A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

In the latter half of the first lunar month, before the festive atmosphere of the New Year had even faded in the capital, a letter from the Western Qiang arrived on Tuoba Yue's desk.

The letter was rolled in tanned sheepskin, carrying the unique scent of the Western Qiang people, a mixture of wind, sand, and the smells of cattle and sheep.

Tuoba Yue unfolded the letter and looked at the somewhat awkward Central Plains characters written by the new King of Xiqiang. The smile on his face slowly faded.

The letter contained no complicated information.

After the start of spring, the volume of trade between Xinwu and Xiqiang increased significantly, especially in salt, tea, and silk, which were almost sold out as soon as they were produced.

The cattle, sheep, horses, and furs of the Western Qiang were also continuously transported into the Central Plains.

The new king was pleased and requested that three more trading posts be opened on the existing basis.

But that's only the first half. The second half of the letter is the key.

The new king requested that the Xinwu court send a group of craftsmen, mainly blacksmiths and weavers, to the capital of the Western Qiang to teach the Western Qiang people blacksmithing and weaving techniques.

Tuoba Yue read the letter three times, scrutinizing every single word. She knew very well what this request meant.

She took the letter and went to the Imperial Study.

Wei Zhao was looking at a military defense map from the northern border. Since Liu Jingshuang was not in the capital, the defense of the northern border fell on his shoulders.

When he saw Tuoba Yue enter, his face was somewhat solemn, so he put down the blueprints in his hand.

"A letter from the Western Qiang." Tuoba Yue placed the sheepskin scroll and a Chinese version that she had translated and annotated herself on the imperial desk.

Wei Zhao first picked up the Chinese version and read it through, then picked up the exotic parchment scroll and carefully examined the crooked handwriting on it.

"He learns quickly." Wei Zhao put down the letter, his tone revealing neither joy nor anger.

"The people of the Western Qiang are quick learners."

Tuoba Yue stood before the table and added in a low voice, as if stating a fact, or perhaps reminding someone:

"Especially blacksmithing. As long as they have a good master to teach them, and give them two or three years, they can forge decent swords and farm tools on their own. Then, they won't have to spend a lot of money to transport ironware from the Central Plains anymore."

She made her point clear, without hiding anything.

She was a concubine of Emperor Wei Zhao, but she was also a princess of the Western Qiang.

This matter has both advantages and disadvantages for Xinwu, and she cannot only say good things.

The imperial study fell silent.

Wei Zhao did not speak immediately. He stood up, walked to the huge map, and looked down at the vast land of the Western Qiang.

Opening up more border markets is a good thing. It can make the border between the two countries more stable and bring huge commercial benefits to Singapore.

But teaching them core technologies would be tantamount to raising a tiger. The Qiang people are known for their fierce nature; once they can mass-produce weapons on their own, who can guarantee they won't have ulterior motives?

Tuoba Yue waited quietly, without urging him.

She knew what Wei Zhao was thinking; such matters of national importance were not something she could interfere with.

All she had to do was present him with the most truthful facts.

After a long while, Wei Zhao turned around, looked into her somewhat apprehensive eyes, and slowly spoke.

"Craftsmen can be dispatched."

Tuoba Yue felt a sense of relief.

"but,"

Wei Zhao changed the subject, his voice not loud, but carrying an undeniable determination: "We must keep the core technologies a secret. For example, the forging method of hundred-refined steel, the mechanism of the repeating crossbow—these cannot be taught."

He paused, then added, "Send more weavers, and two of the best blacksmiths. Tell them they're not going there to be treated like royalty, but as guests. They can put on airs, but they need to do their work well."

Tuoba Yue immediately understood Wei Zhao's meaning.

They used practical skills, such as weaving, to gain the favor of the Western Qiang people and establish deep connections in the market.

Meanwhile, core military technologies are firmly in our own hands. We'll give you the fish and the fishing rod, but the best fishing rod will always be with me.

"I understand."

Tuoba Yue nodded vigorously, finally feeling relieved.

Wei Zhao's decision saved face for the Western Qiang while preserving the core of Xinwu's territory; it was the best outcome she could have imagined.

She left the imperial study and returned to her own courtyard, where she wrote two replies that very evening.

One letter was an official reply to the King of Western Qiang, well-written and agreeing to his request, and explaining the arrangements for the court to send craftsmen.

The other letter was a private letter she wrote to her cousin, who was serving as a general in the Western Qiang royal court.

In the letter, she carefully instructed in the Western Qiang language: "The craftsmen from the Central Plains are temperamental and highly skilled. Your Majesty should entertain them well, but you cannot listen to them completely. When they tell you how to build a furnace, find a place for them to try it out first. Don't rush to dismantle all your own furnaces. The methods that work in the Central Plains may not be effective in our Western Qiang. Observe more, ask more, and try more. You cannot rush to learn skills. If the foundation is not solid, no matter how tall the building is, it will collapse with a gust of wind."

In early February, before the cold snap had even subsided, the first batch of craftsmen sent to Western Qiang had already assembled in the capital.

There were twenty people in total: eighteen weavers and two blacksmiths. They were all experienced craftsmen carefully selected by Su Qingyun from merchants in Jiangnan. They were skilled and quick-witted.

On the day of their departure, Tuoba Yue personally escorted them to the city gate.

She didn't say much official stuff, but pulled the blacksmith who was leading the group, surnamed Wang, aside, handed him a heavy money bag, and then lowered her voice to say only one sentence.

"Master Wang, once we arrive in Xiqiang, don't rush to start teaching the craft."

The old blacksmith paused for a moment, looking at her with a puzzled expression.

Looking at the distant, rolling western mountains, Tuoba Yue slowly said, "Spend half a month doing nothing but following their people around, seeing their mountains, drinking their wine, and listening to their shepherds sing. Learn what their blacksmith shops are like and how they build their furnaces. Don't rush to teach; just learn first."

Wang the blacksmith was a clever man. He had been forging iron by the furnace for thirty years and had seen all kinds of people.

After hearing this, he pondered for a moment, and a look of understanding flashed in his cloudy eyes.

He weighed the money pouch in his hand and nodded heavily to Tuoba Yue.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I understand."

Tuoba Yue watched as the small group merged into the westward-bound caravan and slowly disappeared at the end of the official road.

She stood on the city wall, the cold wind blowing the hem of her clothes, and she stood there for a long time.

She knew in her heart that what she was sending out was not just a group of craftsmen, but also a seed.

Whether this seed can take root and sprout in the land of Xiqiang and grow into what she hopes for is anyone's guess.

In late February, the first reply from the Western Qiang was sent back to the capital by express courier.

The letter was written by Wang the blacksmith himself; the handwriting was ugly, but the message was very clear.

When they arrived at the capital of the Western Qiang Kingdom, they received extremely high honors.

Following Tuoba Yue's instructions, they did not start work immediately, but instead spent more than ten days to tour the major tribes surrounding the capital.

They discovered that the Western Qiang people's iron smelting method was very ancient, the furnace temperature could not be raised, and there were many impurities in the molten iron, resulting in ironware that was both brittle and heavy.

However, the Western Qiang people have their own unique skills. They mix a special kind of black mountain stone with iron ore and burn it together, which makes the resulting blades more wear-resistant.

At the end of his letter, Wang the blacksmith wrote: "...We believe that although the forging method of the Western Qiang is crude, it has its merits. We have now reached an agreement with the craftsmen there to build a new furnace, using the bellows of the blast furnace in the Central Plains, combined with the black stone formula of the Western Qiang, and will try it out together. Whether it succeeds or not depends on the will of Heaven."

When Tuoba Yue forwarded the letter to Wei Zhao, she felt a sense of pride.

Wei Zhao was looking at the ship plans that Shang Wanqing had just sent under the lamp when he heard this. He looked up, took the letter, and read it through.

"This blacksmith Wang is a thoughtful person."

After reading the letter, he put it aside and asked Tuoba Yue, "How many years do you think it would take to teach him using this method?"

Three years.

Tuoba Yue answered without hesitation, her eyes full of confidence: "They're not stupid, they just haven't been taught. Three years is enough time for them to learn how to make usable swords and farm tools."

"Then three years it will be." Wei Zhao nodded, his gaze returning to the huge map.

His fingers lightly traced the map of Western Qiang, then crossed the yellow sand desert and stopped on a more distant, unknown land that no Central Plains dynasty had ever set foot on.

Three years is enough.