Transmigrated To Ancient Time: Thrive With An Auction System!

Chapter 434: Good News or Bad News? ( 4 )

Emperor Tianwu weighed the pros and cons for a long time before finally making up his mind. Glancing at the kneeling ministers, he said, ”All my dear ministers, you may rise.”

”Thank you, Your Majesty,” the ministers replied in unison.

The older ministers and those with poor health almost fell to the ground when they stood up. Their knees ached, and they felt dizzy. It took them a while to regain their footing and stand properly in line.

After they finally settled down, Emperor Tianwu said, ”Minister Ye’s suggestion is good.”

”Over the years, General Lu has commanded the White Tiger Army to defend our borders and repelled the barbarians from invading our homeland. Added to his achievements in handling disasters and preventing plagues, it is only fitting to grant him a title.”

Now that the Emperor’s mood had improved, the ministers heaved sighs of relief.

Emperor Tianwu waved his hand and said, ”Draft my edict!”

Following his words, everyone lowered their heads in unison.

”Lu Qianxuan is a valiant, loyal, and wise general. His fierce determination, efforts, and sacrifices in defending Great Yan’s lands from enemy aggression are commendable and should serve as a model for all Great Yan’s sons for generations to come.”

”Thus, he is granted the title of Marquis of Zhongyong. This title shall be hereditary and passed down to his descendants for generations.”

When the ministers heard this, they were taken aback. No one had expected the Emperor to be so generous toward the thorn in his side.

Ignoring their surprise, Emperor Tianwu continued, ”Along with his title, he shall be granted the Northeast City and all lands within a radius of 10,000 li surrounding it as his fief, including, but not limited to, its towns, villages, and natural resources.”

The moment he finished the edict, everyone knelt once again and shouted in unison, ”The Emperor is wise!”

After announcing the edict, Emperor Tianwu stood up and said, ”Court adjourned!”

”Court adjourned!” the Head Eunuch quickly shouted in a shrill voice before following after the Emperor.

”Long live the Emperor!”

Only after the Emperor left the Hall of Magnificent Brilliance did the ministers stand up one after another. As they left the hall, they discussed the Emperor’s edict in hushed tones.

No one knows if the White Tiger Army’s victory was actually good news or bad news.

After the ministers left the Imperial Palace, they went to their respective offices to start their work.

At this moment, several factions had received the news about the Emperor’s edict and tried to understand what the Emperor’s intentions were.

But even after they discussed it for a long time, they were still unable to find the answer. In the end, they could only wait and see.

At noon, the Imperial Edict rewarding Lu Qianxuan, together with the edict rewarding the soldiers for their military merits, had been given to the messenger. On the same day, the messenger left the Capital on his fast horse.

Meanwhile, in the Northeast City, Lu Qianxuan had sent an order back to the White Tiger Army’s main camp.

If there were no mishap, they would return to the main camp in 10 days.

Sitting inside the General’s tent, he thought for a long time before he asked, ”Lord Wen, in your opinion, who is the best candidate to be left here to guard the city?”

Wen Liyan considered several candidates in his mind for a long time before he said, ”General, in my opinion, it’s best to appoint Battalion Commander Fu Chen’an to guard the Northeast City.”

Raising his eyebrows, Lu Qianxuan asked, ”What makes you think he is the best person?”

”Let’s not talk about his friendship with Lei Feng. Based on his bravery, martial arts, and military tactics, he is more than suitable for this position.”

Lu Qianxuan tapped his fingers on top of the desk as he considered the options.

After a while, he finally said, ”He can be stationed in the Northeast City, but as a Battalion Commander, he can only command 500 soldiers. We still need to appoint someone as the Regional Commander and the Prefectural Commander.”

Wen Liyan thought for a while before he said, ”For the Prefectural Commander, I think Gao Yan is a good option.”

”He has served as a Battalion Commander for more than 8 years. It’s about time for him to be promoted. As for the Regional Commander, there is no need for one for now. Gao Yan can report directly to you.”

The Prefectural Commander could command a total of 5,000 soldiers. Although the number was not much, as long as they could incorporate the terrain into their defense strategy, it would be more than enough to defend the city.

Lu Qianxuan wrote down the candidates’ names before he gestured for Wen Liyan to leave the tent.

At the same time, Yao Zhi was sitting inside Xue Ya’er’s study. On the desk was a small lump of rock salt.

Xue Ya’er took a closer look at the rock salt and asked, ”Yao Zhi, this is...”

Meeting her questioning gaze, Yao Zhi nodded and replied, ”Ya’er, this is the salt found in the mountain.”

The moment she heard this, Xue Ya’er was shocked. She never expected that the mountain really had salt. Instead of the grayish color of sea salt, this salt was white with a reddish hue, which looked beautiful.

”Ya’er, mountain salt, and sea salt basically have similar components. The difference lies in the color and texture. Sea salt has a finer texture, while mountain salt is crunchier. Both need to be refined to remove impurities and toxins.”

”Yao Zhi, how do we mine the mountain salt?”

Shaking her head, Yao Zhi replied, ”I already thought about this matter. If we use a normal method, it would be easy for the salt mine’s location to be exposed. While it’s not sea salt, it’s still salt. Mining it illegally might bring trouble to you and the General.”

”Then, do you have another method?”