31 Recruiting Subordinates

Once the Crown Prince makes a move, you immediately know whether he’s capable or not!

“This young master sees that you seem quite comfortable. I wonder if you’re willing to admit defeat now?” Shang Wuxin looked at the chubby mountain bandit and asked. The bandit’s earlier words had slightly lifted his mood, so he was willing to spare this man’s life.

The chubby mountain bandit was startled by the sudden move of the young man before him. He knew he had hit a brick wall. Originally, seeing that these travelers had food, he planned to rob them. Seeing their small number and that the guide was a seemingly weak youth, he had underestimated them. He never expected this youth to be a hidden master.

“Go on your way! Today I was careless and disturbed Lord Ge. I’ll be off now!” The chubby bandit bowed and nodded in a flattering manner. Everyone else looked down on the bandit’s behavior, but Shang Wuxin admired him. If a person lacks absolute strength, they must see the facts clearly, and this bandit was clearly smart enough to know what to do.

Huan Mo Che could tell from the Crown Prince’s gaze that she was very pleased with this bandit. Of course, he also recognized that this bandit was very shrewd. Although they hadn’t revealed their identities, they still addressed them as “sir,” which showed keen insight. Moreover, someone who can be both flexible and resilient, if given a good platform, would become a highly adaptable and resourceful person in the future.

“But I suddenly don’t want to leave!” Shang Wuxin dismounted, and the illusion Mo Che beside him and the soldiers behind all got off their horses as well. Shang Wuxin was quite satisfied with the soldiers accompanying him this time and began to gather them.

“Your Highness?” The chubby mountain bandit looked fearfully at the young man in front of him. The only one in Shang Kingdom who could call himself “Your Highness” was the recently much-talked-about Crown Prince. He had originally only intended to rob a few officials but never expected to have targeted the Crown Prince himself. Gritting his teeth, the bandit shouted to his men behind him, “Kill! Brothers, kill them!”

The mountain bandits were very clever. They knew that if they let this group of travelers leave this time, all of their brothers would surely die. It was better to kill them now and erase the traces, so there was still a chance to fight back. He didn’t believe that if he spared this prince this time, the prince wouldn’t come with troops to suppress the bandits in the future.

“Interesting…” A cold smile curled at the corner of Shang Wuxin’s mouth, then he flew straight towards the mountain bandits. Huan Mochen, seeing the prince take action, quickly followed. Although he knew the prince was skilled in martial arts, he still felt uneasy. The soldiers behind, watching the prince make a move, all fought desperately, attacking fiercely so as not to let the prince lose face.

Shang Wuxin had no weapon. He had not been in this world long, and had yet to find a truly suitable weapon. For people like him, a weapon was like an extension of their hand, so Shang Wuxin was not in a hurry to find one. Such things required fate.

Every time Shang Wuxin faced a mountain bandit, he would directly break the bandit’s arm or kick and break the bandit’s leg. However, Shang Wuxin did not use internal force and still showed mercy. Even though these bandits had broken arms or legs, it did not affect their future lives; they could be reattached.

“Spare their lives for me!” Shang Wuxin suddenly ordered, his voice carrying an unyielding command.

Although the soldiers were puzzled, after so many days of interaction, not a single one disobeyed the prince’s orders. Even though their weapons continuously clashed with the bandits, they showed restraint and did not cause fatal injuries.

Although the bandits were formidable, they were no match for the well-trained soldiers, and this time the soldiers escorting the food were all Imperial Guards, so their martial skills were exceptional. After some time, the bandits were all subdued one by one, each wailing on the ground.

The chubby mountain bandit looked at his brothers, all injured but none dead. Turning his mind, he covered his wounded shoulder and asked, “What does the Crown Prince want? As long as this humble man can do it, I will go through fire and water to accomplish it!”

Shang Wuxin carefully examined the mountain bandit, then asked, “What is your name? Are you the leader of this mountain?”

“Yes, this humble man is called Lin Jia’er, the mountain king of this mountain!” Lin Jia’er knelt before the young man. He wanted to step forward and grab the clean hem of the youth’s clothes but was stopped by a long sword. Looking up, he saw another handsome young noble smiling at him, but the smile was so cold that Lin Jia’er dared not approach the Crown Prince recklessly.

“Lin Jia’er, this palace wants you!” Shang Wuxin said, half serious and half joking, but these words surprised everyone, leaving them unsure of what the Crown Prince intended. However, Huan Mochen looked displeased at Lin Jia’er. Although he knew the Crown Prince meant no harm, he could not bear to hear the Crown Prince speak to others like that.

“Me?” Lin Jia hugged herself fearfully. “Your Highness, please spare this humble one. I am ugly and afraid I would tarnish Your Highness. Look!” Lin Jia suddenly pointed at Huan Mo Che. “This young master is handsome and elegant, perfectly suited for Your Highness. He will surely satisfy you!”

Everyone listened in a daze but still understood, then many soldiers held back their laughter and dared not make a sound. As for Huan Mochen, his cheeks suddenly flushed, even his neck turned red. At this moment, he had no intention of killing Lin Jia’er and even felt a faint sense of anticipation in his heart.

“Nonsense!” Suddenly, an angry female voice rang out, and everyone saw a woman dressed in black with her hair standing high, leading about a few hundred people slowly approaching them. The soldiers tightened their grip on their weapons to protect the prince.

The woman had a fierce scar on her cheek, but she made no effort to hide it. She was a confident and striking beauty. She led a few hundred subordinates dressed in black, with the character “殤” embroidered on their hems, and knelt straight down in front of the prince.

“Your Highness, your servant has arrived!” Wuwei said somewhat excitedly. She had no idea how happy she was when she received the message from the Crown Prince that day. Originally, she was very worried because she hadn’t brought any subordinates, nor had she brought her or Wuju on this trip to the south. Receiving the Crown Prince’s message to bring several hundred subordinates here, she hurried over without stopping, only to hear someone utter such a blatantly treasonous statement.

Shang Wuxin glanced at the people kneeling there. They all tensed their bodies, presenting their best posture to face the Crown Prince’s inspection. Some of them were subordinates once trained by the former Sea Commander, while others were gathered by Wuwei from various places. Their numbers were already quite few; this time, only a portion was brought out. They had all seen the Crown Prince before, and sometimes the training was personally conducted by him. Among the subordinates of Blood Wound, no one did not fear the Crown Prince—he was their deity.

This team trained by Shang Wuxin was named “Blood Wound!” Now, Blood Wound’s strength has become very powerful, so Shang Wuxin sent some people over to handle matters. She believes that in the future, the Xue Shang Army will definitely become a team admired by the world.

Everyone was surprised by this suddenly appearing team, even Huan Mo Che was somewhat taken aback. He hadn’t expected the Crown Prince to have such a powerful team in his hands, and the leader was actually a maidservant close to the Crown Prince. Entrusting such an important responsibility to a woman was a bold yet trusting move that quietly earned Huan Mo Che’s admiration.

“Recruit these people!” Shang Wuxin ordered. What she lacked now was manpower. Finding new people would take too much time and effort, and the quality would be inconsistent. When she thought about the bandits on the southern route, Shang Wuxin set her sights on them. These bandits had some skills, and with proper training, they could be completely transformed. Moreover, these men had turned to banditry out of necessity, so they were easier to recruit. As long as the bandits were well-trained, Shang Wuxin never worried about their loyalty.

“Yes!” After receiving the order, Wuwei methodically instructed his subordinates to restrain the injured bandits one by one and move them to the hilltop. As for whether these bandits would comply, Shang Wuxin knew that Wuwei would handle it.

After Wuwei let his subordinates take those bandits away, Shang Wuxin glanced at the remaining soldiers, a strange light flickering in his eyes. Bai Shaolin was the first to kneel. “I swear to die loyal to the Crown Prince!” He had already intended to pledge loyalty to the Crown Prince, and seeing this scene only strengthened his resolve.

“My subordinates are loyal to the Crown Prince, sworn to serve him to the death!” The soldiers all knelt one by one. Along the way, they had already recognized the Crown Prince as their master, and this time when they set out, they had received a piece of news, so the Crown Prince was definitely their master.

“I will not betray you!” Huan Mo Che came to Shang Wu Xin’s side, his voice gentle yet carrying the strongest power of time.

Shang Wuxin nodded with satisfaction, then looked at Wuwei. “There are many mountain peaks from here to the south,” Shang Wuxin took out a piece of paper and handed it to Wuwei. “The peaks marked here, I hope you can reclaim them as soon as possible. I have already sent Wuju to rush here from the capital. I hope to see your progress when I return to the capital!”

“Yes, this servant will never disappoint the Crown Prince’s expectations!” Wuwei said as she knelt down.

Shang Wuxin mounted his horse and left with the soldiers. In fact, the mountain peaks that were marked were those Shang Wuxin believed were worth recruiting and could be recruited. As for the unmarked peaks, they were ones Shang Wuxin looked down upon, and he never wasted time on things he didn’t value.

“Let’s go!” Shang Wuxin whispered softly, and the team vanished from the hilltop.