"The southern barbarians are coming. The prince is recruiting soldiers to fight against them. Are you going?"
"Of course we will go. The prince loves his people like his own children and has provided disaster relief many times during years of famine. Since the prince is recruiting soldiers, we will definitely go."
"That's right. Besides, serving under the prince means you don't have to worry about not getting paid. If the southern barbarians dare to invade Yizhou, we will fight them back."
"Count me in. The prince has served the country and the people. Now it's our turn to do our part for him."
“…”
People in the streets and alleys of Shudu were talking about it. Only after the notice was posted today did they know that the southern barbarians were attacking.
Many young and middle-aged men went to designated locations to sign up for the army, ready to resist the attack of the southern barbarians.
At this moment in the palace, Lu Jingxuan was reporting the results of the recruitment.
"Your Majesty."
Lu Jingxuan said with a hint of hesitation, "Although the border troops were defeated, we still have 200,000 soldiers. Why do we need to recruit new soldiers? This move may arouse suspicion from the court, and someone may even use it to impeach the prince for holding his own army."
Xiao Cheng sat behind the desk, playing with a jade ring in his hand with an indifferent expression.
He looked up at Lu Jingxuan, and a meaningful smile appeared on the corner of his mouth: "Jingxuan, you worry too much. This action of mine is for the sake of the court."
"What do you mean, my lord?"
Xiao Cheng slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the flower buds on the tree in the courtyard, and said calmly, "How do you think the fighting power of the palace soldiers compares to the border troops?"
"There is no comparison."
"Since the palace soldiers are not as strong as the border troops, and the border troops are not as strong as the southern barbarians, do you think 200,000 palace soldiers can stop the southern barbarians?"
"this……"
Xiao Cheng patted Lu Jingxuan on the shoulder and said, "This is for the sake of a rainy day. The invasion of the Southern Barbarians is a serious matter and will cause great suffering to the people of Yizhou. By recruiting more troops, we can repel the Southern Barbarians as soon as possible, which will also give the court peace of mind."
"Besides, I have already written to the Emperor, detailing the threat from the southern barbarians and the need to expand the army."
"The Emperor has also approved this, allowing me to recruit volunteers at my discretion, so it won't arouse suspicion."
Hearing this, Lu Jingxuan's expression eased a little, but he still had some concerns: "Your Highness is far-sighted, and I admire you. But... the scale of this military expansion is not small. If someone secretly instigates, it may be disadvantageous to Your Highness."
Xiao Cheng chuckled, walked back to the desk and sat down, with a hint of disdain in his tone: "Provoke? You are talking about the noble families, right? They only care about power and profit on weekdays, and have never really cared about the lives of the people? I am upright and honest, so why should I be afraid of them stirring up trouble? Besides-"
He paused, a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes: "Yizhou is my territory. If those clowns dare to act rashly, I have my own ways to shut them up."
Seeing that Xiao Cheng had made up his mind, Lu Jingxuan said no more and bowed, "Your Majesty is wise, I was worrying too much."
Xiao Cheng waved his hand, "I know you're worried, but extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures. If anything really happens, I will take full responsibility. You can go down first."
After Lu Jingxuan left, Xiao Cheng took out a secret letter from under the table. It was a letter from Nanjing, saying that the emperor was unwell and the prince was acting as regent, so his memorial was not approved at all.
He placed the secret letter on the candle flame, watching the flames devour the letter bit by bit until it turned into ashes, with a flash of sarcasm in his eyes, "It seems that the prince is determined to guard against me."
…
Ruifeng County.
Xue Wenju and others also knew that the Southern Barbarians were attacking, and they could not help but panic. Their place was the closest county to the border, and if the Southern Barbarians came, the county officials would not be able to stop them at all.
After sending a letter to Qingyang County at full speed, Xue Wenju asked all the nobles to come to the county government to discuss the matter.
"Everyone, you should have heard about the attack from the southern barbarians. Our county is simply unable to resist them, so it's time to activate the fort."
The fortress in Ruifeng County was built with joint funds and efforts from the gentry in order to prevent an attack from the southern barbarians one day. Now it is finally put to use.
As soon as Xue Wenju finished speaking, the nobles in the hall began to talk among themselves, with panic and anxiety on their faces.
"Magister Xue, are the southern barbarians really attacking?" Zhang Zhen asked. After living in Ruifeng County, he was not well-informed. He just heard some things vaguely and asked now to confirm the reliability of the news.
Xue Wenju nodded solemnly: "The border has been defeated, the southern barbarians are marching straight in, and our Ruifeng County will bear the brunt. If we don't prepare early, I'm afraid..."
He didn't continue speaking, but everyone understood what he meant - if they didn't evacuate in time, Ruifeng County would be devastated.
Liu Jingzhi said slowly: "The fortress can only accommodate 10,000 people, and there are tens of thousands of people in the county..."
Pei Li said, "Why worry about so much? We built the fort, so we should go in first."
Xue Wenju frowned slightly, but said nothing.
The other noble families also agreed with Pei Li's opinion. Since they paid for and provided manpower to build the fort, it was natural that they would be the first to move in.
"Taoyuan County must have built a fortress, right?" a nobleman said.
Zhang Zhen nodded, "Indeed, there are some, but there are no supplies prepared in the dock."
Everyone understood that the nobles of Taoyuan County were also going to the Ruifeng County fort. Xue Wenju said, "Everyone, pack up your things now. I will go and inform the people to let the women and children take refuge inside, and then let the young and strong unite to guard the fort. As for the others..."
At this point, Xue Wenju paused, and said helplessly, "We can only let them take refuge on their own."
He actually felt a little reluctant in his heart. Letting these people seek refuge on their own was tantamount to sending them to death. But there was nothing he could do. When these nobles built the fort, they had never considered the people at all.
If Xue Wenju had not insisted on building a bigger one, the dock would not even have a capacity of 10,000.
Zhang Zhen said: "We can let them go to the fort in Taoyuan County. Although there is nothing to eat, it is good to hide there."
Xue Wenju nodded, and Liu Jingzhi said, "Then there is no time to lose. Let's pack up now and gather at the fort in two hours. Take all the food with you and don't leave it for the Nanman."
Soon, the gentry got up and left, leaving only Xue Wenju, the county magistrate, the county lieutenant and a few minor officials in the hall.
"Sir, can we really hold on?" a minor official asked in a low voice, his tone full of worry.
Xue Wenju looked at the gloomy sky outside the window and said slowly: "We have to defend it even if we can't! Ruifeng County is our home. If we lose our home, where else can we go?"
The county magistrate and the county lieutenant were in heavy mood upon hearing this. Yes, if they couldn't defend the fort, where could they escape to? They only hoped that Qingyang County could send troops over as soon as possible. As long as they could hold on, they should be able to defend it.
Ruifeng County was in chaos. When people heard that the southern barbarians were attacking, the entire county was in a panic, with cries of grief everywhere.
Xue Wenju hurried to the fort with people from the county government and his family, followed by a large group of people.
These people had no idea where to go, and they did not listen to Xue Wenju's advice to give priority to women and children. They all wanted to survive, so they all followed and tried to squeeze into the fort.
When the nobles in Ruifeng County saw this scene, they were instantly furious.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
