The Transmigrated Life of a Salty Fish Family

Chapter 906 Commander Yan Takes Office

"Your Highness, rest assured, the waiter is here. He'll make sure those sneaky troublemakers don't dare to provoke us again. If they try to mess with us again, today's black-clad men will be their just deserts." The chubby boy said earnestly, waving his chubby little fists and making a resounding promise.

"Our Xiao'an Camp has nearly ten thousand troops, and they are not just for show. We have slaughtered barbarians and killed rebels, and our military exploits are numerous. We are not afraid of any demons or monsters!"

The King's brows and eyes had just relaxed when they slowly furrowed again.

"Waiter, if I remember correctly, Xiao'an Camp only has five thousand soldiers, and they have already been transferred to the Duke of Dingguo's command."

Yan Yu chuckled, a hint of shyness creeping onto her round face: "It's five thousand regular troops, but there's also the rear guard, plus the farmers conscripted from Guanzhou, and the fellow villagers from Qishan who've come to join us. They're still on their way. Once they all arrive, there will probably be more than ten thousand..."

Xiao'an Camp sent a portion of its troops to Qishan Prefecture to pick up people. The elderly, women, and children naturally preferred to live in Guanzhou, while the young and strong wanted to come to the capital to eat the imperial rations of soldiers.

Yan Yu originally planned that once the people arrived, she would train them for a while, then conduct a bottom-ranking elimination process, selecting the best to stay in Beijing, while sending the less successful batch back to Guanzhou to farm and herd livestock, since there was plenty of work to be done back home.

But after the ambush in Xiaozhuang on the outskirts of Beijing, her thoughts changed.

Xiao An Camp needs to expand its recruitment!

“Your Highness, I need your advice. When our Xiao'an Camp was transferred to the Duke of Dingguo, we only had five thousand men and were paid the same amount. Later, we had more men, and with the spoils from the enemy and the rewards for merit, we were able to make ends meet. But now there are more and more men, and they all want to go to the capital. They are all ambitious and outstanding. I am in a dilemma. It would be bad to keep some and not keep others. They follow us because they trust us and risk their lives for our future. If we send them back, wouldn't that break the hearts of our own people?”

The chubby boy said with a pitiful look, "But I really can't afford to support all these old people. How about you set up another battalion and let my father manage it? Your Highness, your personal guard battalion isn't full yet, is it?"

Yan Yu set her sights on the King of England's personal guard.

An ordinary prince has only eight hundred personal guards and a fief of three thousand, while the King of England has five thousand guards, as per the standard.

Of course, on the surface, the princes' personal guards were never at full strength.

The annual salary of a prince is not enough to support even half of the eight hundred people, let alone eight hundred; if he wanted to support them, he would have to pay out of his own pocket.

Nobody's stupid. Even if they want to raise an army, they'll do it secretly, not openly.

The King's personal guard has always been maintained at around a thousand men, with many vacancies.

Once her mother and younger sister arrive in the capital, they will move into the Prince of Ying's Mansion, as will her uncle and older sister.

The Yan family is already inextricably linked to the Prince of Ying.

Since Xiao'an Camp has been incorporated into the Duke of Dingguo's forces, it will definitely be stationed outside the capital. Who will guarantee the safety of the Prince's Mansion in the capital?

Today's attack was in the suburbs, but what if the conflict escalates and both sides become bloodthirsty, breaking the tacit understanding that they won't act in the capital? With no one of her own guarding the Prince of Ying's residence, can she feel at ease?

After careful consideration, Yan Yu decided to try to secure a position as the commander of the King's personal guard for her father.

Her father's rank of deputy commander was always a legitimate military position, while his rank of commander of the personal guard could be a part-time one.

The two are not in conflict.

Just like a capable official holding multiple positions.

The King of England nodded slowly and appointed Yan Lao Er as the commander-in-chief, ordering him to recruit his own personal guards and granting him full authority.

……

"Princess! Princess!" Qionghua rushed in and called out repeatedly.

Shuanghua stopped her, "Why are you shouting like that? The county princess is tired and just rested for a while."

"His Highness has just issued an order to promote General Yan to the position of Commander of the Prince's Personal Guard."

"What's the big deal? Can't you see? General Yan is highly trusted by the Prince. It's great that he's chosen as the commander! With Commander Yan protecting the mansion, we feel much more at ease. And if the county princess wants to go out in the future, it will be cheaper to arrange guards through him."

"Oh, no, that's not it. The prince told Commander Yan to recruit his own personal guards. Guess how many he recruited?"

"How many? There aren't many idlers in the capital, are there? Judging from your boastful tone, are there over a hundred?"

"Over a hundred?!" Qionghua rolled her eyes. "Who do you think you are? Commander Yan recruited two thousand people in one go! A full two thousand!"

"What! Two thousand?" Shuanghua exclaimed, covering her mouth.

The county princess, who had been pretending to sleep with her eyes closed but had actually been eavesdropping, suddenly sat up, her eyes wide open, and hurriedly said, "Qionghua, quickly tell me in detail how you attracted so many people!"

……

Since her daughter left early, Li Xuemei had been restless and quickened her pace. She didn't rest after noon, taking only necessary breaks, eating dry rations the whole way, arriving in Beijing only a day and a half later than Yan Yu.

On that very day, Yan Lao Er recruited two thousand men into the Prince of Ying's personal guard.

The entire household was thrown into chaos.

The once quiet and empty Prince's Mansion was suddenly filled with people.

To keep a low profile, all two thousand people were dressed in casual clothes.

They registered properly at the side gate of the Prince's Mansion and received their badges.

After registering, he greeted his wife and children who were waiting nearby with a happy smile. The whole family, carrying baskets, bundles, and some even leading oxen, donkeys, and mules, obediently followed the guide into the palace.

Pairs of eyes looked around as if they were watching a spectacle, not daring to blink.

Several families gathered together, excitedly exchanging whispers.

"The princely mansion in the capital is truly magnificent! Much more magnificent than our Guanzhou's!"

"You talk as if you've ever been inside Guanzhou."

"Of course I've been inside! The waiter has taken us to deliver things several times, and I've even eaten at the Prince's Mansion!"

"What are you showing off for? It's not like we'll starve in the future. We'll not only eat here, we'll live here too!"

"Although the salary for becoming a guard in the Prince's mansion is low, it includes accommodation! We can even bring our wives and children to live with us. The waiter is right, we'll save a lot on room fees, and meals are provided too. Even if the salary is low, we're still making a profit by eating and staying for free!"

“You didn’t listen carefully. What Xiao Er said is true. Serving as the prince’s personal guards is not like being in the camp where we get paid monthly. It’s not guaranteed. It all depends on rewards. We get less pay than in the camp, but as long as our prince is doing well and gets promoted, he definitely won’t shortchange us. The brothers in the camp have a guaranteed income. We get paid first and then later.”

"Is it guaranteed to yield a harvest regardless of drought or flood?"

"Yes, yes, that's exactly what I meant!"

"Anyway, I don't know anything about accepting or not accepting, I just know that listening to Xiao Er won't hurt me."

"It's a good deal, a good deal! If everyone in the village knew we'd moved into a royal residence, they'd be so envious!"

Wow! This yard is huge!

"There aren't enough rooms to live in."

"Let's squeeze it in first. Didn't our commander say that we'll buy materials and build the house tomorrow?"

……

Yan Lao Er subtly tugged at his daughter's clothes, "Da Bao! Isn't what we're doing a bit unfair? We said there are two thousand people, and you're including their wives and children, taking up positions as bodyguards... This..."

“Father, the Prince’s personal guard positions are vacant anyway, so I can take them. He doesn’t have to pay me any money, I’ll be a free personal guard! Ask around the whole capital, where else can you find such a good deal?”

"Look at these, aren't they all elite soldiers and skilled warriors?" Yan Yu gave a thumbs up and said proudly, "They're all top-notch! If I didn't want their family to be separated, I wouldn't have been willing to give them to you."

Yan Lao Er had to admit that his daughter was right.

"Father, take this! It's money for building the house!"

Yan Yu handed her father a square box.

"What? Your secret stash of money? Let me see how much my Da Bao has saved up." Yan Lao Er chattered as he opened the package.

Upon closer inspection, wow, a stack of silver notes!

He flipped through the pages rapidly.

The face value is fifty taels, and there are forty-five bills in total.

"This, this is!" Yan Lao Er exclaimed, clutching the silver note and looking at his daughter.

"Hehe! That's it, the money for collecting the body, I got it back!" Yan Yu shook his head, beaming with pride.

Xiao Er: Within the range of my military might, everything is my territory. My father is under my protection, the King of England is under my protection, my mother, my sister, my godfather, my uncle, my elder brother, my sister, my brother-in-law, my aunt, my uncle-in-law, my two dog brothers... I won't count them all, it's too tiring. In short, they are all under my protection!