Xing Xiuyan replied, "Gu Beitian arrived two days ago."

Shen Xi looked completely bewildered: "Why weren't you informed?"

"This was his own request. He said that after this incident, the commander must be extremely tired, and he will be even busier these days dealing with various issues related to villages damaged by bandits. His matter is not important, and we will talk about it when the commander has some free time."

Shen Xi reached out and gently pinched Xing Xiuyan: "You little brat, you didn't even tell me."

Xing Xiuyan laughed and dodged away, crying out that she was wronged: "I only heard it from Mayor Zheng today, and I was going to report it to you anyway."

"Oh?" Shen Xi asked inquiringly, "You actually told you something that Mayor Zheng didn't even tell me?"

Xing Xiuyan blushed, somewhat embarrassed: "Sir, please don't tease me. I was just thinking about your affairs, that's why I asked."

"Really?" Shen Xi looked at Xing Xiuyan with amusement: "Then I must thank you very much."

Xing Xiuyan ignored Shen Xi's teasing and changed the subject: "Is the commander going to see Gu Beitian?"

Chenxi sipped her tea and nodded gently: "Of course I will see him."

Gu Beitian, he's definitely a talented person.

Gu Beitian still walks with a slight limp.

Before he could even bow, Shenxi had Zheng Ankang help him up and then sit on a soft cushion.

"Gu Beitian, I had no choice but to hit you back then due to circumstances. Do you resent it?"

Gu Beitian bowed slightly as a gesture of respect.

"Beitian harbored no resentment; on the contrary, he felt that the leader had done nothing wrong."

"Since you knew you might be punished, why did you do it in the first place?"

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Beitian stated directly, "If not, how would Beitian have the opportunity to demonstrate his abilities to the leader?"

"As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. If you want to recommend yourself, you also need the opportunity to meet the leader."

Xing Xiuyan also served Gu Beitian a cup of tea.

Gu Beitian smelled the fragrant aroma of the tea and couldn't help but take a small sip.

He exclaimed in admiration, "Sir, this tea is truly exceptional."

Shen Xi also took two sips, and his smile deepened: "What does Bei Tian think this tea is worth?"

Gu Beitian held up two fingers: "One tael of tea leaves, twenty taels of silver."

Xing Xiuyan was startled.

She knew that the leader's tea sold for a high price, but even the best tea, selling for twenty taels of silver per ounce, was still an astronomical price.

Is this Gu Beitian really capable, or is he just spouting nonsense?

The leader shouldn't be fooled by him.

Zheng Ankang, who was also standing behind Shen Xi, did not show it on his face, but he was also wondering: How could it be so expensive?

Shenxi exclaimed with delight, "The one who truly understands me is Beitian!"

Xing Xiuyan felt that the leader had been bewitched.

But she couldn't say anything at that moment.

I'll talk to the leader about it privately later.

Gu Beitian stretched out his slender fingers, picked up the cup, and began to savor the tea once more.

"Sir, I'm not bragging, but I've drunk at least dozens of kinds of tea, but none of them can compare to yours."

Shenxi immediately calmed down.

As someone from a merchant family, she naturally knew that scarcity increases value, and the rarer something is, the higher its price.

Now, only she has the means to process this kind of tea. She wants to drive up the price of the best tea that can be processed in the future to an astronomical level, equivalent to monetary value.

That way, money will keep flowing in.

She needs to support her troops, provide them with good food, and build a special forces unit, all of which require a lot of money.

Taking advantage of the current local turmoil and the fact that powerful families are still indulging in decadence, they can make enough money.

After all, the military force was not enough to wipe out the aristocratic families and then directly seize their wealth.

Shenxi asked, "I've heard that you are not only exceptionally talented in literature, but also a chivalrous knight-errant. You must have a wealth of knowledge. How would you analyze the current state of affairs in the world?"

Gu Beitian had been waiting for this opportunity.

Talented people also want to choose a lord they approve of.

"Commander, the world may seem chaotic now, but in the end it will just be divided into a few forces. As long as you seize the initiative, you will surely achieve great things."

As he spoke, Gu Beitian took out a map from his pocket.

He got up and walked towards Chenxi.

Spread the map on the table.

Pointing to the northernmost point, he said, "Now, the northern prefectures have all been occupied by the rebel army led by Ma Zhigang. The rebel army seems to be advancing rapidly, but in recent days, not only have they failed to gain any more territory, but on the contrary, they have fallen into chaos internally."

"Fan Datong, Shi Feng, and Wei Xiaoyu, who rose up with Ma Zhigang, each caused trouble, and the rebel army has split into two forces. One is led by Ma Zhigang, and the other is led by Fan Datong."

"Given their chaotic state, it would be extremely difficult for them to launch further southward campaigns. They are most likely to be annexed by the self-proclaimed King Wen Changhan."

Then, Gu Beitian pointed to Wen Changhan's territory and continued, "Wen Changhan will occupy Yonghe Prefecture next, swallowing up the half of Yonghe Prefecture occupied by Ma Zhigang. If they want to advance further, it will be even more difficult. If they go north, the northernmost part has already entered winter, and the weather is bitterly cold. Wen Changhan's army will find it difficult to adapt to the harsh weather in the far north. It is estimated that they will not launch an attack to the north this winter."

Then he pointed to Zhonggui Prefecture and Xianghe Prefecture: "If you want to advance further south, you will inevitably clash with these two prefectures. Although the head of the Mo family in Zhonggui Prefecture is not very capable, his younger sister, Mo Yuhua, is a skilled commander and will surely give Wen Changhan a hard time. As for Xianghe Prefecture, it is a rare place with little turmoil. It will be even more difficult for Wen Changhan to reach the capital through Xianghe Prefecture than to attack Zhonggui Prefecture."

Gu Beitian then pointed to the far west: "Except for Hejian Prefecture, the rest of the west is already connected with Xiqiang Prefecture. The Xiqiang governor, though not officially independent, stopped paying taxes to the court a year ago."

“If it weren’t for the Hejian Prefecture’s resistance there, Lei He, the governor of Xiqiang, would have openly rebelled long ago.”

"As for the south, the two southernmost kings of different surnames, one has already rebelled and is almost at the capital, and the other is on the verge of rebellion and is probably about to do so as well. The infighting among the people in the capital will continue until a new master is chosen. However, with the Prince of Ruyang in charge, it will be very difficult for these two kings of different surnames to directly occupy the capital in the short term."

"And the rebellion in Nanning Prefecture will probably be quelled sooner or later."

"The rest are small groups, nothing to worry about."

"So, sir, your opportunity lies before spring arrives next year!"

"If you can seize Jianming Prefecture and coerce Yuzhang Prefecture into submission, and then take over the adjacent Qiong'an Prefecture as well, you can become a regional overlord."

Shenxi was filled with surprise and admiration.

Gu Beitian's analysis and planning coincided with hers.

Shenxi has an even bigger plan: to win over Ge Congshan to Xianghe Prefecture. It would be like adding wings to a tiger.

"The one who truly understands me is the Northern Heaven!"