Chapter 461 Qin Mo's New Subordinate
Liu Chengbo Sun Che and Bin Yangxianzi Li Cecheng finally arrived at Tongguan. Before they could even catch their breath, they received an imperial edict stripping them of their titles.
Both of them were nobles from Guiyang County in Lingnan, and had only been transferred down from the snowy plains of the north two years ago. Although they were surprised to receive the conscription order again this year, they still hurriedly began to raise travel expenses.
Lingnan is mountainous and the land is barren. Although Guiyang County is a large county, it can only provide enough food and clothing for its people. During the last northern border conflict, both of them spent their money on the armor and weapons of their troops.
Now, another conscription order has suddenly arrived. With little food left in their territory at the turn of spring and summer, the two of them finally took out the small amount of rewards they had received from the northern campaigns and converted it into travel expenses before setting off with their troops.
"My lord, we haven't stopped for a single day on the road! Why won't you let us even say a word in our defense..."
"Brother, stop calling me Uncle. If those bastards hear that, they might pin another charge on you. Do you want to experience what it's like to eat in jail?"
"Jail? I want to die right now, why...why won't he just give me a quick death? Isn't it that failing to meet the deadline is punishable by death? Why don't they...execute me?"
"Hehehe... Waaaaah!" Li Cecheng started laughing as he spoke, and finally the big man squatted on the ground and sobbed.
Sun Che was much older than Li Cecheng. Seeing Li Cecheng's dejected state after being stripped of his title, he couldn't help but advise him, "Brother Li, it's better to live a miserable life than to die. What will happen to your wife and children if you die? Even without your title, you're still a cultivator! You can still give them food, right?"
“Brother Sun, I’m not like you, a Yellow Realm cultivator who can be recruited anywhere. My ancestors’ centuries-old legacy can be gone in an instant. Won’t those rivals come knocking on my door to humiliate me in every way?”
"That's true!"
Nobles are all temperamental. On ordinary days, they are like local emperors in their own territories, and they inevitably have some friction and old grudges with the surrounding nobles, government officials, and neighbors. Now that they have lost their titles and territories, they don't know how much they will be squeezed out in the future.
The two men sat blankly atop the hill, watching the nobles ascend the platform to be appointed generals in the distance, their hearts filled with unbearable sorrow. Nobles were the cornerstone of the empire's rule, possessing unparalleled honor, and were a group of people envied and resented wherever they went.
They were once nobles, but now they have been demoted to commoners. For generations, they will not be able to obtain titles again, nor will they be able to enjoy the admiration of others. This psychological gap is the hardest to accept.
"Brother Li, to be honest... I can't bear the shame of serving under another noble family. I thought about it all night yesterday and finally decided to take another path..."
"Brother Sun, you are a subject of the Great Xia Dynasty, although... you cannot rebel!"
"Who wants to rebel? I'm going beyond the borders to conquer a piece of land of my own and continue being a duke!"
Li Cecheng's eyes lit up. He turned around and looked around to make sure no one was watching before whispering, "You mean going to Southeast Asia? To follow Prince Heng?"
"Hehe! Brother Li thought of that too?"
“In recent years, quite a few poor people from our Guiyang County have been recruited to Southeast Asia by high-ranking officials. I know a little about the situation, but... is Prince Heng willing to accept us who have been stripped of our titles?”
Sun Che said confidently, "If the Japanese and Koreans can serve under Prince Heng, why can't we Han people? I also have a hundred or so loyal retainers, all of whom are heroes forged on the battlefield. As long as they go to Southeast Asia, they will surely have their day!"
“Then I’ll go too. Let’s go together and strive for a better future for our children and grandchildren. It’s better to leave our hometown than to be humiliated like this.”
The two down-on-their-luck nobles finally made an important decision in their lives: to join Qin Mo's army to "benefit" the people of the world.
Qin Mo listened to Emperor Zhaowu's speech along with hundreds of nobles of all ranks. Then, watching some newly promoted noble sons go on stage to receive honorary titles, he began to feel displeased again.
Because their official ranks were higher than Qin Mo's. When Qin Mo was the heir apparent of the Prince of Heng, he was appointed General Ningyuan, a nominal fifth-rank military officer. But now, the eldest sons of some earls or marquises are appointed General Yiwei or General Mingwei.
Although these were all honorary titles and not actual military ranks, if Qin Mo hadn't already held the title of prince, he would have had to salute them according to military regulations if they met in the army.
After the ceremony of bestowing the title of general ended, Qin Yumu and Qin Yuanze came over. The two of them had changed their official positions to fourth-rank light cavalry captains, which was one rank higher than Qin Mo.
They were really just here to show off. Years had passed, and Qin Mo was already a prince, while they were still heirs, and who knew how many more years they would have to remain heirs. Now that they finally had something to brag about, how could they not show it off?
"Your Highness, our marching deployment has been changed. Our main force has been moved to the vanguard."
As the three were joking and teasing each other, Wu Shengze quickly walked over and handed Qin Mo a warrant from the Central Military Command, which clearly stated that the general's army was in the vanguard position at the very front of the marching column.
"Uncle Wu, did they say anything to you?"
"The Prince of Anyang personally told his subordinates that this was His Majesty's arrangement, and they were acting under orders. He hoped that Your Highness would not make things difficult for them!"
"...Then let's set off ahead of schedule! We'll be drawing engineering teams from various battalions; we'll be busy this time..."
Qin Mo was furious, while Qin Yumu and Qin Yuanze exchanged glances. They knew that being the vanguard was a tough job. The journey to the Western Regions was nearly ten thousand miles, filled with countless obstacles and ravines. The vanguard would have to build bridges and pave roads along the way, which would be incredibly exhausting.
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