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

Fan Changxin's flattery was genuine.

He had assumed that Long Gui had summoned him today to ask him to provide provisions for the county soldiers, and he was prepared to be extorted.

After all, in the Great Zhou Dynasty, merchants had a low social status and could only be manipulated by others.

It's because none of the Fan family members have produced a high-ranking official.

Now, upon hearing that the person before him was the renowned Lu Xiao, Fan Changxin's joy was almost bursting forth:

"Lord Lu, I have heard that you and the soldiers of the White Wolf Outpost fought a bloody battle against the Black Sand Chuo tribe, which greatly helped the people of our Great Zhou in the north. I have long wanted to pay my respects to you and bring some provisions to express my gratitude."

"Please rest assured, sir, I will immediately instruct my men to send a batch of grain over."

"There's no need to mention money or anything like that; consider it a gift from me to the soldiers."

After saying that, he was about to leave to attend to this matter.

Long Gui, however, smiled and stopped him:

"Let's hear what Xiaodi has to say first."

He didn't treat Lu Xiao as a superior and subordinate in officialdom, but as brothers. This was also to give Fan Changxin more room for imagination and to encourage the other party to speak up and say something.

as predicted.

In his excitement, Fan Changxin keenly noticed the unusual nature of their relationship, and thus looked at Lu Xiao with even greater respect:

"Please speak plainly, sir!"

"I would like to ask you, sir, to recruit soldiers."

Lu Xiao prefers to be straightforward, and since he has already said what needs to be said, he doesn't intend to waste time.

"His Majesty and the Prime Minister both support my decision to act expediently, and expanding the army is even more urgent. Therefore, if you could help recruit the refugees inside and outside the city to become soldiers of my Great Zhou, I would be eternally grateful!"

"From now on, Mr. Fan will be able to do us a favor in most of the business dealings at the White Wolf Outpost!"

Fan Changxin raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, feigning anger, and said:

"Lord Lu, how do you take me for?"

"The soldiers on the front lines are fighting bloody battles so that we can have a peaceful and prosperous life. We should support you wholeheartedly, and not treat this as a business transaction."

"I, Fan Changxin, hereby assure you in front of General Long that my family will provide all the provisions that White Wolf Outpost needs free of charge from now on."

"If you refuse, sir, you are disrespecting me, Fan Changxin!"

He was secretly overjoyed.

Businessmen have the keenest sense of smell; they can always be one step ahead of others to detect business opportunities that have not yet surfaced. Otherwise, they would not be able to make big money.

Fan Changxin had noticed Lu Xiao since the great victory at Bailang Mountain, but because the situation was unclear at the time and he was unsure of the attitudes of the court and other forces towards the matter, he did not make any contact with him rashly.

He also kept a close eye on Lu Xiao's trip to the capital to meet the emperor.

Therefore, upon hearing that the other party would be deeply involved in Yuyang County in the future, they knew that the Fan family's opportunity to enter the imperial court had arrived.

The efforts we make now will bring us rewards in the future.

Coming to his senses, Fan Changxin immediately finished his tea, rose to take his leave, and said goodbye.

"General Long, Lord Lu, the matter of recruiting soldiers is of utmost urgency. I will set up stalls in and around the city as soon as possible to gather the necessary troops for Lord Lu."

"You two only need to wait quietly in this Listening Wind Pavilion for good news, and I will take care of everything perfectly."

"No rush!"

Lu Xiao stopped the other person again, and then said to the puzzled look on their face:

"The matter of recruiting soldiers needs to be discussed with the prefect first. It's not too late to do it after we have a decision."

"How much silver do you need, sir?"

Fan Changxin had been a businessman for many years and always believed in the principle that money paves the way, so as he spoke, he took out several thousand taels of silver notes that he had prepared in advance from his pocket:

"I left in a hurry today and only brought this much silver with me."

"But there are many shops owned by my Fan family in the city. If you take a fancy to anything, just give the order, and I will have someone deliver the gift to the Prefect's residence on your behalf."

"General Long, I recently purchased several hundred fine warhorses from the Western Rong. If you don't mind, I will certainly deliver them to the gate of the county garrison before sunset!"

He was so excited that he wanted to refute Long Gui's previous words on the spot.

Lu Xiao is more than just a benefactor; he's practically the ancestor of the Fan family!

He dared not even imagine how glaring the future of the Fan family would be after they had latched onto Lu Xiao, who had the Emperor and the Prime Minister as their backers!

Lu Xiao and the other man were both amused and exasperated by his reaction.

After everyone quieted down, Long Gui looked at Lu Xiao and said in a deep voice:

"Prefect Huang Chongshan is a protégé of Prime Minister Zhou. Before being appointed to an official post outside the capital, he served under the Prime Minister. Now, Brother Xiao, you have the token given by Prime Minister Zhou to pave the way. After you meet him, your request should not be a problem."

"But you must remember that this man is quite greedy. As Fan Changxin said, money is very useful to him."

"Be extremely careful when talking to him, lest he swindle you out of too much money."

He sighed softly and expressed his apology to Lu Xiao:

"If it weren't for the fact that I belong to a different faction from him and we don't get along, I would personally accompany you to see him today."

"Brother Long, you have already helped me a lot, and I am not entirely unprepared."

Lu Xiao shook his head, indicating that he had already prepared a plan to get Huang Chongshan to agree, and could even get the other party to give him a sum of money to help him recruit soldiers!

Upon hearing this, both Long Gui and Fan Changxin were stunned, the former being particularly curious:

"May I reveal a little something?"

"Come closer, you two..."

A moment later, Long Gui burst into laughter:

"good!"

"Since you have a better plan, I won't cause you any more trouble."

"Lord Lu is truly an outstanding individual; I admire him greatly!"

Fan Changxin, standing to the side, also expressed his admiration, secretly sighing that if he were as clever as Lu Xiao, the Fan family's achievements would be far greater than they are today.

The three laughed and, instead of drinking wine, settled the tone for this collaboration.

After chatting for a while, Fan Changxin took the initiative to get up and say goodbye.

"General Long, Lord Lu, the recruitment of soldiers should not be delayed. I will go to the city to set up my stall first."

"With Lord Lu's plan in place, it's perfectly acceptable for me to act first. Let's not waste any more time!"

The two nodded and watched him go with smiles.

Fan Changxin hurriedly returned home and plunged into his study, where he found all the account books, house deeds, land deeds, and other documents from the past years.

He has decided that even if he doesn't have enough cash on hand, he will sell his house and land to help Lu Xiao complete the recruitment of soldiers.

Furthermore, it is necessary to change the tribe's business strategy in advance to facilitate meeting the needs of the White Wolf outpost at any time.

After a quick inventory, Fan Changxin carried the sandalwood brocade box containing all his family's assets out of the study, preparing to summon the core members of the clan to announce the matter. Suddenly, he caught sight of his younger sister, Fan Changrui, sitting in the courtyard, holding a military treatise in one hand and a command flag in the other, deploying troops on a self-made sand table.

Seeing this, his eyes lit up, and he took a few steps over and said:

"Chang Rui, you're not getting any younger. It's not good for you to stay unmarried all the time."

"If you don't have a suitable husband, your brother will choose one for you!"