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

Yang Xuan, sitting behind his desk, listened quietly to Cui Shen's report.

His expression was very calm, and he even had the leisure to pick up his teacup and take a sip of the freshly brewed Mengding tea.

"Registrar Cui, are you worried about the money?"

Yang Xuan put down his teacup and smiled slightly.

"How can we not feel the pinch? That's all hard-earned money!" Cui Shen sighed. "My lord, shouldn't we ask General Li to slow down his training pace a bit? Or perhaps reduce his food allowance?"

"Absolutely impossible."

Yang Xuan's smile vanished, replaced by a resolute tone.

"Money is earned to be spent. If we lose it all, Qing'ao Well is still there, and we can earn it again. But if we don't train our soldiers well, when chaos breaks out and the iron cavalry of Fanyang tramples Jiannan Road, no matter how much money we have, we will only become fat sheep to be slaughtered."

Yang Xuan stood up, walked to the map of the Tang Dynasty's territory on the wall, and stared intently at the vast land in the north.

"Cui Shen, your vision is still limited to this small corner of Yaozhou. Remember, we're not raising soldiers now, we're buying lives! Buying the lives of all of us to survive in this chaotic world!"

"My husband is right. Wealth is just an external thing. What use is a mountain of gold and silver if you lose your life?"

A clear yet gentle voice suddenly rang out at the study door.

The study door was gently pushed open, and Princess Yanhe, dressed in an elegant long dress, walked in slowly, carrying a bowl of freshly cooked lotus seed and lily bulb soup.

Although she was in a remote border region, the dignified and noble air of the royal family that she possessed remained undiminished.

Instead, after experiencing the ups and downs of Yaozhou, they have gained more composure and resilience.

"Madam, what brings you here?" Yang Xuan quickly stepped forward, took the soup bowl from her hand, and then gently grasped her soft, boneless hand.

"I heard that Clerk Cui is worried about military expenses. As the mistress of the household in this county government, I naturally cannot sit idly by."

Princess Yanhe smiled slightly and turned to look at Cui Shen, whose face was full of worry.

"Registrar Cui, there's no need to worry too much. A few days ago, I secretly sent someone to pawn the several pieces of imperial jewelry that I brought with me as part of my dowry in Chengdu through a reliable merchant."

Princess Yanhe spoke in a flat tone, as if she were talking about a trivial matter.

"The five thousand strings of cash we received will be delivered to the county treasury first thing tomorrow morning. This money is enough to support the camp's extravagant spending for another half a month. As for what happens after half a month..."

She raised her head, her clear, bright eyes gleaming with unwavering trust in Yang Xuan.

"I believe in my husband; he will definitely find a way to break this deadlock."

Upon hearing this, Cui Shen was utterly shocked.

A princess of the Tang Dynasty actually sold her royal dowry for her husband's private army!

Such spirit and such deep affection are simply unheard of.

"Your Majesty's righteousness is boundless! On behalf of the three hundred soldiers of the Salt Protection Army, I bow in gratitude to Your Majesty!"

Cui Shen's eyes were slightly red, and he bowed deeply.

Yang Xuan gripped Princess Yanhe's hand slightly, a warm feeling welling up inside him.

If you have a wife like this, what can your husband ask for?

She was like a stabilizing force, always able to secure his rear at the most crucial moments.

"Half a month is enough."

Yang Xuan turned around, a glint of light flashing in his eyes, and looked at Cui Shen again.

"Therefore, open source is the solution."

"Notify Old Huang from the Ordnance Bureau: add thirty more salt-making furnaces to the Qing'ao Well! Add twenty more winches! I want Qing'ao Well's salt production to double next month!"

"Double the price?!" Cui Shen exclaimed in surprise. "My lord, the salt markets in Yaozhou and the surrounding prefectures are already saturated. Even if we produce more salt, who will buy it? Although we have suppressed Helan Jin of Zhechong Prefecture, the official road leading to Chengdu Prefecture is still being watched by powerful local magnates and spies from the prefectures. It will be difficult for us to transport our salt out in large quantities."

"Who said we were going to transport the salt to Chengdu to sell?" Yang Xuan's lips curled into an unfathomable smile.

"Not selling to Chengdu Prefecture?" Cui Shen was stunned.

"Where's Lei Laohu? Tell him to get in here and see me!" Yang Xuan shouted towards the door.

A moment later, Lei Laohu, dressed in a brocade robe and looking like a wealthy man, walked in with a smile.

Lei Laohu is no longer the caravan leader who used to live a life of danger.

Since taking over "Listening Wind Pavilion", he has shown amazing intelligence talent, managing to mold a group of horse traders who travel all over the country and all sorts of people from the martial arts world into an all-pervasive intelligence network.

"My lord, you wanted to see me?" Lei Laohu bowed respectfully.

"Where have the tentacles of Tingfeng Pavilion reached now?" Yang Xuan asked bluntly.

When his old profession was mentioned, Lei Laohu immediately perked up.

"Reporting to you, my lord! Our Tingfeng Pavilion now completely covers all the southern prefectures of Jiannan Circuit. In Chengdu Prefecture, we have also planted more than a dozen spies right under the nose of the military governor Xianyu Zhongtong. In addition, I have also bribed several key postmasters along the way with a large sum of money."

Lei Laohu paused, lowered his voice, and his tone revealed an undisguised pride.

"Furthermore, under the guise of smuggling medicinal herbs by caravans, my subordinates have already established several routes outside Jiannan Road. The furthest one has already connected with merchant caravans traveling from Guanzhong to Chang'an!"

"Well done!" Yang Xuan nodded in satisfaction. "Lei Laohu, I'm giving you a new task."

"Please give your orders, sir!"

"Starting tomorrow, Tingfeng Pavilion will not only be responsible for gathering intelligence, but also for acting as our salt merchants."

Yang Xuan pointed to several hidden mountain paths on the map.

"Using the hidden paths your caravans know well, bypassing checkpoints, break up the refined salt from Qing'ao Well into smaller quantities and smuggle it out of Jiannan Road! Sell it to Guanzhong, to Longyou, and even to those high-ranking officials and nobles in Chang'an!"

"With chaos imminent, everyone is secretly stockpiling supplies, and salt prices are bound to skyrocket. If we can get our refined salt out, it'll be like gold bars!"

Lei Laohu and Cui Shen exchanged a glance, both seeing deep shock in each other's eyes.

To extend one's hand into Jiannan Road and earn money from all over the world! Such ambition and courage are simply astonishing.

"Understood! I'll risk my life to pave this path to wealth for you, my lord!" Lei Laohu patted his chest heavily.

"There's one more thing."

Yang Xuan's expression suddenly became extremely serious. He stared at Lei Laohu and said, word by word.

"At all costs, utilize all the resources of Tingfeng Pavilion to extend your reach northward! To Fanyang! To Pinglu!"

"I need to know how many bowls of rice that fat barbarian An Lushan eats every day, who he meets, and where his troops are deployed! I can't let any clue slip by!"

Seeing Yang Xuan's solemn expression, Lei Laohu felt a chill run down his spine, realizing that this was absolutely a matter of life and death.

"Yes, Your Majesty! I'll arrange it right away and make sure you get news from Fanyang as quickly as possible..."

"Report—!!!"

Before Lei Laohu could finish speaking, a shrill roar suddenly came from outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, a blood-soaked and ragged spy from Tingfeng Pavilion stumbled into the study.

A broken arrow was stuck in his back, and his face was ashen.

"Something...something's happened..."

The spy collapsed at Yang Xuan's feet with a thud, and with his last bit of strength, pulled a blood-soaked bamboo tube from his pocket and held it high.

"Northern China... Urgent dispatch... Fanyang..."

Before he could finish speaking, the spy's head suddenly lolled to the side, and he lost consciousness completely.