Chapter 177 Unleashing One's Skills (Part 2)

Luo Kaoer, with a rather simple mind, pointed towards the central region on the map and asked, "What is this place? A copper mine? What does that mean? Does the Lord know that copper ore is produced here?"
Xia Yan nodded and said, "Indeed, there is a very large copper mine here. When I was in the imperial capital and received an audience with the former emperor, I once saw a detailed map. I vaguely remember it, so I want to compare it with this map." Translated: "
Luo Keer eagerly exclaimed, "So are we ready to go and rob this copper mine?"
Xia Yan shook his head and said, "Not yet! A copper mine cannot be raided at will. We must control the area, establish smelters, recruit workers, and create a stable environment. It will also take a considerable amount of time for us to dig the copper out of the ground and gradually refine it into brass. This is a very complex task, requiring thorough preparation in terms of military, political, technological, and economic aspects before it can be carried out."
Luokao'er said doubtfully, "So are we not going to loot anymore?"
Xia Yan replied without hesitation, "Of course we should loot!"
After a slight pause, Xia Yan's gaze turned fierce as he said, "Looting not only allows us to grow stronger ourselves, but also weakens our enemies! The most effective way to strike at the enemy is to cut off their sustainable combat capability. Defeating the enemy on the battlefield will only result in their quick return, but if we destroy their homes, they won't be able to recover for ten or even twenty years! If you don't kill the snake, you'll be harmed instead... Just like what happened to India in the past..."
"India? My lord, what is India?" Luo Kaoer asked with confusion.
"Ahem, let's just forget I mentioned it," Xia Yan coughed lightly, not wanting to discuss this topic of time travel and give away any hints. He then changed the subject and said, "Luo Kaoer, we must always remember that no matter how fierce a tiger is, it cannot withstand a pack of wolves! If we are wolves, we must unite with other wolves to attack the tiger. If we are the tiger, we must prevent the wolf pack from gathering to attack us."
Luol Kayer smiled foolishly, pretending to understand, but in fact, he did not fully comprehend it.
Luol Kayer looked at the map while occasionally glancing at Xia Yan. Soon, he noticed that his lord's gaze kept lingering on a certain spot on the map.
"Sir, are you planning to develop in the southwest direction?" Luo Keer whispered, "To Lake Liulan?"
"That's right, in order to control Mills City, we can't rely solely on the troops we have in our hands." Xia Yan crossed his arms and his eyes gleamed, "Now we have a great opportunity to achieve something monumental."
Luo Kao'er was secretly surprised.
This Ruilan Lake is a region with quite a complex geographical location. The reason why the Moneta Kingdom has become an agricultural powerhouse and the breadbasket of the continent is not only due to its suitable climate and fertile land, but also the indispensable irrigation from the Ruilan River.
As the source of the Lulan River, Lulan Lake connects the Mone Principality, the Magi Kingdom, and the Keirniro Empire, and finally flows into the sea in the southeastern part of the Holy See Country.
Although located within the territory of Visehr, Lake Lulan seems to have become an unclaimed neutral area due to deliberate interference from both the Kingdom of Magico and the Empire of Kelniro. Furthermore, a large-scale, organized group of pirates seems to have emerged here.
Dealing with these bandits is undoubtedly a thankless task. As a result, under the delicate relationships in the Three Kingdoms, these water bandits lead a comfortable and carefree life, resembling the local emperors of the Azure Lake region.
"Lord, you don't really want to deal with those pirates, do you? It's too..."
Xia Yan didn't say much, just smiled and shook his head: "I'm not in such a hurry yet. I still need to infiltrate with intelligence first. Let's wait for news from Andrea."
To understand why Xia Yan had such thoughts, we need to start from the previous day.
As for the letters he sent to the surrounding cities in the County of Ande, he received replies from almost all of them. Most of the replies from the city lords and fortress owners were formalities, expressing willingness to engage in trade and assist in resisting the invading forces of Kelniro, and so on. However, it was the reply from Luduo Fortress that piqued Xia Yan's interest.
In addition to expressing a normal intention to cooperate, a small request is also made in this reply.
The Lake Azure pirates are rampant, and I hope Lord Norman can assist in eradicating them.
In this letter, the leader of Luduo Fortress also offers tempting conditions. Luduo Fortress is responsible for providing the navy, and after the success of the matter, the waterways of the Blue Lake region and the Blue River will be fully open to the Norman territory. Summer Yan will have full authority to deal with these pirates in the Blue Lake.
This kind of transaction is hard for Xiayan to refuse.
However, Xiayan knows very well that there are no free lunches, so he immediately arranged for scout troops to investigate.
Two days later, Andea also returned from the Norman territory.
Master Brian is not satisfied with the first batch of gun barrels forged by Alba and the other apprentices. They couldn't withstand the power of multiple gunpowder explosions during testing, so they all had to be redone. This time, Master Brian is personally taking action, and we believe that good news will come soon.
Dennis's research on cement has yet to make any progress, despite countless failures. However, the enthusiasm of this young man doesn't seem to be affected.
Meilis and Grave are also intensively researching portable drugs.
In addition to this information, Andrea also mentioned the little girl rescued from the robbers in Princess Ridge.
"It seems like she has lost her memory," Andrea said helplessly. "I have already arranged for a trusted person to take a detour from the northern route and try to deliver the message to the Bright Papal State. It will take quite some time, and I don't know how long it will take for them to come back."
"The little girl can't even remember her own name, but it seems like she gets along well with Melis. Let her stay in the Norman territory for now."
"It's alright, that's a small matter. There is a bigger task at hand, and you have to handle it personally." Xia Yan pointed to the area on the map of the Lulan River: "Choose the smartest soldiers in the army, money can be spent freely. I need to quickly gather information about the Lulan Lake area. If you do this well, it will be a great accomplishment!"
This time's operation did not alarm anyone in Ande County except for a few high-ranking officials.
Andya has acquired money, equipment, and special privileges. That night, a group of elite scout teams set off towards the southeast direction overnight.
On the other hand, Xia Yan closely followed the developments in Mills City. Fortunately, it seemed that Arwena did not intend to continue military actions. From Xia Yan's perspective, Arwena might be waiting for the internal conflicts that could erupt in the Eastern Front.
Time passed day by day in a tight and busy manner, and the tension that the officials and soldiers had been holding seemed to slowly relax.
Xia Yan even heard a somewhat naive sigh from Luokeer.
"Why do I feel that the current situation is calm? It feels unreal."
Xia Yan said calmly, "That's because we are currently in the eye of the storm."