Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Prize

"I thought I had met a fool, but it seems I misjudged him." Qin Mo was finally defeated by Wang Renbi's shamelessness, and said this in a fit of exasperation.

"Of course, I am exceptionally intelligent, proficient in both literary and military arts, far surpassing ordinary people," Wang Renbi said smugly, eliciting laughter from those around him. He took the laughter as applause and even bowed to the crowd in thanks.

Qin Mo immediately summoned Wu Shengze and gave him a series of instructions. Wu Shengze's expression shifted before he turned and left. Qin Mo sat down and carefully read the brochure issued by the Central Military Headquarters, discussing the marching plan with his two close friends.

All the nobles' private armies totaled nearly 200,000 men. Adding the Great Xia Imperial Guards on rotation, if no detailed arrangements were made, the chaos of fighting for road space, setting up camp, and collecting necessary weapons and equipment would inevitably lead to countless incidents.

Qin Mo's marching position was quite good, slightly behind the central army. Although there were official roads available to the north, the vanguard would inevitably need to repair roads and bridges, so this task was usually undertaken by noble families. The rear guard carried a large amount of supplies, which would certainly cause trouble as well, so the closer to the central army, the better. Being positioned in the marching line was a testament to the great power and influence of the nobles within the Great Xia Empire.

When everyone had finished studying the marching strategy, Wu Shengze returned. All eyes turned to Qin Mo and Wang Renbi.

"Qin Mo, it's not that I'm bullying you. These fifty men are just randomly selected from my troops. If I were to bring out my personal guard, those Japanese would be pissing their pants, hahahaha."

"Really? ... You have quite a few cultivators among your personal guards, don't you? How about I have my personal guard fight yours?"

Another burst of laughter erupted around them. Old Prince Heng, Qin Lan, was extremely lenient with his subordinates; the proportion of cultivators among his remaining troops was unparalleled in the Great Xia Dynasty, second only to the Imperial Guard. Wang Renbi's prior declaration that he would exclude cultivators from the competition was shameless; otherwise, how could Qin Mo not think he was a fool?

"Governor Chen, this battle is a contest between warriors from Great Xia and Fusang. We hope that Governor Chen will come and witness it, so that we can see what kind of trash these Fusang dwarfs really are." Wang Renbi's character was despicable, but his ability to evade the question was admirable. He didn't even respond to Qin Mo's suggestion, but instead dragged Chen Xuanji into the conversation.

"Your Highness, I wish to be present to offer my judgment. What is your opinion?" Chen Xuanji asked Qin Mo. Qin Mo was no ordinary prince. The title of "One-Word Prince" was the highest rank in the Great Xia Dynasty, second only to the emperor and the crown prince. He was different from the other so-called princes present and needed to be addressed as "Your Highness."

"I have no objection, but we can't just let any Tom, Dick, or Harry challenge my troops under some pretext. There has to be some kind of reward. I've heard that the Wang family of Longxi is extremely wealthy. I think a duke's son from the Wang family must have some money."

"Haha... Qin Mo, you do have some insight. My Wang family may not dare to do anything else, but we certainly don't lack money. This time, we'll do as you say and add a prize... five thousand taels!" Upon hearing that Qin Mo's family was wealthy, Wang Renbi immediately awakened his hidden rich second-generation nature. Five thousand taels had considerable purchasing power in Daxia; five taels of silver could allow a family to live comfortably for a year.

"I thought that with the Wang family's wealth and power, they would at least bet 50,000 taels, but I didn't expect it to be only 5,000 taels. It's really disappointing." Qin Mo glanced at Wang Renbi and then lowered his eyelids. He was really disappointed. Now that the sea salt production in Dayuan is increasing steadily, the daily income has exceeded 20,000 taels. He has no interest in 5,000 taels at all.

"You... Qin Mo... do you have fifty thousand taels?" Wang Renbi had lost count of how many times he had been cornered. He gritted his teeth as he asked himself, "Could that rumor be false? High-ranking officials aren't short of money?"

"Which of us doesn't have 50,000 taels? We'll know once we've fought. It's pointless to waste words here."

"Alright, I'll offer 50,000 taels as a wager today. Qin Mo, don't be so stingy as to fail to come up with the money later, or you'll lose face for Prince Heng." Wang Renbi was also determined. He certainly had more than 50,000 taels of silver at his disposal, but that was for military expenses in the north. If it was lost, even as the heir apparent, he would have a hard time explaining himself.

The two men's words stirred up the emotions of the nobles in the hall, who all rushed out of the gate and headed straight for the training ground of the central military headquarters, where the terrain was open enough for hundreds of people to fight each other.

Although it was a training ground, it was still nearly a hundred feet in circumference. Even if all the nobles stood on one side, they wouldn't fill one corner. In the capital city where land was extremely valuable, the existence of such a large unused area demonstrated the power and influence of the Great Xia military.

On one side of the field stood the retainers of the Duke of Wuwei, fully armored and bearing the insignia of the Duke of Wuwei. Fifty men stood in formation, exuding a palpable aura of killing intent.

“These are not just randomly selected troops; they are clearly elite soldiers chosen from among the best.”

“That’s right. The armor is all the same, old and new, and everyone exudes a murderous aura. They are obviously veterans who have been in battle.”

"Are those short guys over there Qin Mo's Japanese army? Their height... does look rather shabby..."

Chun Shang Jilang stood in the middle of the group, looking at the royal private army opposite him and the Xia nobles pointing and whispering around him. His mind was filled with thoughts. During his time in Xia, he was like a mountain man entering the city, constantly having his worldview refreshed by all the things he saw.

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