Ming Dynasty: The Crocodile King of Han Prince Zhu Gaoxu's Family

Chapter 272 Xia Yuanji: Insufficient Funds, Food, and Supplies
"Phew~, let's get down to business." Zhu Zhanhe gently blew on the ginseng soup, and a strong aroma of Chinese medicine wafted over. However, Zhu Zhanhe still drank it all in one gulp. Then he put down the soup bowl and let Liu Erniu start talking about work.

"Your Highness, the guards escorting the Taoist priest and his uncle are ready and can depart at any time. Furthermore, these guards will not return after they go to Annam."

They were all loyal and clever brothers carefully selected from the guards of the Prince's Palace. They would serve as the deputy of the Embroidered Uniform Guard in various prefectures of Annam, accompanying the officials dispatched to various parts of Annam and stationed in the prefectures together.

On the other hand, Commander Jiang also selected twenty-two brothers. Including those selected by the Prince's Mansion, there were a total of forty-four brothers. They would serve as the commanders and deputy commanders of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, stationed in various prefectures of Annam, and would have full authority over the work of the Embroidered Uniform Guard throughout Annam.

In addition, five hundred members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were selected to serve as mid-level officials, such as centurions, in various prefectures of Annam, and were deployed to county-level government offices throughout Annam. As for the large shortage of Embroidered Uniform Guard personnel in each prefecture, that would be addressed by selecting and training them locally after these new officials arrived. Liu Erniu reported on the Embroidered Uniform Guard officials he had urgently selected and prepared to send to various parts of Annam, and submitted the list to Zhu Zhanhe for review.

"The training of Jinyiwei (Imperial Guards) needs to be accelerated; the Prince's Mansion will require even more. They are the eyes and ears of the Han Prince's Mansion throughout the land!" Zhu Zhanhe was very satisfied that Liu Erniu had been able to select suitable Jinyiwei personnel within two days. He glanced at the list of selected Jinyiwei in his hand and immediately agreed. After all, Zhu Zhanhe's current goal was to first perfect the organizational structure before making internal adjustments and optimizations. In other words, regardless of whether it was right or wrong, fill the vacancies first, and then modify the unsuitable parts.

"This humble general will do his utmost!" Liu Erniu also knew that the Prince's Mansion would need a lot of Imperial Guards for its later development, so he dared not delay at all and was currently supplementing and training more Imperial Guards.

"Your Highness, the personnel accompanying Tuolong to the navy have been selected. Two people have been chosen: one is Xiaohu, the eldest son of the family. He is a quiet and reserved man who will not make mistakes. The other is a trusted eunuch from the Prince's residence." Liu Erniu had just finished reporting on the Embroidered Uniform Guard when his uncle, Wei Jizhong, spoke up. He also selected two people as his deputies to accompany Tuolong to the navy.

"Did you bring the person?" Zhu Zhanhe knew his uncle's somewhat dull cousin; he was incredibly honest. To put it bluntly, he was the kind of person you couldn't get a word out of even if you beat him with a stick. Zhu Zhanhe guessed that his uncle would send this dull cousin, since loyalty was the most important thing.

"Come in." Zhu Zhanhe had just asked if the person had been brought in when Xiao Xizi, with his keen eye, quickly called someone in to show the young master.

"Greetings, Your Highness!" Zhu Zhanhe then saw two young faces enter. Both were about thirteen or fourteen years old. Upon entering, they knelt on the ground with great restraint to greet Zhu Zhanhe. One of them was dressed in a brown eunuch's robe. His youthful face was full of awkward restraint. He was somewhat thin and looked malnourished, indicating that he had been bullied by other eunuchs quite often.

“Your Highness, this young eunuch has no name. He’s an orphan, and everyone calls him Little Dog. Later, the Princess took pity on him and sent him to guard the Altar of the State in the Prince’s Palace. He has a clean background and is a reliable person.” Seeing the young prince turn his gaze to the young eunuch, Xiao Xizi quickly stepped forward to explain.

Hearing Xiao Xizi's words, Zhu Zhanhe nodded silently. The scene before him told him that his uncle, unable to decide on a suitable assistant, had consulted Xiao Xizi, a former comrade who had fed the dragon with him. The eunuch Xiao Gouzi before him was Xiao Xizi's recommendation. Furthermore, according to the established traditions of eunuchs, Xiao Gouzi had undoubtedly become Xiao Xizi's godfather. Zhu Zhanhe didn't care; he only needed reliable manpower.

"Get up," Zhu Zhanhe said to the two kneeling men, while his gaze fell on his cousin, who was bowing his head and looking dazed. Dressed in a gray-black servant's uniform, he was burly with plain features and a wooden gaze. If he were thrown into a crowd, no one would recognize him as a relative of the Prince of Han's mansion, let alone the cousin of the Crown Prince of Han!
Zhu Zhanhe waved his hand gently, and Xiao Xizi, with keen observation, brought over a plate from the side. On the plate were two bronze rings, a bronze vessel, and a short knife. Xiao Xizi carried the plate to Zhu Zhanhe and knelt down respectfully.

Without hesitation, Zhu Zhanhe picked up the dagger and made a cut on his hand. Immediately, bright red blood flowed into the container. Then, Zhu Zhanhe casually wrapped the wound with a silk cloth, while Xiao Xizi smoothly stained the two rings with blood and handed them to Xiaogouzi and Xiaohu.

"Thank you for the reward, Your Highness!" The two men looked at the rings handed to them, put them on their hands very respectfully, and then kowtowed to Zhu Zhanhe in gratitude. "How is the Taoist temple doing?" Zhu Zhanhe asked about the progress of the preparations at the Taoist temple while wiping the bloodstains from his hands.

"Your Highness, the Immortal Master said that we should hurry up and not waste his time, as he is very busy," Xiao Xizi replied truthfully with a strange expression.

"What?" Zhu Zhanhe's lips twitched in surprise upon hearing the old Taoist's words. Zhu Zhanhe knew that he had originally agreed to depart in two days, but due to the official selection process, he had been delayed by a few days, which was why the old Taoist was understandably unhappy. He had even sent someone to deliver a pure gold True Dragon Treasure Scripture specifically to provoke Zhu Zhanhe!

"Your Highness, the Taoist priest also said he would go there in person. He will return once he has made arrangements for the Taoist temples throughout Annam," Xiao Xizi replied truthfully with his head bowed.

"He's almost eighty, and he's still going himself? What's the point of having so many disciples?" Zhu Zhanhe muttered, puzzled, secretly thinking he'd definitely stop the old Taoist priest when they set off. Before Zhu Zhanhe could even ask who the people chosen from the Taoist temple were, another problem arose.

"Your Highness, Lord Xia has arrived." Zhu Zhanhe had just finished speaking, and Liu Erniu and the others hadn't even left yet, when another eunuch came in to report that Xia Yuanji had come to discuss business again.

"Your Highness, then we will go and prepare for our departure." Seeing that Xia Fubi had come to report on his work again, Liu Erniu and the others quickly prepared to leave.

"Go ahead." Zhu Zhanhe didn't try to stop them, but let Liu Erniu and the others leave directly, since there were some things that were not suitable for them to know.

"Your Highness." As Liu Erniu and the others left, Xia Yuanji entered, completing a seamless transition between the two sides. Upon entering, Xia Yuanji bowed respectfully to Zhu Zhanhe.

"Father-in-law, let's get straight to the point. The scholars outside are still taking their exams." Zhu Zhanhe urged his father-in-law to get down to business and stop rambling.

"Your Highness, the examination for scholars in Chengyun Hall is being supervised by the Third Prince and his men."

"This time, I've come to report that after returning from the Prince's residence yesterday, I carefully calculated the time required for the two armies' expeditions, as well as the necessary supplies such as provisions, provisions, and silver. I've discovered that Yunnan simply cannot afford this war across the entire peninsula, even with the taxes from Guangdong and Guangxi." Xia Yuanji didn't hesitate and directly told his son-in-law, "No matter how you calculate it, the funds and provisions for the expedition are insufficient to support your unification of the entire peninsula. What do you plan to do?"
"Just make sure we have enough food and supplies. As for money, I'll figure that out after the campaign is over," Zhu Zhanhe told his father-in-law directly, only considering the food and supplies, not the money.

"We've already calculated it, and the food alone is far from enough. If the fighting continues into winter, when we need to change into winter clothes, the situation will be even more dire," Xia Yuanji told his son-in-law without hesitation. Even considering only food and not money, it still wouldn't be enough. Moreover, the army would need to change into cotton-padded clothes in winter.

(End of this chapter)