Zhao Xian knew that Lord Yao's visit to Shuixian Village was likely to conduct research on cotton and prepare for its future promotion.

But Zhao Xian wondered what Wei Jin had done by following Lord Yao to Narcissus Village. Thinking of this, he asked:

"Lord Yao, you've come to Shuixian Village this time to investigate Baidiezi, haven't you?"

Lord Yao nodded and said, "I have indeed come to Narcissus Village to investigate Bai Diezi, but that is only one reason. There is another important matter that I would like to discuss with you."

Everyone was taken aback. What important matter could it be that Lord Yao had come all the way to Narcissus Village to discuss it?

Seeing the puzzled looks on everyone's faces, Lord Yao began to explain.

To the southwest of the Great Northern Dynasty, there were many small states, which frequently fought wars over territorial and resource issues.

Among them was a small kingdom called Nan Dian, whose greatest resource was salt mines. Nan Dian had more than ten salt mines of varying sizes, which were not only abundant in reserves but also of very high quality, pure white and flawless.

These salt mines, once mined and crushed, become top-quality refined salt. It was precisely because of these salt mines in the Southern Yunnan Kingdom that this small country became incredibly wealthy.

However, some countries surrounding the Southern Dian Kingdom were not so lucky. Although they also had salt mines, the reserves and quality of their salt could not compare with those of the Southern Dian Kingdom.

The abundant mineral and salt resources of the Southern Dian Kingdom aroused the envy of some neighboring countries. In order to compete for the mineral and salt resources, these countries often fought wars, trying to divide up the resources of the Southern Dian Kingdom.

In order to protect its salt mine resources, the Southern Dian Kingdom fought desperately to defend its interests, but it could not withstand the invasions of many neighboring countries. If things continued like this, not only would the salt mines be lost, but the kingdom would also be in danger of extinction.

Having no other choice, the Southern Dian Kingdom sent envoys to the Northern Dynasty, requesting that the Northern Dynasty send troops to protect them. The Southern Dian Kingdom was willing to provide the mining rights of its largest salt mine to the Northern Dynasty free of charge. It should be noted that the mining output of this salt mine exceeded half of the Southern Dian Kingdom's total salt production.

The salt consumed by the people of the Great Northern Dynasty is sea salt. Extracting salt from seawater is a complex process, and processing sea salt into refined salt is even more difficult.

Therefore, the salt consumed by the people of the Great Northern Dynasty was low-quality sea salt. Although refined salt was available on the market, it was too expensive for ordinary people to afford.

If they could acquire the largest salt mine in the Southern Dian Kingdom, it would greatly alleviate the salt shortage faced by the people of the Northern Dynasty. Moreover, it would bring huge fiscal revenue to the Northern Dynasty.

Currently, salt in the Great Northern Dynasty is managed by the Grand Minister of Agriculture of the Imperial Court, so this important matter is naturally entrusted to Lord Yao.

After several rounds of negotiations, the Northern Dynasty finally reached an agreement with the Southern Dian Kingdom. The Northern Dynasty could send troops to protect the Southern Dian Kingdom, but in addition to obtaining the mining rights to the country's largest salt mine, the Northern Dynasty must also obtain 20% of the profits from other salt mines.

In this way, the Northern Dynasty would have the right to protect its interests in the Southern Dian Kingdom from invasion by other countries.

After careful consideration, the Southern Dian Kingdom agreed to the demands of the Northern Dynasty. Although the Northern Dynasty took away most of the profits from its salt mines, it was better than having them divided up by the neighboring countries.

Next is the issue of the Northern Dynasty sending troops. The court plans to send Wei Jin with 30,000 troops to the southwestern frontier to protect the security of the Southern Dian Kingdom, and at the same time, to protect the interests of the Northern Dynasty in the Southern Dian Kingdom.

The imperial court ordered Wei Jin to lead troops to the southwestern frontier, which was a sign of the emperor's trust in Wei Jin, but Wei Jin couldn't help but feel a little worried.

The small states in the southwest of the Great Northern Dynasty were difficult to deal with. They frequently harassed the areas surrounding the Great Northern Dynasty, which greatly annoyed the court. As a result, the Great Northern Dynasty sent troops to the southwestern frontier many times.

Although Wei Jin had successfully quelled the rebellion last time, he had never fought against the rebel forces on the battlefield and lacked practical combat experience.

More importantly, Wei Jin doesn't know much about the small countries in the southwest. If those countries unite against Wei Jin, he's genuinely worried he won't be able to handle them.

Lord Yao was also very concerned about this matter. Wei Jin's concerns were not unfounded. At present, the person with the most combat experience in the Great Northern Dynasty was Li Guang.

So Lord Yao took advantage of the opportunity to investigate Bai Diezi in Shuixian Village to bring Wei Jin to Shuixian Village so that he could talk to Li Guang and see if Li Guang could give Wei Jin some advice.

Everyone finally understood what was going on. If the Great Northern Dynasty sent troops and could keep the small countries in the southwest in check, preventing them from making any rash moves, the Great Northern Dynasty would benefit greatly.

At this moment, Li Xue looked at Lord Yao and asked, "Lord Yao, do you know which small countries are located in the southwest of the Great Northern Dynasty?"

"There are more than a dozen small countries to the southwest of the Great Northern Kingdom, and four or five of them are eyeing the Southern Dian Kingdom. We sent troops to deal with these small countries."

"Among these small countries, is there one called Bagong? Is this country also eyeing the salt mines of Nandian?"

"Among these small kingdoms, the Bagong Kingdom was the most troublesome, and the Southern Dian Kingdom suffered greatly from it. Moreover, the Bagong Kingdom did not frequently harass the southwestern region of the Great Northern Dynasty."

If we send troops this time, we must teach the Kingdom of Bagon a lesson, making an example of them to deter others. How will the princess ever mention that country again?

Li Xue's expression was complicated. After hesitating for a long time, she finally spoke:

"Ten years ago, the Kingdom of Bagong frequently raided the southwestern border of the Great Northern Dynasty. They attacked cities and villages, killed and burned, and committed all kinds of evil deeds. Later, my father led troops there, and my brother Li Ru also followed my father to the war zone to quell the rebellion."

After several battles, the father's army dealt a heavy blow to the invasion of the Kingdom of Bagong. The remnants of the Bagong army fled back to their country. Just before the father returned to the capital, the elder brother went missing.

My father searched for several days but couldn't find him. I never saw my brother again after that.

"The imperial court is sending troops to the southwestern frontier this time, and I want to go with the army. If my brother is still alive, perhaps I can find him."

Li Xue's words made everyone fall into deep thought. If Li Ru were still alive, the Fourth Prince would have found him long ago.

Ten years have passed since this incident, and it is practically impossible for Li Xue to find Li Ru in the southwestern border region.

Only then did Li Guang speak:

"The area between the north and the southwest is mainly mountainous, with complex terrain and variable climate, unlike the flat plains of the north, where the climate is not as complex."

There are many small countries on the southwestern border of our dynasty. Although their national strength is not very strong, it is not easy to deal with them. If we are not careful in our military operations, we will be defeated by them.

I've read some military books and understand the common tactics used in those regions. I also have countermeasures for these tactics. Of course, these are all theoretical; their effectiveness still needs to be tested in actual combat.

Li Guang's words greatly increased Wei Jin's mental burden. He was unaware of the situation in the southwestern frontier and some neighboring countries, so how could he win the battle?

It seems I still have a lot to learn. Li Guang was the God of War of the Northern Dynasty, and his footprints covered the north and south of the Northern Dynasty. He was familiar with the geography and culture of various places. I am far from doing enough in these aspects.