Chapter 994: Heaven's Helping Hand

He Lingchuan patted his robes and stood up: "I've fished enough, and it's time for you to go back." Killing this white bird was both a way to cut off Yu Zecheng's eyes and ears, and a way to give him a show of force.

Monitoring the landlord in the Yangshan Archipelago, tsk, how rude!

After Min Tianxi left, the mirror asked He Lingchuan: "You just killed the white bird like that, isn't that alerting the enemy?"

"That's exactly the effect I wanted; this is a warning for Yu Zecheng." He Lingchuan stretched: "Just killing a white bird won't scare the Beijia people away."

This kind of contempt and provocation is meant to force Yu Zecheng to make up his mind and act as soon as possible.

If he had let the white bird go back, it would have looked like a sign of weakness, and Yu Zecheng might have tried other soft-handed methods.

Better not to waste everyone's time.

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The next day, Registrar Yang of Bailie went to Daofeng Port on business and stopped by the Maritime Trade Office to greet Superintendent Wu, as the two had a private friendship.

Superintendent Wu happened to be returning in a hurry, and he smiled as soon as he saw him: "You've come at just the right time, so I don't have to send a dispatch to Bailie."

"How so?" Registrar Yang always felt that his smile was a bit forced.

He didn't know that whenever Superintendent Wu saw an official from Bailie, he thought of his three good ships, including the Baoji, which had been sunk by the Yin-Snake, and felt a blockage in his heart.

If the Lu family hadn't insisted on making things difficult for Island Master He and repeatedly guaranteed that this greenhorn was "only" an easy-to-handle overseas guest with no local influence, how could he have suffered such a huge loss? But, heh.

The ships were ruined, and he had to shoulder the losses himself; did Bailie ever cover a single cent for him? Of course, given Superintendent Wu's temperament, all these complaints were buried deep in his heart, and even Assistant Commissioner Zhao couldn't hear a word of them.

"My office just used the Turbulence Meter to measure that a hurricane will strike in thirty hours at the latest."

The Turbulence Meter is a specialized magic treasure in the Maritime Trade Office, capable of measuring natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis.

"Oh, a hurricane is coming." Registrar Yang thought to himself, this isn't a good thing, why are you smiling so happily? "How can a hurricane come without any warning? I saw it raining for the past few days, and only today is the sun shining brightly."

"You're not a coastal person, you don't understand." Superintendent Wu laughed, "Before this hurricane arrives, sometimes it's windy and rainy for a long time, and sometimes it's like today, with clear skies for ten thousand miles! The Turbulence Meter has never been wrong; we'll know the truth in another dozen hours or so."

Registrar Yang nodded repeatedly: "This is a big deal, so I'll go back to Bailie to report, and I'll come find you for a meal another day."

Bailie is very close to Daofeng Port, and it could never escape the impact of a hurricane. Once the Maritime Trade Office measures severe weather, Bailie also has to prepare early.

Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered the purpose of his visit: "By the way, what about the Yangshan Archipelago?"

He had been staying in Bailie these days and didn't know what had happened in Daofeng Port.

Superintendent Wu didn't want to mention that he had suffered a big loss, so he said vaguely: "That fellow surnamed He has some tricks up his sleeve; he's not easy to deal with."

Registrar Yang was startled: "How so?"

Hearing this, could it be that Superintendent Wu had been manipulated?

Superintendent Wu smiled: "You should go back; this hurricane's power will be astonishing."

Registrar Yang knew something was amiss, said "oh," and left the Maritime Trade Office in a hurry.

Superintendent Wu stretched, feeling much more relaxed.

His family's hundred acres of mountain forests and hundred acres of paddy fields had long been harvested, and the produce had mostly been sold, but the Yangshan Archipelago was different. As far as he knew, the farming work on the archipelago was far from finished, and there were even a pile of buildings still under construction.

When the hurricane comes, it will sweep everything away.

These outsiders like He Lingchuan don't live by the sea and know nothing about the power of a hurricane. Moreover, since they have only just started to defend against it, it's simply too late.

The Yangshan Archipelago is so vast; the area of Longji Island alone is comparable to several Daofeng Ports. With such a large operation, the fellow surnamed He wants to keep his property safe? Heh, let him dream, dream on.

Last time the Beijia people asked him to deal with He Lingchuan, he weighed the pros and cons and refused, but that didn't mean he didn't want revenge.

This time, Heaven is truly helping! Let the fierce hurricane teach these blind, arrogant fools a lesson!

Thinking this, Superintendent Wu felt a breath of pent-up anger leave his heart.

However, at this moment, Assistant Commissioner Zhao handed him a silver-gray letter, the seal closed with silver mud.

Superintendent Wu knew at a glance that this was a letter from Imperial Consort Yu. Feeling a slight tremor in his heart, he dismissed his attendants before opening the letter to read it.

Sure enough, although the letter he had previously sent to Qingdu didn't mention a word about the relationship between He Lingchuan and the Yin-Snake, Imperial Consort Yu still knew; clearly, she had other eyes and ears at the port. She was very angry about the "Green Fish" ship being dragged down by the Yin-Snake and ordered Superintendent Wu to severely punish the Yangshan Archipelago.

Superintendent Wu was ten thousand times unwilling.

He really wanted to give He Lingchuan a taste of his own medicine, but He Lingchuan had already proven that he wasn't a soft persimmon to be squeezed by anyone.

Superintendent Wu was not the kind of fool who, knowing the opponent was tough, still kept trying to strike, only to end up covered in blood every time, never learning his lesson.

He had suffered one small loss and knew the opponent's weight.

Besides, Beijia and Bailie seemed even more anxious. It would be better to leave this opportunity to them.

However, Superintendent Wu also knew Imperial Consort Yu's temper. If he told her directly that He Lingchuan was not to be trifled with and the Yin-Snake in the sea was not to be trifled with, she would only scold him again and then order him to think of a way immediately, right now, quickly.

"How hard can it be to kill someone?" He could imagine the tone Imperial Consort Yu used when saying this.

He had been promoted by Imperial Consort Yu, so he couldn't go against her wishes too much. At this moment, he had to take up his brush and write that the hurricane was coming soon, the Yangshan Archipelago would suffer huge losses, and Bailie, who had sold the archipelago, was already regretting it and, under his instigation, was currently plotting to deal with He Lingchuan.

Our side only needs to wait and see; when the time comes, we might be able to get back the principal with interest. After all, the Yin-Snake is indeed a threat to Daofeng Port, and so on.

He sealed the letter with red mud and handed it to Assistant Commissioner Zhao to send back.

The latter responded and then said cautiously: "My lord, what about our stance toward the Yangshan Archipelago...?"

"Stand by and do nothing; let Bailie make the first move," Superintendent Wu said in a low voice. "Do not obstruct the normal trade between Daofeng Port and the Yangshan Archipelago."

"Ah?" Assistant Commissioner Zhao was a bit surprised; was that what Imperial Consort Yu's letter meant? "Very well."

He had been by Superintendent Wu's side for many years and could somewhat understand his thoughts.

The Yin-Snake under He Lingchuan's command was not to be trifled with, and Daofeng Port relied on the sea for its livelihood. If they used the Yin-Snake to retaliate and attack the shipping lanes on a large scale, the passenger traffic in Daofeng Port would likely plummet.

There was no need; there was no need for their Daofeng Port to fight the fellow surnamed He to the death.

Superintendent Wu had one more thought in his heart that he wouldn't tell anyone: losing a tribute ship was, after all, a small matter to Imperial Consort Yu. She was a very busy person with a thousand things to do, and she would only scold him on a whim. As long as Superintendent Wu dragged it out, she would likely forget, and the matter would pass.

All the mystery lies in the art of "dragging."

Whether public or private, this is the ultimate secret method to turn big problems into small ones and small ones into nothing.

The Maritime Trade Office is responsible for protecting the port and guarding against disasters. When he wrote to Imperial Consort Yu, the forecast of the approaching hurricane was also quickly distributed.

Being baptized by a hurricane at the seaside is nothing new, and there is already a complete set of mechanisms for defense work. The Maritime Trade Office posted notices in public places such as docks, markets, and outside government offices, and sent special personnel to beat gongs and shout along the streets and alleys to warn merchants and citizens.

The entire port suddenly became busy; ships rushed to unload cargo and then entered the docks to avoid the wind; residential houses, shops, government offices, and various public facilities all began to reinforce, the most common method being to nail wooden boards on doors and windows; fortunately, it was already late autumn, and the leaves on the trees near the houses had fallen off, otherwise they would have had to be sawed down.

Buildings on lower ground had to be blocked with sandbags to prevent them from being flooded by heavy rain.

The safety of grain warehouses is the top priority for hurricane prevention and disaster reduction, requiring special wind-proof and water-repelling formations to cope.

If it were in Beijia, especially in Lingxu City, to resist wind disasters or heavy rain, they would mostly set up such formations everywhere, as if they didn't cost money to operate.

But in Daofeng Port, only the most important materials and buildings could enjoy such treatment.

Limited financial resources, after all.

In fact, experienced merchants and cargo owners purchase talismans and formation tools every year to deal with unexpected storms.

The shops in Daofeng Port that sell these items saw their business explode after the Maritime Trade Office announced that a hurricane was coming.

The common people were also busy. Since a hurricane was coming, everyone had to go home to make preparations; firewood, clean water, food, and other supplies had to be gathered, and some had to reinforce their doors and windows.

The news of the approaching hurricane soon reached the Yangshan Archipelago.

He Lingchuan immediately gathered his men for a short meeting to arrange various tasks for hurricane defense.

Although Daofeng Port predicted that the hurricane would make landfall within thirty hours, the movement of a hurricane is actually very capricious; sometimes it takes a big turn, sometimes it goes in a straight line, and at the fastest, it might make landfall in thirteen or fifteen hours.

He Lingchuan's territory is not small, and the wind-proof measures on the island all need to be checked and reinforced; time is very tight.

Ding Zuodong, Guan Ke, Lei Ni, and others all took their orders and left, while He Lingchuan said to Qiu Hu and the Rongshan people: "The good show is about to begin."

Wang Fubao still asked foolishly: "What good show?"

*Smack*, Lu Qiuwei tapped him on the back of the head: "We're going to fight!"

"Oh?" Wang Fubao rubbed his head, "Alright, alright, alright."

Such good timing was simply urging his opponents to act. He Lingchuan sighed inwardly; the hurricane actually came to join in the fun at this time. Heaven really likes to tease people; is it because it thinks he has too few troubles on his hands?

Dong Rui walked over slowly and whispered: "I have bad news for you; Yu Zecheng has made contact with the Bailong people."

He Lingchuan felt a tremor in his heart: "You found out?"

"Yup," Dong Rui smiled, "Aren't you trying to keep an eye on Yu Zecheng? His subordinate, the one with the two thin mustaches, took a boat back to Daofeng Port this morning; I was on the same boat as him."

Yu Zecheng definitely didn't bring only two people; there were helpers hidden in the dark, but this team must maintain communication. Moreover, the distance between the Yangshan Archipelago and the mainland was too far, exceeding the range of ordinary real-time communication divine abilities.

(End of chapter)