Xianyu Infrastructure, I have a lot of troops in my hands

The military group was headed by Xie Changhuan, with Niu Er and Liu Yu sitting tall on his right.

Xie Changhuan stroked his beard and nodded secretly, his eyes sweeping over everyone's faces. As expected, without realizing it, the second branch of the Xie family already had such a foundation.

Meetings are good, everyone gathers together and expresses their opinions. And such meetings are much more relaxing than kneeling in the meeting hall on weekdays.

Xie Xian glanced at the satisfied look on her sixth uncle's face. She was also quite satisfied. She set an example for herself. As a mature employee, she had to be able to hold meetings by herself! It would be impossible to make progress if she had to ask the boss for everything.

At the end of the meeting, Xie Xian made a summary: "Our biggest problem now is that we don't have enough meat. The chickens in the back mountain of Taozhuang are still a bit risky. Do you have any other sources of meat?"

It takes 4-6 months for the chicks to grow up, and during this long period of time, they must be supplemented with large quantities of meat.

"On weekdays, at this time of year, it's a time of famine, and we're lucky to have something to eat." Eat a good meal during the Chinese New Year to store fat, and then continue to cope with the consumption of the whole year.

Xie Xian refused to be a blind bear and asked, "Can you buy some chickens and ducks from the rich families in the city?"

"Of course we can, but we can't afford it." They all knew that the meat Xie Xian was talking about was mainly supplied to the Black Stone Guards and the workers in his industries.

Normally, the native chickens produced on the farms of the nobles could only be enjoyed by the owner of the house. It would be a foolish dream to let everyone eat the meat.

The people present didn't expect that Xie Xian would actually bring up the issue of eating meat and be so cautious about it.

"Since I promised to let everyone live a good life, it is not just talk. How can we call it a good life if we can't even afford meat for one meal every three days?" Xie Xian said unhappily.

"She feels from the bottom of her heart that the workers under her have such a hard life. They work ten hours a day, only get one meal, and all overtime is voluntary. Yet they are still grateful to her as their boss. What kind of blessed constitution is this?"

Xie Xian couldn't bear it, she wanted everyone to have meat to eat.

"How can we ensure that there is enough meat for four months?"

"We can only go to places farther away to buy mutton, chicken, and some game from the nearby mountains!"

"Speaking of sheep, there are quite a lot of them over at Tongguan." Niu Er, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.

Seeing everyone looking at him, he smiled shyly. The thought of not having meat to eat for several months made him feel uncomfortable all over.

He winked at Liu Yu beside him.

Knowing what kind of person his brother-in-law is, Liu Yu had no choice but to speak: "Every autumn and winter, the tribes outside Tongguan would send some cattle and sheep here in exchange for food and cloth."

"The mutton over there tastes better," Niu Er added.

"However, these transactions are usually controlled by major merchants and wealthy families." As soldiers of the Bronze Pass, they had no share of mutton, but they were clear about the private transactions between their superiors.

"Isn't the market over there closed?" You Chun asked. As a local businessman, he was well-informed and knew something.

"The market is closed, but privately we have done quite a bit of it." Uncle Xie said calmly, stroking his beard.

As the governor of Tongguan, Yang Mao had to pay a lot of tribute to the officials in the court every year. If it weren't for smuggling, where would he get so much money?

The guards and fortresses on the border were naturally aware of these things. In previous years, they thought that their own soldiers could at least get some benefits. However, after the Xie family fell into decline, Yang Mao added insult to injury.

So Xie Changhuan revealed this matter without any scruples.

"Yang Mao was an old subordinate of King Chen. After King Chen fell from power, he was eager to change his allegiance. Later, somehow, he became the governor of Tongguan."

Others did not know why Yang Mao was demoted to Tongguan, but Xie Changhuan knew it very well. As soon as Prince Chen fell, Yang Mao sold out all of Prince Chen's former subordinates.

Even the youngest daughter of King Chen was not spared, and was captured and sent back to the emperor in an attempt to atone for his sins.

He sold out his master for fame and fortune, but in the end, he didn't get a good ending and was sent to guard the border. It's a pity that he was determined to climb up. In the past few years, through his unremitting efforts, I don't know who got him through the door, but he has the momentum to be reinstated.

Xie Xian narrowed her eyes: "General Yang is really hardworking," he even sent out his private soldiers to earn money.

She glanced at Qu Qing, who seemed to have realized something and said helplessly, "In the matter of Qionglou Village, Gan Hu and others were just pawns in Yang Mao's hands. I heard that Yang Mao has many other people like Gan Hu who help him do things."

Everyone was in an uproar. Looking at their expressions, Xie Xian suddenly thought to herself: The commander of Tongguan was amassing huge wealth. Was it a distortion of human nature or a decline of morality?

"Isn't he afraid of being discovered as he is amassing so much wealth?" someone couldn't help but ask. Collusion between civil and military officials is a big taboo nowadays.

Xie Changhuan shook his head. The news of Yang Mao's money-making started two years ago, but looking at the past two years, he has done nothing and even expanded his business to their territory. It is obvious that the person behind Yang Mao must be no simple person.

A tangled look flashed across Qu Qing's face, and he added, "And some of Gan Hu and the others' salt is still shipped outside the Great Wall!"

"Yang Mao is too bold!" Everyone couldn't believe it. Salt is a strategic material, and this is simply aiding the enemy.

Xie Xian had guessed this a long time ago, and there was nothing much to say. Yang Mao had been able to help Emperor Qi guard Tongguan for five or six years without causing a war. Who would believe him if he said he had no special abilities?

Anyway, whether he uses force to prevent foreign tribes from invading, or uses his diplomatic skills to satisfy the nobles on both sides, this is all ability.

"Now let's talk about the sheep." Xie Xian said in a deep voice.

It's helpless that this meeting went off track, but let's first solve the problem of the meat that will soon be cut off.

"We can send someone to check it out. Now that the first month of the year has passed, there aren't many people selling sheep over at Tongguan. If someone is willing to go to the foreign tribe to find out the area, it won't be a problem to bring back a few hundred sheep." Niu Er grinned.

Liu Yu couldn't help but cover his face. Is this something he can talk about openly? His brothers were deducted from their food and had been hungry for years, so naturally they had some ideas.

There are many small roads leading outside the pass.

The big tribes relied on stealing, the small tribes relied on robbing, in short, they were self-reliant. The generals above knew that they had no choice but to turn a blind eye and pretended not to see anything.

You Chun and Qu Qing immediately understood what Niu Er meant by the word "弄". They smiled without saying anything, while the others had a puzzled look on their faces.

Xie Changhuan coughed a few times and said, "Then contact the Black Stone Guards at Tongguan. It just so happens that the time for the rotation is approaching."

Seeing that no one objected, Xie Xian made the decision and did as Xie Changhuan said. The Black Stone Guards had been at the border for almost a year, but those who came back last time had recovered.

Do I have to go to the border to suffer again? Xie Xian narrowed her eyes and secretly thought, this Governor Yang loves money so much, can I use my money ability to impress him?

Xie Xian did not ask for an improvement in the treatment of the Black Stone Guards, she just wanted the rotation time to be shorter and more frequent.

From once every two years to once a year now, she strives to do it twice a year. As for her own guards, their food, clothing, and other treatment, of course she takes care of them herself.

She walked towards the ancestral hall. She had to think of a way to ask her grandfather if her family had any property in Tongguan. Her brothers were so hungry that they had to hunt for food by themselves. She had to open a restaurant or something to provide them with good nutrition.