Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

When Xiao Ce said this, the expressions on the faces of these people immediately became somewhat awkward.

He was well aware of what this gold meant to their Shanshan Kingdom.

This sum of money is an astronomical amount for Shanshan Kingdom, and even for Xiao Kingdom, it represents a year's worth of national fiscal revenue!

"Nanxi, Your Majesty, is this price acceptable? I've already given you the lowest possible price. I'm not bragging, but if a second person comes to me, my price will definitely double!"

Nanxi nodded in agreement: "That's right, Your Highness the King of Mobei, I understand! The price is fine, but I don't know how you want to pay, we're afraid we can't come up with the funds right now!"

Xiao Ce nodded to Nan Xi: "That's right, I naturally know that! Since I've already helped you, as the saying goes, if you're going to help someone, help them all the way. You can pay me 10% as a deposit, which is 150,000 taels of gold. Then, you can pay another 150,000 taels upon delivery. As for the remaining 80%, if you don't have the money, you can treat it as a loan from your Shanshan Kingdom in the form of national bonds. Of course, there will be interest! What do you think?"

Hearing Xiao Ce's words, Nan Xi nodded excitedly and said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, of course! No problem, you are truly our savior."

Seeing how readily Nan Xi agreed, Xiao Ce smiled and asked, "I did agree... but aren't you going to ask about the interest?"

Nanxi said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, you've already helped us so much, your offer certainly won't put us in a difficult position."

Xiao Ce discovered that Nan Xi liked to use the "praise to kill" tactic.

"Even though you say that, I won't lower the profit for you. One percent per year!"

Without hesitation, Nan Xi said to Xiao Ce, "Okay, no problem! Deal!"

Just then, Ling Chang whispered to Nan Xi, "Your Majesty, you must think this over. The interest alone will amount to over 100,000 taels a year. Moreover, His Highness the King of Mobei has made it very clear that we will need to purchase more grenades, gunpowder for flintlock muskets, and bullets. This is all an expense. Our Shanshan Kingdom's annual income is only about 300,000 taels of gold... This military expenditure will bankrupt us!"

Nan Xi nodded and said, "I know!"

Ling Chang said in disbelief, "You knew that..."

Nan Xi interrupted Ling Chang, saying, "Don't be anxious. Since His Highness the King of Mobei dared to lend us this money, it means he has faith in us... If he's not afraid to lend us money, what are we afraid of?"

Nanxi then looked at Xiao Ce: "Moreover, you should first listen to our Prince of Mobei finish explaining his entire plan. After all, reforming the army is probably the least noticeable part of his plan. Prince of Mobei is not the kind of person who invests recklessly."

Xiao Ce nodded approvingly upon hearing Nan Xi's words.

Nanxi seems carefree and always readily agrees to anything.

However, Nan Xi actually knew everything perfectly well; she had a complete set of plans in her head.

However, his calculations were very macro-level.

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "That's right. Developing your military strength isn't so that you can fight others. It's so that when you have good things, and others come to plunder them, you have the power to resist!"

"The next step is the most important. Your Shanshan Kingdom is riddled with problems."

"The first issue is agriculture; a common problem in your Western Regions is water scarcity..."

Before Xiao Ce could finish speaking, Nan Xi interrupted him with an awkward smile.

"Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, may I interrupt?"

Xiao Ce looked at Nan Xi.

Nan Xi smiled slightly, indicating that she would make a note of it.

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "No need. I will give you a document I have compiled later, and it will record how to make changes. Just follow it. In less than a year, it will be enough to bring about earth-shattering changes to your Shanshan Kingdom. Listen to what I have to say first."

Nan Xi listened and nodded with a touched expression.

Xiao Ce continued, "First of all, Shanshan's agriculture is short of water. In fact, no matter which country it is, agriculture and animal husbandry are the lifeblood of agricultural civilization. First, I have inspected your area, and we can start with water conservancy construction."

"For example, building karez wells. Karez wells can transport water from the nearby mountains through underground channels, reducing water evaporation and effectively irrigating farmland."

"Secondly, you need to reform your crops. Your climate is different from Xiao's, so there's no need to grow the same crops as Xiao! Your land and climate are very suitable for growing cotton, grapes, pomegranates, and sandy melons... so there's no need to grow grains. You can develop your economy with your unique grains, and you can buy grains with money. I can arrange for Xiao to sell them to you!"

"Another thing is to encourage land reclamation. I've noticed that you have some arable land here, but it's all lying fallow... Isn't that a waste?"

Upon hearing this, Ling Chang interrupted, "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, you are unaware of the truth. We do grow grapes, but they are very difficult to store and cannot be sold at all. Grapes are not a precious commodity in the Western Regions, and after planting, large quantities spoil and rot... The fruits you mentioned also cannot be sold, so it's better not to grow them at all!"

Listening to their words, Xiao Ce ultimately felt that it was a waste of talent.

"Don't you know how to dry raisins or make wine?"

Ling Chang said that they did make them, but due to technical issues, the items they produced were not easy to preserve.

Xiao Ce patted his chest and said, "Just go and let your people plant it. Later I will give you some methods for making wine, as well as raisins and such. If you sell them in the north, they will probably fetch astronomical prices!"

"That's enough about agricultural reform for now. Next, as you've mentioned, transportation will be your biggest problem. There's an old saying, 'To get rich, build roads first!' The roads here are so bad that even camel caravans would have a hard time getting around, so the efficiency is obviously not good. If all the roads in your Western Regions were built up, and if fast horses could run, wouldn't your goods and fresh fruits be able to be transported out?"

"Although you have some geographical issues, reinforcing the dirt roads won't be a problem at all..."

"Furthermore, if you want to speed up the circulation of goods and commodities, your government should set up some warehouses and logistics centers, and then establish a mature and professional logistics team..."

"After completing the previous infrastructure, we need to promote trade. As far as I know, your Shanshan Kingdom has almost no trade. So how can you possibly have money? A truly healthy capital is like a pool of flowing water; your goods and money are constantly moving..."

Xiao Ce originally wanted to explain some concepts from Das Kapital to them, but seeing the blank expressions on Nan Xi and the others' faces, he realized they were all completely bewildered.

"Please have your finance official come and talk to me about this matter later."

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. You have a lot of women here. You could vigorously develop handicrafts and the textile industry, doing work that doesn't require physical strength but rather precision, like textiles and ceramics..."

Xiao Ce spoke with great enthusiasm, using one technical term after another.

They were completely confused by what they heard.

As Xiao Ce spoke, he picked up a stack of documents, all of which he had handwritten along the way.

"It's okay if you don't understand, just have your men check it... But remember, make sure to find trustworthy people to do it..."

"If you implement this well, it will be worth trillions of gold!"

At this moment, Nanxi believed Xiao Ce wholeheartedly and was deeply moved: "Your Highness, the King of the Northern Desert, we have no way to repay such a great kindness!"

Despite saying this, Nan Xi walked forward expectantly, wanting to take the document in front of Xiao Ce.

Xiao Ce said with a smile, "The reason I'm helping you so much is because I need a powerful ally. Your Majesty Nanxi, you should remember the promise you made to me, right?"

Nan Xi said with certainty, "Of course! I still stand by what I said before: as long as Your Highness the King of Mobei gives the word, we will do our utmost!"

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Alright, Your Majesty Nanxi, then you can proceed with the work. As for the reorganization of your army, I will have Da Lei and General Dan accompany you back to begin the process."

Nan Xi nodded, then she also understood the implication: "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, do you mean you're not coming back with us?"

Xiao Ce nodded: "That's right, I need to go and take care of some of our own things..."

Seeing this, Da Lei said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, you need to take care of your own affairs, so I can't leave you!"

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, "Don't worry, what you did to help Nan Xi and the others is even more important! Besides, Hu Yidao and the others are here! Do you think they are inferior to you?"

Hu Yidao chimed in, "Yes, Brother Da Lei. And you must understand the Prince's good intentions!"

As he spoke, Hu Yidao looked at General Dan with a wicked grin.

Da Lei was about to speak.

Xiao Ce said to Da Lei, "This is an order! I have my own plan."

Seeing Xiao Ce's serious expression, Da Lei stopped talking.

Empress Nanxi was also somewhat worried.

Nanxi asked Xiao Ce with some confusion, "Your Highness, King of Mobei, where are you going? And what are your plans? Do you need my help?"

Seeing Nan Xi respond, Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Of course... I do need your help with what I'm doing!"

Upon seeing this, Nanxi's face flashed with anticipation.

"Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, please just ask. If it is within my power, I will certainly do it. Even if it is beyond my power, I will do everything in my power to find a way."

Xiao Ce smiled faintly and said to Nan Xi, "It's not that serious! Do you have anyone you've arranged to be stationed here at the Three Passes Pass?"

Nan Xi shook his head: "Your Highness, the King of Mobei, no. Did you have someone recommend you? Anyone you recommend, I will accept without hesitation!"

Seeing that Nan Xi had said this, Xiao Ce stopped beating around the bush: "Then, I will volunteer to be the 'Guardian' of the Three Passes Pass."

In the Xiao Kingdom, "Hu Zhu" means city lord.

Although the Three Passes Road is not large, it cannot be called a city.

However, after Xiao Ce arrived, he discovered that they didn't know what to think, but they could have expanded the Three Passes Road into a major trading city like Anhua City in Xiao Kingdom.

Xiao Ce has already said everything he needed to say about wanting to help Nan Xi.

The necessary instructions have already been given. The rest is up to them to carry out.

His presence in Ruoqiang City inevitably made them feel constrained.

Now that he has discovered this Three Passes Pass, it is a very good base for Xiao Ce.

Seeing that Nanxi remained silent, Xiao Ce asked, "Your Majesty Nanxi, is there any difficulty in this matter?"

Nan Xi quickly shook his head: "Of course not, it's just that I wonder if it would be unfair to you... Not only can you be the 'Master' here, I can give you the whole place!"

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have been able to take this Sanguandao city."

Seeing Nan Xi's polite manner, Xiao Ce said, "You don't need to send me a city. I just want a city that I can manage. It will make it easier for me to do my work."

As Xiao Ce spoke, Nan Xi nodded earnestly beside him: "Alright, Your Highness, do whatever is convenient for you! If you need military support, we can also send some over."

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "I want to build an army here composed of you Western Region people."

Before Xiao Ce could even ask if it was okay...

Nanxi gave a very affirmative answer, and then followed up with Xiao Ce saying that he was willing to do whatever he wanted here.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Xiao Ce noticed that Nan Xi seemed to be in a hurry to go back.

After all, she had the stack of documents Xiao Ce had given her, and she couldn't wait to put them into practice.

So, after saying a few words, Nanxi left.

Xiao Ce led Da Lei away with General Dan.

Nanxi, for reasons unknown, allowed Ling Chang to stay.

Nanxi meant that Ling Chang should cooperate with Xiao Ce.

After all, Ling Chang was very familiar with this place, and she was very familiar with both the civil officials and the military generals here.

In a sense, Ling Chang is Nan Xi's spokesperson.

Seeing this, Xiao Ce did not stand on ceremony.

After all, he did need some people he could trust who had influence in the Western Regions to help him.

After confirming this, Da Lei left with Nan Xi and the others.

Nan Xi and the others didn't turn their heads back either. He wanted to rush back overnight and find someone to check the treasure that Xiao Ce had given him.

Although Xiao Ce explained it to him, Nan Xi only vaguely understood it.

After seeing Nan Xi and the others off, Ling Chang went to the door of the room where Xiao Ce was and gently knocked on the door.