Autumn moon is clear and cool, after sending off Yang Pu, the sky is still early, Lin Xie sits in front of the window, under the soft crackling of candlelight, browsing through the collected messages from various places.

  The power of the Donghu people continued to expand north of the Yan Mountains, and the border walls in places such as Datong Prefecture on the northwest slope of the Yan Mountains were repeatedly breached by the Donghu cavalry.

  The imperial court transferred Chen Zhihu and his troops, who were originally under the East Fujian Army and were clearing bandits in Zhongzhou and Jinzhong, to the northern line, strengthening the defense of Datong and Xuanhua. In mid-August, Chen Zhihu replaced the original commander, was promoted to Light Chariot General, and took up the post of Datong General.

  Up to now, after the defeat at Zhentangyi, the empire has redeployed nearly 200,000 troops in important military towns such as Jizhou, Xuanhua and Datong along the Yanshan line, but whether they can defend against the Eastern Hu remains to be tested by time.

  The banditry in Zhongzhou, Jinzhong and Xiqin has subsided slightly, but the summer floods have caused disasters in Jiangxi and Hubei, with refugees crowding together. The government's mishandling of the situation has led to repeated outbreaks of disturbances, with the names of bandit leaders such as Luo Xiancheng and Gong Yucun frequently appearing on the official reports, and internal troubles are becoming increasingly serious.

  It's too far away, and Lin Xuan doesn't care about it either. He is more concerned about the movements of Liu An's troops gathered in Suzhou. Even if the East Sea bandits withdraw from the sea, the eastern front temporarily stabilizes, but the defense along the Hongze River still appears very fragile, especially in the western defense zone, where the core town of Changhuai recently had a bad incident of soldiers rioting and being brutally suppressed.

  Looking through the various reports, apart from the official articles praising the government's achievements, it was almost impossible to find any comforting news. Lin Mou pushed the thick stack of reports to the corner of the table, thinking that out of sight meant out of mind. Liu Yue'er walked in and saw his worried expression, saying: "I told you not to overwork, but you didn't listen. After reading the reports, you're even more anxious, how can you calm down and recover from your injuries?"

  "Even if you bury your head in the sand, these problems still exist." Lin tied up Liu Yue's smooth and delicate hand, pulling her to sit on his lap. Liu Yue was afraid of pressing against his injured leg, so she sat beside him with her thigh touching his, near the edge of the soft couch.

  Lin tied his hands and gently pinched Liu Yue'er's cheek, the skin was very smooth, exceptionally delicate, with a faint fragrance reaching the tip of his nose, and the slightly flirtatious eyes under the moonlight were like a clear spring, attracting people and making them temporarily forget their troubles.

  "What do you want to do, Mr. Wu said, your legs can't move." Liu Yu'er struggled with a hint of shyness, her soft body seemed to be stuck in Lin Xie's arms, trying to prevent his hands from entering her clothes.

  Lin Xuan's hand reached into Liu Yue'er's bosom, pressing against the silk fabric of her undershirt on her firm, full, and soft breasts. The silk was smooth and thin, and Lin Xuan's fingers gently rubbed twice, causing her nipples to stand up. Liu Yue'er, as gentle as a sheep, leaned into Lin Xuan's embrace, her breathing becoming increasingly urgent, her body hot and soft, but still insisting on saying: "Your body can't move around..."

  Lin's ankle injury was quite severe and he couldn't move around, thinking about how to persuade the traditional and conservative Liu Yue'er to get on top of him, Xiao Man pushed open the door and came in, her eyes fixed on Liu Yue'er's chest, staring blankly for a moment, that place was being poked by Lin's hand, making it even bigger, her face suddenly flushed red, she scolded: "Really, the wound hasn't healed yet, be careful not to make the cut on his leg open again..." and hastily hid out of the door.

  "Say you don't listen," Liu Yu'er struggled to sit up, pushing Lin Fu onto the soft couch, and said with a mix of shyness and annoyance, "Harming that girl into thinking I seduced you." Taking the quilt to cover him, looking at the bulge in his lower body, she thought about reaching out to pat it, but ultimately didn't have the nerve. She leaned forward, her face close to Lin Fu's ear, and said softly, "Can't you wait until your leg injury heals?"

  Lin Xuan grabbed Liu Yue'er's hand and stuffed it into the quilt, Liu Yue'er's hand touched that thing and was about to shrink back in surprise, but Lin Xuan caught her and she resigned herself to lightly grasping that thing, turning her face to press against Lin Xuan's chest, so shy that she didn't dare look at his eyes, listening to the strong and powerful beating of his heart beneath his chest, feeling very secure.

  Lin Xiang enjoyed it for a moment, but things didn't stop, and the sound of footsteps echoed in the courtyard downstairs. Ao Canghai asked Wu Wei in the courtyard: "Is the master asleep?"

  Liu Yu'er's face turned red as she pulled out her hand and Lin Xie sat up, asking through the window: "What else is going on?"

  "Junshan Village guards Xiao Bairong and Camp Commander Chen Qianhu, a military officer, are waiting outside the courtyard to request an audience with Your Excellency..."

  "Not coming," Lin said succinctly. "And don't make up excuses like being unwell or having gone to bed early, not coming is just that."

  Xiao Bairong represents Xiao Taoyuan's attempt to curry favor, even if we don't mention last year's Chongzhou child abduction case. The lake bandits attacked Xisha Island and the Junshan Garrison naval forces did not act, resulting in over 2,000 casualties among the island's refugees. Lin Xie would not have pretended to be on good terms with Xiao Taoyuan, or else the resettled refugees on Xisha Island would think otherwise.

  Even if Xi Sha Island and Junshan Village are adjacent, if it's because of Xiao Baiyin's visit that they still have any illusions about Junshan Village, it's truly foolish. Lin Xuan wants to drive away Xiao Baiyin and Chen Qianhu with a loud noise, thinking that in the future, he will still have to find a way to pull out this thorn in order to be at ease.

  ***************

  The courtyard of Lin Xie's residence was not large, and Xiao Bai Meng could hear the conversation between Lin Xie and Ao Canghai from the gate. He stared at the guard with a playful expression, his pale face turning green and red in the moonlight, while Chen Qianhu's neck muscles twitched wildly.

  Xiao Baiyin grabbed Chen Qianhu's collar, making him suppress his anger and wait for Ao Canghai to come out before taking his leave, insisting on showing the demeanor of a scholar.

  "This son of a bitch, he's still a Confucian scholar, we've visited him three times and he won't even see us, what a shameless thing to do," Chen Qianhu scolded in the alleyway. "Is he really going to turn against Commander Du for the sake of those worthless people on Xisha Island?"

  "No matter what, this time we owe him a favor, whether he acknowledges us or not doesn't matter, we need to put on a show for others," Xiao Baoming's gloomy face cracked a sly smile as he glanced back at the courtyard where Lin Xuan lived, "He's being arrogant and triumphant, tolerating him is also out of necessity. The governor should be in the Provincial Inspectorate, let's go together, don't speak rashly..."

  "I know," Chen Qianhu said in a low voice, "Young Master Gu and the aide surnamed Zhao beside Gu Wuduan are easy to talk to. I can afford to show off my temper in front of them. It's just that this kid is not pleasing to the eye. Xi Sha Island is right next to Jun Shan Fort, it's always a headache, hindering the deployment of the commander..."

  "It can only be so for now," Xiao Bai Meng sighed, and Xiao Tao Yuan had arranged his trusted men in Junshan Stockade, just in case the Chongzhou Tongzi case broke out, they would have a place to fall back on. Xisha Island was only two thousand steps away from Junshan Stockade, if the Chongzhou Tongzi case were to be exposed, Xisha Island would be their biggest threat and obstacle in negotiating with the imperial court. However, now that Lin Xiao was following Gu Wu Chen, his momentum had risen greatly, even the local authorities in Chongzhou had changed their attitude, acknowledging that Xisha Island helped protect the southern face of Chongzhou. They were at a loss for what to do, and if they wanted to pretend to be pirates and disturb the refugees on Xisha Island, they would have to consider the presence of Ji Yunwei's bravery and the Xisha Island militia. After thinking for a moment, Xiao Bai Meng said, "Lin Xiao currently has the excuse of rescuing disaster victims, but he will eventually have to withdraw his men from Xisha Island, we need to be patient and wait."

  Xiao Bairong and Chen Qihu walked to the residence where Gu Wudian was temporarily staying in Jiayang County, saw Xiao Tao's guards in the courtyard, and went together to ask for an audience with Gu Wudian.

  ***********

  It should be said that Xiang Taoyuan's early negative avoidance of war led to the coastal counties along Taihu Lake being ravaged by the Donghai bandits, and coupled with the defeat in the battle on the north shore of Taihu Lake, Gu Wudian, as the Provincial Governor, had the power to impeach military officials. He thought it would not be difficult to remove Xiang Taoyuan from his position as commander of the six naval camps in Ninghai Town.

  Zhenjun is a relatively closed system, which kicked Xiang Taoyuan far away. The generals who replaced Xiang Taoyuan were mostly selected from the Jiangning Water Camp, and there was no obvious benefit to Gu Wudun. Zhao Qinmin suggested that he would rather show him kindness and let Xiang Taoyuan go, in exchange for the support of Zhenjun generals such as Xiang Taoyuan on many matters in the Procuratorate.

  Gu Wudu could not ignore the benefits of these realities, especially as the opinions of Pingjiang Prefecture on Ninghai Town's naval avoidance were extremely large, and winning over Xiao Tao and other naval generals would be more effective.

  Lin Xie met with Xiao Bai Ming, who represented Xiao Tao Yuan, outside the city gate of Hong Zhen. Gu Wu Chen received Xiao Tao Yuan in a temporary residence.

  Xiao Bairong and Chen Qihu walked into the courtyard, where Xiao Taoyuan was sitting at the bottom of the main hall, listening to Gu Wudeng's instructions with great respect. When Gu Wudeng saw two generals walking into the courtyard, he remembered that they were underlings of Xiao Taoyuan, and said in a clear voice: "Why are you standing on punishment in the courtyard? Come in and talk."

  Xiao Bairong and Chen Qianhu walked in, first saluting Gu Wudu: "Junshan Stronghold's Deputy Commander Xiao Bairong, Camp Commander Chen Qianhu pays respects to the Master..." then stood behind Xiao Taoyuan.

  "Has Mr. Lin gone over there?" asked Xiao Tao from afar.

  "In early August, Xi Sha Island was attacked by lake bandits. Although we said we had the responsibility of defending Chongzhou, in the end, we made a big mistake and caused heavy losses to Lin's subordinates. It is also reasonable that Lin would not forgive us..." Xiao Baiying replied, without mentioning the incident of being expelled from the door.

  "It's also my responsibility," said Xiao Taoyuan with self-reproach. "I'll go with you later to apologize..."

  "It's not necessary," said Gu Wu Chen, "Lin Xie was seriously injured in this battle and his body is unwell, so he doesn't see many external guests. It's not that he won't forgive the mistakes of Junshan Fort." Since he no longer pursued the responsibility for Ninghai Town's water troops' negative avoidance of war, he naturally wouldn't pursue the matter of Xisha Island being attacked and Junshan Fort standing by; besides, letting Xiao Tao Yu go to apologize to Lin Xie as a cavalry captain would also be inappropriate.

  "Alas," said Xiao Tao, "in the battle of Taihu North Shore, we also wanted to fight bravely and kill the enemy, and our soldiers all forgot about life and death. But in the end, we still suffered a disastrous defeat. It's not that we didn't dare to fight the enemy, it's just that our naval warships have not been replaced for many years, their hulls are severely damaged, they break apart as soon as they hit rocks, and the soldiers' equipment is all worn out, breaking with just one collision. I'm afraid if this water army suffers a defeat in battle and is completely consumed, there will be no one left to guard the gates of Jiangdong Prefecture. At that time, I would be an even greater sinner against the imperial court."

  Yang Pu stood behind Gu Wu Chen, coldly watching Xiao Tao Yuan's brilliant performance. As a military general, Xiao Tao Yuan was quite stout and not necessarily too fat, but as the leader of the naval army, he wondered if he had the ability to ride a horse if he were a cavalry general.

  Yang Pu thought to himself: Lin Xuan had some unspoken opinions, but he strongly disagreed with Xiao Tao's avoidance of battle and the harm it caused to the Taihu Lake shoreline. He even suggested that Gu Wu dust use his power to impeach Xiao Tao and remove him from his position as commander of the Ninghai Town Six Camp Water Army during their time in Chongzhou. Not to mention, during these days of recuperation in Jiuyang, he had been avoiding Xiao Tao's water army generals like enemies. Yet, the leader was following Zhao Qinmin's suggestion and showing kindness to Xiao Tao, which might make Lin Xuan feel disheartened.

  Even as a father, Yang Pu hoped that his son Yang Shi would have a brighter future in the Dongyang army, but Lin Xian was not a fool and how could he not have any ideas about the arrangement of personnel in Dongyang?

  "General Xiao has a point, otherwise there wouldn't have been such a great victory at the Donglai River," Zhao Qinnian chimed in from the side. "On the other hand, Lord Lin was too serious about the refugees on Xi Sha Island..." Anyway, Lin Xuan used resources that should have been used to train the Dongyang militia to rescue and resettle refugees on Xi Sha Island. Zhao Qinnian could see that Gu Wudeng had some opinions in his heart, but for now, he could still tolerate Lin Xuan's actions.

  ***************

  P.S: Seeking red envelope!