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

For the past two days, Xiao Ce has been struggling with how to deal with the heads of the four major clans!

His plan from the beginning was to kill! And they certainly deserved to die!

Xiao Ce had already decided to pacify the internal situation before dealing with external threats! However, this morning during his practice, he discovered that Nie Bing was waiting for him.

He was somewhat surprised, after all, he had been forced into this by him last time.

Nie Bing never took the initiative to contact Xiao Ce.

Only after finding Nie Bing did they learn her purpose: she had come for the people of the four prefectures!

Nie Bing's previous idea was also to rule them by force.

However, yesterday she talked with her father's former ministers about Xiao Ce's new policies!

After hearing about Xiao Ce's new policies, the ministers who were originally his subordinates were very optimistic about them.

Following Nie Bing's suggestion, they decided to handle the relationship between Xiao Ce and the powerful families of the four prefectures more gently! They believed that once Xiao Ce's new policies were implemented and reached the ears of the people of the four prefectures, they would have no reason not to be moved!

After all, the privately held civilians and soldiers in the four prefectures numbered 500,000, which were essentially Xiao Ce's wealth.

If the people feel that Xiao Ce's new policies are good, they will naturally support Xiao Ce and resist the exploitation by the powerful clans!

At that point, the powerful clans that have lost the support of the people will collapse on their own! Taking them down will be a piece of cake!

Xiao Ce asked Nie Bing, "Weren't all those civilians brainwashed by them?"

She said, "They are just a bunch of pitiful people who have been enslaved and brainwashed! They deserve to live a better life! Your Highness and the others are also your subjects, and no matter what, they should not be the ones who deserve to die!"

"Your Highness, I know you are not the kind of person who is compassionate and merciful! But if there is any other possibility, let's leave some seeds for the people of the northern desert! Moreover, if you can subdue them, you will have an additional 500,000 people! They will definitely be of use to you!"

Xiao Ce was persuaded by Nie Bing back then!

He also knew that people were the foundation; if they were all killed, how could there be any development?

Although he brought in many disaster victims from outside, there is no doubt that the people here will have a greater sense of belonging compared to those who were born and raised here.

Moreover, once war breaks out, those unfortunate civilians will inevitably be pushed to the front lines! Once war begins, death will bring blood feuds!

Once a blood feud begins, hatred will only fester and grow! Unless he wipes out all those people!

Otherwise, those people will always treat him as an enemy!

Therefore, Xiao Ce thought that instead of doing things this way, he should do what his ministers suggested and focus on developing this area. Eventually, people would see the good things about this place! Before, people were willing to work hard for powerful clans and noble families because there was no difference between them and the slaves under Bao An's rule!

Once they realize the gap, they will harbor resentment! At that point, with just a little fanning the flames, a small spark can ignite a raging fire!

The increasingly heated argument among the family heads pulled Xiao Ce back to reality.

Seeing that their argument had subsided, he smiled slightly and said to them, "Gentlemen, since you each have your own version of events, frankly, I have no intention of distinguishing between what is true and what is false! I will give you another chance!"

Lin Shou and Liu Xuan quickly said, "Your Highness, please grant us paper and pen! We will certainly show our sincerity this time!"

Xiao Ce nodded and beckoned someone to bring him paper and pen.

"Okay, you can write here."

As he spoke, Xiao Ce turned his gaze to Kan Zongye.

Kan Zongye looked somewhat embarrassed.

Xiao Ce then said to Kan Zongye, "Patriarch Kan, since you're idle while they're writing this, I'll give you a task."

Kan Zongye looked at Xiao Ce with a bad feeling, but didn't respond.

Xiao Ce said directly, "Take him to the execution platform outside the city and behead him. You will oversee the execution!"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Kan Zongye's expression froze. Even Liu Xuan and Lin Shou, who were still writing data, trembled as they listened. They never expected that Xiao Ce was truly intent on killing.

Kan Zongye did not answer.

Xiao Ce smiled, but his smile was forced. "What? You don't want to? Or do you think he shouldn't have died?"

Kan Zongye quickly cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness! I am but a commoner, with no right to decide the life or death of others. I will obey Your Highness's will! Your Highness is the ruler of the four prefectures of the Northern Desert. If you say he deserves to die, then he deserves to die! As for overseeing the execution, if Your Highness commands me to go, I will certainly go. However, I believe it would be better if the heads of the Liu Xuan and Lin Shou families, along with the three of us, went to oversee the execution together, as that would be more convincing!"

Liu Xuan and Lin Shou, who were writing their 'information' on the side, wanted to curse at Kan Zongye after hearing his words.

Xiao Ce feigned approval and said, "Not bad! Not bad, Patriarch Liu Xuan, Patriarch Lin Shou. What do you think?"

Liu Xuan and Lin Shou looked like they had eaten shit, and naturally dared not refuse: "We will do whatever Your Highness commands. If Your Highness wants us to supervise the execution, we are naturally willing."

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "Alright! Then, Patriarch Liu, Patriarch Lin, hold on for a moment. I have always been the most reasonable person. Draft his charges! After he dies, I will confiscate his property to supplement my military funds for attacking the Turks!"

As he spoke, Xiao Ce said earnestly, "Actually, as you've all seen, I have no intention of targeting any of you. You four great clans have stood here for so long! You are the foundation of the four prefectures of the Northern Desert! But, who knew that this Cai Tianming would refuse to listen to reason and instead drink the punishment!"

"I am a man who responds better to gentleness than force! Since he is going to oppose me, I cannot allow a potential threat to remain unchecked. As you all know, I have no interest in this area whatsoever; everything I do is for the purpose of waging war against the Turks!"

"Going to war with the Turks is partly for me to gain some political achievements for myself. But the real beneficiaries are you! You all understand that, right?"

The three people nodded repeatedly.

Xiao Ce then said, "When the time comes, after I confiscate the Cai family's property, you can divide up their territory. You know I will eventually leave! The cities I currently occupy, as well as the refugees I've brought to you, will all be yours. As long as you support me, all the Turkic territories I conquer in the future will be given to you!"

"If we cooperate, it's a win-win situation for both of us! Of course, if you want to be my enemy, you'll be the only ones who lose."

Xiao Ce painted a rosy picture, and the three men listened with a surge of excitement, nodding repeatedly: "Your Highness, of course we support you!"

Xiao Ce nodded: "Alright, you can start writing now. After you're done, I'll send someone to oversee the execution! I'll have someone help you. I have other matters to attend to!"

Xiao Ce said this and then left.

In the entire hall, only a few soldiers holding Cai Tianming and the heads of the three major clans remained.

They watched Xiao Ce leave.

Lin Shou and Liu Xuan glared at Kan Zongye with resentment: "Kan Zongye, you are truly insidious! You actually tricked us! Luckily, Xiao Ce wasn't that stupid, otherwise, we would really have been killed by you."

Kan Zongye raised an eyebrow: "Alright! Haven't you hurt me enough already? At most, we'll settle this once and for all. Do you want to keep bringing up these old scores endlessly? Let's get down to business."

Lin Shou and Liu Xuan looked at Kan Zongye with suspicion almost simultaneously: "Do you really think you're loyal to Xiao Ce?"

Kan Zongye nodded and said, "That's right! He actually made it very clear that he has the King of Zhen behind him. He was just a prince before, and he came here simply to gain some prestige! Moreover, what he said is correct, he will leave sooner or later! He stayed behind to fight the Turks, which is harmless to us. If we really defeat the Turks, they will be useful to us."

"Even if he fails, we won't suffer any losses. So whatever he does, as long as our interests aren't harmed, it's fine. Besides, this time we can use him to get rid of Cai Tianming together! Expanding our strength, why not?"

Lin Shou looked wary: "He can use this method to get rid of Cai Tianming, and he can use the same method to get rid of us in the future. Aren't you afraid?"

Kan Zongye smiled and said, "Why did he do this? Before, we didn't know his purpose. We thought that his arrival would inevitably infringe on our interests! But as it stands, he is not in conflict with us. Moreover, his previous actions were nothing more than a show of force to intimidate us. He doesn't want to get into conflict with us. As long as we support him... he won't go after us."

"It wouldn't be in his interest for him to target us! Actually, it's fine that Bao An is dead! The four prefectures in the northern desert under Bao An's control have become granaries for the Turks! The King of Zhen's army is extremely skilled in battle; they really defeated the Turks. This will benefit us for generations to come. Moreover, if he defeats the Turks and regains his position as crown prince, it's no problem at all. Then, we'll be supporting the future emperor!"

"Even if he suffers a major defeat, we won't lose anything. At least we'll have divided Cai Tianming's territory equally."

The two nodded in agreement as they listened to Kan Zongye's analysis: "Aren't you afraid of his crushing defeat? That the Turks will conquer the four prefectures of the northern desert?"

Kan Zongye laughed and said, "Didn't you hear what he said? His army is all the hidden army of the King of Zhen! Xiao Ce is the King of Zhen's illegitimate son. If they weren't absolutely certain, how could they dare to take this step? Even if he suffers a major defeat, they can then cooperate with the people of Mobei to wipe out Xiao Ce as a sign of sincerity."

"The Turks have always disputed the allocation of the four northern prefectures. So, at worst, we'll just stick to the way things are now. Listen to me! You won't go wrong."

Lin Shou and Liu Xuan looked at Kan Zongye and said, "To be honest, we don't trust you at all! In fact, you're the one we trust the least!"