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

Xiao Ce's words caused an uproar throughout the court.

As agreed with Xiao Ce, the King of Zhen stepped forward and said, "Your Highness, please reconsider. You may not know this, but the problem of the Turks has existed for hundreds of years. It is a long-standing issue that cannot be resolved by any one person!"

The town king intervened to stop them.

Xiao Dingbang gave Yin Weiyong a very subtle look.

Yin Weiyong immediately understood and said, "The King of Zhen's words are inappropriate. I think the Crown Prince has such a grand ambition, which should be encouraged! Moreover, at this time, if His Majesty could send his eldest son to the northern frontier and grant him a kingship and land, it would precisely prove His Majesty's determination to resist the Turks."

Xiao Yang continued, "Ninth Imperial Uncle, Prime Minister Yin is right! Perhaps if we send His Highness the Crown Prince over, the Turks will know our Great Xiao's determination to resist the Turks, and that might scare them away."

"Your subject seconds this proposal."

"Your subject also agrees..."

...

Xiao Ce watched as all the princes stood up to express their support, and not one of them tried to stop him.

Sure enough, I couldn't stay in this place for even a minute.

With the prince's support, civil and military officials all came out to echo his sentiments.

Seeing this, Xiao Dingbang said, "Your Highness, your actions have truly impressed me. However, have you thought this through?"

"Father, after careful consideration, I beg you to grant my request."

Before Xiao Dingbang could speak, the Prince of Zhen continued his charade, saying, "Since that's the case, Your Highness, you don't need to resign from your position as Crown Prince..."

Xiao Ce said with a firm gaze, "Ninth Imperial Uncle, in fact, I have long harbored this thought over the years! The position of Crown Prince is the foundation of the country, and I have known over the years that I am not fit to be an emperor. Now the Turks are invading our territory."

As he spoke, he turned to look at Siu Ting-pong.

"Your Majesty, I have caused you a lot of trouble over the years. Now I would like to share your burdens! The northern desert is barren. I believe that in order to resist the Turks, we should govern the northern desert. Only by making the northern desert rich can we be self-sufficient and resist the Turks."

"Therefore, I humbly request that Your Majesty grant me the title of King and a fiefdom! I will dedicate the rest of my life to the vast deserts of the North! As for the position of Crown Prince, I humbly request that Your Majesty choose a virtuous person to fill it, and I earnestly hope that Your Majesty will grant my request!"

Yin Weiyong then took the lead and said, "Your Majesty, please grant the Crown Prince's sincere wish."

Civil and military officials followed suit.

Xiao Dingbang had long been unable to hold back, fearing that Xiao Ce, that coward, would go back on his word: "Fine! Since the Crown Prince has resigned from his position, then let him be removed from the position of Crown Prince for now, and be enfeoffed as the King of Mobei, ruling over the four prefectures of Mobei! If one day you can make the Turks submit, I will definitely restore you to the position of Crown Prince."

Xiao Ce was thrilled. He had traded a deadly title for the powerful title of King of the Northern Desert. It was a huge win!

"Thank you, Your Majesty, but I have another request!"

"Say!"

"As far as I know, there is no engagement between my second brother and Miss Yin. It was just a casual conversation and doesn't count. Because of me the other day, Miss Yin's reputation was damaged. I don't want any rift to develop between my second brother and Miss Yin! Besides, I have long admired Miss Yin!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you grant me the right to marry Yin Pan'er."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Dingbang first looked at Yin Weiyong.

She looked at Xiao Yang again.

Yin Weiyong cupped his hands and said, "This old minister will obey Your Majesty's every command."

Xiao Yang, having learned that Yin Pan'er had slept with Xiao Ce, had long wanted to get rid of her. Now, he cupped his hands and said, "Father, since my brother is pleased, I will certainly do my part to fulfill his wish!"

"Very well, then I will grant your request! I will bestow Yin Pan'er upon you in marriage, and bestow upon her the title of Princess of the Northern Desert!"

Xiao Ce prostrated himself on the ground and said, "Thank you, Father Emperor!"

Such a rare opportunity today.

He certainly wouldn't miss the opportunity; after getting the wife, he would then ask for supplies.

"Father, your son is deeply concerned about the safety of the northern border. I wonder how many troops and provisions Your Majesty intends to send to provide support!"

Xiao Ce had assumed that Xiao Dingbang would refuse.

To everyone's surprise, Xiao Dingbang readily agreed, saying, "I will allocate three thousand elite soldiers to help you go and support the northern desert."

Xiao Ce looked troubled and said, "Father, three thousand men may not be enough."

Xiao Yang spoke up: "Brother, with the White Lotus Sect and other mobs rising up in the Central Plains, it's already quite an achievement that we were able to allocate three thousand elite troops to you. Besides, didn't Father already bestow upon you the title of King? Weren't you just boasting about developing the Northern Desert? We've given you everything, what else do we need you to do?"

Xiao Dingbang nodded: "That's right, Xiao Ce, didn't I appoint you as the King of the Northern Desert? After you go to the Northern Desert, I will give you the authority to raise an army of 100,000 and let you build an army of 100,000 on the frontier to fight against the Turks!"

Xiao Ce cursed inwardly, "You dog emperor, you really know how to brag. Forming an army of 100,000? How can you form an army without money and food? Besides, the population of the northern wilderness doesn't even reach 100,000 at most."

He said, "Father, the four prefectures of the northern desert are sparsely populated, with fewer than 100,000 people. How can I possibly conscript 100,000 soldiers..."

Xiao Yang said, "You yourself said you wanted to develop the northern desert. At its most prosperous, that place had over a million people. If you govern it well, won't the people come? If Father Emperor solves all the difficulties for you, how will your achievements be recognized?"

Seeing Xiao Yang's words and noticing Xiao Ce's expression, Xiao Dingbang, fearing he might change his mind, quickly added, "Xiao Ce, I know there are difficulties. The Great Xiao Kingdom is currently beset by internal and external troubles! Since you have offered to share my burdens, I will do my best to help you. I will also reward you with 100,000 taels of gold, 1 million taels of silver, and 500,000 shi of grain! This is enough for you to go to the northern desert to develop your army and fight against the Turks!"

Xiao Ce was shocked!

Has Siu Ting-pong changed his ways? Why is he suddenly being so generous?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yang jumped up and down in a panic: "Father, you must be mistaken. Are you sure you want to bestow these things as rewards?"

Xiao Dingbang waved his hand and said, "The borderlands are in dire straits, and this is all I can do. Xiao Ce, are you satisfied?"

Xiao Ce had a vague feeling that this was a trap, but he didn't understand Xiao Dingbang's true purpose, so he could only express his gratitude verbally.

"Thank you, Father Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"

Xiao Dingbang said, "Of course, you also need to use some of the money I'm giving you to reward Bao An's soldiers guarding the border!"

"Yes, sir!" Xiao Ce replied, bowing respectfully.

Xiao Dingbang was in a good mood and then looked at Xiao Ce, asking, "Xiao Ce, when will you set off?"

"Your Majesty, I wish to depart as soon as possible, tomorrow," Xiao Ce said, bowing.

“Alright, then I will order people to prepare troops, money and provisions for you,” Xiao Dingbang said.

Xiao Ce looked at Xiao Dingbang with some suspicion. Was this dog emperor serious?

After Xiao Dingbang finished speaking, he asked the people in the hall, "Gentlemen, if you have something to say, please speak; otherwise, the court is adjourned!"

Seeing that no one spoke, the chief eunuch beside Xiao Dingbang shouted loudly, "Court adjourned!"

After another round of shouts and prostrations, the officials departed.

Xiao Yang looked anxious, clearly indicating that he was going to find Xiao Dingbang.

...

After leaving the palace.

The King of Zhen let Xiao Ce into his carriage.

Upon hearing him address him as Crown Prince, Xiao Ce looked at the King of Zhen and said, "Ninth Imperial Uncle, I am no longer the Crown Prince."

The King of Zhen's eyes were sharp: "You'll be the Crown Prince sooner or later. However, His Majesty acted so strangely in the palace today; you must be careful!"

Xiao Ce's eyes flashed with a fierce light: "If he dares to give it, I dare to take it. What's a little too much money to me!"

The king of the town nodded and said, "You should still be careful."

They then arrived at the King's Palace in Zhenguo.

The King of Zhen was accompanied by an old man and a burly young man dressed in plain clothes with an honest face.

Xiao Ce looked at the newcomer and searched his memory.

The old man, Lin Zhong, was the steward of the Prince of Zhenguo's mansion and Xiao Dingshan's most trusted person, without exception.

Previously, when the King of Zhen went to the battlefield, the original Crown Prince encountered trouble, and it was this old man who helped clean up the mess for the original Crown Prince.

As for the young man, Xiao Ce had no recollection of him.

However, judging from his physique, he should be a soldier.

Seeing Xiao Ce looking him over, the King of Zhen said, "Your Highness, I have nothing to give you on your journey to the northern wilderness. I will give you Uncle Zhong and Da Lei."

“Uncle Zhong, you are the person I trust most. You must have a lot of miscellaneous things to do when you go to the northern fiefdom to ‘receive the kingdom’. Uncle Zhong is very capable and absolutely trustworthy.”

“Da Lei is the captain of my secret training squad of assassins. There are twelve people in this squad, and you can directly command him. You can trust him just as much as you trust me.”

The King of Zhen's few words made me realize that this man named Da Lei was no ordinary person.

The suicide squad should be the special forces.

The king of the town was quite progressive in his thinking.

"Uncle Xie, you're so good to me! But, Uncle Zhong, will you be able to handle my trip to the northern desert?"

Lin Zhong bowed and said, "Your Highness, if you are healthy enough, then my health is naturally fine."

"Uncle Zhong, aren't you afraid of hardship?" Xiao Ce asked.

Lin Zhong smiled and said, "I've endured all kinds of hardships in my life, so I'm not afraid of hardship. Your Highness, you are the person the old prince cherishes most, and I will certainly assist you well. I will take good care of your residence and logistics!"

Xiao Ce didn't waste any time; he was just worried about not having a close confidant.

With Lin Zhong as his readily available and top-notch butler, he had much less to worry about.

"Then we'll have to rely on Uncle Zhong from now on!"

After saying that, he walked over to the burly man, Da Lei.

I patted his body, and sure enough, he was a trained fighter; his body was incredibly tough.

Seeing this, the King of the Town said, "Don't worry. Everything I'm giving you is my treasure!"

Xiao Ce quickly said, "Ninth Uncle, of course I know that! It's just that you need these people to save your own life, right? If you give them to me, wouldn't you be..."

The King of Zhen waved his hand and said, "Hey, I'm living a leisurely life in the capital, I don't need these things. I have something else for you."

As he spoke, the King of Zhen took out a small wooden box and placed it in front of Xiao Ce.

Upon opening it, there was a box full of silver notes inside.

"Inside is the money I've saved up all my life, a total of one million taels of silver."

Xiao Ce was so surprised that he couldn't close his mouth. He then waved his hand and said, "Ninth Uncle, this is absolutely not acceptable. Besides, Father Emperor promised to give me 100,000 taels of gold, a million taels of silver, and grain. I don't need money in the short term. If I do need money later, I'll earn it back."

The King of Zhen gave a wry smile and said, "You really are naive. Do you really think His Majesty would give you so much money and grain?"