Chapter Nine: Conversation with the Prince

Zhou De pointed to a pile of bamboo slips beside him and said: "Do you see that large stack of bamboo slips on the table? They are all requests for assistance from the county magistrates to the royal city."

Wang Xu stared with a pair of dead fish eyes, remaining silent

Well, in addition to escorting the grain to Jingliao, you have another task; when I last went to Jingliao County, I was ambushed by a group of bandits, and the entire 500-strong Yulin Army was wiped out. These bandits truly do not know the heights of heaven or the depths of the earth. Go and eliminate them for me.

Huang Quan chuckled awkwardly and said, "General, please rest assured, if you do not block it, I will not really take the initiative."

"Alright, here you go." Zhou De took out a bamboo slip from behind him and handed it to Wang Xu, saying, "This is your appointment for this mission. In this operation against the bandits, you must execute it brilliantly, instilling fear in the bandits; if you are instead defeated by the bandits, then you need not return."

Thinking about the fact that he had killed a thousand soldiers of the Crown Prince, Wang Xu felt a wave of agitation in his heart. The Crown Prince had not yet been released from prison and might still be unaware of this matter. If the Crown Prince were to find out after his release that not only had Wang Xu let his black-clad assassin go, but also wiped out a thousand of his soldiers, the consequences were too dreadful for Wang Xu to contemplate. Since there was an opportunity to leave the royal city, why not take this chance to distance himself from the Crown Prince

I know you are unwilling, but you have no choice. I am doing this for your own good. I will go to pick up the heir from prison shortly. You are constantly opposing the heir; will he spare you once he is released? Even if I, as the prince, have the intention to protect you, I fear I will be powerless to do so

Wang Xu declared passionately: "Please rest assured, Your Highness, I will not fail in my duty."

Zhou De slowly lifted the teacup and took a delicate sip, saying, "Soldiers and horses? I have no soldiers and horses! You can find a way to recruit soldiers yourself after you arrive in Jingliao County!"

Do you think I have not allocated grain to various regions? Every year, the royal city allocates hundreds of thousands of grain to each county, but only today did I realize that the grain has not been distributed to the counties at all; instead, it has been transported to the military camps outside the city as soon as it leaves the royal city

At this moment, Wang Xu had already begun to devise a plan in his heart. Once he reached Jing Liao, he would first expand his army by 100,000 troops. He was confident that with an army of 100,000, he could easily capture a small mountain stronghold. After all, there were plenty of refugees fleeing from disasters, and there was no shortage of food. Expanding the army would not be difficult at all.

"I didn't call you here today just to enjoy tea." Zhou De took a bamboo slip from beside him and handed it to Wang Xu, saying, "Take a good look at this. The heir has been detained for two days, and the reports and documents from various counties have all been sent to the Chengqian Palace. This one is from Jingliao County and is particularly serious."

Having made up his mind, Wang Xu stood up to take his leave. The heir apparent was about to be released, and it was not advisable to linger in this place; it would be better to depart as soon as possible

Zhou Debai shot a glance at Wang Xu and angrily scolded, "You brat, your martial skills are lacking; your literary talent, you can't even recognize all the characters; what do you think you are, a general?"

Oh, isn't it supposed to be in the afternoon that we play chess? Why has it been changed to the morning? Could it be that you are still feeling dissatisfied from yesterday's loss and want to challenge me to a game early in the morning?

It has been several days since entering the royal city, and I have walked the path to the Chengqian Hall twice, yet Wang Xu still cannot remember it. The palace is simply too vast, with gardens, scenery, and pavilions resembling those of a 21st-century residential community, each area constructed in a similar manner, making it difficult to distinguish one from another

Wang Xu took another sip of tea and said slowly, "Then let it be; as the lord of a prefecture, the prince certainly cannot stand idly by when the people are in distress."

Wang Xu gave a command and followed the soldiers all the way to the Chengqian Hall

Lead the way ahead

Well, considering that it is not easy for everyone, I can only take a bit of a loss myself

Under the guidance of the soldiers, they soon arrived at the Chengqian Hall. After passing through the communication of the Yulin Army, Wang Xu entered the main hall: "Your Highness."

Wang Xu felt a surge of anxiety in his heart, secretly thinking that the distance from Wang City to Jingliao County was several hundred miles, and along the way, there were not a few bandits lurking. With so much grain in his possession, did he not understand the principle that a common man is innocent but carries the burden of wealth? Wasn't that courting death?

Glancing at Huang Quan beside him, Wang Xu felt a sense of relief in his heart. Fortunately, the prince had summoned him; otherwise, this young man would have surely ruined everything.

Wang Xu continued, "The Thousand-Man Commander of the Imperial Guard, Huang Quan, I have spent several days with him, and every day I would seek his guidance on martial arts. Now that I am about to leave, I truly feel reluctant to part ways.

Zhou De pondered for a moment, considering that Wang Xu indeed had a difficult situation, and said: "How about this, you can select two thousand soldiers from the garrison in the outer city, but do not rush to thank me; once we arrive in Jing Liao, you must return these two thousand soldiers to me."

Wang Xu was completely at a loss for words regarding this peculiar old man. Transporting grain and supplies over hundreds of miles and eliminating thousands of bandits, such a challenging task, how could it possibly be done without deploying troops? Am I supposed to carry the grain and supplies to Jingliao myself and then single-handedly charge into the bandits' stronghold to eliminate them?

"Your Highness, please rest assured, I will not bring you shame," Wang Xu assured.

Furthermore, without troops, how can I escort the supplies?

I do not know how many troops the prince has given me

Zhou Deshen took a deep breath and said, "The magistrate of Jingliao County stated in the documents that Jingliao County has experienced several years of severe drought, causing the people to leave their homes in droves. Furthermore, due to the strange phenomenon that occurred half a month ago, there are now fewer than one hundred households remaining in Jingliao County. I humbly request that Wangcheng allocate grain for relief."

Having made up his mind, Wang Xu said: "Alright, I will go."

However, upon further reflection, Zhou De also has his own difficulties. If 5,000 elite troops were truly withdrawn from the Four Yamen's garrison, it is possible that as soon as Wang Xu departs, an army of 100,000 would immediately besiege the city

"You have arrived, please take a seat." Today's Zhou De was different from usual; he was not dressed in court attire, nor was he seated high upon the throne. Instead, he had set up a small table beneath the grand hall, with a small pot and two cups of fragrant hot tea.

Wang Xu took the bamboo slip and began to read it, but after just two lines, he returned the slip to Zhou De, as the characters in this text were quite different from those of the 21st century, and he could not recognize more than half of them. Wang Xu smiled awkwardly and said, "Your Highness, I still cannot fully recognize many of these characters; could you please read it for me"

Wang Xu, you are aware that the army outside the city has been eyeing our Wang City with great intent. If I were to deploy troops to you, would that not provide the heir with an opportunity to take advantage of the situation

Wang Xu was also unceremonious, coming to the small table and sitting on the ground. He picked up the fragrant tea and took a sip: "Good tea"

As the two were conversing, a soldier hurriedly approached from outside the courtyard and reported, "General, the prince requests your presence"

I would like to send you to escort the grain to Jingliao County

Alright, I will briefly explain the main content of this bamboo slip to you

After all, it is not oneself who is charging into battle. Since being appointed as a general, I have not commanded troops. Since this time we are going to suppress bandits, we cannot have too few soldiers; at least 5,000 must be drawn from the Four Yamen Imperial Guards and the Feather Forest Army; these are all the elite among the elite.

A sense of foreboding suddenly rose in Wang Xu's heart, and he weakly asked, "What does the prince mean?"

I ask you for a person" Wang Xu said

"Your Highness, you cannot be joking with me, can you? A bandit capable of annihilating five hundred Feather Forest troops must have at least three thousand men. I have no soldiers under my command, and the newly recruited troops lack training. How can we possibly succeed?"

Thank you for nothing, I have truly never encountered such a miserly prince! Wang Xu cursed in his heart

They are merely all new recruits, but with Huang Quan present, after a month of training, eliminating the bandits should not be a problem

You may speak; whatever I am able to provide, I shall certainly grant you