If you traveled back to ancient times, while others ate Guanyin clay, you would actually have giant

Jinshan Prefecture.

"What a rare guest! You've been waiting for so long to come see me. You're quite patient."

An said jokingly.

Did you know I was coming to see you?

Zhou Wu was somewhat curious as to how An knew he would be looking for him.

"Isn't it just about expanding the Qingyang Army?"

"You know this as well."

"The expansion of the Qingyang Army should have been approved by the capital according to procedure, but I suppressed it."

Hearing this, Zhou Wu was not angry, because he knew that An must have had a reason for doing so, and that he must have touched on some unsavory aspects of officialdom again.

"Aren't you angry?"

Seeing that Zhou Wu remained calm, it was An's turn to be curious.

"You must have your reasons for doing this, and I believe you wouldn't harm me."

"Haha, you really are trusting."

"Isn't that precisely why we can be friends?"

"Haha. Now you know why I suppressed the expansion of the Qingyang Army."

"All ears."

"Your Qingyang Army now has a strength of three thousand men. I remember that the Qingyang Army has only been established for about a year, right?"

"Yes."

"Your Qingyang Army has grown from a local militia of only three hundred men to a full three thousand men in just one year. Do you know what three thousand armed men represent? What do they represent to the imperial court?"

Zhou Wu just shook his head stupidly, thinking to himself, what's three thousand people? Didn't they have hundreds of thousands of troops in ancient times?

"If those three thousand soldiers were in the capital, you would have long been a high-ranking official, and princes and nobles would be trying to win you over. It's a good thing you're in this remote border region."

"Is it really that exaggerated? Our battles usually involve hundreds of thousands of troops, or at least tens of thousands. My three thousand soldiers are nothing."

"Haha, that's right. Every major battle does involve tens or hundreds of thousands of troops, but as you said, that's during wartime. They are temporarily unified and commanded by commanders appointed by the Sage. However, when there are no major battles, the troops under the command of the most commanders are the border troops, with a maximum of 20,000 men. If it's an inland city, the maximum is 3,000 to 5,000 men."

"I see, I understand now. But what does this have to do with the expansion of the Qingyang Army? Isn't the maximum number supposed to be five thousand?"

Now Zhou Wu understood. Tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands of troops were only under temporary leadership. No emperor would allow one person to lead so many troops for a long time; that would be like planting a landmine for himself.

"You're usually quite smart, so why can't you figure out the problem at a time like this?"

“Uh~~”

Do you have connections?

Zhou Wu thought for a moment. His deceased father was just a low-level official who had been dismissed. That shouldn't be considered a background. He wasn't even as high-ranking as Zhou Wu was now. He then shook his head.

An continued to ask questions.

"Do you have any powerful backers?"

"Aren't you?"

An Wanwan never expected Zhou Wu to point at him, and immediately became somewhat exasperated.

“Brother, we’re about the same level. I’m just a little higher in administrative rank than you. I’m nothing. Why would I be your backer?”

"Oh, that's not it."

"That's good. You're just a nobody with no background or connections. What makes you think you can command five thousand Qingyang soldiers? Can you guarantee that others won't be jealous? Can you guarantee that no one will trip you up? You'll be lucky if you can even manage your three thousand Qingyang soldiers."

Zhou Wu finally understood. In the end, he just had too little power. Yes, An was right and blunt; that's just how reality is.

"Thank you very much."

Having figured things out, Zhou Wu no longer wanted to expand the force. Now, his only task was to maximize the combat effectiveness of the three thousand Qingyang soldiers.

. . . . . . .

Capital.

"How is the Crown Princess's health lately?"

Li Junren has been busy with trade with the Dazi lately, so he hasn't had much time to spend with the Crown Princess, which inevitably makes him feel a little guilty.

"Your Highness, the maids in the manor are carrying candy with them as instructed by Lord Zhou, and the Crown Princess's diet is also being arranged according to Lord Zhou's requirements. The Crown Princess has not had many relapses."

"Is that so? Zhou Wu is truly a noble person in my Crown Prince's residence. Have someone select some valuable items to send to Zhou Wu."

"promise."

"Wait, Zhou Wu said that the Crown Princess needs some exercise. We've almost finished with the trade matters, so let's make arrangements. I'll take the Crown Princess to Qingyang County for a visit. The air there is much better than in the capital."

"promise."

Li Junren has been too busy lately. If he hadn't spent a few days talking with Zhou Wu, he probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere yet. In Li Junren's mind, Zhou Wu has already been labeled as someone who is both literate and skilled in martial arts, and is someone worth trying to win over.

This trip to Qingyang County will allow me to both win over Zhou Wu and take the Crown Princess for a tour, killing two birds with one stone.

The Crown Prince has not yet reached that position, so he is relatively free. If he interferes too much in politics, it will cause unnecessary suspicion and trouble. Therefore, a balance between work and rest is the best approach for Li Junren at present.

"Xue'er, didn't you say you wanted to visit Niujia Village? I'll take you there tomorrow."

Li Junren returned to the Crown Prince's residence in high spirits and quickly told the Crown Princess the good news. Because he had often mentioned some strange stories about Niujia Village to the Crown Princess, she had always longed to visit Niujia Village.

"Really? Won't this interfere with Your Highness's important business?"

While the Crown Princess was overjoyed, she was also afraid that it would delay the Crown Prince's important business, and that she would become a sinner.

“I have finished all the things Father Emperor arranged. I’m fine. Now, I’ll take you for a walk. This will be good for your condition.”

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Because the Crown Princess was traveling with him, Li Junren planned to stay with her for a few days. Therefore, he sent someone to inform Zhou Wu in advance.

Early the next morning, Crown Prince Li Junren and his wife boarded a ship heading south.

"Your Highness, this ship is huge!"

It was the first time for both the Crown Princess and the Crown Prince to ride on the Bull Demon King-class ship. However, the Crown Prince had at least boarded the ship before to take a look, while the Crown Princess was seeing it for the first time, so she was very curious.

"I heard His Highness say before that this ship was also built by Zhou Wu."

"Yes, you don't know, when Zhou Wu brought more than a dozen ships this big to the capital, the whole capital was in an uproar. Even Father Emperor couldn't help but secretly go to the dock to see them, and immediately ordered the palace to purchase five ships."

"Zhou Wu is truly a man of great talent, and he is still young. He will surely become a great help to Your Highness in the future."

"Um"

As expected of the Crown Princess, her thoughts are exactly the same as the Crown Prince's.

Niujia Town.

"Scholar, what's the matter that's causing you such a rush? Hah~~~~ Ah~~~"

As dusk approached, Old Man Niu, being of advanced age, was preparing to go to bed when he was suddenly woken up. He was told that Zhou Wu had something extremely urgent to discuss with everyone, so Old Man Niu quickly put on a coat and followed him out.