“Your Highness!”
Outside the camp, Zhao Yun’s voice sounded.
Ye Chen, puzzled for a moment, opened the tent to meet Zhao Yun.
“Zhao Yun, at a time like this, you should be celebrating with the soldiers. What brings you here?”
Zhao Yun respectfully bowed and replied, “Your Highness, you previously said that all the captured Tartar equipment and supplies could be disposed of at our discretion, but Zhao Yun believes these two items are something you must accept.”
Must accept? Ye Chen was curious about what could make Zhao Yun insist so strongly.
Zhao Yun stepped aside, and Xu Da walked forward carrying a golden curved sword inlaid with precious gems and leading a tall, majestic horse.
Even Ye Chen was taken aback upon seeing them.
The horse had a sleek and graceful muscle structure, and its movements were powerful and smooth. It could easily travel a hundred miles a day and was clearly no ordinary steed.
“Xu Da, where did this horse come from?” Ye Chen’s eyes lit up. This horse seemed tailor-made for him. As a future commander, it was essential to have a reliable steed, and this horse fit perfectly!
Xu Da replied, “Your Highness, this horse was ridden by the Fourth Prince of the Tartar tribe, Aye Lin. It is a汗血马 (sweat-blood horse), and the curved sword is a golden curved blade symbolizing supreme authority in the Tartar tribe.”
“I believe that only Your Highness deserves this sweat-blood horse and golden curved blade!”
Ye Chen, not one to be modest, accepted the items with pleasure, as they were exactly what he desired.
After a night of celebration, the entire Yunzhou army was greatly satisfied, and even during daytime conversations, they often mentioned Ye Chen.
“Seventh Prince really brought a lot of stuff. Yesterday, the brothers were completely spoiled!”
“Hahaha, who else but the Seventh Prince could treat us this well?”
“Indeed, with the Seventh Prince as our general, we would not hesitate to go through fire and water for him!”
…..
Ye Chen was still practicing with Zhao Yun and Xu Da on the training ground. When Ye Chen performed a Void Slash, the soldiers watching from below immediately erupted in excitement.
“That’s it! His Highness’s unique skill!”
“Yes, that’s how he struck down the Fourth Prince of the Tartar tribe!”
“Not just the Fourth Prince, even if the Tartar Khan came, he would fall under the Seventh Prince’s blade!”
…..
Soon after the practice session, Ye Chen wiped his sweat and exchanged a glance with Zhao Yun, who showed endless admiration in his eyes.
“Your Highness’s martial arts have reached a divine level. It’s hard to believe anyone could defeat you!”
Ye Chen waved his hand. His thoughts were still on how to gather the remaining twenty thousand points.
If the issue of the regional general wasn’t resolved, those twenty thousand points would have to be spent on defeating twenty thousand ordinary enemies.
However, since the main force of the Tartar tribe had just been repelled, the Tartar tribes would surely avoid confrontation with him again. Where could he find twenty thousand enemies?
“Your Highness, the Yunzhou Governor has sent someone to request an audience.”
Lao Huang, while taking out a handkerchief, reported this to Ye Chen. Ye Chen was taken aback.
“The Yunzhou Governor? He’s seeking me out before I’ve even looked for him?”
Ye Chen had indeed planned to meet the Yunzhou Governor, but that was meant to be after he had rested and prepared for his campaign, to give him a heads-up.
Now that the Yunzhou Governor had come to him, what was his intention?
“Your Highness, should we send him away?”
“No!”
Ye Chen stopped Lao Huang and headed towards the tent. “Invite him to the main general’s tent.”
Inside the tent, Ye Chen sat at the main position, with his deputy Guo Chengyun beside him.
Compared to the time when An Lushui was in office, Guo Chengyun’s pride and satisfaction were immeasurable.
Ye Chen was not only the bravest warrior in the army but also a hero of Yunzhou and a prince of the Great Chu Dynasty. It was enviable to be Ye Chen’s deputy.
Soon, the tent opened, and a middle-aged man dressed as a scholar walked in. He hesitated for a moment upon seeing Ye Chen seated in the main position but did not show much of it.
“I am Bai Ju, the Sima of Yunzhou. I greet Your Highness!”
Sima? Bai Ju? Ye Chen was excited upon hearing these names and asked with a smile, “May I ask if there is another character ‘Yi’ in your name?”
Bai Ju was taken aback and then praised Ye Chen with a smile, “Your Highness, you truly have extraordinary intelligence. My courtesy name is Ju Yi. My father hoped that I could remain calm and composed in any situation, hence the name.”
Ye Chen found this even more interesting and smiled, “Brother Ju Yi, what brings you to my military camp?”
Upon hearing this, Bai Ju’s joy faded somewhat, and he sighed, “Your Highness may not know, but since the arrival of the garrison general An Lushui in Yunzhou, the military expenses have surged.”
“Therefore, Yunzhou had to increase taxes and request funds from the Ministry of Revenue. For a long time, the people of Yunzhou have suffered greatly, and many have even turned to banditry.”
“Furthermore, despite our repeated requests for funds from the Ministry of Revenue, many petitions have disappeared into the void. It feels as if Yunzhou has been abandoned by the court.”
Ye Chen frowned. It seemed that An Lushui had left behind a mess.
He then stated, “Don’t worry, Mr. Bai. I am different from An Lushui. From now on, I will cover the military expenses of Yunzhou alone. There will be no need for Yunzhou to increase taxes on the people.”
Bai Ju immediately shook his head, “No, Your Highness, no! This cannot be allowed!”
“Although Yunzhou is impoverished, the military expenses have always been a local expense. It is not right for the Seventh Prince to bear this alone.”
Ye Chen waved his hand, “A small matter like military expenses is nothing to me. However, it seems you did not come here just for this matter…”
Hearing this, Bai Ju’s expression also showed embarrassment. “To be honest, my lord, An Lushui has not arranged for any garrison troops to go into the mountains to eradicate the bandits in the past three years. Recently, bandits from all sides have entered Yunzhou.”
“Now, the bandit problem near Yunzhou is severe. The county government has attempted to encircle and eradicate them multiple times, but the bandits are numerous and vicious. Each attempt to eradicate them has ended in failure!”
Eradicate bandits?!
Upon hearing this, Ye Chen’s eyes immediately sparkled with excitement. He stood up and asked, “How many bandits are there in Yunzhou?”
Seeing Ye Chen so excited, Bai Ju thought it was due to anger over Yunzhou’s mismanagement. He lowered his head in shame and shook his head. “Your Highness, there are at least over thirty thousand bandits in Yunzhou!”
Thirty thousand!
Thirty thousand!
Thirty thousand points!
Ye Chen licked his lips in excitement, as if he could already see thirty thousand points being credited and five thousand Yunzhou military supplies being equipped with black armor.
He immediately stood up and took Bai Ju outside the tent. “Let’s go, let’s go! I will lead the troops to Yunzhou immediately. If I, Ye Chen, do not eradicate those bandits completely, then I will not be surnamed Ye!”
“Your Highness, please be cautious!”
Bai Ju was flattered and astonished, not expecting that Ye Chen, a newly arrived prince in Yunzhou, would be so concerned with the province’s affairs and was more than willing to lead the way.
“Please allow me to guide you, Your Highness!”
Ye Chen, while walking, instructed Guo Chengyun, “Immediately order the entire army to prepare and head back to eradicate the bandits!”
Earlier, when Guo Chengyun heard about the bandit problem in Yunzhou, he was also outraged. Yunzhou is his hometown, how could it be so humiliated?
Now, with Ye Chen leading the entire garrison army into the mountains to eradicate the bandits, it was an unprecedented grand event since the founding of Chu. How could Guo Chengyun not be excited?
Guo Chengyun immediately notified the entire army to prepare and set out.
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