Liu Tan looked at Huo Guang in confusion. He had originally guessed that someone under Huo Guang had such special abilities, but he didn't expect it to be Sang Qian.

Liu Tan was a little surprised: "Why did he draw a map? And... is he going to find you?"

Huo Guang nodded and said with a smile, "Sang Qian said he had just recently discovered the map technique Your Highness had developed. After using it, he was amazed. He came to me and said that he had never led troops and was not suitable for the position of captain. Now that he has found something he enjoys, he asks Your Highness to allow him to travel around the northern border and present the map upon his return."

Liu Tan was very puzzled: "What happened?"

He had been busy these past two days, formulating the exam content, and hadn't had time to take care of Sang Qian. Moreover, Sang Qian hadn't done anything for a while, so he simply left him alone.

Why did Sang Qian ask to leave on his own initiative now?

Could it be that Huo Guang did something?

Huo Guang met Liu Tan's suspicious gaze calmly and said, "Your Highness, have you forgotten that you asked him to find something?"

Well, it's not the same thing, purple-red rock, limestone, and kaolin.

None of these three things have been found yet.

Originally, Sang Qian had no idea, but then Wei Buyi brought people to supervise the construction of the royal palace and dug up a copper mine. In an instant, Sang Qian felt pressured.

Even if you don't want to follow Liu Tan's orders, no one would go against political achievements.

Others discovered a copper mine, but he wandered around for many days without any results!

The most important thing is that he has suffered enough these days.

The young man was originally raised and educated carefully in Chang'an. Even when he went out, he would go sightseeing. But when he came here, he had to go out in the wind and sand every day. When he looked up, he saw the desolate Gobi Desert. Occasionally, he was surprised to see some plants that survived tenaciously in the Gobi Desert.

How could Sang Qian live like this?

Originally he wanted to grit his teeth and hold on, but seeing that the kilns for minting coins were built and ready to start working at any time, while he was still eating sand in the Gobi Desert and the day of returning home was nowhere in sight, Sang Qian's mentality collapsed.

He even suspected that Liu Tan had deliberately found an excuse to embarrass him, just to make him give up!

Sang Qian was originally a little arrogant, thinking that the more you make things difficult for me, the more I will persist. After all, I was sent by the court and chosen by the prince. How can I back down so quickly?

However, after a long time, after wandering in the Gobi Desert for a while and having a mouth full of ulcers, Sang Qian compromised.

He finally realized that there was no advantage in competing with the King of the North under such circumstances, so Sang Qian prepared to return.

Fortunately, he had been very interested in Liu Tan's "Ji Li Hua Fang" and "Six Principles of Cartography".

He had no dissatisfaction with Liu Tan himself. The only dissatisfaction he had was that Liu Tan did not delegate power like other princes.

So when he was in the Gobi Desert, he also tried to draw using these two methods.

At that time, he thought that as a captain, he naturally needed detailed maps for marching and fighting, so he simply drew the geography along the way himself.

Now it finally comes in handy. He can find an excuse to say that he has discovered his true hobby, which is much better than saying that he can't stand such an environment. Even if Sang Qian doesn't want to lose face, he can't lose his father's face!

Liu Tan couldn't help but laugh after learning the whole story. He thought for a moment and said, "The captain was sent by the imperial court. How can we easily replace him? If Captain Sang is truly unable to handle it, I will allow him to take a leave of absence and hand the matter over to Li Buyan and Wei Buyi to handle it together."

Huo Guang replied, "Okay."

The two of them smiled at each other. Sang Qian wanted to leave? How could that be possible?

He was specially chosen by Liu Ju. Why? Wasn't it because he had no ability? Or was it because he was not as capable as Huo Guang and could be easily suppressed by Huo Guang?

Now that he has run away, it will be difficult to choose a suitable one. He has to hold on until one of Li Buyan or Wei Buyi is capable of being a captain.

Huo Guang added, "He has been here for less than three years, and according to regulations he is not allowed to leave. Your Highness need not worry."

Well, unless he escapes on his own, there's no way he's going to get out of here.

After solving Sang Qian's problem, Huo Guang said, "I came here not only for him, but also for the... the... the exam that Your Highness mentioned? Yes, an exam."

Oh, this is more important than Sang Qian. Liu Tan said quickly, "Sit down and talk."

After Huo Guang sat down, he said, "Your Highness, the weather in Liang Province and Shuofang Province has turned colder, and Bing Province is slightly better. If we set the exam to be held within the year, I'm afraid it will take until the end of the year. Shuofang City is not large enough to support so many people. If it happens to be winter, I'm afraid these scholars will have difficulty taking the exam, even if they don't freeze to death."

Liu Tan thought for a moment and said, "What is the current situation of the county governors?"

Huo Guang said, "I heard they are all on their way to see Your Highness."

"That's perfect. Once they arrive, we'll hand out the exam papers and have them take the tests in their respective counties first. Those who pass will then take the second test. Only after this can they enter the capital for the test. Hmm, the capital's test will be scheduled for next summer, I guess."

Liu Tan originally wanted to set the trip in spring, but after thinking about the size of the Northern Border Country, he realized that if he wanted to go to a place farther away, he would have to leave when it was very cold.

It’s a good idea to set the date in summer. It’s not too hot here anyway, and it also gives Liu Tan a chance to renovate the capital.

To be honest, the capital of the Northern Border Kingdom may be worse than most cities in the country. How can it be acceptable if people travel thousands of miles to the capital only to be disappointed?

Doesn’t Liu Tan have any respect?

Huo Guang asked again, "When will the assessment be held? When will the assessment be held in each county? How will the assessment be conducted? What are the passing criteria?"

Listening to his series of questions, Liu Tan suddenly felt the fear he felt when his proposal was rejected by his boss and he was asked three questions in a row.

When he looked at Huo Guang, he always felt that his identity and Huo Guang's identity seemed to have been reversed.

Shouldn't he have asked Huo Guang these questions?

However, Huo Guang did not seem guilty at all. There was nothing he could do. He really did not understand what Liu Tan was thinking. Liu Tan had not even told them what the exam was.

When he had nothing, and the situation concerned the entire northern border country, of course Huo Guang had to ask.

Liu Tan said with a headache: "I will write a framework first, and then we can discuss it later."

Huo Guang didn't feel that this was exploiting His Highness at all. Instead, he changed the subject and said, "Besides this, there are taxes. This year's taxes were basically used to build the Surrender City. However, that was an imperial decree and does not run parallel to the Northern Border Kingdom's decree. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Highness for instructions on how to collect this year's taxes."

Liu Tan waved his hands: "Why collect? It would be strange if we could collect the money in this situation. After we collect the money, some people will starve to death, and some will freeze to death. The population is already small, how can the national treasury support it now?"

Huo Guang replied, "We can still hold out until next year."

Liu Tan nodded: "Okay, then I won't collect it for now."

Huo Guang responded, and after he finished asking all the questions, he turned around and sent someone to bring Sang Qian back.

To be honest, Sang Qian was not very happy when he learned that his position was retained.

He is a captain, but he doesn't care about things. If anything goes wrong, he will be the one to take the blame!

So when Sang Qian arrived before Liu Tan, he began to speak with great emotion, "For over twenty years, I have lived in a muddle-headed state. Now, I have finally found something I can work towards. I beg Your Highness to grant me your blessing!"

Liu Tan also looked very emotional, but he was not pretending. It was because Sang Qian really looked a bit miserable. The originally fair and handsome young man had now become dark and thin, as if he was dehydrated.

He couldn't help but say, "My dear, you can do whatever you want. Drawing maps is also a contribution to the Northern Kingdom. How could I stop you?"

Sang Qian said, "It is not my place to meddle in other matters. Since I no longer manage the soldiers, I naturally cannot bear the title of captain anymore. Otherwise, it will have a negative impact on my subordinates."

Liu Tan said, "Even if I agree, you cannot leave the Northern Border Kingdom before three years have passed. If you insist, leave the seal with me. When you are three years old, I will write a letter to transfer you back to Chang'an."

Sang Qian finally breathed a sigh of relief after hearing this. The seal was not in his hands, so even if something went wrong he could shirk most of the responsibility.

He quickly handed a seal box to Miao Rui, nodded, and said, "The seals are all here. Your Highness, please take a look."

Liu Tan opened it and saw that it was indeed the seal of the Northern Border State Commandant. He smiled at Sang Qian and said, "Okay, I'll arrange for someone to take over as soon as possible. You should also have a good rest for two days."

Sang Qian finally felt relieved. Just as he was about to leave, he saw Li Buyan rushing over. He bowed to Liu Tan and said, "Your Highness, the people I sent seem to have discovered the kaolin you mentioned earlier. Please take a look."

Liu Tan's eyes suddenly lit up: I want bricks!

Sang Qian: Damn!