Are you crazy? Trying to trick him into military service? He's the number one dragon on the fro

"So how much do you want?"

Qian Haishan's eyes widened. He now genuinely suspected that Lu Xiao had ulterior motives; otherwise, why would he need so many death row inmates?

He continued speaking before the other person could speak:

"Lord Lu, it's not that I don't want to hand these people over, but let me be clear: if you use these condemned prisoners for ulterior motives, I will lose my official position!"

"Those guys are heinous criminals; bringing them up would be like wolves leaving their den—who knows how much destruction they would cause!"

"If you promise them that killing three Hu people will get them released from their crimes, killing seven will grant them freedom, and killing ten will earn them merit in the army, making them no different from ordinary soldiers!"

Lu Xiao asked a question in return, and seeing that the other party was deep in thought, he continued to explain his thoughts:

"I plan to send them to the county garrison first for a period of training before deploying them to the battlefield."

"With these rules in place, we won't have to worry about them not working hard; otherwise, it would be a capital offense punishable by the execution of their entire family!"

Upon hearing this, Qian Haishan took a deep breath and nodded after a long while, indicating that it was indeed appropriate.

Both of them understood that if there was a death row inmate who had killed ten people and survived, he might not necessarily be able to atone for his crimes, but he would definitely be a fierce soldier in the army!

Moreover, once they have the opportunity to achieve fame and success, they will certainly cherish and protect their hard-won gains.

They almost never do anything reckless!

"Very well, then I will issue the documents now to transfer the death row inmates from the prison to the garrison camp!"

More than half an hour later, 103 death row inmates were chained together and escorted out of the prison by guards.

Qian Haishan stood to the side, looking nervously at these emaciated men:

"Lord Lu, this matter is of great importance. Even I dare not handle it casually. I must personally escort him to the garrison camp and hand him over to Captain Luo in person."

"From now on, if those death row inmates cause any trouble, it will be none of my business."

He still laid out the unpleasant truths upfront, and then solemnly guaranteed:

"Of course, I will do my best to provide convenience for the White Wolf Outpost within the scope of my authority."

"If you encounter any difficulties in the future, you may come to me!"

"Thank you very much, Master Qian!"

Lu Xiao quickly clasped his hands in thanks, a weight lifted from his heart.

About an hour later, all 103 death row inmates were transferred to the garrison camp.

At this moment, Lu Xiao solemnly instructed Luo Yang:

"Brother Luo, make sure they eat well these next few days, and then teach them some basic battle formation techniques. I'll take them away when I return from Ji County."

"Anyone who remains obstinate shall be executed!"

Luo Yang also looked very serious:

"Don't worry, Brother Xiao, I will definitely help you discipline these death row inmates and ensure they never dare to commit crimes again!"

……

Because the matter was quite important, Luo Yang didn't exchange many pleasantries. After saying a few words, he turned around and went back to the camp to personally train the death row inmates.

Lu Xiao also bid farewell to Qian Haishan at this time:

"Lord Qian, I still have to go to the county seat, so I won't stay any longer."

"May Lord Lu have a safe journey!"

……

Because he was delayed in dealing with the case of the more than one hundred death row inmates in the county town, Lu Xiao arrived in the prefectural city at dusk.

Helpless, he could only rest at the inn for the night.

The next morning, Lu Xiao went straight to the county seat, only to be told that Long Gui was on leave that day and was not resting in the back residence arranged for him by the county seat, but in his private residence in the city.

He had no choice but to change course again and head to the Dragon Mansion.

"Brother Xiao, you've come all this way, why did you bring a gift?"

Long Gui had been practicing martial arts in the backyard of the affiliated high school since early morning. He was just having tea and resting with the help of the butler when he saw Lu Xiao carrying some gifts. He immediately frowned in displeasure.

"We're not strangers, so let's skip these formalities from now on."

"Your trip to Kyoto this time has truly impressed me."

He waved for Lu Xiao to sit down, his gaze filled with surprise and admiration.

"Not only is he a skilled warrior at such a young age, but he also married a woman from the Liu family of Dongshan. No wonder the Prime Minister entrusted his family's token to you."

"Young Master Xiao has a very bright future ahead of him!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Xiao was taken aback, but quickly understood that given Long Gui's family background, it was easy for him to know some of his affairs in the capital. So he smiled modestly.

"Brother Long, you flatter me. I was just a bit lucky."

"Luck also represents ability."

Long Gui smiled slightly and took the initiative to explain:

"When you were about to go to the capital, I gave you a token of our Long family and wrote a letter to our father in the capital, hoping that he would take care of you."

"I never imagined you wouldn't be of any use."

"By the way, how did you meet the woman from the Liu family?"

Lu Xiao smiled and recounted how he met and fell in love with Liu Xianya, and then talked about his basic experience of coming to Beijing.

Long Gui sighed:

"Brother Xiao's experiences are truly eye-opening. Now, with the token given by Prime Minister Zhou, you'll likely rise rapidly through the ranks within the Great Zhou!"

"Have you come to bid farewell to your elder brother and prepare to enter the court as an official?"

He glanced at Lu Xiao with a hint of envy.

Although the Long family is quite powerful in the capital, it is still somewhat weak considering its long history as a prominent family.

Otherwise, given his family background, he wouldn't have been able to become a commander in Yuyang County; instead, he would have directly led a large army to fight against the Hu people on the front lines.

But Lu Xiao shook his head:

"Brother Long, I am still serving as a centurion at the White Wolf Outpost."

"Oh? Why is that?"

Long Gui paused slightly as he poured the tea, casting a questioning glance at him.

Lu Xiao solemnly said:

"The Prime Minister decided on the rewards for this trip to the capital. Although His Majesty did not offer any material gifts, he promised to grant me the privilege of acting expediently at the White Wolf outpost."

"His Majesty and the Prime Minister both support my ability to raise a large army at the White Wolf Outpost, and they eagerly anticipate the day I will trample the Hu people's royal court and sweep across the north!"

Upon hearing this, Long Gui sighed deeply:

"That's normal."

"Back then, the Liu family almost lost their entire clan to save the current emperor from the fire. Now that you have married a woman from the Liu family, the emperor will naturally want to do his best to support you so as to repay the Liu family's kindness."

"And to the Emperor, Chancellor Zhou was equivalent to a father figure."

"With their support, you can go all out and make a name for yourself at White Wolf Outpost!"

"If you expand your army, will that solve the problem of money and supplies?"

Lu Xiao smiled and said that some of the issues had been resolved.

Although he had the 10,000 shi of grain donated by Wang Qingqing, he didn't know if he would have such an opportunity again in the future, and he was a person who liked to plan ahead.

Therefore, it is imperative to establish a complete supply chain for food supplies as soon as possible.

This was also one of the purposes of his trip!

As expected, Long Gui did not disappoint him. After hearing that he had resolved some issues, he immediately smiled and said:

"That means it's not completely resolved yet."

"I happen to know a very wealthy merchant who can act as a matchmaker for you two!"