Cut off my army's food supplies? I'll open a portal between the two worlds and max out my

"What is this?"

The merchant looked at what Black Stone had taken out and asked with a puzzled expression.

This thing in front of me isn't big, but the packaging is exquisite. Even though I'm very knowledgeable, I can't recognize what kind of material it is. And why does it make a rustling sound when I touch it?

Black Stone looked up and said, "This is for nobles! Instant noodles!"

"Nobility? Nobility from which region?"

People around gathered around when they saw this.

Black Stone's eyes darted around as he said, "This is food for nobles of the Western Regions Kingdom! Look at this exquisite painting! Is it something ordinary people can eat?"

The packaging was not only exquisite but also very appetizing, which made the crowd around them think that Black Stone made a lot of sense.

These merchants traveled all over the country, often serving wealthy families, so they naturally knew the habits of the nobility.

"What is the price of this item?"

"It was a manager from the chamber of commerce who spoke up."

With a smile on his face, Black Stone said, "Please don't be in a hurry, everyone. We'll talk about the price later. Let me show you something first."

After saying that, Heishi borrowed a pot of boiling water from a nearby shop, and then, in front of everyone, he broke open the instant noodles and poured them into the jar he had brought.

When I finished brewing and covered the container, someone next to me asked, "What did you add to it? It wasn't poison, was it?"

Black Stone rolled his eyes at him: "Then you don't have to try it later, I'll start by eating it, okay?"

"Ha, I, Manager He, have traveled all over the country and seen all sorts of things. Why would I covet what a country bumpkin like you brings?"

Black Stone didn't argue with him, but waited for the time it takes to drink a few cups of tea.

Finally, the aroma of instant noodles filled the air.

"Gurgle."

Someone couldn't help but swallow hard.

"It smells so good!"

"The roast beef tastes... but why is it more fragrant than any roast beef I've ever had?"

The aroma of the flavoring instantly captivated the taste buds of everyone present. Even the once-arrogant Manager He whispered to Black Stone, "Let me try it! This is the first time I've ever smelled such delicious food!"

Black Stone wasn't annoyed. He chuckled and first used a small bowl to divide out a portion for himself and ate it. Then he gave a small portion to everyone present.

While this way everyone gets to taste the flavor, the downside is that no one gets enough.

"How about it, everyone? I wasn't lying to you! This kind of food is something only true nobles can afford in the Western Regions."

Black Stone simply attributed the instant noodles to the nobles of the Western Regions.

Although when he sold instant noodles to the royal family of the Western Regions, he gave the excuse that they were from the noble family of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

With the help of instant noodles, Blackstone quickly integrated into the local market environment and became a frequent guest of many chambers of commerce.

Blackstone wasn't in a hurry to do business. Apart from bringing instant noodles as gifts when visiting, he spent his days chatting about this and that. He listened especially attentively when the merchants talked about matters of the court.

Blackstone's horizons have now been completely broadened. He no longer cares about the petty gains in front of him, but instead inquires more about information related to the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The more intelligence you bring back, the greater its value will be in the future.

And so, Black Stone disguised himself as a merchant caravan and lived off others for half a month before loading some goods and returning to Yumen Pass.

When they returned, the number of soldiers on duty at Yumen Pass had increased significantly, and the inspections were much stricter.

This struck Blackstone as odd. He stepped forward and showed the guard a warrant, which was related to the Grand Chamber of Commerce. The guard recognized the warrant and, seeing that Blackstone was not carrying any controlled goods, let him pass.

But Blackstone took the initiative to come over and stuffed a bunch of loose silver into the soldier's hands.

"Sir, what has been happening lately?"

The soldiers in front of them hadn't expected that Black Stone, a big, burly man, would be so capable.

Since Blackstone himself was involved, he didn't hide anything: "It's not a big deal. There have been more refugees outside the pass recently, and there are orders from above to prohibit refugees from entering the pass... Your caravan should be careful. If you see a lot of refugees, don't go near them."

The soldier even kindly offered a reminder.

"Thank you, sir."

After expressing his gratitude, Heishi led his caravan through Yumen Pass.

When passing through the Yanshan area, there were indeed many refugees on the road.

Furthermore, Blackstone also noticed a peculiar phenomenon.

The refugees originally wanted to flee to the Yumen area, but the Great Zhou government set up checkpoints at the entrance to Yumen to prevent them from entering.

If they wanted to bypass Yumen Pass, they would have to climb the mountain... but where would the refugees find the strength to climb the mountain?

These are clearly all people from the Great Zhou Dynasty, aren't they?

Black Stone muttered something to himself, then, instead of getting involved, he cautiously headed towards the Gobi Desert.

Originally, the main group of refugees was heading towards Yumen, but the appearance of the Black Stone convoy caused some people to follow behind and head towards the Gobi Desert.

Watching the people heading west, some refugees who still had food couldn't help but sigh, "There's still a way to survive if we go east; maybe the imperial court will provide disaster relief. The Gobi Desert to the west is all sand; crops simply can't grow there. If we get there, we can only wait to die."

In the eyes of the Zhou people, the herdsmen were also barbaric and ignorant, no different from the barbarian tribes that ravaged the surrounding areas.

Blackstone's return went smoothly.

Nowadays, apart from two groups of idle herders, there are no other forces in the area near the Gobi Desert.

Having expanded their strength and fearing the Anxi army, these two groups of herders simply went north to the grasslands to develop their territory.

It can be said that now only the Anxi Army dominates the Gobi Desert.

However, the surrounding area is considered barren by other forces, and even if the Anxi Army is the only dominant force, no one will be envious.

Hei Shi quickly met up with the scouts patrolling the Anxi army, then handed the convoy over to the scouts and rode ahead on horseback to Anxi town to report on his work.

"General, Blackstone is back."

After hearing Jiang Tian's report, Li Wen stopped his boxing practice.

He learned this boxing style from Jiang Tian.

Jiang Tian's martial arts skills were exceptionally high. The training methods he taught Li Wen became increasingly proficient in them, and he felt his mental strength even grow stronger.

"Take him to my office and wait for me."

After washing his face and getting dressed, Li Wen went to his office in Anxi Town.

"General!"

Hei Shi was very excited to see Li Wenwen.

Seeing that Black Stone looked travel-worn, Li Wen stepped forward to help him up, saying, "Chief Black Stone, you must be tired."

Blackstone quickly replied, "General, you can just call me by my name! It's no trouble at all!"

The implication is that he can do more things.

Li Wen smiled and pointed to the chair, saying, "Sit down first."

After Heishi sat down, Li Wen also came to his seat, first poured himself a glass of water, and then poured another glass of water and pushed it in front of Heishi.

Blackstone was filled with trepidation.

"Did the letter go smoothly?"

"Uh-huh!"

Blackstone nodded quickly, and then recounted the process of sending the letter and which post station he used.

Thank you.

Li Wen expressed his heartfelt gratitude.

Now the fate of the Anxi Army has been changed by themselves. Although the soldiers' living conditions have improved, they inevitably miss their families.

Li Wen wanted the Anxi soldiers to contact their families first, as a way of testing the waters.

If there are no problems, it will not be an issue for members of the Anxi Army to provide financial assistance to their families or even bring their families over.

Blackstone is also a crucial part of this.

The relationship with Yumen Pass must be established, and the Anxi Army cannot be openly involved.

Li Wen didn't say these words, but Black Stone himself actually sensed something.

He had a feeling that Li Wen was grooming him.

So, as soon as he sat down and finished drinking water, Black Stone began to recount everything he had encountered, seen, and experienced, as if pouring out beans.

This conversation lasted a full hour.

Li Wen mainly listened, occasionally asking a couple of questions.

"I also brought some official gazettes."

Blackstone did not forget to showcase its other achievements.

Li Wen's smile widened as he took the document and read it carefully.

Then close your eyes and start thinking.

The first thing that Li Wen couldn't understand was the most outrageous move made by the Great Zhou Dynasty: to voluntarily withdraw from the Yanshan area.

The Yanshan area has an absolute advantage in terms of depth. In Li Wen's view, this is a strategic location that military strategists must contend for. Occupying this area allows for both offensive and defensive maneuvers.

Now, the Great Zhou has given up on this place, and according to the intelligence brought by Black Stone, the Great Zhou has even abandoned the people living in Yanshan... retreating directly to the back of Yumen Pass to become turtles.

If it were the previous Li Wen, he might not have understood why the imperial court would do this.

But now Li Wen understands very well.

Internal strife.

The concession made by the Great Zhou was entirely the result of infighting between military and civil officials. Neither side wanted the other to benefit, so they simply came up with this absurd decision.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is currently in a very strange state.

Even though most of the external crises were resolved, the remaining tribes retreated on their own.

As a result of the uneven distribution of benefits, the military officers and civil officials stubbornly refused to give in to each other.

Both sides want the MVP award; if I don't get it, then I won't settle it.

This is probably the outcome of the court proceedings as reconstructed by Li Wen.

"Ugh."

Li Wen sighed.

With the officials in the imperial court causing such trouble, only the common people of the Great Zhou and the soldiers at the bottom of the ranks suffer.

Especially the most prominent words in the official gazette.

Increase taxes.

Out of concern for the soldiers on the frontier, the young emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty had no choice but to make a decision that went against the wishes of his ancestors: to increase taxes.

Despite the Empress Dowager's strong opposition, the Emperor of Great Zhou successfully implemented the policy with the cooperation of his ministers.

From this, Li Wen could see that the Great Zhou court was not just a simple case of military generals and civil officials fighting each other, but also involved the empress dowager who ruled from behind the curtain.

I heard that Her Majesty the Empress Dowager is only twenty-eight this year... I wonder how she has the skill to outwit so many old foxes.

After processing all the information, Li Wen wasn't in a hurry. Instead, he said to Heishi, "Heishi, you've had a long journey. Take a good rest these next few days."

The words above chilled Blackstone to the bone.

Fortunately, Li Wen added a sentence later:

"Let's go eat first."