Wang Yang sensed something amiss in her tone.

Her words weren’t particularly warm.

Of course, it wasn’t that she lacked interest in the transaction.

If that were the case, she wouldn’t have bothered to present the item to Wang Yang.

Clearly, this wasn’t something she would casually trade away.

Yet, being both in Bingzhou and having access to coal, the Wang clan was a natural choice if business involving this “coke” were to proceed.

Negotiations could still be fruitful, given their shared interests.

Fortunately, Qiao Yan’s initial requirements weren’t overly demanding.

While finding the specialized manpower she needed posed a challenge, there was still a chance for the Wang clan of Jinyang.

Wang Yang breathed a sigh of relief and promptly left to make preparations.

Unnoticed by him, when Qiao Yan watched him depart, a faint smile crossed her lips.

She then resumed her composed demeanor and nodded politely to Mi Zhu, who had been observing from a distance.

Upon receiving news that the merchants were temporarily settled in Jinyang, she wasted no time the next day in returning to Leping County to prepare her manpower.

Alongside her were Guo Jia and Mi Zhu.

The former naturally claimed to be visiting friends.

The latter, as he straightforwardly admitted during his visit the previous day, intended to engage in trade negotiations with Leping.

Of course, if Leping had other items to offer for trade with the Mi clan, those could also be discussed.

Mi Zhu was well aware that he had exposed his hand prematurely, a mistake no scion of a great merchant family should make.

In theory, he could have justified his visit as a leisurely trip to Leping.

Unfortunately, lacking a friend like Xi Zhicai and disrupted by Qiao Yan’s powerful competitive presence elsewhere, his plans went awry.

The principle ‘a strong dragon does not crush a local snake’ held true.

Despite the vast wealth and extensive network of the East, Mi clan, they remained a force stationed in the Xuzhou territory.

All Mi Zhu could offer Qiao Yan was money.

However, in the current circumstances, money evidently wasn’t the decisive factor.

“The support of local powers proved useful indeed.

Mi Zhu had a gut feeling that in Leping, Qiao Yan might see him as more than just a trading partner for a specially crafted fishing rod.

Meanwhile, riding on horseback, Qiao Yan was contemplating—

For Leping, which was currently constrained by finances in all aspects of development, there was nothing more useful than money.

She was determined to maintain a good cooperative relationship with him because of this.

Perfect!

However, she didn’t pick just anything to provoke the Wang clan to seek her out.

Even without Mi Zhu coming to Bingzhou, she would have found a way to collaborate with the Wang clan.

As for what exactly was added to the “coke,” calling it special was relative to the current context.

In modern terms, it could simply be something like nitrate, a combustion enhancer.

Coincidentally, in lands downstream like those around the Fen River, due to pollution issues, there was often a presence of nitrates in the soil.”

When Chu Yan and Zhao Yun led their men to engage with the bandits as instructed by Qiao Yan, they also discreetly collected a batch of them back, using wood ash and nitrate-rich soil to produce a batch of nitric acid.

This mixture was then blended into the coke.

As for Mi Zhu’s mention of the fishing rod, it turned out to be a trading item that surprised her.

Initially, she had only intended to make Mi Zhu more confident in viewing Leping as a promising asset, but she hadn’t expected him to lock in on a trade item so quickly.

Xi Zhicai ai’s fishing rod did indeed differ from modern fishing rods because it had a special reel device—a fishing line wheel, known as a fishing reel in modern times and as a fishing cart in the Tang and Song dynasties.

This device allowed the fishing line to be cast farther and still be reeled in smoothly after catching a fish.

It was quite unexpected that Qiao Yan would venture into this.

Xi Zhicai’s preoccupation with fishing rods when Qiao Yan didn’t need to go out was perhaps due to his friend’s stagnating career in virtual fishing in Yingchuan, which had never made breakthrough progress, leading him to become engrossed in actual fishing.

However, he seemed to have a knack for fishing with an empty net, spending half the day fishing only to come back empty-handed.

Out of concern for her own counselor’s mental health, Qiao Yan pondered this and decided to rely on her.

Before, she had the impression of the ancient painting showing a fishing cart, so she replicated it.

She pondered that if fishing from the shore didn’t work, using this method that could support long lines would always be reliable.

Because of the demand for controlling strength when casting the line, it naturally led Xi Zhicai to join Leping’s training.

It couldn’t have been better.

Who would have known that this thing not only met Xi Zhicai’s needs but also unexpectedly hooked another person in Mi Zhu.

But come to think of it, one important application of a fishing reel is sea fishing.

With Xuzhou near the sea, and with Mi’s commercial acumen, focusing on the maritime sector was a logical step.

But this item was just a matter of buying the technology.

As long as Mi Zhu could provide a finished product, regardless of whether he understood the principles behind it, replicating it wouldn’t be difficult.

It’s fortunate that Mi’s descendant had some consideration due to a previous lifesaving favor.

If he were a bit more callous, he could have just stolen Xi Zhicai’s fishing rod directly, without bothering to discuss business with her.

In light of this, she needed to find another long-term business deal that could maintain relations with Leping.

In her pondering, she inadvertently overlooked a certain talent.

But Guo Jia was quite satisfied with an observation environment where personal safety was assured and somewhat free.

What pleased him even more was that from Qiao Yan’s performance, it was clear that Xi Zhicai hadn’t revealed his situation too much to Qiao Yan.

In this regard, the credibility of his various statements in the letter had increased.

So now, let him see what kind of person Leping really was!

Guo Jia wondered if it was just his imagination, but upon entering this place with Qiao Yan, he sensed a distinct aura here that differed greatly from towns of similar size.

Of course, they hadn’t yet reached the town itself, only walking along the embankments through vast farmlands outside the county.

As they slowly proceeded, they encountered farmers coming and going.

The vitality and spirit shown on their faces were markedly different from those who had experienced war and famine.

As they passed by, aside from the deference shown by the county lord as he stepped aside respectfully, when they glanced towards Qiao Yan, there was a clear expression of admiration in their eyes.

This was a sentiment rarely seen between local people and marquises who enjoyed vast estates and tens of thousands of households.

By now, the wheat in the fields had already been harvested, preparing for the planting of winter wheat.

As the sowing of winter wheat would begin in late September, the county residents needed to complete…

Each household had already finished plowing their fields, so Guo Jia saw only the remnants of wheat roots still in the soil.

Although there was no wheat growing in the fields, judging by the expressions of the laborers, this year’s harvest seemed promising.

Following the unobstructed fields, he looked into the distance and saw terraced fields neatly combed and crisscrossed with furrows.

Originally planted on these terraced fields were probably the sweet potatoes repeatedly mentioned by Xi Zhicai in his letters.

Now these crops had also been completely harvested, leaving only land to be sown next year.

Due to this lack of obstruction, Guo Jia could clearly see, at a higher position, a long wall standing prominently.

Though it was too far to discern clearly, the wall didn’t seem to be made of stacked bricks or the common earthen walls seen in rural areas today.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t clearly see it at the moment.

Within this distinctive wall, there were distinctly two parts: one half seemed to be single-story houses, visible only by their roof peaks from the direction of the field embankment below.

The other half resembled a fortress, at least three stories tall.

The shorter side obscured the outer walls of the houses, while the taller side showed that its outer walls were somewhat similar to those surrounding it.

Guo Jia was deeply engrossed in his observation when suddenly Mi Zhu pulled him aside.

Returning his focus to the near surroundings, he noticed in the distance a group of well-armed soldiers running along the embankment, approaching rapidly.

If he hadn’t moved aside, he would have obstructed their path in a moment.

His gaze naturally fell upon the face of the young leader among the group.

He pondered whether Marquis Qiao favored young and promising individuals in his selection process, hence why he had recruited a young teenager of about thirteen or fourteen years of age into the ranks.

Otherwise, why would he select a youth of the same age?

However, this young man was quite unusual.

His entire demeanor was unexpectedly cold, despite it being autumn.

There was an aura about him that resembled the harshness of winter.

If Guo Jia’s intuition was correct, although this young man was still in his early teens, he must have seen bloodshed firsthand, likely engaging in direct combat.

As they passed by Qiao Yan, the young man’s eyes flickered slightly.

He led the troops to halt in place and addressed Qiao Yan as “Lord Marquis.”

“Yang Cai, how many more rounds?” Qiao Yan asked.

The young man gestured with three fingers, and upon receiving a nod from Qiao Yan, he signaled his troops to continue forward.

He showed no curiosity towards Qiao Yan’s guest and simply tucked his sweat towel back in place and continued running ahead.

Compared to his cold demeanor, the soldiers behind him, engaged in training exercises, appeared much more enthusiastic.

Unfortunately, the leader’s temperament, well-known since his arrival in Leping, made it clear he was someone who pushed himself and others to their limits.

The group soon disappeared from Qiao Yan and Guo Jia’s sight and quickly arrived beneath the walls of Leping’s county town.

Guo Jia was somewhat surprised to find that despite the high martial spirit and combat readiness evident among the members of Leping County, the town walls had not been raised since their construction several years prior.

Upon reflection, it made sense.

With a patrol force masquerading as a training unit, there was little need for additional defensive measures atop the walls.

Following Qiao Yan into the county town, Guo Jia immediately noticed its cleanliness, which was quite refreshing.

It wasn’t that every household was built with blue bricks; rather, there was a distinct absence of common household debris and clutter in the corners.

The houses were just houses, and the roads were just roads, yet there was a vibrant and energetic atmosphere that lifted one’s spirits.

At that moment, Guo Jia saw two children running past at the intersection of lanes ahead, their hands spinning windmills caught in the autumn breeze.

This lightweight windmill, made from the paper of Marquis Leping as Xi Zhicai mentioned in his letters, was likely what he saw.

Initially, Guo Jia had thought Xi Zhicai exaggerated a bit in his letters; after all, even for close friends, Xi Zhicai only sent out a few of these windmills.

Coupled with Qiao Yan’s secretive wealth, Guo Jia truly believed that Marquis Leping’s paper must have been costly.

But today, upon seeing the children in the courtyard playing with these windmills made from Marquis Leping’s paper, it turned out to be realistic.

It wasn’t just the windmills the children held that fluttered in the wind; there was also a loose piece of paper carried aloft.

Guo Jia didn’t know if this was fate, but the paper was caught in a gust and landed right on his face.

Straight on.

He immediately reached up to remove the paper from his face and, in doing so, involuntarily glanced at the writing on it.

It turned out to be a question and answer sheet.

The answerer, named Zhang Niujiao, evidently had a knack for making one’s eyes ache from studying.

At a glance, the paper was filled with incorrect answers…

But before he could express his thoughts on whether such use of paper was wasteful, he heard voices nearby.

One person, walking angrily, shouted, “I was studying in Wen’s books, and you scared me! If I can’t find that scroll now, you and I will have trouble!”

“How could you think like that?” the other person laughed. “I heard that this time you actually wrote the character ‘Ye’ of Lord Jun wrong and just missed the passing mark. If Lord Qiao finds out, he’ll have you expelled.”

The person who spoke first was obviously Zhang Niujiao, the owner of the paper, according to Guo Jia’s judgment.

Upon hearing the other person’s words, he confidently replied, “It’s not that I can’t write it. It’s just that I have a deep respect for the virtue of the Han Dynasty. I dare not write it lightly.”

“You’re lying. When I helped you make grilled fish yesterday, the note you sent didn’t miss a single ‘fire’ character.”

As they spoke, the two turned out of the alley and ran into Qiao Yan’s group head-on.

Seeing his exam paper held by a stranger next to Qiao Yan, Zhang Niujiao’s expression immediately froze.

“Lord… Lord Qiao?” he stammered.

Qiao Yan pinched her brow.

These characters! Could they not embarrass themselves at such a time?