Isolated town in northern border region

After daybreak, Xiao Lie summoned Xiao Xiong, Chen Hu, and several advisors to his study.

Bisu brought him a bowl of hot porridge, which he finished in a few gulps. He wiped his mouth and spread out a map.

"You all saw what happened yesterday."

Xiao Lie's fingers traced across the fortresses along the northern border of Cangzhou.

"The people trust me, and I cannot let them down, but we cannot win a war with just passion."

Xiao Xiong nodded.

"What you say is absolutely right, young master."

"Although the northern barbarians have temporarily retreated, Timur will never let this go!"

"We must seize the time to train and prepare our troops, and stockpile supplies!"

"so……"

Xiao Lie raised his head and his gaze swept over everyone.

"What we need to do now can be summed up in one word—delay."

"drag?"

Chen Hu was taken aback.

"drag."

Xiao Lie repeated it.

"It would be best to wait until the autumn harvest, until the grass seeds in the fortress sprout, until the new recruits are trained into elite troops, and until the granaries of Cangzhou are full."

"In short, the longer this drags on, the greater our chances of winning!"

Xiao Xiong frowned.

"But young master, what if we provoke the Northern Barbarians and they send troops to attack us directly?"

Xiao Lie smiled, a smile that carried a hint of fox-like cunning.

"Peace talks? We'll just talk about it."

"They set conditions, and we set conditions too."

"If we can't reach an agreement today, we'll continue talking tomorrow; if we can't reach an agreement tomorrow, we'll continue talking the day after tomorrow."

"As for how to get the Northern Barbarians to calm down and talk slowly, that requires some skill."

"They make three conditions, and you can verbally agree to two of them, but then you'll nitpick the details of implementation and keep dragging it out."

"It's not too late to flip the table when things are really at their worst."

Xiao Xiong and Chen Hu exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with admiration.

"Young Master is wise."

"Don't flatter him."

Xiao Lie's smile faded, and his voice turned serious.

"Delay it or not, there's one thing that must be done immediately."

That afternoon, a notice was posted on the main street of Cangnan City.

The notice contained only a few lines of text.

"Zhao Mingyuan, the former governor of the northern frontier, colluded with the northern barbarians during his tenure, sold military secrets, and withheld grain and pay, which led to the fall of Cangzhou and the suffering of the people."

"Upon investigation, the crime has been confirmed and is unforgivable!"

"At noon, at the training ground of Cangnan City, beheaded in public."

The news was like a pebble thrown into a calm lake, and the ripples spread instantly throughout Cangzhou.

The people spread the news with great joy.

Xiao Lie originally intended to investigate Zhao Mingyuan's accounts, but he was delayed by the Northern Barbarians' attack on the city.

After the great battle, Xiao Lie ordered Chen Hu to lead men to seal off his mansion, intending to give him a warning. However, they found a total of 30,000 taels of silver, more than a dozen boxes of gold and silver jewelry, and a secret letter between him and the eldest prince in his cellar.

The letter clearly described how Zhao Mingyuan secretly withheld the border troops' rations and how he obstructed Xiao Lie under the instruction of the eldest prince.

The most outrageous thing is that this bastard actually sold the border defense map of the Great Chu to the Northern Barbarians!

Now, not even the gods and Buddhas in heaven can save him!

Cangnan City Training Ground.

"Zhao Mingyuan."

Xiao Lie spoke.

Zhao Mingyuan trembled and knelt down with a thud.

"Your Highness...Your Highness, spare me...Your Highness, spare me...This humble official...This humble official was acting under orders..."

"Were you instructed by someone?"

Xiao Lie stood up and looked down at him.

"You withheld the border troops' rations and pay, was that because you were instructed to do so? You sold military intelligence to the northern barbarians, was that because you were instructed to do so?"

"Come on, tell me, who ordered this?"

Zhao Mingyuan's face turned from white to green. In his haste, he blurted out something inappropriate, but he immediately understood what he had said.

If he had said that, the eldest prince would definitely not have let him go, and his whole family would have to be buried with him.

Even if we don't say anything, at least Xiao Lie can still ensure the continuation of the Zhao family line.

After a struggle between his conscience and his own mind, Zhao Mingyuan fell silent and collapsed to the ground like a lump of mud.

Xiao Lie took out the secret letter he had exchanged with the eldest prince from his pocket and held it high.

"I know that Zhao Mingyuan is not the only spy in Cangzhou City."

"I also know who the master behind these spies is."

His gaze swept over the merchants and gentry below the stage; some were trembling, some were secretly wiping away sweat, and some had their heads down, not daring to look at him.

"I will not pursue this matter today. But I will make this clear..."

His voice suddenly turned cold, like the north wind sweeping across the ice.

"From this day forward, within the territory of Cangzhou, anyone who dares to betray their country or collude with the enemy will suffer the same fate as Zhao Mingyuan."

He waved his hand.

"cut!"

The executioner raised his large, gleaming sword; a flash of cold light, and blood splattered everywhere.

Zhao Mingyuan's head rolled to the ground, his eyes still open, dying with his eyes wide open.

The crowd on the parade ground erupted in thunderous cheers.

"Long live the Prince! Long live the Prince!"

He did not make that secret letter public.

It's not that I dare not, it's that I cannot.

No matter how bad the eldest prince is, he is still a prince of the Great Chu.

If we break off relations now, we'll only give the northern barbarians an opportunity to take advantage of us.

But if you hold this letter in your hand, you'll need it someday.

"Starting today, complaint boxes will be set up in all villages throughout Cangzhou."

Xiao Lie's voice rang out again.

"If any citizen discovers any suspicious person or suspicious matter, they may report it to the prefectural government. Once verified, a reward of ten taels of silver will be given."

Another murmur arose from the audience.

"Is Your Highness trying to turn Cangzhou into an impregnable fortress?"

"Great! Those spies won't dare to harm us anymore!"

Zhao Mingyuan's head was still hanging on the city wall as a warning, while Xiao Lie had already returned to the government office.

He changed his clothes and sent someone to invite Qian Wanli.

Qian Wanli arrived quickly, bowing respectfully as soon as he entered, his face bearing the typical smile of a businessman.

"Your Highness has summoned this humble subject. What are your orders?"

Xiao Lie skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point.

"Manager Qian, during the Battle of Cangwu City, you provided countless grains, saving the lives of all the people in the city. I will always remember this merit."

Qian Wanli quickly waved his hand.

"Your Highness is too kind."

"This humble subject was merely doing his duty. Your Highness risked your life to defend the city against the enemy; what is a little food from a humble subject like this?"

"It's my duty?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Manager Qian, you are a merchant. A merchant's duty is to make money, not to donate grain."

"I am grateful for your kindness in standing up for me during my most difficult time."

He picked up a document from the table and pushed it in front of Qian Wanli.

"Take a look at this."

Qian Wanli took the document, opened it, and his hand trembled violently.

That was an appointment letter.

The president of the Cangzhou Chamber of Commerce is a seventh-rank official!

Although it's a minor official position, it's still an official position!

A merchant entering officialdom is unprecedented in history!

For two hundred years since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty, merchants have always held the lowest social status. Even those with immense wealth had to kowtow to a seventh-rank county magistrate. Now, Xiao Lie is going to grant him an official position!

"Your Highness..."

Qian Wanli's voice was trembling.

"This humble subject...this humble subject has no merit or ability whatsoever..."

"You have."

Xiao Lie interrupted him.

"You are virtuous, capable, courageous, and insightful."

"More importantly, you have a heart that is willing to do your best for the people of Cangzhou."

He stood up and walked up to Qian Wanli.

"Manager Qian, what I want is not just a chamber of commerce president."

"From today onwards, the Cangzhou Chamber of Commerce will be an official chamber of commerce, responsible for coordinating all commercial affairs within Cangzhou."

"You, Qian Wanli, are my eyes and ears."

"I want to know which businesses are hoarding goods, which businesses are evading taxes, and which businesses are secretly colluding with the Northern Barbarians."

Qian Wanli's eyes reddened. He knelt down with a thud and kowtowed three times.

"Your Highness... my life belongs to you from this day forward."

"You tell me to go east, but I will never go west!"

Xiao Lie bent down and helped him up.

"Get up! Stop kowtowing all the time."

"Your caravans are spread across the five northern prefectures. Gathering some information shouldn't be difficult for you."

Qian Wanli stood up and wiped away his tears.

"Your Highness, rest assured, this humble subject... will certainly live up to your expectations!"

The news spread very quickly.

The next day, all the major businesses in Cangnan City received the notification.

On the third day, the Cangzhou Chamber of Commerce was officially established, with Qian Wanli appointed as its president, holding the rank of seventh grade. All businesses operating in Cangzhou were required to join the Chamber, obey its management, and pay their commercial taxes on time.

Those who violate business regulations will be fined for minor offenses, or expelled from Cangzhou and have their property confiscated for serious offenses.

The caravans from the capital all had ashen faces.

"A merchant entering officialdom? This... isn't this outrageous?"

"Xiao Lie is trying to take control of all the commerce in Cangzhou!"

"Hmph, he's dreaming. Doesn't Xiao Lie know who's behind us? If he dares to lay a finger on us, the people in the capital will make sure he doesn't get away with it!"

Despite this, Zhao Mingyuan's head was still hanging on the city wall, and no one dared to be the first to speak out.

The manager of Yongchang went to register with the Chamber of Commerce obediently.

The crew of the Guangyuan also obediently paid their taxes;

Those fur traders wanted to cause trouble, but after Xiao Xiong and his men blocked their door for half a day, they immediately quieted down.

That night, the manager of Yongchang closed the door, wrote a secret letter, tied it to the leg of a carrier pigeon, and released it southward.

The pigeon had just flown out of Cangnan City when it was shot down by an arrow.

Xiao Xiong emerged from the shadows, picked up the pigeon, opened the secret letter, glanced at it, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

He tucked the letter into his pocket, turned, and disappeared into the night.

Meanwhile, the envoy from the northern barbarians had already returned to the grasslands.

Timur sat in his large tent, listening to the messenger report on the journey to Cangzhou.

"Your Majesty, Xiao Lie actually led a bunch of peasants to negotiate peace!"

"Those peasants were easily swayed into acting like madmen by just a few words from him!"

"And that Zhao Mingyuan, Xiao Lie chopped off his head in front of everyone..."

Timur remained silent for a long time, tapping his fingers on the armrest of the wolfskin chair.

"You may leave."

After the envoy left, only Timur remained in the tent.

He stood up, walked to the tent entrance, and muttered to himself.

"Xiao Lie... just what are you?"