Qin Ze looked him up and down and said indifferently, "General Zhao, there's no need for such formalities."

Zhao Yuan stood up and said with a smile, "General, you have just arrived in Beiliang. Your subordinates have already prepared a place for you to stay. It is still early. I will take you there now."

"Lead the way."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yuan rode his horse and led Qin Ze into the pass.

Traveling at a rapid pace, Qin Ze observed that the soil was barren, with very few weeds on the loess soil, and towering mountains everywhere. It wasn't until the sun was about to set that they reached their destination.

Looking at the city ahead, Zhao Yuan smiled and said:

"General, this place is called Jubeichuan, and this city is called Shifeng City. Jubeichuan has many mountains and hundreds of miles of plains in the middle, with the Qingshui River running through it. Shifeng City is blocked by mountains, and there is only one road in and out. It is a natural fortress."

"I saw that the general's troops were not many, so this place was the perfect place to recruit people and train soldiers. That's why I brought the general here."

Hearing Zhao Yuan's words, Qin Ze sneered inwardly. He had already scouted out the terrain along the way.

Zhao Yuan's words were half true and half false. Jubeichuan was indeed a natural stronghold on the surface, but along the way, the land was barren, and there was very little arable land. In addition, the city gate of Shifeng City was dilapidated, revealing a desolate atmosphere.

All signs indicate that there must be very little food available here, and there is no surplus to supply the army. If we forcibly requisition food, the farmers in these harsh and cold areas, who are naturally fierce, may very well incite a peasant uprising.

Furthermore, with so many mountains, there must be bandits who occupy the mountains. Zhao Yuanzhen has a clever plan to trap me here.

Unfortunately, his wishful thinking was about to fall through.

Even if Zhao Yuan had schemed and plotted, he would never have imagined that he had a system at his disposal.

Points can be exchanged for food and people, and Jubeichuan is the perfect place for me!

Nestled amidst mountains and water, this place is protected by natural barriers, with only one road providing access.

Relying on this unique geographical advantage, as long as all the bandits in Jubeichuan are wiped out, and an intelligence network is established to turn Jubeichuan into an impregnable fortress, the imperial court will never be able to find out what they are doing.

Thinking of this, Qin Ze looked at Zhao Yuan and said, "Good, General Zhao has indeed chosen a good place."

Zhao Yuan nodded, but secretly chuckled to himself.

We have neither soldiers nor food. You'll have to come begging me for food then, and we'll see if I give it to you!

In addition, there are quite a few bandits in Beichuan. How can your eight hundred personal guards possibly hold them off?

In less than a month, he was so hungry that he became dizzy and died at the hands of bandits!

Zhao Yuan remained expressionless, cupped his hands and smiled, "Good, I'm glad the general is satisfied. It's getting late, I should go back to handle military affairs!"

After saying this, Zhao Yuan led his men away.

Qin Ze watched Zhao Yuan's departing figure, his lips slightly pursed, and he murmured to himself:

"It's time to form an army!"