C91

Zhang Shuhe paused for a moment before continuing, "The border army's stall is too big. All of the 200,000 people are fed on horses, and all of it is due to the imperial government's supply. It's very strenuous to support them!" I believe you should know some things about the situation in Dragon State. The land is barren, and the population is small, so the current residents are basically the military family members or the old people who have retired from the border army. The court has limited care for the retired border army, which has led to many helpless old soldiers. To tell you the truth, I wanted to do something about my life and change my current predicament. However, my identity is still sensitive. Every time he saw the living conditions of those civilians, he would always feel ashamed, but he would also feel powerless! "So …"

Zhang Zhou understood what he was thinking and said seriously, "General, if there's anything you need me to do, just say it!"

"Firstly, I want to reclaim the land. Longzhou is not short of arable land, it's short of population! "Now that the daily rations are allocated by the imperial court, there are not many that are truly in stock. Once the war begins, I'm afraid the supplies will be unable to keep up!"

"Why not?"

"Sigh, this is also a method the imperial court uses to restrict the border troops! If you think about it carefully, you will understand! There's no use in playing it! "

Zhang Zhou nodded and did not say anything else. He continued to listen to Zhang Shuhe, "Second, I want to start a trade. There are a lot of minerals and trees in Dragon State, but there is only a lack of development! Even in the area of medicinal herbs, there is a unique geographical advantage to Dragon Prefecture. Many precious medicinal herbs are only available in Dragon Prefecture … "

Zhang Shu introduced the resources of Dragon State in detail. Finally, he said, "I want to have a broad range of commercial cooperation with the Nine Prefectures!"

The resources that Zhang Shuhe mentioned could be used in the business of the Nine Regions. He had never traded with the Dragon Province not only because of its poor business base, but also because of its sensitivity. The border army was like a local snakehead in Dragon State. It was a common occurrence to extort and extort business from merchants, and the most common excuse was to spy on the military! This "big hat" was enough to make ordinary merchants go bankrupt. Over time, who would be willing to come here to do business? This is also the main reason for the business malaise. After all, in order to make money, one had to avoid risks in order to do business. A large investment in the business could not be repaid, and could even lead to unnecessary trouble. This was not something that Zhang Zhou would do.

Zhang Shuhe could see that Zhang Zhou was in a tough spot. He understood that a businessman's interests were heavy, and it was only right and proper for them to do so. Moreover, he had no reason to let the other party pay such a huge sum of money just to give him some face. Not to mention that the other party was still the Marquis, even an ordinary merchant would not agree to this! He could not help but feel that he was being a bit rash. No one knew the predicament of Fringe Army better than him. Therefore, when he understood Zhang Zhou's background, he could not help but reveal his thoughts and give it a try.

Zhang Zhou pondered for a moment, then raised his head and said, "General, if the Nine Regions do business in the Dragon Province, can the border army guarantee my rights and interests?"

"You can rest assured about this. If anyone dares to make things difficult for me, I will punish them harshly. I will not let you suffer in this aspect!"

"How many people can the Dragon State provide?"

A person who can afford to hire a laborer, of course.

"If you count the entire Dragon State, it would be around 20,000!"

"General, this is not a small amount of silver, I cannot agree to it rashly. However, since the general can provide security, I am willing to support his decision!" "If the general trusts me, give me some time, and I will give him a satisfactory answer!"

Zhang Shuhe naturally knew that this was not a simple matter. Zhang Zhou did not refuse and could be considered as giving him face!

"Then I'll thank the Marquis first. You don't need to worry about it, there are some things I can still make decisions in the Dragon State!" As long as we can make the days of the border troops more comfortable, you can speak up if Master Hou needs anything! "

"..."

The two of them talked about Bei Yan again. It seemed that Zhang Shu and his partner rarely had a chance to talk to each other. Perhaps they also wanted to get closer to Zhang Zhou, so they didn't try to hide it from him.

"Tang Dynasty and Bei Yan are fated to be mortal enemies. In the years after Lin Xi He's war, they have sealed each other up even more! After I came here, I had made arrangements for many infiltrations, and I hoped that I could obtain some information! It was a pity that they had all failed and had lost quite a few people! If the Great Tang Dynasty used bricks and stone to create an immovable fortress, then Bei Yan used countless sentries to roam about, weaving an impenetrable defensive line! "

Zhang Shuhe let out a long breath, then said with a pleased tone, "However, there's been some changes. Although the border troops are unable to obtain any information, your Nine Prefectures' caravan can occasionally give me some fragmented information! This information is crucial to me! There are all kinds of signs that Beyan is hoarding goods in large numbers. "

Of course, Zhang Zhou knew about this. Mei Changqing's actions were also at his instigation. The success or failure of Dragon State was directly related to the safety of Hezhou! He did not mind sharing some intelligence with the border guards so that they could make early judgments and prevent this from happening!

Although it was just some fragmented information, it was still extremely informative: For example, although Beyan had the herdsmen of the Eastern King Courtyard prepare a large amount of ripe skin and provide a large amount of war horses' grass, they did not requisition any strong men or war horses! One had to know that once a large number of strong conscription appeared, it would not be long until the start of the war!

"General, do you think there will be a fight with Bei Yan? If so, when will it be possible? "

"They will definitely fight! "According to my past experience, I estimate that it should be in the next two to three years!"

Zhang Zhou frowned. It was obvious that time was of the essence for him. Zhang Shuhe thought that he was worried that the investment from Dragon State would be greatly affected, and comforted: "Master Hou, don't worry. After the battle at Lin Xi River, it has been almost twenty years since the Tang Dynasty. "If Bei Yan wanted to step into the Tang Dynasty, it would be wishful thinking!"

"..."

Zhang Zhou was assigned the task of patrolling the Sixth Battalion. To put it simply, he was assigned to inspect the logistics and supplies of the Sixth Battalion on a daily basis! Although it was a bit tormenting, it was safe, risk-free and not boring. Along the way, he could experience the scenery of Longzhou.

On their first trip, they were led by Yang Kui, who was familiar with the route. Two years ago, Zhang Zhou took Yang Kui to set up a defensive sentry at the Chivalry. Now, Yang Kui is leading Zhang Zhou to patrol the camp. Everyone was in a different situation. They couldn't really compete with each other!

Other than Zhang Shuhe's main camp, the border troops were divided into five stages! From east to west, they were, in order, the great man, the great sword, the fierce horse, the repudiated north, and the tiger. Great Chivalry was the most remote place; the sword the most difficult; the strong horse the most advantageous to the cavalry; the north repudiation the most prominent in geographical location; and the tiger the most majestic!

The Six Battalions of Five Pass were connected together, creating an impregnable wall in the northern border of the Tang Dynasty! However, after the completion of the five stages, only the Resisting North Pass had experienced the assaults.

Twenty years ago, Tang Yan and her country had engaged in an unprecedented battle. Both sides had a total of five hundred thousand soldiers, and in the north Yan's Lin Xi river, they had engaged in close combat for two months. At that time, the North Resisting Mountain Pass was also one of the battlefields. In the end, even though Tang Dynasty had won, it was powerless to continue to attack from the north. It could only retreat to the city gates and continue to maintain a standoff. Some people described the war that had cost the State treasury ten years!

"Beheading Swallowing Swallow" was a wish of all the emperors in Tang Dynasty. However, it was easier said than done! It was not easy to organise an expedition of over ten thousand soldiers. The consumption was huge, not to mention the need to conquer the powerful Northern Yan. Since Zhao Qianyuan ascended to the throne, he had been accumulating strength. If he could use the South Pingzhou's weapons, it would be equivalent to accumulating five more years! In the past, the Empire had experienced two great wars in a short period of time. Although they had won both times, they were unable to expand their gains. One of the main reasons was their insufficient accumulation of strength. With much difficulty, the Western Tribes issue was resolved. Zhao Qianyuan's plan to deal with Bei Yan became more and more urgent, and the Honeysuckle Family would also be difficult to deal with!

The Northern Yan was vast and magnificent! There was no history and territory between the two countries. On the contrary, the Tang Dynasty snatched the Dragon State from the hands of the Northern Yan! However, in this era, there was nothing that could stop the desire of an overlord to rule the world. Regarding this, Zhang Zhou did not have many opinions! After all, this was not his previous life. The whole world was talking about the sovereignty of territories. This was an era where the strong preyed on the weak, and power determined sovereignty!

Right now, he was also proud of the people of the Great Tang Dynasty and proud of the Great Tang Dynasty. However, his desire to expand his territory for the emperor was definitely not strong! However, he definitely cared about the peace and stability of the Tang Dynasty. After all, he lived under the protection of the Tang Dynasty.

The life of the border troops was extremely boring! However, the living environment was much better than that of the Wild Goose Mountain. At the very least, the weather made people feel much more comfortable!

Zhang Shu and his two years of management had managed the border army well, and Zhang Zhou was not a picky person. As long as everything followed the rules, everything would be fine!

There were many mountains in the Dragon Province, and most of the several hundred li of defense were built by the mountains. The Sword Mountain Pass was the most steep. It was built between a dozen or so steep mountains that were like sharp swords that pierced the sky and the precipitous mountain cliffs.

There are many paths here at first, but all of them converged at the entrance of the cliff. The widest part of the cliff is only about 200 feet wide, and the rocks are criss-crossed like, making it impossible for the cavalry to pass through. The terrain is too steep, and it is extremely difficult for the infantry to defend against it. The border army is the safest place here! "

Yang Kui introduced Zhang Zhou. Zhang Zhou looked at those perilous peaks and asked, "It shouldn't be easy to build this fortress, right?"

"That's right!" According to the records of the city gate, three thousand prisoners died in the construction of this sword pass. It took eleven years before it was completed! "

Zhang Zhou was speechless!

Yang Kui then introduced, "Our border army's recruitment area is located in the town below. Anyone who wishes to join the army will be registered there and sent to train at the North Pass before being allocated to the camps! On the tenth day of every month, a conscription will be held, and it will be very lively when the time comes. In addition, many people from the martial arts world who have nowhere else to go will also come here to hide. As time passes, the entire town will become full of the spirit of fighting and ruthlessness.

Zhang Zhou nodded and thought about that "Ye Rukong" and asked, "Big Brother Yang, do you know a person called Ye Rukong?"

"Ye Rankong? I've never heard of it.

"Yeah, it should be the Dragon Province that came a year ago. They said that they are going to join the army!"

"That's fine. There's a record of it in the recruiting office. We'll know after checking it!"

Last June, when he met with Ye Rukong, he had given his wife a Sentencing Medallion. There had been no news of him since then!

Five miles below the Sword Mountain Pass was the Sword Village, and another thirty miles beyond that was the Dragon Prefecture. In theory, the Dragon Prefecture was the political center of Hezhou. However, the Dragon Prefecture was already under the military administration. After the case of the Great Northern River King, the government offices were practically useless. However, this area could be considered to be the most densely populated area in the Dragon Province (excluding the barracks). The reason why Zhang Zhou was interested in this place was because there was once a King of the Great North River in the Dragon Prefecture.

Zhang Zhou's Nine Regions business had never come to Dragon State to do business, but that didn't mean that everyone wouldn't do business. This town was much more lively than the other military towns, but relatively speaking, it clearly felt very rough.

Jianghu people carrying swords on their backs could be seen everywhere on the streets, as well as able-bodied men who wanted to join the army. If they were in Hezhou, they would have already been arrested and tortured for questioning. Dragons and snakes mixed together, the order was chaotic, this was also the fault of the local government for not having any authority!

The main street, which could not be considered long, was filled with people who had called for help. Those who had won left like a dead dog and those who had lost didn't care. Everyone seemed to be accustomed to this and were not surprised! The living environment that created the characteristics of the crowd was the principle of the coexistence of the heaven and the earth. There were no exceptions!

This small Sword Mountain Pass could be considered as the most chaotic, most martial arts world in the Tang Dynasty!

And Zhang Zhou knew of another situation! The special environment in the outside world had created the situation of the town not taking care of anything, so this place had also become the ideal place for many great bandits to hide their stolen goods. Naturally, it had attracted many businessmen who bought stolen goods, and over time, this place had also become the biggest black market in the Tang Dynasty. The old Daoist Qinglin had originally come here to trade for a Pill Refining Pill. Although there were cases of people taking advantage of the situation to take advantage of others, there was still a relatively perfect order for them to do so! Those who obey will live, those who disobey will die, those who adapt will live, and those who don't die. It was simple and ruthless! He didn't have many tricks up his sleeve anyway. It really wasn't easy to survive here.

According to what Yang Kui said, there were also people who wanted to be the overlord of this place and establish their own rules, but in the end, all of them died without a burial ground! Of course, all the rules here were set by the rules of the border armies. The border armies were the absolute overlords of this land!

Zhang Zhou no longer had the same curiosity as two years ago when he saw those famous men of the martial arts world. These Draconic Snakes and Insects, with their poor discipline, could change their appearance anytime and anywhere! To these people, the principles of the martial arts world were like a woman in the wind; they were just for fun! How many good birds could have fallen to this town? Therefore, Zhang Zhou didn't have a good impression of these people!

The businesses of the Nine Prefectures would also recruit some martial artists from the martial arts world. However, the supervision would be extremely strict. It was absolutely not allowed to put on an act and act like Qin Muchu.

It was true that these people were arrogant, but they avoided soldiers in armor. In the Dragon Province, the border army was the biggest local snake! He was the absolute overlord that could crush all those who crossed the river! Even if you were bullying an ordinary pawn, you could still be surrounded and killed by hundreds of soldiers! Those bandits and bandits that left the bustling town and hid in the town of Lijian were only there for the sake of survival. Who would be so unprepared to seek a path to their own death?

Zhang Zhou's mind was more complicated than most people's, which made him dislike being noticed, especially in strange places. This feeling of being surrounded by people on all sides of the street made him uncomfortable. Hence, he suggested to stay at home and change into casual clothes before coming out again. Yang Kui naturally wouldn't object. The Recruitment Office at the town's entrance had a ready-made residence, which was very convenient.

It was easier to see a lot of interesting things when travelling in plain clothes. This kind of place like the Vanguard Sword Town was often the place with the most concentrated intelligence. Zhang Zhou felt that he shouldn't miss this opportunity! He made up his mind. When he went back to inform the weasel, he would eat some snacks here.

Zhang Zhou was somewhat disappointed as he did not see Ye Rukong's name in the Recruitment Bureau's records. Perhaps something had happened that had caused Ye Rukong to change his mind about joining the army.

Zhang Zhou left his servants in the living quarters. He, along with Yang Xiaolang, Erniu, You Nan, and Yang Kui, changed into casual clothes and left the Recruitment Office!

Earlier, he had noticed that there was a tavern on the corner of the street that was very lively. Most importantly, the wine cover at the entrance had the words "He Zhou Lie" on it. Naturally, he had to pay a visit. Although the Nine Prefectures' business had yet to enter Dragon State, it was not surprising that He Zhou Lie was being sold here. The few of them entered the tavern and casually found a table to sit at. Hezhou Lie was essential. After all, he had military affairs to attend to, so it was inconvenient for him to drink too much.