Chapter 354 Tiger and Leopard Camp 1
"Your Majesty, I understand. Rest assured, with me here, Marquis Dongbo will surely be where he belongs." Lu Yuan immediately understood and would find an opportunity to kill Marquis Dongbo, thus ending the matter once and for all.
If the Marquis of Dongbo is lucky enough to survive, he might still be of some use. We must capture him and bring him to Chaoge; he might be used as bait. The key is to stop the Grand Tutor from rewarding the Marquis of Dongbo generously and to release him after appeasing him.
Most importantly, the power of the Marquis of Dongbo in Donglu must be eradicated, especially the army that supports his rebellion. The Marquis of Dongbo can no longer be the Marquis of Donglu.
Chang Hao smiled with satisfaction. This was why he chose to call Lu Yuan. Although Lu Yuan's martial arts skills were not the best, he was the most clever.
With the expedition to quell the rebellion imminent, Chang Hao had no intention of arguing with the Grand Tutor. "You'd better be quick-witted. If the Grand Tutor is angry, you must explain things to me properly."
"Yes, Your Majesty, I will certainly not fail in your trust," Lu Yuan readily agreed.
"Go! Reinforcements are needed as quickly as possible. Hurry up and muster the troops. When you return, you can be a deputy general," Chang Hao promised.
Lu Yuan's spirits lifted, "Yes, Your Majesty!" His voice boomed, revealing his extreme excitement.
Chang Hao drew a simplified map of the Yin-Shang dynasty on a silk scroll, and circled Donglu. After Donglu was brought under control, the hundreds of vassal states under Donglu would also submit. Unfortunately, Donglu and Xiqi, which were located in the east and west respectively, did not border each other.
In the afternoon, the Grand Tutor had already prepared his troops for departure. Chang Hao stood on the city wall and watched Wen Zhong set off. With Wen Zhong's abilities, he should be able to quell the rebellion and return soon, so he could prepare other things.
For example, he would summon the other three major vassal states to Chaoge under various pretexts, not let them return, and then send loyal ministers to the vassal states to "enlighten the people," promote tools that benefit the people, improve the lives of the people, and publicize his benevolence as the king. In these places, it would not be acceptable if people only knew the four major vassal states and not the king.
Marquis Dongbo, your arrival is just in time. The Jiang family has been operating in the Eastern Lu region for countless generations, and one good thing about the Jiang family is that Jiang Hengchu has no brothers and currently has no offspring, which is perfect for him to test the waters first.
The promotion of Chaoge City went quite well before, and hopefully the promotion in Donglu will also go smoothly.
As for expanding the territory of the Yin-Shang dynasty, Chang Hao did not lack the desire to do so, but he had an even greater concern: Xiqi. The Marquis of Xibo, Ji Chang, was renowned for his virtue, and it was difficult to deal with him if he had made any mistakes.
“Your Majesty,” Quan Chang entered the hall quietly, “General Huang Gun has arrived.”
"Please invite General Huang in." Chang Hao returned to his seat at the imperial desk.
Quan Sheng gently placed the list of enslaved soldiers to be converted into civilians drafted by the Tiger and Leopard Battalion onto the imperial desk. Chang Hao casually spread it out, glanced at it a few times, and approved it.
The strategy had already been set in stone, and the first batch of slaves had already shown results, so Chang Hao naturally had no hesitation.
Soon, there will be a second and a third batch...
Over the years, Chang Hao would receive the slaves offered by the feudal lords and immediately stuff them into the Zhaixing Manor. He would select the capable ones to join the Tiger and Leopard Camp and give them brainwashing education. At this time, he would choose the best ones to insert into the territories of the feudal lords, especially along the routes that Xiqi could attack.
The next best would be to teach them skills, and the next best would be to work in the fields as laborers. Every year, Chang Hao would select some slaves who blindly admired him and release them back to the common people, bestowing upon them gold, silver, and cloth, and kindly helping them to settle down again.
Originally demoted to slaves, destined to be slaves for generations, with no hope of ever rising above their circumstances, these slaves were unexpectedly given a chance to change their fate. Their gratitude towards the former crown prince and now king was beyond words.
If Chang Hao were to provide them with another channel to reach the Emperor at this moment, and discover anything amiss, these newly literate citizens would undoubtedly become Chang Hao's spies.
If the two cooperate, even if Xiqi temporarily captures the pass, the 'remnants of Yin Shang' who are physically in Xiqi but mentally in Chaoge can still cause Xiqi great suffering.
"Your Majesty..." Huang Gun entered the hall, knelt on one knee, and said with great shame, "I have failed Your Majesty's trust and have not been able to find Jiang Ziya, the fortune teller from that day."
"Rise, this is not your fault." Chang Hao was a little disappointed. The incident happened suddenly, and Jiang Ziya had disappeared. It seemed that Jiang Ziya was truly not destined for the Yin Shang Dynasty, and it was inevitable that he would join Xiqi.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent and beg for your forgiveness." Huang Gun was also puzzled. How could a perfectly healthy person disappear without a trace?
“A general’s abilities should shine on the battlefield, not be used to do these trivial things for me.” Chang Hao was very enlightened. “Get up, I have other important matters to entrust to you, General.”
Huang Gun then stood up, a slight realization dawning on him. Could it be that His Majesty was about to give him an important position?
"General Dou Rong of Youhun Pass is seriously injured. I intend to order him to return to the capital to recuperate. I prefer you to take up the post of General of Youhun Pass." Chang Hao plans to take back Donglu, so he should govern it well.
Huang Gun, who had been protecting him all along, had a broad perspective and would certainly cooperate with the people he sent to suppress the local forces that were not in compliance. Huang Gun himself was also a loyal and upright person, so it was a win-win situation.
"Thank you, Your Majesty. I will guard Youhun Pass firmly and not trouble Your Majesty. If Youhun Pass is lost, I will offer my head to you." Huang Gun knelt down and pledged his loyalty.
Chang Hao walked around the imperial desk and personally helped Huang Gun up. "You're too kind. Youhun Pass can be taken back if lost, but there's only one General Huang. Please take good care of yourself."
Just kidding, how could Chang Hao bear to let Huang Gun commit suicide to uphold his loyalty? Do you know how difficult it is to cultivate a trusted confidant? There are only so many capable generals, and the death of one is one less. How could Chang Hao bear to part with one? Besides, if he gets Huang Gun, the three Huang brothers can forget about getting off his ship.
Huang Gun was moved to tears. His Majesty's achievements were comparable to the Three Sovereigns, his virtue to the sun and moon, and his talent to the rivers. He was truly a blessing to all the people. He had to instruct the sons of the Huang family that they should repay His Majesty's benevolence with their lives.
...Wandering Soul Pass...
Wen Zhong's hasty marching army clashed with the army of Dongbo Hou at Youhun Pass. At this moment, the ground shook, and a fierce force silently approached Youhun Pass.
This large army was entirely composed of Tiger and Leopard Battalions. As the entire force stood in formation, an imposing and unstoppable aura slowly spread across the battlefield.
Looking at this well-trained, well-armed, and sharp-speared regular army, the soldiers of Dongbo Hou trembled with fear, and Jiang Hengchu's forehead was covered in cold sweat.
Wen Zhong was stunned. Didn't the king say that the support troops were a slave army? This is a slave army? How come it's different from the disheveled, stick-wielding army he had in mind? They look more like soldiers from a regular military camp than his rank-holding soldiers.
Lu Yuan, the leader, waved silently, and the standard-bearer on the left immediately waved his flag towards the direction of the Marquis of Dongbo's army, launching an attack...
"rush……"
"kill……"
The slave soldiers' eyes gleamed with greed. The soldiers under the command of the Marquis of Dongbo were automatically converted into various supplies. Killing one would reward them with a piece of meat, killing ten would free them from slavery, killing twenty would make them a centurion, killing a hundred would make them a chiliarch... and so on, even generals. These were all military achievements.
Even if they die, the king will take good care of their families, as if they were serving the king to the death...
The slave army pounced like hungry wolves on rabbits, like a sharp knife aimed straight at the throat of the Marquis of Dongbo's army. The generals of Donglu who had rebelled with the Marquis of Dongbo were the first to be stabbed off their horses. As the horses galloped past, those who were unlucky were trampled into mincemeat.
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