At the gates of Ganzhou City, Zhu Jianzhong and Pang Guang rode their horses side by side, their faces still flushed from drinking too much wine.
After riding some distance from the city gate, a gust of wind blew by, and both men shook their heads, their minds completely cleared.
Zhu Jianzhong looked at Pang Guang uncertainly, "Did we agree to something with Xiao Yeyang that we shouldn’t have agreed to?"
Pang Guang didn’t reply; instead, he raised his hand and slapped his own mouth, looking immensely regretful.
Seeing him like this, Zhu Jianzhong understood everything.
Pang Guang regretfully said, "It seems like we’ve been tricked by Xiao Yeyang."
However, Zhu Jianzhong smiled, "Tricked? I don’t think so. Didn’t we get the high-yield grain seeds? As long as we survive this year, tomorrow, the soldiers at the guard station will have enough food."
Pang Guang hummed, "Xiao Yeyang did give us the high-yield grain seeds, but look at what he took from us. Your Jinwei Guard is fine, just requiring two thousand horses, but my Lanwu Guard has to transfer twenty thousand border troops to the Gan State Guard, and they can’t be old or weak."
Zhu Jianzhong looked at Pang Guang, "You should be satisfied. Transferring twenty thousand border troops to the Gan State Guard means you don’t have to worry about their provisions anymore; this is reducing your burden, isn’t it?"
"The Lanwu Guard doesn’t border Xiliao, and your border troops were already a reserve army. Now that Xiao Yeyang needs them, he has also issued an order from the Five Armies Headquarters; stop complaining."
That said, he paused and looked puzzled.
"However, Xiao Yeyang has already started recruiting troops. Why does he still need to transfer border soldiers from the Lanwu Guard? What is he planning to do? Why did he ask us to keep it a secret?"
Pang Guang remained silent, but he had some guesses in his mind.
Xiao Yeyang took over the Gan State Guard — he must want to prove his capabilities.
How to prove?
Reclaiming the Dan River, which had been dominated by the people of Xiliao, would definitely be the most effective and advantageous strike.
But does he have the courage?
With the current, not fully erupted war between Xiliao and Daxia, did Xiao Yeyang dare to lead troops to reclaim the Dan River?
Seeing Pang Guang not responding, Zhu Jianzhong didn’t pursue the conversation any further. He turned his head and looked at the gifts prepared by Madam Xiao for them, shaking his head, "Receiving gifts makes you indebted; does this mean we’ve been won over by Xiao Yeyang?"
Pang Guang glanced at Zhu Jianzhong, noticing the smile tugging at his lips, and hummed, "It seems like you’re quite pleased with it."
Zhu Jianzhong did not deny it, instead saying, "In the past two years, the people of Xiliao have become more and more excessive — not satisfied with just stealing our money and grain, they’ve started taking women, and last year they even began slaughtering cities. The people of Jinwei Guard have suffered too much; I can’t change their lives, but if someone else can, I’m willing to support that."
Though Zhu Jianzhong didn’t specify what he was willing to do, Pang Guang understood.
...
Xiao Residence.
Xiao Yeyang lay on a divan, while Daohua brought him a hangover soup. As he took it, he noticed her relaxed eyebrows and the smile on her lips as she fanned him, "It seems like your discussions with those two commanders went quite well."
After finishing the hangover soup, Xiao Yeyang laughed, "Not too bad. I gave them the grain seeds they wanted, and I got the horses and soldiers I needed. It’s a win-win."
Daohua smiled, "I heard from the maids that you poured quite a bit of wine for them, be careful they might deny it once they sober up."
Xiao Yeyang chuckled, "Do you think it’s that easy to get drunk those who sit in the commander’s position? They were just going along with the flow. The moment we arrived, those two fellows had been paying attention; the outcome today was something they had weighed before even arriving."
Saying this, he sat up.
"With the two thousand horses from Jinwei Guard and the ones I already have, I can put together three thousand cavalry. For the remaining two thousand, I still need to buy from the Xiliao people."
...
In mid-June, after selecting a site for the Gan State Textile Factory and starting construction, Li Xingnian left with Qin Xiaoliu and others, while Li Chenzhi stayed behind.
At the gates of Ganzhou City.
Daohua saw Li Xingnian off, "Second uncle, Yeyang went with the cavalry for training and couldn’t take time off to see you off. Please be understanding."
Li Xingnian laughed, "Uncle knows, you don’t need to explain so much."
Daohua handed a parcel to Li Xingnian, "Second uncle, this contains letters I’ve written for the family, as well as for the Prince Residence, the Yan Family, and the manager of the Zhongzhou Xiangyang Glass Factory."
"When you come next time, please bring a team of craftsmen from the glass factory."
Li Xingnian nodded, tucked the parcel away, gave Li Chenzhi a few instructions, and then boarded the carriage and left.
...
In late June, as the wheat harvest started, the people of Gan State Guard became excited.
Previously, even the best fields produced only two or three shi per mu. Now, using high-yielding wheat varieties, even the lower quality fields could yield about three shi of grain, and the best fields could produce four or five shi.
Although it was too early to harvest corn, potatoes, or cotton, the growth of the crops already indicated a bountiful harvest.
Once it was confirmed that the high-yielding seeds were effective, many people began clearing land. The wealthy started buying barren hills from the guard office.
A wave of land development swept through Gan State Guard.
Daohua and Xiao Yeyang were delighted to see this, as more cultivated wasteland and barren hills meant more taxes in the future.
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