suppress bandits easily leads to accidental injury, and once there is accidental injury, it leads to endless resistance, which is difficult to handle.

The leaders of the Thousand Gold Stronghold and the Ball Flower Gang dared to come over to negotiate with him because they were sure that the Jade Balance City army would not dare to rush into Longchuan and kill indiscriminately.

But the Yangshan Archipelago doesn't have this problem, right? Except for pirates, almost no one lives there, so why are the Bailie people still being polite to them? "Indeed, it has been done, but the bandits are like wild grass; if we relax slightly, they will continue to grow. And stationing troops on the Yangshan Archipelago is indeed a bit difficult."

"Why?" Not to mention anything else, the area of the main island, Dragon Spine Island, is so large; aren't there food and fresh water? Anyway, there was nothing else to do while traveling, so chatting was not bad. Lu Xun sighed: "A long time ago, the Lu family ancestors purchased a large piece of territory including Blade Edge Port and the Yangshan Archipelago. At that time, they thought the price was a bargain, but after buying it, they realized that most of the islands in the Yangshan Archipelago could not accommodate people at all."

"Eh? Why?"

People are attached to their homeland, but people can also flee from famine.

He Lingchuan was thoughtful: "Earth evil?"

"Right, it's earth evil!"

Heaven and earth have Yin and Yang energies; Yang energy is clear energy, spiritual energy, which can nourish all things; while Yin energy is evil energy, turbid energy, which will wither all things; the two restrain and generate each other. Yang energy floats in the sky, and Yin energy sinks into the earth. Since spiritual energy sinking into the ground can form mineral veins, then Yin evil energy can too. It's just that this kind of earth vein is quite rare, and even fewer can connect to the surface.

The Yuan Nation was destroyed, and the resentment of millions of people also formed earth evil, making the old land barren. But natural Yin evil earth veins are exactly the opposite, not harming vegetation, only damaging humans and livestock.

Earth evil and earth evil are not the same.

"Can't Yuan power resist it?"

"Can't resist, the Yin evil is too strong." Yuan power also has limits; can the Bailie people's Yuan power compare to the power of heaven and earth? "If you are near the exit of the Yin evil turbid vein, people won't live for two quarters of an hour."

"And there is a kind of monster living on Dragon Spine Island, called Yin *hui*, which will go into the water and eat people." Lu Xun shook his head: "They usually act within the range covered by Yin evil. Travelers who mistakenly enter the depths of the archipelago are sometimes not killed by Yin evil, but eaten alive by these monsters."

(End of Chapter) ===== CHAPTER 894 =====