Chapter 16: Fight a Hundred Battles Unscathed, and You Become a War God

Chapter 16: Fight a Hundred Battles Unscathed, and You Become a War God

Xiao Ce spoke very plainly: a stable place to live, clothes to cover the body, food to fill the stomach.

Yin Pan’er understood very well that these were very simple things for them.

But for the people of the Northern Desert Region, they were simply a luxury.

“How can achieving all this be easy!”

Xiao Ce looked at Yin Pan’er: “Miss Yin, dare you make a bet with this prince?”

Yin Pan’er’s beautiful eyes lit up: “Bet on what?”

Xiao Ce said: “Within six months, this prince will make sure the Turks dare not invade again!”

“Within one year, I will enable the common people to have a stable place to live, clothes to cover their bodies, and food to fill their stomachs!”

“Within three years, I can make the Northern Desert the most prosperous land in the Great Xiao Kingdom, and make the Turks bow their heads and submit to this prince!”

Before Yin Pan’er could speak.

A cold gleam and a trace of disdain flashed in the cold eyes of Nie Bing at her side.

“Hmph, a fool’s fantasy! Do you know how fierce and cruel the Turkic Cavalry are?”

“How do the people of the Northern Desert survive day by day? If it were that simple, why would the Northern Desert have fallen into such a state!”

“Prince, you have not left the Capital City even once since you were a child, have you? Have you been to the Four Northern Desert Prefectures? Have you ever seen a single Turk?”

“Do you know how the people of the Northern Desert live their days? Forget about the Turks, you cannot even handle the local Noble Clans in the Northern Desert who cling to the people and suck their blood!”

“A frog in a well! Armchair strategist! Simply ridiculous! Pan’er, you told me how this prince is so, so… in my opinion, he’s nothing special!”

Xiao Ce saw that Nie Bing spoke logically and with measured confidence, not like an ordinary bodyguard.

“And this lady is?”

Yin Pan’er said: “Prince, please do not take offense. Let me introduce you. Sister Nie Bing is the daughter of former Northern Desert Provincial Governor Nie Yao. She grew up in the Northern Desert! She has witnessed the cruelty of the Turks, and also seen the complex web of clan forces in the Northern Desert, as well as the hardships of the common people. So, the three-year vision you speak of is absolutely impossible!”

Xiao Ce did not mind. What others could not do.

He would definitely achieve it. He smiled and said: “So, do you dare to make a bet with this prince?”

Nie Bing said coldly: “Bet on what?”

Xiao Ce said: “The three-year promise this prince spoke of!”

Nie Bing said: “Unless you are a Celestial God descended to earth, what you said is absolutely impossible!”

Yin Pan’er said: “Prince, I believe you have sincere passion. But, as Sister Nie Bing said, you know nothing about that place. It is absolutely impossible!”

Xiao Ce said: “Fine, then this prince will bet with you! If this prince succeeds, each of you must promise this prince one condition! Similarly, if this prince fails, I will promise each of you one condition. How about that?”

Nie Bing asked: “Any condition?”

Xiao Ce nodded: “Of course!”

Nie Bing agreed without a second thought.

Yin Pan’er nodded and said: “I agree with you too!”

Seeing this, Xiao Ce said to the two of them: “Aren’t you going to ask what my conditions are?”

Nie Bing said with great confidence: “Because what you said is absolutely impossible! My father worked in the Northern Desert for over ten years, and in the end, his family was ruined, and he died! You have no chance of winning.”

Yin Pan’er nodded, agreeing with Nie Bing’s meaning.

Xiao Ce said with a smile: “So it looks like you are willing to follow me to the Northern Desert?”

Yin Pan’er nodded: “Exactly! If you live, I will accompany you on this journey.”

“However, if you die, I will return to the Capital! I will not acknowledge being your wife! I will ask my father to request His Majesty to retract the decree! And I certainly will not remain a widow for you!”

Xiao Ce laughed and said: “Hahaha, good! It’s a deal.”

Yin Pan’er thought Xiao Ce would be angry, but surprisingly, he agreed so readily.

“You’re not upset?”

Xiao Ce smiled and said: “Because I am more determined than you! You are bound to lose.”

As he spoke, Xiao Ce said: “Miss Yin, Miss Nie, please go inside and rest for a while. In a moment, when we are ready, we will set off together.”

Then, Xiao Ce beckoned a servant boy that Lin Zhong had brought from the Prince of Zhenguo’s Mansion.

“You there, come and attend to Miss Yin!”

The servant boy hurried forward to receive them.

Xiao Ce was not idle either; he called for Lin Zhong.

Lin Zhong looked at the supplies outside the house and was first surprised: “Prince, you really did manage to get some money and grain!”

Then he frowned and said: “But with so much money and grain, are we supposed to transport it ourselves?”

Xiao Ce gave a bitter laugh and said: “Obviously so, the people who transported the grain have already left.”

Lin Zhong’s brow furrowed slightly: “Then carrying it would be a burden! If we take these supplies, it will take forever to reach the Northern Desert, and there’s a risk of being robbed along the way.”

Xiao Ce looked at the long grain transport line stretching as far as the eye could see.

It had to be known that in the Great Xiao Kingdom, one ‘dan’ = 100 catties, so ten thousand ‘dan’ of grain provisions meant one million catties!

One cart could carry one thousand catties of grain. That would require one thousand carts.

Each cart needed at least five people, meaning five thousand people were needed.

He currently had, at most, three thousand people.

Moreover, he had other plans for these three thousand people.

Xiao Ce only pondered for a moment, then moved close to Lin Zhong’s ear and began speaking.

Lin Zhong’s face showed a trace of difficulty: “Prince, are you sure? This is simply a losing deal!”

Xiao Ce said with full confidence: “Just do as I say! Can a living person be choked by his own urine! Let me tell you, any problem that can be solved with money is not a problem!”

…

At that moment, Yin Pan’er and Nie Bing had not gone inside.

Yin Pan’er asked: “Sister Nie Bing, what method do you think he can come up with to transport this money and grain?”

Nie Bing shook her head and said: “He is an armchair strategist, and he won’t admit it. He did manage to get the money and grain. But in the end, there are no transport teams. He only has three thousand Death Row Prisoners. Even if all of them are used, it’s not enough for transport.”

“His Majesty said these are provisions to reward the army. If the prince privately seizes or diverts them, it would be a capital offense! So, the only possible method he has now is one, and only one! He must find a security escort bureau, and the cost for that would have to come out of the prince’s own pocket! You need to know that from the Capital to the Northern Desert, according to the rules of security escort bureaus, they take twenty percent as profit. That means for ten thousand ‘dan’ of grain provisions, they would take two thousand ‘dan’ as their cut.”

“Also, the laborers for transporting the grain need to be hired by oneself. One laborer costs one string of cash a month. For this amount of grain, you need at least five thousand strong laborers! That’s five thousand taels of Silver. Adding the security escort bureau’s cut, transporting these provisions would cost seven thousand taels of Silver. Might as well just buy them in the Northern Desert!”

“Since ancient times, provisions for rewarding troops have always been allocated locally. Who transports grain provisions over thousands of miles? This is clearly deliberately making things difficult for him.”

Yin Pan’er nodded and said: “Then why not sell them here and buy them again in the Northern Desert. That could even save some money.”

Nie Bing said: “But selling army provisions is a capital offense! Buying them carries the same penalty! Who would dare to buy! It’s obviously a stumbling block the Emperor laid for the Crown Prince! These ten thousand ‘dan’ of grain are enough to make him worry.”

Yin Pan’er looked to the side where Xiao Ce was grinning from ear to ear, happily opening and inspecting boxes of Silver: “Sister Nie Bing, look, does he look worried to you?”

Nie Bing saw this and was momentarily speechless.

…

As they were talking, the three thousand Death Row Prisoners all returned.

Xiao Ce said to the three thousand Death Row Prisoners: “Soldiers, you are this prince’s first batch of soldiers for the Northern Desert Army, and also the founding members. As long as you stick with this prince and work hard, this prince will ensure you enjoy endless wealth and honor!”

“Come, first change into these army uniforms and take these weapons! Han Da, Yan Jia! Come and organize this.”

The two men soon finished distributing everything.

Xiao Ce had them change on the spot.

This made Yin Pan’er and Nie Bing, who were watching by the entrance, so startled that they hurriedly ran into the Crown Prince’s Mansion.

These Death Row Prisoners took off their prison clothes one after another.

Because of malnutrition, their bodies were very thin, but they all had wounds, big or small, on their bodies.

Xiao Ce picked out the Death Row Prisoners who had five or more wounds on their bodies. These knife and sword wounds were enough to prove they were veteran soldiers who had seen many battles.

There were over a hundred in total.

Xiao Ce said to them: “Do you know why this prince called you out?”

The over one hundred Death Row Prisoners immediately looked at each other, you at me, me at you.

Finally, their gazes fell on each other’s bony bodies covered with scars.

A hint of loss and panic appeared in their eyes.

Because they thought Xiao Ce was offering such high Military Pay, surely he wanted to get rid of some of them now.

Some of the veterans immediately knelt down: “Prince, although we have many wounds, we assure you our bodies are absolutely fine!”

“Yes, Prince! The injuries on our bodies, they are healed well, we promise! On the battlefield, we will definitely not shrink from the fight!”

“Prince, please do not abandon us! We will definitely shed blood and sacrifice our lives for the prince. We promise these injuries will not affect us. If you find any of us holding the team back, then eliminate us!”

As they spoke, these people knelt down one after another, begging for mercy… after all, five taels of Silver a month, sixty taels a year, working for a few years, they could build a house, buy some land, and live a good life.

…

At this moment, Nie Bing frowned slightly and said: “Hmph… indeed an armchair strategist. These are all incredibly brave veterans! He actually wants to discard them! On the battlefield, one experienced veteran is worth a thousand pieces of gold!? And he wants to leave them behind! Truly blind to their worth.”

Yin Pan’er listened and couldn’t help but look over and ask: “Sister Nie Bing, don’t be so quick to judge! The prince might not necessarily be eliminating them?”

“If he’s not eliminating them, what could this frog-in-a-well prince possibly see about their value from the wounds of these Death Row Prisoners?”

Yin Pan’er became even more puzzled: “Are there any special details about these wounds?”

Nie Bing nodded and said: “Look at their wounds; they are all on the front of their bodies. That means they were injured in head-on confrontations! Moreover, in the army, there’s a saying: Fight a hundred battles unscathed, and you become a war god…”