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

Seeing that Shen Hu had recommended himself, Shen Bao also recommended his elder brother.

They shared the same idea as Xiao Ce.

Although Shen Bao was the leader of Tiger Leopard Stronghold before, in terms of personality...

Shen Hu is more conservative, while Shen Bao is more aggressive!

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "My previous promise to you still stands. Shen Hu, all the troops you brought will be handed over to Shen Bao. Shen Hu, go and make preparations. You can take some of your trusted men and bring all the craftsmen from the Divine Machine Hall over here."

Shen Bao cupped his hands and said to Xiao Ce, "Thank you, Your Highness!"

Shen Hu cupped his hands in greeting: "Your Highness, I obey. What do I need to do after that?"

Xiao Ce said, "You will be mainly responsible for defense and daily personnel management. As for the production of those things, I will have Uncle Zhong come to your side to assist you later."

Shen Hu nodded and cupped his hands in agreement: "Then can I bring more people? After all, the safety of Tiger Leopard Stronghold is very important to Your Highness. If there are too few people, it will be difficult for me to manage them."

Xiao Ce nodded: "How many people do you need?"

Shen Hu said, "Based on the number of people over there before, at least three thousand people."

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "Alright, I'll give you five thousand first. You can choose for yourself!"

"Your Highness, does that mean that once we go there, we can't leave?" Shen Hu asked.

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "That's the principle! They are not allowed to leave for at least three years. However, their families can all be brought over to live with them. Anyone who is willing to go will be provided with housing! I will cover their medical expenses, their children's education, and even their basic monthly food rations and meat! Furthermore, they can participate in the businesses I establish there, and will receive a salary of no less than five taels of silver per month!"

As he spoke, Xiao Ce took out some blueprints from the side.

"This is a revised plan based on the blueprints Shen Bao gave me. Once you get there, you'll begin the organizational restructuring! It includes a medical clinic, a school..."

Looking at the blueprints, Shen Hu said, "Your Highness, with such good terms, you could even let them stay here their whole lives!"

Shen Bao said, "Yes, Your Highness! If you make such a condition, they will definitely fight to go... However, I will take five thousand soldiers with me, and they will bring their families, so there will be at least twenty thousand people. You will have to take care of so many people's food and lodging, which will be a considerable expense."

Xiao Ce smiled and said, "The benefits they produce far exceed what I put in! Shen Hu, it will take some thought and skill to manage them well."

Shen Hu looked slightly nervous: "Your Highness, I'm afraid I won't do a good job."

“I’ll have Uncle Zhong help you then. It’s not difficult at all. You just need to get them to accept that place. Then they’ll listen to you. They’ve all suffered before, and they’ll definitely cherish this kind of life.”

Shen Hu listened and nodded repeatedly while holding the blueprints.

After giving his instructions, Xiao Ce waved his hand, telling them to get back to work.

Xiao Ce then found Qian Lai, and together they went to the Divine Mechanism Hall.

Because if we want them to come over, we still need to explain it to them.

When I went in, it was completely quiet inside, with only the sounds of various tools.

The people inside were all focused on doing their work.

Xiao Ce was standing next to Lu Xiu without Lu Xiu noticing.

"Lu Xiu!"

Upon hearing Xiao Ce's words, Lu Xiu suddenly became alert and looked at Xiao Ce approaching, somewhat nervously: "Your Highness, I have already ordered my men to start production at full speed. This time, we will definitely be able to increase production capacity."

Xiao Ce smiled and waved his hand: "I didn't come to see you about this."

Lu Xiu looked at Xiao Ce with a hint of doubt.

Xiao Ce instructed Lu Xiu to summon all the craftsmen.

Lu Xiu nodded, and soon after, he summoned all the craftsmen.

Xiao Ce then explained the arrangements for them to move to Tiger and Leopard Stronghold, including all the benefits.

The craftsmen listened and whispered amongst themselves.

Xiao Ce said to them, "If you have any questions or thoughts, you can speak to me."

Lu Xiu listened with some excitement: "Your Highness, do you mean that as long as we're willing to go, we can bring our whole family? I have three sons and three daughters-in-law, that's eleven people in my family! Can we all go? Once we're there, will everyone receive a monthly ration and be provided with work?"

Xiao Ce nodded and said, "That's right. As long as they are your immediate family members, they can apply to go there. We'll allocate houses according to household size! Not only will you have monthly rations and meat, but any minor ailment like a headache or fever will be covered by free doctor's visits! Your sons can learn a trade from you, and your wives and daughters-in-law, if they're willing, will be provided with jobs that pay at least five taels of silver per month. Your children can also attend school for free..."

"Then I'll definitely go... Your Highness, please apply for a visa for our family of twelve."

"Your Highness, I'm going too! There are sixteen of us in my family!"

These craftsmen all expressed their opinions.

Xiao Ce underestimated the allure of his welfare program. These slaves had been enslaved their entire lives.

The conditions offered by Xiao Ce were undoubtedly a paradise for them.

"Have you all thought this through? You cannot leave that area for at least three years! Future plans will depend on my strategic decisions!"

Lu Xiu spoke up, "Your Highness! As long as it really goes as you say... I'm willing to stay there for the rest of my life, okay?"

"Yes, Your Highness, the place you described is far from the war, and we have plenty to eat and drink. It's practically paradise. Even if you try to drive us away, we wouldn't want to leave. We'd be willing to stay there for the rest of our lives."

As a modern person who has come from the past, Xiao Ce may value freedom more, but he doesn't understand the ordinary people's longing for a simple life...

...

The next few days went very smoothly.

Shen Hu led 5,000 soldiers to Tiger Leopard Stronghold.

Most of the 5,000 people he selected were not from the four prefectures of the northern desert, so they all wrote letters home.

I gave them the address and told them to come here.

Xiao Ce then had the craftsmen from the Divine Machine Hall contact their families, and they all went to Tiger Leopard Village together.

Some of them recommended other craftsmen, and with Qian Lai's help, they went together.

It won't be long before they are officially established.

Those powerful and prestigious families all obediently wrote back home, just as Xiao Ce had said.

Xiao Ce gradually brought them under his thumb, leaving them with absolutely no choice.

Unless they themselves are willing to risk their lives and let their families rebel, but everyone is afraid of death.

All they want now is to get out of this awful place as soon as possible.

Yin Pan'er and Nie Bing have been so busy these past few days that we haven't seen them at all.

They were responsible for land reform in nine cities, the resettlement of disaster victims, and a series of other reforms, keeping them extremely busy.

On the contrary, Xiao Ce, the hands-off manager, was having a great time.

In the morning, I went to check on the training of the thousand elite cavalrymen selected by Yan Jia.

In the afternoon, I went to teach the seasonal girls some training on how to be spies.

Time flies, and seven days later...

Yan Jia excitedly said, "Your Highness, Uncle Zhong, Han Da will be arriving outside Lingxiao City soon!"

It's been quite a while since I last saw Han Da and Uncle Zhong.

"Yan Jia, summon Shen Bao and his troops to form a line to greet them!"

Xiao Ce happily changed his clothes, and Yan Jia bowed in agreement.

Then he asked Xiao Jiu to call Yin Pan'er over.

Send Qian Lai to bring Kan Zongye and the people from the three major clans over.

A short while later, Yin Pan'er came over alone, dressed in a gorgeous outfit.

Seeing Yin Pan'er arrive alone, Xiao Ce asked curiously, "Pan'er, where's Nie Bing?"

Yin Pan'er shook her head and said, "Sister Nie Bing went to take care of some things and left early this morning!"

"Don't you guys always do everything together?" Xiao Ce asked.

Yin Pan'er smiled awkwardly: "Your Highness, our roles are somewhat different. How about I send someone to look for it?"

Xiao Ce waved his hand and said, "Forget it, let her go about her business. It doesn't matter whether she's here or not, as long as you, her princess consort, are here!"

Yin Pan'er blushed and looked at Xiao Ce.

Seeing that Yin Pan'er seemed to have something to say, Xiao Ce asked curiously, "What's wrong? Is there something you want to say?"

Yin Pan'er gave an awkward smile and shook her head, saying, "No...no..."

...

At this moment, in an inn in Lingxiao City.

Nie Bing arrived at the door of a private room and took a few deep breaths.

His gaze hardened, and he knocked on the door.

A short while later, the door was opened.

The person who opened the door was a boy who looked like a fifteen or sixteen-year-old page.

"Miss Nie, the gentleman has been waiting for you! Please come in."

Nie Bing glanced at the pageboy-like figure, then went inside.

Upon entering the room, there was a screen.

A person sat behind the screen, and a man's voice came from behind the screen: "Miss Nie, you've arrived! Please, have a seat."

Nie Bing looked warily behind the screen and asked, "Who are you?"

The person behind the screen said, "Don't be nervous, they're one of us!"

Nie Bing asked the person behind the screen, "Is my mother still alive?"

The person behind the screen smiled and said, "That's right, not only is your mother still alive, but your younger brother and sister are also alive!"

After hearing what was said behind the screen, Nie Bing became excited: "Where are they?"

The person behind the screen said, "At the right time, I will let you see them! But before that, I need you to do something for me!"

Nie Bing asked warily, "What is it?"

The person behind the screen clapped their hands, and the young page went straight out.

A short while later, he came in with a burly man.

Although these people were dressed in the clothing of the Xiao Kingdom, their faces and the smell of their bodies were different.

Nie Bing guessed that the people who came in were Turks.

“I will not work for the Turks!” Nie Bing said with a gloomy expression.

The person behind the screen said to Nie Bing, "That's a real shame! Please leave now."

The people behind the screen didn't try to stop her at all, causing Nie Bing's expression to freeze. Her face turned ugly as she said, "How should I know they're alive!"

The person behind the screen said, "You should have received what I gave you, isn't that proof enough? If you help us with this, I will arrange for you to meet. Of course, if you refuse, I will not look for you again! You can forget about ever seeing them again in this lifetime."

"Don't overestimate yourself! We can accomplish that even without you; we're just giving you a chance."

After a brief moment of hesitation, Nie Bing's gaze hardened: "Can I know what you want me to do?"