Liu Yong, the commander in charge of the rear camp, felt the prince's gaze and quickly stood up and spoke.
"As General Liu said, if we use this method of eliminating the inferior and retaining the superior, the rear camp will not be able to form an army of more than 20,000 men, which is indeed a bit too few. However, I still have a method to ensure the number of men who can be formed."
"Oh? Tell me about it."
"Just the few prefectures and counties nearby can recruit over 100,000 strong men. This shows that Da Chen has abundant manpower and is naturally not short of men. I suggest that General Liu lead the troops further afield. After all, there are more than ten prefectures in the southwest of Da Chen alone. As long as General Liu mobilizes them seriously and appeals to their emotions and reason, I believe that there will be no shortage of people joining the army."
Wei Chun said so.
"To persuade them with emotion and reason?"
This was something Liu Yong couldn't handle. He had never been very familiar with the court situation and the twists and turns in the conversations between officials. Otherwise, he wouldn't have led the group of miscellaneous soldiers in the rear camp as a general.
"Well, the method is similar to catching a stick man."
When Wei Chun saw the stupidity revealed in Liu Yong's eyes, he remembered that this guy was thrown by the prince to guard the rear camp just because he didn't understand what was said. Otherwise, with his fighting ability, he should at least lead a main force to fight on the front line.
But it’s better this way, at least Da Chen has retained a capable general.
"Aren't the One-Stick Bandits mostly old, weak, sick, and disabled? Wouldn't it be a waste of food if we captured them?"
Liu Yong continued to ask, despite the word "stupid".
"General Liu!"
Wei Chun's words were filled with obvious impatience. "There are four people in this family. Go and capture them all. The elderly, the weak, the women, and the children will serve as bandits. The able-bodied men in the family will serve as reserve soldiers. The food in their home will serve as rations, and the property in their home will serve as military pay. In this way, you will have everything in one trip. Do I need to say this explicitly?"
"Ahhhh, I get it, I get it."
Liu Yong nodded quickly and said, "Master Wei has thought it through. This way we can kill four birds with one stone. And if anyone resists, we can use it as a good opportunity to train our troops. It's indeed a good strategy."
Liu Yong turned to the Crown Prince and bowed, saying, "Your Highness, I am willing to dispatch troops now to relieve your Highness's worries. However, I am a rough man and cannot even do accounting. It is very easy to make mistakes in arranging military rations and salaries. Your Highness, please assign a few capable civil officials to accompany me to prevent any mishaps."
The prince nodded and said, "Yes. However, this is a serious matter. When Lord Zhou arrives, if he agrees, we will send troops immediately."
"Your Highness, no!"
At this time, someone actually dared to raise an objection. It was really courageous. Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and found that the person who spoke was Mao Wenxi, a staff member of the Staff Department, who held the title of Marching Counselor.
"Master Mao disagrees? Is there a better way?"
Seeing that it was one of his subordinates who opposed his opinion in public, Wei Chuan couldn't help but ask in a stronger tone.
"Your Highness!"
Mao Wenxi ignored Wei Chun and looked at Chen Yu with red eyes, saying with a tearful tone, "There are still millions of people living in the southwest of Dachen. If this method is carried out, the army will forcibly conscript people and seize their property. The people here will surely be in dire straits, and it will take more than a hundred years to recover. These people are also your Highness's subjects, loyal to you and to Dachen. Please have mercy on them!"
this...
All eyes were cast on the prince's face.
After all, if the prince, who always uses "I want to be a wise ruler" as his catchphrase, really issues this order, his so-called "lifetime reputation" will probably be in vain.
Yes, the "One Stick Man" could still claim that several surrounding prefectures were within the fighting range. If they won, they could then say that it was the defeated Qinghe army that was plundering the area, thus shifting all responsibility. But now that Qinghe was about to win, they were about to become the "loser", and with such a large scale, no one could hide it.
Seeing the prince lost in thought, Wei Chuan became anxious. This matter couldn't go to waste! Zhou Shangwen might be punished because of the intelligence problem, and the position of chief of staff would be vacant. Whether he could climb up depended on this.
"Mao Wenxi, what are you thinking?"
Wei Chun took a few steps towards Mao Wenxi, until he was in front of him. He looked down at Mao Wenxi who was kneeling on the ground, pointed his finger at his head and shouted.
"Master Wei... Your humble servant, this is also for His Royal Highness the Crown Prince..."
"lie!"
Wei Chun was furious, his spit flying over Mao Wenxi's head. He looked around and shouted, "If you were doing this for His Highness, you wouldn't object! You're doing this entirely for yourself! Don't think I don't know that last year you took advantage of the cheap land prices in the southwest and bought ten thousand acres of fertile land in Dongning Prefecture, even moving your entire family here. You're probably saying this because you're worried about your own tenants and property!"
"Hmm? Mao Wenxi, is this true?"
The prince asked with a frown upon hearing this.
Oh? It's possible! When everyone heard that the Crown Prince didn't address Mao Wenxi as "Master Mao," but instead addressed him by his given name, they understood his current intentions perfectly. They began to speak out, mostly with comments like, "Taking advantage of the chaos to amass wealth," "Sacrificing the greater good for the greater good," and "Ruining national affairs for personal gain."
In a word, His Highness has not killed anyone even though he was defeated today. This is not right. He must find someone to vent His Highness's anger, otherwise everyone will be in trouble.
"Your Highness, my family is indeed in Dongning Prefecture, but I am loyal to Your Highness and to Dachen. I am acting entirely for Your Highness' sake."
Mao Wenxi regretted showing off to his colleagues how he had acquired the land of those refugees at a low price. Now several people came forward to testify, leaving him speechless.
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