"Good!" Peng Zaizai was very happy. "The four governors are all experts in politics and military affairs. Since the four of you recommended the candidate together, there should be no mistake. It's decided then. Feng Lingbo! "
Feng Lingbo stood up and cupped his hands. "Present!"
Peng Zaizai smiled. "It's hard to refuse such kindness. You are under a lot of pressure with the four governors recommending you together. I hope you don't disappoint them. From today onwards, you will be the military governor of the five prefectures. In times of war, the five prefectures will be under your command. You are not to interfere with the military affairs of the five prefectures. "
This was not to deprive the four governors of their military power. Otherwise, none of them would agree to it. If the four of them rebelled together, it would be a huge mess.
Feng Lingbo: "Understood! But … "
Peng Zaizai put on an open and aboveboard look. "It's all for everyone's good. If there are any difficulties, just tell us. If there are any problems, we can discuss and solve them in front of everyone."
Feng Lingbo: "I don't have any soldiers under me. I'm a military governor without any subordinates. I don't even have anyone to enforce the military laws. If there is a war, the soldiers will not recognize the general and the general will not recognize the soldiers. How can I deploy the five prefectures?"
Peng Zaizai: "This is a problem. Four governors, you are familiar with military affairs. What do you think of this situation?"
Zhao Xingfeng: "This is easy. Yesterday, you said that there are too many soldiers in the five prefectures and the burden on them is too heavy. Since there is no need to disband them, whoever has the most soldiers can give some to Governor Feng."
Niu Youdao raised his eyebrows. It turned out that the group of people had been discussing the burden of men and horses yesterday in preparation for today. He wasn't familiar with military and political affairs, so he didn't see that this was a trap.
He looked at Meng Shanming and the others. They were all frowning as if they did not expect this to happen.
Bang! Shang Chaozong slammed his palm on the table. The sound echoed in the hall and attracted everyone's attention.
Shang Chaozong slammed the table and stood up. He stared at Zhao Xingfeng and said: "This King has the most men, whoever wants it can take it." He turned to look at Peng Youzai. "Sect Leader Peng, how about this? I don't want the military and political power of the two counties anymore. I'll abdicate my position and become an idler in the mountains. Whoever wants to do it can do it!"
Niu Youdao smiled. His words were generous and at the same time, he was relieved. For Shang Chaozong to say such words, it showed how confident he was in controlling his troops. Not anyone could take them away just because they wanted to.
Peng pressed his hands down again and said with a smile, "Prince, don't speak out of anger. No one here wants to deprive the Prince of his military and political power. If anyone dares to do so, I will be the first to object. As for the matter, let's discuss it openly. If there's something to say, let's talk it out. If there's something to say, let's talk it out. Meng Shuai, don't you agree? "The last sentence was directed at Meng Shanming.
Meng Shanming immediately said to Shang Chaozong, "Prince, why don't you sit down and listen to everyone's opinions?"
"Hmph!" Shang Chaozong stared at Zhao Xingfeng and snorted. He flung his sleeves and sat back down.
Huxi Prefectural Governor Mei Linsheng said, "Prince, please calm down. Brother Zhao's words are not pleasant to hear, but it's worth considering. Think about it, the Prince has the most troops. It won't be a problem for him to transfer some of them. Secondly, the Prince had already merged the original troops of Guangyi Prefecture. Military Governor Feng knew many of them very well. If he transferred these people over, Military Governor Feng could directly command them, saving the time of getting along well with them. War might come at any time. It doesn't have to be us attacking others. We have to prevent others from attacking us at any time. Being able to prepare early is better than anything else. "
No one could find anything wrong with this reason. Shang Chaozong raised his cup and drank his wine to drown his sorrows.
Peng Zaizai asked again, "How many troops is suitable for Governor Feng?"
Wuyang Prefectural Governor Wu Tiandang said, "It's not suitable to allocate too many. If it's too much, the Prince might misunderstand. In my opinion, quality of troops is more important than quantity. A few thousand is enough. After all, Governor Feng only has the authority to deploy troops during the war. If you leave too many troops in your hands, it will affect the defense of each prefecture. I wonder if Governor Feng thinks this is appropriate? "
Only a few thousand? Shang Chaozong couldn't help but look up at him.
Even Niu Youdao was surprised by this request. Only a few thousand? Shang Chaozong has two hundred thousand troops. It's not too much to give a few thousand. If he doesn't even give this much, it will be unreasonable. Feng Lingbo nodded, "Brother Wu is wise.
Feng Lingbo nodded, "Brother Wu is wise, a few thousand is enough, five thousand, I want five thousand men and horses!"
Zhao Xingfeng nodded, "Five thousand cavalry is enough to be called elite!"
With these five thousand cavalry, the meaning of five thousand soldiers has changed. Five thousand men is nothing but five thousand warhorses is a big deal.
Shang Chaozong asked, "Surnamed Zhao, are you going to pay for the five thousand warhorses?"
Zhao Xingfeng said, "If the Prince doesn't give me the one thousand warhorses, I don't even have five thousand warhorses in my hands. Where am I going to get five thousand warhorses?"
Shang Chaozong said, "Then why are you farting? If it's not yours, you can give it to me as you please. "
Mei Linsheng said, "Prince, we are all one family. Regardless of who is yours or who is mine, we have to think of the big picture."
Shang Chaozong said, "One family? Well said. Can Brother Mei's wife be inseparable from this Prince as well? "
Peng Yulan choked on her wine and almost spat it out. Her eyes widened as she stared at the Shang Chaozong in disbelief. She didn't expect her son-in-law to say such things to her face. Normally, he had the demeanor of a member of the royal family. How could he say such vulgar words?
Feng Lingbo could understand. He was used to being in the army. If he didn't want to control himself, what was the point of saying such words?
Feng Ruonan, who had been silent all this while, couldn't help but glare at Shang Chaozong.
Niu Youdao raised his cup to Feng Entai. The latter had no choice but to raise his cup as well.
Mei Linsheng couldn't bring up Peng Youzai's granddaughter, who was also Shang Chaozong's wife. He could only sigh, "Prince, how can humans and beasts be lumped together. Your Highness, forgive me for speaking bluntly. Logically speaking, since everyone's interests are the same, you should take out so many warhorses and share them with everyone. According to the ratio of people to horses, I think no one will object if you take a bit more. But after all, we still have to consider the needs of Prince to build Ying Yang Wu Lie Graud. At the very least, ten thousand warhorses must be guaranteed. We can't be so unreasonable. "
Wu Tiandang also nodded, "Even if Prince takes out five thousand, he still has ten thousand in his hands. That's far more than the other prefectures. It's enough to build Ying Yang Wu Lie Graud. I really don't know why Prince wants so many warhorses all by himself and doesn't care about the lives of the other prefectures. "
Shang Chaozong said, "Nothing much. I just can't stand your despicable faces. What were you all doing when you were in your own regions? Only now do you want warhorses? If you want warhorses, get them yourself if you have the ability. How can there be so many advantages in this world? "
Slowly, Peng Youzai, who was sitting on the highest seat, said, "Prince, the warhorses were bought by the Heavenly Jade Clan. It's not for just one clan. We have to take care of everyone."
His words made Shang Chaozong's face tense up, leaving him speechless.
He really wanted to ask Peng Youzai, "Did your Heavenly Jade Clan really get them? Are there things that can be bought just because you want to? If your Heavenly Jade Clan really had the ability, you wouldn't have satisfied the prefectures long ago. Why wait until now to divide them? "
However, he couldn't do something like provoking the Heavenly Jade Clan in public. Everything had to be done with propriety. Some things could be slammed on the table, and some things couldn't. He could only endure it.
Peng Youzai said, "Alright, I've heard everyone's opinions. The minority follows the majority, and the majority takes precedence. Just like what was said yesterday, the armies of the five prefectures don't need to be disbanded. Qingshan and Guangyi prefectures will allocate five thousand soldiers and five thousand warhorses to Feng Lingbo to form a military governor. That's settled. Everyone, let's drink! "He then raised his cup and toasted everyone.
But his words were no different from saying that not only would Shang Chaozong provide five thousand soldiers to Feng Lingbo, but Shang Chaozong would also continue to provide the army's pay.
Feng Lingbo was the first to raise her cup in response. Zhao Xingfeng, Mei Linsheng, and Wu Tiandang naturally followed suit.
Fei Changliu and the rest looked at Niu Youdao, following Niu Youdao's lead.
Niu Youdao raised his cup without hesitation. Fei Changliu and the rest followed suit. Meng Shanming, Lan Ruoting, and the rest also raised their cups.
The cup in Shang Chaozong's hand was really heavy, but he still raised it slowly.
Feng Ruonan was watching Shang Chaozong's actions. If Shang Chaozong didn't raise his cup, she, the princess, wouldn't be able to raise it either.
She was clear that no matter how her relationship with Shang Chaozong was, this was really a group of people ganging up on her husband. Her family was among them, and the ones benefiting from this were her family. She was really in a difficult position, and she couldn't help either side.
"Great!" Peng Youzai raised his cup first, and then showed everyone the empty cup. He loudly invited, "Everyone, enjoy to your heart's content. Don't stand on ceremony."
The group of people sat down after toasting. Some of them were happy, but Shang Chaozong's side naturally couldn't be happy.
Even a blind man could see that the group of people led by Heavenly Jade Clan had already set up a trap to trap them.
Shang Chaozong had over twenty-eight thousand warhorses. Five thousand of them were sold to the neighboring Gold Province. Yesterday, another three thousand were given away, and today, another five thousand were sold. After a gradual erosion, there were only fifteen thousand warhorses left. Furthermore, Feng Lingbo still had to pay for her troops. No matter how one looked at it, it seemed like Heavenly Jade Clan was intentionally controlling Shang Chaozong's strength, not wanting Shang Chaozong to be too dominant.
After the banquet ended, everyone naturally returned to their own homes. According to etiquette, Shang Chaozong and his wife had to go through a special ceremony to bid farewell to Feng Lingbo and her husband.
Niu Youdao and the rest gathered outside the mountain gate and waited.
When the wheelchair was pushed to Niu Youdao's side, Meng Shanming casually mentioned, "We don't want any internal strife, but others have made the first move."
Niu Youdao laughed, "There is no comparison. Prince is surrounded by people from Heavenly Jade Clan. Our lives are in their hands, and we have no choice but to agree. Like I said, before we succeed, the unity of the five prefectures is the most important. "
Actually, Meng Shanming wanted to probe Niu Youdao's backup plan. Otherwise, he wouldn't have any confidence. However, Niu Youdao was very tight-lipped and refused to reveal anything. Meng Shanming could only give up.
Lan Ruoting took this opportunity to remind him, "Daoye, Princess Consort has her own difficulties. There is no harm in understanding her."
Niu Youdao understood his meaning and pointed out that he had used words to hurt Feng Ruonan. He replied, "It is precisely because I understand her difficulties that I made things difficult for her."
Lan Ruoting asked, "What do you mean?"
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