Chapter 681: His Majesty's Benevolence

The Great Jin's aristocratic education system is the Six Arts of a gentleman; the Cui clan won't make Baili Hu a good-for-nothing. His archery skill may not be enough for battlefield combat, but his horsemanship is certainly respectable, and the Great King believes that possessing horseback riding skill qualifies one for the battlefield.

After learning this, Baili Hu couldn't immediately grasp Old Three's intention—had he been mistaken all along? Was Old Three actually waiting for a clean excuse to kill him, like dying at the hands of the grassland bearded ones?

He didn't just sit around daydreaming at home; he rushed to the former court and directly asked the Great King.

The Great King was scraping together the inventory of all the city's grain workshops, his head spinning from the calculations, just about to pull out the hidden warehouse's calculator and press a few keys in secret, when Si Pangzi arrived.

Tsk!

"What, heard you're being taken to the battlefield, you're scared?"

"What's there to fear for me! It's you, afraid of gaining the reputation of fratricide, wanting me to die on the battlefield!"

"The mere Xiongnu and Xianbei allied forces—my brothers could die on the battlefield… that would be embarrassing enough. Rest assured, I can't afford to lose that face."

Baili Hu: ……

Is my chest blocked from holding my breath!

"I just want you to see what a real army is, what real war is. From now on, don't send out those Jingzhou household liquor folks to embarrass yourselves.... Also don't glare, do you think I haven't seen this? Fifty thousand troops hugging the coastline sneaking in from the wilderness to ambush—was that you guys? Silently vanished, no one returned?"

"Oh~ those fifty thousand actually didn't all die; half are now reclaiming land in Liaodong Commandery, half are mining coal in the mines—rest assured, they're doing quite well."

Baili Hu felt nothing when he arrived, but when leaving his true qi exploded. After returning and calming down, he felt this trip wasn't wasted aside from gathering some qi. At least he knows those fifty thousand weren't that miserable, and most are still alive.

Actually he knew, back then it wasn't just fifty thousand; there were also large numbers of refugees gathering along the way.

Back then he was even younger; hearing that tens of thousands had not a single person escape gave him nightmares for days. If they were all soldiers, dying on the battlefield could be blamed on inferior skill, but what about the civilians who were deceived? He knew there were tens of thousands of drifters among them; now hearing that some are still alive eased his mind. At least right now he feels glad.

That night the Great King had someone deliver a set of armor, his own spare set; Baili Hu thought he might have been mistaken, and San Pangzi really intended to take him out to gain some experience, right?

Even though he doesn't know much about gear, he can tell it's good: the armor has no seams at the joints, a light tap rings like metal, yet it's many times lighter than iron armor.

"Not bad, I'll take it. Why aren't you leaving yet?"

Tongchen felt a bit embarrassed, "Your Highness, this, this armor is new, high-end custom-made, blade and spear proof, it can best protect Your Highness's life on the battlefield. Then His Majesty said you need to pay the customization fee… fifty thousand taels."

"Cough cough cough!" Baili Hu almost choked himself to death.

"Why doesn't he go rob?! Pretending to take me to war is fake, selling armor is real!" Bai felt moved!

"No, Your Highness, this armor in our northern borders belongs to the armory; the armory depot manages it uniformly, it's military property, not His Majesty's private property, and His Majesty cannot give it to you. Moreover, this armor is expensive because our Great Jin cannot produce it; it's custom-made overseas, and shipping it from across the sea costs tens of thousands of taels. This is the spare armor His Majesty had custom-made for himself last year, brand new and never worn. His Majesty said, whoever in our Great Jin can manufacture such armor that is blade- and spear-proof, lightweight, and reduces the burden on both person and warhorse, he would also pay one hundred thousand taels."

Baili Hu took a deep breath, "Your Highness has no silver! The silver I brought is all in Master Hu's hands; I suppose it's now also in Old Three's hands."

"It's fine, Your Highness; His Majesty is benevolent and allows you to owe it first, then when you have funds you can replenish the armory."

Baili Hu: …… benevolence, kindness?

From now on he doesn't recognize the words 'benevolence and kindness'.

Xie Yuan learned that the Great King intended to bring Baili Hu, and indeed came to oppose early the next morning.

On the battlefield, swords are blind; this person hasn't even seen real combat like the Great King has. Not to mention fighting, just falling off a warhorse could cost the life of the crown prince raised in luxury by Empress Cui. He fears the Great King still hasn't grasped Baili Hu's worth.

The Great King waved his hands frantically, "No no no, I fully understand Baili Hu's worth. Before even setting out, I've already made a clear profit of thirty thousand taels; I intend to make him foot the bill for this trip. The Cui clan's centuries of foundation—I dare not underestimate him."

The Great King, heartbroken and indignant, exclaimed, "Compared to the Cui clan, the Wei clan's measly wealth is nothing but beggars, just beggars!"

Xie Yuan: ……

Are we talking about the same thing!