Chapter 11: Candidates

Chapter 11: Candidates

Chapter 11: Candidates (Additional chapter 33 for the leader, Young Master Qingshan)

"Captain Shao."

"Captain Shao shoots brilliantly!"

"Captain Shao is mighty!"

In Pan Garden, every sergeant, squad leader, team leader, even accountant and manager who met Shao Xun greeted him warmly.

Everyone has a scale in their hearts to judge who is more capable and who can better protect the safety of the farm.

When they heard that Yang Bao was very dissatisfied with Shao Xun, everyone wanted to laugh.

What was Yang Bao's ability? He was just leaning against the wall and practicing Taiping Fist. If it weren't for Shao Xun's amazing archery, how could the rebels disperse so easily?

Besides, even if Captain Shao doesn't use the bow and fights alone, you, Yang Bao, will not be his match.

Shao Xun responded with a smile, appearing humble.

Wu Qian and Huang Biao followed behind him, feeling proud of it.

Qin San, who had been beaten by Shao Xun, also "rebeled" and followed behind, chatting and laughing.

"I've finally become famous this time!" Huang Biao said proudly.

"During the entire first month of the year, Pan Yuan had to deal with three waves of rebellious soldiers, and Captain Shao helped every time." Qin San smiled and said, "I thought, Yang Bao still has no chance of doing anything!"

"It's not that simple." Wu Qian waved the whip in his hand and whispered, "I heard that the last military officer Wang was very powerful. Liu Qia tried to curry favor with him, so who knows what trouble he might cause."

"This..." Huang Biao choked and said angrily, "They do these shady things all day long. When we fight, don't we rely on the weapons in our hands to speak?"

"If only it were that simple." Wu Qian snorted coldly.

Qin San was a little dumbfounded.

I just surrendered to Shao Xun. Did I do something wrong?
"I say..." Shao Xun glanced at them unhappily and said, "How can you be like warriors when you gossip like this? In this messed up world, if it works, it works, and if it doesn't, it doesn't. Liu Qia and Yang Bao are still jumping around, but they can't stand up, so what's the harm to me? Just focus on reorganizing the troops and don't think about anything else."

"Yes." Several people responded.

Shao Xun recalled the afternoon when he first met the princess.

She seemed to have suffered some shock at the time, and felt a little uneasy, and subconsciously wanted to win him over.

In that case, the princess should be able to protect him from the wind and rain...right?

On the tenth day of February, after killing the last batch of more than a hundred rebel soldiers, Pan Yuan finally relaxed.

Everyone seized the time and started spring ploughing.

Things are happening one after another, so busy that it's hard to keep up.

In late February, Mi Huang, the governor of Sikong Mansion and the owner of the chuang, who had been staying in Luoyang, hurried to Pan Garden.

"Zihui arrived just in time." Princess Pei said expressionlessly in the main hall of Pan Garden.

"Please forgive me, Princess. I have been busy with government affairs recently and neglected military affairs." Mi Huang replied somewhat embarrassedly.

"Mr. Mi is really an honest man." Concubine Pei smiled faintly.

It is impossible to say that she has no resentment. But the fact is that, what can she do? At least in her husband's eyes, it is right to get the benefits as soon as possible. She can accept this rationally, but emotionally she always feels that it is not the case.

Mi Huang lowered his head.

As the owner of the farm, Pan Yuan was not present when the rebellion broke out. In fact, he lacked the highest military commander - even if it was just a nominal one - and the entire farm would be destroyed if there was even the slightest mistake.

What would happen then? All the property would be looted, and there would be heavy casualties. A noble lady like the princess would suffer an even worse fate, and would most likely be sold into slavery. How could the King of the East Sea put his face on that?

But things are so helpless.

The Crown Prince Sima Pi was in Sikong Mansion in Luoyang City, and the King of Donghai didn't seem to pay much attention to the outside of the city. All his energy was focused on winning over "famous people".

In the past two months, many people have entered the Sikong Mansion to take up positions.

Xue Jian of Danyang was one of the five talented men in Jiangdong. His father and grandfather both served in the Eastern Wu and their families were prominent officials. He was recruited by the Minister of Works and promised the position of serving in the army.

Gan Zhuo of Danyang, the great-grandson of Gan Ning, a famous general of the Eastern Wu, grandson of Shangshu Gan Shu, and son of Gan Chang, the Prince's Tutor, was promised the position of joining the army.

If we count Wang Dao, who was just recruited before the fight, and Zu Ti, the official of King Sima Jiong of Qi, who is currently being recruited, there will be even more people.

Anyway, very busy.

In addition, the competition for military power is becoming increasingly fierce.

The Sikong Mansion has a lot more talents than last year, but the appetite is also getting bigger, so there are more and more things to do. As an old man who has followed Sikong for many years, Mi Huang has been busy recruiting defeated soldiers and desperate criminals recently, and even secretly contacted the generals of the Imperial Guards on the orders of Sikong to win them over.

He is busy too!
To be honest, no one cares about the people in Panyuan. They are old and young, what can they do? The only good thing is that they are all from Donghai Township - they are local soldiers, so they are naturally more trustworthy.

The King of East Sea didn't think highly of this army, and Mi Huang didn't think highly of it either. Therefore, in addition to helping the King of East Sea recruit talents from aristocratic families, he was also trying to recruit soldiers.

Under the hereditary military system, soldiers were very regional and not easy to recruit. For example, the tens of thousands of Yuzhou soldiers who had just been defeated had fields, gardens, and families in the counties of Yuzhou. How could they follow you to serve as soldiers in other places?
Besides, this is not against the rules.

It is not impossible to recruit hereditary soldiers from one place to garrison or fight in other places, but there are strict procedures. For example, if the hereditary soldiers of Yuzhou go to Huainan, then in theory this is called "going to war."

There is a time limit for going on an expedition, one, two or three years. During this period, there is a "rest" during which the soldiers can go home to reunite with their families. After the reunion, they can "go on an expedition" again until they are completely discharged and the military operation ends.

To put it bluntly, they belong to the classical farming and fighting army. They are more like farmers than military households. Their main occupation is farming and their secondary occupation is going to war. They are not skilled and have insufficient training, so their combat effectiveness is just so-so.

Compared with secular soldiers, recruited soldiers are professional warriors who do not need to farm to make a living. They spend most of their lives training and fighting. As long as they have sufficient food and pay, they can fight around the clock without so many restrictions.

Mi Huang recruited soldiers, but in fact he was recruiting conscripts. This was not an easy task, as it involved many aspects and would keep him busy for a while.

"What's the situation in the capital?" Concubine Pei asked casually while playing with a fox fur half-sleeve.

"The King of Changsha is busy cleaning up the mess, so he must send people to Yecheng to inquire about all matters, big or small, which is very respectful." Mi Huang said, "The one in Chang'an has ordered the vanguard army to withdraw, and the crisis in Luoyang seems to have eased a little." Upon hearing this, Concubine Pei did not comment, but a hint of sarcasm appeared in her beautiful phoenix eyes.

Sima Yi had clearly gained power in Luoyang, so why did he treat Sima Ying, who was far away in Yecheng, with great respect and allow him to actually participate in the governance of the country? Because the power of the kings was still very strong, especially Sima Ying of Yecheng and Sima Yong of Chang'an. If Sima Yi did not win them over, he would not be able to hold his position firmly.

However, in the eyes of Concubine Pei, who had witnessed many internal struggles in large families, this so-called balance was completely a futile act and the relationship between the two sides would sooner or later break down completely.

The reason is very simple. They are all descendants of the Sima family. Who wouldn't want to follow Sima Lun's example and ascend the throne to become emperor?

It would be great if we could maintain peace for half a year.

Thinking of this, she sighed slightly. Once the war started, no one could control their own destiny.

"Have you brought all the supplies?" Concubine Pei stopped thinking about those worries and asked directly about what she was concerned about.

Mi Huang breathed a sigh of relief and quickly replied: "Twenty war horses, sixty running horses, one hundred draft horses, fifty sets of armor, three hundred suits of armor, one hundred bow tips, five hundred bow strings, one thousand two hundred spears..."

After saying this, he pulled his messy beard subconsciously, his facial features tangled together, and said: "I am ashamed. As the leader of the building, I have been lazy for a long time, and I have to remind you, Princess."

Indeed, he was a very unqualified leader.

Although the civil and military officials of the Jin Dynasty often stayed in office but did not take care of the government, it was rare for someone to disappear at any time like him to run other affairs for his lord.

He didn't even know how many people were left in the building. He had been negligent in daily training for so long that he couldn't even remember what the captains of each team looked like.

"Zihui, you should come more often in the future. The current situation is chaotic, and no one can guarantee what the future will be like." When saying this, Concubine Pei lowered her eyelids, and her ten fingers gently twisted together. There seemed to be some hesitation and fear in her tone. She only said: "The people in Pan Garden still need to be arrested. Although the central army in Luoyang is important, it is not easy to win over."

"This..." Mi Huang hesitated.

He seemed to have heard the princess' tone, but he didn't suspect anything. A woman, isn't that what she is? No matter how noble or wise you are, it's normal to lose your temper when things happen.

Previously, the princess sent people to Luoyang to ask for equipment and food, but the staff of the palace disagreed. Only Mi Huang took into account that he was the owner of the camp and the princess was in Pan Garden, so he said a few words and successfully sent a batch of equipment over. The Yuzhou soldiers were defeated and the scattered equipment was countless, but not everyone could get it.

When I came here today, I was questioned by the princess and felt ashamed. Now seeing the princess looking so worried and weak, I felt even more guilty, so I said, "I will report to the Minister of Works tomorrow and ask him to select and send a group of strong soldiers."

Hearing this, Concubine Pei raised her beautiful eyes, seeming a little surprised, then hesitated: "Most of the recruits are desperate criminals, and they are not people who know their background well. I am afraid they will be difficult to discipline."

"That's fine." Mi Huang said confidently, "The squad leaders and team leaders will still be soldiers from the East Sea. After a period of training, they will be stable."

"In this case, Zihui will have to come more often to preside over the training." Concubine Pei said.

"This..." Mi Huang paused again.

It's not that I don't want to come, I just don't have time. To train troops, they need to eat and live in the barracks. How can a busy man like him do that?

Seeing this, Concubine Pei lowered her head, seeming a little disappointed.

Mi Huang's face was tangled. After thinking for a while, he said, "Of course I will come here more often. But - hey, I don't know if this is a good idea? Appoint one or two supervisors, who will be responsible for the reorganization and drills on weekdays. I will come when I am free to inspect the soldiers..."

"Zihui, this is a very good plan." The princess breathed a sigh of relief, her eyes full of smiles, and said, "Lord Wei Mi, I really don't know what to do."

Mi Huang breathed a sigh of relief and made up his mind to report to Sikong when he returned. He then asked casually, "Does the princess have a candidate? As for Pan Yuan, it all depends on the princess's opinion."

"How can I, a woman, understand all this?" Concubine Pei sighed and said, "Since the beginning of the first month, the rebels have been rampant. I have been staying in the manor, feeling extremely scared. Fortunately, the soldiers fought bravely and we were able to escape danger in the end. The servants in the mansion discussed privately that there is a team leader named Shao Xun, who is brave and valiant, and has killed more than 20 bandit soldiers with arrows. He is the most meritorious and may be of use."

"I have also heard of this person's name." Mi Huang blurted out: "Could it be that the young man with Yin Jie?"

Concubine Pei was slightly surprised and asked, "It was him?"

Mi Huang nodded and said, "Team leaders Yang Bao and Qin San reported to the Prime Minister that Shao Xun secretly colluded with young men to plot evil. I have not been able to investigate and have delayed until now, and I am ashamed. This person..."

At this point, Mi Huang's expression froze. Just as he was about to say something else, he saw Concubine Pei covering her mouth and laughing softly.

"So it was him." Concubine Pei smiled and said, "I remember now. Yang Bao and Qin San once fought with Shao Xun. I heard that one of them was shot out of his hair by an arrow and knelt down to beg for mercy. Maybe they had a grudge against each other and it led to this."

"There is such a hidden story." Mi Huang suddenly realized.

He was an honest man, but not a fool. Concubine Pei's words were quite protective of Shao Xun, so he took advantage of the situation and said, "I will return to Luoyang tomorrow and report to the Minister of Works, asking him to set up a post of Du Bo to train the troops. If you approve, I will promote Shao Xun to Du Bo."

"If all the officials in the palace were as diligent as Zihui, nothing would be impossible." Concubine Pei nodded slightly.

"Your Highness, you are too kind." Mi Huang's old face turned red. Before coming here, he took Wu Shi San at Bian Mansion, wasting half a day's work. He really did not deserve the word diligent.

Concubine Pei chuckled and didn't continue talking about this. She asked, "I heard that your son is already sixteen years old this year?"

"That's right." Mi Huang said.

"I wonder if you have ever married?"

"Never."

"The young man from the Mi family must be good." Concubine Pei pondered for a moment and said, "I will pay attention to this matter and maybe find a bride for your son who comes from a prominent family."

Mi Huang was so excited when he heard this that he immediately stood up and bowed, saying, "Princess, I am very grateful for your kindness."

"Zihui, why do you need to do this?" Concubine Pei raised her hands and said, "Mi of Donghai has worked hard and made great contributions. The king is busy with many things every day, and the things he worries about are national affairs. As the head of the inner court, I naturally have to share the king's worries. Zihui, just do your work with peace of mind."

"Yes." Mi Huang replied respectfully.

After Mi Huang left, Concubine Pei carefully looked at the half arm in her hand again.

The fox fur is quite beautiful. It was hunted by Shao Xun in the mountains and presented to us as a gift.

His archery skills are indeed quite good. If we show him some small favors and win him over, we can have more protection in troubled times.

For people with talent and abilities, troubled times have caused the once extremely solid social order to become greatly loosened. They might like it very much, right?
Some people are not afraid of death, but are afraid of not having opportunities.

"Someone, bring the finished military uniform over." Concubine Pei stood up and gave the order while looking at the bright red military uniform on the table.

(End of this chapter)