Chapter 232: Langya King

The Great King rode out of South Hua Gate in a carriage bearing the You King's insignia, with cavalry escorting front and back in a mighty procession toward South City, and behind followed some horse-drawn cargo wagons.

Without the Youzhou Guard driving them away, the civilians automatically retreated to a distance. They wouldn't leave; if not allowed to approach, they would follow far behind, and watching these cavalry gave them an inexplicable sense of security.

The entire procession entered the Old Royal Palace of South City, and only then did the townspeople disperse to go about their own business.

The Great King alighted from the carriage, and ten thousand people had already assembled, filling the empty front section of the palace to capacity. The Great King thought this palace layout was not bad; otherwise, where would there be space to train new troops?

The Great King stepped onto the steps of the main hall, straightening his waist as much as possible to make himself look taller.

"If you can stand here today, it shows you are brave enough. You are not soldiers conscripted in wartime; you are patriotic troops who voluntarily enlisted to defend home and country. What I can promise you here is timely pay, doing my utmost to equip you, and providing the best logistical support within our means. But once you go to the battlefield, whether you survive depends on your own abilities; I hope you will train diligently under the instructors. In my army, promotion opportunities are equal for all, not based on lineage or connections, but solely on military merit."

The Great King's skill at rallying hearts was excellent; the people below wore various clothes, yet their excited expressions were all the same.

Behind him, Zhang Tu, as the highest leader of the You King's Mansion's overt military department, offered a few words of encouragement, then introduced two people.

One was a military NPC from the Academy, transferred here to specially train the new recruits, responsible for teaching military discipline, military knowledge, and martial arts.

The other was a newly promoted army colonel from internal recommendation, named Zheng Tang, who had previously been a commandant.

These ten thousand troops were temporarily placed under the charge of these two individuals, and the Great King then had two sets of brand-new training uniforms and a suit of armor flashing with cold light issued to them on the spot.

Seeing the joy on these people's faces, their eyes full of anticipation for the future, the Great King sincerely hoped they would obtain what they wanted, and he too would obtain what he wanted.

Leaving the old palace, the Great King let out a sigh; the current stage's goal was basically achieved.

Once the Liaodong mission is completed, that ten thousand will be in place and training; no matter how chaotic the outside becomes, Youzhou can defend itself.

On the return trip, bored, he lifted the curtain and saw it was still lively outside, with people shouldering and carrying luggage while moving house.

The Great King laughed: "Looking at these houses now, they're still as dilapidated as when I arrived, but the people's spirits have improved greatly. Commander Zhang, don't you feel there are more people on the streets?"

Zhang Tu leaned toward the carriage and replied: "Now the people of Youzhou are much wealthier than when we first arrived, but those outside are probably just recent movers from beyond the city walls. I've heard that families with some means now rent houses in the city, and some stay with relatives. When the weather warms and there's something to do, they'd choose to hide in the mountains, but it's still too cold now, so their first choice remains Youzhou City." In any case, they try every means to get into the city; the Great King rewarded him with a new residence, and his previous old residence in the South City District, according to his wife, is highly sought after.

The Great King: "……Is it because of the village slaughter, or because of the Xianbei?"

"Both, I suppose. Each village has organized patrols, but they all trust that only the city is safe." What he didn't say was that only those truly lacking conditions have not yet acted. In fact, almost everyone in Youzhou wants to live in Youzhou City, including the few walled counties.

The Great King sighed.

After sighing, he said to himself: "If I keep sighing like this, I'll grow old before I've even grown up."

Zhang Tu: ……

Zhao Bao: "……Your Highness, just sigh less; their moving to Youzhou City shows they trust Your Highness!"

The Great King resentfully said there: "The feeling of waiting for the other shoe to drop is truly unpleasant. Or perhaps we are too weak, and the people still deeply fear a Xianbei southern invasion, doubting I can block the Xianbei cavalry. Give me a little more time; once the troops are trained and the horses strengthened, I will certainly make the northern barbarians on the steppes begin to fear us. Let their people also live in constant anxiety, worrying that if I ever lose my temper I might march north…… to herd sheep!" Angry, those barbarians really have nothing worth looting!

Zhang Tu: ……

Zhao Bao chuckled: "That day won't be far off; Your Highness will surely succeed!"

This time it was the Great King who was speechless; actually he has no interest in herding sheep, thank you.

That evening he specially went to consult his older brother Bai about whether there was anything worth looting in Xianbei territory, and what to do after capturing the Xianbei royal court if he succeeded.

"You're…… starting to research how to spend those five million from your dream?"

The Great King: "Who are you looking down on? My five million have already been spent! Adding up all the money I've spent definitely exceeds five million taels!" This is no boast.

Just those big merchants coming to Youzhou once each throw down fifty million taels at a time! There's no choice; they need the You King to dispatch troops to escort them out. Although I've also heard that bandit suppression within Youzhou is nearly done, they fear that if they stop buying this service, the escort unit will instantly turn into bandits—soldiers turned bandits are still bandits. So small-scale merchants band together to pool fifty thousand, and they also need to buy this service.

Bai Yang heard the full story and realized this matter was about to blow his lid.

Youzhou and the Xianbei will inevitably clash.

Anyone living in the shadow of a neighbor won't be happy.

"West of the Great Xianbei Mountain all belongs to the Xianbei, right? That's truly vast and sparsely populated—you could have them herd sheep for you, have them pay protection fees, and protect those merchants the same way you protect them. Once subdued, someone will have them graze horses and herd sheep. Let me tell you a secret: if nothing unexpected happens, there should be a gold mine inside Xianbei territory; when found, those northern barbarians will also have work to do." Bai Yang spoke soothingly, and the hot-tempered Great King gradually calmed, his fur smoothing.

It's fine; the Great King isn't in a hurry, there's a mine waiting for me! Conquering the Xianbei gives even more motivation.

Upon returning to see Bai Ze, the Great King asked: "You say, if I had 140 tons of gold, how would I spend it? Could it all be spent?" with starry eyes.

Bai Ze: "Yes. First, post a notice offering a reward across the world for famous doctors to see who can cure delusional disorder; this also counts as a difficult and miscellaneous ailment."

The Great King: ……

All right, the dream has ended.

Tomorrow we continue striving.

A few days later, news arrived from Chang'an that Emperor Ningde's personal campaign had become a fact, and the great army set out.

This is beyond the Great King's power; by day he continues to patrol the borders, still hoping for spring. He hopes the new mission will start soon, hopes for early spring plowing and sowing, hopes the ten thousand in Liaodong will arrive promptly—in any case, worrying about any of this is more promising than worrying about his unreliable father.

At this point, the captain of the treasure ship, Chen Cang, contacted him through an employment connection; this time, the mission to East Sea Commandery to receive the purchased slaves went awry, and the people were detained by the Langya King.

The Great King was quite speechless: "Why? Even though I have money to buy slaves, he still insists on managing it? Besides, Langya isn't a neighbor of East Sea Commandery, is he? Did he overstep his bounds?"

He doesn't know this Langya King at all; during the previous trip to Chang'an, the Langya King was just a transparent figure, and the Great King hardly had any impression of him.

He probably isn't the son of his imperial grandfather?

The Great King summoned Zhao Bao to ask: "The first Langya King was Your Majesty's paternal uncle; the current Langya King should be his son. Your Highness should know, the Wang clan is famous throughout Langya, and the Langya King has always been weak."

The Great King suddenly realized: "Prince Yu."

Could the eldest have arranged a bunch of spies around him, able to reach out like that?