Chapter 106: Borrowed Land for Training Troops

"Lord Li."

Li Bucai walked to the first‑class labor market, and a practiced voice came from behind him.

"General Zou." Li Bucai bowed his hand to Zou Ying.

General Zou laughed, "I had intended to come to the residence to request an audience, never expected to meet you here. If Lord Li would be gracious, I have prepared a few fine wines in the tavern; please, Lord Li, spare a moment for a chat."

He offered the wine so proactively, likely because the personnel owed to him from the campaign to Luo Ping Hai couldn't be replenished. Li Bucai said, "If it's because your troops are temporarily unavailable, I'm not in a hurry either; General Zou need not worry about this matter."

There are still many tasks in the Territory; after the great battle, the morale needs to be reorganized, so Li Bucai hurried to recruit a few essential talents and return to the Territory promptly.

General Zou said, "The personnel issue has already been settled; that is only one matter. I have another important issue I'd like to discuss with Lord Li."

"Very well, allow me to arrange the matter first."

General Zou nodded.

Li Bucai turned to Yan Qiu and said, "I'll be away for a short while; the recruitment is entrusted to you."

Yan Qiu nodded, "May I ask what kind of people you wish to find this time, my lord?"

"Now the few carpenters in the Territory have become increasingly skilled; I want them to continue building ships and not be distracted by other tasks, so recruit a few more carpenters. In this battle, the soldiers' armor is uneven, so hire a Supervising Officer who knows how to forge equipment; also a Mining Official familiar with mining production. Moreover, our fishing boats are ready; in a few days we can teach the villagers to fish on the river, which requires many nets. Once you have recruited the people, go see where we can purchase the net gear."

Yan Qiu said, "Net gear is usually expensive; better to buy some weaving rope at the general goods market. The fishermen all know how to weave nets, and training the villagers into fishermen will still take a few days, so they should be able to produce enough fishing nets, saving a lot of money."

"Oh? That's great. Then I'll entrust all of this to you; just see to its handling."

Li Bucai stepped aside from Yan Qiu, followed General Zou to a private room on the second floor of the tavern, where General Zou ordered a few of the finest wines and dishes.

Li Bucai remarked, "General Zou, if you have a matter for Li Bucai's assistance, just say so directly; there's no need for such extravagance."

General Zou laughed, "No, no, that… the people I owed you last time, the Emperor has already agreed. After we finish drinking, I'll order them brought over. Come, drink, drink."

From his demeanor it was clear there was something else; Li Bucai, who is naturally unable to drink, forced himself to take a sip. Disliking roundabout talk, he said directly, "Now, perhaps you could tell me General Zou's second matter."

"Actually it's nothing serious; the Emperor wishes to borrow Lord Li's valuable Territory to train troops and horses."

Li Bucai thought, this damn thing is… what the hell is this? If they come, it's no surprise they'd turn the newly built Territory into a mess.

"Training troops? Fine, but what kind of troops? If you want to train, why not do it at Luo Ping Hai with real swords and guns? From what you say, the Emperor singled out only me? What about the other lords? Why specifically my Territory?"

General Zou sighed, "Well… Lord Li, do you still remember what happened in the ant tunnel at Luo Ping Hai?"

Li Bucai replied, "General Zou, you mean this training is actually the Young Marshal's intention?"

"Honestly, the Young Marshal is extremely competitive; since childhood no one has ever provoked her. Though she returned from Luo Ping Hai some time ago, she still bears a grudge over that day, so…"

"So the Young Marshal wants to use the pretext of training troops to seek revenge on me for Luo Ping Hai?"

"You could put it that way, but… although the Young Marshal is headstrong, her heart is still quite good and she won't cause Lord Li much trouble; she merely wants to regain face with Lord Li. So Lord Li, rest assured, as long as you accommodate her a bit, after a few days of tiring herself out at your place, she'll return."

"Turns out she was looking to cause me trouble; it seems I can't dodge it, so fine—this time I'll let her truly know my limits, make her fully submit, so she won't keep picking fights now and then."

"Since it's the Young Marshal's request, Li Bucai can't slight her face, but before that we must set three rules. If she can abide by them and not disturb my villagers, I'll allow her into my Territory; my Territory has just settled and I don't wish to upset the villagers. Otherwise, within my Territory, anyone who dares to oppress my villagers will be dealt with equally under military law."

"Lord Li, rest assured; although the Young Marshal is youthful and vigorous, she is not someone who bullies others and will certainly not hinder Lord Li's construction affairs."

"Also, my Territory suddenly gained many villagers; food is now scarce, with no surplus grain, so the Young Marshal must bring her own provisions. At present, Li Bucai doesn't have extra manpower to circle around her alone."

"That is natural."

"Third, my Territory is fraught with dangers; if the Young Marshal wishes to return unscathed, for her safety, after entering my Territory she must inform me in advance wherever she goes, otherwise I cannot guarantee she won't encounter mishaps."

"I will report this to the Young Marshal."

"If she can observe the three items above, Li Bucai welcomes the Young Marshal's arrival." Though she comes alone and inevitably may cause some trouble, the benefits gained will far outweigh the drawbacks.

General Zou, seeing his eager agreement, laughed, "Very well, I'll first summon the personnel I owed Lord Li last time; Lord Li may select at will."

He immediately ordered five officers to be summoned. Soon, the doors opened and five graceful maidens entered. General Zou knew that last time Mu Nan was mistaken for a male by his men and was bullied away by two girls, so this time he brought only girls.

Among the five, there were two Mages, two war generals, and only one holding a book. Upon questioning, it turned out her specialty was supervising training. Li Bucai, worried about the disordered formations in the previous battle due to lack of training, chose her this time to help train his soldiers. This girl is named Mu Lan, and like the other four, she is of the same clan as Mu Nan.

After he finished selecting, General Zou hurried to report to the Young Marshal, and Li Bucai was also eager to return to the Territory, so they bid farewell. Leaving the tavern, Yan Qiu had already gathered the recruits; Li Bucai led the group to Tengyun Station, while General Zou passed through the main hall straight toward the Imperial City.

The Imperial City is built in the northern part of the Great City; a wide road runs from between the tavern and the bank to it. In the Imperial City square, Jian Yu and others are allocating troops for an expedition to the continent below. Without a hundred‑thousand‑strong army as a shield, for the Young Marshal's safety they have selected only the elite Silver Armored Imperial Guard, a total of five hundred men.