Isolated town in northern border region

After the battle at Bianzhou, Xiao Lie's reputation resounded throughout the Chu Kingdom once again, while the eldest prince, Xiao Yu, became a sinner for all time.

Xiao Yu was escorted back to the capital and paraded through the streets, where he was subjected to a barrage of attacks from the people, including rotten vegetable leaves and mud.

The once high and mighty imperial family has become the laughingstock of the entire capital.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, the second prince Xiao Zhang rose to prominence, frequently speaking out in the court and winning over many officials who had originally followed Xiao Yu.

He took the initiative to petition the Chu Emperor to establish a literary academy and gather renowned scholars from all over the country to compile history.

"Father, the Great Chu has been established for a hundred years, yet there is still no official history."

"Your subject wishes to share the burdens of Your Majesty, and will gather learned scholars to compile the 'History of the Great Chu State' to glorify Your Majesty's achievements and pass on the legacy of the Great Chu."

Emperor Xiao Mu of Chu nodded in satisfaction.

He knew what Xiao Zhang was planning.

To compile history is to establish legitimacy.

Whoever is the rightful heir has the right to sit on the dragon throne.

Xiao Zhang's move was not only to curry favor with him, but also to definitively state in history that Emperor Xiao Mu of Chu was the legitimate successor to the throne.

As for the late emperor's eldest son, Xiao Lie? In historical records, he will only be referred to as the "Prince of Ning".

"allow!"

The Chu Emperor was overjoyed.

"Go ahead and handle the affairs of the Literature Museum. I want an unprecedented history of the Great Chu Kingdom."

Xiao Zhang kowtowed.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

When the news reached the northern frontier, Xiao Lie was inspecting a steel plant in the Youzhou Industrial Park.

After reading the secret report, Bisu stomped her feet angrily.

"Your Highness, the Second Prince is digging up your very foundation! If history records you as..."

Xiao Lie waved his hand and smiled.

"History books?"

"Only the winners are qualified to write that stuff!"

"Let him write it now, so what if he writes it all? Once I'm in the capital, I'll burn it down and rebuild it from scratch."

Bisu was taken aback for a moment, then burst out laughing.

"Your Highness, this is the behavior of bandits."

Xiao Lie raised an eyebrow.

"So what if they're bandits? As long as they seize the whole world for themselves, even bandits can be emperors!"

The rapid development of the northern frontier made the imperial court and powerful families uneasy.

With dozens of young masters from prominent families as hostages, Xiao Lie made the various families hesitant to act openly, fearing the consequences.

But secretly, they started to get serious.

The first to take action were the grain merchants from Jiangnan.

Although the land in northern Xinjiang is fertile, the temperature is too low, so only one harvest can be made per year. In addition, the northern barbarians raided the area, resulting in a severe shortage of grain reserves.

Although Xiao Lie used the land reclamation order to attract refugees to reclaim wasteland, it would take at least two or three years for the newly reclaimed land to produce stable output.

A large portion of the food supplies for the military and civilians in northern Xinjiang had to be purchased from the south of the Yangtze River.

Behind the grain merchants of Jiangnan stood top aristocratic families such as the Cui, Lu, and Zheng families.

"Your Highness! Grain prices in Jiangnan have risen by a full 30%!"

Qian Wanli ran over, covered in sweat, his face ashen.

"Your Highness, the grain merchants in Jiangnan are colluding to raise prices, claiming that the floods in the south have led to a poor harvest this year."

"But I've inquired and found that the south has had favorable weather this year, with no floods whatsoever!"

"They did it on purpose!"

Xiao Lie clapped his hands slowly and deliberately.

"The price has risen by 30%, how long can it hold up?"

Qian Wanli gritted his teeth.

"Curry's money is enough to last him for another six months."

"But if they keep raising the price, or simply stop selling altogether, then we'll..."

"The food supply has dried up!"

Qian Wanli's face grew even more bitter.

Xiao Lie was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"No rush, let them rise."

"We don't only have Jiangnan as a place to buy grain."

Qian Wanli was taken aback.

"Your Highness, you mean... the grasslands?"

"The grasslands don't produce grain either."

Xiao Lie shook his head.

"But the grasslands have horses, cattle, and sheep!"

"Now that the grasslands are pacified, I plan to temporarily detour through the grasslands and exchange grain with the chieftains of the southwestern Shu Kingdom."

"Those chieftains have no shortage of food, but they lack warhorses, and they wield immense power in their localities, which the Shu Kingdom cannot control even if it wants to."

Qian Wanli's eyes lit up.

"Your Highness is wise!"

"Of course, those who dare to use underhanded tactics will not be spared by me!"

Xiao Lie paused.

"Send someone to Jiangnan to contact those middle and lower-level grain merchants."

"If the top families want to control my grain supply, they will definitely buy it at high prices. Their large businesses can withstand the pressure, but those small grain merchants can't afford to wait."

"If they're unhappy, we'll go and hand them a knife."

"Tell them that whoever sells grain to the northern frontier at the original price, I will allow them to participate in the trade."

Qian Wanli cupped his hands in greeting.

"I'll take care of it right away."

Even with his supply lines cut off, Xiao Lie could still manage.

But less than two days later, Qian Wanli came back with a bitter look on his face.

Canal transport!

The Grand Canal of the Great Chu was a major artery for north-south transportation.

Goods from northern Xinjiang need to be transported to the south, and grain from the south needs to be transported to northern Xinjiang; both rely on this canal.

The wharves, shipping, and customs along the canal were mostly controlled by powerful families.

"Your Highness, our caravan has been detained on the canal."

Qian Wanli's expression was even more unpleasant than last time.

"The canal transport authorities said our cargo ships were overloaded and needed to be inspected again. The inspection took ten days to half a month, and with the high humidity on the water, all the cargo rotted!"

Xiao Lie finally frowned.

"Whose goods were seized?"

"The Zhao family's furs, the Wang family's ironware, and some minor aristocratic families' grains and cloth."

Xiao Lie tapped his fingers on the table.

"They're only deducting from ours, not others'?"

"They'll only deduct from ours."

Xiao Lie remained silent for a long time.

He knew that the powerful families were pressuring him.

If waterways are blocked, goods cannot be transported out and cannot be exchanged for money, thus halting the development of northern Xinjiang.

But he had no other choice at the moment.

Sea route?

You can refer to the example of the Mongolian Navy Commander!

"By land."

Xiao Lie finally uttered three words.

Qian Wanli was taken aback.

"Your Highness, the losses from the land route are too great!"

"Traveling from northern Xinjiang to southern China by land involves traversing mountains and valleys, costing three times more than by water and taking twice as long!"

"Will our goods still be profitable once they reach the south?"

"Raising the price by 10% means we'll earn less."

Xiao Lie's voice was calm, but a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

"Bear with it for now, I'll think of something."

"If you dare to play dirty tricks on me, don't blame me for ruining your family!"

"Go and summon Zhou Xun."

Qian Wanli gritted his teeth.

"Yes, Your subordinate obeys."

Caravans from northern Xinjiang began to travel by land, with long lines of oxcarts and mule carts struggling to cross the Taihang Mountains, detouring through the Central Plains, and then heading south to the Jiangnan region.

Freight costs skyrocketed, profits plummeted, and Qian Wanli was losing clumps of hair every night from calculating the accounts. But Xiao Lie had no other choice but to hold on for now.

Meanwhile, the situation on the grasslands is also changing.

Even after the liberation of the five prefectures in northern Xinjiang, the northern grasslands remained a sword hanging over their heads.

Although Tug has temporarily behaved himself, he is not the only tribe on the grassland.

Snow Eagle Tribe, White Wolf Tribe, Blackwater Tribe... dozens of tribes, large and small, each with their own agendas.

Tug is young and could be overthrown at any time.

Once a more assertive Khan takes over the grasslands, the northern frontier will once again face war.

What Xiao Lie needed was a grassland that could provide him with warhorses, cattle, sheep, and soldiers.

A grassland that could become his backyard.

He decided to go to the grasslands himself.

"Your Highness, are you going to the grasslands?"

Bisu got anxious.

"What if Tug turns against us?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Tugh is a man who values ​​honor more than life itself; he dreams of killing me on the battlefield."

"But if I were to simply invite him to be a guest, he would not be able to draw his sword."

Three days later, Xiao Lie, along with Xiao Xiong and three hundred Canglang cavalry, entered the grasslands with minimal equipment.

Xiao Lie and Tuge met in the Khan's golden tent.

The atmosphere inside the tent was heavy. Tuge's guards gripped their sword hilts, staring intently at Xiao Lie.

Xiao Lie remained unfazed, casually sat down cross-legged, picked up the mare's milk wine in front of him, and drank it all in one gulp.

"Good wine! Tuge, your wine has a rich, creamy aroma and a unique flavor."

Tug's lips twitched.

"Xiao Lie, you've come to the grasslands alone. Aren't you afraid I'll detain you?"

Xiao Lie put down his wine glass and smiled.

"Does the Khan know he is no match for me and dare not challenge me to a duel on the battlefield?"

Xiao Lie remained calm and met Tu Ge's gaze with composure.

Tug's expression changed, and he finally sighed.

"Xiao Lie, what exactly do you want?"

Xiao Lie stood up and walked to Tuge.

"I would like to invite the Khan to visit the northern frontier."

"What are you looking at?"

"Watch how I forge steel, how I burn cement, and how I train troops for battle."

Tug's pupils suddenly contracted.

"Aren't you afraid that I'll see this and use it against you?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"If the Khan can learn it with just one glance, then I admit defeat."

Tug had no reason to refuse; even if he couldn't learn the art of mechanics, he still wanted to see it for himself.

He took a dozen or so personal guards and followed Xiao Lie to the northern frontier.

The first stop Xiao Lie took him to visit was the steel plant in Youzhou Industrial Park.

The firelight from the blast furnace was so bright that it was hard to open one's eyes, and molten iron flowed out from the bottom of the furnace like a luminous river.

The craftsmen used iron tongs to pick out a red-hot steel billet and placed it under the forging hammer.

The water-powered forging hammer crashed down, smashing the steel billet into sparks, and in a few moments it was transformed into the shape of a knife.

Tug was dumbfounded.

"This...so fast?"

Tuge leaned closer to take a look and reached out to touch it, but Xiao Lie grabbed him.

"The Khan doesn't want his hands anymore?"

Tug withdrew his hand and swallowed.

The second stop was a military camp.

There were no elite troops or wolf cavalry; they were just new recruits who had just completed their training.

Swordsmen and shieldmen were in front, spearmen in the middle, and archers and crossbowmen in the rear.

Their steps were synchronized, their armor gleamed, and their steel blades flashed. At a command, everyone raised their swords simultaneously, the blades gleaming in the sunlight, so bright they were blinding.

Tug's face turned pale.

"Is this a new recruit?"

"Xiao Lie, you didn't send a fierce soldier from the Trapped Camp to impersonate him, did you?"

Xiao Lie rolled his eyes and pointed to another training field.

"Oh, so this is the Trapped Camp you've been longing for."

Tug was completely speechless.

How can a mere recruit possess such imposing presence?

Moreover, at a glance, the soldiers of the Northern Frontier were all clad in fine armor and wielded sharp swords, clearly products of a steel mill!

Xiao Lie made no attempt to hide his smugness, and put his elbow directly on Tu Ge's shoulder.

"Khan, do you think your cavalry can defeat me?"

Tug fell silent. He didn't want to admit it, but he knew the answer.

We can't win.

They might even be crushed.

"Xiao Lie, how did you do that?"

Tug's voice was very low, so low that only Xiao Lie could hear it.

Xiao Lie turned around and looked at him.

"You're convinced? This isn't like you, Tug."

"If you're not satisfied, I can cooperate with you."

"How do we cooperate?"

"I will help you secure your position as Khan and suppress those unruly tribes on the grasslands."

"Provide me with warhorses, cattle, and sheep."

"I guarantee that as long as you remain the Khan of the Steppes, I will never resort to force."

Tug stared at Xiao Lie, his gaze complex.

"You're absolutely insane!"

"You don't believe I, the Khan, will submit to you like Xiao Xiong did, do you?"

Xiao Lie smiled.

"Of course you won't, but I don't care."

"If you really want to arm wrestle with me?"

"It's definitely worth a try!"

"But I assure you, once you've tried, you will never have a second chance."

He stretched out his hand.

Tug stared at the hand and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he also reached out his hand.

"Someone, prepare an incense table."

Tug was taken aback.

"Xiao Lie, you need to..."

"Sworn brotherhood."

Xiao Lie picked up three incense sticks from the incense table.

"Today, I, the King, and Tugh Khan are sworn brothers."

"As long as Tugh is Khan, I will never march into the northern barbarians!"

"May I be struck down by heaven and earth if I break this oath."

Tuge blankly accepted the incense, hesitated for a moment, and then slowly knelt down.

The two knelt on the grassland, facing the direction of the Eternal Heaven, and burned incense to swear an oath.

The wind was strong on the grassland, causing the incense to flicker unpredictably.

"From this day forward, you are my brother."

Xiao Lie stood up and patted Tuge on the shoulder.

"Brothers should share both good times and bad."

Tug's lips slowly curved into a smile.

This was the first time he had smiled in front of Xiao Lie.

"Very well! I trust you."