Uda's bodyguard, Achiya, opened the storeroom door, and Song Liyun froze after taking only a few steps.

Song Liyun had personally managed everything in the storeroom; she could tell what was inside with her eyes closed.

At this time, there were five large copper lock chests in the room, with delicate and smooth lacquer patterns on them.

The box looks unusual; what could be inside?

Song Liyun looked at Zhao Tingduo with a puzzled expression. Zhao Tingduo smiled and kept her in suspense: "This is for you alone, my brother said you'll definitely like it now!"

"What is this mysterious thing?" Song Liyun walked over and reached out to open the box.

A bright light suddenly appeared, making her squint and feel incredulous!

Silver, pure, hard silver!

It wasn't just one box, it was a whole case.

Each box has five layers, each layer weighs four hundred taels, so one box weighs two thousand taels.

There were five boxes in the warehouse, which amounted to ten thousand taels of silver.

Song Liyun's eyes widened. She was now a wealthy woman with tens of thousands of yuan in assets, but she had never seen ten thousand taels of silver before.

Touching the cool silver ingot, Song Liyun felt a surge of warmth in her heart. She stammered, "Why...why did the garrison commander think of giving me silver?"

Zhao Tingduo smiled and said, "My elder brother said that your life-saving method is priceless. We should go to the court to request an official title for you, but Mida City is currently under construction, and what we need most is money. We'll talk about requesting an official title later."

It's impossible to request a seal; woolen cloth and silk are expensive items, and who would believe that they would be used on ordinary soldiers?

If this were reported to the Ministry of War of the Imperial Court, it would certainly invite nationwide condemnation, and might even lead to impeachment for corruption.

Rather than getting into a verbal dispute or lawsuit, it's better to quietly get things done by paying out of your own pocket.

Song Liyun didn't care about being granted an official title. She didn't need those flashy but impractical things. Having a name in the court would only bring her more constraints. She was happy as long as she had money.

"Then thank you very much for your generosity, Commander!"

She had thought about many things. Zhao Tinglei was the emperor's cousin and also his confidant.

The palace rewards were always plum blossom vases, jade ornaments, jewelry, palace flowers, and even a commendation decree written by the emperor himself; no one ever thought of money.

However, Zhao Tinglei was right; what she liked most now was money.

The construction project in Mida City required too much investment in the early stages. Although Zhao Tingduo also provided support, he still had soldiers to support, and the amount of money he could contribute was pitifully small.

With this 10,000 taels of silver, Song Liyun can now act with full force.

Seeing Song Liyun's joy, Zhao Tingduo felt somewhat heavy-hearted.

Although Hecheng now has tax revenue and business with the Dilu grasslands, this 10,000 taels of silver is not something that can be easily taken out.

However, Ah Yun's armor with its silk inner lining and woolen military uniform were crucial to the Zhenbei Army. The elder brother was grateful for this life-saving method and squeezed it out of the military pay.

After Song Liyun was overjoyed, the two then talked about the news they had received at the garrison headquarters.

Lin Qingyuan heard rumors that the Di royal court had submitted a letter of state to the Wu dynasty, but the truth was not so.

At the garrison headquarters in Hecheng, Zhao Tinglei took out an official document and showed it to Zhao Tingduo.

The Di royal court did not issue a formal letter, but it is true that they sent envoys with gifts to the capital.

Ironically, this was all caused by the Empress Dowager sending a noblewoman to the royal court for a marriage alliance.

The Dilu grasslands had no imperial court or kingdom; matters were managed through consultation among five major tribes.

However, the Dongyue tribe suffered severe damage two years ago when it raided the Wu Dynasty, greatly reducing its strength. It was then ostracized by other tribes and subsequently driven out of the Xuyang Grassland to the Mida River Valley.

After Zhao Tingduo led the Lei Battalion to exterminate their clan, only four major tribes remained that made up the Di royal court.

When that noblewoman left the capital, she was given the title of Princess Heshan. She was young and beautiful, and was sent by the Wu Dynasty for a marriage alliance. The question of which tribal leader she should marry became a problem.

The apparent peace among the four tribes was shattered by the arrival of the noblewoman from the Wu Dynasty.

Some tribes sent people to the Wu Dynasty, hoping to gain recognition, while others wanted to annex others and become the dominant power.

Song Liyun frowned and said, "Is there going to be a war on the grasslands?"

Zhao Tingduo nodded and then shook her head: "Not for now!"

The power struggle among several tribes had been ongoing for some time. The Dongyue tribe was greatly weakened and driven out, which was actually a deliberate act by the other four tribes.

Even at the height of the battle in the Mida River Valley, they watched helplessly as the Dongyue tribe was wiped out without offering any assistance, which was also a sign of mutual distrust.

The Uda tribe took advantage of this loophole.

Now that the four families have just reached a balance, another noblewoman has arrived.

Zhao Tingduo said, "Before Princess Heshan arrived at the Xuyang Grassland, she encountered several attacks, all because she did not want Princess Wu to break the balance."

"But the princess was protected by a garrison of the Northern Army, and she arrived at the grasslands safely. She is currently living in a tent and has not yet been married!"

Song Liyun curled her fingers and asked in surprise, "The princess has been on the grassland for almost a year, and still hasn't chosen a marriage partner?"

Zhao Tingduo scoffed: "How can they get married! The chiefs of all four tribes are too old."

The most powerful tribal chief is sixty years old, and his sons are all forty. His grandson is of marriageable age, but how could the other tribes possibly agree?

Song Liyun admired Empress Dowager Wu Chao, who was skilled in palace intrigue. She managed to survive the late emperor's disdain and harsh treatment by feigning weakness, which showed that she was quite shrewd.

However, while using women for marriage alliances is not a good way to stabilize the border, it is the best strategy to disrupt the enemy camp.

Or rather, disrupting the situation for all parties is useful.

Just like now.

Some tribes sent envoys to the capital of the Wu Dynasty to express peace and friendship, while others carried out an assassination attempt on the princess, intending to completely break ties with the Wu Dynasty.

With the princess dead, war between the two nations is inevitable, and Zhao Tinglei is now on high alert.

This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!