Chapter 89: Mobilization

Chapter 89: Mobilization

Outside Lingxiao City.

Within less than two hours, all the military units had uniformly pitched their marching camp tents.

Xiao Ce had followed Han Da for a walk around the area, and he was very satisfied with the mental state of the soldiers here.

After finishing the walk, more than ten young generals were already following behind them.

Han Da had introduced them earlier. These young generals were all selected by him along the way. They were not only literate but also very courageous and full of ideas.

Most importantly, their gratitude and loyalty towards Xiao Ce surpassed that towards the imperial court.

Before, their families were considered middle-class in various regions. It was because of this man-made famine that they became refugees, driven east and west all the way.

They harbored considerable resentment towards the imperial court.

Just when they were nearly in despair, Xiao Ce stepped forward and helped them without hesitation.

They had been suspicious at first; after all, the rumors about Xiao Ce among the populace were not good.

However, along the way, even though they had not seen Xiao Ce.

They deeply felt that this army was different, based on Han Da’s methods of leading the troops and the military discipline Han Da consistently used to train and restrain the soldiers.

Moreover, the promises made when they were recruited had been fulfilled one by one.

They not only received their Military Pay, but also truly had meat to eat at every meal.

Especially after arriving at Yanmen Pass, their families who had come here earlier found them.

They told them about the situation after coming to the Northern Desert.

Xiao Ce had indeed arranged for people to register them, then began allocating houses and land, and explained a series of policies to them.

They had all attended private schools and understood deeply that receiving help in dire need was rare!

They were all determined to follow Xiao Ce and do their best.

Xiao Ce summoned Yan Jia, Shen Bao, and Han Da, and had them bring their respective subordinate generals over.

Looking at the Central Command Tent filled with officers and soldiers sitting inside.

Xiao Ce took the main seat: “Generals, some of you are seeing me for the first time. Some of us were once opponents. However, you promptly abandoned the darkness for the light and joined This Prince’s command. There are also some who have fought alongside This Prince all the way here.”

“The fact that we can sit together today is fate! This Prince thanks you for trusting and following This Prince! This Prince will continue to rely on you in the future!”

As Xiao Ce spoke, he directly stood up and bowed deeply to all the officers and soldiers.

This startled everyone terribly; all the officers and soldiers knelt down on the ground.

“Prince, you are being too kind! All of us here were once prisoners; some were forced to leave the military camp and struggled for a living; some might have starved to death by now if not for your appearance! You gave us a second life. From now on, our lives belong to the Prince!”

Han Da knelt on the ground, clasped his hands, and said.

The crowd chimed in in agreement: “That’s right, what General Han said is correct! If not for you, we wouldn’t have our present! Our lives belong to the Prince!”

Seeing this, Xiao Ce said: “This Prince is deeply moved that you have such hearts! This Prince has always regarded you as This Prince’s comrades and brothers. You are willing to entrust your lives to This Prince. This Prince will definitely not let you down! This Prince values life and will even more so cherish the lives of you, my comrades and brothers!”

“With your unwavering support, whether it is the muddy waters of the Four Northern Desert Prefectures, or the dragon’s pond and tiger’s den that is the Turkic Kingdom, This Prince dares to venture into them!”

As he spoke, a surge of heroic spirit rose in Xiao Ce’s heart, and he continued:

“Since childhood, This Prince has been determined: to establish a moral heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure a good life for the people, to carry on the lost wisdom of past sages, and to open an age of peace for all generations to come! Generals, are you willing to follow This Prince and help accomplish This Prince’s aspirations!”

Those newly recruited generals who had read books among the audience listened, their eyes shining.

They trembled all over upon hearing Xiao Ce’s words.

Xiao Ce’s phrase – to establish a moral heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure a good life for the people, to carry on the lost wisdom of past sages, and to open an age of peace for all generations to come! – struck awe into everyone’s hearts!

“Your humble general is willing! We are willing to give our all for the Prince!”

“Your humble general is willing! We are willing to give our all for the Prince!”

The emotions of all the officers and soldiers were stirred up by Xiao Ce; they all knelt on one knee, pledging their loyalty.

Yin Pan’er’s eyes turned red. At first, she had thought Xiao Ce was just routinely winning over the army’s hearts, something he was always good at doing.

However, Xiao Ce’s statement – to establish a moral heart for Heaven and Earth, to secure a good life for the people, to carry on the lost wisdom of past sages, and to open an age of peace for all generations to come – completely moved her.

She never expected Xiao Ce to possess such grand passion and great ambition.

Xiao Ce looked at the excited state of the entire gathering, thinking to himself that his objective seemed to have been achieved.

The persona he had crafted for himself seemed quite successful.

Especially when he saw Yin Pan’er looking at him with tearful eyes, affectionate and admiring.

Xiao Ce thought to himself, he hadn’t expected to gain an unexpected harvest.

“Han Da, This Prince appoints you as Marshal of the Black-Armored Army, specifically in charge of heavy and light armored infantry, commanding seventy thousand troops. You are granted the authority to appoint and dismiss officers.”

“Shen Bao, I appoint you as Marshal of the Tiger-Leopard Army, specifically in charge of heavy and light armored Cavalry, commanding forty thousand troops. You are granted the authority to appoint and dismiss officers.”

“Yan Jia, I appoint you as Marshal of the Hundred-Victory Army, specifically in charge of the elite among the elite. Your troops have no upper limit, no lower limit, but they must be the elite among the elite! Better to lack than to accept the unworthy!”

“Now, next, Han Da, Shen Bao, Yan Jia, the three of you go discuss and redistribute This Prince’s army. Be sure to remember: veteran soldiers must lead the new recruits!”

The three Grand Generals listened to Xiao Ce’s words and then excitedly knelt down to express their gratitude.

“Regarding the specifics, come and inform This Prince once you have discussed and reached a conclusion! You must cooperate with Yan Jia. Yan Jia, you need to select the elite among the elite from among them! They must be proficient in any weapon, and also proficient in horsemanship. To put it simply, you are to recruit the king of soldiers! Your unit is the Special Forces!”

Yan Jia clasped his hands and said yes. He was not unfamiliar with the term Special Forces.

Xiao Ce had previously explained it to him.

Having said what needed to be said, the mobilization meeting was also concluded.

Seeing that Qian Lai had already arrived.

Xiao Ce asked Qian Lai: “Uncle Lai, is everything in order? Is there enough to go around?”

Qian Lai clasped his hands towards Xiao Ce and said: “Prince, the wine and meat have already been distributed. With the support of Shopkeeper Zhang and those other merchants, it’s enough!”

Xiao Ce nodded, waved his hand grandly, and then said: “Good! Then, everyone, let us go together with all the soldiers, eat large pieces of meat and drink large gulps of wine! Today we won’t leave until we’re drunk!”

Saying this, surrounded by a crowd of people, he went out.

Just outside the Central Command Tent, a soldier ran over: “General Han!”

Seeing the soldier’s hurried appearance, Han Da immediately asked: “What is it?”

The soldier clasped his hands towards Han Da and said: “Reporting to the Prince… o-outside… many commoners have come, looking for the Prince!”

Xiao Ce heard this and said: “Looking for me?”

Before the soldier could speak, Xiao Ce said he would go take a look.

Surrounded by a group of generals, Xiao Ce walked to the outer perimeter of the encampment.

·At a glance, he saw a mass of commoners standing outside the encampment.

As they got closer, they saw these commoners holding vegetables and fruits in their hands; some carried chickens, others carried ducks; everyone held many delicacies that were already ‘treasures’ to them.

As soon as Xiao Ce stepped out, these commoners knelt down in a dark mass.

“We greet the Prince… Prince, Long Live! Long Live! Long Live!”

Seeing this scene, Xiao Ce could probably guess the reason.

He quickly stepped forward to help up some of the elders at the front: “Respected elders, please rise quickly.”

“Fellow countrymen, please rise!”

At the forefront was an old man with white eyebrows and hair.

The old man’s linen robe was full of patches. Although his clothing was very shabby, he had kept himself very clean and appeared refined.

However, a striking tattoo on the old man’s face was very eye-catching.

“Prince, this old one is called Lin Bu. Today, on behalf of all the Bonded People of Lingxiao City, we have come to welcome our Northern Desert Army!”

“These are just some tokens of our own family’s sincerity. Though meager, they represent our affection. We humbly ask the Prince to accept them!”

Before Xiao Ce could speak, Qian Lai on the side said:

“Elder Lin, we appreciate the goodwill of all the people. However, your lives are also difficult; we dare not accept these! Moreover, the Prince has ordered that no one should suffer hardship, especially not the soldiers. Please rest assured, our soldiers have enough to eat!”

The leading old man, called Lin Bu, repeatedly waved his hands: “Shopkeeper Qian, we know! The King of Northern Desert is benevolent and righteous. He shows such consideration for us common people; naturally, he will not treat the soldiers unfairly. However, these are tokens of our heart for all the soldiers.”

“That’s right, Prince! This is the best we can offer; please do not look down on it…”

“Prince, we just want to thank you. We don’t know what else to do! We know you are a good person, and your army are all good people… We have never encountered someone like you who loves the people as their own children, nor have we seen an army with such strict discipline.”

“We don’t know what we can do, but we know we must do something! Otherwise, our consciences would not be at ease!”

“Yes, Prince, and all you military lords, you are fighting for us people of the Northern Desert! We beg the Prince to give us an opportunity to express our gratitude to the military lords…”

These commoners spoke one after another, chaotically expressing their sincere feelings.

Looking at them, Xiao Ce couldn’t help but feel a stir in his heart. He knew very well that these people were like drowning individuals, and Xiao Ce was undoubtedly a lifeline.

A ray of light in the darkness.

They now wanted to grasp it firmly.

Xiao Ce softly said something to Han Da beside him.

Han Da nodded.

Xiao Ce stepped forward and said to the old man called Lin Bu: “Elder, in principle, we have just arrived in the lands of the Four Northern Desert Prefectures. We have not done anything for everyone yet! Such warm enthusiasm from all of you, This Prince feels unworthy of it!”

The old man called Lin Bu repeatedly waved his hands: “Prince, that is not so! We have seen all your actions with our own eyes! You are the Prince who loves the people as his own children! The spring river warms, the duck knows first; whether a ruler genuinely cares for the people, we commoners are the first to know! Prince, please accept this sentiment from us, the people of Lingxiao City!”