After breakfast, Ouyang Shuo gathered the core members of the expeditionary army for a meeting. The members of the meeting included Wang Feng, Pei Donglai, Lang Bai Nanpu, Song Jia and Sun Xiaoyue, the two women.
Ouyang Shuo repeated his thoughts and asked for everyone's opinion.
As military leaders, Wang Feng and Pei Donglai would not express their opinions on this kind of strategic decision. Moreover, this was not their specialty.
Song Jia came out to relax and would not interfere with Ouyang Shuo's decision. Sun Xiaoyue joined the expeditionary army as the chief designer and was mainly responsible for the overall planning of the territory.
The only one who could express his opinion was Lang Bai Nanpu.
Counting from the time he became the secretary, Bai Nanpu had been by Ouyang Shuo's side for more than ten months. This talented scholar from humble origins left Ouyang Shuo with the impression that he was low-key.
Although the position of the secretary was only equivalent to that of a division chief, it was still very popular. Other than sorting out official letters for Ouyang Shuo to read, the secretary was also responsible for sending down orders and assisting in government affairs.
Sometimes, Ouyang Shuo would even ask the secretary for advice on how to deal with an official letter.
All of these things were very important. If done well, there would be a huge gap in power. Because of this, the secretary easily became the focus of the officialdom and was even the target of all the officials.
What was surprising was that during Bai Nanpu's time as the secretary, he was like an invisible person without any sense of existence. Usually, even Ouyang Shuo, the lord, would not notice his existence.
What was even more amazing was that when Ouyang Shuo needed him, Bai Nanpu would always appear at the right time. The official letters that were placed on Ouyang Shuo's desk were always neat and tidy, neat and orderly.
Ouyang Shuo had never heard of Bai Nanpu befriending any officials in private. Regardless of day or night, he would always be seen in the secretary's office. If he wasn't organizing official letters, he would be buried in his desk.
Fan Zhongyan had once commented on Bai Nanpu in front of Ouyang Shuo, saying that even he could not see through this young secretary. Bai Nanpu's shrewdness and perseverance were frightening.
That's right, the word 'terrifying' was Fan Zhongyan's own words.
Fan Zhongyan was one of the three heads of the civil service in the territory, and he was vaguely regarded as the head of the civil service. To be evaluated as' terrifying 'by Fan Zhongyan was also a great honor for Bai Nanpu.
At that time, Ouyang Shuo only dismissed it with a smile, but he was also secretly observing this secretary.
All in all, Ouyang Shuo was very satisfied with Bai Nanpu as his secretary. As for Bai Nanpu's shrewdness, from Ouyang Shuo's point of view, it wasn't a problem.
For this expedition, Ouyang Shuo had deliberately brought Bai Nanpu with him in order to gain some experience. After all, he had been a secretary for a long time. Although he had broadened his horizons, he did not have any experience in dealing with grassroots government affairs. His foundation was not strong.
Ouyang Shuo's intention was for Bai Nanpu to lead the administrative work of the Cliff Prefecture territory in the future. Before setting off, Ouyang Shuo had specifically sought out Bai Nanpu for a private discussion.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Bai Nanpu understood what he meant.
In the conference hall.
Noticing the Marquis' gaze, Bai Nanpu knew that the Marquis was waiting for his answer. Wasn't this a test for him?
The conversation in the Marquis' residence had stirred up a ripple in Bai Nanpu's heart. The Marquis' words faintly revealed something. Even with Bai Nanpu's calm personality, he couldn't help but feel a little excited.
Being an official and guarding a region was the ideal pursuit of every scholar in the world.
Not to mention, it was a vital place like the Cliff Prefecture. Its importance could not be overemphasized.
Bai Nanpu had thought about how to open up the situation in the Cliff Prefecture the whole night. It wasn't until the sky turned bright that he hurriedly took a nap. He hastily washed his face with cold water and was called to participate in the meeting.
Bai Nanpu calmed his mind and said gently, "Reporting to the Marquis, I think it is inappropriate to be the first to establish a territory. As the Marquis said, the risk is too great. It is not wise. Moreover, there will be many large chambers of commerce accompanying us. They are the new force for the future development of the Cliff Prefecture. We must not put them in danger. Otherwise, it will affect the reputation of the Marquis' residence. "Bai Nanpu rejected the first option.
Ouyang Shuo nodded in a noncommittal manner.
Bai Nanpu didn't panic in the slightest. "Building the military port first is too slow. At this time, this humble subject suggests that we should attack from three directions at the same time. "
"Go on!" Ouyang Shuo remained calm.
"First, the construction of the military port should proceed as usual. This is the most important thing. Second, contact Shanhai City and organize a second expeditionary force with sufficient craftsmen and food. Third, investigate the island, figure out the details, and clean up the surrounding environment. This is to prepare for the next step of the territory construction. "Bai Nanpu proposed three strategies.
Ouyang Shuo nodded and finally revealed a smile. "Not bad!"
Bai Nanpu relaxed and slowly returned to his seat.
Ouyang Shuo looked around and began issuing orders. "General Pei!"
"Here!"
"The Northsea Fleet will be split into two. One half will return to Beihai City and be responsible for protecting the second fleet. The other half will patrol Jingzhou Island, draw up nautical charts of the surrounding waters, and clean up the scattered pirates. It would be best if you can patrol the island and obtain first-hand information. "
"Yes, sir!" Pei Donglai was full of confidence.
"I'll leave Dragon Head to you for now!" Ouyang Shuo added.
"Thank you, Marquis!" Pei Donglai was overjoyed. He had coveted Dragon Head for a long time.
If he had to choose between a beautiful woman and a warship, Pei Donglai would definitely choose the latter.
Ouyang Shuo shook his head with a smile. "Wang Feng!"
"Here!"
Ouyang Shuo seemed to be more intimate with Wang Feng. This was evident from the way he addressed him.
"The Imperial Guard Brigade will also be split into two. Three battalions will remain to guard the camp. The remaining two battalions will be responsible for cleaning up the wild beasts and dire beasts in the outermost region of Cliff Province. Remember, advance step by step until you reach the village. In addition, arrange for a small squad to enter the depths of the island and obtain information on the natives. "
Compared to wild beasts and dire beasts, Ouyang Shuo was more vigilant against the natives who had yet to show themselves. He couldn't rest easy without figuring out their range of activity.
No matter how powerful the dire beasts were, they were still wild beasts and had a fixed hunting range. The natives were different. They had lived here for generations and were very familiar with the grass and trees of Jingzhou Island. Coupled with their large population, there were powerful warriors and wise sorcerers in the tribe, making them a formidable opponent for the expeditionary army.
Jingzhou Island's natives were different from the mountain barbarians. They wouldn't easily give in to food. It was impossible for Ouyang Shuo to buy the hearts of the natives with just a few stones of food.
Mount Wuzhi was rich in resources and there was no winter, so the natives wouldn't lack food.
The soldiers of the Imperial Guard Brigade had received special combat training for a period of time. Intelligence gathering was a basic skill, so it wasn't a problem for them. Because of this, Ouyang Shuo didn't bring the Intelligence Bureau along.
"Yes, sir!" Wang Feng answered, feeling deeply responsible.
After Ouyang Shuo was done assigning military duties, he looked at Bai Nanpu again and said, "You'll be in charge of the construction of the port. Also, remember to choose a beach and open up the salt pans. The salt workers can't just sit around and do nothing. "
"Yes, sir!" Bai Nanpu suppressed his excitement and nodded firmly. The Marquis's arrangement was even more advanced than his three suggestions. Bai Nanpu felt that he was still lacking in experience.
Ouyang Shuo nodded and was about to announce the Chamber of Commerce. After such a long delay, the troops outside were still waiting for them to announce the day's tasks.
Suddenly, Sun Xiaoyue stepped forward. "Wuyi, I have a suggestion."
"Oh?" Ouyang Shuo was interested.
"Here's the thing. I suggest that when the Imperial Guard Brigade clears out the wild beasts, we focus on opening up an area along the coast and build a farm first. "
"A farm?"
"With Jingzhou Island's climate, we can still grow some vegetables at this time of year. Besides that, there should be no lack of wild boars and buffaloes in Jingzhou. If we can capture their cubs, we can domesticate another batch of livestock! That way, the problem of meat and vegetables will be solved. Even if we build the territory later, the expeditionary army can still be self-sufficient for a long time. "Sun Xiaoyue voiced her idea.
After saying this, Sun Xiaoyue's heart thumped. She didn't know why she wanted to help Ouyang Shuo or why she wanted his approval.
Ouyang Shuo nodded. If they followed Sun Xiaoyue's suggestion, the benefits wouldn't be limited. The large number of skilled people they brought would basically have something to do.
"Good, that's a good idea." Ouyang Shuo turned to Bai Nanpu. "I'll remember it!"
"Don't worry, Marquis!" Perhaps Bai Nanpu was lacking in creative thinking, but when it came to carrying out orders, he was very confident. He would never compromise.
Song Jia sat to the side and looked at Sun Xiaoyue with an inexplicable expression. Then, she returned to normal.
This time, Ouyang Shuo had completely become a hands-off shopkeeper. He distributed all the tasks to the others, and he didn't personally participate in it.
With his current status, if he had to personally handle such a matter, it would actually be his failure, and he would not be qualified to be a lord.
Ouyang Shuo also wanted to use this time to accompany Bing'er and Song Jia.
As for exploring the Southern Mountain Grotto-Heaven, it would have to wait until the territory was built. He and Song Jia didn't have the ability to open the Grotto-Heaven Secret Realm. When the time came, he could only invite Auntie and the others to go with him.
Of course, before the territory was built, Ouyang Shuo wouldn't inform Auntie. It wasn't that he didn't trust Auntie, but he didn't trust the members of Snow Rose.
The betrayal of Snow Rose last time showed that even the core of the team, there were still people that Xie Siyun and Auntie couldn't completely control.
Ouyang Shuo had to be careful. (To be continued.)
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