At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), at the Longshan camp.
Following the decisive victory over 100,000 enemy troops in the Battle of Longcheng, Chen Huai'an no longer concealed his 80,000 Xuanjia Army. After cleaning up the battlefield, he openly moved into the Longshan Camp and began to repair the barracks and train the soldiers in a grand manner.
In no time, the Polu Army's Longshan Camp, which had been abandoned for half a year, regained its former glory of cheering men and horses and awe-inspiring morale.
When Chen Huai'an rode his horse from Longcheng to the Longshan camp, Chen Qingzhi had already led most of the Xuanjia Army into Longcheng after receiving the Prince of Jin's oral order from Fan Wuji, and took full control of Longcheng's defenses.
At this moment, the Longshan camp, which could accommodate an army of 100,000, was empty, which made room for another elite force that Chen Huai'an had summoned from the system.
He arrived at the training ground alone, focused his mind, and summoned the system.
[Ding!]
[The "Born to Be an Emperor" system has been successfully activated!]
As the cold, mechanical synthesized system voice echoed in his mind, Chen Huai'an's vision instantly switched to the system light screen, where the remaining points, which could be used to exchange for system reward soldiers and summon legendary historical generals, were prominently displayed.
"System, redeem 125,000 soldiers!"
[Ding!]
[125,000 soldiers are redeeming... Redemption successful!]
As soon as the system announcement ended, the drill ground of Longshan Camp was immediately enveloped in a thick fog, which continued to spread and dissipate.
Soon, groups of strong young men dressed in coarse linen clothes began to appear where the fog dissipated.
Seeing this, Chen Huai'an was already used to it and remained calm. Instead, he jokingly thought to himself that the blank soldier given by the system was indeed quite blank. Apart from wearing coarse linen clothes and cloth shoes, he didn't even have a spare fire stick.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Jin!"
On the drill ground, a sea of strong, dark-skinned young men knelt down in unison.
Chen Huai'an looked at the endless stream of strong young men in front of him. Each one of them was physically robust and could be ready to fight the enemy with just a little equipment.
Chen Huai'an had long planned for the allocation of weapons and equipment to this new army.
This new army, commanded by Chang Yuchun, the most valiant general of the Ming Dynasty, was primarily tasked with attacking cities and capturing strongholds.
In the Battle of Longcheng, Wu Qingyun's 100,000 Yunhui troops were either killed or captured, allowing the Polu Army to seize a large amount of infantry equipment and siege weapons. These readily available weapons and equipment were ready for the new army to use.
Subsequently, Chen Huai'an equipped this new army with a full set of equipment from the system's [Armory] shop, enough to arm 20,000 elite soldiers, including helmets, black armor, ring-pommel swords, long spears, long swords, halberds, Xuan Yu bows, birchwood iron arrows, and so on.
The system screen flashed the words "points - - -" repeatedly, finally settling on the words "points balance -1 million," which made Chen Huai'an feel a pang of heartache!
[Ding!]
[Equipping 20,000 elite infantrymen...equipping successful!]
As soon as the system finished speaking, a white light flashed, and the 20,000 strong young men standing at the front of the training ground suddenly transformed into elite soldiers in armor and carrying swords. Chen Huai'an finally showed a satisfied smile.
He muttered to himself, "Hmm, not bad. With these 20,000 fully armed elite soldiers as a greeting gift, I won't appear too stingy when I first face Chang Shiwan, the number one warrior of the Ming Dynasty."
Then, Chen Huai'an's thoughts flashed again. He first exchanged 3 million catties of grain and 1 million catties of fodder for warhorses and stored them in the granary of Longshan Camp. Then he continued to communicate with the system through his thoughts and summoned the legendary historical general Chang Yuchun.
[Ding!]
[Summoning Chang Yuchun, the greatest general of the Ming Dynasty... Summoning successful!]
In an instant, a golden light appeared out of thin air.
A moment later, a burly man with a magnificent appearance and long arms strode out from the dissipated golden light, his feet creaking on the wooden floor of the reviewing stand. He was none other than Chang Yuchun, the greatest general of the Ming Dynasty.
"This humble general, Chang Yuchun, pays his respects to Your Highness, Prince Jin!"
In the blink of an eye, Chang Yuchun strode up to Chen Huai'an and knelt down on one knee.
Chen Huai'an could not hide his excitement and quickly reached out to help Chang Yuchun up: "General, please rise!"
Looking at the most capable deputy marshal of the army under Zhu Yuanzhang, the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Huai'an immediately gave the order:
"General, there are 125,000 elite troops here, and 25,000 surrendered soldiers in Dragon City. From this moment on, they will be under your full command!"
"There are still 50,000 shi of grain in the camp, enough to feed the army for more than a month!"
"Now, I hereby promote you to General of the Southern Expedition and Deputy Marshal of the Army, to lead 150,000 troops south to Yunzhou on a chosen day to quell the rebels!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Chang Yuchun immediately cupped his hands in greeting, indicating that he accepted the order.
Subsequently, Chang Yuchun began to arrange various matters related to the military campaign.
After doing all this, Chen Huai'an finally breathed a sigh of relief.
In his mind, he couldn't help but recall the scene from earlier that day at the foot of Longshan Mountain, when he led the eighteen riders of Longcheng in a swift pursuit, chasing after Wu Qingyun, the commander of the Yunhui Army, and Liang Erhu, the commander of the vanguard army, who fled in a sorry state, running for their lives.
Wu Qingyun and Liang Erhu, who were only protected by a dozen or so personal guards, were already trapped like turtles in a jar, but Chen Huai'an chased them all the way to the dead end of Jubeichuan with the tactic of a cat chasing a mouse.
Just when Wu Qingyun and Liang Erhu thought they were doomed and certain to die,
Chen Huai'an suddenly turned his horse around, ignoring Wu Qingyun and Liang Erhu as if they were nothing.
Before leaving, he turned around and glanced at Wu Qingyun, whose face was ashen. The resentful look in Wu Qingyun's eyes still made Chen Huai'an want to laugh when he thought about it.
How can I describe this feeling?
That's it—I love the way you can't stand me but can't do anything about it!
Just as Wu Qingyun himself judged, Chen Huai'an's deliberate leniency towards him, sparing his life, was an outright scheme.
It's a clear message to Wu Qingyun: I, Chen Huai'an, will fight you in a certain way, and you have no choice but to fight me according to my plan.
This is like Chen Huai'an hosting a dinner for Wu Qingyun, but the plate served to Wu Qingyun contains a pile of excrement.
Even though Wu Qingyun knew the plate contained a pile of excrement, he could only pinch his nose, stuff it into his mouth, and swallow it down.
Of course, Wu Qingyun could also choose to flip the table and refuse to eat.
But the price he paid for doing that was that he would never have the chance to sit at the table and eat excrement again.
So whenever Chen Huai'an recalls Wu Qingyun's resentful eyes, which look like he'd eaten shit, he can't help but laugh. He feels so good and satisfied!
At this very moment, Wu Qingyun, that old scoundrel, is probably still dreaming of uniting the 200,000 Yunhui troops stationed in Shuobei and Yunzhou to fight Longcheng again and wipe away the previous humiliation!
Unfortunately, my 200,000-strong army will probably not give you, you old fool, another chance to combine forces!
If you want to join forces, go to the underworld!
Over the next few days, Chen Huai'an was busy with various preparations for the army's departure.
He had already made strategic plans to divide his forces into two groups to attack Shuobei and Yunzhou.
Taking over Shuobei and Yunzhou would allow us to form a strategic three-way balance of power with Longcheng.
He can advance or retreat as he pleases, whether he chooses to live a leisurely life as a prince in a remote corner or to contend for the throne and conquer the Central Plains.
On this day, in the Taihe Hall of the Jin Prince's Palace.
Chen Huai'an summoned his military commanders and local officials from the thirty-six counties in the Prince of Jin's fiefdom to discuss matters in the Taihe Hall, and also issued his first decree after inheriting the title of Prince of Jin.
It is worth mentioning that Sun Heling, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, was also present at the meeting in the Hall of Supreme Harmony when the imperial envoy was summoned by the current court.
"Imperial Edict of the Prince of Jin—"
"Since I raised an army in Longcheng and launched the southern expedition to quell the rebellion, the soldiers and civilians of the Prince of Jin's fiefdom have been united in resisting the foreign enemy. I am deeply grateful for the righteousness of the people in my fiefdom and have donated silver and grain to support the soldiers on the southern expedition..."
"I hereby decree that, effective immediately, the taxes of the people in the city and the thirty-six counties of this fief shall be halved, military families shall be exempt from all taxes for five years, and any able-bodied young man in the family who joins the army from this day forward shall also enjoy the same five-year tax exemption!"
brush!
The moment the Prince of Jin issued his edict, everyone in the Hall of Supreme Harmony was astonished.
Taxes will be halved for ten years, and families with members serving in the military will be exempt from taxes for five years!
This was an immense blessing for the people of the Prince of Jin's fiefdom, whose main occupation was agriculture!
The officials of the thirty-six counties present looked at each other, their eyes filled with shock and disbelief.
Taxes are the foundation of the local economy and the basic guarantee for the army to march and fight. The first decree of Prince Chen Huai'an after inheriting the title was to reduce the tax burden on the people. From now on, he will have to pay out of his own pocket to support the army and yamen officials!
The Prince of Jin had the world in his heart, cared for the people, and allowed them to rest. Compared to the corrupt officials in the surrounding counties and cities of the Great Xin Dynasty who only knew how to levy heavy taxes on the people and didn't care about their lives, he was a million times better!
Among the civil officials inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, someone immediately shouted, "The Prince of Jin is wise! The Prince of Jin is wise!"
"The Prince of Jin is wise! The Prince of Jin is wise!"
Subsequently, the local officials of the thirty-six counties rose and cheered, their eyes filled with tears, deeply moved.
The decree announced by Chen Huai'an even startled Sun Heling, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.
When they looked again at Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin, who sat on the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, their eyes revealed a deep and heartfelt reverence.
A scholar should be viewed with new eyes after three days of separation.
When the king is away for three days, he should look up and look up to him!
Sun Heling suddenly recalled that in the ten days or so since he was ordered to travel from the capital to Longcheng to deliver the imperial decree, His Highness Chen Huai'an had not only completed his transformation from Crown Prince to Prince of Jin, but his entire demeanor had also undergone a tremendous change.
The boy who once knelt before the Prince of Jin's residence, heartbroken and dejected, to receive the imperial decree has now become the second-generation Prince of Jin, sitting atop the dragon throne in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, looking down upon the world with an air of authority. His every move exudes the demeanor of a founding emperor.
Sun Heling dared not even imagine what achievements and accomplishments this Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin would make in the future.
But one thing he was certain of was that no matter what Chen Huai'an's future identity was, he would always be a person with a broad mind and a heart for all living beings.
Thinking of this, a relieved smile finally appeared on Sun Heling's face. With the Prince of Jin in this state, it was not in vain that he risked the crime of deceiving the emperor and delivering the imperial edict of the current emperor's seizure of power and reassignment to Chen Huai'an ahead of time!
"Report—"
"Your Majesty, a messenger from the Great Khan Timur of the Turks requests an audience!"
Just as the Taihe Hall of the Jin Prince's Palace was still immersed in the eulogy of "the Jin Prince's wisdom," a sudden announcement from a military messenger rang out outside the hall.
The identity of the messenger was even more sensitive, as he was an envoy of Timur, the Great Khan of the Northern Turks, who were irreconcilable enemies of the Great Xin Dynasty!
Speaking of which, Timur was one of the mortal enemies of the late King Chen Polu.
Back then, Chen Polu led five expeditions to conquer the northern deserts against this Turkic Khan, Timur.
In the twentieth year of Zhenwu, the late King Chen Polu personally led the Polu Army in the last battle of his expedition to the northern desert, where he defeated Temur's entire army at the Yumu River and the Onon River.
In the end, only thirteen people, thirteen horses, and thirteen suits of armor remained, fleeing in panic, thus ending the war in the northern desert.
However, after Chen Polu, following the Crown Prince's order, led the Polu Army to withdraw from the important northern city of Shuobei and handed over Shuobei to Wu Qingyun to guard it.
In just ten years, Timur once again swept across the northern desert with thirteen suits of armor, becoming the Turkic Khan who ruled over the nomadic peoples of the entire steppe.
This time, Prince Chen Huai'an of Jin had just raised an army in Longcheng to quell the rebellion, when Timur, far away on the northern grasslands, received the news and sent an envoy to Longcheng to meet Chen Huai'an. This makes one wonder about the conspiracy behind his actions.
Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the civil and military officials whispered amongst themselves, saying that Timur's actions were like a weasel offering New Year's greetings to a chicken—he was definitely up to no good!
Chen Huai'an remained calm and composed on the dragon throne.
He waved his hand and shouted with overwhelming authority, "Summon the Turkic envoy to an audience!"
"Summon the Turkic envoy to the palace for an audience!"
Soon, several burly men from other tribes, dressed in tough leather and iron-inlaid clothing, appeared outside the main hall amidst a heated argument and shoving, and were subsequently stopped at the door by armored and sword-wielding soldiers of the Polu Army.
“We are envoys of Timur Khan, representing the Turkic Empire. We never lay down our armor in life, nor surrender our swords in death. This is the rule of our Turkic warriors. You Han Chinese have no right to demand that we hand over our swords!”
"No, without the king's order, no one is allowed to bring swords into the palace. This is the rule of our Po Lu Army, and you must abide by it!"
What if I refuse to hand over this knife?
As they were speaking, the leading Turk made a move to force his way into the Hall of Supreme Harmony.
"Then don't blame this general and his brothers for their swords being merciless!"
The commander of the Polu Army stationed outside the Taihe Hall was none other than Xiao Po, the flag bearer of the Eighth Regiment who had killed more than 130 enemy soldiers on the western gate of Longcheng.
When he was seriously injured and fell into a coma, Chen Huai'an ordered that no effort be spared to save his life.
Xiao Po was also a gifted person, as strong as an ox. He was able to get out of bed with bandages wrapped around his body three days later. The gruesome sword and knife wounds on his body were completely insignificant to him.
Now, Xiao Po is the vanguard of Prince Chen Huai'an's personal bodyguard and the commander-in-chief of the Jinwu Guard.
How could such a tough, resilient man, who had repeatedly fallen and risen from mountains of corpses, possibly fear the mere bullies of a few Turkic barbarians?
Xiao Po gave the order: "Imperial Guards, draw your swords and protect the Emperor!"
Clang clang clang!
Suddenly, the sound of swords being drawn echoed outside the main hall.
Seeing this, the Turkic envoy angrily roared into the hall, "Your Highness Prince Jin, don't you Han people have an old saying, 'When friends come from afar, we should treat them with good wine and good food'?"
"Look at your soldiers, is this how you greet distinguished guests from the Turkic Empire who have traveled from afar?"
“Your Highness Prince Jin, our Great Khan Timur has disregarded past grievances and presented you with an immense fortune to be divided equally among all the people. Are you going to refuse it?”
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