Shulong Daojun

Inside a camp outside the city.

Li Chengqian had removed his fish-scale iron armor and put on a soft armor. He sat upright in front of the commander's desk, taking stock of the battle results and losses in front of two rosters.

A topographical map hung behind him, centered on the Yan region and spreading out in all directions, marking all the places where chaos had broken out.

One of them already has a wooden stick inserted with a small red ribbon tied to the end, two are black, and the remaining six are blue.

After a captain of the personal guards entered the tent to report, Li Chengqian immediately put down the roster in his hand, tidied it up slightly, and strode out of the tent.

He greeted Lin Shu, Lu Qianbian, and the others with a smile, cupping his hands and saying, "Greetings, fellow Daoists."

"I have just finished inspecting the casualties of my soldiers and was about to draft a memorial to the throne. Please, Daoist, come with me into the tent."

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned to the side, raised his hand, and personally lifted the curtain.

Lin Shu nodded slightly and followed the others into the tent. His gaze swept around briefly before landing on the topographical map, as if he were deep in thought.

But soon, a faint voice suddenly rang in my ears:

"Gentlemen, how many soldiers do you think should be annexed this time?"

However, Li Chengqian had already entered the tent, walked straight to the desk, casually picked up a memorial, dipped his brush in ink, and asked.

Lin Shu frowned slightly, but did not speak, only keeping a close eye on things.

About two breaths later, Gao Chengyun laughed and said, "The dynasty has its own rules for deploying troops, which we are not very familiar with. The Prince of Yan should have his own plans."

However, the more of those 30,000 elite troops they devoured, the better, as this would strengthen the Prince of Yan's power.

Lu Qianbian followed up, saying, "That's right, that's right. There are still two rebellious cities left. I've been keeping an eye on those six places, whether they're big or small. The vassal kings in those places should be raising troops soon."

In times of great chaos, the King of Yan can act freely.

Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian nodded, thinking to himself: "Master Gao and Master Lu truly do not understand the ways of the army. After the war, the court will have military supervisors to inspect the troops. How can we act recklessly? We should proceed cautiously."

What about Master Lin?

Thinking of this, Li Chengqian's gaze shifted slightly, landing on Lin Shu, as if waiting patiently.

Lin Shu noticed this and, after a moment's thought, said, "Please tell me in detail about the annexation of troops, Prince Yan. I am not yet aware of the details."

Li Chengqian's eyes flickered slightly as he glanced between Lin Shu, Lu Qianbian, and the others. He vaguely understood something, but he only made a mental note of it and did not reveal it.

After a moment of contemplation, he continued in a deep voice, "It's not something that can't be said openly."

The area surrounding Yan is in great chaos. My request to take command this time is ostensibly to attack cities and quell the rebellion, but in reality, it is a covert attempt to seize troops.

After capturing a city, he would make a false report of battle losses or routs, turning the falsely reported troop shortages into his own, and transforming the imperial elite into private troops in Yan.

He then used the pretext of suppressing the rebellion to request more troops and funds from the court, and once again attempted to annex troops.

In this way, the number of soldiers under my command will continue to grow, and it is not impossible for tens of thousands to become nearly two hundred thousand.

As he spoke, Li Chengqian's aura subsided, and he looked around arrogantly, as if he had everything under control. He said, "Once war breaks out, casualties among soldiers are inevitable. Replenishing troops and supplies is a matter of course. I am not afraid that the plan will fail."

Moreover, as long as we win the battles and recover the rebellious territories one by one, with frequent reports of victories, even if some people in the court have doubts about me, they will be suppressed by these successive great victories.

In addition, with numerous factions in the court, there are bound to be those who support this king.

Therefore, as long as the rebellion is not quelled, their strength can continue to grow.

Once the last rebellious territory is conquered, they will be able to amass power, establish their own kingdoms, and by then it will be too late for the court to audit the accounts.

After speaking, Li Chengqian let out a long breath, paused for a moment, and then said, "Of course, this matter should not be rushed, lest it be noticed by others."

Although I had my own plans, the Taoist priests shared my views and provided a lot of help, which is why I asked that question just now.

"I wonder how much Daoist Lin thinks is best to swallow?"

After a moment's thought, Lin Shu casually said, "We don't need too many, two or three hundred people will suffice."

I just observed the battle between the two armies. The rebels collapsed at the first contact, and our side suffered few losses. It would be best to report this in the accounts.”

Li Chengqian nodded.

This opportunity allowed me to get a better understanding of Master Lin's character. He is indeed a cautious person, and compared to Lu Qianbian and others, he is someone I can be a little closer to.

Judging from their use of spirits to bewitch people, Lu Qianbian and his group acted extremely despicably. Even if they were on our side now, we still had to be wary of them.

Master Lin seems to be different from them, and given his profound abilities, he is someone they can rely on.

However, we need to get to know them better before we can draw a conclusion.

After thinking it over, Li Chengqian picked up his brush and wrote on the memorial: "Your Majesty, I have been ordered to lead troops to suppress the rebellion. The rebel leader, upon hearing of Your Majesty's mighty reputation, immediately opened the city gates and surrendered. The entire city was recovered without bloodshed."

Three thousand rebel soldiers were captured in this battle, and the surrendered soldiers have been temporarily detained, awaiting Your Majesty's decision.

I have ordered all camps to rest for three days, and we will immediately advance westward to continue our campaign against the rebels.

He finished writing, stamped and sealed the document, summoned the captain of the personal guard, and sent someone to deliver it to the capital overnight by express courier.

The capture of the rebel city was too easy, so Li Chengqian reported the facts truthfully and did not secretly take a single soldier from the 30,000 elite troops.

However, it is not impossible to build up a private army.

He raised his hand to summon another guard and slowly said, "Completely disperse the three thousand captured men and divide them into my private army. Then appoint veteran soldiers as squad leaders to lead them, and have them do some work such as transporting grain and building fortifications. We will attack the city together in three days."

The guard dared not be negligent and quickly bowed, replying, "Yes, sir."

He then stepped out of the tent and followed orders.

After the matter was concluded, Li Chengqian discussed with Lu Qianbian and others the question of when the other vassal kings would raise troops and discussed related matters.

Lin Shu listened silently, secretly pondering the plan to devour the army that Li Chengqian had just mentioned.

Those who successfully start a rebellion and establish themselves as kings have always relied on four things: legitimacy, food, weapons, and soldiers. None of these can be lacking.

Now that Jiang Heng has my and Brother Beichen's help, the first three things are not a problem, only the latter...

Are a thousand armored civilians considered soldiers?

Judging from their military uniforms, they looked quite professional, but compared to soldiers who had actually been on the battlefield, they were worlds apart.

Therefore, strictly speaking, they did not have any real soldiers on their side.

But how can we fight a war without soldiers?

Lin Shu sighed inwardly as he thought to himself: For a nobody like him to succeed, it is indeed as difficult as ascending to heaven.

Fortunately, the plan to devour soldiers gave him some direction.

If things go well, a group of soldiers can be gathered.

Just as he was pondering, Li Chengqian suddenly spoke softly: "I wonder how long Daoist Lin will stay on this trip? Could you accompany me on this campaign for a while?"

To be honest, I'm already quite familiar with Master Lu and the others, but I haven't known Master Lin for very long, so I'd like to spend more time getting to know him better.

As he finished speaking, a hint of anticipation appeared in his eyes.

Having finished his discussions with Lu Qianbian and the others, Li Chengqian naturally wanted to have more time to talk with Lin Shu, so he took the opportunity to extend an invitation.