Staying Alive Cautiously in the Celestial Realm and Becoming the Strongest-Chapter 1491 - 1489: Mortal Heart Refinement (36)

"Father-in-law, what do you think?"

After listening to Ye Xiangming’s account, Wang Chen pondered for a moment and then asked, "Should we follow the Prefecture City’s orders?"

"We should just make a token gesture." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

Ye Xiangming replied without hesitation, "I plan to post a bounty notice at the city gate, and that’s all."

Only a fool would go chasing after Pingtian Lord Li Zili, which is just asking for trouble.

Ye Xiangming understood clearly that he was now completely tied to Qing’an County and Wang Chen. Even if the imperial court assigned him as the Governor of Changyi, they couldn’t make him leave here.

Currently, Qing’an County feels more like an independent kingdom, with a taste of a secluded haven amidst the chaotic world.

Ye Xiangming was once a fervent martial artist loyal to the nation. But after repeated setbacks in the officialdom, he no longer held any illusions about the Nanli court.

Years ago, when the Marauder Army besieged Qing’an County, the Prefecture City stood by and did nothing.

It was at that time Ye Xiangming completely despaired of the Prefecture City.

Now asking him to pursue Pingtian Lord Li Zili was truly laughable. Did they think he had no temper?

Ye Xiangming suspected this might be a test from the Prefecture City towards Qing’an County.

He felt even less inclined to play along.

Wang Chen nodded, fully agreeing with his father-in-law’s assessment, and said, "Li Zili returning to Changyi is like a tiger entering the forest, bound to stir trouble again. We can’t help but be wary."

"I plan to train another elite force. I ask for your help in gathering armaments and provisions."

Ye Xiangming was surprised, "How many more soldiers are you planning to train?"

Currently, Qing’an County has a total of five hundred elite soldiers, including seventy cavalry, and there are also local soldiers in the villages under the county town.

The former are part of the formal armed forces and do not engage in production, yet receive salaries; totally relying on the Government Office for support.

As for the more numerous local soldiers, they are selected or recruited farmers based on household registration. They don’t leave production during peacetime, but gather for training during farm downtime. They mainly repair city walls, transport provisions, catch thieves, or collaborate with the Garrison Army on tasks.

However, the burden of five hundred soldiers on Qing’an County is already very large, especially the cavalry unit established in recent years, which consumes a considerable amount of provisions.

These years, Qing’an County has reduced corvee and taxes, allowing common people to recuperate, with the major expenses for training soldiers provided by Wang Chen himself.

Otherwise, the Government Office’s finances couldn’t support it.

As for Wang Chen’s sources of wealth—for a Great Grandmaster in martial arts, making money is indeed not a troublesome thing.

He leaves the county town every three to five months, going out for as little as three to five days and as much as ten days to half a month.

He never returns empty-handed.

Ye Xiangming was aware of this, but he still felt deeply worried.

"Train another five hundred."

Wang Chen answered without hesitation, "Expand the War Cavalry to two hundred, plus eight hundred infantry and three thousand reserve local troops. That should be enough for the future situation."

He smiled at his father-in-law and said, "Don’t worry, I’ll cover the costs for weapons, provisions, and salaries for the new recruits."

Since Wang Chen had it all planned out, Ye Xiangming had no objections: "Alright!"

Wang Chen provides the funds, and Ye Xiangming would contribute his efforts.

After all, Qing’an County is practically their personal domain now!

Recruitment notices were quickly posted at the Qing’an County city gate and throughout the town streets, attracting many applicants.

The notion that ’a good man doesn’t join the army, good iron doesn’t become a nail’ might be common among ordinary folks, but it didn’t apply to Qing’an County.

Qing’an County’s Garrison Army has ample provisions, and soldiers even get to eat meat every three days. Such treatment is rivaled only by the Imperial Forest Army in all of the Nanli kingdom.

Moreover, Wang Chen is not only powerful but also fair and highly reputable. Serving under him is quite honorable.

Recent years have seen favorable weather and local stability, with no bandits or thieves in the region of Qing’an County, attracting outsiders to seek livelihood here.

Among them are some Martial World personalities.

For these outsiders, joining the Qing’an Garrison Army is undoubtedly a good choice.

Nearly two thousand people came to apply, and Wang Chen personally selected five hundred to train alongside seasoned soldiers.

To fund the grain and salaries for training soldiers, Wang Chen led fifty elite cavalry north and south, clearing out several bandit hideouts around Qing’an County.

Time passed day by day, as Nanli kingdom faced dramatic and astonishing changes in its political landscape.

Come summer, smoke of war rose quickly everywhere, with as many as seventeen rebellious forces unfurling banners, including Pingtian Lord Li Zili, collectively known as the Seventeen Rebellious Kings, swiftly overtaking half of Nanli’s territories.

County towns fell rapidly, with even Prefecture Cities being breached, while the inept Nanli court reacted sluggishly. Various generals retained troops for themselves, refusing to heed commands.

Situations quickly turned dire.

This chaotic situation was entirely predictable, as years of turmoil within the Nanli kingdom, coupled with natural and man-made disasters, had long pushed it to the brink of collapse.

Now it was merely the sudden eruption of accumulated ailments.

In regions ravaged by the Seventeen Rebellious Kings, there was no direct impact, but everyone was on edge.

"I just received information..."

In the Government Office hall of Qing’an County, Ye Xiangming somberly stated, "Pingtian Army has just captured Yongping County, fully taking over the county town three days ago, already controlling five county territories."

"I fear they might target us in Qing’an next!"

Just as Wang Chen predicted, Pingtian Lord Li Zili returned to his hometown unleashing an even greater storm.

This rebellion seemed to have learned from past failures, and with Li Zili stepping into Grandmaster territory, the uprising was not only launched quickly but also achieved goals of conquering cities and territories.

Five counties have fallen. Except for the Prefecture City itself, Changyi Prefecture is largely under Pingtian Army control.

In this scenario, Qing’an County is bound to become a thorn in Li Zili’s side, with a high probability of him seeking vengeance.

The invading Pingtian Army would not be the same haphazard rogue troops as before!

"It’s okay."

Wang Chen said calmly, "We should observe changes first. If the Pingtian Army invades, I’ll personally seek out Li Zili for a talk."

Ye Xiangming’s eyes brightened, "You mean?"

Wang Chen chuckled and said, "I think Li Zili should be smart enough to know what choices to make."

After a pause, Wang Chen continued, "But Qing’an County is no longer a place to settle for long. We need to prepare for migration."

Ye Xiangming was shocked, "Where should we migrate to?"

Wang Chen replied, "Yunze Prefecture!"

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