Chapter 165: Prince Jin's Training Ground

Kaifeng, Prince Jin's mansion.

Guo Rong looked at the letter sent by Wang Zhen from Yangzhou, his brows furrowed.

In the letter, Wang Zhen, with an extremely tempting tone, described to him that small wealthy country located on the coast of the South Sea—Seized City.

"……Its state lies at a vital transport hub, abundantly producing spices and gems. Its people are unaccustomed to warfare, their defenses lax. With our Great Zhou's elite troops, it could be taken in a day……"

At the end of the letter, Wang Zhen thoughtfully attached a detailed map to Seized City drawn by the Wang family fleet, as well as an estimated list of spoils obtainable from attacking Seized City.

Gold, silver, spices, ivory…… that long list made Guo Rong feel a little greedy.

But he, after all, was no ordinary ruler.

After a brief moment of excitement, he immediately calmed down.

He knew that this letter from the Wang family was absolutely not that simple.

"Sir, what do you think?" Guo Rong handed the letter to Wang Hao beside him.

Wang Hao took the letter with ease, not looking again, for he had already read it once.

"Your Highness, the family head is sending you a training ground for our Great Zhou."

"A training ground?" Guo Rong was somewhat puzzled.

"Your Highness, you forgot—just a few days ago we were discussing how to channel the pent-up fighting spirit of the Imperial Guards soldiers," Wang Hao reminded.

Guo Rong suddenly understood.

He understood.

The Wang family was finding him a "soft persimmon" to squeeze.

Seized City, that country, is far from the Central Plains and weak in strength.

Attacking it would not alert the neighboring great powers, and would give those under him who clamor for war a place to vent their energy and earn military merit.

Moreover, Seized City is wealthy; after taking it, the spoils can not only fill the treasury but also fund the huge military expenses of this expedition, and even yield a great profit.

This is practically a three-for-one boon.

"The Wang family… really knows how to calculate." Guo Rong sighed.

He couldn't help but admire the Wang family's perspective; since the Wang family began expanding overseas, their vision differed from that of these Central Plains hegemons.

"Your Highness, the family head does this for the good of our Great Zhou," Wang Hao said with a smile, "An army that has never seen blood, no matter how well drilled, is merely a ceremonial guard."

Only real war can test the quality of the 'military merit ledger' system, and only then can those soldiers be forged into true battle-hardened elites.

"That's what you say," Guo Rong nodded, having been persuaded.

"But…" he still had a misgiving: "Seized City lies a thousand li away, beyond the territories of Southern Tang and Southern Han. How can our army get there? We can't just march straight over their borders."

"Your Highness, rest assured, the family head has already considered this." Wang Hao took out another letter from his pocket: "The family head has already sent someone to reach an agreement with Li Jing, the ruler of Southern Tang."

"An agreement?" Guo Rong exclaimed in shock.

Although Southern Tang nominally submitted to Later Zhou, it had always been obedient in word but not in heart. Li Jing, moreover, is a proud and arrogant lord—would he really so readily agree to let the Great Zhou army "borrow a passage"?

"The family head promised Li Jing a tenth of the spoils from this seizure of Seized City." Wang Hao explained, "Moreover, our army does not need to borrow a passage over land."

"Then where do we go?"

"By water." Wang Hao pointed to the route on the map that runs straight from Yangzhou to the South Sea, "My Wang family can deploy three hundred large seagoing ships to transport Your Highness's army and all supplies directly from Yangzhou to the coast of Seized City."

"Can the Wang family fleet directly deploy tens of thousands of troops to a battlefield a thousand li away?" Guo Rong was again stunned by the Wang family's strength.

Such an ability to project forces across the sea was something he had never even heard of.

"Your Highness, my Wang family merely has more years of experience at sea than everyone else." Wang Hao's tone was calm, yet full of confidence.

Guo Rong fell silent.

He felt that the more he learned about the Wang family, the deeper his reverence for them became.

You never know how many shocking hidden cards they still keep.

"Good!" Guo Rong took a deep breath, finally made up his mind, "Let's do it!"

"Sir, immediately draft a campaign plan. For this southern expedition, I will personally take command!"

"Your Highness, no!" Wang Hao hurriedly urged, "You are the heir apparent, a body worth ten thousand gold—how could you lightly court danger? Seized City is merely a tiny state; there's no need for you to go personally. Sending any random general would be enough to crush it."

"No." Guo Rong shook his head, his eyes becoming extremely firm, "This is not just a war; it is also the first appearance of our Great Zhou's new army, and my prestige-establishing battle as heir apparent."

"I must go myself."

"I want everyone under heaven to see how mighty our Great Zhou's army is!"

"I also want those arrogant and fierce generals to know that I, Guo Rong, can not only sit in the study reviewing documents, but also command hundreds of thousands of troops on the battlefield, expanding territory!"

Seeing Guo Rong's unquestionable gaze, Wang Hao knew that further persuasion would be useless.

He could only bow and obey: "I comply with the edict."

The news that Guo Rong had decided to personally lead the expedition to Seized City quickly caused an uproar in the court.

Guo Wei was the first to stand up and oppose.

"Nonsense! Utter nonsense!" In the imperial study, Guo Wei, furious, slammed the table until it shook, "You are the heir apparent of a nation! The future emperor! Your life is worth more than ten Seized Cities combined! How could you risk your own life on an adventure?!"

"Father, please calm your anger." Guo Rong knelt on the ground, speaking calmly, "My son's resolve is firm."

"You!" Guo Wei pointed at him, so angry he could not speak.

"Father, weren't you yourself, back then, fighting your way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood step by step?" Guo Rong raised his head, staring into Guo Wei's eyes, "A ruler who has not proven himself on the battlefield cannot truly earn the respect of those arrogant and fierce generals."

"I, your son, do not wish to spend my whole life living in your shadow."

These words of Guo Rong deeply wounded Guo Wei.

He looked at the adopted son kneeling on the ground, eyes unyieldingly stubborn, and seemed to see his former self.

After a long while, he let out a long sigh.

"Enough, enough." He weakly waved his hand, "When a son grows up, the father no longer decides. If you want to go, then go."

"But you must agree to one condition of mine."

Father Emperor, please speak.

"Keep Wang Hao for me." A flash of shrewd light passed through Guo Wei's eyes, "You take the troops out to fight; the affairs of Kaifeng City always need someone to watch over them for you. I think Wang Hao is quite good. Let him stay in the Capital to handle the administration for you, and I will also be reassured."

Guo Rong stared for a moment, then immediately understood Guo Wei's intention.

He was uneasy about the Wang Family, intending to take Wang Hao as a "hostage" and keep him in the Capital.

"Father Emperor is wise." Guo Rong did not expose it, merely acquiescing in agreement.

He knew this was the greatest concession his father emperor could make.

Having settled Guo Wei's side, the remaining officials posed no further problem.

With Guo Rong's insistence and the support of Chancellor Fan Zhi and others, the plan for the Southern expedition to occupy the city was swiftly approved.

Guo Rong selected thirty thousand of the most elite soldiers from the Kaifeng Imperial Guards.

He himself served as commander-in-chief, with General Zhang Yongde (Guo Wei's son-in-law) serving as deputy commander.

The army set out that very day, heading for Yangzhou to prepare to board ships and sail south.

A campaign aimed at training troops and plundering formally opened its curtain.

Wang Hao, meanwhile, remained in Kaifeng, serving as the Chief Secretary of the Prince Jin's mansion, handling all the administrative affairs left behind by Guo Rong.