"Ruotong, let me introduce you. This is General Lin from Qing'an Prefecture, and this young lady is his granddaughter, named Lin Xi."

Yang Ruotong stepped forward and bowed to the old general.

"Greetings, General Lin. Greetings, Miss Lin."

"Haha, Young Master Zhao, this must be your wife," General Lin said with a smile.

Zhao Xian nodded: "She is my wife, Yang Ruotong. She can cook excellent dishes, and the taste is just as good as the food in restaurants."

After Zhao Xian finished speaking, he instructed Yang Ruotong to prepare lunch, as he was going to treat everyone at noon.

Yang Ruotong nodded and turned to go to the kitchen.

Zhao Xian then led the two to his study, where servants served tea, and the group began to chat.

Lin Xi was lively by nature, and she left the study after sitting for a while.

She had just seen Liu Xuan leading a few people in work, wondering what they were making, and wanted to go and see for herself.

Zhao Xian continued chatting with General Lin, and through their conversation, he learned about some important matters concerning the Northern Dynasty.

The Northern Dynasties were located in the Central Plains and were surrounded by many small states. Among them, the northern barbarian states were the most powerful. However, the barbarian states were located in the wilderness and frequently harassed the Northern Dynasties in order to compete for resources, which led to frequent wars in the border areas between the two countries.

If the Great Northern Dynasty were to mobilize the entire nation's resources, it would be fully capable of eliminating the barbarian states. However, within the court, there were factions advocating war and those advocating peace. Due to the differing opinions of the two factions, coupled with numerous internal conflicts within the imperial family, it was difficult for the court to reach a unified opinion.

For many years, the two countries have been in a state of alternating conflict and peace, with war occurring almost every year.