Qi Xiuwen asked, "How far does the commander intend to argue?"
Chenxi pointed one finger to the sky: "If one could reach the top of the sky, one would naturally not want to remain hidden in one place!"
Everyone gasped; the leader's ambitions were even higher than they had imagined.
Shenxi analyzed, "I've heard that the world is in chaos now. We can't possibly stay here and live peacefully. If we want to survive in this chaotic world, we must fight for it."
After a moment's thought, Shen Xi resolutely said, "If we're going to fight, we should fight to the very end, fight for that supreme position, so that our struggle won't have been in vain."
Everyone was excited. If they had followed Chenxi before for a peaceful life, now they wanted to explore the world together!
Seeing that they agreed without any hesitation, Chenxi continued, "Wolves travel a thousand miles to eat meat, dogs travel a thousand miles to eat excrement. In this world, I don't want to be a dog that eats excrement and live a life of seclusion in a corner. Lofty ambitions are what you and I should aspire to!"
The group was full of talented individuals who, given the opportunity, all wanted to make a name for themselves.
"Yes, sir! You are right! We swear to follow you to the death!"
After everyone calmed down from their excitement, Chen Xi composed them and turned to Song Zhen and the others: "Does anyone have a map?"
Song Zhen shook his head: "The county government office has them, but I was in a hurry when I left and couldn't bring them with me."
Qi Xiuwen and Qi Xiuwu also said that the Marquis's residence had it, but on the one hand, they were not allowed to take it casually, and on the other hand, they were in a hurry when they came out, so they could not get it.
Not to mention Zhang Feng, he doesn't have easy access to maps.
Zang Huatian slowly pulled a blueprint out from the tear in his clothes.
Zang Huatian pulled out the blueprints and presented them respectfully.
Di Yingxue took the blueprints, opened them herself, and placed them on Shen Xi's desk.
Looking at the lines and markings drawn on it, Chen Xi was excited. This was a standard military map!
Shenxi's face became even more amiable, making people feel as if they were bathed in a spring breeze.
"Huatian, you are truly my lucky star." She was just thinking about expanding her territory, and having the map made things twice as easy!
Zang Huatian's plump body trembled slightly. Was it really okay for the leader to address him like that?
This is how people of higher seniority or those with a good relationship with their peers address each other. But thinking about it, it makes sense. The leader is his superior, so it's only natural to address him like that.
He bowed respectfully: "I dare not accept such a title. The Zang family is also a prominent family, and it is perfectly reasonable for them to possess maps!"
Shenxi muttered to himself: It's understandable for aristocratic families to have maps, but to have military maps? Heh, that's a huge overstepping of the bounds.
It seems the Zang family is not to be underestimated!
Shenxi didn't ask any further questions. With this map, it would be much more convenient to go anywhere.
She found her location, marked on the map as a mountain forest. There were no proper official roads in the forest, but the forest covered a large area proportionally. Outside the forest, there were several official roads leading in all directions.
Shenxi called everyone over, pointed to a spot in the mountains and forests, and said, "If there is a gold mine, it should be around here."
Song Zhen nodded: "This place belongs to Dun County."
Chenxi asked, "Who has such great ability to mine gold privately?"
"Unauthorized mining?" Zhang Feng was surprised: "You mean, the gold mine I'm in is being mined illegally?"
Shen Xi nodded: "Of course it's unauthorized mining. If it were the state, they would only conscript laborers and would never buy able-bodied men to mine it!"
Zhang Feng slapped his forehead. How could he not have thought of that? The commander was indeed clever.
Qi Xiuwen's eyes flickered slightly, and he said, "Gold mining is strictly prohibited by the state for private individuals. Without a special background, no one would dare to mine it privately."
Shenxi looked at him: "I wonder whose power Xianghe Prefecture is?"
It's impossible for a county-level government to have this capability, and even a prefecture-level government wouldn't dare to do so without a special figure at the top.
Qi Xiuwen looked at Shen Xi with admiration, thinking, "The commander is truly insightful."
“The prefect of Xianghe Prefecture, Ge Congshan, is a man of the Third Prince.”
Shenxi's memories from the original owner's travels included things about the emperor and the princes. The emperor, Yelü De, was over fifty years old. His eldest son had died young, and the current crown prince was Yelü Caichu, the second son, who was the seventh among the princes.
The third prince, Yelü Jingrui, was born to Consort Tai. His maternal family was quite powerful, and he was able to rival the crown prince in the court. He worked under his maternal uncle, Xiao Da, the Minister of War.
The Eighth Prince, Yelü Zhang, had an obscure mother and a declining maternal family, but the Emperor favored him. He was assigned to the Ministry of Revenue to assist in handling various affairs.
The fifteenth prince, Yelü Qing, is thirteen years old this year. He was born to the same mother as the third prince, Yelü Jingrui. He was also born to Consort Tai late in life and is very much loved by her.
The remaining princes were the fifth prince Yelü Hong, the ninth prince Yelü Yi, the tenth prince Yelü Li, and the twelfth prince Yelü Wei.
Among them, the one who was on good terms with the Third Prince Yelü Jingrui was the Fifth Prince. The Fifth Prince Yelü Hong's birth mother was unknown, and his position in the palace was awkward. He could only live well by relying on the Third Prince Yelü Jingrui.
The Ninth Prince Yelü Yi, the Tenth Prince Yelü Li, and the Twelfth Prince Yelü Wei all befriended the Eighth Prince Yelü Zhang.
If Ge Congshan, the prefect of Xianghe Prefecture, was a man of the Third Prince, it is possible that he was secretly mining gold.
After pondering for a moment, Chenxi asked again, "But I wonder if there is any drought or war in Xianghe Prefecture at present?"
Xianghe Prefecture and Jianming Prefecture are both located in the north, I don't know what the situation is like there.
Qi Xiuwen nodded: "There is a drought. It's not as severe as in other prefectures, and there's less chaos."
"But what kind of person is Ge Congshan?"
"He is a decent person, not one to be harsh on the people, and the lives of the people under his rule are not too difficult."
Qi Xiuwen continued, "Even in Dun County, which is right next to us, although the drought is severe, not many people have fled the famine. Although there is some chaos, it is due to the influx of refugees from other places."
Such a governor is indeed rare, but it's a pity he also got involved in factional strife. Throughout history, those involved in the struggle for the crown prince position, aside from the victors, have rarely had a good outcome!
After learning about the situation, Shenxi temporarily put the gold mine matter on hold. As long as Xianghe Prefecture was not in chaos, it was not something she could afford to touch right now, given that it was the Third Prince Yelü Caichu's gold mine.
She pointed to Bian'ai County and said, "I need to take this place!"
Everyone nodded in agreement. Since the leader wanted to conquer the world, he naturally needed territory.
Shen Xi looked at Song Zhen: "Song Zhen, this is where you'll really need to step in!"
Song Zhen cupped his hands and said, "Please give your instructions, Commander."
Chen Xi pointed to Bian'ai County, which was forty miles away from here: "You are the county magistrate, and the county magistrate is dead. If you lead people back to the county and settle the people, this county will become ours."
Song Zhen nodded, then hesitated slightly: "But there are over 20,000 refugees there, we can't defeat them!"
Shenxi remained calm and asked, "Do these refugees have a leader?"
Song Zhen nodded and then shook his head: "There was only one group of refugees, about two thousand people, with a leader named Wang Datong. It was he who instigated the other refugees to start the riot."
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