The Demonic Crown Prince

"I want wine too!" Another tall, burly fighter rushed over and snatched the wine jar from his hand.

He tilted his head back and drank wildly, smashing the empty jar. He covered his face and wept bitterly. "My name is Sun Siye. I am a minor banner chief in Lingnan. I complained because I was dissatisfied with my superiors withholding military pay. As a result, I was framed, thrown into prison, and then sold to Black Wind Corner in the capital."

My poor mother, who is almost seventy years old, has no one to support her. She must have starved to death at home by now…

"I want some alcohol too..."

"I want one too..."

A group of slaves charged over, roaring wildly, each with bloodshot eyes and tears streaming down their faces.

Happy people are all alike; every unhappy person is unhappy in their own way.

Some of those who were once soldiers were victims because their wives were targeted, some were exiled because they couldn't stand their superiors, some were sold off because their military merits were stolen and they were afraid of being exposed, and some were even sold off simply because of their excellent martial arts skills.

However, surprisingly, there were also people from other places, from all directions.

Some were poor herders from the grasslands who were sold off by their military leaders and masters simply because they had some skills.

Some were captured after the defeat and sold to Black Wind Cape, while others were kidnapped on the border and sold here.

In short, there are various reasons, a wide variety of reasons.

But no matter what, they can't go back to the past, they can't go back to their homeland, all that's left is the present and an uncertain future!

Li Yuan drank with them without saying a word, just drinking with them. After listening to each person's story, he would drink a bowl with them until everyone was completely drunk, lying on the ground crying and falling asleep.

"This, this... Your Highness, you've drunk them all under the table?"

Wang Wanquan and the others grinned as they looked at Li Yuan, somewhat incredulous.

"I am known as the Prince of the Thousand Cups, I can drink a thousand cups without getting drunk. Haven't you heard of that?" Li Yuan laughed heartily.

Speaking of which, this was indeed the skill of the original owner; his drinking capacity was unparalleled, and he was famous throughout the imperial court.

After his two souls merged, this ability actually increased day by day.

"But you've drunk them all under the table, what are we going to do next?" Wang Wanquan asked worriedly.

"After they regained consciousness, their opinions were solicited. Those who wished to stay were reinstated in the military, incorporated into the Yuanzi Battalion, and given the highest military pay."

Starting tomorrow, we will begin full-scale training, using the training syllabus for the strongest military officers that I gave you.

Those who don't want to stay, just give them ten taels of silver and let them go.

Li Yuandao.

"Huh? Just let them leave? And even give them money?"

Wang Wanquan was somewhat unwilling.

"It's no use forcing those who don't want to stay. Letting them go indirectly proves that we keep our word and gives hope and a future to those who want to stay."

Li Yuan said with a smile.

"Well...it's truly their honor to have a prince with such a magnanimous heart as you!"

Wang Wanquan nodded.

Just then, someone came to report, "Your Highness, General Jiang Zhanyue of the Capital Region Commandery has sent troops with two thousand horses, two thousand sets of armor, and over two hundred men..."

"Ha... You keep your word, as expected of my first concubine."

Li Yuan was delighted; they were getting richer and richer.

But after hearing it clearly, he was stunned. "Wait, what do you mean by those two hundred-odd people?"

"This subordinate is not sure either. The person in charge only said that His Highness will explain it clearly after he leaves."

"I'll keep you in suspense for now." Li Yuan shrugged and walked outside.

Once outside, a mature and composed officer in his thirties approached, knelt on one knee, and bowed to Li Yuan, saying, "This humble officer, Zhou Shuhuai, the garrison commander under Lord Jiang, pays his respects to Your Highness."

"Please get up." Li Yuan helped him up.

"Your Highness, General Jiang specifically ordered me to deliver two thousand fine horses and two thousand heavy armors to the Thirteenth Garrison Command, saying that the Thirteenth Garrison Command was once part of the Jiang family army, and no matter how the personnel changed, in terms of organization, it was still under the Jiang family's command."

The Jiang family must make a gesture in response to this transfer to the prince, no matter what.

Not only that, but fifty artisans were specially transferred from the army, along with over one hundred of their family members, all sent to the prince to prepare for the establishment of the artisan battalion.

Zhou Shuhuai said.

"Oh... my concubine, how thoughtful of you! You know what I need, so you specially sent it over."

Li Yuan was overjoyed.

He had previously discussed the craftsmanship with Jiang Zhanyue, and he knew all too well how difficult the craftsmanship was.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Zhanyue overcame numerous difficulties to send him so many craftsmen—you know, she had previously said she couldn't do it.

This concubine is so kind-hearted, I must take her in!

After another round of pleasantries, all the equipment and personnel were left behind, and Zhou Shuhuai went back to report.

As for the fifty craftsmen, Li Yuan naturally treated them well and immediately formed a craftsmen's camp.

What excited Li Yuan the most was that these craftsmen had their craft registration documents transferred along with them, and all their families had come with them. They all joined the army so that these craftsmen could serve this unit without any worries.

This is so thoughtful, almost too thoughtful.

The leader of the craftsmen's camp was named Zhang Cheng.

At this moment, he held a modified crossbow, his eyes filled with astonishment.

"They actually managed to convert a bow into a crossbow? And with that added spool... This design is beyond imagination, truly unprecedented!"

"The complete set of techniques is here, and they also have some skills and can help out. You should be able to handle modifying these crossbows without any problems, right?"

Li Yuan pointed to Cui Dayong and his group of about twenty men.

"Of course, no problem. As long as we have the corresponding technology, we can make anything. The only difference is whether we are familiar with it or not."

Zhang Cheng nodded heavily, stroking the crossbows, his joy beyond words.

"Your wages, like the soldiers', will be determined by rank. As the crafts camp continues to expand, you will need to train more apprentices and strive to cultivate more masters!"

Li Yuan smiled.

"No problem, Your Highness, please rest assured," Zhang Cheng said with a smile.

However, just as he finished speaking, Li Yuan heard a commotion outside.

He lifted the tent flap and went outside, only to see many soldiers surrounding Wang Wanquan and his men, shouting and yelling with red faces and thick necks.

"What's going on?" Li Yuan frowned and walked over.

"Your Highness, these little bastards got so anxious when they heard you were forming the Yuan Battalion with those new recruits that they jumped up and down and came to make a scene, saying they wanted to join the Yuan Battalion too..."

Their enthusiasm was too high; we simply couldn't bring ourselves to use military discipline to order them to disperse.

Wang Wanquan sighed with some difficulty.

"Even if we're punished for our poor performance, we demand an explanation. Why should those who came later be allowed into the Far East Battalion, while we older brothers who arrived earlier aren't?"

"That's right, Your Highness, didn't you say everyone should be equal? ​​But this isn't fair."

"Yes, Your Highness, please give us a chance! We also want to join the Yuanzi Battalion, even if it's just ordinary pay, we're willing to accept it, it's our honor!"

"Your Highness, please give us a chance..."

All the soldiers looked at Li Yuan, their eyes filled with longing.

"You bunch of kids, you think you're all that after practicing for a few days?" Li Yuan laughed and scolded. "Fine, I'll give you a chance. Tomorrow, there's an all-army competition. These newbies will compete against you old brothers. Winners go up, losers go down. How about it?"

"good!"

A group of soldiers became excited and cheered loudly!

Looking at the group of soldiers, Li Yuan's lips curled into a smile.

The military spirit has been formed, and the fighting morale is rising. Excellent!