With the rise of my family, I can summon the Daoist Soldiers' Nest.

"Next, I'll tell you about the situation in Northern Han. This is a common practice in our dynasty; we always give a brief explanation after each new lord is appointed."

As the lord of a fiefdom, you need to understand the situation of the imperial court and the surrounding area. This is essential for developing good relationships with other lords, managing your territory effectively, and contributing more to the imperial court.

So, over the next hour, Prefect Cao explained in detail, and Lin Ye gained a thorough understanding of the situation in Northern Han and its surrounding areas.

Although the Northern Han was a vassal state of the Tang Dynasty, it had a vast territory, roughly the size of its former country. However, in terms of administrative division, it only had thirteen prefectures, which was only one-third the number of provinces in its former country.

The prefectures were further divided into counties, and the counties were further divided into prefectures.

Of these thirteen prefectures, three were directly under the control of the imperial court, which directly controlled and suppressed the strongholds.

The remaining ten prefectures, including Wuwei Prefecture, were also ruled by the imperial court, but many of their areas had already been deposed.

When a place lacks a stronghold for suppression, the imperial court will send officials to govern it temporarily until a new stronghold is established there, at which point a formal investiture ceremony will be held.

Just like Xiang County before. Six years ago, after the Wang family's stronghold was destroyed, Xiang County had no stronghold to suppress for a long time, so the imperial court sent Magistrate Cao to take charge of its management.

Now that the Lin family has been appointed as the lords of Xiang County, Magistrate Cao's mission is complete, and he will be transferred to another post.

The only enemy of the Northern Han at present is its arch-enemy, the Northern Xiongnu.

The Northern Xiongnu lived in tribal communities, each with its own settlement and territory, all under the unified rule of the Northern Xiongnu imperial court.

However, the northern Xiongnu region is located on grasslands, far from the center of the continent, making it much more difficult for nests to be born than elsewhere.

The reason why the Tang Dynasty was so powerful was because it was located in the center of the continent, making it easier for nests to be born than other regions, and even for nests of innate Dao soldiers to exist.

In contrast, the Northern Xiongnu had significantly fewer nests on the same area of ​​land than the Northern Han, and were therefore frequently harassed by monsters. In addition, the harsh environment made survival difficult, so the Northern Xiongnu repeatedly invaded the Northern Han in an attempt to plunder its resources.

Xiang County is located in Wuwei Commandery, which is separated from the border of the Northern Xiongnu by Shuobei Commandery and Beiyuan Commandery. The straight-line distance from the border is more than 2,000 li, which is geographically far from the front line. Most of the battlefields were concentrated in Shuobei Commandery.

That's why the Lin family was caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties when the Northern Xiongnu launched a surprise attack six years ago, which was something that had never happened before.

Wuwei Prefecture is divided into ten prefectures, and Qingyuan Sword Sect is located in Xining Prefecture. Its successive leaders were all lords of Xining Prefecture. At its peak, the entire Wuwei Prefecture was the territory of Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Therefore, the imperial court was wary of the Qingyuan Sword Sect.

Returning to Xiang County, it is located in Qingyang Prefecture, separated from Xining Prefecture by Gongchang Prefecture.

Qingyang Prefecture currently has no lord and is managed by officials such as the prefect appointed by the imperial court.

The most powerful force in the prefecture is the Viscount Wang family of Qingyang County, the prefectural capital. They have a contract with the second-rate nest "Splitting Mountain Rhinoceros", and their territory covers Qingyang County and two surrounding counties.

Qingyang Prefecture comprised ten counties, with Xiang County located between Yun County and Changwu County;

Heading south from Xiang County, you first pass Yun County, then reach Wangjia's Anhua County, and further south is the prefectural city of Qingyang County.

Yun County and Changwu County each have their own lords, and both are long-established lords with a history of over a hundred years.

In addition to paying taxes to the court every year, lords were also required to obey the court's military orders and dispatch troops to fight whenever war broke out.

"Uncle Cao, I have another question to ask you."

After an hour of conversation, the two expressed their intention to become acquainted. Since Lin Ye and Magistrate Cao were already of the same generation, he respectfully addressed Magistrate Cao as "Uncle" according to his seniority.

Moreover, Magistrate Cao is about to take up his post as the Prefectural Assistant of Qingyang Prefecture, and this relationship cannot be easily lost.

"Speak, what is it?" Prefect Cao asked with a smile and a friendly tone.

"Six years ago, why did that Northern Xiongnu cavalry raid our Wuwei Prefecture, destroy Gongchang Prefecture, and then raid our Xiang County?" Lin Ye asked directly.

Upon hearing this question, Prefect Cao frowned slightly, a hint of unease and apprehension creeping into his expression.

"Please tell me, Uncle." Seeing his expression, Lin Ye knew that the other party must know, so he continued in a sincere tone.

"My nephew's father, grandfather, grandmother, and hundreds of other clansmen all died in that catastrophe. Even today, the elders in the clan still often mention it and have never forgotten it."

The family has just seen a glimmer of hope for revival, but we still don't know who our enemy is. If we don't even know who our enemy is, how can we ever settle this blood debt?

After a moment of silence, Cao, the Prefect, lingered his gaze on Lin Ye's resolute face for a while before slowly saying, "Since you are now the Lord of Xiang County, it is not that I cannot tell you this matter, but you must keep it a secret."

Knowing the whole truth to your people might not be a good thing.

Cao, the Prefect, paused for a moment before slowly speaking.

"According to reports from spies in the Northern Xiongnu over the past two years, the raid that year was very likely related to an abandoned, top-tier Taoist stronghold."

"A top-tier Taoist soldier's lair?" Lin Ye frowned, looking puzzled.

"Yes." Prefect Cao nodded. "You should know that the lineage of the Northern Xiongnu royal court is very different from that of my Northern Han."

Since the founding of the Northern Han Dynasty, the system of primogeniture has been practiced, with the eldest son succeeding to the position of crown prince and then to the throne.

The Northern Xiongnu, however, were far more bloody and barbaric, with their princes competing and fighting each other, and the victor becoming the ruler of the royal court.

The competition among princes mainly hinged on the number of men under their command and the size of their territories; therefore, their strongholds were of paramount importance. More strongholds meant more territory, more followers, and a greater chance of victory in the final contest.

Six years ago, spies from the Northern Xiongnu may have discovered a newly established first-class Taoist stronghold near Gongchang Prefecture.

Upon learning the news, the second prince of the Northern Xiongnu royal court, taking advantage of the border war and the resulting weakened defenses, led his 50,000 wolf cavalry to quietly cross the Shuobei and Beiyuan prefectures, capturing the long-peaceful and unprepared Gongchang Prefecture, and successfully securing a deal with that first-rate stronghold.

Lin Ye's expression darkened, and he pressed further, "Then why attack my Xiang County? Why not send some experts with the prince to quietly take down the lair? Why make such a big fuss and attract attention?"

Cao, the Prefect, explained: "Most of the warriors of the Northern Xiongnu who have reached the Acquired Realm or higher are members of the Shamanism. As the state religion, Shamanism only obeys the current emperor and will not interfere in the struggles between princes."

If top-tier experts were dispatched, their numbers would be too small to breach the defenses of a first-rate stronghold. Furthermore, the second prince didn't have many top-tier experts under his command, and he wasn't the most favored son.

The current ruler of the imperial court has eight sons, and he is only one of them, with a weak foundation.

Therefore, he could only persuade his army to attack the stronghold on one hand, and to simultaneously raid Gongchang Prefecture, where they would plunder extensively. Gongchang Prefecture had enjoyed a long period of peace and was rich in resources.

"As for the surprise attack on Xiang County, it was likely a detachment that failed to seize satisfactory spoils in Gongchang Prefecture, or was ostracized by its own forces, so it took the opportunity to wander to Xiang County to plunder."

After listening, Lin Ye's mind was filled with turbulent thoughts.