Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"This man is named Fan Changxin. He is a well-known grain and cloth merchant in our Yuyang County, and is truly one of the wealthiest people in the region."

Long Gui introduced this person with a smile:

"If you can gain Fan Changxin's support, you will never lack food supplies again."

"Would such a powerful merchant bother with a nobody like me?"

Upon hearing the other party's identity, Lu Xiao suddenly became somewhat uncertain:

"Brother Long, you are also aware of the situation at the White Wolf Outpost. Unless we sign a long-term grain supply contract with the Fan family in one go, they won't even glance at this small business."

"Once the outpost becomes bigger and stronger, it might attract the attention of the Fan family, but everything is difficult at the beginning!"

Upon hearing this, Long Gui chuckled and sighed, realizing he was still too young.

Why do you think the Fan family isn't interested in you now?

"Brother Long means..."

Next, Long Gui gave a brief introduction to the current situation of the Fan family.

As the current head of the Fan family, Fan Changxin has been a wealthy man in Yuyang for many years. Therefore, he has gradually stopped focusing on making money and started to think about his descendants.

Their family had been in business for generations, but precisely because of this background, they had never been able to enter officialdom.

In the Great Zhou Dynasty, most people belonged to one of the four major categories: scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, with merchants being at the very bottom of society.

In good years, even old farmers could spit on wealthy merchants without consequence, which shows how low their social status was.

Long Gui smiled slightly:

"Fan Changxin and other members of the Fan family have been running around for many years, even willing to spend huge sums of money to secure official positions for their descendants, but to no avail."

"They look down on those of low status, and they can't afford to associate with those of high status, so things have been delayed like this."

"But Xiao Di is different!"

He spoke with an exceptionally serious expression:

"Brother Xiao, you fought a brilliant battle that inspired the entire Great Zhou. When you entered the capital, countless people were watching your every move."

"If Fan Changxin knew that both His Majesty and Prime Minister Zhou supported your actions at the White Wolf outpost, he would probably befriend you without hesitation and give you the greatest convenience!"

"They will value your potential and your relationship with the Emperor, and they will spare no expense to support you!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao was astonished.

He thought about it carefully and realized that whether it was Qian Haishan or Long Gui, they showed him enough goodwill for this reason. Otherwise, who would bother with a mere centurion?

Thinking of this, he gave a bitter smile:

"In that case, I will first pay my respects to the Prefect, and then Brother Long will introduce me to Fan Changxin."

"You're recruiting soldiers?"

Long Gui's years of experience made him immediately realize the purpose of Lu Xiao's visit to the prefect.

Sure enough, Lu Xiao said:

"I plan to set up a death row inmate camp, but there are too few death row inmates in Changyang County. If I go to other counties to recruit soldiers, I must first visit the prefect and ask him to put in a good word for the county magistrate."

"Otherwise, you might encounter obstacles at every turn."

"Death row inmates may be cheap and easy to use, but they are not a long-term solution. Moreover, they will bring bad habits into the army, which will create many hidden dangers for your future management of a large army."

Long Gui immediately rejected his idea:

"Brother Xiao, if you really want to recruit soldiers, you might as well start directly in the county town."

Lu Xiao's eyes were immediately filled with doubt:

"But Brother Long, I've heard that the county town struggles to recruit soldiers every year. If two families enlist, they're snapped up by the various military camps. How can I possibly compete?"

"Hehe, Brother Xiao, when you entered the city, did you see quite a few refugees?"

Long Gui chuckled and continued to explain after seeing Lu Xiao nod.

This year has been unfortunate, with many places suffering from natural disasters such as drought and floods. The poor are unable to survive and have no choice but to abandon their families and wander around as refugees, hoping to find a good place to settle down.

These refugees were genuinely from two different families before committing crimes, because they would rather starve or work themselves to death than commit arson, murder, and looting. They were naturally easier to use and would not cause the trouble that death row inmates might bring.

At this point, Long Gui sighed:

"The prefecture has been troubled by the resettlement of displaced people recently. If you can bring them into the army, it will solve a lot of problems for the whole prefecture. The prefect will not only have no objection, but will also strongly support it."

"However, we need to solve the problem of the money and food needed to recruit soldiers first."

"Alright then, since I have some free time today, I'll take you to see Fan Changxin first. After you've settled things, we can do other things."

……

Half an hour later, at Tingfeng Tower in Ji County.

Lu Xiao followed Long Gui to this place and noticed a more upscale and elegant teahouse not far away, which made him wonder:

"Brother Long, you just mentioned that Fan Changxin's food, clothing, and daily necessities are all of the highest quality. Why not choose a better teahouse over there?"

"It seems like that side better meets Fan Changxin's requirements, doesn't it?"

He felt that since he was there to ask for a favor, he should show the proper attitude.

Upon hearing this, Long Gui smiled:

"Brother Xiao, you are unaware of something."

"Tingfeng Tower may look a bit old, but because of its unique features, it directly attracts most of the high-ranking officials and nobles in the county, and everyone praises it."

"The Fuguang Spring Tea served in this building is a favorite tea among many people in the county."

"Fan Changxin is particularly fond of this tea!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a waiter from the teahouse announced that a distinguished guest had arrived.

The next moment, the two heard a hearty laugh:

"It is a great honor for me to receive General Long's invitation to come and enjoy tea."

"What instructions does General Long have?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao looked over and saw a middle-aged man dressed in fine clothes walk in with a smile, bowing to Long Gui in greeting.

The latter smiled slightly, gestured for the other person to sit down, and then introduced:

"Fan Changxin, today I'm going to introduce you to a person of great importance who is crucial to the future of the Fan family."

"This is Lu Xiao, the centurion of the White Wolf outpost."

Upon hearing this, Fan Changxin was taken aback, then said with inexplicable joy:

"You must be Commander Lu?"

"My name is Fan Changxin. I have long admired your name, Commander. Today, I have the pleasure of meeting you and have found that you are indeed just as the rumors in the city describe you. You are young and promising."

"However... General Long, you said that Lord Lu is a benefactor of the Fan family, what makes you say that?"

Long Gui gave a signal with his eyes, and Lu Xiao then briefly recounted his experience of going to the capital to meet the emperor and being summoned by Prime Minister Zhou.

He's become somewhat numb now, and it seems he has to say it every time he meets someone.

Then, he took out the token and, after Fan Changxin had read it, got straight to the point:

"The outpost is having some trouble with supplies. I heard from Brother Long that Mr. Fan happens to be in this business, so I would like to ask Brother Long to introduce me."

"I wonder if Mr. Fan has any interest in doing business with my White Wolf Outpost?"

Fan Changxin was flattered and repeatedly said that he was not worthy of being called "sir" and that he should be called by his full name.

He then answered:

"It is my honor to share Lord Lu's burdens!"