Chapter 524: Pacification

"What is going on?"

Not far away, a squad of Wangfu Army soldiers was blocking six Ningjin Army soldiers.

Zhao Xu looked over; it seemed these few soldiers wanted to come in his direction.

Seeing this, the veins on Yang Zhen's forehead instantly bulged, and he said, "Your Highness, this general will deal with them according to military law right now."

"Slow down. They are defying military law, so there must be a reason. Let them come over; this Prince wants to hear what they have to say," Zhao Xu said.

Yang Zhen had no choice but to agree and went over to lead the six soldiers back.

"The one before you is His Highness, Yan Wang. Without him, you would still be enslaved by the Northern Di," Yang Zhen said.

Upon hearing this, the six soldiers exchanged glances, bowed to Zhao Xu in unison, and called out, "Greetings, Your Highness, Yan Wang."

"Rise," Zhao Xu nodded and looked at the six men, "Why were you causing a disturbance just now?"

"Reporting to Your Highness, we were not trying to cause a disturbance, but rather we want to be like them—to have uniforms and muskets," one man said.

"That's right, we want to fight back sooner," another man said.

"In Ningjin Dusi, we still have wives and children."

"..."

The soldiers became more agitated as they spoke. Yang Zhen said angrily, "Didn't I tell you already? Whatever the Prince's Personal Army has, you will definitely have too. What is the rush!"

At this moment, Zhao Xu noticed that the six Ningjin Army soldiers were still dressed in rags; they did not look like soldiers at all, but rather like refugees.

Perhaps they felt unbalanced in their hearts from comparing themselves all day to the Prince's Personal Army stationed on Chrysanthemum Island.

Thinking of this, Zhao Xu said to Yang Zhen, "Gather all the soldiers of the Ningjin Army; this Prince will speak to them personally."

Acknowledging the order, Yang Zhen turned and left.

Bai Shang chuckled and said, "Your Highness, just as you said, the morale of this Ningjin Army is very high; they are all howling and eager to fight back."

"High morale does not mean they can win battles. Their current physical condition is the same as yours when you first joined the Prince's Personal Army. Without three months of rest and training, the casualties will be heavy once they reach the battlefield," Zhao Xu said.

For these Ningjin Army soldiers, Ningjin Dusi was their hometown.

For ten years, the Northern Di had killed their relatives and enslaved them like livestock.

How could they not hate the Northern Di?

Most importantly, the last time Bai Shang and the others raided Ningjin Dusi was the first time the Great Song had crossed Yanguan to launch an attack on the Northern Di in ten years.

This gave them tremendous encouragement.

Half an hour later, with the sound of war drums beating.

Thirty thousand Ningjin Army soldiers gathered from the various Drill Grounds of Chrysanthemum Island to the front of the Command Platform.

Zhao Xu ascended the Command Platform, with Yang Zhen on his left and Bai Shang on his right.

Looking down from above at the soldiers who were gazing up at him, he said loudly, "This Prince is the Ninth Prince of the Great Song, the Yan Wang of Yanzhou."

Wherever his voice reached, the hearts of the Ningjin Army soldiers were shaken.

When they first set foot on the land of Chrysanthemum Island, the person they were most grateful to was that Yan Wang, whom they had heard of but never met.

After arriving on Chrysanthemum Island, they learned more about the deeds of this Yan Wang from the soldiers of the Prince's Personal Army.

They grew increasingly reverent toward this Imperial Prince who had executed the Rich Clans and repelled the Northern Di.

Ten years had passed, and the Great Song finally had an Imperial Prince with a backbone.

"Yan Wang, heavens, I never thought that in my lifetime, I would be able to see the Yan Wang with my own eyes." A soldier's hand was trembling slightly.

"This is our savior."

"In the current Great Song, only the Yan Wang dares to fight the Northern Di. We are truly lucky to follow the Yan Wang."

"..."

The soldiers whispered among themselves, one telling ten, ten telling a hundred.

The eyes of the thirty thousand Ningjin soldiers grew brighter.

The Yan Wang had actually come from distant Yanzhou to visit them in person.

Recalling the days in Ningjin Dusi when life was worse than death, they suddenly felt a warmth in their hearts.

It was like a helping hand extended by a relative when one was in distress.

"I had just arrived, and some of you were already causing a disturbance, complaining about the lack of weapons and armor. For this, I do not blame you, and I understand your current feelings."

"On this point, I can guarantee that as long as you complete your three months of training, you will all have them, and they will be exactly the same as those of the Prince's Personal Army. With me, there is no such thing as being treated like a favored child or a stepchild," Zhao Xu said, observing the expressions of the soldiers.

Before the soldiers could even rejoice, the corners of Yang Zhen's mouth turned up, and he almost laughed out loud.

In truth, he also wanted weapons and armor, but he could not throw a tantrum whenever he wanted like the soldiers.

At present, he was still a man under a cloud of guilt.

As these words spread, smiles appeared on the faces of the Ningjin Army soldiers.

It was as if they had taken a reassurance pill.

In truth, they could not be blamed for this; many of the Great Song people in Ningjin Dusi had been captured by the Northern Di to serve as auxiliary troops.

They ate the worst food, and their weapons and armor were the worst; they were nothing more than meat shields during battle.

They did not want their fate to be the same as theirs.

If that were the case, this Yan Wang would not be worth their service.

"Of course, what I just said was my issue; now it is time for your issues. I have heard that when the Ningjin Army was first being formed, quite a few people were making a fuss about wanting to go to Yanzhou. Although that voice has disappeared now, I fear that those who want to go to Yanzhou are only complying on the surface while remaining unconvinced in their hearts," Zhao Xu suddenly raised his voice.

This was also an important reason for his coming to Chrysanthemum Island.

To resolve the ideological issues of the soldiers.

Otherwise, they would be nothing more than a weapon transport brigade for the Northern Di.

Many of the soldiers below the platform lowered their heads.

They indeed had this thought.

In the Ningjin Dusi, they had suffered enough, and even having escaped, they did not want to return.

They only wanted to return to Great Song to live a stable life.

"This Prince only wants to say to those soldiers who have these thoughts: if Yanzhou also falls, where else can you retreat to? If you do not defend your own land with your own lives, when your fathers and mothers are slaughtered and your wives are humiliated, the only thing you will be able to do is rage in your own incompetence!"

Pausing for a moment, Zhao Xu continued: "However, this Prince is not a person who likes to force others. Those who have this thought can step out now; this Prince will send them back to Yanzhou. The Ningjin Army does not need cowards."

After saying this, Zhao Xu looked at the soldiers quietly.

A quarter of an hour passed, and not a single person stepped out.

Seeing this, he revealed a smile.

Yang Zhen breathed a slight sigh of relief, feeling even more happy.

An army with scattered resolve is completely different from one with a will as firm as iron.

"So long has passed, and no one has come out. It seems you all have made your decisions in your hearts. Good. This Prince also promises you one thing here: after we retake the Ningjin Dusi, this Prince will distribute fifty mu of fertile land to each of you. This is the baseline; those who have performed military merit will be rewarded separately according to their merit!" Zhao Xu said loudly.

"Your Highness, will the Imperial Court agree?" Yang Zhen reminded him hurriedly; this matter could not be joked about.

If it could not be fulfilled when the time came, it would cause chaos.

"Do not worry about this; what this Prince says will definitely be fulfilled," Zhao Xu said.

Given the current situation of Great Song, how could he possibly spit out what he had already swallowed?

Moreover, the Ningjin Dusi is about the same size as Yanzhou, with vast land and a sparse population.

The per capita share would naturally be high.

While the two were speaking.

The soldiers below the stage suddenly let out intense cheers, wave after wave of sound.

"Long live Yan Wang, long live Yan Wang."