A sickly fellow ridiculed by the entire army? I'll be the most beautiful woman in the barracks!

After Zhao Daxuan rode his horse and led the carriage out of the core camp, he did not leave the city directly, but instead headed towards Bailianfang.

"I'm going inside to take care of something. You guys wait here for me for a bit."

Zhao Daxuan poked his head into the carriage and told the four women with a smile that he had other things to do on this trip to Zhenbei City.

"Yes, young master, you should go quickly!"

The four women nodded in agreement, and Zhao Daxuan then turned and entered the Hundred Refinements Workshop.

As soon as Zhao Daxuan stepped into the Hundred Refinements Workshop, a familiar figure came to greet him.

Mo Hanfeng was about to greet him when he took a closer look and realized that the person who had come was actually Zhao Daxuan. He was stunned for a moment, then exclaimed with delight, "Lord Zhao, what brings you here!"

"Haha, I'm going back to Zhenbei Town to take care of some business today, but I'll be leaving soon."

Zhao Daxuan walked inside with a smile, asking, "Is your young master here?"

"Yes, yes, please come in, Lord Zhao."

Mo Hanfeng nodded repeatedly and quickly led the way toward Zhang Shijun's courtyard.

After the guards announced their arrival, Zhao Daxuan and his companion walked through the sweltering corridor and returned to the tranquil courtyard.

Every time Zhao Daxuan came to this secluded courtyard, he felt refreshed and relaxed, and couldn't help but sigh, "Young masters really know how to enjoy life."

Zhang Shijun was already standing at the door waiting. When he saw Zhao Daxuan, he immediately smiled and said, "Lord Zhao, it's been a long time. You've done quite a few sensational things in the Great Xia Dynasty during this time."

Zhao Daxuan waved his hand, "You flatter me, it's all thanks to the hard work of my men."

"Lord Zhao is too modest. Let's go inside and discuss this in detail."

The two walked side by side into the house. After they sat down, Zhang Shijun asked, "Lord Zhao, you are very busy with official duties. Did you come today because there is a problem with the monthly bills?"

Zhao Daxuan's steam engine was produced in cooperation with Bailianfang, and every month Bailianfang would send Shen Qingci a statement of their profit sharing.

"No, no, I've come today to purchase some weapons from your shop. My troops are expanding rapidly, and many of them are only using the most basic leather armor and swords."

"To give my men a better chance of survival, I want to equip them with better gear, at least one piece of armor with a fifty-fold refinement."

Zhang Shijun looked on with admiration. "Lord Zhao is truly considerate of his soldiers. I admire him. However, equipping each soldier with a suit of armor made of fifty-fold steel would be quite an expense!"

"As far as I know, Lord Zhao currently commands several thousand soldiers, which is a considerable number."

Zhao Daxuan nodded and said with a smile, "Indeed, quite a lot, so I'd like to discuss with Brother Zhang whether it's possible to open a branch at my Black Mountain Pass?"

"Regarding raw materials, I currently own an iron mine, and if the quantity is large, I can arrange to expand production."

"In addition, we can try to get a few more steam engines. In that case, you only need to send some experienced craftsmen to provide technical guidance."

"In this way, the cost of thousands of sets of armor will be reduced by more than half."

"Of course, once this batch of armor is finished, there will be other orders. Even if my troops no longer need it in the future, I can still buy your iron ore at a low price to guarantee your profits."

After Zhao Daxuan finished speaking, he looked intently at Zhang Shijun, waiting for a reply.

Zhang Shijun pondered for a moment. He only needed to contribute some manpower to gain considerable benefits. Moreover, he had originally intended to befriend Zhao Daxuan, so why not accept his request?

So he nodded and smiled, "Lord Zhao, I seem to have no reason to refuse, so I agree!"

"I will send people to Heishan Pass in the next couple of days to select a site and decide on a branch town. I will also send a few skilled men to help. I guarantee you will be satisfied."

Zhao Daxuan was very satisfied with the result. Although he had expected it, he was still overjoyed to hear Zhang Shijun agree in person.

He laughed and took out a small wooden box from behind him, placed it in front of Zhang Shijun, and casually opened it. Inside were neatly stacked hundred-tael gold bars, which had been refined from the gold mine recently.

"Brother Zhang, this is the deposit. The equipment for my Wangbei Camp soldiers depends entirely on you."

Zhang Shijun was stunned for a moment, and looked behind Zhao Daxuan, but he couldn't tell where Zhao Daxuan had taken the wooden box from.

"Brother Zhang?"

Reminded by Zhao Daxuan, Zhang Shijun finally came to his senses and quickly said, "No problem, no problem, Lord Zhao, don't worry."

Seeing that the matter had been settled, Zhao Daxuan did not linger any longer. The specific details would need to be discussed in detail after Zhang Shijun sent someone to the Black Mountain Pass.

Zhao Daxuan stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Brother Zhang, please wait. I have important matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

After saying that, he turned and left. Mo Hanfeng waited outside the courtyard and saw Zhao Daxuan out of the Hundred Refinements Workshop.

"Let's go back to Heishan Pass."

Zhao Daxuan mounted his horse, said something to the four women riding in the carriage, and then the coachman drove the carriage toward the north gate.

Along the way, the group barely rested. Zhao Daxuan was in a hurry to return to the Black Mountain Pass and make preparations for the arrival of the imperial envoy's team.

But he was still worried, so he left the four women behind to continue their journey. He suddenly regretted not bringing more people with him when he returned to Zhenbei City this time.

They rushed along for a while, but it only made them half a day faster than normal.

Around noon, Zhao Daxuan arrived at the general's residence in a carriage. When Su Qingyuan and the other three women stepped off the carriage, they were all pale-faced and unsteady on their feet.

Zhao Daxuan felt a pang of heartache upon seeing this and stepped forward to express his concern, saying, "Thank you for your hard work this time. I have urgent business to attend to, so this is all I can do."

Su Qingyuan shook her head and said softly, "It's alright, young master. Things are more important, there's no need to worry about it."

Although the four women had traveled a long way and were inevitably feeling unwell, they all knew in their hearts that these were just minor problems.

Now that they share Zhao Daxuan's fate, they naturally prioritize his important matters and would never dare to cause him any trouble.

Otherwise, if Zhao Daxuan loses power, they won't fare much better.

Zhao Daxuan was pleased to see that the women were all well-educated and reasonable. He nodded with satisfaction and led them into the general's residence with a smile.

"Master, you're back."

When Si Xi saw Zhao Daxuan return, he greeted him with a big smile.

Zhao Daxuan nodded and pointed to the four women behind him, asking, "Are the ladies at home?"

Si Xi shook his head. "Reporting to Master, all the ladies have gone out."

Zhao Daxuan knew that Shen Qingci and the others were all busy with their own things and were trying their best to help him and give him more support every day.

"Ahem, these four young ladies are the newly betrothed to me by General Yue. Please settle them in first. If the ladies return, please explain the situation to them."

Si Xi had already noticed the four elegant and refined women behind Zhao Daxuan. Each of them was exceptionally beautiful, on par with Li Shishi and the others.

He didn't dare to look at Zhao Daxuan directly, for fear of offending him.

Upon hearing that it was another marriage bestowed by the general, Sixi looked admiring and nodded repeatedly: "Master is so fortunate! Don't worry, when the ladies return, Sixi will relay your words exactly as you said."

Zhao Daxuan then turned to look at Su Qingyuan and the other three women, and said with a smile, "Miss Su, you and Sixi should find a room to rest first. I will come back after I finish what I'm doing."

Su Qingyuan and the other three women readily agreed, bowed gracefully, and left with Sixi.