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

A short while later, Da Lei brought over two pictures.

Since it's just a sketch, it's fine to let them see it.

Once opened, it reveals a picture of a compound bow.

Another image is of a later improved repeating crossbow.

In his previous life, he was a military enthusiast and weapons fanatic, and he collected many crossbows and other similar weapons.

These two designs were the ones he had thought about for a long time and were the most suitable for the local conditions and craftsmanship.

Compared to the rigid bows of antiquity, composite bows have many advantages, such as higher rate of fire, greater accuracy, longer range, and most importantly, they conserve energy.

Drawing the same bow, a compound bow can save 80% of the effort.

There's also the repeating crossbow. This crossbow has been improved, and its size and weight are much smaller. Although the range is reduced, it can still completely address the shortcomings of archers in short-range combat.

His cavalry had no weaknesses; they used composite bows for long-range attacks and repeating crossbows for close combat.

After the craftsmen finished reading, they all breathed a sigh of relief.

The two items in the picture, though strange, don't seem difficult to make, judging from their appearance.

Although they didn't know that Xiao Ce would call them divine artifacts.

"Once you officially begin work, I will show you the wonders of this thing. Don't worry, you will have absolutely no problem making it..."

Just as Xiao Ce was talking to the craftsmen, he noticed that Xiao Jiu was already waiting at the palace gate.

Looking at his swollen face, he was smug and self-satisfied; it seemed he had lived up to his expectations.

"Alright, everyone, go back and say goodbye to your families today. This thing is only a part of me; in the future, I will have you create the real divine artifacts."

Xiao Ce's ultimate goal was definitely to create firearms.

However, even if he knows how to make it, he still needs to gradually work through the technology tree.

After all, people in this era didn't even have gunpowder yet; they had to eat one bite at a time.

He needs an elite cavalry force now!

Upon seeing this, the craftsmen kowtowed to Xiao Ce again.

The rest was left to money to handle.

...

Reaching the door, Xiao Jiu excitedly exclaimed, "Your Highness, you're right! They're just like me, or even worse... I chopped off both of Bao Cong's hands..."

Xiao Ce listened to Xiao Jiu's words and nodded in satisfaction: "Very good! Remember this saying from now on: do not fear the strong, nor bully the weak!"

Xiao Jiu bowed and nodded, then took out a stack of letters.

"Your Highness, these are letters written by the merchants and ministers outside the palace. Among them, the one named Zhang Yunqing is the most proactive."

After receiving the letter, Xiao Ce returned to his residence and began reading it.

These merchants were quite sincere, especially the one named Zhang Yunqing, who was the most genuine, practically stripping himself bare for Xiao Ce to see.

Moreover, each of the things he revealed was enough to get him killed.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Xiao Ce let him in, and Yan Jia said that Yin Pan'er and Nie Bing had arrived.

Xiao Ce glanced behind the two people but didn't see anyone.

"What about people?"

Yan Jia said awkwardly, "The two princesses said they were tired, so they went to have Steward Qian Lai settle them in for rest."

Xiao Ce nodded, unsurprised, and asked, "How are the Shen brothers, Shen Hu and Shen Bao, doing?"

Yan Jia said, "They made very smooth progress. With the help of Sun Qiang and his group, they captured four cities very easily. Since Bao An's Bao family army arrived, they haven't fought a single decent battle. They should be able to take all nine cities in three days at the latest."

“I’m not worried about that. Yan Jia, I want you to select another thousand absolutely elite soldiers from your cavalry, and then find money to get a thousand top-quality warhorses. You need to start training them properly.”

Yan Jia looked at Xiao Ce with a hint of excitement and said, "Your Highness, are you preparing to attack the Turks? However, I'm afraid a thousand cavalrymen won't be enough."

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Don't be anxious! It's not about the quantity of soldiers, but their quality! We have a large army now, numbering 100,000. However, the actual fighting force is less than 30,000! Moreover, we need to face not only the Turks, but also the private armies of the four great clans! That adds up to more than 200,000. So, we need to stir up this mess!"

Yan Jia listened, seemingly understanding but not quite, and said to Xiao Ce, "Your Highness, I don't quite understand. It means we need to train these thousand elite cavalrymen to be able to fight ten men each, right?"

Xiao Ce smiled and nodded, saying, "That's right, that's exactly what I mean. This army needs to be fed the best, and everything else must be the best. Money is not a problem!"

Yan Jia nodded, cupped his hands in greeting, and left.

Xiao Ce said to Xiao Jiu, "Go and summon the two princesses!"

Xiao Jiu bowed and agreed.

...

Yin Pan'er and Nie Bing were in the palace on one side.

To this day, neither of them quite believes it, especially Nie Bing.

Although they saw many things along the way, Nie Bing always felt that they were not quite real.

Only Nie Bing, who was born and raised in the northern desert, knew how difficult these things were to deal with.

Therefore, they heard from the visitor that Xiao Ce had already taken control of Lingxiao City.

They still refused to believe it.

Yin Pan'er said to Nie Bing, "Sister Bing, he really did it! He actually took Lingxiao City! And I heard from Yan Jia that Bao An and the people from the four major clans are surrounded in the Hall of Ceremonies!"

Nie Bing's expression was extremely complicated as she muttered to herself, "These people weren't this stupid when they were dealing with my father! How could they..."

Yin Pan'er said to Nie Bing, "Sister Bing, hasn't Xiao Ce surprised us enough along the way? He always turns the impossible into the possible! No matter what, it's good news, right?"

Nie Bing nodded.

"Why don't we go and pay her a visit? After all..."

Before Yin Pan'er could finish speaking, Nie Bing said to her, "He is your husband, and you are his queen. You can go. I am just your guard, and I have no obligation to pay my respects to him."

Seeing Nie Bing's stubbornness, Yin Pan'er smiled and said, "Sister Bing, now the generals under the Prince all call us two Princess Consorts... I really don't mind, on the contrary, I'm very happy. This way, the two of us sisters can stay together forever."

Nie Bing's usually icy face instantly turned red.

"Pan'er, don't talk nonsense... I won't be his woman! Even if he begs me, I won't marry him! I don't even want him!"

"Miss Nie Bing, don't overthink it! The woman I'm proposing to hasn't even been born yet! And don't be so arrogant. Although you have some looks, I don't really like big-breasted, brainless women!"

The sudden sound startled the two women.

Xiao Ce pushed open the door and entered.

Nie Bing's face darkened: "You... why were you eavesdropping on our conversation?! Why didn't you knock!"

Xiao Ce laughed and said, "This is my territory. I can come and go as I please. Do I need your permission?"

Xiao Ce originally wanted Xiao Jiu to come, but he thought that Nie Bing's bad temper might prevent her from coming.

He came over in person.

Nie Bing was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Ce walked straight to Yin Pan'er's side and said, "Pan'er, you must be tired from your journey. How was it? I did a pretty good job, didn't I?"

Compared to Nie Bing, who is not only big-breasted and brainless but also violent.

Yin Pan'er was much more to his liking, even though he had also forced himself on her.

However, this woman was smart enough to quickly discover his good points.

In particular, Xiao Ce overheard Yin Pan'er asking him to find a princess consort.

When Yin Pan'er saw Xiao Ce speaking to her so gently, almost face to face, her face flushed red. She nodded obediently and said, "I didn't do anything. It's just that Your Highness has had a hard time. The process must have been very difficult."

Yin Pan'er had witnessed Xiao Ce's actions throughout the journey.

This man was decisive and efficient. As a prince, he understood the hardships of ordinary people, cared for their well-being, and was responsible. His actions sometimes seemed overly radical or even eccentric. However, without his unique personality, he couldn't have achieved such results in such a short time!

Therefore, she had long since lost her prejudice against Xiao Ce and was now full of admiration for him, so she was no longer so resistant to him.

Xiao Ce was somewhat surprised that Yin Pan'er did not dodge as before. He laughed and said, "This is nothing! Remember? I told you that if you bet with me, I will definitely not let you lose! Moreover, I am lucky. Heaven is on my side! Bao An held a wedding and gathered all the big fish from the four counties of Mobei together, which I caught in one fell swoop."

Yin Pan'er shook her head and said, "Your Highness, if it weren't for your foresight in having the main force conceal their presence while you led your troops in a surprise attack, catching them completely off guard, we wouldn't have achieved such a victory."

"Hahaha, Pan'er, I knew you were smart! You have good judgment. You saw through me. I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

Xiao Ce smiled and gently stroked Yin Pan'er's face. Yin Pan'er blushed even more this time, but she didn't dodge.

When Yin Pan'er arrived, she had already fully accepted her status as Xiao Ce's woman.

She also decided to help Xiao Ce wholeheartedly.

Nie Bing was aware of Yin Pan'er's psychological changes.

Seeing that the air was getting warmer, she decided to go outside.

Seeing this, Xiao Ce called out to Nie Bing, "Nie Bing, don't go yet! I have something I need you to do."

Nie Bing looked at Xiao Ce with a puzzled expression.

Looking at her expression, before she could even retort...

Xiao Ce preemptively said, "You're too busy refusing! It's not that I can't live without you, but I'm giving you a chance to avenge your father for Pan'er's sake! Of course, if you refuse, you can leave. I won't look for you again! Remember, once the opportunity is missed, it won't come again."

Nie Bing looked embarrassed as she listened to Xiao Ce's words. She had indeed wanted to say something to Xiao Ce, but he seemed to have seen through her and shut her up with just one sentence.

She felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if she were being controlled by Xiao Ce, which inexplicably reminded her of the night she was ravaged by Xiao Ce.

He said, "Don't be so clever. I never said I was going to refuse! What do you want me to do?"