Chapter 1491
鈥淔ather-in-law, what do you think?鈥�
After listening to Ye Xiangming’s account, Wang Chen pondered for a moment, then asked in return, 鈥淒o you want to listen to the prefecture city?鈥�
鈥淛ust do something to save face,鈥�
Ye Xiangming replied without hesitation, 鈥淚 plan to post a reward notice at the city gate, that’s all.鈥�
He would only be stupid enough to capture Ping Tian Wang Li Zili, which would be pure trouble.
Ye Xiangming knew very well that he was now completely tied to Qing’an County and Wang Chen. Even if the imperial court made him governor of Changyi, he would never leave.
Qing’an County was now more like an independent kingdom, and in this troubled world, it even had the flavor of a paradise.
Back then, Ye Xiangming was also a martial artist who was passionate and loyal to the country. However, after experiencing setbacks in the officialdom time and time again, he had long since stopped harbouring any illusions about the Nanli imperial court.
A few years ago, the army of bandits besieged Qing’an County, and the prefecture city just sat back and watched.
At that time, Ye Xiangming gave up on the prefecture city.
Now, he is being asked to go after Ping Tianwang Li Zili, which is really ridiculous. Does he really think he has no temper?
Ye Xiangming guessed that this might be a test by the prefecture city on Qing’an County.
He even felt a little reluctant to go through the motions.
Wang Chen nodded, fully endorsing the judgment of his father-in-law, and said, 鈥淟i Zili’s return to Changyi is like a tiger entering the forest, and it is bound to cause trouble again, so we have to be on our guard.鈥�
鈥淚 plan to train another elite army, and I would also like to ask my father-in-law to help raise money for weapons and food.鈥�
Ye Xiangming was surprised: 鈥淗ow many more soldiers do you need to train?鈥�
At present, Qing’an County has a total of 500 elite soldiers, including 70 cavalry, and there are also village soldiers in the villages below the county seat.
The former are part of the regular armed forces, and they do not engage in production during peacetime, but are paid a salary. They are supported entirely by the county government’s money and provisions.
As for the more numerous village soldiers, they are formed by drawing lots according to the proportion of able-bodied men in the household registration or by recruiting farmers. They do not leave production during peacetime, and gather during the slack farming season to train. They are mainly responsible for tasks such as repairing the city, transporting grain, catching thieves, or assisting the garrison troops.
However, the 500 garrison troops already place a very heavy burden on Qing’an County, and the cavalry unit formed in recent years in particular is a major drain on the county’s resources.
In recent years, Qing’an County has imposed light taxes and light labor duties, allowing the people to recuperate and rebuild their businesses. The bulk of the expenses required to train and maintain the troops is still provided by Wang Chen himself.
Otherwise, the county government’s finances simply cannot support it.
As for the source of Wang Chen’s wealth 鈥� for a grandmaster of martial arts, making money is really no trouble at all.
He leaves the county every three to five months, going out for as little as three to five days or as long as ten days or half a month.
Every time, he returns with success.
Ye Xiangming knows this only too well, but he is still worried.
“Practice for another 500,鈥�
Wang Chen replied without hesitation: 鈥淓xpand the war cavalry to 200, add 800 foot soldiers and 3,000 conscripted village soldiers, and you will be able to handle the situation in the future.鈥�
He smiled and said to his father-in-law, 鈥淒on’t worry, I will pay for the equipment, food, and salaries for training new recruits.鈥�
Since Wang Chen had already thought of everything, Ye Xiangming naturally had no objections: 鈥淕ood!鈥�
If Wang Chen is paying, then he will do the work.
After all, Qing’an County is now his and Wang Chen’s world!
The recruitment notice was quickly posted at the gates of Qing’an County and on the streets and alleys of the city, and then there were many applicants.
Although it is the common people’s belief that a good man should not become a soldier, and that good iron cannot be used to make nails, this is different in Qing’an County.
The garrison soldiers in Qing’an County are well-fed and well-paid, and they get to eat meat every three days. Such treatment is probably only matched by the Imperial Guards in the entire Nanli Kingdom.
Moreover, the commander of the garrison army, Wang Chen, the deputy head of Qing’an County, is not only powerful himself, but also has a clear distinction between reward and punishment and is extremely respected. Serving under him and getting paid to do so is a very honorable thing.
In recent years, due to the good weather and peace in Qing’an County, there have not even been bandits in the county, so it has attracted many outsiders to come here to make a living.
These include some people from the underworld.
For these outsiders, joining the Qing’an Garrison is undoubtedly a very good choice.
As a result, nearly 2,000 people came to apply, and Wang Chen personally came forward to select 500 people to train with the veterans.
In order to raise the wages for training, Wang Chen led another 50 elite cavalry north and south, and cleared many bandit strongholds in the surrounding areas of Qing’an County.
As time passed, the situation in Nanli changed rapidly, and the evolution of the situation was astonishing.
In the summer, fires broke out all over the place, and as many as 17 forces raised the anti-flag, including Li Zili, the Ping Tianwang, and they were called the 17 anti-kings, who suddenly swept away most of the land of Nanli.
Countless county towns fell rapidly, and even the provincial capital was breached. The incompetent Nanli court reacted slowly, and the generals of each faction held their troops and paid no heed to orders.
The situation suddenly became extremely dire.
In fact, this situation was completely understandable. For many years, chaos had reigned in Nanli, both in the court and in the country, and coupled with the enormous impact of natural and man-made disasters, the country was on the verge of collapse.
Now, it was just the accumulated ills that had suddenly erupted.
Not to mention the region where the 17 rebel kings are wreaking havoc, everyone is on edge in the rest of the country, which has not yet been directly affected.
鈥淚 just received the news…鈥�
Ye Xiangming said with a grave expression in the main hall of the Qing’an County government: 鈥淭he Ping Tian Army has just conquered Yongping County, completely occupying the county seat three days ago and taking control of five counties.鈥�
鈥淚’m afraid they’re going to attack Qing’an next!鈥�
As Wang Chen had predicted, Ping Tian Wang Li Zili had caused an even bigger storm after returning to his hometown.
This time, he had obviously learned from his previous failure. Coupled with the fact that he had already reached the realm of a grandmaster, the speed with which he raised an army was not only much faster, but he was also invincible in his conquests.
With the fall of the five counties, Changyi Prefecture, with the exception of the prefectural city, could be said to be basically under the control of the Pingtian army.
In this way, Qing’an County is bound to become a thorn in Li Zili’s side, and the probability that he will want to avenge his previous humiliation is very high.
By then, the Ping Tian Army invading Qing’an will no longer be the ragtag band of bandits they were back then!
鈥淚t’s okay,鈥�
Wang Chen said calmly. 鈥淟et’s just wait and see what happens. If the Ping Tian Army invades, I’ll talk to Li Zili myself.鈥�
Ye Xiangming’s eyes lit up. 鈥淲hat do you mean?鈥�
Wang Chen smiled and said, 鈥淚 think Li Zili should be a smart person and know how to choose.鈥�
After a pause, Wang Chen continued, 鈥淏ut Qing’an County is no longer a place to live for a long time, and we must be prepared to move.鈥�
Ye Xiangming was shocked: 鈥淢ove where?鈥�
Wang Chen replied, 鈥淵unze Mansion!鈥�