In the year of Qingli, Fan Zhongyan proposed to repair Wu Bei, which is to restore the system of recruiting soldiers, aiming to reduce logistical expenditures.

  Similarly, it also reduced the income of all levels and types of military generals... The basis for exploitation was gone.

  Not to mention the struggle between literary and martial arts, no one can stand alone in the imperial court, with a strong foundation and deep roots of the military gate, which family does not have several close relatives of the civil minister's family.

  So, the military preparations of Qingli New Deal were abandoned just like that.

  Giving and getting, getting and giving, the order of events is very important. Just like now, after Zhao Xi has finished dividing the cake, what he says and does next will naturally get a certain kind of support.

  At this time, Zhao Xifang took out those documents that were obtained deep in enemy territory without any danger...

  "Annam has long coveted the land of Guangnan in our dynasty..."

  "In the seventh year of Dazhong Xiangfu, the Annan naval forces invaded the mouth of the Ruhongzhai River. In December of the same year, they invaded Ruhongzhai again and plundered people and livestock."

  "In the sixth year of Tiansheng, Li's clansmen used visiting relatives as an excuse to enter the provincial capital and rob people and livestock. After negotiations with the governor's office, they refused to return the captured people..."

  These old things, Yu Jing had done some work when he took office as the Anfu Envoy of Guangnan. He also pondered the reasons for the Nong bandit rebellion, including the reason why the cities of Guangnan were captured one after another this year.

  This time, fundamentally speaking, it will not be simply the case of bandits causing trouble. Without Annam's instigation from behind and without Annam's military support, the Yu people would absolutely not be able to fight so bravely and skillfully.

  This was the first time Zhao Xi had heard of it.

  He wondered, since Annan had been restless for many years and harassed repeatedly, what were the forbidden troops of Guangnan West Road doing? What were the officials who had served in Guangnan West Road doing?

  It's actually enough to make someone conquer all nine states!

  If I had known all this earlier, would I have still needed to come to Guangyuan to go through all this trouble?

  Zhao Xi obtained information from Zhao Zhan's mouth and had already made preparations to ask about Annan. The reason for rushing thousands of miles was just to have an excuse that could be said, for the imperial court, and for these civil officials.

  Actually, the excuse has always been there! It's just that no one mentioned it!

  Zhao Xi really wanted to lose his temper, looking at the people present... they all had a pretty angry mood. Alright, Zhao Xi could only think that these people were enraged by Yu Jing's stories, rather than worrying about the tungsten mine's profits.

  To have a share in the future, to gain some benefits from this treasure trove of manganese mines, the stability of Guangnan West Road has become a top priority.

  Soon, a unified opinion was reached throughout the Guangnan Pacification Commissioner's Office... Troops were dispatched to Guangyuan, with swords pointing at Annan!

  Speaking of which, when I was working in Guangnan, there were big differences between West Guangnan Road and East Guangnan Road.

  The development of the shipping industry has made the entire Guangnan East Road a thriving commercial area, from Mingzhou, Quanzhou, Hangzhou to the commercial port city of Guangzhou, the entire Guangnan East Road is flourishing everywhere.

  And Guangnanxi Road... apart from the smoke and mist, it's all barbarians. This time, with this chromium mine... the whole Anfu Mansion is stirred up, even more lively than during the decisive battle at Guirenpu.

  This time no need to hide in the daytime and sneak out at night, just openly and grandly depart, very clearly telling Zhī Gāo... Don't think that staying in the old nest is settled!

  The Western Army had 20,000 soldiers, and newly recruited troops added another 30,000. With the addition of various laborers and civilians, they claimed to have a massive army of 100,000.

  Zhao Xi was a bit unaccustomed to this title, but thinking about it, shouting like this did have momentum, so he didn't dwell on these things. After all, Nong Zhi Gao had also been called the commander of a hundred thousand troops back then...

  Zhao Xi had been on a reconnaissance mission once, which was equivalent to doing a route reconnaissance. On the way back, he searched everywhere for an ambush and was familiar with the path from Mingyin Prefecture to Guangyuan.

  A hundred miles of road, should be very smooth, but the entire march was constantly hindered.

  Firstly, there were soldiers who had diarrhea and vomiting due to drinking unboiled water, but it did not attract attention.

  There are sanitary regulations in the army, and Zhao Xi added some before going to Guangnan. Some people's living habits lead to illness, but no one really cares.

  Then all sorts of unexpected things happened, and Zhao Xi was on high alert.

  Throughout the entire march of the great army, the Guards did not undertake the task of guarding the whole detachment; they were responsible only for His Imperial Highness.

  It's Zhao Xi, who rarely goes to the tent, giving Di Qing absolute autonomy, running around a lot, worried that Di Qing has too many thoughts.

  But every day, Di Qing would send over a situation report, including Yu Jing's pacification envoy on the other side, and also give Zhao Xi some information.

  Fell into a pit, was bitten by a venomous snake, was stung by mosquitoes, and even got entangled to death by tree vines...

  Zhao Xi felt more and more that something was off.

  It's not that there are no mosquitoes in Guangnan on winter days, nor can mothballs eliminate all mosquito bites. However, the number of people who die every day increases as they get closer to Guangyuan.

  And also, the bamboo node that was nailed to death in the trap pit was still a new shoot.

  "How much damage was done?"

  "In the past three days, there have been over thirty people already, all of whom had accidents at night. Commander Di also has suspicions..."

  Hearing Cao Lin say this, Zhao Xi paused for a moment.

  "Tonight, the guard camp is disguised and on high alert!"

  Nor did they know what benefits this clever trick would bring to their tribesmen, nor were they clear how Yongzhou had oppressed these barbarians.

  The result of the night curfew was that one by one, people were dragged back home.

  Playing some underhanded tricks is okay, but once discovered, even with a shield and armor, they're still no match for regular troops.

  One evening, they arrested fifty or sixty people.

  "Not dispatched by Guangxu Province, but rather a spontaneous act of the surrounding mountain villagers..."

  In the commander's tent, civil and military officials gathered once again. It was rare to see such a gathering on a military expedition. The meaning was clear: they were going to draw up some rules for these mountain people.

  "Kill him!"

  Don't think that scholars are always benevolent and virtuous; they can also be ruthless and cruel at times.

  The military commander had not yet spoken, but the civil official was already shouting and killing.

  "Manganese mines require forced labor..."

  Where there is oppression, there will be resistance. Zhao Xie understands this, perhaps not consciously at present. However, once the manganese mine is opened, labor will indeed be needed.

  What Zhao Xi said is right.

  "Scholars, being the children of the nation, are also the sons of the state. Having lived in the deep mountains for a long time, they have not received education and have been deceived by bandits, this is an undeserved situation, but it can be forgiven."

  "I humbly implore the scholars and gentlemen, even if it is a matter of forced labor in the tungsten mines, do not take advantage of them excessively. For the sake of long-term benefits, implement the King's Way, which will bring stability and prosperity to Guangnan for a long time."

  Without mentioning national unity, let's talk about interests. Miners are destined to have a hard life, and enslaving foreigners is definitely better than enslaving compatriots.

  Similarly, if you want to enslave them for a long time, you must make these people willing to some extent, in other words, let them feel that working in the mine is better than living in the mountains.

  If they were treated as Zhao Xi had stipulated for miners, it's likely that they would turn around and kill the Nong people.

  Zhao Xi was worried that the officials of Guangnan were filled with hatred in their hearts, and thus oppressed without restraint.

  It is said that when the barbarians enter Xia, they become Xia. Zhao Xie hopes that the Yao people and all the mountain people in the mountains will have a sense of belonging to the country. In this way, it is even more effective than ten southern expeditions.