Lord of the Desert

Chapter 558 A two-pronged approach
December 15th.

Upon arriving in Xi'an, Hong Fan held a brief meeting with senior executives from Kaiminghang and Tianhehang, where he raised requests for two tons of strong cotton medicine and a dose of animal-attracting incense.

Strong cotton medicine is used as a powerful explosive, but due to its short shelf life, the stock is slightly insufficient. The preparation of beast-attracting incense is not complicated. It is simply a mixture of many precious materials rich in vitality and with strong aromas that stimulate each other, ensuring that the beasts can smell it even from a distance of ten or twenty miles.

The total cost of these demands exceeds two thousand kan, which is quite expensive, but still manageable for Hong Fan at present.

According to the production schedule, everything needed will be delivered before the Spring Festival.

The next day.

Snow-covered City is the most important town in Zhenbei Zhongwei.

The main hall of the General of the Central Guard's residence.

Unpolished, solid slabs of dark blue-green rock covered the ground, while twelve thick pine pillars supported the dome high above.

On the side of the hall, a three-zhang-wide command table was cut and polished from a single piece of ice-white crystal. On the table, in addition to the orderly military tallies and command arrows, a heavy infantry spear was also placed horizontally.

The firelight flickered in the fireplace opposite, reflecting the cold, sharp edge of the blade.

Hanging on the main wall directly opposite the gate is a huge map of the northern frontier, its colors somber and the ink so dark, as if it were painted with dried blood.

Beneath the mountain map, the throne is ruggedly forged from copper and iron, with unpolished burrs still visible on the lower edge of the armrests; a huge white bear skin is laid down from the back of the chair, with obsidian embedded in its eye sockets, and the bristles surging like snow waves.

Standing at two meters tall, Kou Fei sat there, his pair of lion-like eyes gleaming with a commanding presence, exactly the image of a first-rate hero in the eyes of the people of the northern frontier.

"The conference is scheduled to be held on the 23rd, and invitations have been sent to all parties."

He spoke, his voice clear and powerful.

“A copy of the message to Fengsui City was specially sent to Hong Fan.”

"That's how it should be; given Suo Chengzhou's situation, what use is it for him to come here except to complain?"

"At the upper right of the throne," Huo Zhan said with a calm smile.

He was thin and his hair and beard were gray, but his phoenix eyes held a hidden glint of intelligence.

"That's what Kou meant too."

Kou Fei gently stroked his long beard.

"For the past month, Fengsui City has been basically isolated from the Zhenbeiwei system, but this situation cannot last. After all, there are 70,000 people in Fengsui City, and the locals should not be affected by a foreign army."

"But Hong Fan is arrogant and conceited. If we loosen the bonds now, we might be letting him get away with it."

Peng Guan, sitting at the top left, frowned slightly.

As the Right Guard General, he naturally resisted the Xiao family's court, and the Rongtie Palace, which was heavily impacted by the Tiannan Expedition, was also located in the Right Guard, and had a close relationship with the Peng family.

“Brother Peng is right. The incident at Fengsui City is nothing, but I, Huo, am not willing to let the arrogance of a mere child overwhelm the four million people of the Northern Frontier.”

Huo Zhan replied.

"So this meeting was a highlight, a way to curb Hong Fan's arrogance."

"Are you trying to bully the weak?"

Peng Guan remained noncommittal.

Hong Fan's own combat strength is naturally far inferior to that of the three generals of Zhenbei Guard, but he is already hard to match in the Innate Realm. If the three present were to provoke and attack him in public, it would not only be an ugly scene, but also damage his reputation.

"It certainly wouldn't come to that."

Huo Zhan shook his head.

"In recent years, the Juling's southward expansion has been obvious, and the Xuandan Mountain fortress has been repeatedly expanded and renovated. At this juncture, we can't do without the help of the Xiao family. Moreover, although Hong Fan is not as good as Guan Qimai or Shi Haoran, he is not far behind. In a few decades, there may not be anyone in the entire Northern Frontier who can suppress him. We shouldn't go too far."

"I plan to have Huo Wei represent me."

Huo Wei, one of the two Yuan Magnets of the Huo family, is 47 years old and has only been at the Yuan Magnet level for three years. Considering the Yuan Magnet level, it is not an exaggeration to say that he is still a young man. His future martial arts achievements are very likely to surpass those of Huo Zhan.

"It's barely acceptable for someone with the Yuan Magnetic Realm to face the top of the Prodigy Ranking."

Kou Fei nodded.

"But there is something I need to tell you two—Tian Huai came to see me a while ago and told me an anecdote..." "What is it? Brother, don't keep me in suspense."

Peng Guan urged.

“When Hong Fan left Shenjing in May, Guan Qimai had a deep talk with him and promised to take him as his first disciple and teach him the ‘Yi Mu Qing Lang Jing’.”

Kou Fei leaned back in his chair and said softly.

Upon hearing this, both Peng and Huo changed color.

"Is it improper for a disciple of the Martial Saint to come and cause trouble in the Northern Frontier?"

Peng Guan found it unbelievable.

"With a dignified headmaster as his backer, Emperor Xiao can ignore him. Is this kid out of his mind?"

He recalled the declining income of Rongtie Palace year after year, and felt deeply troubled.

Although Kou Fei did not mention the final outcome of the matter of taking on a disciple—considering that Hong Fan came to the northern frontier, it was most likely that it did not succeed—since Tian Huai personally went north to bring up the matter, it is clear that there is some tacit understanding between the old man and the young man.

"I never expected there to be such a connection between the two."

Huo Zhan's usually relaxed and calm face finally tightened slightly.

"I will inform Huo Wei and try to hurt him as little as possible at that time."

“I naturally trust Brother Huo’s judgment. Zhenbeiwei is in need of manpower right now, and it’s not a bad thing to have outstanding young talents guarding the border for you.”

Kou Fei continued to persuade him.

"The beacon towers are to the northern frontier what the northern frontier is to the Great Hua. Of course, it's not good for a young man to be too impetuous; he needs to be taught a lesson. But afterwards, the Left Guard should relax a bit. By taking a two-pronged approach, Hong Fan should be able to settle down for a while..."

Huo Zhan remained silent for a long time after hearing this, and finally nodded.

······
December 16th.

Hong Fan returned to Fengsui City from Xijing yesterday, during which time he received two letters.

One letter was a personal letter from Tian Huai of the Shenjing Martial Arts Academy, and the other was an invitation from the Central Guard General's Mansion; the former discussed the implementation of the Martial Arts Academy system in the Northern Frontier, while the latter notified them that the annual management meeting of the Zhenbei Guard would be held in Whiterun City on the 23rd.

Tian Huai burned his letter after reading it, and tossed Zhong Wei's invitation aside after glancing at it.

After lunch, Hong Beom went to the garrison headquarters.

Compared to two months ago, the streets and alleys outside the mansion were noticeably deserted, and the main hall where Guo Han was arrested had been restored to its original state—the broken floor tiles had been replaced, the scratched paint had been repaired, and the weapons on the table had been permanently removed.

People were already standing respectfully below the hall, waiting.

Upon seeing the arrival of the main figure and his team, local high-ranking officials such as Yong Yu and Song Mingjie stood at attention and bowed to greet them, while Rong Zhi appeared quite reserved.

Only Suo Chengzhou sat motionless in the round-backed chair at the upper right, like a clay puppet—only a little over a month had passed, yet his hair had turned slightly white, and he looked as if he had aged ten years.

Seeing this, everyone carefully observed Hong Fan's expression and breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that he was not angry.

"The reason I have invited you all to this meeting is to discuss the trade route between the two cities of Fengsui and Guangji."

Hong Fan took the seat of honor without hesitation and got straight to the point.

"This is Manager Shen of 'Yifengxing' in Liangzhou."

He extended his hand to introduce them.

This man was Shen Tiexin's cousin. He was originally a key member of the Tiannan gang, and it took her a lot of effort to get him to work for her.

"I am Shen Xichen of the Shen family of Xijing."

After stepping forward, Shen Xichen bowed slightly to the crowd, then ordered his two attendants to stand on either side and unfurl a scroll of blueprints.

"Liang and He prefectures are geographically adjacent and their products complement each other, making the Juehou Mountain trade route very promising..."

Behind this decisive and unambiguous attitude lies a condescending disdain—Hezhou's northern frontier has always been regarded as the border of the Great Hua, and is naturally not taken seriously by the scions of the first family in Xijing.

Despite their discomfort, Yong Yu and the others quickly immersed themselves in the blueprint drawn up by the other party.

(End of this chapter)