Traveling through troubled times: Princess disguises herself as a man and becomes a soldier to earn

Jiang Li nodded, took out the plan from his backpack, and was about to hand it to Emperor Ming, but was stopped by the young eunuch. After taking the thing, he unfolded it and placed it on the table in front of Emperor Ming.

Emperor Ming looked at it carefully, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper: "You said you want to give the silver to Mo Jue to purchase food, I have no objection to this."

"You can conscript slaves and promise to restore their citizenship if they kill 100 enemies. This is ridiculous. Do you know what the consequences will be? I'm afraid that Qi State will be in chaos before the war even starts."

"Well, I know that slaves are private property, like dogs kept by the rich and powerful. They are beaten, scolded, and killed at will. They do the hardest and most tiring work, which brings a lot of benefits to the rich and powerful."

Jiang Li paused and continued, "Father, you were also a beggar. Compared with the good people, who do you think would fight harder to live when faced with the chance to survive?"

Everyone: "...??"

Emperor Ming looked unhappy, and gritted his teeth: "You, don't change the subject. We are talking about slaves now. I have never been a beggar. You are so presumptuous and talking nonsense."

"Oh, well, when my daughter is wrong, it's fine that you have never been a beggar. Anyway, as long as you are happy, no one wants to admit to the shameful experience. I understand."

Jiang Li's expression became serious: "Let's get back to the point. In Qi's current situation, there aren't many soldiers even if they are recruited, but the number of slaves accounts for 20%. If we give them a chance, it's normal for them to become a fighting force."

"Father, don't just look at the slaves. You should look at the conditions for becoming a good citizen. You have to kill 100 enemies to get the status of a good citizen. Everyone who has been on the battlefield knows how difficult this is."

"The advantages are: first, the monthly salary of slaves is very low, which greatly saves the cost of conscription; second, slaves are stronger than civilians and have a higher chance of surviving on the battlefield; third, it is very difficult for slaves to transform into civilians, so this is equivalent to giving them hope."

"One hope is to solve the recruitment problem. What's the problem? Don't rush to refute me. Whoever has the ability to come up with a better solution can refute me. Otherwise, just shut up."

All the officials were silent. Li Sheng, who wanted to speak, was frightened by the ferocity on her face and retreated a little. He lowered his head and dared not say another word.

After Emperor Ming pondered for a moment, he had to admit that what the girl said did make some sense. Even if someone was lucky enough to kill a hundred enemies, it would only be a few. But in the face of the overall situation, this small problem was really not a big deal.

His tone softened a lot: "What you said does make sense, but slaves are born inferior. It's not easy to control them. They are prone to riots."

"Normally, they are separated. If they are gathered together for the purpose of fighting, you should be able to imagine the possible consequences. If there is a riot, how much impact it will have on the war."

Jiang Li nodded and said seriously, "Yes, I know. So the matter of training slave soldiers can be handed over to my daughter. In the future, she will lead the slave soldiers to the battlefield."

"Even if you don't believe in your daughter's brain, you should believe in her fists. Even if the slave soldiers riot, they are no match for me. I can just kill a few more of them. It won't affect anything."

...Do you want to say such cruel words in such a casual tone? The princess is really scary.

Li Sheng knelt on the ground with a plop. "Your Majesty, this cannot be done. The princess is a woman. How can she lead troops to the battlefield? If this gets out, people will laugh at her. There are no men in Qi State. How dare you let a woman go to the battlefield?"

Jiang Li curled his lips and said unhappily, "Okay, then I won't care. Tell me, who will be in charge of this slave army? You can go, but you are so weak that you might be trampled to death by horses before you even go to the battlefield."

"Pfft..."

I don't know who couldn't help but laughed.

Li Sheng's face was like a palette, changing constantly. He gritted his teeth and said angrily, "Princess, how can you do this? You humiliate me like this. I am a civil servant. How can I go to the battlefield?"

Jiang Li looked disdainful: "Oh, if it's not possible, then it's not possible. Why are you being so hypocritical? Big brother is also a civil servant. When it's time to go to the battlefield, he will go to the battlefield. When facing the signs of the country's demise, who cares so much? It's annoying."

"As for the others, if anyone has any objections, feel free to raise them. The slaves will be handed over to him in charge. If they riot and are killed, they will deserve to die."

After these words were spoken, who dared to say anything? Life is good, why make things difficult for yourself? Slaves are all savage monsters, who can tame them? The princess was afraid that in the end, she would have to pay the price for her naivety.

Emperor Ming asked in a deep voice: "My dear ministers, do you have any opinions on what the princess said? If you have no objection, then the matter of recruiting slave soldiers will be finalized."

"All the slaves in your hands must be handed over. Count the silver and let the princess settle it for you. The treasury is empty and I have no silver."

"...!!"

Jiang Li's mouth twitched and she was a little speechless. She didn't contribute enough effort, but she still had to pay money. In the end, she was the one who suffered and all the fame and benefits went to the tyrant. Why?

"Father, you don't give me any money, but expect it to come from my dowry. Isn't that a bit too much?"

Seeing that she was angry, Emperor Ming felt much better, and raised his lips slightly: "Li'er, you are the princess of Qi State. You should give some money and work hard. You don't have to be so petty."

"Of course, if you really don't want to, just hand over the dowry and I can arrange for someone else to do the job. It's fine. Li'er can make her own choice. I'll listen to you."

Jiang Li was a little confused, so he leaned over to Shen Jue and lowered his voice: "Brother, my brain is not working well. Can you help me see if this is a big disadvantage?"

Mo Jue pulled the corner of his mouth and whispered, "It's not a loss. Slaves are cheap, and they are trained by me personally. They will only listen to you in the future. This will be very useful, isn't it?"

"That's right. There is no gain without pain. It's okay to suffer a little loss. In the future, I will make them into a unique weapon that will terrify other countries and make them never dare to attack Qi again."

"Brother, you have a good brain. If you say I won't suffer any loss, then I definitely won't suffer any loss. I will listen to you."

Jiang Li stood back, raised his head and looked at the man on the dragon throne, and said righteously: "Father, I will take this mission. You wait for my good news. Those slaves will not let you down."

Emperor Ming nodded. He didn't care whether it would succeed or not. Anyway, the job was done. He didn't spend any money and didn't suffer any loss. As for the rest, he didn't care what the girl did. The worst result would be the death of more slaves.

If it succeeds, it will be of great benefit to Qiguo. No matter how you calculate it, it will be all profit for him. This damn girl is really stupid and can't think straight.

Both parties were very satisfied, except for the Ministry of Revenue. He knew how much profit there was in raising grain and fodder. Now that it was handed over to Mo Jue, there was no share for the Ministry of Revenue.