Chapter 16
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“What!” Xu Wen was really surprised at this moment. He had never heard that commoners could become a military personnel after only two or three months of training. Could it be that His Highness Duan Wang is joking right now? At this moment, it was not the time to make jokes.
Ming Yu, in order to prove that he wasn’t joking, continued to explain his reasoning. “This kind of people, for the time being, I will call them reserve soldiers. They will work during harvesting time and train during their spare time. The stockade is their home, and the commoners are their family members. There is no need to be worry about them not exerting their best efforts to safeguard. In the same way, the commoners also will trust them. With them, they will be able to effectively organize the commoners to resist the bandits and barbarian invaders.”
What has been said was all correct, and it also sounds like a good method. But the most important point is that could the commoners who only know about farming really have the ability to resist the bandits and barbarian invaders in just two or three months? That is simply a fantasy.
Xu Wen asked out loud before he even knew it. Before he could react, Ming Yu’s answer was already in his ears, “They can, they can use their leisure time to train twice a year, every two or three months, so they won’t delay the farming time. Moreover, there will be this kind of training every year in the future. After they go back, they can train in the stockade by themselves according to the training methods they have learned daily here.”
Xu Wen still didn’t believe it. In this way, wouldn’t everyone be a soldier? When that time comes, we, the Great Yan, wouldn’t be afraid of the little Suixi kingdom.
“It’s just that, according to imperial court laws and decrees, only military households can register in the army.” Xu Wen still had a lot of misgivings.
Ming Yu smiled slightly, “They are not from military households, so naturally they will not become soldiers, they are just commoners who are capable of guarding their home and defending their country, and nothing more.”
Xu Wen was a little dazed, it was difficult to turn his head all of a sudden, but Ming Yu didn’t explain more. Many things can only be accepted by seeing them with one’s own eyes. Otherwise, it was difficult to change one’s inherent thoughts. By the time his five hundred elite troops were born, he’s afraid that many people’s eyes will be shocked.
Speaking of it, after such a long time, the training ground that Mo Jiang handled should be built, right? Although Commander Mo would come to him every two or three days to report on progress and solve the problems here and there, for a long time now, he had been busy with something else and didn’t have time to take a look at the scene. En, he should take a look whenever he has spare time.
“Speaking about current circumstances, the manpower and material resources for building stockades are indeed lacking. It is impossible to build stockades in all villages in Liangzhou, therefore, I plan to build tunnels and combine villages to build a stockade. This is also my previous intention. First, do a few experiments to see how the result will be, and then we can decide what to do next. In this way, even if my ideas are wrong and are not suitable for these two methods, we can stop the loss in time.” Ming Yu calmly spoke his thoughts out loud.
Although these methods were based on his summary of his experiences in later generations, in the end, this kind of method, whether it was suitable for Liangzhou or not, Ming Yu’s heart had no idea. He could only adopt a compromised method.
In addition, the money expense aspect was also unable to make ends meet. There was no news about the letter he sent to the capital. Even if his caravan could set off immediately, it won’t be right now if he wants to see profit, so he can only take his time.
Xu Wen understood Ming Yu’s concerns. He had long considered all the issues. This was, however, already the best way, and it won’t be an excessive waste of manpower and resources.
“Xiao Chen agrees!” Xu Wen saluted.
“Then how about handing this matter over to Xu Daren?” Ming Yu said with a smile. Ai! Who let him have only a few people at hand, it’s the most capable people who do the most work. Xu Wen was also a talented person, and he was a genuine Liangzhou native. If he persuades the people to implement the plan, he would get twice the result with half the effort. Leaving this matter to him, he, himself also felt at ease.
Regardless of whether Xu Wen agreed or not, he immediately said: “This matter is of great importance and is closely related to the commoners. And we have to work to accomplish it. Without using force, we have to explain how this works and explain the merits and drawbacks carefully to the commoners to make them understand and let them come forward voluntarily without any resistance in their hearts. Only then would it be considered as finishing the first step, do you understand?”
Xu Wen’s mood was very excited, it was difficult to put into words. He did not expect that Wangye would give him such an important task. If this matter was successful, it would definitely change the future of Liangzhou, and maybe it will be recorded in the annals of history. He was merely a small seventh-rank official, and there were countless officials in Liangzhou who were greater than him, so when and how could he gets Wangye’s strong trust? Wangye’s kindness of recognizing his worth and employing him, it will be hard to repay this kindness.
Xu Wen’s eyes were red with excitement. He straightened his clothes, then knelt down to the ground toward Ming Yu to give a deep bow, “Chen will certainly live up to your trust.”
Ming Yu helped him to get up, “This body will live up to the commoners, and the commoners will certainly live up to you. You just need to think of the commoners attentively, then it’s already the best payback you can give Ben Wang.”
Xu Wen nodded his head heavily and promised. He also brought up the things he didn’t understand. Ming Ye answered patiently, one asked another answered, the master and the official brought out the best in each other. Xu Wen gained a lot from it, and he admired Ming Yu’s unconventional but wonderful ideas even more.
When the two were discussing, the letter Ming Yu thought of also entered the capital. Crown prince Ming Ye heard that there was a letter from Liangcheng. He was baffled. This fourteenth little brother unexpectedly would even send him a letter? It is indeed extremely rare. Now, he wanted to look to see whether this younger brother could not get used to Liangcheng’s custom and regret it after arriving?
Opening the letter, Ming Ye swept through it, ten lines at a glance. He was somewhat in disbelief, and read it again. After finishing it carefully this time, Ming Ye’s brows wrinkled. This fourteenth little brother wanted to go as far as to the Far West, western regions to do business? This is, however, something that their ancestors have not allowed since the founding of this country. No matter what he does, wouldn’t it be a violation?
The crown prince’s worried expression was seen in the eyes of the prince’s attendant, Xu Xi. He couldn’t help asking: “Taizi*, what is this? What happened in the letter from Duan Wang?”
(Taizi: Crown Prince, can be used as Your Highness too, basically, they just call it in second-person perspective)
This Xu Xi had been studying with Ming Ye since he was a child, and now he also worked in the crown prince’s mansion as an official. Ming Ye had always treated him kindly, and he did not hide a lot of things from him. He also helped Ming Ye come up with a lot of ideas. It can be said that Ming Ye’s journey, this confidant, can be said to have contributed a lot.
When Xu Xi asked like this, the crown prince also effortlessly handed him the letter paper without much concern, “You can take a look.”
After Xu Xi saw it, he also showed a look of surprise, “Taizi, why does His Highness the Fourteenth Prince has this… this kind of idea?”
Ming Ye shook his head and did not speak. To be honest, he had never understood this little brother, born of the same parents. Inside the imperial palace, how can there be any genuine brotherhood? None of his brothers were worry-free. He was the crown prince, and since he started to understand things, he knew that he was isolated and helpless. He had always been cautious and solemn, fearing that his so-called brothers would squeeze and suppress him, or if he was a little careless, he would allow others to stab him from the back. In the eyes of others, the position of the prince was a sweet potato, but only he knew that this position was actually a hot potato (troublesome).
It was lonely at the top. Ming Yu was born of the same mother and was foolish ever since childhood. Nevertheless, he was quite intimate with him. Sometimes he thought that if this little brother born of the same mother was a normal person, then it would be good. At least in this hypocritical palace, his fourteenth little brother could help him so that he would not fight alone. And sometimes he was thankful that his little brother was a fool because it would make people feel at ease like this.
It was precisely because of this that he also treated this little brother with some sincerity. He once thought that after His Royal Father’s hundred years of reign, he would naturally inherit that position. When that time comes, he would let his fourteenth little brother be the idle Wangye, to sleep soundly without a worry, then that would be good.
How could he have known that his fourteenth little brother would go to look for Royal Father and beg him to go to Liangcheng. And now he still made this kind of ruckus out there, how can this make a person feel good? If being exposed by people with bad intentions, he also wouldn’t be in a good position.
Ming Ye was feeling things were difficult. Thinking about whether to write a letter to persuade his fourteenth little brother to dispel this idea or not, he heard Xu Xi say: “But the fourteenth prince’s idea is really good.”
Ming Ye looked at Xu Xi without knowing why. Xu Xi tapped his finger on the letter paper and said: “The Fourteenth Prince’s plan written on top is clear and logical. Even in terms of future profit sharing, evaluation has also been divided, I have no choice but to say that this benefit is very attractive to people.”
Ming Ye smiled bitterly, what if it is attractive? It is not just idle chit-chat. He was His Highness the crown prince. On the surface, he looked like he was well off, looking very beautiful on the surface, but he is also raising Menke*. He has to involve himself to make friends with the high-ranking officials in the kingdom, so how could it not require a lot of money? Although he also had a farm shop under his name, however, he had felt that he cannot make ends meet over these past few years.
(Menke: people who stay inside the prince’s mansion, ready to go to work at any time.)
“Your Highness, Chen personally thinks this is indeed a way of making money, and there is not much risk to bear.” Xu Xi said, returning the letter to Ming Ye.
Ming Ye’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, “How could that be the case?”
Xu Xi thought about it for a while before he said: “His Highness the fourteenth prince asked you to send out some goods such as porcelain, silk clothes, and tea. And he is responsible for everything else. Taizi, it’s not that you don’t have these in your shop and the store has overstocked too many of these goods. You can give them to the fourteenth prince to handle. When the time comes, no matter if the earning is several times or even dozens of times the original, the profit can be divided into half still, so why not do it?” In the letter, Ming Yu had already said that the future benefits will be divided fifty-fifty equally. It seems that this kind of thing had no risk, “In terms of retreating 10,000 steps, if these goods are lost, they were nothing more than old goods that were not worth a few pennies. But in this way, it would be considered that you helped the fourteenth prince, thus the fourteenth prince will only be more grateful. He would be even more affectionate to you.”
It was indeed like this. Ming Ye nodded, and Xu Xi continued to say: “His Highness the fourteenth prince being able to think of Taizi while outside shows that your position in his heart is very important. Hasn’t Taizi been wanting someone to help him for a long time now? Nowadays, the fourteenth prince is outside living in his vessel state, so how can he not be Taizi’s helping hand?”
Ming Ye frowned. “If the fourteenth little brother is entrusted to the vassal state near the capital or the southern populous and affluent state, then he would be regarded as a helping hand. But, he unexpectedly went to Liangzhou. What can Liangzhou have? A barren land. Ai!” It was not that he hadn’t persuaded him at the beginning, but he just refused to listen to others and insisted on going there.
“Haha, you can’t say it like that. Taizi, isn’t His Highness the fourteenth prince now thinking of a way to make money?” Xu Xi is still very optimistic about the plan mentioned in Ming Yu’s letter. “Furthermore, in Chen’s eyes, the fourteenth prince seems different from before. His foolish, insane illness was actually not what the rumors outside described at all.”
Ming Ye nodded in agreement. His fourteenth little brother’s stupidity was obvious in his childhood. Later, under the meticulous treatment of the imperial physician, he improved greatly, but now that his thoughts were incompatible with everyone, he appears to behave strangely.
“It’s just that this matter has never happened before. It violates ancestral rules.” Ming Ye was still worried and anxious.
“Chen thinks otherwise. It would be better for Taizi to send the letter to His Majesty. If this matter has passed through the hands of His Majesty, then you don’t have to take any risk, and need not worry about people with bad intentions to expose you. Moreover, Taizi’s concern for your little brother would also leave a good brotherhood impression in front of His Majesty too. If His Majesty agrees, then, you don’t have to be restrained in your actions.”
Ming Ye’s eyes lit up, and he patted Xu Xi’s shoulder happily, “Great!, Qing* is thoughtful, it is indeed a good method, so I will just do what Qing said.”
(Qing: what superior calls his subject)
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