Chapter 74

Da Wang spent the afternoon running wildly with his cousin in the garden, excited beyond measure, finally finding a playmate. Although Wei Shen was much older than him, this boy had a somewhat childish nature, and he hit it off immediately with the childish Da Wang.

After dinner, Wei Shen finally ran out of energy, and only then did he honestly go back to rest.

Da Wang's excitement hadn't faded, so he summoned Zhang Tu and Zhao Chuan to get down to business.

"Two commanders, today I went out for a stroll on Zhuque Avenue and felt a myriad of emotions. The outskirts of Youzhou City are truly bustling nowadays~"

The two commanders exchanged glances, both somewhat bewildered. Shouldn't this kind of sharing of inner thoughts be directed to Minister Xue and Tutor Xu instead? That didn't seem right.

Sure enough, Da Wang's next sentence was a complete 360-degree turn.

"But I just can't bring myself to feel happy at all!"

Zhao Chuan knew him better and really wanted to retort rebelliously, just spouting nonsense! This afternoon, you were laughing so crisply in the garden, I patrolled past and heard it from afar.

Zhang Tu remained quiet as a chicken.

"You say, if the various Xianbei tribes to the north and the southern Xiongnu suddenly marched southward, do we have the strength to protect Zhuque Avenue and the common people inside the city? Moreover, yesterday a great wealthy merchant came, and he didn't dare buy too many goods, fearing he couldn't transport them out of Youzhou."

Why are we circling back to this old problem again?

Zhang Tu bowed with clasped hands: "Please, Your Highness, give your orders!"

Da Wang, at his wit's end, asked: "How has the training been going lately in the Palace Guard Battalion?"

Zhang Tu gave him a progress report. Da Wang nodded, then turned to ask how many horses they currently had.

"Replying to Your Highness, the Bai clan has sent two more batches, so adding the ones brought from Chang'an, we now have a total of one thousand six hundred horses, all kept in the Western Great Camp."

Da Wang sighed with an air of mature weariness: "With only three thousand people, I fear every day that the city might collapse inexplicably, that the hard-won good days might come to an abrupt end. So, I want to expand our numbers slightly, to leave us some means of survival. But the regulations for feudal princes only allow three thousand; if word got out that we exceeded the limit, no one would believe we were merely trying to survive. What do you two commanders think?"

Zhang Tu seemed to grasp the meaning; he had long stopped viewing the Prince of You as a child. This prince, when it came time to play, was wilder than anyone, yet when faced with major affairs, his mind was remarkably clear—he attributed this to the royal family having no childhood.

Commander Zhang stepped forward, knelt, and bluntly declared: "My family has already followed me to Youzhou; I and Your Highness are of one heart."

Da Wang turned to Zhao Chuan, who, despite his slowness, reacted: "My… family remains in Changzhou, on your maternal family's lands; I swear death-defying loyalty to Your Highness."

Only then did Zhang Tu truly startle; they rarely spoke privately of family matters, especially knowing Zhao Chuan's family hadn't come with him. He only knew Zhao Chuan was transferred from the Chang'an Tiger Guard, and had always assumed the Zhao family remained in Chang'an—turns out… the Wei family sent them over? What a bunch of rascals—today won't be a performance put on for his benefit, will it?

Da Wang, satisfied, nodded: "We've been together in Youzhou for so long now; I trust the two commanders! I believe in you just the same~ Zhang Tu, when the time comes, open construction in the East and West Districts; I will reward your family with a grand residence. Your whole family followed me north to endure hardship—it hasn't been easy."

Zhang Tu expressed his thanks, and Da Wang finally got to the main point.

"Now we have one thousand six hundred cavalry; I want to draw out one thousand men and horses to independently form a cavalry unit. They should be elite—more skilled by a notch than the Palace Guard Battalion, whether in men or horses. I hope this cavalry unit can become our secret weapon, our talisman for survival. Their treatment will be double that of the current Palace Guard Battalion; if they become more capable later, their treatment will improve further."

Zhang Tu knew Da Wang had already decided; summoning them was merely to notify, not to discuss other useless matters: "So, if we take out one thousand, will the Palace Guard Battalion still need reinforcements? Replenishing one thousand all at once might cause quite a stir..."

"Today I went out and saw the streets crowded and chaotic, with no one managing it—we can't possibly deploy the Palace Guard Battalion for every little matter, can we? That is my personal guard, not Youzhou's. So I plan to recruit some people and establish a—Youzhou Garrison. Responsible for public order patrols and daily city gate duties. The personnel we recruit for the Palace Guard Battalion will use this as an excuse to enlist; we'll recruit more first, then later split off for training and selection, eliminating some, so it won't be so conspicuous."

Zhang Tu had already been shocked into numbness, with only one thought in his mind: was this idea the Prince's own, or did the Wei family propose it?

If it was his own, then a six-year-old child… truly has a promising future.

But it doesn't matter anymore; he's already a grasshopper on Youzhou's rope—if he had connections in Chang'an, he wouldn't necessarily follow the Prince of You as a vassal. So, the stronger the Prince of You, the happier he is.

Da Wang didn't forget to throw in a sweet date at the end: "Once we've recruited the people, we'll hold a grand martial tournament; the outstanding ones will receive two precious horses from me as prizes. These are the divine steeds I captured from deep in the grasslands, which even my second brother wants—priced at eighteen thousand taels of silver~"

The two commanders' eyes instantly lit up together. What do soldiers like most? Being able to preserve their lives and contribute to achieving merit—aside from their own painstakingly honed martial skills, it's a good horse and a handy sword.

Eighteen thousand taels of silver for a horse—won't it be like those little dates? This time, their enthusiasm is genuine; their steps when going out were unusually firm.

After they left, Da Wang turned to Bai Ze and boasted: "The pie I drew today is also big and round—awesome to the extreme!"

Bai Ze sneered: "Are you sure you can ride that unbridled spirit of a wild horse onto the battlefield?" He deliberately highlighted it, so it's not just ordinary unbridledness. And what warhorses need most is obedience.

Da Wang declared righteously: "I only said divine steed—I didn't promise anything else!"

Bai Ze: ……

But Da Wang still felt a bit guilty; listening closely to this guy writing, he kept muttering—blame Mengmeng, and also not rolling out any new varieties.

When Da Wang was setting up his stall in the evening, he happened to consult his older brother Bai: "... You say, what name should I give this new cavalry of mine? Father Emperor's Black Armor Army, Tiger Guard, Golden Warrior Guard—all sound quite imposing."

Bai Yang instantly became interested; he felt it was his turn to shine.

Perhaps one day, a cavalry unit that shakes the north and awes the Jin Dynasty will bear a name influenced by him!

"I have something to say on this—your White Brother's mind is full of good names~ If you're bold enough, just call it Dragon Riders! Cool, right? Sounds awesome, right?"

Dragon… Riders?

Dragon is something anyone can casually use!

If his father emperor found out, not only would relief grain no longer be obtainable, but his Prince of You title would nearly be at an end—how could his heart be so big!

Da Wang decisively: "Two-two-two! I choose the second option, the timid one!"

Bai Yang: "... Eagle Riders."

Da Wang's round eyes gleamed brightly: "Is it the 'valiant' in 'valiant and skilled in battle'?"

Bai Yang: "That's too rustic! It's the 'eagle' in 'eagle bird'. You don't want ordinary cavalry; they should be equivalent to your personal special forces secret weapon, a dagger unit for special moments, right?"

Da Wang nodded vigorously, yes yes, still Bai Ge understands me best!

I, the Prince, even if the city falls and people die, still need someone to avenge me, and someone to inform my maternal uncle! I cannot die pointlessly!

"Then what they need is not ordinary valor—have you heard of 'Ying Yang Hu Bu, Xiao Shi Lang Gu'? Eagle Riders must not only be brave, but also fierce and ruthless; unleashed, they deliver a lethal strike; otherwise, what deterrent power would they have? No man hasn't dreamed of this; Bai Yang, just thinking about it makes his blood boil. At this moment, he feels a bit envious of Da Wang—he has the conditions to establish such a squadron, the ultimate dream of all men, and to hold it completely in his grasp. This is impossible in the peaceful ages of later generations, but who wouldn't want to be a general and commander-in-chief?"

"Only the strongest soldiers can join Eagle Riders; you must have resolve, so that your Eagle Riders, in the future on the grasslands, make people tremble at the mere mention of their name—only then are they true special forces."

"I plan to first select one thousand from four thousand, then after selection, transfer them to North Hua Gate, where they will train independently near the borderlines. Later, if we find better ones, we'll replace or add to them."

"Haha, get ready with the silver, kids! Good cavalry can't be had without silver filling the gaps. If the treatment isn't top-notch, your Eagle Riders will still have no reputation at all—only for glory, how many in our Jin Dynasty would risk their lives? You must make them utterly loyal to you alone; besides might, there must be benefit. Let them understand that only in your hands, Prince of You, are Eagle Riders truly Eagle Riders. All this is for later; first, settle the present—top-tier cavalry configuration also requires top-tier: warhorses, armor, weapons, rations—all must keep up."

After hearing this, Da Wang hastily reached to cover his little moneybag, and only when his hand touched it did he remember there was nothing inside except some small trinkets he liked to carry around and play with; Da Wang immediately switched to covering his chest instead.

"Bai Ge won't say more; I'm going to set up my stall to earn money—see you later!"

Bai Yang: ……

Da Wang's diary:

【Twelfth month, first day, Youwang Fu.

I, the Prince, want to build a cavalry that awes the grasslands; today I took the first step—it has acquired a name—Eagle Riders!

My goal is to make the tribes of the grasslands hear the name Eagle Riders and flee faster than the people of Youzhou do when they hear the Northern Barbarians are coming!

... Does saying that sound a bit less imposing?

A little off, whatever, it doesn't matter, anyway that's the idea, humph!】