Brocade Robe Unparalleled

Chapter 11 Saving the country through curves
"What, go to Black Stone Village to mediate?"

"Boss, you absolutely can't go!"

"Our Jingbian Division has absolutely no way to deal with those local tyrants!"

"The two banner officials who were sent to mediate last time, one had his arm twisted off and the other had his leg broken. They're still paralyzed at home!"

Jingbian Division.

Inside a duty room somewhere.

Several of Lin Xuan's Jingbian guards surrounded him, desperately trying to dissuade him.

In the corner, a gaunt old man with a wrinkled face took a puff of his pipe and said to Lin Xuan, "Lin Xiaoqi, what they said makes sense. You absolutely must not go to Black Stone Village. I've been in the Jingbian Division for decades and have watched these two villages fight for decades. This time, Commander Wu is clearly trying to push you into a fire pit..."

Lin Xuan knew, of course, that this was a trap set by Wu Baihu.

But he had to jump.

Based on his understanding of Commander Wu, if he had refused on the spot, Commander Wu could easily have dismissed him from his post for "disobeying orders."

Taking on the task, however, offered a glimmer of hope.

Lin Xuan has no plans to leave Jingbian Division at the moment.

Once he leaves the Jingbian Division, his value to Nanzhao will decrease significantly, and it's uncertain how they will treat him.

More importantly, only here can he obtain the follow-up techniques of the Zhenyue Gong.

Zhenyue Gong is a top-tier martial art provided by the imperial court, and it is difficult to find other martial arts to replace it.

Moreover, he has already reached the second level. If he were to give up now and switch to other cultivation methods, not only would his previous cultivation be wasted, but there is also the possibility of conflicts between different cultivation methods.

From any perspective, he had reasons why he couldn't leave the Jingbian Division.

Lin Xuan glanced at everyone, his voice calm, and asked, "Who among you is willing to come with me?"

After he finished speaking, the duty room fell silent.

The crowd, who had been so excited just moments before, now seemed to have their necks grabbed, lowering their heads and avoiding eye contact with Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan's gaze swept over the averted faces, but he felt little emotion. It is human nature to seek advantage and avoid harm, especially for such a dangerous task.

For a minor officer whose future in the Jingbian Division is uncertain, risking one's life and offending a centurion—anyone would know which choice to make.

He didn't make things difficult for them, waved his hand, and said, "Never mind, I'll go by myself."

Lin Xuan did not rush to set off. He believed that preparation was key to success, and since he had accepted the task, he was determined to make thorough preparations.

Wu Baihu gave him three days, not in a hurry.

Lin Xuan first retrieved the case files of Heishizhai and Baishizhai from the Jingbian Division's archives.

As the intelligence and stability maintenance agency of Sizhou, Jingbian Division had a clear record of the decades-long feud between the two villages.

Black Stone Village and White Stone Village are both Miao tribes in Sizhou. The lifeblood of the two villages lies in an underground salt mine in the area where they share a location.

For over a century, the two villages have made a living by salt mining, salt production, and salt trading.

Although the Dayong Dynasty implemented a salt and iron monopoly, prohibiting private salt mining and trading, it relaxed this restriction for the chieftains in these remote areas in order to maintain stability in the southwest, allowing them to sell private salt.

The chieftain family of Heishizhai was surnamed Tian, ​​while the chieftain family of Baishizhai was surnamed Yang.

Lin Xuan remembered that the salt in his family was bought from Tianji Salt Shop.

The two villages are several miles apart and should not have easily clashed, but salt production requires a lot of water, and there is only one river called Chishui River near the two villages that can provide water.

During the high-water season, the water supply is sufficient for both villages.

However, during the dry season, the flow of the Chishui River is greatly reduced, which is not enough for one family, let alone two families.
Located upstream, Heishizhai, taking advantage of its location, simply diverted most of the river water to meet its own needs. Baishizhai, downstream, naturally objected, and conflicts broke out between the two villages almost every dry season.

This time, for the same reason, it happened to be the dry season of the Chishui River. After Heishizhai intercepted most of the river water, Baishizhai sent people to argue with them, but they were beaten and imprisoned by the people of Heishizhai.

The people of Baishi Village were in high spirits and mobilized the entire village to surround Heishi Village.

Lin Xuan's mission was to get Black Stone Village to release the prisoners and quell the conflict between the two villages...

The two families have been embroiled in a century-long feud, their core interests intertwined and seemingly unsolvable.

Wu Baihu was just waiting for him to return in disgrace and defeat, or for his mishandling of the situation to cause even greater trouble, so that he could be dismissed and investigated.

Despite having spent several years working at the grassroots level and accumulating a wealth of experience in conflict mediation, this matter still posed a significant challenge for Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan stared at the files, his mind racing. Classic case studies from his previous life, when he was preparing for the civil service exam, flashed through his mind.

The essence of the conflict between the two companies lies in the struggle for resources.

The lack of water meant that neither family had enough to eat, and favoring one family over the other would cause dissatisfaction in the other.

The key issue here is not how to allocate existing resources, but how to maximize incremental growth...

Lin Xuan's gaze lingered on the file for a moment, his eyes flickered, and he already had a plan in mind.

……

Jingbian Division, Hundred-Household Duty Room.

After reviewing a file, Commander Wu seemed to suddenly remember something and casually asked, "What has Lin Xuan been busy with these past two days?"

A trusted aide waiting at the door immediately trotted in, bowed, and replied, "Reporting to Commander Bai, Lin Xiaoqi has been staying at home these past two days..."

"Oh?"

Wu Baihu raised an eyebrow, somewhat surprised: "He didn't go to Black Stone Village?"

The man said, "No, not only did he not go, but his men also didn't make a move."

Wu Baihu squinted, picked up his teacup, and slowly took a sip.

I only gave him three days, and it's already the second day, and he's still holed up at home?

Is this giving up?
This is not surprising. After all, even he himself could not mediate the feud between Black Stone Village and White Stone Village. How could a mere banner officer have such ability?
He has already reported this matter to the commander, and he believes the commander will arrive soon to mediate.

We must give these two villages face to Commander Qianhu, so as not to cause any real trouble.

As for Lin Xuan—he disobeyed orders and neglected his duties, so no one could find fault with his dismissal from his position as a banner officer.

now.

Sizhou City.

Tianji Salt Shop.

The shopkeeper, Tian Kun, sat behind the counter, his fingers unconsciously fiddling with the abacus, his face full of worry.

The people of Baishi Village have been surrounding their village for two days now, and they don't know what the situation is. Although they often clash with the Yang family, the intensity of this conflict far exceeds that of the past. If this stalemate continues, something big is likely to happen.

Just as he was worrying, his nephew, who worked as a shop assistant in the salt shop, came over and whispered to him, "Third Uncle, a guest wants to see you."

Tian Kun looked up and saw a handsome young man with an extraordinary demeanor standing in the center of the shop.

He got up, walked over to the counter, approached the young man, and asked with a smile, "Sir, are you here to buy salt?"

The young man shook his head and said, "I'm here to do business with the Tian family."

Before Tian Kun could ask any questions, the young man had already taken out a palm-sized, inconspicuous coarse cloth bag from his sleeve and handed it over.

Tian Kun, still puzzled, took the bag, untied the drawstring, and looked inside.

He was struck dumb at just one glance, and his eyes widened instantly.

盐！
There was a pinch of salt in my pocket!
But unlike the coarse salt sold in their own salt shop, the salt in this bag was as white as snow and as fine as sand, and seemed to emit a faint glow in the dimly lit shop!
Tian Kun couldn't wait to pick up a small pinch with his fingertips and carefully stick out his tongue to lick it.

In an instant, a pure and extremely salty and savory flavor exploded on the tip of the tongue, without the slightest bitterness or other unpleasant taste.

The quality of this salt even surpasses that of the refined salt monopolized by the government!
Tian Kun's body trembled, and two beams of light suddenly flashed in his eyes!

He had been selling salt for twenty years and had never seen such exquisite salt before!

The Tian family had been making salt for generations, and Tian Kun immediately understood the key to it.

The salt itself is indeed incredibly valuable, but what is even more precious is the superior salt-making technique it represents!
He gripped the young man's wrist as if afraid he would run away, his breathing rapid and his voice trembling as he asked, "Young man, how much of this salt do you have left?"

The young man smiled slightly and said, "As many as you want, I have them."

Tian Kun's heart skipped a beat; the other party had indeed mastered a superb method of salt production!

He looked at the young man with excitement and immediately said, "Young man, this is a very important matter. Please come to the inner room to discuss it in detail..."

The young man nodded, and then said, "I need to see the real person in charge of the Tian family."

Without the slightest hesitation, Tian Kun immediately instructed his nephew, "Ah Long, hurry, go to the main store and tell them that something extremely important has happened and they need the young lady to come over immediately!"

(End of this chapter)