Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Xiao Ce sat down in the main seat and smiled at Xiao Zhan, saying, "Do you know why I asked you to come?"

Xiao Zhan chuckled and said, "Brother, you must have something important to tell me... It must be about the war, right?"

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "Not bad... Now do you know who I'm going to beat?"

Xiao Zhan chuckled and said to Xiao Ce, "That's not important... it doesn't matter who we fight."

Then Xiao Zhan said smugly, "Brother, whoever you tell me to fight, I'll fight... as long as there's a battle to fight."

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded: "Alright...you're prepared...not bad. This time you won't be disappointed. I'll definitely let you have your fill of slaughter..."

Han Da looked somewhat disappointed when he heard Xiao Ce say this.

Xiao Ce naturally noticed the change in his expression...

"Why, Han Da? You look a little disappointed?"

Han Da gave an awkward smile, but didn't try to hide anything.

He knew that Xiao Ce disliked lying and preferred to say what he meant...

“Your Highness, after you say this along with Prince Xiao Zhan, it means that I can’t fight this battle. After all, what a soldier wants most is to go to the battlefield.”

Xiao Ce was about to speak.

Before he could speak, Han Da said, "However, Your Highness, I know. You have your reasons for sending Prince Xiao Zhan..."

"Furthermore, I know that everyone has their strengths and weaknesses! In terms of warfare, Prince Xiao Zhan is indeed more talented. I am not as good as him..."

Xiao Ce nodded: "It's not quite like that. It's just that Xiao Zhan is more suited to the kind of proactive, catching the enemy off guard in battle. You, on the other hand, are better suited to defense."

"Especially your personality, so calm and rational...you possess the true spirit of a great commander, capable of winning battles from afar..."

"Moreover, your greatest strength lies in training troops. Both the Yan Jia and that special forces unit were handpicked by you. You should know that back then, you only had three thousand death row inmates, but now you have trained those troops to be extremely well-organized."

"To be honest, generals who can lead troops are indeed important. But those who can train troops and train them well are of paramount importance."

Xiao Zhan nodded: "Brother, I agree with what you said! Those soldiers with crew cuts trained by General Han Da are all incredibly tough... and their stamina is also excellent... I don't think I have General Han Da's ability. There aren't many generals like me who can fight, but I can still find some. But I can only find one general like General Han Da who can train soldiers."

Han Da blushed slightly upon seeing the two men praising and flattering him: "Your Highnesses, I meant no harm. I'm just a little disappointed, but I know that obedience is a soldier's duty. His Highness the King of the Northern Desert has his reasons for making this arrangement..."

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "That's right. Although Xiao Zhan is fierce, his army is still different from your crew-cut army..."

"So, I need to transfer some of your crew-cut soldiers, and then I'll leave Xiao Zhan's troops to you for training. Any questions?"

Although Han Da showed a hint of reluctance, he said with a firm look in his eyes, "Yes, sir!"

Xiao Ce asked Han Da, "Do you have any opinions?"

Han Da shook his head and said to Xiao Ce with a serious expression, "Your Highness, I trained troops for your cause. Although I did not go, it would be my honor if the troops I trained could help Your Highness expand your territory and overcome obstacles. They also represent my will to go to the battlefield together."

Xiao Ce pointed at Han Da with satisfaction: "Not bad...not bad...I didn't misjudge you. You've got the awareness! Want to fight? Don't rush...follow me, and you'll have plenty of time to fight in the future..."

Han Da nodded.

Standing to the side, Xiao Zhan asked Xiao Ce, "Brother, so, who should we fight...?"

Xiao Ce smiled and said to Xiao Zhan, "Don't rush..."

Then he looked at Da Lei to the side and asked, "Da Lei, have you brought the person?"

Da Lei nodded: "They're all outside."

Xiao Ce then signaled Da Lei to bring the person in.

A short while later, Da Lei brought over eight advisors.

There were originally more than that, but some of the advisors were stubborn, claiming they couldn't see the situation clearly.

So Xiao Ce sent people to take them to plant potatoes.

The remaining eight advisors were the first to pledge their loyalty to Xiao Ce.

The reason Xiao Ce didn't kill them was to see if they were of any value.

So, they spent a whole day thinking about what they could do for themselves.

As long as they are useful, it doesn't matter if we spare their lives.

After all, sometimes having an inside man can save him a lot of trouble.

Just then, several advisors came over and respectfully kowtowed to Xiao Ce.

These staff members were all somewhat arrogant.

However, they're even more obedient than some lapdogs these days.

"Greetings, Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert."

Xiao Ce said, "Alright, line up and tell me one by one. What abilities do you have that I want you to keep? If you're useless, then go grow potatoes."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce paused deliberately and said, "You've all seen how those Japanese prisoners of war planted potatoes, haven't you?"

The group looked extremely embarrassed and kept nodding.

"I know...I know!"

Earlier, they had passed by a place where potatoes were grown, and Xiao Ce had specifically asked them to take a look.

This terrified them...

"Alright, since you know, then tell me."

The staff members looked at each other nervously.

Then a person came out.

"Your Highness, I was responsible for polishing Tojo Koichi's letters, so I know some of the coded language used in their correspondence. Your Highness, although you have imprisoned Tojo Koichi, you must have a need to contact the Fusang Kingdom..."

"Therefore, I can write whatever you wish to say for the people of Fusang, Your Highness, and help you polish it..."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ce first nodded: "Although I don't plan to write to the Tojo family, the fact that I've arrested Tojo Koichi means that his usefulness has been completely exploited..."

Before Xiao Ce could finish speaking, the advisor collapsed to the ground in terror: "Your Highness...please wait a moment, let me think...I'm sure I can be of use to you...I won't plant potatoes...I won't plant potatoes..."

“I can write letters… I can write to more than just the Tojo family. I also know many of Tojo Koichi’s close friends, as well as his friends within his sphere of influence. Since I polished these letters… so, so, I know them all… Your Highness, they may not be useful now, but they will definitely be useful in the future.”

"Look...look at how Fusang is bullying you. Once Xiao comes to its senses, it will definitely retaliate...You'll definitely need my help when we fight Xiao in the future...Really, I swear!"

The aide continued kowtowing, "Your Highness, spare me! I don't want to plant potatoes... Please don't worry..."

Xiao Ce looked at his advisor, who was almost scared to death.

"Alright, I'll spare your dog's life then. If you try anything funny from now on, I'll make you die! No... I'll make you wish you were dead... Another day, I'll torture and kill Tojo Shōki, and show you all what's what."

The aide shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum: "No... I won't... From now on, you're my everything..."

Xiao Ce couldn't listen to him anymore and waved his hand: "Next."

The next advisor swallowed hard: "Your Highness...I possess exceptional strategic skills. I...I can...be by your side, offering advice and strategies...I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xiao Ce waved his hand: "Drag him away and take him to plant potatoes. Damn it, I asked you to help me. With your pig brain, you're just here to harm me, aren't you?"

The soldier standing nearby said that he went to drag it away.

"I really can... I really am very resourceful... Please keep me... Your Highness, King of the Northern Desert, I don't grow potatoes... I don't grow potatoes..."

Xiao Ce gave him a disdainful look: "Damn it...you're wasting my time. After we get there, give the orders to treat him well..."

With that, Xiao Ce said, "From now on, you'd better all have some skills that can be useful to me. If you spout any more nonsense, I'll make you wish you were dead..."

Xiao Ce's words frightened the two of them again.

They collapsed to the ground, groaning, "Your...Your Highness...we may not be very skilled...but we can only pledge our loyalty to you...is that enough? I will cut off my finger to show my devotion!"

One of the Japanese put his finger in his mouth and bit it off...

"Holy crap... that's ruthless... I wouldn't dare keep someone as ruthless as you around, I'd rather take you away to grow potatoes."

Sure enough, the advisor with the severed finger began to hurl insults at Xiao Ce.

"Xiao Ce...you bastard, you have no sense of propriety! You'll die a horrible death...you'll die a horrible death...I'll watch you. I won't die...I'll watch the soldiers of Fusang come charging in, I'll watch you be torn to pieces..."

The aide with the severed finger continued to curse as he was dragged away.

Xiao Ce sneered and said to them, "See... am I good at judging people? That kind of person is obviously a traitor..."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce looked at another advisor who was sitting on the ground and had little ability and said, "Alright, it's your turn... Go ahead and say something."

The advisor said with a bitter face, "I don't know what use I am, Your Highness. I am an obedient Japanese citizen. I don't know if I will be of any use to you when you attack Japan... If I am of no use, I will go and grow potatoes."

Seeing this, Xiao Ce said, "Alright, if that's the case, it might indeed be useful. However, it's not enough for you to just say you'll listen. I need to observe you in the days to come."

The aide was stunned, stammering, "Mo...Mobei...Mobei King...does that mean I don't have to go plant potatoes anymore...?"

Xiao Ce said to him, "That's right, but I'll observe you. I can see through people's hearts. Whether you're truly obedient or just playing me... I'll know at a glance."

The aide nodded vigorously: "Your Highness, the King of the Northern Desert, you...you'll have to wait and see how I perform."

Xiao Ce looked at the rest.

An aide quickly stepped forward: "Your Highness...Your Highness, if you intend to attack Fusang, I can assist you. I once served in the Fusang navy...I know some of their naval signals...I also know which sea route is poorly defended...I can allow you to attack Fusang at a minimal cost..."

Xiao Ce said with satisfaction, "Look...this is the standard, it works!"

After hearing Xiao Ce say this, the remaining two people seemed to have found a standard answer.

"Your Highness, I have many merchant friends in Fusang, and they possess the most intelligence in the country... If you wish to wage war, I believe my merchant friends' intelligence could be of use to you..."

Xiao Ce nodded in agreement: "Very good, stay."

"Your Highness, I am very familiar with the country of Fusang. I have traveled there before... If you and your companions land, I can be the first to help you... take over Fusang!"

"Very well, you may stay as well."

Those who remained had beads of sweat on their foreheads and let out a long sigh.

Xiao Ce then asked the crowd, "Alright, those of you who stayed behind, tell me what's going on. Why do you all say I'm going to attack Fusang?"

The staff members exchanged glances, none of them daring to speak rashly.

One of the advisors spoke up: "From the incident with Tojo Koichi, it's clear that Your Highness is a vengeful person, and you won't seek peace with anyone. The Fusang Kingdom not only plundered your resources but also harmed your people... It's easy to imagine... you must hate them to the core..."

"So, you will launch an attack sooner or later."

Xiao Ce nodded: "Alright, you may all leave now. You all had better behave. I might spare your lives..."

The advisors nodded in agreement: "Although we have not been in Xiao Kingdom for long, we have heard that there is a saying in Xiao Kingdom: 'A good bird chooses a good tree to perch on.'"

Seeing their reaction, Xiao Ce laughed and said, "You do have some self-awareness, huh... That's right, your 'qin' should be 'qinshou' (禽兽, meaning beast)..."

When the group heard Xiao Ce say that, they gave an awkward smile and none of them dared to respond.

Xiao Ce waved his hand, telling them to leave.

After they left respectfully.

Xiao Zhan said excitedly to Xiao Ce, "Brother...Brother...I understand...I understand..."

Seeing Xiao Ce's excited expression, Xiao Ce asked, "Oh? You know? What do you know?"