Chapter 23: Xiao Ce’s Recruitment Method

Chapter 23: Xiao Ce’s Recruitment Method

The next day, Xiao Ce got up early.

He looked at Nie Bing, who had fallen asleep on the bed, utterly exhausted.

And at that eye-catching, bright crimson stain.

Xiao Ce felt quite accomplished, thinking about everything from the previous night.

Nie Bing had said no with her mouth, but her body had been very cooperative, which was really amusing.

He changed his clothes and walked out of the room.

Night Cat had been dozing outside and got up immediately upon hearing the door open.

“Prince.”

“Send two men to protect her,” Xiao Ce said.

“What if she doesn’t come looking for you? Should we tie her up and bring her?” Night Cat asked.

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, “No need. If she wants to leave, don’t stop her! You just need to ensure her safety in situations beyond her control.”

Night Cat nodded.

Xiao Ce went downstairs and paid the bill. The waiter brought Iron Egg out.

Xiao Ce mounted the horse and rode Iron Egg out of the city.

In the distance, he saw the troops resting on the road a few miles outside the city.

Xiao Ce rode over.

Da Lei was already waiting. “Prince, did everything go smoothly?”

Xiao Ce replied with great satisfaction, “Very smoothly. This was all thanks to Night Cat!”

“Night Cat?”

Xiao Ce explained, “That’s Number Two. I gave him that name.”

Da Lei suddenly understood and cupped his hands respectfully. “Prince, it is our honor to serve you.”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Did anything happen here?”

Da Lei shook his head. “Only that Miss Yin wanted to go look for Miss Nie. We stopped her.”

Before Xiao Ce could respond,

Yin Pan’er came storming out from a tent to the side.

“Xiao Ce, where have you taken Nie Bing sister?”

Xiao Ce did not hide it. “Your Nie Bing sister is quite good at keeping her promises! She lost to me yesterday, so as per the bet, she stayed with me for the night!”

Yin Pan’er’s face was full of shock. “That’s impossible!”

Xiao Ce looked at Yin Pan’er’s expression. “Pan’er, you’re not jealous, are you? Don’t worry, you are my first woman. You will always be the official wife!”

Yin Pan’er’s face flushed red instantly. “Then where is Nie Bing sister?”

Xiao Ce stepped forward. “You were exhausted after just once. Nie Bing went all night. Do you think she can still get up?”

Yin Pan’er’s face turned red all the way to the back of her ears. “You’re talking nonsense! Did you force her…”

Xiao Ce gave a slight smile. “When Nie Bing arrives later, you can ask her yourself! She made the bet with me! She looked down on me. You should know what happens to people who look down on me in the end, right?”

Before Yin Pan’er could react,

Xiao Ce’s expression changed, and he said to Da Lei, “Go and summon This Prince’s Northern Desert Army. This Prince has important business to discuss!”

Although Da Lei had not been with Xiao Ce for long,

he had discovered that Xiao Ce was someone who acted decisively and was very well-organized.

He was a wise leader.

Yin Pan’er still wanted to say something, but seeing that Xiao Ce had serious business to attend to, she said nothing more.

After all, what Xiao Ce said was true. Nie Bing’s martial skills were excellent.

Unless Nie Bing was willing herself, Xiao Ce’s frail body really couldn’t do anything to her.

…

Xiao Ce called Lin Zhong over.

“Uncle Zhong, how much money do we have left?”

Hearing Xiao Ce’s words, Lin Zhong’s face twitched involuntarily. He looked at Xiao Ce warily and said, “Prince, what do you plan to do? That money is your capital to establish yourself in the Northern Desert!”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Uncle Zhong, you’re wrong. Money needs to circulate. If it doesn’t move, what’s the difference between silver and an ordinary lump of iron? And capital for establishing oneself has never been about money! Rest assured, I know what I’m doing. Go and gather it all together for me.”

“There’s no need to gather it; I have all the accounts in my head. Prince, what do you need the money for? Can you at least tell me that?”

Xiao Ce watched as the soldiers arrived in neat formation. “Uncle Zhong, you’ll know in a moment.”

Seeing this, Lin Zhong said, “Including the two hundred thousand from His Majesty’s army reward, there are still over one and a half million taels!”

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce’s own eyes lit up.

“This Prince is so rich! Hahaha, good! Good! Good!”

Looking at Xiao Ce’s expression, Lin Zhong immediately felt uneasy.

However, he was just a steward. He could only advise, not make decisions for him.

Moreover, over these past few days, although Xiao Ce seemed to have spent a lot of money,

in reality, not a single expense was unnecessary. It’s just that he didn’t quite understand the purpose of the things Xiao Ce wanted to buy.

Before the Prince of Zhenguo left, he had also instructed Lin Zhong that unless Xiao Ce did something too extreme,

in general situations, he should cooperate with him.

So, Lin Zhong stood to the side and said no more.

Han Da and Yan Jia stepped forward. “Prince, all three thousand soldiers of the Northern Desert Army are present.”

Xiao Ce nodded and cleared his throat.

Then he beckoned Lin Zhong over.

Lin Zhong walked over and leaned close to Xiao Ce.

“Go prepare two hundred thousand taels of silver!”

Lin Zhong didn’t ask any more questions and nodded.

“Everyone, do you remember? This Prince told you? After leaving the Capital, This Prince has an important task to entrust to you!”

Everyone shouted.

“We remember!”

Xiao Ce continued, “Very good. Do you know what we are going to the Northern Desert to do?”

One soldier shouted, “Fight those damn Turkic people!”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Correct, fight those damn Turkic people. But three thousand men are far from enough. You have heard, haven’t you? His Majesty, the current Emperor, has ordered This Prince to recruit one hundred thousand troops! The Northern Desert is vast and sparsely populated. Where can we find able-bodied young men?”

“I know you all come from different places! So, This Prince wants you to recruit troops for This Prince!”

As soon as Xiao Ce said this, the whole place erupted in murmurs.

Because recruitment had always been the government’s business.

How could ordinary people like them do it?

Everyone started to gossip and chat.

Even Lin Zhong was curious to hear.

Xiao Ce was not in a hurry to interrupt them. He let them whisper for a while.

Then he continued, “I believe you must be asking: How can conscription be something you do? Isn’t that the official’s business?”

“That’s right. The soldiers conscripted by the Steward are the official army. For regular official soldiers, how much is the monthly military pay with food and lodging included?”

“Six hundred coppers.”

“Seven hundred coppers.”

“Six hundred and eighty coppers!”

…

Everyone reported the price of military pay from various places.

“Correct. But what This Prince is recruiting is the Northern Desert Army, This Prince’s private troops! As long as you go and bring people here, each person is worth five taels of silver! Food and lodging are also included!”

“Not only that, as you all know, there are rewards for any achievements! Everyone should know that This Prince is not short of money, right?”

The crowd agreed one after another.

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Right! This Prince won’t have you recruit people for nothing. If you recruit five people, This Prince will make you a Squad Leader.”

“If you recruit ten people, This Prince will make you a Platoon Leader!”

“If you recruit one hundred people, This Prince will appoint you as a Centurion!”

“Following this logic, if you can bring ten thousand people over, This Prince will name you a Grand General! The treatment will be exactly as This Prince promised you!”

After Xiao Ce finished speaking, the scene fell deathly silent.

Clearly, everyone was a bit stunned. They had never seen such a situation before.

“What, are you all dumbfounded? Also, This Prince won’t send you off empty-handed! Later, those who are willing, first tell This Prince how many people you can recruit.”

“If you say you can recruit five people, I will give you their military pay for one month upfront! That’s twenty-five taels.”

“If you say you can recruit ten people, I will give you fifty taels.”

“But, if you say you can recruit ten thousand people. Heh heh, sorry, This Prince won’t give you a single coin. This Prince will even cut off your head! Know why? Because you, damn it, are bragging to This Prince!”

As soon as Xiao Ce said this,

the whole place burst into laughter, everyone’s eyes gleaming.

“That was just a joke. Whoever dares to say you can recruit ten thousand people, This Prince dares to give you fifty thousand taels of silver!”

“As long as you dare to say it, This Prince dares to give it!”

Xiao Ce said with a proud and serious look on his face!

“Prince, aren’t you afraid we’ll take the money and run?”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “Heh heh, This Prince really isn’t afraid. If you run for a mere few dozen taels of silver, to be honest, This Prince would look down on you! Moreover, that would be your loss.”

“Right now, This Prince’s Northern Desert Army is newly established, so the recruitment conditions are more lenient! Once This Prince fills up the ranks, wanting to join This Prince’s Northern Desert Army won’t be so simple anymore!”

“It’s your loss! This Prince promised you, the Northern Desert Army eats meat at every meal! Five taels of military pay is just the beginning. Later, as long as you do well, ten taels, fifteen taels won’t be a problem! Also, if you sacrifice for the country, This Prince promises you, compensation will be paid according to one year of your military pay! As long as your families agree, This Prince will have them come to the Northern Desert, give them land, and tax exemption!”

“These are just the beginning! As I said before, This Prince just has a lot of money!”

Xiao Ce enthusiastically painted a grand picture for everyone.

Actually, it wasn’t just painting a picture. He always believed that only under heavy rewards would there be brave men.

Moreover, he had calculated. If everything went smoothly, maintaining a hundred-thousand strong elite army wouldn’t be too difficult.

After speaking, Xiao Ce said, “Alright! No more nonsense! Those willing to do it, go over there to collect money, then take the money and go recruit soldiers for This Prince! The travel expenses for each person’s return journey, This Prince will cover it. Five taels for each person’s travel expenses!”

“Prince, what if I can only recruit three people?”

Xiao Ce said with a smile, “If you recruit three people, This Prince will manage, manage to make you a Squad Leader too!”

The soldiers immediately roared with laughter.

“Prince, what if I’m not confident?”

Xiao Ce said, “Then go to Uncle Zhong over there and collect travel expenses, five taels of silver. Go back and try. If it really doesn’t work, go make one with your wife at home! This Prince is basically giving you a holiday!”

As soon as Xiao Ce said this, it immediately caused everyone to burst into laughter.

“Hahaha! Prince, I’ll go! Uncle Zhong, my name is Li Erniu. I apply to recruit ten people!”

“Uncle Zhong, my name is Zhang Er’gou. I can recruit at least five!”

“Uncle Zhong, my name is Wu Dabang. I… I’ll just take the travel expenses, go back and try! If it doesn’t work, I’ll go home and with my wife make a baby for the Prince!”

Xiao Ce heard it and said with a laugh, “You, speak clearly! It’s making a baby for This Prince’s Northern Desert Army. This Prince can make babies by himself!”

Wu Dabang scratched his head honestly and said, “Prince, my mouth is clumsy. That’s what I meant.”

The crowd immediately burst into laughter again.

Yin Pan’er stood to the side, watching as Xiao Ce, with just a few words, roused everyone’s spirits.

Moreover, Xiao Ce didn’t put on any airs at all.

This raised everyone’s fondness for Xiao Ce to the extreme. Xiao Ce didn’t just give them the temptation of money, but also more trust.

As Xiao Ce was speaking, a young strong man who transported grain walked up to Xiao Ce’s side.

He plopped down on his knees beside Xiao Ce, giving Xiao Ce a start.

Xiao Ce said to him, “What are you doing?”

The young strong man said to Xiao Ce, “Prince, I transport grain. I want to work for you too!”

As someone took the lead, more and more grain transporters expressed, “Prince, I am strong. I want to work for you too.”

“Prince, I also want to work for you…”