"...I'm afraid he's even more capable than many people imagine!"
Huo Huaijin's words surprised Fu Xiaoguan.
He originally thought that among the four major border armies of the Yu Dynasty, the northern border army led by Peng Chengwu was the strongest - although the northern border army suffered a crushing defeat in Pingling Mountain, in Fu Xiaoguan's opinion, this did not mean that the northern border army was weak.
Border troops mostly fight in large-scale groups. Looking around the world, it is extremely rare to find troops that are truly good at mountain warfare.
This is related to the combat form of this world, which is basically two armies pushing against each other, capturing cities and seizing territories.
For example, in the war in the east, the eastern border troops and the Yi army almost all fought head-on. Even the use of combat strategies was nothing more than conventional means such as roundabout encirclement and luring the enemy deep into their territory.
There has been no war in the west for a long time, so it is impossible to verify the true combat effectiveness of the western border troops.
Originally, Fu Xiaoguan just asked casually. He was worried that the Fourth Prince Yu Wenshu had gone to the Western Wilderness, which basically meant he had lost the opportunity to enter the Eastern Palace.
Xue Dingshan is Yu Wenshu's uncle. If Yu Wenshu does not give up and still wants to covet the position of crown prince, the biggest card in his hand should be the western border army.
He had met Yu Wenshu only three or twice, and had only one real conversation with him.
Just as he was about to set off for Wu Dynasty, Yu Wenshu came to visit him. From their conversation, Fu Xiaoguan felt that Yu Wenshu was not a person who was content with the status quo.
He must have made some plans, but Fu Xiaoguan had just returned to the capital and was missing a lot of information, so he couldn't figure out where Yu Wenshu would make his move.
"Are you worried about the Fourth Prince?"
Yu Wendao asked this question, and Fu Xiaoguan grinned. "It's impossible for me not to worry. He is very different from the eldest prince. The eldest prince comes from a military background and does things simply and directly. But I don't quite understand the fourth prince, so I just asked casually. Don't take it to heart."
"Your Majesty has sent the Fourth Prince to Western Rong. It will be difficult for him to achieve anything there." Huo Huaijin said this.
"What do you think?" Fu Xiaoguan asked.
"While Xirong Prefecture is publicly controlled by the chieftain of the Peng family, the Moon Worship Cult is a powerful force behind the scenes. According to my father's analysis, the true master of Xirong Prefecture is probably the leader of the Moon Worship Cult. If the Fourth Prince wishes to assert his authority in Xirong Prefecture, he must overthrow the Moon Worship Cult... which won't be easy."
Fu Xiaoguan thought about it carefully. If the Fourth Prince wanted to overthrow the Moon Worship Sect, he would have to rely on the support of the Western Border Army. However, it would be difficult for the Western Border Army to leave their base on a large scale without the emperor's tiger talisman order.
So this approach is basically unworkable, unless...
Fu Xiaoguan's heart sank. There was no way the Fourth Prince was in cahoots with the Moon Worshiping Cult!
The Moon Worship Cult was founded by the remnants of the previous dynasty in order to overthrow the Yu Dynasty. No matter how cruel the Fourth Prince was, it was impossible for him to join forces with such an enemy.
However, they didn't know that the former Nan Batian was actually the Holy Maiden of the Moon Worshiping Cult.
She had already come to Yu Wenshu's side and gave birth to a daughter.
Yu Wenshu wanted to use the power of the Moon Worship Sect to cause chaos in the Yu Dynasty, while the Moon Worship Sect also wanted to use Yu Wenshu's identity to regain control of the Yu Dynasty.
This game has already begun, but now, apart from the master of the Taoist temple, very few people know about it.
Fu Xiaoguan put the matter aside and said to Huo Huaijin with a smile: "The Third Princess will be returning to the capital soon. When will you two finish your business, so as to avoid any more troubles at night?"
Huo Huaijin smiled shyly, "Let's discuss it when she comes back. We should do it as soon as possible."
"What about you? You are the fifth prince, do you have someone you like?"
Yu Wendao glared at him, "What do you mean by admiration?! Don't bring up this nonsense. I want to ask you, can you give me a copy of the Divine Sword Training Method?"
Fu Xiaoguan looked up at Yu and asked, "Of course I have no problem giving you one, but you are just talking nonsense!"
"Let me put it this way. If you want to truly master this training method, you must go to the Divine Sword Army and experience it for yourself. I'm currently recruiting Divine Sword reserve troops in Pingling and Quyi counties. If you're really interested, why don't you join as a soldier?"
Huo Huaijin was shocked. This is the fifth prince, who is very likely to become the ruler of the Eastern Palace in the future, but you asked him to be a soldier... This guy is really brave!
Unexpectedly, Yu Wendao was overjoyed. "It's settled. After your wedding is over, I will go to Pingling to be a soldier."
Fu Xiaoguan was also stunned. "No, don't worry. You have to discuss this matter with His Majesty and the Queen. Besides... this training is extremely difficult and dangerous. No, no, you should just stay here and be a prince."
"Are you looking down on me? Or are you afraid that I'll learn your martial arts skills?"
What the hell, what are you thinking!
"Are you really going?"
"really!"
"In the Excalibur Army, no one treats you like a prince. You're just an ordinary soldier. You sleep in a bunk bed tent with over ten people, with no hot water for showers and no special food treatment. Your martial arts skills are of little use in the Excalibur Army, because you need to cooperate with your comrades..."
Fu Xiaoguan paused and poured tea for Yu Wendao. "If you can't forget your identity and can't fit in among those ordinary soldiers, then you'd better not go! Don't jump to conclusions yet. In a few days, Bai Yulian will bring the Third Princess to the capital. You can talk to him. He is the leader of the Divine Sword Army. He has the final say on whether to accept you or not. My words won't count."
Huo Huaijin was shocked. Although Fu Xiaoguan's words were simple, the message they conveyed overturned his ideas.
If the Fifth Prince joined the border army, he wouldn't be able to start as a soldier, nor would he be able to eat and sleep with those soldiers. But Fu Xiaoguan's words were clear - if you want to go, this is the condition, otherwise, no discussion.
No wonder the Excalibur Army is so powerful!
If he did not hold the most crucial position of the Imperial City Guards in his hands, Huo Huaijin would have very much wanted to become a soldier in the Divine Sword and experience the training methods of the Divine Sword.
"How many people are you going to recruit this time?" Huo Huaijin asked curiously.
"I spoke with His Majesty today. To expand the Excalibur team to 10,000, we need to recruit 6,500 men."
"How much was lost in the battle at Pingling Mountain?"
"Four thousand men entered Pingling Mountain, and only 3,628 were left when they left. Then they went to the Desolate Country and looted, bringing back 20,000 war horses, but they lost about a hundred men."
Huo Huaijin's eyes widened. The battle report of the Divine Sword in Pingling Mountain had been sent to all the armies of the Yu Dynasty. However, the report only said that the Divine Sword Army defeated the Gong Shenchang Army with only 4,000 men.
He originally thought that no more than a thousand people could survive, but he didn't expect the casualties to be so low!
They also went to the deserted country to rob. What kind of army is this?
"After training these ten thousand divine swords, where do you intend to point them?"
"What the hell? I'm a peace-loving person. These 10,000 Divine Sword soldiers will go to the West Mountain and guard the landlord's granary!"
"Get lost...!"
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