Not long after Song Jia left, Du Ruhui and the other two hurried to the hall.
"Marquis!"
"Sit!"
Ouyang Shuo briefly recounted the incident at Rhinoceros Valley.
The three were all smart people and immediately understood why the Marquis had called them here for a meeting. Especially Xiahou Ying, who had just taken office, a trace of excitement flashed in his eyes.
Xiahou Ying did not expect to encounter such a good thing as soon as he took office.
Ouyang Shuo handed the Ironback Taming Technique Manual to Xiahou Ying and said solemnly, "Rhinoceros Valley will be under the direct jurisdiction of the Warden Department. You must take good care of it."
"Don't worry, Marquis!"
For Xiahou Ying, this was a good opportunity to win the Marquis' trust. Even if the Marquis did not say it, he would do it well.
It was not an easy task to domesticate an Iron-Armored Beast.
Although the Ironbacks were evolved from rhinoceroses, they were not as docile as rhinoceroses. Just how to make the Ironbacks accept humans and let humans approach them was a big problem.
In addition, what were the habits of the Ironbacks?
What did they eat? What did they not eat? What if they were sick? When did they go into estrus and reproduce? And so on and so forth. Content like this was recorded in the "Ironback Taming Technique Manual", but what was written on paper was one thing, and the actual operation was another.
Just take feed as an example.
Ironbacks were herbivores and would eat anything in the wild. If they were to be raised by humans, they would have to prepare special fodder, which was a lot of knowledge.
Feed in the farm was one thing, but when the Ironbacks were incorporated into the army, how would they ensure the supply of fodder? That was another headache.
Taming an Ironback was not like a warhorse. There were precedents to follow.
Even so, Xiahou Ying was still full of confidence, based on his rich experience in raising horses.
Warhorses and Ironbacks had something in common after all.
In addition to taming Ironbacks, the duty of the Warden Department was to customize armor for the Ironbacks.
Ironbacks were more precious than horses, so they naturally had to be well protected. The death of one was a huge loss. On the battlefield, weapons had no eyes, and mounts without armor could not survive for long.
In addition to protecting the abdomen, joints, and head, the horns of the Ironbacks had to be protected. If used well, this horn would be a deadly weapon on the battlefield.
Ouyang Shuo deeply understood this.
On the battlefield, if you were hit by the horn of an Ironback, you would be seriously injured if not dead.
Finally, there was the selection of soldiers, which was the most difficult.
Because the number of Ironbacks was limited, only one guard was considered for the time being, which was three thousand.
After all, the number of barbarians was limited.
The elite barbarian warriors of the Mountain Barbarian tribes that had settled in the territory had basically all been selected. The main ones were the two Mountain Barbarian Heavy Infantry Brigades that were concentrated in the Third Division of the Dragon Xiang Army.
Ouyang Shuo naturally wouldn't ruin the Mountain Barbarian Heavy Infantry Brigade's stage. The only way was to find new soldiers. Unfortunately, with the establishment of Chiyou City, the mountain barbarians in the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains were basically wiped out.
The only way was to take down Chiyou City.
Fortunately, the construction of the Rhinoceros Valley, the breeding of the Ironback Beasts, the research and development of the armor, and the subsequent large-scale manufacturing all required time. There was still time.
In particular, the breeding of the Ironbacks would take a long time.
When forming the Iron Armor Guards, they could not kill the goose that laid the golden eggs and catch all the Iron Armor Beasts in Rhinoceros Valley. They had to wait until the number of Iron Armor Beasts reached a certain level.
This matter still had to be considered at length.
On the third of August, Song Jia went to Tianshuang County.
That afternoon, she brought her parents to Shanhai City.
Ouyang Shuo had been waiting by the teleportation array for a long time. Only Zi Su accompanied him. Ouyang Shuo welcomed them personally, but he didn't lead the territory's ministers to welcome them with great fanfare.
Song Jia's father would understand the deeper meaning behind this.
Song Jia's father was in his fifties. He was energetic and refined. His eyes occasionally flashed, showing his shrewdness and the shrewdness of a businessman.
In reality, he was the leader of the Song Consortium.
Song Jia's mother was a gentle woman with a fair and delicate face. Her clothes seemed simple, but in fact, she had extraordinary taste. Every detail was extremely meticulous.
Song Jia's genes were mostly inherited from her mother.
"Uncle, Auntie!"
Ouyang Shuo went forward to greet them.
"You're Little Shuo, right? Hearing about you is not as good as meeting you in person. "
Song Jia's father went forward and shook hands with Ouyang Shuo. His attitude was still amiable.
"Uncle, you flatter me!"
Accompanied by Song Jia, Song Jia's mother followed behind and gently sized up Ouyang Shuo.
In the morning, Ouyang Shuo had specially chosen a scholar's robe. It matched with his handsome and resolute face. He looked refined with a hint of calmness and extraordinary bearing.
As the saying went, the more a mother-in-law looked at her son-in-law, the more pleasing she felt.
Song Jia's mother's first impression of Ouyang Shuo was very good.
"Jia Jia, you have good taste."
"Of course. Don't you know who I am?"
In front of her mother, Song Jia was just a little girl. She wouldn't be modest.
"That's right. Don't you know whose daughter she is?"
"Mother!"
Song Jia was somewhat helpless against her mother's teasing.
Mother and daughter's personalities were really similar. When Song Jia's mother was young, she was also mischievous.
"Please!"
Ouyang Shuo led the way.
When Shanhai City was expanding, the royal city was also renovated.
A pond was built in the square in front of the Protectorate manor. A statue stood in the middle of the pond, which was the symbol of the Shanhai Territory. Streams of water gushed out of the dragon's mouth.
Under the illumination of the sun, rainbows appeared one after another. It was extremely beautiful.
Ouyang Shuo led Song Jia's parents to the back of the hall. After a short rest, they went to the back garden.
The entire back garden was constantly under construction. It became more and more exquisite, and there were more and more scenic spots. Gradually, it had the atmosphere of an imperial garden. At this time of year, the garden was still in full bloom. Birds were chirping, and fish were swimming in the water.
There were even deer playing on the lawn.
Vaguely, rabbits, goats, peacocks, and other small animals could be seen everywhere. Needless to say, these small animals were specially domesticated at Bing 'er's request.
The entire back garden was the little girl's playground.
Ouyang Shuo even had people build a modern amusement park in a corner of the garden. In the amusement park, there were not only swings and slides, but also a small castle.
Ouyang Shuo's love for Bing 'er was unparalleled.
Therefore, only people who were especially close to him could be invited to the back garden as guests.
In the attic, Zi Su had already prepared the afternoon tea with some people.
The four of them walked through the gravel path and went up to the attic. Looking into the distance from the attic, they could see the scenery of the lake and the mountains. Borrowing the scenery, listening to the chirping of birds, drinking iced drinks, and eating exquisite pastries, it was really a great enjoyment.
At the side of the attic, there was a woman playing the zither.
The melodious sound of the zither and the chirping of birds perfectly blended together.
All of this was carefully arranged by Ouyang Shuo to specially entertain Song Jia's parents.
"Little Shuo is considerate!"
Song Jia's father nodded his head in satisfaction and said, "It's just that it's too late." With Ouyang Shuo's status, spending so much effort to arrange it was really sincere.
Of course, Song Jia's father was also subtly reminding Ouyang Shuo not to be distracted by playfulness. Of course, the scenery was beautiful, but indulging in it was not something a lord could do.
Ouyang Shuo nodded his head and humbly accepted the advice.
In fact, he rarely came to the back garden. He simply did not have the time.
In the blink of an eye, two hours passed as they chatted.
"Jia Jia, take me to the garden for a walk!"
Song Jia's mother was very smart. She knew that she should leave space for the two men to talk.
"Okay!"
Song Jia smiled and stood up.
After the two left, Ouyang Shuo talked to Song Jia's father in detail.
"Jia Jia, I believe Jia Jia has already told you about Second Uncle's intentions?"
"I did."
"What do you think?"
Song Jia's father raised his head and looked at Ouyang Shuo with an unfathomable expression.
Ouyang Shuo smiled and said, "The key is not what I think, but what you think, Uncle?"
"… …"
Silence, a long silence.
"Sigh!"
Song Jia's father let out a long sigh, picked up his teacup and drank a big mouthful.
"Second Brother's heart is too big."
If it was only his second brother who opposed, Song Jia's father would not be afraid. The reason why he was in a difficult position was that his father, Song Jia's grandfather, also had an ambiguous attitude.
The entire Song Family was filled with an impetuous atmosphere.
It was hard to satisfy one's desire.
Ouyang Shuo vaguely sensed this, which was why he was not in a hurry to express his stance. It was not good for him to get too involved in the internal affairs of the Song Family.
"Uncle, you should stand up!"
Seeing that Song Jia's father was unable to make up his mind, Ouyang Shuo had no choice but to speak.
"Hmm?!"
Song Jia's father suddenly raised his head, his sharp gaze almost pierced through Ouyang Shuo.
Ouyang Shuo's expression did not change, he was as steady as Mount Tai.
What he said was after careful consideration, it was not an impromptu idea.
With the current situation of the Song Family, the only solution was for Song Jia's grandfather to completely retire and let Song Jia's father truly take over the family.
Only then could Ouyang Shuo rest assured and cooperate with the Song Family.
Otherwise, there would always be a rift between the two sides.
Another period of silence.
Ouyang Shuo was helpless, businessmen were like this, full of worries.
He was not a businessman, but a lord, the future king, he liked to act with thunderous force.
"You're right."
Perhaps it was because he felt Ouyang Shuo's determination and will, Song Jia's father finally made up his mind.
"It's time to have a showdown with the old man."
After saying this, Song Jia's father suddenly became relaxed.
That old man was a huge mountain that pressed on top of everyone in the family. To really challenge his authority, the courage and boldness needed was unimaginable to outsiders.
Ouyang Shuo heard this and nodded in relief.
Ouyang Shuo already had a plan for the future of the Song Family. After occupying Zhaoqing County, the Song Family would have to leave Tianshuang County. As compensation, Ouyang Shuo would allow the Song Family to resume their old business.
The establishment of the Song Family's Chamber of Commerce in the Mountain Sea Territory would be unimpeded.
This was Ouyang Shuo's promise to Song Jia's father.
In addition, Song Wen and the Song brothers would also be put in important positions under the framework of the territory. (To be continued.)
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