Chapter 773

Time passed from sunrise to noon.

In the council hall, Xiao Ming spoke in detail about the General Staff Department with Niu Ben and Luo Quan. Under his explanation, the two highly approved of establishing this institution to formulate war plans and coordinate logistics.

They were both seasoned veterans of the battlefield and could naturally see the profound implications, and it would also serve to restrain the generals, preventing them from acting recklessly on the battlefield.

And after deciding to establish this institution, Xiao Ming placed Luo Quan in it. Niu Ben was the chief official of the Grand Council, and Luo Quan was responsible for the General Staff Department. The two complemented each other and their cooperation would be sufficient.

Of course, their final decisions still had to go through him; only military plans approved by him could be implemented.

Truth be told, this military reform made him grasp the army even tighter.

…

Lin’an, the Prince of Chu had learned of the barbarians’ defeat in Bashu. Sitting in the pavilion and drinking tea with Richard, he was quite displeased.

Richard noticed the Prince of Chu’s expression. He picked up his tea and took a slow sip. This tea, which only the wealthy could afford in Europe, he could drink daily here.

“Your Highness, are you still thinking about the Golden Tent Khanate?” Richard asked.

The Prince of Chu stood up and said angrily, “This Golden Tent Khanate is truly useless! How could they be defeated so quickly? Weren’t they very powerful before?”

Richard suddenly laughed, “Your Highness, before, the Golden Tent Khanate had never encountered firearms and cannons. If we French had sixty thousand men in Bashu, we could also easily defeat the Golden Tent Khanate’s cavalry.”

“So the Golden Tent Khanate is finished?” The Prince of Chu asked nervously. What he most liked to see now was the Golden Tent Khanate annihilating Xiao Ming, so he could securely rule the southern part of the empire.

Frowning, Richard said, “Your Highness is overthinking it. The Great Yu Empire’s north has vast grasslands. It won’t be that easy for Xiao Ming to destroy them in a short time. However, if they start fighting, that is what we would be happy to see. This will give Your Highness more time to prepare.”

The Prince of Chu nodded upon hearing this. In fact, he had lived in fear ever since Xiao Ming ascended the throne, because he knew that once Xiao Ming was free, he would be the next feudal lord to die.

So, during this time, he placed all his trust in the French, just to survive and preserve his ancestors’ legacy.

He had even begun to consider the French ideas Richard propagated. As long as he could grow strong enough to ultimately defeat Xiao Ming, he was willing to share power with merchants and establish a constitutional monarchy.

And precisely by following Richard’s advice, many merchants had now gathered under his banner, contributing money and effort for him.

While the north was embroiled in continuous warfare, his feudal state was subtly changing.

“You’re right. I just hope the Golden Tent Khanate can keep Xiao Ming thoroughly entangled. That way, it will become increasingly advantageous for us.” The Prince of Chu’s mood improved somewhat.

Richard smugly blew on his tea. They had once worried when they learned that the Great Yu Empire Emperor in the north possessed flintlock guns and cannons.

But from the current chaotic situation, this Great Yu Empire Emperor seemed to be in deep trouble. Now, coupled with the British’s balancing strategy, the Great Yu Empire resembled a trapped beast.

Although this Emperor possessed a considerable number of troops and advanced firearms, the French, who had been framed countless times by the British, understood that when a land-based country became entangled in wars with surrounding nations, the speed of that country’s rise would be greatly diminished.

And that way, they would have the opportunity to turn East Asia into their sphere of influence as well.

“So, taking advantage of the present, Your Highness must seize the opportunity to grow stronger. We hope Your Highness will no longer conceal anything from us regarding trade with France,” Richard’s words carried a hint of threat.

He knew that the Prince of Chu’s weakness was firmly in their grasp, so he no longer maintained a humble demeanor in front of the Prince of Chu.

An unnatural flicker passed through the Prince of Chu’s eyes. He was a cunning individual, like a monkey, and having suffered before, he did not want to put all his eggs in one basket again.

Secretly, he had already sent merchants to contact other Western countries. It was impossible for France to dominate alone.

Moreover, his fear of Xiao Ming also gave him a wild idea: even if he died, he would drag Xiao Ming into the war with these Western countries.

…

Qingzhou Province.

Prison carts carrying barbarian generals departed from Qingzhou City towards Shanhai Pass.

The common people along the roads, knowing these were barbarian generals, picked up whatever they could find and threw it at these barbarians.

Born and raised in Qingzhou Province, they deeply hated the barbarians. Now, they wished they could throw these barbarians into a cauldron of oil, to let them experience the taste of being fried.

When the barbarians invaded Qingzhou Province, the common people of Qingzhou Province had been tormented by the barbarians in such a way for amusement.

The barbarian generals on horseback still retained their fierce demeanor. They glared angrily at the common people on the streets, occasionally letting out threatening roars.

But all they received in return was a whipping from the guards and even more violent retaliation from the common people.

This chaos continued until this group of barbarian generals was transported out of Qingzhou City.

Then, the convoy jolted along the road for seven days until it reached Shanhai Pass. The guards responsible for the prisoners handed them over to Lei Ming.

Along with these captives came Xiao Ming’s oral decree. After reading the decree, Lei Ming breathed a sigh of relief.

He had originally worried that Xiao Ming would return these people to the barbarians, but the decree put his mind at ease.

So he instructed his personal guard, “Prepare thirty-six wooden stakes. Erect these thirty-six three-meter-high wooden stakes along both sides of the road outside Shanhai Pass city gate.”

Receiving the order, the personal guard led the soldiers to carry it out.

Within an hour, thirty-six three-meter-high wooden stakes were erected outside the customs gate. At this point, Lei Ming said, “Hang all the barbarian captives on the wooden stakes. Let the barbarians see the consequences of their invasion of the Great Yu Empire.”

While saying this, he actually thought Xiao Ming was too merciful. If it were him, he would have had these people cut into a thousand pieces. When they killed the people of the Great Yu Empire, they were never soft-hearted.

However, an explanation from a personal guard suddenly made him understand. It turned out the method Xiao Ming chose was the truly ruthless one.

The barbarians had worshipped Everlasting Hate Heaven for generations. In their shamans’ view, every fallen tribesman could ascend to Everlasting Hate Heaven and attain eternal joy.

It was precisely because of this that barbarian soldiers fought so fiercely; death was not terrible for them.

However, there was one condition: if they were killed by weapons stained with crow’s blood, they would be unable to ascend to Everlasting Hate Heaven, because in the barbarians’ view, crows were unclean creatures.

In Xiao Ming’s oral decree, he precisely ordered Lei Ming to hang these generals on wooden stakes, and then kill these barbarian generals using weapons stained with crow’s blood. This would undoubtedly terrify them greatly.