Martial Arts: My achievements in Beiliang were so great that they threatened the lord's positio

"By next autumn at the latest, your Tiger Warriors, Trapped Camp, Black Armor Army, and 800 battalions will be fully formed. At that time, you will also have the Azure Wolf Cavalry, the Thousand Oxen Guards, and the Doyan Guards—"

Xu Xiao looked at him: "You've almost got 200,000 elite cavalry under your command."

"Back then, I exhausted the resources of three prefectures to raise 300,000 Northern Liang cavalry."

"And you, with only one state and three counties, command two hundred thousand troops."

"cough."

Lin Xuan smiled wryly: "Godfather, I also have my difficulties."

The Doyan Three Guards and the Qianniu Three Guards are both Hu and Qiang cavalry. If I don't have enough troops, I simply can't control them.

"Those tribal chiefs were all proud and arrogant, and had always been unruly and difficult to tame."

Even these tens of thousands of cavalrymen right now were gathered up by my own hard work and determination.

"Things have been getting tighter lately, so I thought I'd come during the holidays to see if I could get some support from my godfather."

"Well, you're really not going to hold back, buddy."

Xu Xiao glared at him: "Don't think I don't know, you're living a much more comfortable life than I, the King of Beiliang."

I'm already being lenient by not asking you for help, yet you try to take advantage of me.

"Didn't Godfather hear me?"

Lin Xuan said helplessly, "My two maids are like country bumpkins entering a city for the first time."

"Exactly."

Da Pan'er nodded quickly: "Even if you add up dozens of generals' mansions, they probably wouldn't be as good as a few courtyards of a prince's mansion."

After saying that, he looked pleading: "Your Highness, my general is living a very hard life in Yanzhou."

"I have no money."

Xu Xiao glared and said, "Just look at how much silver my Northern Liang King is worth. Go ahead and sell him."

"Godfather, we are father and son."

Lin Xuan said earnestly, "When I encounter difficulties, though the world is vast and the court is wide, I can find no one else but my godfather to help me."

"no."

Xu Xiao shook his head vigorously: "You can even afford to support heavy cavalry, and you still want to hide it from me?"

"If there is really no money, some grain, fodder and military equipment will also be acceptable."

Lin Xuan spoke up: "Father, I don't ask for much. I only need 20,000 warhorses, 5,000 military supplies, 10,000 sets of armor, and 500,000 shi of grain."

As the King of Beiliang, ruling over three provinces, you are wealthy and powerful. This amount of resources is nothing more than a grain of sand slipping through your fingers.

"You're quite bold to say that, kid."

Xu Xiao's eyes widened: "A grain of sand on your fingertip? How big is your father's palm?"

Xu Xiao spread out his palm: "Do you understand now? It's only this small. It's not a bottomless pit. My old bones can't hold such a big grain of sand between my fingers."

"laugh"

Nangong Pu She couldn't help but chuckle.

Lin Xuan gave him a cold glance, and he quickly turned his head away.

"Someone come here."

Xu Xiao instructed: "Put aside the New Year's gifts sent by the General of the Northern Garrison for now, and let him take them back exactly as they were when he returns."

The servant looked troubled, but Lin Xuan said, "Father was just joking with you, why did you take it seriously? Go and take inventory of the stored goods."

"You're the one who allowed this to be put into storage."

Xu Xiao said, "I didn't prepare a return gift for you."

No need to return the gift.

Lin Xuan waved his hands repeatedly.

"Father, why are you getting tighter on money as you get older?"

He muttered under his breath.

"It wasn't easy to accumulate some wealth."

Xu Xiao snorted: "You child come to plunder every few days, even the strongest foundation can't withstand it."

"besides."

The King of Beiliang's tone turned somber: "I know your Yanzhou is short of people, but you can't always recruit from Beiliang. In the past two years, how many people from Beiliang have moved to your Yan County?"

"No matter what, I am still your godfather. You should find another place to fleece people. Qingzhou has a large population, and Beimang is not short of manpower either. If all else fails, you can go further afield and recruit refugees from the Liaodong region under the jurisdiction of the Duoyan Three Guards."

Lin Xuan looked slightly flustered: "I will inform the officials of the prefecture when I get back."

He rubbed his hands together: "My son came here not only to spend the New Year with you, but also to ask you for a favor, Father."

"What kind of help?"

Xu Xiao frowned slightly, fearing that Lin Xuan would ask for military supplies and provisions again, so she said, "As long as it's not weapons and provisions, everything else is negotiable."

People in the Central Plains have always been accustomed to compromise.

If you make the request directly, the other party may not agree, and may even try to find a way to negotiate a lower price.

However, if you first offer a high price and lay the groundwork before expressing your true intentions, the other party is more likely to agree.

This was exactly what Lin Xuan was waiting to hear.

He hurriedly replied, "This is a piece of cake for Father."

"Tell me first."

Xu Xiao's eyes were filled with wariness.

Nangong Pushe and Dapan'er watched with great interest as their young master used his persuasive skills.

Lin Xuan picked up his teacup, took a sip of hot tea to moisten his throat, and then slowly said, "Your son wants to ask your father for someone."

"Who is it?"

Xu Xiao felt a surge of curiosity.

"Let Father agree first, then we'll discuss the rest."

"My palace employs tens of thousands of people; you must tell me who you are."

Xu Xiao, being a seasoned veteran, did not speak too definitively.

"A maid."

Lin Xuan looked slightly shy: "I met you a few times in my younger days and I thought you looked good."

"Is it really only one maid?"

Xu Xiao secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Actually, I've wanted to ask my father for a long time."

He said, "I was busy with affairs in Yan County for the past two years and had no time to think about it. Now that I have some free time, I have remembered this matter."

"Granted."

Xu Xiao waved his sleeve: "If one isn't enough, I'll give you ten or eight more."

"Thank you, Father."

Lin Xuan smiled and said, "One is enough."

"What's your name?"

Xu Xiao asked, "If you really like it and want to take it back, I'll have someone go find it right away."

He then added, "However, the status of a maid is not quite worthy of you, General Zhenbei. How about I adopt her as my goddaughter first, give her a title, and then you can take her away."

"There's no need for such trouble."

Lin Xuan said leisurely, "The maid my son wants is a servant girl in the Crown Prince's courtyard named Jiang Ni."

"I had met her a few times before when I was in the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion, but I didn't get along well with the prince at that time, so I never mentioned it."

"this……"

Xu Xiao hesitated.

"What's wrong?"

Lin Xuan feigned ignorance: "Could it be that Godfather finds it difficult? If so, then let's pretend we never said it."

After saying this, he sighed softly.

"Your Highness, you just gave your own permission."

Da Pan'er said in a low voice, "Besides, my general rarely asks you for anything. If word gets out that the prince is unwilling to even grant you a maid, it will probably cause gossip among outsiders."

"Big market, stop talking nonsense."

Lin Xuan shouted, "Anyone who dares to say another word will have their head taken."

The large plate shrank back and immediately stopped talking.

The two worked together, leaving Xu Xiao, the King of Northern Liang, in a difficult position.

"Xuan'er, it's not that your father is unwilling."

Xu Xiao smiled wryly: "You know that man's temperament. If I give you his personal maid, he'll probably cause a ruckus in the mansion when he gets back."

"Why not choose someone else? I, your father, will certainly agree."

"I remember there was another woman in the Crown Prince's residence who always wore red, and she was also quite beautiful."

Lin Xuan pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's do it with her."

"this……"

Xu Xiao sighed inwardly, wondering why this kid had to pick that person in the courtyard.

But judging from the situation, Lin Xuan didn't seem to have come specifically for Jiang Ni.

"Xuan'er, could we choose another maid from the other courtyard?"

Xu Xiaowen advised, "You understand, I really can't do anything about that person."

"Your Highness, who doesn't know that the young master's greatest pleasure is collecting beauties?"

Da Pan'er interjected at the opportune moment: "None of the maids in the other courtyards of the Prince's mansion are as outstanding as those in the Prince's courtyard."

"this……"

Xu Xiao was caught in a dilemma.

Although there were many spies in that small courtyard, in truth, Jiang Ni was perhaps the most useless.

However, Xu Xiao still needs to consider the feelings of her biological son.

"When I was in the General's mansion, I often heard the General express his gratitude to the Prince. I never expected that today the General would ask for a maidservant, but the Prince would refuse to give her to him."

Nangong Pu She coldly said, "It seems that the rumors outside may not be entirely unfounded."

"Exactly."

Da Pan'er chimed in, "A few days ago, the General heard that the Crown Prince had suffered some injustice in the Central Plains, so he specially sent someone to take care of him."

"That's enough, that's enough."

Xu Xiao said impatiently, "You brat, you and those two servants are working together to put your father in a dangerous situation."

"You want that ginger, right? Here you go."

"Thank you, godfather."

Lin Xuan glanced triumphantly at the large plate: "See? I won again."

"In my adoptive father's heart, I still hold a place."

Da Pan'er explained softly, "Originally, there was no such thing. It was just that I talked about the Prince with you on the way, and we made a bet."

"The stake is a maid in the Crown Prince's residence."

He then bowed deeply and said, "Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"So, after all that trouble, you lot went to such lengths to get a maid just for a bet?"

Xu Xiao looked displeased.

"It's just because rumors are everywhere that the general and the prince appear to be on good terms, but that's not actually the case."

Da Pan'er said in a low voice, "The servants are easily swayed by rumors, and they are bound to be suspicious, so they came up with this method to test them."

"That's not true."

Lin Xuan shook his head: "Yan and Beiliang are originally one family."

"Well said."

Xu Xiao nodded: "There are always people in this world who love to make unfounded accusations. Xuan'er has followed me in battle for more than ten years and has made countless contributions. How could I, as his adoptive father, not care about him?"

This is a tacit understanding

After Xu Xiao agreed to give Jiang Ni to Lin Xuan, Lin Xuan, through Da Pan'er, expressed his willingness to maintain the old relationship with Bei Liang.

At least maintain a facade of harmony, and let bygones be bygones the past regarding the incident of letting the northern python enter the pass.

Xu Xiao, a seasoned person, could not possibly fail to understand the implied meaning.

Although doubts remained, it was generally believed that the adopted son wanted to use the matter of asking for a maid to probe his attitude.

Having temporarily set aside his inner conflict, Xu Xiao calmed down and asked, "You've newly established the two prefectures of Xiapi and Shangdang in Yanzhou. What are your plans for the future?"

"We will march north to conquer the Northern Serpent."

Lin Xuan said, "We should capture their people, seize their wealth, and conquer their cities to enrich the Yan territory; to the east, we can rely on the three guards of the Doyan, gradually subdue the various tribes of the grasslands, draw water from the Misang River, dredge the canals, irrigate the fields, and plant crops extensively."

"If success is achieved, it will surely bring benefits to generations to come."

Xu Xiao sighed.

"Of all my adopted sons, you are the most outstanding."

"In just three years, the territory has expanded by more than a thousand miles."

Xu Xiao could already foresee that in a few years, the land of Yan would be fertile and boundless, with a well-trained army and several strategic passes under his control.

Their adopted son has already established his power, and no one can stop him from moving forward.

"The Yan region is quite different from the Northern Liang region."

He continued, "The border between Liang and Mang is defended by only a few fortified cities; the Yan region is different, with the Fulong Mountains, stretching for thousands of miles, blocking the northern Mang cavalry."

"If they invade from the south, they may have to cross mountains and valleys, or launch a strong attack on Duanlong Pass, or they may invade from the grasslands to the east."

"Now that we have captured Duanlong Pass and also have Shangdang County to the east, the iron cavalry of Yanzhou can attack and defend at will. The only opportunity is for us to strike the Northern Python. How can we allow the Northern Python to invade an inch of our land?"

Although Xu Xiao was envious, he also knew that Yan's current advantages were all thanks to Lin Xuan's bloody battles and fights.

Who would have thought that Yan, a state with no more than 10,000 soldiers and only one prefecture, could be transformed so quickly under his control?

They nearly swept across the grasslands to achieve the situation we have today.

Such opportunities are not something that can be obtained through mere envy.

What comforted Xu Xiao was that at least the past grievances had been resolved, and the bond between father and son would remain.

As long as this situation exists, and as long as I am alive, Yan and Beiliang will not fight each other.

After drinking two cups with Xu Xiao, the King of Beiliang showed signs of fatigue. He waved for Lin Xuan to go and explore the mansion, while he himself went inside to rest.

Heavy snow blanketed the sky, covering the earth and shrouding the heavens.

"Young master, where should we go?"

The big picture was curious and asked.

The three walked around the Prince's mansion for a long time, passing through courtyards and pavilions, without stopping.

"General."

"General."

The guards in the mansion all recognized Lin Xuan and bowed to greet him.

Have you ever heard of the Chaoting Pavilion?

Lin Xuan walked with his hands behind his back and a long sword hanging at his waist, and casually asked.

"I know that."

The two women nodded simultaneously.

He said, "Since you need to stay at the mansion until after the New Year, I will take you to Tingchao Pavilion for a visit."

"really?"

Both Dapan'er and Nangong Pushe showed surprise.

"That's certainly true."

"After passing through two courtyards, you will reach Tingchao Lake."

After speaking, he quickened his pace, with the two women following behind.

Stepping out the gate, a vast lake comes into view.