The commander of Qizhou asked, "Will the Princess Consort of Yan release me?"
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow, "No."
The commander of Qizhou gritted his teeth, "Since I'm going to die anyway, why should I tell the princess what I know?"
Bai Chuxiao said calmly, "There are many ways to die, aren't there? If you don't say it, others will. As for whether it's a quick death or a torturous one, that's entirely up to the commander's choice..."
The commander of Qizhou's expression shifted between anger and uncertainty. After a long while, he finally lowered his head and said, "I am willing to tell the Princess..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "I just like talking to straightforward people. Le'er, take him away..."
"yes"
Shen Xuanxuan said, "Your Highness, what should we do with this Lord Sun..."
The Provincial Governor, Lord Sun, spoke sternly, "Princess Consort of Yan, I advise you not to be so stubborn. Traitors never have a good end. The Prince of Xiang has already been executed; the next one will be the traitors from your Prince of Yan's residence..."
Bai Chuxiao couldn't help but clap her hands and laughed, "I really didn't expect that Lord Sun would be such a loyal and responsible person to the court. Today, Lord Sun sacrificed himself for the court. I wonder if His Majesty the Emperor in the palace will appreciate Lord Sun's heart..."
Shen Xuanxuan smiled and said, "Your Highness, the court should be thanking us for getting rid of a corrupt official."
The Provincial Governor of Qizhou said angrily, "You lot..."
Bai Chuxiao sneered, "Take him away and hang his head on the city wall, so everyone can see what happens to corrupt officials..."
"yes"
Just as everyone was being dragged away, Shen Yiyu and Xia Fan walked in.
"princess!"
Bai Chuxiao nodded. "How's the conscription going?"
Xia Fan said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, in the past two or three days, tens of thousands of people have signed up. Everyone is not opposed, and I have already ordered them to be organized into an army..."
Bai Chuxiao slowly spoke, "Alright, let these people go help reclaim the wasteland first. We won't need them for the war for a while. Once the prisoners of war camp is dealt with, they can be put into the new recruit camp later."
Xia Fan bowed and said, "Yes, but all the officials, big and small, are still in the dungeon. Even with us here, it's difficult to oversee everything in Qizhou..."
Bai Chuxiao rubbed her temples. "Investigate and release those who haven't committed any crimes. As for the scholars of Qizhou, we should also put them to use. Yi Yu, go and post recruitment notices again. Anyone with a Xiucai degree can apply. After passing the examination, they will be granted certain positions. Hui Di will be arriving soon, so we'll leave these matters to him then..."
Fan Ziming went with Chu Tianze. They didn't have any capable civil officials on their side. Although Hui Di was young, he was quite learned and had handled various matters with ease under his second uncle's guidance in Yongzhou. Entrusting these tasks to him was the best option.
Shen Yiyu's face was resolute. "Your subordinate obeys."
In just half a month since he began following the Princess, he has grown considerably in both warfare and handling various matters. The Princess has consistently provided opportunities for both him and his sister to develop.
He had lived too comfortably before; only recently had he witnessed the suffering of the common people, and he was also grateful to be able to do some meaningful things with the princess...
After finishing her business at the manor, Bai Chuxiao planned to take Song Le'er and Shen Xuanxuan to visit the military camp outside the city.
On the streets, everything was orderly and even more vibrant than before.
Shen Xuanxuan smiled and said, "Your Highness, Qizhou City seems to be much better than when we came here..."
Song Le'er smiled and said, "This is all thanks to the Princess..."
Bai Chuxiao smiled and said, "This isn't just one person's achievement; you two have both worked very hard these past few days."
When on a military campaign, everything is kept simple. She didn't even bring her maids, and even Qing Shuang and Qing Zhu were left in Yongzhou to protect her mother.
Although they had taken over the government office, they naturally wouldn't be like the former provincial governors, keeping a large number of servants and indulging in food, drink, and pleasure.
Aside from a few maids and cooks, they did most things themselves. Shen Xuanxuan and Song Le'er were no exception; both girls were resilient and genuinely wanted to make something of themselves.
Shen Xuanxuan suddenly sighed softly and said, "I really didn't know the outside world was like this before."
Song Le'er said, "Yes, not all places are as peaceful and happy as the people of Yongzhou."
Bai Chuxiao pondered this. Looking at it this way, Chu Tianze was quite suitable for governing a region. At least he managed his fiefdom well. There were no bandits, bullying men and women, or corrupt officials. In contrast, Yunzhou, which was also a prince's fiefdom, was a mess...
The three quickly arrived at the military camp, where Yu Fengyang, having received the news, was waiting outside.
"princess"
Bai Chuxiao asked with a smile, "Has it been effective?"
Yu Fengyang raised an eyebrow and said, "After several days of screening, we have found one commander of a thousand and one commander of a hundred who are usable. Moreover, they have been very cooperative. With their help, we have managed to subdue almost everyone we could in the past few days."
After saying that, he took out a booklet from his bosom. "The capable soldiers have been screened and registered. If Your Highness needs anything, please don't hesitate to give the order."
Bai Chuxiao flipped through the document; it explained the soldiers' origins and other details. "Feng Yang is very meticulous in his work."
Yu Fengyang quickly said, "I have no patience for this. It's all that brat Song Hang's fault..."
Bai Chuxiao raised an eyebrow. "Not bad, where is he?"
Unlike Shen Tao, a scholar-general, Song Fei is a straightforward, fierce type who doesn't care much about details. It's unexpected that Song Hang and Song Fei have such different styles of doing things…
Yu Fengyang said with a smile, "We're still talking with the commanders of the thousand and the hundred."
Bai Chuxiao planned to inspect the entire military camp first, with Yu Fengyang naturally accompanying her, and Song Le'er and Shen Xuanxuan following behind her.
This place was originally the military camp of the Qizhou Guard near Qizhou City, but now it has been used as a prisoner-of-war camp. The outer perimeter of the camp is guarded by the murderous Changning Army, the middle is occupied by the Qizhou Guard who have already surrendered, and the innermost part is occupied by those who still stubbornly refuse to bow down.
Those who refused to surrender naturally had no freedom whatsoever, and even their daily food was far inferior to that of the outsiders. Yu Fengyang said there was nothing wrong with withholding their food; they were dirt poor and didn't have the extra money to feed a bunch of good-for-nothings, as long as they didn't starve to death, that was enough.
The three women walking through the military camp attracted a lot of attention, but this was naturally commonplace for the Changning Army.
But it was a different story for the original Qizhou army. They didn't have any women in their original ranks. In the past, if a few women were to freely enter and leave the camp, they would certainly have gone up and said a few words in protest.
But things are different now. They are prisoners, and prisoners defeated by the leader, the Princess Consort of Yan. Even the seemingly delicate woman following behind her is surprisingly decisive and efficient in her actions.
For a moment, their gazes were filled with complex emotions, a mixture of humiliation and resentment.
Bai Chuxiao observed with great interest the soldiers who looked at her along the way. Although they had all surrendered, some of them still looked disdainful...
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