A lowly soldier becomes king, I slaughter my way through the late Tang Dynasty!

Salt is a strategic resource.

People will die if they don't eat salt.

Therefore, capable dynasties throughout history have always kept the power of salt production and trade in their own hands.

This is what is known as government-controlled salt.

Selling salt without imperial permission or official salt permits, like Li Rui, is a capital offense.

Of course, the Great Jin Dynasty had no control over it.

And the places that are most lacking in salt.

They were precisely the Khitans of the grasslands!

In addition to humans needing salt, a large number of livestock also need to consume salt!

Grassland countries consume a huge amount of salt, yet their salt production is pitifully low!

In the past, a large portion of the sea salt from Cangzhou was sold to the Khitan.

But that's still not enough.

Therefore, Li Rui proposed to trade salt with the Khitan.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Pu was suddenly startled!

First of all, the Jin Dynasty and the Khitan were currently hostile to each other, and selling salt was tantamount to aiding the enemy.

Secondly, even if they wanted to smuggle, they wouldn't have the means!

He looked up at Li Rui, his eyes filled with doubt.

Zhao Pu believed that even if he didn't ask, Li Rui would definitely have thought of these two questions.

really.

Li Rui sat down and began his analysis.

"Selling salt to the Khitans would be suspected of aiding the enemy, but if we don't sell it, others will."

We're not going to expand into new markets; we're going to steal business from other smugglers.

Zhao Pu suddenly realized what was happening, and his mind cleared up.

"That makes sense. Rather than letting those salt smugglers spend the money they make from the Khitans on riches and pleasures."

"It would be better to seize this business and let our lord earn the money, which can then be used to strengthen the army and protect the people."

As he spoke, Zhao Pu added.

"What should we do then? We don't have any connections in the Khitan region..."

He hadn't finished speaking.

Zhao Pu suddenly thought of someone!

"Yuan Jia! Hiss! Has our lord already begun planning this?"

Yuan Jia, Prefect of Weizhou.

When Li Rui attacked Weizhou to train his troops, he spared this man's life and won him over.

Zhao Pu didn't take it seriously at the time.

I don't think a Han Chinese governor in enemy territory would be of much use.

But at this moment.

Zhao Pu finally understood!

Why didn't Li Rui choose the neighboring Mozhou, Zhuozhou, or Yingzhou for his military training?

They just had to choose Weizhou, which is located opposite the Taihang Mountains!

Using Weizhou as a transit point for smuggled sea salt is absolutely perfect!

After the Khitans took control of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, they placed both their administrative and military centers in Youzhou in the northeast.

That is, the later Beijing.

Mozhou, Zhuozhou, and Yingzhou were all located below Youzhou and belonged to the core radiation zone of the Khitan.

If smuggling were carried out there, it would inevitably be discovered by the Khitan leadership.

Moreover, to enter the grasslands, one must pass through the territory of Youzhou.

Too dangerous!

But Weizhou is different!

It is separated from the Hebei Plain by the vast Taihang Mountains.

Because the Khitans had many cavalry, they were unable to cross the Taihang Mountains and could not send troops out of Hebei.

Therefore, Weizhou was never within the scope of attention of the Khitan leadership.

Smuggling here won't attract anyone's attention.

Moreover, north of Weizhou, there is direct access to the heartland of the Khitan, allowing salt to be sold directly to Khitan herders.

To the west of Weizhou, a route to the Western Regions could be opened, allowing salt to be sold to countries such as Khotan and Kucha in the Western Regions.

This is simply the perfect transit point!

The only obstacle was the local Weizhou army.

But the problem is.

Li Rui had already dispatched troops, using the pretext of training them, to completely annihilate the Weizhou army!

They even managed to subdue Yuan Jia, the highest-ranking administrative official in Weizhou!

In this way...

The smuggling of sea salt proceeded without any hindrance!

Zhao Pu's mind went blank for a moment, and he instantly understood the whole story.

When Zhao Pu looked up at Li Rui again, he couldn't say a word.

This one strategic move alone is enough for him to ponder and study deeply for many years!

Li Rui saw Zhao Pu's eyes widen in realization, his face filled with admiration.

He knew that Zhao Pu had already figured out his plan.

"How is it? Is it feasible?"

Zhao Pu was startled and hurriedly said.

"It's feasible! Of course it's feasible! Our lord is truly farsighted, thinking ten steps ahead for every one you take! It's truly astounding!"

Li Rui waved his hand and said.

The question is, who should we send?

Zhao Pu's admiration and shock subsided slightly, and he began to ponder the question.

Sudden.

He turned his head to look at the doorway, lost in thought.

Seeing this, Li Rui laughed.

"You guessed right. I plan to send Zhang Yaozu to the Western Regions to open up trade routes."

Zhao Pu nodded.

"I think it's feasible. Commander Zhang is a confidant of the lord, and he has been following the lady for several months, so he is somewhat familiar with the Western Regions."

But who should be sent to deal with the Khitan? It seems there's no suitable candidate.

Upon hearing this, Li Rui also felt quite helpless.

Logically speaking

He himself is the most suitable candidate!

Fluent in Khitan and adept at adapting to changing circumstances, Li Rui was confident he could handle the job well.

Unfortunately, Langshanwu was under construction at a rapid pace, and he couldn't leave at all.

After much thought, I still couldn't find a suitable person.

Zhao Pu also fell into deep thought.

The two sat there for a long time, but still couldn't choose a candidate.

Li Rui sighed.

"There's still a lack of talent."

Zhao Pu gave a wry smile and was about to speak.

Suddenly, he remembered someone.

"Wait, my lord, do you remember when you won the great victory at Yangcheng, you captured a Khitan man alive?"

Li Rui was stunned, and memories flooded back.

indeed.

At that time, the Khitan suffered a great defeat, and in order to increase his kill count, he single-handedly intercepted the defeated Khitan army.

One person surrounded more than a hundred people on the other side!

Finally, the Khitans were driven to their knees and surrendered.

They even captured the future prime minister of the Khitan!

Yelü Antuan.

If I remember correctly, that young Khitan man was a prisoner of war, right?

"You mean, you want Yelü Antuan to help us smuggle sea salt?"

Zhao Pu nodded.

"It's worth a try. After Yelü Antuan was captured alive by our lord, he has been kept as a spoil of war and has been raising horses for our lord."

If given a chance to return to the grasslands, he probably wouldn't refuse.

To make a future high-ranking official of the Liao Dynasty, a prime minister, become a smuggler for him?

That would be a waste of talent.

However, it's still better than keeping them in Boling County to raise horses for myself.

"I'm afraid that once he returns to the grasslands, he won't be willing to help us sell salt."

Li Rui's concerns are not unfounded.

Zhao Pu smiled confidently and cupped his hands in greeting.

"Please rest assured, my lord, leave this matter to me. I will definitely persuade Yelü Antuan to serve your great cause!"

……

Having a top-notch civil official is great; Li Rui doesn't need to do many things personally.

When I have free time.

Li Rui first went to the new village where the people of Langzhai had settled down, showed his face, and personally distributed some grain and clothing to the people.

After winning the love and cheers of the villagers.

Li Rui then went to Langshan to supervise the construction.

After all, he was the only one who understood city defense construction, and if there were any mistakes in the construction, only he could see them.

After a long day of work, Li Rui slept in the military camp.

The night was filled with howling winds and heavy snow.

Without a brazier in the camp, it's too cold to sleep.

When Li Rui inspected the military camp, he found that the soldiers had frostbite on their joints to varying degrees.

Many people also caught a cold and became seriously ill.

"Ah, if only we had cotton."

Nowadays, most winter clothing is made by sewing chicken feathers, goose feathers, duck feathers, etc., into the fabric.

However, the gaps between these feathers are large, allowing air to escape everywhere.

If we had cotton, we could make cotton-padded clothes, which would solve the problem of keeping warm.

Thinking of this.

Li Rui suddenly felt a strong urge to go home and took Li Zhiyan into his room.

Let's see if the system will reward us with cotton seeds.

That's what I was thinking.

Chen Xiaoniu quickly stepped forward to report.

"General, we've captured a group of Khitans. The leader says they were sent by the Khitan emperor and have something to discuss with you."

Li Rui paused, his brows furrowing slightly.

Yelü Deguang sent someone.

Need to discuss something?

Chen Xiaoniu continued.

"They also brought a lot of gold and silver, as well as a beautiful woman, uh... she was indeed beautiful."

According to the Khitan envoy, the woman's name was Su Meiwan, the daughter of the former governor of Youzhou, and she was a gift from the Khitan emperor to the general.