Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"This is a military camp, and no one is allowed to approach without my order! Shen Lang, you have trespassed into the military camp and even dared to incite the soldiers. According to the laws of the Great Chu, you are punishable by death. Believe me or not, I will bring you to justice right now."

"Puchi-"

Upon hearing this, Wu Jie, who was following behind, couldn't help but burst out laughing.

But seeing Shen Lang's expression, she forced herself to swallow her words.

Shen Lang shook his head expressionlessly, pointed his thumb in the direction behind him, and said coldly, "Your Highness, please explain where all these soldiers came from in the Dongzhou camp?"

The imperial court has allocated you, the Prince of Shu, a military force of 50,000. However, according to my investigation, the troop register for the main camp alone contains 540,000 soldiers. May I ask, Your Highness, what are you planning to do with so many soldiers?

Jiang Chong angrily said, "Shen Lang, what kind of attitude is this? I am the one questioning you now, when did it become your turn to question me? Do you even deserve it?"

Shen Lang chuckled, then pulled out a small booklet and began to read aloud as he wrote: "King Jiang Chong of Shu maintains a private army of 540,000."

The evidence of his intent to rebel was conclusive, and after verification by Shen Lang, a centurion of the Jingwei Guard, it was confirmed to be true. He petitioned His Majesty to strip him of his royal title and demote him to commoner status, to be handed over to the Ministry of Justice in the capital for trial and sentencing.

Jiang Chong raised an eyebrow: "What nonsense are you writing?"

Shen Lang closed the booklet, held it up to his chest, and waved it at Jiang Chong: "I forgot to tell Your Highness, I also have another identity, namely, a centurion in both the North and South branches of the Jingwei Division."

"He is specifically tasked with monitoring all officials for His Majesty and investigating their crimes, which naturally includes you, Your Highness."

Seeing Shen Lang silently tuck the booklet into his pocket, Jiang Chong's eyes turned cold.

"You want to frame me?"

"Am I being wronged?"

Shen Lang spread his hands, then his face turned cold: "Jiang Chong, your power is gone. If you know what's good for you..."

"You must obediently surrender and come back to the capital to meet the Emperor. Before a grave mistake is made, I will try to get you a lenient sentence."

"Hahaha!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chong burst into laughter.

"The victor is king, the loser is villain. You think I'd bow down and confess to that wicked woman? Don't even think about it!"

Shen Lang: "It seems you intend to resist to the very end. You're truly courting death!"

Li Ye felt a chill run down his spine and immediately stepped forward to block the two of them.

"Gentlemen, one of you is a member of the royal family of Great Chu, and the other is the Empress's husband. You are all family, so why be so tense?"

“Duke Zhenguo, it is true that there are 540,000 men in the Dongzhou camp, but only 50,000 are actual combat soldiers. The rest are civilians serving in the military. According to the military law of the Great Chu, Your Highness has not violated the laws of the court.”

Shen Lang: "Nearly 500,000 conscripts? May I ask how long their conscription period is?"

According to the old military service laws of the Chu state, the duration of military service could not exceed two months per year, so as not to interfere with farming.

But after inquiring, I learned that the shortest service period for soldiers in the army is over a year. How do you intend to explain that?

Li Ye immediately replied, "What the Duke of Zhenguo said is quite true. Most of the soldiers in the army have indeed exceeded their service period, but there's nothing that can be done about it."

The roads to Shu were difficult to traverse, making the transport of military supplies several times more challenging than in other provinces, thus extending the duration of military service.

"Humph……"

Shen Lang chuckled: "Li Ye, you're quite the smooth talker."

After speaking, he immediately ordered, "Fall back."

Wu Jie immediately ordered the infantry to withdraw all their guns.

"Your Highness, I will temporarily take over the Dongzhou camp. Once I have investigated the truth, I will return it to you."

Jiang Chong wanted to argue, but Li Ye stopped him, saying, "Your Highness, the bigger picture is more important."

"Humph!"

Jiang Chong snorted coldly, withdrew his hand that was about to draw the White Water Divine Sword, glared at Shen Lang, and left the military camp.

After Jiang Chong left, Wu Jie asked in confusion, "Commander, why did you let him go? Now is the perfect time to capture Jiang Chong."

Shen Lang shook his head: "Jiang Chong cannot be moved yet, although the Dongzhou camp has been taken control."

However, Jiang Chong still had over 100,000 troops scattered throughout the various prefectures of Shu Commandery.

If something were to happen to Jiang Chong, his loyal followers in the army might cause trouble, leading to a potential mutiny within Shu Commandery.

The state of Chu has finally begun to show signs of improvement; it cannot afford to expend a large amount of financial and human resources on the Shu region.

Wu Jie nodded: "Thank you for your explanation, Commander. But if we let Jiang Chong leave now, he will definitely send someone to inform the rest of the troops to come to the capital."

"what."

Shen Lang couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.

"Of course I know that Jiang Chong will not be willing to let the Dongzhou camp be occupied by me, and he will definitely try to reverse the decline, but it is too late."

"Commander, what does this mean?"

"Why did I dismiss most of the troops in the Dongzhou camp and give them money, food, and travel expenses?"

"To avoid the problem of redundant troops after Shu was brought under central control?"

"No, there's one more thing. These departing soldiers will definitely spread the word about what they've experienced at the Dongzhou camp these past few days."

Will the remaining military camps in Shu Commandery, upon receiving the news, still respond to Jiang Chong's call?

After a moment's thought, Wu Jie suddenly realized: "Commander, you really have a series of interconnected plans."

Shen Lang: "Alright, you are responsible for staying here. Remember, the number of troops in the Dongzhou camp should not exceed 40,000. The rest should be disbanded."

"As ordered!"

……

Upon returning from the military camp to the official residence of Daoxingyuan, Fa Xiaozhi and Zhen Yi had been waiting for a long time.

"Lord Zhenguo, has the matter at the Dongzhou camp been resolved?"

"Ah."

Shen Lang responded to Fa Xiaozhi and returned to his seat, opening a book.

Fa Xiaozhi: "I heard that Jiang Chong also went to the Dongzhou camp, so what about him...?"

"They've already returned home."

"Then return it."

Upon hearing this, Fa Xiaozhi breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm really afraid that the Duke of Zhenguo will directly attack Jiang Chong at this time."

"Oh, you're aware of the dangers?"

"Of course, to prevent the other royal families in Shu from resorting to coups in desperation, Jiang Chong really can't be touched right now."

"Great minds think alike. Let's sit down and talk."

"Thank you for the compliment, Duke Zhenguo."

After the two were seated, Zhen Yi reported: "Duke Zhenguo, news has come from the business that those mulberry farmers who responded to the call to switch from rice paddies to mulberry fields..."

The first batch of mulberry leaves has been harvested, and the farmers are now selling their produce to silkworm farmers.

"Oh? What was the feedback?"

"It's fair to say that everyone is happy, some mulberry farmers are making a fortune, while others are losing everything."

Shen Lang was not surprised at all upon hearing this.

Not all farmland is suitable for converting rice paddies to mulberry fields. On unsuitable land, the mulberry leaves planted are too old and not tender enough, and the silk produced by silkworms is also colored raw silk.

Many farmers who followed the trend of converting rice paddies to mulberry trees this year have lost so much money they've gone broke.

For example, the Nie family borrowed money at high interest rates to buy mulberry seedlings and plant them because they were misled by Erlaizi.

As a result, due to a lack of planting experience, the mulberry seedlings from the ten acres of land yielded only one-third of the expected harvest.

The key issue is that the mulberry leaves he grows are of poor quality and cannot be sold at all, which directly led to Old Man Nie's family being burdened with huge debts. Even if the whole family sold the land, it wouldn't be enough to pay off the debts.

Of course, Shen Lian would not allow farmers like Old Man Nie, who were affected by the conversion of rice paddies to mulberry trees, to sell their land. He had already secretly helped them repay their debts and bought all the mulberry leaves at a fair price.

Old Nie's house can't be renovated this year, but they can still get by.

"Alright, how's the cloth production at the weaving workshop?"

According to Yang Song, 100,000 bolts of silk have been produced by the imperial court and are ready for the Duke of Zhenguo's inspection.

Shen Lang smiled upon hearing this.

"Go back and tell Yang Song that his silk brocade is substandard and that this kind of product should not be accepted."