C96

"Mm, there's no need to rush about what kind of mission it is. First, tell me about the situation on the prairie." Zhang Zhou said.

While they were talking, the two of them had arrived at Mei Changqing's simple residence. Zhang Zhou did not care about the simple and crude house at all. He sat on the chair and saw a simple grassland map on the table. He asked, "Did you draw this too?"

Mei Changqing poured a bowl of water for Zhang Zhou and said, "Yes, this is a rough map. The surveyors sent by Master Feng have already entered the grassland with the team. I estimate that before long, there will be an even more detailed and accurate map!"

"We don't have many people with this kind of drawing. The basic topographic map of Hezhou has not been completed yet! I've seen your suggestion before, so this trade road should be given priority. Therefore, I've asked Lil 'Six to send people over to you, you have to take good care of it for me! "

Mei Changqing also sat down across from Zhang Zhou and said, "Master, don't worry! I have made sufficient arrangements to ensure my safety! "

"How is the situation on the grassland?"

"There are basically no problems with the trade with the East King's Court of Hanhai. According to Hezhou's plan, our first batch of salt can be transported to the prairie and exchanged into the finished cattle sheep's clothing. If all went well, the trade value of the prairie could reach a million taels per year! Also, your carpet can be shipped back next time! I have already locked on a few artisans who can make blankets, but the condition is that the entire tribe has to be relocated, which can only be done with the consent of the lord! "

"In the future, you just need to weigh the pros and cons and set it down. Everything will be decided by me and it will be a waste of a lot of time. "Remember, don't attract Bei Yan's attention!"

"Don't worry, my lord, Evergreen will be careful!"

"When you mention the price of the trade with the middle court, my opinion is to raise the price of all the goods by at least half. This will not change!"

Mei Changqing knew Zhang Zhou's intention. In Zhang Zhou's plan, the strategy of "helping the weak and suppressing the strong" was obviously to reject the peace on the prairie! In fact, some of his actions were aimed at igniting the conflict between the two parties! Zhang Zhou continued, "Mei Changqing, there are some things that are inconvenient to talk about right now, but you have to retract your femininity. You have to look at the long term! "It's not a matter of patience, it's a matter of scheming!"

Mei Changqing nodded. Deep down in his heart, he believed in Zhang Zhou's judgement and decision-making. In addition to Zhang Zhou's trust in him, he would not allow him to betray Zhang Zhou!

"Evergreen knows what's important and won't make any mistakes!"

"How is Bei Yan?"

"The situation right now is much better. Through a few relatively large tribes, some Northern Yan officials and generals have been bribed. As long as our caravan's size does not exceed 300 people, they will turn a blind eye to it, greatly reducing the risk of the prairie trade!" But the swallow's defense of the border is still too tight to penetrate. "

"Mm, take your time, don't worry. However, the acquisition of information on Bei Yan was still very important! He did his best to obtain some information that could catch the eyes of the capital! Since they are willing to take the benefits, they are not afraid of not being able to poach them. It doesn't matter how much money they spend, but you have to bring a few of them down with you! "And …"

Zhang Zhou pointed at the map and said, "You mentioned that there are sand bandits roaming around. Since there are sand bandits that can survive, there's a possibility that we can open a second trade channel here. We should make more preparations.

Mei Changqing also looked at the map and pointed to several locations, saying, "There are bandits in these places, which is quite dangerous for the prairie and the Meng Province. If a second trade route is opened, these bandits must be exterminated!"

"I will organize a group of people to annihilate these bandits. Afterwards, I will find my way to the desert as soon as possible!"

"I'm afraid that it won't solve the problem if we lose too many people!"

"I know, the initial plan will be to build two to three thousand elite riders!"

When Mei Changqing heard the two words "Elite rider", he became extremely excited. Zhang Zhou laughed, "What are you so excited about? There's no need for you to get involved with things in the desert! Didn't you recommend a few talents? Give them more opportunities to exercise! The second business path was left for them to do! "Remember, your task is more to take charge of the situation, not to put yourself at risk!"

Mei Changqing knew that without the hope of being the "leader", he was slightly discouraged, but he was also touched. Zhang Zhou continued to ask, "What is the matter with the Sa'u in the grassland that you mentioned in your letter?"

"It's like this, the people of the prairie believe in the God of Heaven. The Sannan is known as the God of Heaven's messenger, and in the eyes of the people of the prairie, the prestige is extremely great! I was able to successfully open up the trading road of the Eastern King's Court, and it was all thanks to bribing a few Sa'u! In the past, I felt that those people were just godly people, but later on, I gained a lot of understanding, which allowed me to change my view! The reason why Beyan did not use any force and forcefully annexed the grassland is largely because of the existence of these grassland Sas! "

"Tell me more details!"

"The top-level organization of the Saints on the prairie is called 'Ulita'. Although there are a lot of Saints in the tribe, there are almost no Saints who are from Ulita! They were merely Urita's nominal subordinates. The official slaves of Dark Tower are all wearing red gowns and chicken hats! "

Zhang Zhou couldn't help but think of the Lama! Mei Changqing continued, "These people have extremely high martial arts skills, and their methods are also very ruthless. They do not assume the responsibility of spreading teachings, they are only responsible for maintaining the authority of the Uriah Prairie! The royal bloodline was noble, but if anyone wanted to be a king, they had to get the approval of Wu Li Ta! Historically, it was Uriah who led the grasslands people to defeat Bei Yan and almost broke through the Northern Yan City! Later on, there were different interests in Wu Li Ta, and fights between the few Sa slaves started, which led to the inunity of the Great Prairie! The reason why Bei Yan didn't dare to act rashly was because she was worried that under excessive external threats, they would be able to unite! I know all of this because I saved an injured red Sa Nu! "

"No matter how powerful the force is, it can't withstand the internal collapse!" Zhang Zhou sighed as he thought of the Western Tribes.

"Hmm, according to that person, the Sa'u martial arts power of Wu Li Ta's men who are in power are extremely high! For so many years, no one has been able to break the balance between us! "

"Where is that person?"

"Let me hide in a trustworthy herdsman's house!"

"How did this person get injured!"

"I didn't say the reason, but my guess is that it couldn't do without the conflict between the Sa'u!"

Zhang Zhou pondered for a moment and said, "We should not participate in their struggle. Maintaining a neutral stance is more beneficial to our development! The few close tribes you mentioned last time can be heavily supported, but you must control them in our hands! "

"Then to what extent?"

"You can provide us with three thousand cavalrymen at any time!"

Mei Changqing nodded in understanding. Zhang Zhou continued, "Investigate the situation of the Sa Nu thoroughly. The grasslands are different from each other. It would be hard for us to infiltrate them by ourselves alone, so you have to take care of this matter.

"..."

"From now on, you will be the head of the trade in the Dragon Continent. First, make the most of the time and do a comprehensive investigation on the commercial development of the Dragon Province. Reclamation of land, trees, medicinal herbs and minerals are the main directions, and send them to the He Province in a more detailed manner. Third, while I send you additional staff, you can also recruit some of the people you need to, but you have to be under strict scrutiny and report this as required. "In addition, I have other uses for thinking of ways to recruit some warriors from the prairie …"

Zhang Zhou explained his thoughts to Mei Changqing one by one. Mei Changqing memorized them one by one, not daring to be the slightest bit sloppy.

"The task is too heavy, can we complete it?"

"Don't worry, Sir. Evergreen will not fail his mission!"

"I heard that the brat from Lu Fang City wants to marry Qian Qian. My wife has agreed!" When will you consider your own matters! "

"Hahaha, I heard about this. It's useless even if I'm envious! It's not easy to meet a woman you like! "

"That's true, I'm really sorry about this matter!" I can't leave you here! Slow down for a few years! When that time comes, as long as you like the girls that are in the world waiting to be married, I will definitely snatch them back for you, how about it? "

"Lord, we have a deal!"

Zhang Zhou had also received several pieces of information. In this year's Grand Examination, there were 21 people who had entered the top 300 in Hezhou, and their results were the best. Chen Huaijin had taken the 20th place, and his results were extremely good. However, when he knew that he could have entered the top ten, that he had been squeezed out of the competition, and his ranking had been lowered, he abandoned the Hall Competition and returned to Hezhou under the excuse that his results were not satisfactory and he still needed to work hard. He was so angry that Zhang Zhou was at a loss for words. He immediately sent a letter to Li Shujing, asking her to tie him up and send him to the capital.

The other was something that the imperial court had learned earlier: the Sima family had dispatched one hundred thousand troops to the east of Great Yan Mountain Pass to kill off the enemy troops on the prairie, ensuring that there was no danger to the northwest. Zhang Zhou naturally knew how much water there was. He was concerned that Huyan East Hedge had reached the Heaven's Gate Mountain and was in touch with Urwati, and that the first slaves and fine stallions of Yoga had arrived on time. According to the plan and the time on the letter, he had already settled in the Southwest Prairie in the Heaven Realm Mountain a month ago. The first batch of merchants under Liu Qingshan's command also passed through the entrance of Heaven Realm and headed for the Western Tribes.

According to the private agreement, Zhang Zhou would let some of the local tribes "prove" the Sima Family's hard work and bravery in battle on the prairie! And since the Sima family would be protecting their provider within the range, it was only natural to receive twenty percent of the profit! It had to be known that 20% of the annual profit required close to a million taels of silver. However, there was no other way. The protection fee had to be paid!

The people in charge of the Qin River reported that there was a huge gap in the flow sections at the junction of Nanping, Su and Yingzhou. They could only change their route to a new location in Qiangzhou before borrowing the Qin River to go down. Zhang Zhou also understood that many of the projects could not be completed with his current abilities. However, with the help of the Flying Flood Dragon Sect's Ying Prefecture Division, they didn't run into too much trouble!

Zhang Zhou felt that the net he was weaving was getting bigger and bigger. He could not cope with it any longer. He also truly understood how difficult it was to maintain the stability and unity of such a large territory in this era. From this point of view, Zhao Qianyuan was worthy of praise.

This was the first time Zhang Zhou saw this era's sand table in Zhang Shuhe's tent. Of course, there were many places to complain about, but the locations were still very dangerous, and the locations were clearly marked out.

He also had a detailed understanding of the Dragon State Army. The total number of Dragon State soldiers had reached two hundred thousand, and there were nearly a hundred thousand cavalrymen. These people had consumed a large portion of the Great Tang Empire's tax revenue! If there was a war, reinforcements from various places could total close to four hundred thousand people. Note, this does not even include the conscription of civilians! Zhao Qianyuan had spent all these years scheming about this! It seemed that if he didn't want to fight, then so be it. After a battle, he would surely see the results!

Zhang Zhou thought back to standing at the top of the mountain during the day. He took a first glance at the endless military camp and saw thousands upon thousands of soldiers gathering. He was shocked and could not stop for a long time.

Every time Zhang Shu and the others faced this sand table, they would feel their blood boiling! Every month, he would gather the commanders of the five great trials to inquire about some matters, hear some reports, and make some preparations. The main general would listen to the training every three months, and the ones who came this time would be the main generals according to usual practice. The main generals of the Dragon Prefecture were all at the general level. General Meng Dali, General Ning Jingzhi, General Tan Wei, and General Zhao Fanping. Zhang Zhou had interacted with several people before.

Zhang Zhou also understood the extent of the north Yan border defense. Twenty years ago, after the battle at Lin Xi River, there was a time when the people of Yan Minnan fled. From then on, both sides completely cut off contact with the commoners. The degree of sealing off the city was astonishing. A Dragon State scout would only dare to travel twenty miles out of the city. Before, they had entered several times, without exception, without a single survivor! Faced with the Great Tang's barrier, the Northern Yan also set up a defensive line that was difficult to cross.

The battle of the Linxi River." The total military strength invested by both sides had reached around four hundred thousand. Initially, it was Bei Yan who sent out troops to besiege and block the northern borders. After continuously attacking the city for nearly a month, the fortress was on the verge of failure. At that time, it was still the Great Pillar Nation's Pei Yuanzhao who led 80,000 cavalry troops straight from the Fierce Horse Pass straight to the important food region, Lin Xi He. Lin Xi He was heavily guarded, and both sides engaged in battle, fighting for five days and five nights, and in the end, it was even the Prince Zhao Qianyuan's personal army that arrived, repelling the Northern Mountain Pass and winning the battle. Northern Yan lost, losing almost 200,000 troops, and Pei Yuan Zhao's 80,000 cavalry soldiers that were left with less than 30,000 troops! The losses of the infantry were a total of fifty thousand, and they no longer had the strength to go north. When Bei Yan died, more than fifty generals were captured, and over ten nobles were captured! In the end, the Northern Yan Emperor was furious. He dealt with a large number of civil and military officials, causing a series of unrest. Over ten thousand people fled to the Great Tang! This led to the crown prince rebelling, killing the emperor, and succeeding as the Northern Yan. In order to prevent people from escaping to the south and establish an iron-blood policy, one person from escaping to the south would die from the family, and one family from escaping to the south would die from the entire family! And then, the two countries were completely sealed off from each other! According to Mei Changqing's intelligence, Beiyan had been instigating hatred for the Tang Dynasty all these years. It was obvious from recent years that Beiyan had begun her final sharpening of the sword!

One could imagine the scale of this collision! It even made Zhang Zhou feel a sense of dread!

October was the time when the food was the most plentiful and the horses were the most robust. If nothing happened in October, then there would be no possibility of war for the whole year. Troops of scouts had been dispatched to ensure that everything within twenty miles of the city was under their control! As for Bei Yan, he would also send out a large number of his cavalrymen. Both sides would train their troops through such contacts and battles.

Zhang Shu and his designated defense zone were still the North Resisting Mountain Pass! The man was in his forties and wasn't tall, but he had a broad build. Zhang Shuhe nodded repeatedly, feeling very satisfied with the detailed description of the defensive technique!

Seeing Zhang Shu's orderly arrangement, Zhang Zhou couldn't help but admire his ability to become the commander of two hundred thousand soldiers.

After the discussion ended, Zhang Shu and the other generals did not stay for long. They all returned in the middle of the night. After leaving the tent, Zhang Zhou did not feel sleepy. Instead, he was deep in his thoughts.