The waste prince is so fierce

Xiao Changsheng was naturally happy to do something that would both help others and demonstrate friendship.

"In that case, I'll leave it to Brother Xiao!"

Li Quan was delighted and followed Xiao Changsheng smoothly to the military camp located in the north of Wuwei County.

As soon as they entered the military camp, they immediately noticed the figure of the chief secretary He Chong.

"What does he want here?"

Xiao Changsheng couldn't help but frown when he saw this, because he and He Chong had always been at odds, and He Chong was not involved in military affairs and rarely set foot in Xiao Changsheng's jurisdiction.

When Li Quan saw He Chong in the distance, he felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

"No matter what he's here for, just go up and ask."

Li Quan took the lead in walking towards He Chong.

Seeing Li Quan and Xiao Changsheng approaching, He Chong hurried forward and saluted.

"He Chong pays respect to His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi!"

Xiao Changsheng looked at He Chong and said with a hint of thorns: "He Changshi is very busy, when will he have time to visit my military camp?"

Although Xiao Changsheng spoke in a bad tone, He Chong didn't care.

"What do you mean, Lord Xiao? Can't I come to the military camp to inspect if I have nothing to do?"

Relying on Zhao Wang's support, He Chong did not take Xiao Changsheng seriously.

"Besides, I am here to obey the order of the county governor, Lord Zhao, so naturally I have to come to Lord Xiao's place."

"What order?"

Xiao Changsheng's expression froze.

"It is said that there are bandits harassing the people on Qinglong Mountain outside Wuwei County, and Lord Zhao has ordered troops to suppress the bandits."

He Chong responded.

"Ping up the bandits?"

Xiao Changsheng frowned, feeling suspicious.

"Yes, I have already assigned Deputy County Commandant Wang to lead the troops. Sir Xiao does not need to worry about it."

Xiao Changsheng found it hard to be convinced by He Chong's statement.

In the past, tasks such as sending troops to suppress bandits were usually the responsibility of Xiao Changsheng, and Zhao Wang seldom asked about it. Now that Wang Han was suddenly appointed to lead the army, Xiao Changsheng expressed deep doubts about this.

Seeing He Chong's smug look, Li Quan sighed softly: "I thought I was one step ahead, but I didn't expect Lord He to be even faster!"

Li Quan anticipated that after defeating Zhao Wang in the house incident, the other party would inevitably find fault in other areas.

I never thought that Zhao Wang’s counterattack would be so fast.

After hearing Li Quan's sigh, Xiao Changsheng suddenly understood.

The real purpose was not to send troops to suppress the bandits, but to prevent Li Quan from recruiting government troops.

"It is normal to work hard to share your majesty's worries."

He Chong continued, "I just heard that the prince came here to form a palace army, but the timing is not right."

He went on to say, "But I have sent people to gather the remaining soldiers in the camp, and Your Highness can choose some from them first."

Before he finished speaking, He Chong gave a look to his deputy beside him, and soon after, all the remaining soldiers in the barracks gathered.

However, when Xiao Changsheng saw that these soldiers were all 15 or 16-year-old boys with tattered clothes and extremely thin, he couldn't help but get furious.

"He Chong, what do you mean?"

Facing Xiao Changsheng's anger, He Chong pretended to be innocent.

"Isn't Your Highness the Prince of Qi going to recruit palace soldiers? I have specially gathered the remaining soldiers in the camp for Your Highness to choose from. Why is Lord Xiao so angry?"

Xiao Changsheng pointed out sternly: "These children are just children helping with chores and cooking in the barracks. Their names are not even on the list. How can you let them serve as your highness's palace soldiers?"

He Chong seemed to have been prepared and retorted: "Master Xiao has misunderstood. Although these children live in the military camp and rely on the court salary to make a living, they are naturally qualified to become the palace soldiers of His Royal Highness the Prince of Qi.

Moreover, the remaining soldiers in the barracks have been taken away by Deputy County Commandant Wang to suppress the bandits and will not be able to return in the short term.

If Your Highness is willing to wait for a month or two, and then select the palace soldiers after Deputy County Commandant Wang returns, that is fine."

He Chong said to Xiao Changsheng with a smile on his face.

Xiao Changsheng wanted to continue arguing but was interrupted by Li Quan.

"No need."

Li Quan looked at the nearly 100 child soldiers in front of him and said, "Since these are the only soldiers available, I will accept them."

He went on to say: "Your Highness the Prince of Qi is so sympathetic to the people. This is really good news for the people of Wuwei County who are suffering from banditry. On behalf of the people of Wuwei County who have been affected by the disaster, I would like to express my gratitude to Your Highness."

Seeing that Li Quan actually accepted the child soldiers who had no fighting power that he had deliberately arranged, He Chong pretended to bow and greeted: "He is exaggerating. Although these children are young, they will definitely achieve something with strict training."

Li Quan understood that all this was manipulated by Zhao Wang behind the scenes and did not want to dwell on it any further.

“By the way, if you decide to recruit these soldiers as palace soldiers, then their salaries will need to be borne by me.

If Your Highness has no other matters, I will take my leave first."

After completing the task assigned by Zhao Wang, He Chong quickly left the military camp.

After He Chong left, Xiao Changsheng quickly walked up to Li Quan to clarify the facts: "Your Highness, you may not know that those child soldiers just now were not regular soldiers in the barracks. Most of them were orphans who lost their parents in the war and had no one to rely on. I felt sorry for them, so I kept them in the barracks to help them and give them a place to stay."

"Your Highness, it is indeed ill-considered to recruit these children as palace soldiers. If you must recruit soldiers, it is better to select them from the city defense army. They are always more reliable than untrained children."

Xiao Changsheng suggested Li Quan.

Li Quan was quite surprised after hearing this, and learned that these child soldiers were specially taken in by Xiao Changsheng. He did not expect that Xiao Changsheng, who had fought on the battlefield, could have such a delicate mind.

"It doesn't matter, just use these children."

Li Quan responded, "The city defense army is the elite of the Wuwei County army, and is the key force used to resist the invasion of the Huang tribe. Zhao Wang will never allow me to withdraw personnel from them.

Although these young soldiers lack experience, they can play a role as long as they are properly trained.”

In fact, when Li Quan saw this group of child soldiers, an idea had already emerged in his mind, that is, to train a special force loyal to himself. This team would be the foundation for him to gain a foothold in Liangzhou.

Seeing that Li Quan had made up his mind, Xiao Changsheng could only respect his decision: "Since Your Highness has made up his mind, I will first give them a few days of basic training and establish rules for future management.

What do you think, Your Highness?"

Li Quan readily accepted Xiao Changsheng's proposal.

After making all the arrangements, Li Quan returned to Prince Qi's Mansion. In the afternoon, he accompanied Mingyue to the street.

Although nominally accompanying Mingyue to buy daily necessities, Li Quan's real intention was other things.

He noticed that there was a He's shop every few shops along the street, and couldn't help but comment casually: "It seems that the strength of the He's shop in Wuwei County should not be underestimated. So many stores belong to them."

Mingyue responded, “My husband is right. When Xiaoqiu, Xing’er and I were looking for a house yesterday, we found that there were He’s shops in many places in Wuwei County.

I heard that He Xun, the big boss of He's Shop, is the brother of the current Chief Clerk He Chong."

After hearing about the relationship between He's Shop and He Chong, Li Quan couldn't help but raise his eyebrows curiously.

Mingyue continued to explain: "I heard this from someone else. This matter is not a secret in Wuwei County. Lord He Chong even attended the opening ceremony of the He family store."