The chaotic scene seemed to be brought under control in an instant.
Zhang Debiao, Li Yuanbao, and Qian Ergou bowed to Bai Ying and greeted him: "General."
The three men might not be entirely convinced of Bai Ying's authority, but Bai Ying had spoken up for them in front of the prince, which was why they were able to get out of prison so quickly and be recruited as deputy generals. They could say that Bai Ying deserved some credit for that!
They weren't ungrateful people; having received a favor, they naturally wanted to repay it. Besides, Prince Bai Ying was appointed by the prince himself; even if they didn't respect Bai Ying, they couldn't disrespect the prince!
Therefore, they must acknowledge General White Eagle!
Moreover, they must acknowledge it in front of all their brothers. Only if they set an example and respect White Eagle first will their brothers respect White Eagle in return!
If even a few of them don't submit to White Eagle today, then this North City Army will surely fall apart like a pile of loose sand, which is not the outcome they want to see.
The prince specially established this Northern City Army for them, and they cannot let the prince down!
Seeing that their leader respected Bai Ying so much, the people from the other three villages dared not cause any more trouble.
Ye Feng, who was standing nearby, was surprised that the three of them could do this much, and he became even more optimistic about them.
White Eagle could understand them. After all, he had just been released from prison, just like them, and had just gone from being a bandit to a regular soldier. No one wanted to easily ruin such a good opportunity.
"Heading to the military camp."
"yes."
The three responded in unison, and led their men to follow Bai Ying to the military camp.
Ye Feng led the way, as the prince had instructed him to take them to the military camp.
The real military camp in the north is in Beifeng City, where the true Zhenbei Army is stationed, responsible for guarding the northern frontier. Without the emperor's order, no one can command them, unless there is a genuine invasion from a foreign enemy.
Therefore, the Emperor did not touch the Zhenbei Army in the matter of disaster relief and bandit suppression. Instead, he sent Xuanyuan Zhan with 100,000 reserve troops from the capital to the north to provide disaster relief and suppress bandits.
Xuanyuan Zhan's army of 100,000 did not enter the military camp in Beifeng City, but instead set up a temporary military camp in Bei'an City.
Their purpose in coming to the north was to provide disaster relief and suppress bandits. The bandits were eliminated, but the disaster relief was not yet finished. Whether it was the Beiliang River or the Baichuan River, it was still closest to and most convenient in Beian City.
When Ye Feng led Bai Ying and the others to the military camp, there were hardly any people there. This was because the soldiers had all been sent out by Xuan Yuanzhan to dig river channels, and the remaining soldiers were responsible for disaster relief in various cities.
Deputy General Liu, who was in charge of disaster relief, saw Ye Feng leading this large group of bandits and hurriedly stepped forward to greet them, saying, "Lord Feng, what are they doing here...?"
Ye Feng gestured to Bai Ying and the others and explained, "The prince recruited them and established the Beicheng Army. Later, Bai Ying became the general of the Beicheng Army, and Zhang Debiao, Li Yuanbao, and Qian Ergou became the deputy generals of the Beicheng Army."
Upon hearing this, Deputy General Liu was stunned. He looked at Bai Ying and the others in shock, and then a hint of anger appeared on his face.
How come these bandits are now on equal footing with him, and one of them has even become a general, while he's still just a deputy general?
Even if the prince wanted to recruit them, there was no need to create an army and give them the position of general.
Before Deputy General Liu could speak, the soldiers behind him started making a fuss.
"What makes a bunch of bandits worthy of being generals?!"
"That's right! These bandits have been harming the people, how can they be so easily granted amnesty!"
"What kind of nonsense is it to let these bandits into our camp!"
"I absolutely disagree with these bandits coming to our camp; they are simply defiling our camp!"
The soldiers were making a huge fuss, and when Deputy General Liu heard this, the corners of his lips unconsciously turned up, but he didn't seem to have any intention of reprimanding them.
The soldiers of the Northern City were furious at their insults, but their general and deputy general remained silent, so even though they were angry, they dared not retaliate.
Bai Ying naturally wouldn't bother with them. If Zhang Debiao and the others had acted according to their previous tempers, they would have already started a fight. But now that they were all deputy generals, they didn't want to argue with these soldiers, especially since they wanted to set an example for their brothers.
If they don't resist, the other side will curse them even more fiercely.
Seeing the soldiers arguing loudly, Ye Feng frowned and was about to reprimand them when he saw Xuan Yuanzhan ride into the military camp.
"Your Highness." Upon seeing Xuan Yuanzhan, Ye Feng quickly stepped forward and bowed.
"Your Highness." Bai Ying, Zhang Debiao, Deputy General Liu, and other soldiers also bowed to Xuan Yuanzhan.
Xuanyuan Zhan dismounted and clapped as he watched the soldiers of the Northern City Army.
Everyone was stunned by his sudden applause.
Xuanyuan Zhan clapped for a while before looking at the soldiers of the North City and saying, "I once thought you were bandits who didn't understand military discipline, but now it seems I was wrong. Not one of you is ignorant of military discipline. On the contrary, it is our regular Kyoto Reserve Army that has spoken ill of you, disregarded military discipline and the law. I apologize to you on their behalf."
As he spoke, Xuanyuan Zhan bowed deeply to the soldiers of the North City.
Upon seeing this, Bai Ying, Zhang Debiao, and the others immediately knelt down, saying, "This humble general is ashamed!"
"We are ashamed." The soldiers of the North City also knelt down in unison.
At that moment, the slight grievance they had felt earlier vanished completely, replaced by gratitude and emotion at being respected.
The prince is truly wonderful; no wonder the chief and his men were willing to pledge allegiance to him.
They'd be missing out if they didn't follow such a good master.
Anyway, they'll all be the prince's soldiers from now on. If the prince tells them to go east, they'll never go west.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Kyoto Reserve Army all lowered their heads in shame.
Who would have thought that the prince would suddenly come to the military camp? But it was indeed their fault.
Even if these bandits are bad, they are still people who have been recruited by the prince, and they really shouldn't have insulted them like that.
Moreover, they didn't even retaliate just now, which makes them seem inferior to those bandit soldiers in comparison.
Xuanyuan Zhan then walked up to the reserve army soldiers and said, "To be honest, I am very disappointed in you!"
As Xuanyuan Zhan spoke, he glanced at Vice General Liu.
Deputy General Liu understood perfectly what Xuan Yuanzhan was angry about, and immediately lowered his head in guilt and shame.
He deliberately ignored the soldiers' commotion; he was genuinely furious that these bandits could bully him.
However, these bandits were surprisingly quiet and disciplined, which really impressed him!
Xuanyuan Zhan looked at the reserve troops of the capital and said loudly, "They were indeed bandits before, but I have already killed all those who committed crimes. The remaining ones, although they have also done wrong things and robbed the people of their grain, were forced to become bandits to survive. No one is without fault, and they have the will to repent. I also want to give them a chance, so I have offered them amnesty. Do you have any objections to my decision?"
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