The meaning of Xie Mingxi's words, Sheng Hong would not be mistaken, and his eyes flashed slightly: "What do you mean, let me secretly raise private soldiers?" ”

Since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty, the vassal king has the right to train and lead the army. In addition to the 1,000 vassal guards, 5,000 soldiers could be recruited as garrisons in the domain.

In other words, the vassal king could raise 6,000 soldiers in the open. These military salaries are all paid by the imperial court.

After Sheng Hong settled down for a few days, he began to recruit soldiers in a bright way. In less than a month, three or four thousand had been recruited.

Raising and training troops is a very money-consuming business. In addition to military pay, there must be good horses and weapons. All the same calculations are shocking numbers.

6,000 soldiers, at least about 200,000 taels a year.

If you want to raise a private soldier, you have to pay your own money.

Of course, the imperial court did not allow the vassal king to raise private soldiers. However, as a vassal king, is there any reason not to raise private soldiers? Raising private soldiers is not necessarily for the intention of rebellion, but more for self-preservation.

No one wants to be a fish on a human chopping board!

"That's right, it's to raise private soldiers." Xie Mingxi's eyes flashed, and his voice was calm and calm: "Moreover, the more the merrier." One thousand of the guards of the King of Shu are not counted, and there are only five thousand soldiers on the bright side. If there is really chaos, there is no way to protect yourself. ”

"Shu is mountainous and the terrain is steep. It's easy to defend and hard to attack. If you want to defend Shu, you must have at least 50,000 soldiers. ”

Sheng Hong was not intimidated by this number, and said after a little thought: "This matter cannot be made in a big way, it has to be carried out in secret. In the beginning, there is no need to rush to recruit too many soldiers, and it is not much more expensive. ”

"Give me three years, and I will definitely be able to train 50,000 elite soldiers."

To govern the domain, you need to rely on Shu officials and henchmen. The matter of military training, but you can't fake it to others. We must hold the power of the army firmly in our own hands.

Speaking of military training, Sheng Hong was full of confidence, and his black eyes were full of flying brilliance.

Xie Mingxi's heartstrings were also quietly plucked, and a smile flashed in his eyes: "I believe in you." ”

Sheng Hong raised his eyebrows slightly, and grinned at Xie Mingxi: "It costs a lot of money to raise private soldiers." When this king first came to Shu, he had not yet had time to collect money. I had to eat a soft rice first, and I relied on the private room of Princess Shu. ”

Xie Mingxi glanced at Sheng Hong and asked half-jokingly, "Oh?" So when are you going to pay it back? What if you can't afford it? ”

Sheng Hong responded with righteous words: "The debt owed to the princess, this king will never fail to repay the debt." If I really can't afford to pay it back, I will pay off the debt with my body and pay the whole person to the princess! ”

After speaking, he stepped forward and asked Princess Shu to "inspect the goods" first.

The frolic of husband and wife, the pleasure of the boudoir, will not be detailed.

……

As Sheng Hong said, the recruitment of private soldiers must not be put on the surface, but can only be carried out privately. Even if some movements are heard, as long as he doesn't admit it, no one can help him.

Shu is already his territory.

Emperor Jian'an, the only one who could help him, sat on the dragon chair in the Jinluan Hall in the capital.

Speaking of which, it is no wonder that Emperor Jian'an was so jealous of the vassal king.

Raising private soldiers has become a tacit practice among vassal kings. As the Son of Heaven, the power above the court is supreme. It's just that as soon as the holy decree leaves the capital and arrives in the counties, it is difficult to say how well it will be implemented.

In the domain, this is even more so. Feudal kings and yang worship yin violators abound. The vassal king has been in the domain for a long time, and he is no different from the emperor of the soil. The people of the domain only know the king of the domain, but they don't know the son of heaven in the capital.

Cutting the feudal domain is something that the emperors of all dynasties want to do.

When Emperor Jianwen was alive, he never stopped cutting down the feudal domain. However, the effect is really small.

Emperor Jian'an Chongning made a move, but it was not all personal grudges. Instead, he wanted to cut off all the hidden dangers in the capital. There is also the ambition to take back all the domains.

It's a pity that Emperor Jian'an was too confident and conceited, thinking that after becoming the Son of Heaven, he would be able to do whatever he wanted. You can rub the vassal king as much as you want! I forgot that I hadn't sat down in the dragon chair yet. The vassal kings are not little cabbages that everyone ravages and does not know how to resist.

Governing a big country is like cooking a small fresh, and you have to be calm and patient. Treating the vassal king as a cancer and rotten meat, he will dig one with his hands when he sharpens his knife, how can the vassal kings not resist?

The introduction to the chaos in the capital has been planted.

When the contradictions evolve and become more and more intense, they will completely erupt.

There are more than one or two truths that can be comprehended and understood. It's just that Emperor Jian'an is quite rigid and conceited, and he doesn't want to listen to contrary words.

Lu Ge Lao Fang Ge said several times in private, but they were all ignored. I had to keep silent and keep silent.

……

Since this day, Sheng Hong has been busy.

However, no matter how busy he was, Sheng Hong insisted on getting up early every day to have breakfast with Xie Mingxi. hugged his daughter once and kissed his wife's cheek before he was willing to leave the house. It's hard to say when I'll be able to go home. It's common to go home in the middle of the night.

However, even if it was late, Sheng Hong refused to stay in the barracks. I'd rather ride a horse for an hour or two than go home.

For the next month or so, Gu Shanchang had never seen Sheng Hong's figure, and he couldn't help but be secretly surprised. couldn't help but ask Xie Mingxi: "Mingxi, why has Your Highness been so busy recently?" ”

As a vassal king, it is by no means difficult to live at ease. As long as you use the right person.

Shu County is poorer, but because of the good climate, the grain is still rich. If the people do not starve, there will be no disorder. The officials of Shu are also diligent and conscientious. Life is passable.

What is Sheng Hong busy with?

Xie Mingxi glanced at Gu Shanchang deeply, and said meaningfully: "Your Highness is busy training. ”

Training?

Gu Shanchang is also a person with a keen mind, he didn't think much about it before, but at this time, Xie Mingxi looked at him like this, and immediately reacted. His brows furrowed slightly, and he lowered his voice and asked, "Are you training as a private soldier?" ”

Xie Mingxi didn't hide it from Gu Shanchang, and responded in a low voice: "It's not all. Five thousand soldiers had been recruited, and training them alone would be enough for him to keep himself busy. ”

He frankly admits the matter of training private soldiers.

Gu Shanchang was silent for a moment before he sighed: "I don't understand the matter of military training, and it is inconvenient to interject indiscriminately. It's just that this is a taboo for the Son of Heaven. Both husband and wife should be cautious. ”

Xie Mingxi nodded in response.

Gu Shanchang thought about it and was not at ease, and then advised: "It's okay to tell the truth in front of me, if others ask, don't admit it." Even Lin Weiwei asked, you can't say it. ”

Xie Mingxi stretched his brows and smiled: "Master is too worried." Sister Lin is so smart and knowledgeable, even if she notices something unusual, she will never open her mouth to ask me. ”

It's just a private soldier, which is normal for a vassal king.

Gu Shanchang was dumbfounded for a moment, and couldn't help laughing self-deprecatingly: "It seems that I made too much of a fuss." ”

"Well, whatever you want, just do it. I just concentrate on running my college and hospice. ”

……