The best county magistrate

Yang Xuanchen walked to the side of Emperor Jianwen and looked carefully at the map on the table.

There are chess pieces of different sizes placed on the map. The black side represents the army layout of Dayan, while the red side represents the Nanman.

"On the day that Thunder Pass was breached, the Southern Barbarian Emperor Qi Tianmang issued a declaration of war to me."

Emperor Jianwen paused and said with a smile, "Qi Tianmang is such a joke. He actually used the southern barbarian opera troupe you captured last time to make his point."

Seeing that he could still smile, Yang Xuanchen guessed that there should be no big problem in the south and everything should still be under his control.

I just secretly complained about the lame excuse given by the Southern Barbarian Emperor.

"If you want to fight, you can always find an excuse. If this is the only excuse the Southern Barbarians have, then they don't seem to be that good."

Yang Xuanchen shifted his gaze from the map to Emperor Jianwen and said with a serious expression.

"Your Majesty, although Qi Tianmang's excuse seems absurd, the strength of the Southern Barbarians should not be underestimated. There must be a long-term plan behind their massive attack this time."

Emperor Jianwen nodded, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes.

"Of course I understand. Although the Nanman has ambitions, I am more worried about the Zhennan King Duan Zhenglong."

"He has always coveted my throne. This invasion by the southern barbarians will probably give him a perfect opportunity."

Yang Xuanchen pondered for a moment, then said: "Your Majesty, in the twelfth month, I suggested that if Duan Zhenglong is determined to take Liuzhou..."

Emperor Jianwen waved his hand and interrupted him.

"I understand what you mean, but the Privy Council and the various ministries have discussed this matter. I have already issued an order to Duan Zhenglong to make every effort to fight the enemy."

"But judging from the current battle reports, Duan Zhenglong is clearly disobeying orders."

Having said this, he angrily smashed the teacup on the table.

The ambition of Duan Zhenglong, the Prince of Zhennan, was known to everyone among Emperor Jianwen's confidants.

However, not many people knew that Duan Zhenglong had the intention of rebellion, so it was a bit confusing why he chose to do this at this critical juncture.

Could it be that his power has expanded to the point where he can ignore the imperial edict?

In any case, since Emperor Jianwen wanted to ask for my opinion, I naturally had to say something.

"Your Majesty, Duan Zhenglong will surely not allow himself to be charged with the crime of disobeying an imperial order."

Yang Xuanchen glanced at him and said, "There will definitely be many martial artists on the battlefield where we face the Nanman head-on."

Upon hearing this, Emperor Jianwen showed a hint of doubt in his eyes and looked at him.

Even the An Yansi did not send back any intelligence from the front line, so how did he know what happened on the battlefield?

Could it be that Yang Xuanchen secretly has his own intelligence network?

Emperor Jianwen thought about it for a while and shook his head. It shouldn’t be the case.

It has only been four years since this guy became the county magistrate, which is not enough time to build a strong intelligence agency.

Could it be that this kid has a great talent for fighting and can judge the situation from the opponent's style, behavior and past?

Thinking of this, Emperor Jianwen felt excited. The important task of dealing with the Southern Barbarians and reducing the power of the feudal lords might be handed over to this young man who always brought surprises to everyone.

At this time, Yang Xuanchen continued, "Your Majesty, I think that there are many sects and families in the southern part of Da Yan, and this is a place that can be used."

"If Duan Zhenglong's actions caused their dissatisfaction, or if we added fuel to the fire of their dissatisfaction..."

A gleam of light flashed in Emperor Jianwen's eyes, and he seemed to have captured the profound meaning of Yang Xuanchen's words.

He leaned forward slightly, his voice low and expectant: "Xuan Chen, do you mean to use the martial arts people to contain Duan Zhenglong, or even fight against the Nanman?"

Yang Xuanchen nodded, his eyes firm and deep: "That's right, Your Majesty."

"The people of the martial world have always disliked the imperial court's interference, but if we can guide them skillfully, we can make them participate in this war voluntarily."

“Not only can it distract Duan Zhenglong, but it can also add a force to Da Yan that cannot be underestimated.”

Emperor Jianwen was silent for a moment, and he began to quickly weigh the pros and cons of this plan in his mind.

Although the power of martial artists is great, it is also difficult to control.

If done incorrectly, it could lead to even greater chaos.

Yang Xuanchen seemed to see the hesitation of Emperor Jianwen, and he continued: "Your Majesty, the people in the martial arts world value loyalty and honor the most. We can start with these two points."

"For example, we can secretly support some righteous people in the martial arts world and have them publicize Duan Zhenglong's unjust actions in the martial arts world to arouse the indignation of the people in the martial arts world."

Emperor Jianwen raised his eyebrows slightly, and he began to seriously consider the feasibility of this proposal.

The influence of people in the martial arts world cannot be underestimated. If it can be used skillfully, it can indeed become a trump card.

Seeing that Emperor Jianwen seemed to be wavering, Yang Xuanchen struck while the iron was hot.

"Your Majesty, we are in a righteous position. It doesn't matter even if Liuzhou is temporarily handed over to Duan Zhenglong."

"If he gets Chen and Liu states, whether he becomes arrogant or works hard to govern, we must make these two states go into chaos."

"The reason for this chaos lies with these martial artists in the south!"

A gleam of determination flashed in Emperor Jianwen's eyes. It was a risky plan, but also an opportunity that could bring about a huge turning point.

He took a deep breath and then said slowly: "I understand what you mean, but this matter must be done in secret, and Duan Zhenglong must not be aware of our actions."

"I will let Consort Shu and Consort Xian handle this matter. For now, you should focus on the trade and teaching Yan Li."

"Don't make things complicated!"

A smile appeared on Yang Xuanchen's face.

Finally you don't add to my burden. It seems you still have some conscience.

"Your Majesty, I will definitely put trade and the teaching of the eldest prince first."

Then he changed the subject and talked about the villa outside Shangjing City.

"Your Majesty, the first batch of ore from Northern Liao should arrive at Yueguan Town in late May. We can start our military strengthening plan soon."

"The villa is currently building a factory. Once the ore arrives, we can start operations."

"But before that, we need to prepare a large number of craftsmen..."

When Emperor Jianwen heard this, he was inexplicably excited. "It will take more than three or four months for the Nanman and Duan Zhenglong to take Liuzhou."

"If we can build an army of 100,000 men in these few months, I will have the confidence to defeat them."

After that, he patted Yang Xuanchen on the shoulder and said in a firm tone: "Everything will be done according to your wishes."

"If you need men, I will give you men. If you need silver, I will give you silver!"

Yang Xuanchen bowed and said, "I obey your order."

Yang Xuanchen came out of the imperial study, feeling much more relaxed.

If she didn't need to resolve the issues between Nanman and Duan Zhenglong, then the next thing would be his forte, which was managing the economy, and he just had to proceed step by step.

He walked quickly towards the Cultural Palace of the eldest prince Zhao Yanli, ready to teach him a lesson. It was this kid who almost caused him to be hit by the paperweight.

Palace of Culture.

Zhao Yanli was memorizing in the study. When he saw Yang Xuanchen coming in, he smiled and said, "Teacher, how did the discussion with the emperor go?"

Yang Xuanchen smiled slightly, then deliberately put on a stern face and said, "Zhao Yanli! Please act better next time, I was almost killed by you."

"Fortunately, your father finally agreed, but look at my official uniform, you have to change it for me."

When Zhao Yanli saw this, he burst into laughter, which made Yang Xuanchen furious.

You are such a good boy, but your kindness is not rewarded!

"You little bastard, stretch out your hands!" Yang Xuanchen pulled out a ruler from his waist and moved closer to him step by step.

There was no way Zhao Yanli would just sit there and take a beating, so he started moving around the table.

However, he was beaten up in the end.

Before leaving, Yang Xuanchen left a message, "You are still a little short of mastering the art of mutual trade. Come with me and learn something else starting tomorrow."