Chapter 133: Mutual Watchfulness

Everyone has stated their position, so the Marquis of the Eastern Capital naturally had to voice his as well.

He wore a kind smile as he looked at the Prince and said, "Your Highness is wise. Our Upper Valley Pass is the same; we only want to firmly guard the gate of Great Jin, our goals are aligned, so in the future we should watch over and assist each other." The Marquis of the Eastern Capital was the first to state his stance.

With Uncle Liang at Upper Valley Pass, I feel at ease. First, I heard in Secluded Province the story of the Marquis of the Eastern Capital retaking Secluded Province City; to our city's people, Uncle Liang is a great hero. The Prince wore an admiring expression.

Oh, not at all...

In the future, if Uncle Liang has any business, don't stand on ceremony—just call me... blah blah... The most important thing is to write the military report well.

The forces of Great Jin stationed everywhere also have the duty of monitoring the movements of the feudal princes.

The Prince does not want certain matters concerning Secluded Province to appear in the military report.

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital is right beside them—whether he has eight thousand or three thousand troops, anyone with a little care will eventually notice; the scouts in the army aren't just eating for free. Wei Shen already said, trying to hide things from the Marquis of the Eastern Capital is impossible, so he can only go down the road of denying it to the death.

The Prince certainly didn't intend to stop at eight thousand; what can eight thousand troops do on the battlefield? Any tribe of the three Xianbei groups can muster a hundred-thousand-strong army and march south.

Secluded Province City has high, towering walls that are easy to defend but hard to attack—but what about the counties outside? The walls only protect the Prince's life; if the Xianbei really march south, he could hide in Secluded Province City and watch the barbarians burn, kill, loot, and plunder his fief's people?

Word has it that Upper Valley Pass has only fifty thousand troops; don't think retaking Secluded Province City was easy last time—back then Secluded Province was just a worthless, impoverished ruin; once it truly develops into a fat prize, at the very least the ambitious Eastern Xianbei won't let go so easily.

The Prince had already considered that, once there is surplus grain, he would expand the army; relying on others is not as good as relying on oneself.

It's a pity that maintaining troops in a poor commandery is difficult; if he didn't have this Mengmeng connection, he'd probably be struggling to get a meal now, and starving to death in his fief would be no dream.

After basically reaching agreement on the idea of mutually boasting in business, the Prince did a complete turnaround, saying, "Uncle Liang, are you interested in the curved saber? If so, I can purchase it for you! I have some connections~" He said while blinking his big eyes...

Behind him, the White Marsh, posed elegantly and listening attentively, almost stumbled, then slowly turned its neck, exhaled a breath, and lay down reassured; the rest was just nonsense, not worth listening to.

The Prince started focusing on selling swords; he let people try the curved saber, then seeing the Marquis of the Eastern Capital's expression was so-so, he changed tack: "... Uncle Liang, if you like other styles we can make them too—apart from being expensive, there's no flaw. I also hope our northern border's armaments can reach a higher level, nothing else!"

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital shook his head. "It's a fine blade; one can tell it's valuable at a glance. Your Highness, do you have iron ore or have you found a skilled craftsman?" He asked deliberately, overstepping a bit, wanting to gauge the Prince of Secluded Province's temper.

Who would have thought the Prince didn't feel this was overstepping at all; the Prince mysteriously told him, "No, it's not that—I know a mystical person with overseas connections; I bought a big ship from him, and he can obtain foreign goods. This saber, forged overseas, is better than ours—just expensive, costing hundreds to thousands of taels. I also have people go out to sea daily to fish and trade for sabers—ah, Uncle Liang, if you save up you can exchange for one too, it's so fragrant!" The Prince laid bare his heart.

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital laughed and said, "Alright, I'll first order two good ones for Ge Zhong and them, then come find you!"

The Prince: "Great! I've realized that weapons are vital in war. I truly hope our imperial guard division and your border troops can all use such fine sabers!"

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital gave him a meaningful look: "Surely."

After simply eating some dry rations and taking a break, they worked out a plan, picking a hilltop with each side heading toward the middle from opposite directions.

It was only a half-day, so they chose a low hill. After the Prince waited for everyone to finish discussing, he asked, "Why don't we have a competition? Is there a prize for first place?"

Wei Shen laughed: "Do you think you can win? Quit worrying about it!"

The Prince was unhappy: "Are you unable to accept losing? Look at my lineup—it's super strong. Uncle Liang, how about we each put up a little stake?" He was being stubborn and proud, making it hard for him to lose.

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital laughed loudly: "You're so confident—this isn't just a trick to get my stake, is it?"

Ge Zhong chimed in: "Exactly!"

Wu Jian practically wanted to whip him into the air—if he won, it's what a seven-year-old Prince of Secluded Province should do; if he lost, he might as well go back to the countryside to farm.

The Prince smiled, eyes narrowed: "Uncle Liang, you also need to be confident! I'll bring out a new curved saber…" He then felt around himself, actually pulling out a string of yellow crystal from the storeroom, "Add a string of yellow crystal—it's a wealth-bringer, oh, we really need it in the northern border!"

The Marquis of the Eastern Capital: ……

Wei Shen: ……

Everyone: ……

Knowing the northern border is poor, there's no need to keep mentioning it; hearing it makes people feel cold inside.

Even though he's young, he put up a stake, and the Marquis of the Eastern Capital generously produced an antiquated-style dagger, saying, "This is still an object from the previous dynasty's palace; does it match your curved saber?"

The Prince's eyes sparkled as he nodded, "Very well matched!" This time the Prince is determined to win.

Because, this thing looks like it can sell for a big price at the Phoenix Market!