Chapter 176: Dark Pawn

"I was quite offensive during the day; I hope Your Highness will forgive my sins."

In the guest hall of the Gao Family residence, Zhong Li knelt on one knee.

"Captain Zhong, please rise. I simply did not wish for you to fall into that Yuan Li's treacherous scheme," Zhao Xu said.

Upon learning that Zhong Li had arrived at the foot of the city, he immediately came out to meet him.

Zhong Li sighed, "Your Highness's benevolence is truly not an empty rumor. This subordinate feels deeply ashamed. Tomorrow, I shall disband my troops, order the Zhong Family clansmen to return to Shangyi County, and no longer serve that Yuan Li."

Zhao Xu nodded, "I have heard that the General is a man of integrity, and seeing you today, it is indeed so. But why did you originally join a despicable and shameless person like Yuan Li?"

Hearing this, Zhong Li looked ashamed, "It is not that this subordinate wished to join Yuan Li, but in Yanzhou, there was no one else to join besides the Yuan Family. I was single-mindedly determined to drive out the Northern Di, so I had no choice but to join the Yuan Family's Black Armored Army. However, I have never submitted to Yuan Li to commit evil deeds. Every year during the Autumn Hunt, I have fought against the Northern Di."

"So that is how it is." Zhao Xu revealed an appreciative expression.

At this moment, Mo Yu, who was to the side, said, "Previously there was only the Yuan Family, but now Yanzhou has His Highness the Yan Wang. Why do you not change your allegiance and join under His Highness's command? It would not be a waste of your life's aspirations."

"This..." Hearing this, Zhong Li looked at Zhao Xu and sighed slightly. He said, "How could someone as tainted as Zhong Li dare to have such a luxurious hope?"

"Hahaha..." Zhao Xu laughed loudly, "Captain Zhong, why be so self-deprecating? A lotus emerges from the mud without being stained. Although you are in the Yuan Family Army, you have not wallowed in the mire with them, which is extremely rare. If you are willing to come to my army, I would naturally welcome you."

Hearing this, Zhong Li was inexplicably moved.

Within the Yuan Family Army, he had several times been unable to stand Yuan Li's actions and had spoken out to remonstrate.

But Yuan Li only rebuked him with words, which had long made him dissatisfied and gradually disappointed in the Yuan Family.

Now, Yuan Li had again deliberately provoked his relationship with the Yan Wang, ordering him to come and kill the Yan Wang.

Now that he had calmed down to think it over, Yuan Li was merely trying to kill two birds with one stone.

Firstly, by sending him to attack Yan Commandery, the Yuan Family could provide an explanation to the Rich Clans of other commanderies.

Secondly, if the Imperial Court were to investigate, he could be used as a scapegoat.

In short, he was nothing more than a discarded pawn of the Yuan Family.

Furthermore, Gao Yuan had murdered his father, yet Yuan Li had protected him instead.

Now, he felt only hatred for the Yuan Family.

However, he was not a man who would accept rewards without merit.

Immediately, he said, "Your Highness, this subordinate cannot join your army just yet."

"Why?" Zhao Xu asked in surprise.

"Recently, I accidentally overheard Yuan Li's confidant officers talking. It seems the Yuan Family is conducting a secret matter. Once I have secretly investigated the full story, I will then defect to Your Highness," Zhong Li said.

"Oh?" Zhao Xu frowned upon hearing this.

The Yuan Family had been relatively quiet during this period, but with Zhong Li saying this, he immediately became vigilant.

Now that the Prince's Mansion had torn off the mask with the Yuan Family, he had to be careful in every respect.

"It is just that this would wrong you, Captain. And if you go back just like that, are you not afraid that Yuan Li will be suspicious? In that case, you should just stay here," Zhao Xu felt grateful, but he felt uneasy about letting Zhong Li put himself in danger.

"This subordinate repays kindness when received, not to mention that Your Highness saved my father," Zhong Li said sternly. "However, Your Highness's words have some merit. Therefore, tomorrow I will lead my troops to attack the city. At that time, Your Highness only needs to send someone with excellent archery skills to shoot me with an arrow. In this way, I will be wounded and defeated, and upon returning to Fanyang, that Yuan Li will certainly have nothing to say."

Chang Wei and the others nodded one after another upon hearing this.

Zhao Xu nodded, "Then I will have to trouble you, Captain Zhong."

Having settled this matter, Zhong Li returned under the cover of night.

The next morning.

Zhao Xu and his officers climbed the city wall. At this time, Zhong Li's army had finished their formation.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhong Li's army charged toward the Fortress amidst shouts of battle.

Zhong Li charged at the very front, looking very much like he was personally avenging his father.

Since it was a drill, it naturally had to be performed realistically.

When Zhong Li left, he told him that the Zhong Family clansmen would tie white cloth strips on their heads and arms.

The troops Yuan Li gave him only had them tied on their arms.

Therefore, Chang Wei ordered the crossbowmen to aim their arrows more at the Yuan Family soldiers.

Of course, the Zhong Family clansmen could not be left entirely untouched.

However, the crossbowmen aimed at their lower bodies, trying their best not to cause them fatal injuries.

"Xu Lie, are you ready?" Zhao Xu said to Xu Lie.

Xu Lie nodded. When Zhong Li entered within a hundred meters, he drew his Curved Bow and nocked an arrow, firing a shot directly at Zhong Li.

Zhong Li had been paying attention to the movement on the city wall, and seeing the person beside the Yan Wang fire, he deliberately did not dodge or evade.

"Ah." The Arrow struck his shoulder, and he could not help but cry out in pain, falling to the ground.

The Zhong Family clansmen were shocked and dragged Zhong Li back as they retreated.

With their main general wounded, the soldiers following the charge had no heart to continue fighting and retreated one after another.

Less than half an hour after Zhong Li was rescued back to the army, the Yuan Family troops began to rout along the path they had come.

Watching the gradually disappearing Yuan Family army, Chang Wei sighed softly, "I hope Zhong Li can join the Prince's Personal Army soon; that way, we will have gained another brave general."

Zhao Xu nodded.

The Prince's Personal Army was indeed lacking in officers. Previously, there were only thirty thousand men, and it was not easy to pick out so many officers.

Now that it had expanded to sixty thousand, the shortage was even greater.

After all, officers require military expertise.

In a battle, sometimes an officer's decision will affect the entire outcome.

For now, he was only fighting defensive battles in Yanzhou, so it was not yet apparent, but if he were to go far away to fight field battles in the future, that would be when it would show.

"Excellent officers cannot just be waited for; one must also find ways to cultivate them oneself," Zhao Xu said.

Just like the affairs of the Armory Bureau, as the manufacturing technology gradually became more profound, his demand for talent would also become higher.

The army is the same as the Government Office.

"According to my thoughts, we should establish a school within the army; train during the day, and when there is nothing to do at night, call the generals together to study tactics and strategies, and teach them how to read and write."

"Then, establish such a system in every battalion as well, teaching the soldiers tactics, combat skills, and adding ideological education at night," Zhao Xu spoke eloquently.

"Ideological education?" Chang Wei, Mo Yu, and the others were all stunned; this was another new term.

Zhao Xu coughed twice, "It just means making them remember at all times to be loyal to me, and to take protecting the fief as their own duty, and things like that..."

Upon hearing this, Chang Wei and the others understood.

Zhao Xu said to Liu Fu again, "This time, the officialdom of Shanggu Commandery is basically ruined, and the administrative system needs to be rebuilt. Selecting officials is a problem. How about this: the Government Office will hold an examination in the coming days. I will set the questions, and we will select the best among the scholars who participate."

"Will there be no distinction between commoners and the Rich Clan?" Liu Fu's expression was excited.

"Naturally, it will be fair and just. Everyone will be treated equally, and they will be employed according to their talents. From now on, officials in my fief will be selected this way," said Zhao Xu.

Hearing this, Liu Fu felt as if his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

He had imagined countless times that scholars of the world could compete based on talent in such a fair environment to enter officialdom.

And now, Yan Wang actually thought the same way he did.

To him, Yan Wang was his soulmate.

Ignoring the gazes of the others, he hugged Zhao Xu's thigh, tears and snot streaming down his face, "Your Highness, you are the number one virtuous king in the world. Your subordinate is prostrate in admiration, truly prostrate in admiration."

Zhao Xu was suddenly helpless; every time he got excited, Liu Fu became shameless.

Chang Wei was used to it; after all, Yan Wang was always able to give them big surprises.

He had looked down on Liu Fu before, but the matter of the Artillery had made him become just like Liu Fu.

Mo Yu was dumbfounded; the people around this Yan Wang were truly just like Yan Wang, all extraordinary.

Just at this moment, a soldier hurried upstairs and said, "Your Highness, we have found the father and son of the Gao Family."