Chapter 972

After leaving Qingzhou University, Xiao Ming, Niu Ben, and Luo Quan returned to the palace.

In the Imperial Study, Xiao Ming looked at the map of Siberia and said to the two of them, “I have always had an idea. This Siberia is vast and remote, and it would be difficult to control even if we occupy it, and it would also tie up a lot of the Great Yu Empire’s military strength. So I want to form a foreign legion, composed of Goryeo and Japanese people, to fight against Tsarist Russian soldiers in Siberia.”

“A foreign legion? That’s a bit like mercenaries,” Luo Quan said.

“Close enough, but the difference is that this foreign legion will be trained by us and use our equipment, so their combat effectiveness is not something that mercenaries can compare to. Most importantly, the foreign legion will be more obedient,” Xiao Ming said with a smile.

In fact, he had this idea after occupying Goryeo and Japan. In the colonial wars of the Age of Discovery, it was almost a matter of common sense to train a part of the indigenous army to control the indigenous countries for oneself. Otherwise, relying on the country itself to maintain a huge colony would drag it down.

During the war with Goryeo, Ye Qingyun had actually already trained a foreign legion. This was the Goryeo army that was originally led by Li Cheng-jae. When conquering the southern cities, although this army was not as sharp as the Great Yu Empire’s army, it could still complete most of the tasks.

The only regret was that Li Cheng-jae, due to his ambition, eventually tried to rebel but was captured by his generals.

“Your Majesty, isn’t this the Goryeo army that Li Cheng-jae once led? What I am worried about is that these soldiers are not loyal enough to the Great Yu Empire and will instead harm the Great Yu Empire,” Niu Ben said with some concern.

Xiao Ming laughed when he heard this. He said to the two of them, “Your worries are unnecessary. First, the foreign army will not be equipped with the same advanced firearms, and second, war relies on a country’s comprehensive national strength. Now we have a strong industrial base and can provide ample supplies for the war at any time. What does the foreign legion have? Once they run out of ammunition, they are nothing but lambs. By using them, we can reduce our own military’s consumption.”

Luo Quan and Niu Ben looked at each other and nodded slowly. Due to the characteristics of firearms, it now only took three months to train an army, and the same was true for the foreign army.

“In that case, we will go back and prepare for the foreign army and try to send them to Siberia as soon as possible.”

“En, for now, let’s only recruit 20,000 people, 10,000 Goryeo people and 10,000 Japanese people. The Goryeo and Japanese people have always been at odds with each other, so it will be easier to manage in case of an out-of-control situation,” Xiao Ming said thoughtfully.

The term foreign army sounded a bit better, but it was actually a puppet army, a lackey. He was well aware of the disadvantages of such an army, which made it easy for them to give equipment to the enemy, but he could not shy away from it because of that. After all, such an army still had a certain amount of combat power, enough to give Tsarist Russia a headache.

Moreover, contemporary history proved that Goryeo had always been a qualified lackey. During the Japanese occupation, they fought for the Japanese against China, and during the American occupation, they served their American masters and even participated in the Vietnam War, committing many acts that were more brutal than the American military.

He naturally wanted to take advantage of a country with such characteristics.

As for Japan, he did not trust their superficial obedience. Goryeo was a small country and knew it could not resist a great power, so it was willing to be a lapdog.

But Japan was outwardly obedient, but inwardly harbored evil intentions and would eventually turn on its master.

During this time, he had been thinking carefully. During the strong periods of the Central Plains dynasty, Japan was very obedient. Once the dynasty declined, Japan would come and take a bite, trying its best to destroy the Central Plains dynasty. This proved that occupying the Central Plains dynasty was an unchanging ambition of the Japanese.

Furthermore, Japan’s land was narrow, and natural disasters occurred year after year, which gave the islanders an innate sense of insecurity. It was this fear born of a survival instinct that gave Japan a crazy desire for the vast land of the Central Plains dynasty.

Therefore, while colonizing Japan, Xiao Ming always remained vigilant and would not give them a chance to become strong. Otherwise, Japan would once again become a formidable enemy of the Great Yu Empire.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Niu Ben and Luo Quan replied.

After a pause, Xiao Ming continued, “In addition, the Golden Tent Khanate should also be dealt with. This is a good opportunity to test the power of the Han-style rifle and the Imperial Guard artillery. After the spring, let Lei Ming, who is guarding Youzhou, advance towards Raozhou. This time, we must teach them a good lesson and let them understand that colluding with Tsarist Russia will only lead to their demise!”

Niu Ben grinned when he heard this. He said with some anticipation, “Your Majesty, I would like to personally lead the expedition to attack the Golden Tent Khanate. I really want to see the power of the Han-style rifle and the Imperial Guard artillery in grassland combat.”

Luo Quan vied, “Let’s leave this opportunity to the young people like Lu Fei and Lu Quan. Old bones like us can only plan in the Grand Council. Our bodies can no longer handle it.”

When Niu Ben heard this, a dark expression appeared on his face. In the blink of an eye, eleven years had passed, and he was now over sixty years old, and Luo Quan was about the same age.

A few days ago, the two of them had talked about retiring from the court.

After a moment of thought, Niu Ben said, “Yes, it is the world of the young people now. But the destruction of the Golden Tent Khanate is my lifelong wish. Your Majesty, please let me go to the battlefield one last time.”

“Your Majesty, I will go with him. I probably won’t have many more chances to be on the battlefield in the future,” Luo Quan said with emotion.

Xiao Ming’s gaze lingered on the two old generals. They had indeed done too much for the Great Yu Empire throughout their lives, and it was time for them to live a comfortable life.

He also understood their current thoughts and did not force them. Although the saying ‘Is the old general Lian Po still able to eat?’ represented an unyielding spirit, time was still unforgiving.

“I understand the thoughts of the two generals. The Golden Tent Khanate has always been the enemy you have sworn to eliminate. After all, the Golden Tent Khanate owes our Great Yu Empire too many blood debts and has been your lifelong enemy. Since that is the case, I will allow you to lead the army north to eliminate this great threat,” Xiao Ming said gently. Niu Ben and Luo Quan were both generals who lived in the era of Xiao Wenxuan. Their lifelong enemy had always been the barbarians, while the goal of the young generals now was to stand shoulder to shoulder with the European powers.

“Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty. After this battle, our wish will be fulfilled, and we should give up our positions to the young people. Lu Fei, Luo Xin, Lei Ming, Ye Qingyun, and others are all young and promising generals who can take our place,” Niu Ben said slowly.

Xiao Ming nodded. The two of them were not faking it, so he said, “Since the two generals have made up their minds, I will not force you to stay. I only hope that the two generals can guide these younger generations more. I have saved a place for you in the military academy.”

The novel has already been fully translated up to the final chapter. You can access it on my Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/caleredhair