The Demonic Crown Prince

Jiang Zhanyue left with his hundred or so personal guards.

As for those guys with injured arms, they suddenly realized what was happening and turned to run away, afraid that if they were too slow, Li Yuan would drag them back and kill them.

In the military camp, the soldiers were dazzled and stunned; to be honest, they hadn't even reacted yet.

They only saw the two men start fighting at the drop of a hat. Jiang Zhanyue spurred his horse forward, fired a shot when he got close, and was then thrown into the air by Li Yuan, who grabbed him and subdued him. Jiang Zhanyue then jumped off his horse and left.

Everything that just happened happened in a flash, incredibly fast.

By the time they realized what was happening, it was all over.

"The King of Qin has won! He defeated Jiang Zhanyue, the army's fiercest general, with his bare hands! The King of Qin is mighty..."

A moment later, a deafening roar erupted.

Countless soldiers shouted in unison, filled with excitement.

That's Jiang Zhanyue, the granddaughter of the Duke of Wei. Apart from the Battle of Lanhe, she has never been defeated in her life of battle. It is even rumored that she is invincible in battle. Many fierce generals of the Western Rong tribe would flee at the mere mention of her name.

But now, Li Yuan, unarmed and on the defensive, defeated her in a single exchange?

In a military where strength is paramount, the most revered thing is force, which is also the only standard by which the military prevails.

Now, seeing how fierce the King of Qin was, the soldiers were dazzled and in awe, and all bowed down in worship.

Even though they were once a branch of the Jiang family army, it was only a minor branch, not the main branch, so their sense of belonging wasn't that strong.

Standing before me was Qin Zi, a man of integrity and immense strength, who was also kind, generous, and righteous. Following such a person, even death would be worthwhile.

In an instant, cheers, shouts of praise, and applause resounded throughout the entire military camp.

From this moment on, these soldiers were of one mind and would follow the King of Qin from now on, whether they lived or died!

Li Yuan hadn't expected it to have such an effect. He scratched his chin, thinking that he should fight more battles in the future to show off his might and domineering presence, so that the soldiers would be more convinced of his power.

"Back to camp, let's begin the auditions! Everyone needs to participate!"

Li Yuan waved his hand and said.

"Yes!" everyone responded in unison.

Thus, the grand talent search began.

The military structure of the Daye Dynasty was somewhat similar to that of later dynasties.

The smallest basic unit is the team, consisting of ten people, with the leader called the team leader. Three teams form a small flag, with the leader called the flag master.

However, these two types of junior officers are the lowest-ranking officers and are not classified as officers.

Three small flags form a banner, commanded by a banner commander, a rank of seventh grade. Above that, three banners form a battalion, commanded by a battalion commander. Three battalions form a guard, commanded by a thousand-household commander.

The three guards and one division were headed by a military officer called a garrison commander, the same character as the deceased Wu Ying.

The three offices and one capital were headed by military officers called the deputy commander or the chief commander.

The three capitals were combined into one unit, and the military commander was called the Chief Commander.

The three divisions form one army, commanded by a general. Above that is the temporarily appointed Grand Marshal.

Jiang Zhanyue was the chief commander leading 30,000 men and also the deputy commander of the capital region's military headquarters.

This system is quite similar to that of later generations, so Li Yuan didn't change it; he simply took it and used it as is.

The preliminary selection is also very simple. First, select the team leaders, and then select two from each team, one main and one backup.

Then, these people are selected as candidates to become junior flag leaders, and so on, with each level pushing the selection upwards.

This kind of open selection can ensure that the candidates are both virtuous and capable to the greatest extent possible, and is more convincing!

To put it simply, it draws on the democratic selection mechanisms of later generations.

After all, in this day and age, those who can become officers in the military are either related to relatives or are sons of nobles; it's incredibly difficult for lower-ranking soldiers to rise up.

But now, Li Yuan has given everyone a chance.

If you have the ability, then go for it; everything will be fair and just!

That's why everyone was so enthusiastic. The winners were overjoyed, and the losers accepted the defeat without complaint!

However, just as the grand selection was in full swing, the sentry came running over again.

"Your Highness, two eunuchs have arrived. They say His Majesty is furious and wishes to see you..."

The sentry hurriedly reported this.

Actually, he phrased it quite tactfully. The eunuch relayed the emperor's exact words: "That scoundrel, make him come back to see me!"

Li Yuan knew exactly what had happened, even without thinking.

Someone must have taken this opportunity to complain and try to get back at him; otherwise, that wouldn't be their style.

"Your Highness, is someone trying to cause trouble?"

Wang Wanquan asked in a low voice.

"I guess so." Li Yuan nodded, speaking as he entered the main tent, his clothes covered in blood on the ground, and he smeared a lot of it on his face.

"Come on, give me another gentle cut."

Li Yuan handed the knife to Wang Wanquan.

"Ah? Your Highness, what's wrong...?"

"A self-inflicted injury ruse." Li Yuan grinned.

"Okay!" Wang Wanquan gritted his teeth and gently cut Li Yuan's left arm. Although the wound was small, blood flowed profusely.

Li Yuan didn't even frown, letting Zhang Chuang and Xu Lei bandage him.

At the same time, he said in a low voice, "Remember, if you want to survive, no matter who investigates you, stick to what I told you before..."

"Understood, Your Highness." The men nodded emphatically.

Now I'm in the same boat as Li Yuan, so even if it means death, I can't lie.

"There's a possibility that someone might use the investigation as a pretext to cause trouble, so you must be vigilant!"

Li Yuan gave him a few more instructions before leaving the military camp.

When the eunuchs of the Directorate of Ceremonial saw Li Yuan's miserable state, they were shocked. After exchanging greetings, they conveyed Emperor Jinglong's oral edict.

Without saying a word, Li Yuan followed the eunuch in charge of ceremonies.

Li Yuan had only been gone for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea when another person arrived at the military camp. This time, it was General Zhaoyong, Liu Jingui, from the General Commander's Office of the Capital Region.

Although he held no official position and was merely a military officer with honorary titles, he was still a high-ranking official of the third rank.

Inside the large tent, Wang Wanquan and his companions stared at the coins on the table, their breathing heavy.

They never expected that Liu Jingui would come to persuade them.

The coins on the table were the payment.

There are three in total, each worth 100,000 taels of Chu currency, which is more money than many people could earn in several lifetimes.

According to Liu Jingui, no matter what the situation is, as long as Wang Wanquan proves that they were coerced into obeying the Prince of Qin, deliberately killed Wang Shilang and others, and robbed, injured and expelled those junior officers, they will not only be innocent, but will also be paid!

"Who wants us to say that?"

Wang Wanquan stared at the Chu coin and asked.

"It's Deputy Commander Jiang. She was furious after her defeat, so she sent me to persuade you."

You should also know that Lord Jiang has a promising future and is very likely to become the commander-in-chief of the capital region.

If you handle this matter well, not only will you get paid, but you'll also definitely have a bright future!

Liu Jingui smiled slightly and pointed to the few Chu coins.

"We..." Zhang Chuang and Xu Lei glared at each other, about to speak, but Wang Wanquan pressed them down.

Wang Wanquan stared at Liu Jingui. "Are you serious?"

"Of course it's true. And you need to think about one thing carefully: even if the King of Qin can get through this, you will still have to accompany him to his death in Yanbei Road in the end."

And by helping General Jiang, you will surely be promoted and become wealthy.

You are all smart people, you should be able to figure out which is better and which is worse!

Most importantly, your families are all in the capital. Even if you're not afraid to die, what about your families?

Liu Jingui looked at the three of them, and when he spoke the last sentence, he drew out his tone, making the threat very strong.

"You..." Zhang Chuang and Xu Lei's expressions changed drastically.

Wang Wanquan pressed down on Zhang Chuang and Xu Lei's legs under the table, looked up at Liu Jingui, took a deep breath, and said, "We...agree!"

"Then, I'll trouble you all to make this trip. You'll take your soldiers to the city shortly to file a complaint with the Emperor."

As we just agreed, we should insist that the King of Qin abused his imperial power, indiscriminately killed innocent people, and looted military camps.

As for how to get into the city, you don't need to worry. I've already taken care of everything.

All of you are allowed to enter the city if you are not wearing armor or carrying weapons!

Remember this: if you do well, you'll get promoted and make a fortune. If you don't know what's good for you, then you'll bear the consequences!

Liu Jingui tore off all pretense, his eyes turning ruthless.

"Understood, General Liu!"

Wang Wanquan nodded slowly.

"Thank you all for your help." Liu Jingui left with a smug look on his face.