The Return of the King: A Generation of Prodigies

In recent years, because Li Rui was wary of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion, he gradually reduced the number of troops stationed in the Xishan Camp.

They completely ignored the consequences of insufficient troop deployment in the Xishan camp if the enemy attacked.

Shen Tianjiao sighed silently in her heart. She understood the current situation very well and needed to turn it around quickly. No one knew what would happen tomorrow.

The only thing we can do now is to be fully prepared to deal with various emergencies in the future.

"There are only 50,000!" Shen Tianjiao lowered her head and thought for a moment before saying, "The Xishan Camp shoulders the heavy responsibility of guarding the Imperial City, so we must replenish our troops."

Shen Tianjiao's words shocked Wang Zongyuan. The Xishan camp was short of troops, which was a headache for both Zhenbei Hou and him.

The responsibilities of these soldiers in the Xishan camp are not just to guard the imperial city.

If a foreign invasion occurs, part of these troops will be allocated to fight against those foreigners.

The consequence of this was that the Xishan camp was understaffed, and if an unexpected incident occurred, it would be completely unable to shoulder the responsibility of guarding the imperial city.

"In reply to the Empress, regarding the shortage of troops in the Xishan Camp, I have submitted petitions to Your Majesty several times, requesting an increase in troops, but have never received a response."

"The Xishan Camp is responsible for guarding the Imperial City. If we don't have enough troops, the consequences will be serious."

Wang Zongyuan only dared to say this in front of his eldest daughter. If he said these words to others, he would probably be accused of having ulterior motives.

"I will consider this matter."

Shen Tianjiao knew in her heart that the reason why Wang Zongyuan's petition was not accepted was that Li Rui saw it but pretended not to see it and let it go without paying any attention.

Either the petition was never delivered to Li Rui, or Li Rui had no idea about it.

Wang Zongyuan's memorial was intercepted by some people with ulterior motives before it even entered the Zhenghe Hall.

Those people with ulterior motives are only afraid of chaos in the imperial city. How could they let Li Rui know the existence of this petition?

Shen Tianjiao was speechless and helpless at this moment. Those people acted for their own selfish interests without considering the consequences.

There is no need to think too much. Once an accident happens and the imperial city is lost, their dreams of becoming emperors and their grand ambitions will eventually become a pipe dream.

Although Shen Tianjiao was angry, she had to consider the current situation.

The number of troops in the Xishan camp must be expanded, but it cannot be done openly, it can only be done secretly.

If she did it openly and let everyone know that she was going to station troops in the Xishan camp, it would not only lead to endless arguments, but also give those with ulterior motives the opportunity to create chaos.

They might even take advantage of this opportunity to station their own people there, which would cause even greater trouble.

"General Wang, please repair those dilapidated barracks first."

As Shen Tianjiao walked along, most of what she saw were dilapidated barracks.

These dilapidated places reveal loneliness and desolation.

These backbones of the Yunli Kingdom should have received the best treatment and enjoyed the best honor and respect.

But now, instead of being treated preferentially, they are looked down upon, eating rough food that is difficult to swallow, and living in dilapidated houses. How can this not make people feel heartbroken?

Regardless of whether there are troops stationed in the Xishan Camp this time, these houses must be repaired and the living conditions of the soldiers must be changed during these days.

We cannot let these heroes of Yunli Country fight for their lives on the battlefield with wounds all over their bodies, and then shed tears of blood again when they return.

"Yes, I will obey your order." Wang Zongyuan replied, still trying to figure out what Shen Tianjiao meant.

Are the barracks being renovated to accommodate the existing soldiers, or to welcome new personnel after they are renovated?

"Empress, everything is ready, we can set off."

Shen Tingzhi, who had arranged everything, hurried over and saw Shen Tianjiao and Wang Zongyuan talking.

"Second brother, you're here just in time. When you go back, ask Chunchao to arrange for a manager to come over. This place needs to be properly renovated."

Shen Tianjiao looked up at the Xishan camp in front of her. This place was so dilapidated that it really didn't seem like a place where the guards guarding the imperial city should live.

If those foreigners saw Yun Li's elite troops living in such a dilapidated place, they would probably laugh out loud.

Renovating this place is not only to improve the living environment for the soldiers, but also to let those foreigners see the majesty of their elite troops such as Yunli.

"Also, have Chunchao prepare to allocate an additional 10,000 taels of military funds to the Xishan Camp every month."

These elite troops of Yunli not only live in poor conditions, but also have poor food. A soldier's duty is to defend the country, but if you don't take good care of them, what will they use to fight and protect the territory and the people when there is a war?

Ten thousand taels of silver is not ten thousand taels a year, but ten thousand taels a month!

Wang Zongyuan was so moved that he almost cried. Soldiers from other factions could make some money by relying on the spoils of war or other things.

But they are the direct descendants of the Marquis of Zhenbei. The Marquis of Zhenbei is strict in military discipline. Apart from a small amount of spoils of war, he never allows his direct descendants to do anything wrong and make money.

However, not only is the annual military budget limited, but it is also deducted by those above him under various pretexts. If he doesn't find a way to make money, he will not be able to guarantee the food and clothing of the soldiers under his command.

Therefore, Wang Zongyuan was really afraid of being poor and had experienced enough difficulties. Ten thousand taels of silver might not be a big deal to others, but it was an astronomical figure to him.

At the very least, it can ensure that the soldiers under his command will no longer go hungry.

"Okay, I'll ask Chunchao to do it when I get back."

Shen Tingzhi looked at Wang Zongyuan standing there motionless with a strange expression, and felt sad. He knew best the difficulties faced by these generals guarding the border.

Wang Zongyuan finally managed to calm himself down. He plopped down in front of Shen Tianjiao and knelt straight down. His voice trembled as he said, "General, I thank you for your grace on behalf of all the soldiers."

Yes, it’s the eldest lady, not the queen. Only the eldest lady of their Zhenbei Marquis Mansion can understand their difficulties, feel sorry for them, and try every means to take care of them.

"General Wang, there's no need to do this. This is owed to you by the Zhenbei Marquisate, the Emperor, me, and everyone in Yunli Country."

Shen Tianjiao looked at Wang Zongyuan and felt uncomfortable. This was the real iron-blooded man of their Yunli country, who was loyal to his duties and never asked for anything in return.

"General Wang, rest assured. I promise you that there will never be any withholding of food and wages again."

"General Wang, take the soldiers to repair the barracks first, and then tidy up this yard. I will let my second brother come to discuss this matter with you."

After Shen Tianjiao said this, she signaled Shen Tingzhi to help the man up.

After Shen Tingzhi helped the man up, he said to Wang Zongyuan, "General Wang, the Queen is in a hurry to return to the palace. Let's talk in detail another day."

"Okay, okay, okay." Wang Zongyuan sniffed and said, "I respectfully send the eldest lady and the second young master off."

Only after they got on the carriage did Shen Tingzhi look at Shen Tianjiao and ask, "Jiaojiao, what do you want me to discuss with General Wang?"

Just now, Shen Tingzhi just followed Shen Tianjiao's words and said those words to Wang Zongyuan. He was not at the scene at that time, so how could he know what happened?

"Oh, it's about the expansion of the Xishan Camp's troops." Shen Tianjiao collected her thoughts and looked at Shen Tingzhi and said, "Second brother, this matter can't be delayed any longer."

"The West Mountain Camp is the last line of defense for the Imperial City. If the West Mountain Camp falls, the Imperial City will be reduced to ruins."

Shen Tingzhi nodded and said, "Yes, the Xishan Camp is too important. We must have enough troops to deal with any emergency."

"The shortage of troops in the Xishan Camp has been a constant source of worry for Father over the years. However, with that person above him putting pressure on us, Father can't do anything about it."

"Second brother, what kind of person is Wang Zongyuan?" Although Wang Zongyuan is the direct descendant of the Marquis of Zhenbei and has been under the command of the Marquis of Zhenbei for many years, Shen Tianjiao does not know this person well enough.

It was impossible for Shen Tianjiao to trust this person without fully understanding him and hand things over to him.

"Wang Zongyuan, there's nothing wrong with him. He was personally trained by my father. He's from the same clan as Prime Minister Wang, but they're a distant branch."

"He's a ruthless fighter, skilled at surprise attacks. He's willing to risk his life on the battlefield, and is known for his recklessness."

Shen Tianjiao breathed a sigh of relief when she heard her second brother say that there was nothing wrong with Wang Zongyuan.

"Second brother, expanding the Xishan camp's military strength is urgent. Those new recruits can't go to the battlefield without six months or even a year of training."

"Although the Western Rong suffered a defeat at our hands this time, and they also lost a Left Wise King, the Ainuer family has more than just one Left Wise King."

"As a warlike nation, they will definitely not let this defeat go. No one can predict when they will make a comeback."

"And what I fear most now is that Xirong will not only come on his own, but he will also contact the surrounding countries to come together."

"With our current national strength and military forces, it is already difficult enough to deal with just one Western Rong. If multiple countries come together..."

Shen Tianjiao didn't finish the rest of her words, but Shen Tingzhi understood what she meant.

"I understand, Jiaojiao, don't worry, Dad has been worried about this for many years."

"Father has already made preparations to expand the military strength of the West Mountain Camp."

"Father secretly stationed 50,000 soldiers in Ganzhou. These soldiers are all fully trained."

Shen Tianjiao was surprised. She couldn't believe that her old father, who was always conservative, could have such a scheme.

"Second brother, let's keep those 50,000 people in Ganzhou first. If there's any change on the border, they won't have to travel back and forth."

"Jiaojiao, do you mean that the Xishan Camp is recruiting new soldiers for training?"

Shen Tingzhi frowned. This was not an easy matter to handle.

The Xishan camp is close to the capital city, and any slight disturbance will cause considerable unrest.

"Yes, brother, that's what I mean."

Shen Tianjiao naturally had her own plans. Since a multinational war was inevitable, leaving the 50,000 people trained by her father in Ganzhou could play an important role.

Fifty thousand people may sound like a lot, but if you are on the battlefield facing the enemy's massive army, it is actually not that many.

The current war situation is not only about swords and spears, but also about people.

The 50,000 people trained by the Marquis of Zhenbei, even if they have never been on the battlefield, can be directly pulled to the battlefield to fight the enemy once the war breaks out.

But the newly recruited soldiers are different because they have not received the most rigorous training, do not have strong external skills, and do not have strong psychological qualities.

In this case, even if they go to the battlefield, they cannot serve as the core main force to fight against the enemy.

If they went, they would not be able to play much of a role and would just be giving heads to the enemy.

"One hundred thousand. Recruit at least one hundred thousand and train them well. Once the war breaks out, these newly trained soldiers can stay in the Xishan Camp to guard the Imperial City."

"And the existing soldiers in the Xishan camp can go to the border to participate in the battle."

"This will not only improve combat effectiveness, but also reduce casualties."

Shen Tingzhi nodded. What his sister said was true at all. New recruits needed to go through small-scale actual combat before they could be pulled to the real battlefield for training.

If you have not experienced small-scale actual combat, you will suffer a great loss in terms of psychological quality, not to mention anything else.

"Jiaojiao, I'll figure out a way to deal with this."

"Second brother, you know I sent Bai Qishan to Ganzhou to expand the military, so Ganzhou must be staffed by our talents."

"This refers to everyone, not just the military, but also the officials of all ranks in Ganzhou. We must have a reliable person to control the overall situation there."

"Ganzhou must be like an iron barrel. Only our own people can enter. No outsiders can be allowed in."

"Although my father made preparations before leaving Ganzhou, that kind of defense was far from enough."

Shen Tianjiao has now regarded Ganzhou as her base camp. It is not only a border, but also the first line of defense for all foreign enemies entering Yunli. It is also the result of the painstaking efforts of several generations of the Zhenbei Marquis Mansion.

No matter what Shen Tianjiao does there, there will be someone to protect her and shelter her, so there will be no chaos.