In the thirteenth year of the Tianbao era: I became Yang Guozhong's eldest son.

The study in the backyard of the Yanjing County Government Office.

Yang Xuan was standing in front of a huge topographical map of Yaozhou, holding a charcoal pencil in his hand, sketching out the future expansion plan of Qing'ao Well on the map.

According to Lao Huangtou's calculations and Cui Shen's financial budget, if the existing equipment is doubled and two more abandoned old well veins are opened up, the output of Qing'ao Well can be doubled again.

By then, the county government's net profit each month will reach a terrifying 100,000 strings of cash.

With this money, he could not only expand the salt protection army to a size of a thousand men, but also begin to get involved in weapons smelting and warhorse trading.

On the eve of this impending chaos, having an elite private army and a salt well that generates a steady stream of wealth is the only way to secure one's livelihood.

"My lord."

Pei Zhao's deep and urgent voice came from outside the door.

"Go in." Yang Xuan didn't even turn his head, continuing to mark on the map.

The study door was pushed open, and Pei Zhao strode in.

His face was so gloomy it seemed like it could drip water, and he even carried a hint of murderous aura from outside.

Following closely behind were Yanhe and Cui Shen.

Both of them looked equally unwell.

"What happened?" Yang Xuan noticed the unusual atmosphere, put down the charcoal pencil in his hand, and turned around.

"Lei Laohu's caravan ran into trouble," Pei Zhao said through gritted teeth. "They were stopped at a roadblock set up by the Zhechong Prefecture in Luohun Valley. Three hundred carts of refined salt, along with more than five hundred mules and horses, were all seized. Lei Laohu had two ribs broken by a captain from the Zhechong Prefecture, and more than a dozen of his brothers were injured."

The air in the study seemed to freeze instantly.

Yang Xuan's expression didn't change much, but his eyes narrowed slightly, and a dangerous glint flashed in his deep eyes.

"The Zhechong Prefecture?" Yang Xuan's voice was soft, yet it carried a chilling coldness. "What was their reason?"

"Investigate and apprehend smuggling bandits." Cui Shen stepped forward and handed over a damaged document that had just been delivered by fast horse.

"They not only tore up the travel permits and salt coupons issued by the county government, but also said that even if you, sir, went in person, they would still confiscate them."

"What a fine way to crack down on smuggling bandits!" Yang Xuan sneered. "This is far more disgraceful than what Tian Boyong and Liu Wen did."

"My lord, this is blatant robbery!" Pei Zhao pressed down on the hilt of his sword, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.

"The Zhechong Prefecture is just jealous of the money we made at Qing'ao Well! The Tian family has fallen, the prefecture has backed down, and now it's these soldiers' turn to reap the rewards!"

"They're not here to reap the rewards; they're here to wipe out the family line."

Yanhe walked to the desk and sat down in a rosewood chair. Although his tone was calm, his eyes revealed a sharp edge.

"I've heard of Helan Jin, the Commandant of the Zhechong Prefecture, before when I was in Chang'an," Yanhe analyzed.

"This man is greedy by nature and extremely arrogant. He chose to set up a checkpoint in Fallen Soul Valley not only to seize these three hundred carts of salt, but also to cut off the only trade route between Yaozhou and the outside world."

Cui Shen nodded, his expression grave, and added, "Madam is right. Our Qing'ao Well's output is too large now; Yaozhou simply can't consume it all, and we have to rely on exports. Once the trade route is blocked by Zhechong Prefecture, not only will these three hundred cartloads of salt be wasted, but we won't be able to sell a single pound of salt in the future."

Cui Shen paused, his tone growing even heavier: "If the salt doesn't sell, we'll run out of cash. But the daily expenses for our salt protection army's pay, the rations for thousands of workers and salt laborers, and the maintenance of the new equipment are astronomical. In less than half a month, the little bit of savings we've painstakingly accumulated will be completely bankrupted. This is the Zhechong Prefecture's true trump card: subduing the enemy without fighting."

Yang Xuan walked to the window and looked at the few winter plum trees swaying in the cold wind in the courtyard.

The sequence of events is now quite clear.

Tian Boyong used the tactics of assassination and cutting off supplies.

Liu Wen, representing the prefecture, only used his official authority to pressure him.

The Zhechong Prefecture, however, was completely unreasonable, resorting to the simplest, most brutal, yet most deadly, physical blockade.

Faced with absolute force, any ingenious calculation seems pale and powerless.

The Zhechongfu are regular troops; they don't need to reason with you. Just stand in the middle of the road, and all your wealth and plans will vanish.

"My lord!" Pei Zhao suddenly knelt on one knee, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and spoke in a loud and clear voice.

"Our salt-protecting army now numbers three hundred brothers, well-equipped and well-trained. Although we cannot compare to the thousands of troops of the Zhechong Prefecture, we are by no means lambs to the slaughter! As long as you give the order, my lord, I am willing to lead three hundred elite warriors to Luohun Valley and reclaim the salt carts!"

"Nonsense!"

Before Yang Xuan could speak, Yan He sternly rebuked him, "Pei Zhao, have you lost your mind? That's a military outpost! It's the regular field army of the Tang Dynasty! You're leading three hundred men to attack a military outpost, do you know what that means?"

Yanhe abruptly stood up, his gaze piercing Pei Zhao: "This is armed rebellion! It's treason! If you dare to lay a hand on him, Helan Jin can immediately and legitimately mobilize a large army to massacre Yanjing County. At that time, not only will these three hundred people die, but all of us will be executed along with our entire families!"

Pei Zhao was intimidated by Yan He's imposing manner. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head: "But Madam, are we just going to stand by and watch them cut off our lifeline?"

"Of course not."

Yang Xuan turned around and scanned the faces of the three people one by one.

His expression had completely returned to calm, but beneath that calm, an even more violent storm was brewing.

"Pei Zhao is right, we can't just stand by and watch." Yang Xuan walked to the desk, picked up the torn document, and said, "But this is not how you fight a war."

"You can deal with thugs with your fists; you can deal with bureaucrats with the law."

Yang Xuan slammed the document heavily on the table. "But to deal with a group of warlords who use the law as a pretext, we must be more knowledgeable about the rules than them, and also more ruthless."

"What does my lord mean?" Cui Shen's eyes lit up.

"Didn't they say they were cracking down on smuggling? Didn't they refuse to acknowledge the official seal of my county government?" Yang Xuan sneered. "Fine, then I'll personally go to Fallen Soul Valley and teach them what the rules of the Tang Dynasty are."

"You're going in person, sir?" Pei Zhao exclaimed in surprise. "Those soldiers at the Zhechong Prefecture are quite uncouth. What if they try to harm you, sir..."

"They wouldn't dare," Yang Xuan said confidently. "No matter how domineering Helan Jin is, he wouldn't dare to openly kill a court official. The reason he sent his captains was to leave room for maneuver. If I went, not only would he not dare to touch me, but he would also have to be respectful to me in public."

Yang Xuan turned to Cui Shen: "Cui Shen, go and prepare three things immediately."

"First, the Tang Dynasty legal code contains explicit provisions regarding the separation of local military and political affairs and the prohibition of the military from interfering in local commerce."

"Second, the prefectural government (Zheng Yuan's faction) issued us the exclusive operating permit for Qing'ao Well; third, write up this detention incident as an urgent report and send copies directly to the Jiannan Military Governor's Office and the Ministry of Personnel in Chang'an!"

Cui Shen understood immediately, a glint of excitement flashing in his eyes: "Young master, you intend to use the pretext of righteousness to put the Zhechong Prefecture in mortal danger!"

"Just having reason isn't enough; we also need power." Yang Xuan turned to Pei Zhao. "Pei Zhao, pass down the order: three hundred salt guards, fully armed, will assemble at the county government gate in half an hour."

"My lord, didn't you say we shouldn't resort to violence?" Pei Zhao asked, somewhat puzzled.

"We won't use force, but we want them to know that we have the capability to use force." Yang Xuan's eyes sharpened. "Only when you're carrying a knife will people listen to reason."

Yang Xuan looked at Yan He one last time.

"I'm leaving the family in your care."

Yanhe didn't say much, but stepped forward, straightened his collar, and said softly, "Be careful. If things become unbearable, it's okay to back down. As long as you're alive, the game in Yaozhou isn't over."

"Retreat?" Yang Xuan's lips curled into a cold smile. "At this stage of this game, the word 'retreat' doesn't exist in my dictionary!"