The night was deep, and in the courtyard of the Maha Pool, Yu Hezhong's thoughts had taken several turns. After eating the noodles, he finally made up his mind: "The woman and the child, I must save them."

Shishi nodded, "Staying here, you'll be left behind; going out, there will be risks. But after careful consideration, this is the only thing you can do right now. No more words. Like the Zuo family, what they do is precisely these things. As long as you can handle it, you'll have a place wherever you go in the future. Brother Yu, at your age, you need to perk up and put in more effort."

Yu Hezhong nodded, hesitated for a moment, and looked at Shishi, "Is it convenient...can I ask what exactly has happened these past few days? I haven't really seen it clearly..."

Shishi smiled, "Well... Brother Yu, why don't you tell me first, what has happened on your side?"

"...Yan Daolun, he..."

Yu Hezhong carefully considered his words, and roughly recounted what he had seen in the past few days, talking about Yan Daolun, talking about his two confidantes, even telling about Gao Wenjing and Sun Kang's affairs in detail. He said, "You probably already know about this..." Then he spoke of some of his own thoughts and speculations, and the ridicule others had directed at him.

Shishi listened quietly, thinking silently. When he finished, she nodded.

She said, "On the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, news from the Central Plains had already reached Chengdu. Several leaders stationed here met. That evening, Number One...Li Heng's suggestion was also sent back. Things had changed, and of course, we had to clean up the mess, see what things we could take and what we could ask for... For those outside who might be won over, we had prepared a basic list, but to be honest, it wasn't comprehensive. And in this environment, the situation in the Central Plains is changing rapidly. Many things require the people acting outside to adapt to the situation..."

"...After this matter was decided, several people were selected, including Yan Daolun, and contacted and tested privately. Hezhong, you weren't on the list..."

Shishi sat opposite him, her hands on her knees, and paused slightly. "Out of personal feelings...and my understanding of you, I privately applied to give you an opportunity to communicate. They agreed. Honestly, I've been deliberately...avoiding you these past few days. I'm sorry."

Her words were gentle, and she reached out as if to comfort Yu Hezhong. Yu Hezhong clenched his fists, shook his head, and then shook his head again. "I...I know. I used to be...so useless..."

"It's not about ability, Brother Yu. I believe you have the ability, but you have to take a step forward and use it. Back then, Liu Guangshi's deal with the Huaxia Army required someone like you, in the right position, to make it easier for us to control Yan Daolun and buffer the relationship with Liu Guangshi. The benefits in this weren't just for you, but also for others. You happened to be here, so I went along with the flow. That's not a problem. But if...this time you leave this line, we can still meet, drink tea, and chat in the future, but I can't support you behind the scenes, give you any power or benefits. I can't help you. That's how we'll interact in the future. You need to understand that..."

"I know..." Yu Hezhong nodded, "This...you are, after all, his...his...you...um..."

He stammered, indicating that he understood, but couldn't quite say the rest. Shishi felt a little weak hearing this, her face tightened, but then she chuckled, "Although it's not true, I think what you said makes sense. After all, I think...he'll be jealous, um, ha...definitely a little..."

She smiled, enjoying herself.

After smiling for a moment, she thought, "Anyway...I once heard a saying that in the army, untrained soldiers will run away on their own if they leave the formation. Only those soldiers who know why they're fighting can break away from the formation, even without officers, and still charge forward. Liu Guangshi's piece of meat has fallen to the ground and is now torn apart. We send people out, or recruit talent, or transport back supplies, or lay down some secret lines. It's not just about giving a reward and saying that the Huaxia Army is recruiting...That's why we need Brother Yu to think things through himself. You need to want to do something yourself, so that we can have overall planning, and the Huaxia Army can cooperate well with you. This should be the safest path for you..."

She said this, and some unspoken words were naturally not said too clearly. Liu Guangshi, like a giant whale, had fallen, and most people with ability could get some benefits. People like Yan Daolun, even without the Huaxia Army's coordination, could probably bring some people to the southwest to "join the ranks" after leaving the southwest. At that time, even if these people were of mixed quality, the Huaxia Army could only accept them. Wherever Yan Daolun went, he would eventually be treated with courtesy.

But Yu Hezhong was completely different. His abilities were currently too mediocre. If he was only thrown out as a bounty hunter, recruiting people everywhere and seeking wealth and danger, then not to mention whether the Huaxia Army needed such "allegiance," after he left the southwest, he would either be frightened and run away, disappearing without a trace, or he would be captured and devoured alive by Zou Xu and Dai Mengwei's people. There would be almost no third outcome. Only if he agreed to join the Huaxia Army could the Huaxia Army's people take him along, and in the future, he could learn some skills and rely on the connections he had accumulated over the past year, as well as his "fox-borrowing-tiger's-might" with the Huaxia Army as his background, that he might eventually be able to do something.

"...The intelligence and diplomatic departments have made arrangements to go out and pick up some gains. The propaganda department's work is what I told you before. As for some things you don't know, Brother Yu, I couldn't say it before, but I can now. The two women around you have relatively complex backgrounds. Wei Rou's backer is Yan Daolun, but not only Yan Daolun. She, as well as Gao Wenjing, are basically your downlines in the market. After they get information from you, they'll resell it in another round. Usually, there are several downstream buyers. Sometimes, if we want to spread some information about Liu Guangshi, we'll reveal it to you and let it flow out through their mouths..."

Yu Hezhong opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything.

"On the other hand... Zou Xu is one of the people who has received Li Heng's true teachings. According to Li Heng, he has a good overall sense of planning the big picture. This is because Li Heng often instilled in them some nonsense like, 'Learn my strategic planning, and then just push it forward.' Since Zou Xu betrayed the Huaxia Army, he will also regard the Huaxia Army as his greatest enemy..."

"In the Central Plains these past few years, his development seems unremarkable, but he has been steadily and surely swallowing up the power of the several landlords and large families who corrupted him in the beginning, turning the tables on them. According to our estimate, he must have buried secret lines in Chengdu early on. Even if he can't steal too much of the remarkable knowledge and scientific findings, he's definitely interested in knowing the reaction here to many major events. And after Liu Guangshi's downfall, the Huaxia Army's reaction is within the scope of what he cares about most."

Yu Hezhong thought of something and looked up. Shishi smiled at him and whispered, "Sun Kang..."

She said, "That Sun Kang who came to your door and humiliated you is very likely such an information peddler... In the past, you and Yan Daolun were the most central figures in the transaction between Liu Guangshi and the Huaxia Army. So today, if the Huaxia Army wants to make something out of it, they will easily think of you. But you, who are closest to me, haven't seen me at all these past few days. They might judge that the Huaxia Army disdains the farce in the Central Plains, that Ning Yi is arrogant and only cares about burying himself in the development of his own little things... Sun Kang contacted Gao Wenjing, mainly, I'm afraid, to confirm your quality, whether the Huaxia Army is still your backer. Of course, if the information peddler isn't Sun Kang, other people in Chengdu have seen your misfortune and can make similar judgments."

Yu Hezhong smiled complexly, "So, in the past year or so, I've lived so happily, but from beginning to end, I've been a pawn..."

Shishi chuckled, "To say that, everyone in the world is a pawn. Sometimes you know who's holding you in their hand, and sometimes you can even choose, but most people most of the time have no choice. Of course... according to the propaganda department, I think it's all about the interweaving of interests. You have your use, and benefits will pass through you. Relatives care about you and will come to find you. Good friends drink tea with you. Bad people do business with you, testing you. It's all the same..."

"...You're really good with words," Yu Hezhong smiled helplessly.

Shishi took it for granted, "In the Fanlou, that's how it is. Back then, I relied on smoothing things over to survive. It's not the first day you've met me."

When she said this, Yu Hezhong felt much better. "Then Yan Daolun, has he already promised you something..."

But Shishi shook her head. "Yan Daolun is an old-fashioned literati. He's weighing how much he's worth and to what extent things need to be done. Brother Yu, you've been tricked by him. You know me and can learn the internal views of the Huaxia Army from me, so he encouraged you to come over and see my attitude, see how many relationships the Huaxia Army currently has, so he can find a way to negotiate a better price... Actually, this matter is the most difficult choice for someone with ability and ambition like him, because it's crucial for his future."

"That's true. He has land at home."

Shishi smiled, "That's one aspect, but he's a capable person. If possible in the future, you should try to unite with him... As long as his path is righteous, it doesn't matter if you curry favor with him."

"That's right. If I go out with him next, I have to learn a lot of things from him," Yu Hezhong agreed wholeheartedly. Speaking of this, he remembered something else. "By the way, when we met on the first day, Yan Daolun asked me a question out of nowhere..."

"What?"

"He asked if there were any high-ranking figures in the Huaxia Army with the surname Long."

"...Long."

"Yes, he didn't say it too clearly, and I don't know if your Huaxia Army has any people with the surname Long. Later, I thought, could it be General Long Hui of Xia Village... Your books always write about Xia Village's awakening, thanks to that selfless and righteous General Long Hui. I've heard a few rumors that General Long Hui's descendants are still in the Huaxia Army, but the specifics are just speculation and unclear, so I let it go..."

Yu Hezhong rambled on about this matter. Shishi seemed to think of something, narrowed her eyes, "At that time... what were the specific circumstances, how did he say it... Try to repeat it to me again as much as possible..."

"Okay, at that time, it was... the second round of conversation after asking about finding you. He suddenly asked this question, so I remembered it. He said..."

Yu Hezhong recalled the scene that day and described it in detail. Shishi listened for a moment, her narrowed eyes and the corners of her mouth seemed to turn into crescent moons, revealing a strange smile. After Yu Hezhong finished speaking, she nodded and smiled to herself for a while before speaking.

"Um, he's negotiating a price, and he's genuinely considering joining the Huaxia Army, but he still wants to negotiate a price..."

"What's going on... with the surname Long..."

"There is indeed a soldier in the army with the surname Long. Due to some special circumstances, he went to Jiangning in the second half of this year. It can't be said that he has a big background, but his character and appearance are okay. And on Yan Daolun's side, there is a person in his clan named Yan Taiwei, perhaps you've heard Yan Daolun mention him. He gathered a small force near Liu Guangshi's territory called Yan Family Fortress. His family's daughter, Yan Daolun's cousin, also went to Jiangning this time, and some things happened with this... Little Warrior Long..."

"Ah?" Yu Hezhong listened to this bloody story.

Speaking of love stories, Shishi seemed quite happy, "When this happened, Chen Fan and Qian Baye both led teams to Jiangning. Later, the woman made a scene at Commander Chen's place. Commander Chen promised to give the Yan family an explanation. This matter was quite grand... Of course, later, this Little Warrior Long hadn't returned to the team because of a mission, and his cousin secretly went after him again. Now both of them are in Jiangnan, and their whereabouts are unknown, but that Miss Yan's feelings for this Little Long are very touching..."

"...This matter has not been resolved yet." Shishi smiled, "But Commander Chen has already spoken, and Qian Baye has also made a promise to handle it properly. Later, after hearing about Yan Daolun's relationship with the Yan family, Baye returned to Chengdu and talked to Yan Daolun privately for a while, saying that if things develop smoothly, our Huaxia Army and your Yan family can be considered in-laws. Since then, Yan Daolun has been very interested in the nature of this in-law relationship."

Yu Hezhong understood, "I see... If this Little Bro Long with the surname Long has the backing of some big figure in the Huaxia Army..."

"Then Yan Daolun would naturally seize this opportunity and wholeheartedly, without reservation, rely on the Huaxia Army."

"Then... this Little Bro Long..." Yu Hezhong looked at Shishi.

Shishi smiled for a while, and helplessly tilted her head, "We have no way to tell him... Little Bro Long is just a soldier from an ordinary family."

"..."

Shishi took a sip of water, "But now we at least know that Yan Daolun is really moved and is carefully considering this matter. Then it will be easier to ask him for help... Of course, this has nothing to do with me. Hou Yuanyu will contact you in a while..."

For Yu Hezhong, there were many more things to worry about next. He sat here and talked with Shishi about this and that. He spoke about himself, dissatisfied with his past, and also apprehensive about the future he had just nodded to. Soon after, he spoke to Shishi about Gao Wenjing and Wei Rou - he had rarely mentioned his two "confidantes" in front of Shishi in the past, but now he wanted to say it all at once. He felt that both of them were extremely distant at this time, perhaps because he understood that the past days of extravagance and indulgence had been said goodbye to him forever.

With great effort, Shishi had at least temporarily ignited the flame in his heart. He wanted to go forward and do some things that he could do.

Shishi patiently chatted with him about these things, and even about some of the people in important positions in Liu Guangshi's army that he knew, Shishi thoughtfully provided him with a round of strategies, teaching him how to use the advantage of "fox-borrowing-tiger's-might" with the Huaxia Army as his backer as much as possible in the process of dealing with the other party.

As the time approached midnight, according to Shishi, Hou Yuanyu would come over after work to have a detailed handover with him - before deciding to talk to him about this matter, Shishi had already prepared for the other party to agree, perhaps out of understanding of him, or out of trust in the essence of his character. Yu Hezhong did not want to pursue it in detail. Even though he could not gain the other party's favor in terms of love, he was truly a special and fortunate person among the other party's friends.

Towards the end, he remembered one thing, and after careful consideration, he finally opened his mouth.

"Actually, there is one thing, I don't know if you know, or... think it's serious..."

"Then tell me," Shishi smiled.

"Gao Wenjing, she should be considered... the person Li Rulai introduced to me..." Yu Hezhong said, "Of course, after what you said today, I also have a rough idea. She will sell information to many people privately, but... what Li Rulai has been doing recently is not a good thing. He previously bought many people from outside to build factories and enclose land in Chengdu, as you know, but there are some other businesses in the middle that others may not want to tell you. Actually, I couldn't say it before either..."

Shishi looked at him.

"You also know that the Huaxia Army does not allow forcing good women into prostitution. Now the prostitutes in the southwest are all imported from outside. This business is very easy to do, and several big households are doing it. Li Rulai, taking advantage of his channels for buying people from outside..."

"Not only arranges those famous courtesans and slender horses, opens restaurants and banquets, but I heard that in order to cultivate relationships, he often tries to secretly send some famous courtesans and slender horses to the generals in the army, taking advantage of his position in the army. This thing... is very popular..."

Yu Hezhong's words came to this point, and in the quiet room, Shishi's right hand fell. With a bang, the teacup in her hand fell on the coffee table. Yu Hezhong looked up in horror, only to see that Shishi's face seemed to be covered with a layer of cold frost, sharp as a knife.

In the many years in Bianliang, including the year or so in the southwest, Yu Hezhong had never seen Shishi's expression when she was angry, but at this moment, the killing intent she had cultivated in the army and in the higher levels for many years suddenly bloomed.

The cold frost was released and retracted immediately. Shishi reached out and pushed away the cup on the coffee table, took a breath, and then got up and went to the back of the desk.

Her voice was still gentle.

"Do you have any specific impressions of this matter?"

"I... I've heard some things, but I can't verify them."

"I'll verify them."

Shishi took out paper and pen.

"You say, I'll write it down."