His Majesty is plotting a rebellion? Quickly, summon the Imperial Advisor!

Tantan Mountain is located west of Dahee City, nestled among mountains and within dense forests, making it quite secluded.

Tantanshan, Kailieshan, and Pijiushan are three mines, each with its own characteristics. Tantanshan is the closest and also has the advantage of being hidden.

Therefore, Xu Bing was given priority in development. Under the bright sun, Xu Bing sat in the carriage. Although there was some bumping, it was generally stable.

Through the "Yuan Ying" lens, Kai Lie Mountain came into view first.

Xu Bing placed his right hand on his abdomen and his left hand rubbed the jade thumb ring. The touch of the thumb ring was truly wonderful, and repeated rubbing could even enhance one's soul.

Unconsciously, it had become a habit, a habit that annoyed and embarrassed Yu'e, yet she had no way to talk about it.

As Xu Bingpan touched the thumb ring, his entire body felt as if something had lightly brushed over it.

If the soul had hairs, they would all stand up.

Finally, with no other choice, she could only sigh and silently tell herself, "Yu'e, Yu'e, let this matter remain a bitter pill to swallow and rot in my heart."

Seventy li west of Tantan Mountain lies Kailie Mountain. Yuan Ying surveyed this mountain and took in the surrounding geography.

There is a large city near this mountain called "Rao Hong City". The situation in the city is not of concern to Xu Bing.

The key is the terrain of the mountains; about two miles away from the mountain, there is a village.

The number of people in the village is unknown, but judging from the number of thatched houses, it is just a small village.

Unlike Tan Village, this village has a main road that leads directly to Rao Hong City, so it is not considered hidden.

"Yuan Ying" continued its reconnaissance, presenting further details of the opening of the mountain to Xu Bing.

Xu Bing gripped a hidden buckle with his right hand and gently pulled it. A wooden board extended from the inner wall of the carriage, lying across him to serve as a desk.

With a flick of his sleeve, a sheet of white paper landed on the desk. He picked up his pen and roughly sketched down what he had thought and seen.

Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of opening up inferior mountains.

At the foot of the mountain flows a river called "Spring Water River," which flows eastward. If you follow the river, you can see several small villages along the way.

A tributary of the Chunshui River is called the "Panya River". For some reason, that river is dark and the surrounding trees are withered.

Many crows stood in the air.

Xu Bing put down his brush, rubbed his thumb ring, and urged the eagle to continue flying around the inferior mountain.

Their eyes lit up as they spotted three villages nestled among the dense forests and mountains about seven miles behind Kailishan.

The scale is similar to that of Tan Village, with each village having about one to two thousand mu of farmland.

Near the three villages, there is a high mountain, much taller than Kailie Mountain, and quite majestic. Kailie Mountain, as its name suggests, is just a dilapidated little mountain; if it weren't for the iron ore deposits inside, Xu Bing wouldn't even bother to look at it.

However, within that high mountain, a considerable bandit force had gathered.

The three villages have clearly suffered from this for a long time. Because the mountain roads are impassable, there is no way to file a complaint, making them like prisoners in a cage.

So far…

Having taken in all the characteristics of Kai Lie Mountain, Xu Bing hesitated for a moment, then decided to leave the last mountain, Pi Jiu Mountain, for the time being.

Given the poor mountainous terrain, it is not suitable for development or mining.

Because Kailishan is not secluded, there is a village at its foot. After leaving the village, one can reach Raohongcheng directly via the post road.

However... at present, Xu Bing does not lack iron ore; the iron ore in Tantan Village is more than enough.

What truly captivated Xu Bing was the Chunshui River near Kailie Mountain and the three hidden villages.

Those lands, and that labor force!

If applied properly, the entire area of ​​Chunshui River can be used to treat Xu's illness.

……

Xu Bing always acted on his impulses, and once he decided on a development area, he would select capable people to develop it.

At this time, we still need Gong Zhonghou. He is experienced, and Xu Bing trusts him enough.

The crow delivered the message, and after receiving it, Duke Zhonghou followed the crow's guidance to a small pavilion halfway up a mountain in the suburbs.

The Imperial Preceptor's carriage stopped by the roadside, and Xu Bing sat in the pavilion, overlooking the scenery halfway up the mountain.

When Gong Zhonghou approached, he knelt on one knee, went through the formalities, and then got straight to the point.

After returning to Tancun and Futian, he quickly set off for Raohongcheng.

First, we went to Kailishan for an on-site investigation, and then traveled deep into the mountain range to visit three villages and learn about their general situation.

talking.

Xu Bingshou gently beckoned.

Black Eleven, a crow, flew over and landed on Gong Zhonghou's shoulder. If he didn't know the way, this crow would guide him.

After figuring out the reason, Gong Zhonghou returned to Futian and Tancun, made arrangements, mounted his precious horse, and headed towards Naraohongcheng.

With the affairs arranged, Xu Bing boarded the carriage and returned home, silently making plans in his mind.

Da Xi City is on the right track, though complete control is still a long way off. But…

That's certainly possible; we can expand our channels in advance and gradually develop outwards.

What Xu Bing wants to do cannot be supported by the resources of a single city.

But what he lacks most now is still talent.

Next, Xu Bing plans to use Jiu Mi to open up the Rao Hongcheng market.

……

End of a long day.

Xu Bing returned to his residence, sat in his study, lit a candle, and bought a brush to dip in ink and write something.

We have too many projects on hand, including a wetland park and land reclamation, all of which are very expensive. Now we have another project to develop a bad mountain.

Xu needs to plan carefully to avoid a break in the funding chain and a complete collapse.

Fortunately, they recruited two talented individuals for the land reclamation project and the bathing site project. With them in charge, Xu Bing felt much more at ease.

Around 7 PM.

Gong Zhonghou replied, his handwriting was crooked and not much better than before, but the content was very useful.

Gong Zhonghou has already investigated the details of the three villages, which are named "Red Rain Village", "White Bird Village" and "Earth Bed Village".

The entire village of Hongyu has 217 people.

There are 215 people in "White Bird Village".

There are 218 people in Tukeng Village.

Each of the three villages has more than 1,500 mu of farmland.

In total, there were 650 people and 4,500 mu of land.

The surrounding terrain has been thoroughly surveyed by Gong Zhonghou; it is very well hidden and not too far from the "Spring Water River," making it of great significance.

The only downside was that the three villages were often bullied and robbed by mountain bandits because of their remote and low-lying location.

Because winter has recently arrived, on the night of the Welcoming the Sun Festival, bandits came down from the mountain and robbed most of the remaining grain from the three villages, leaving most of the villagers without food and starving.

Even more outrageous, the bandit leader ordered that the three villages must hand over another 100 shi of grain in three days.

Otherwise, for every stone lost, a person will be killed!

……

I closed the envelope, threw it into the stove and lit it, and wisps of black smoke drifted past my hair.

Xu Bing leaned back in his armchair, languidly tapping his fingers lightly.

It's time for the two hundred cooks to be tempered and see some blood.