Ning Chen nodded: "Have you finished interrogating the captured bandits?"

Yan Conglong shook his head: "Your Highness, His Majesty will allocate 200,000 gold and 3 million pills to Lizhou and let Your Highness take charge."

"There are also officials in Lizhou who are in league with the bandits who should be imprisoned. Your Highness has the final say."

Ning Chen nodded: "I know, first deliver the gold and elixirs to the Lizhou military camp, and let Xie Zifeng come to see me."

"Then how should the mayors of each county city and the director of the Demon Suppression Bureau deal with this?" Yan Conglong asked.

In the nine county cities in Lizhou, the city lords and the directors of the Demon Suppression Bureau almost all have some connection with the bandits, otherwise those bandits would not be so rampant.

Ning Chen pondered and said, "We need to think about this matter carefully. Let's let them take over their original positions temporarily."

If a group of people are imprisoned, naturally there must be another group to take over.

Now that the bandit problem in Lizhou has just been dealt with, the overall situation is still not very stable and needs to be stabilized by the former senior officials.

Replacing the officials with new ones might be counterproductive.

As the saying goes, a new official starts with three big things. People's hearts are already unstable, and if he starts another big one, I'm afraid many martial arts families and sects will be forced to rebel.

On the contrary, the original officials are familiar with the local forces and know how to appease the people.

When the time is right, we will replace officials little by little.

Although Ning Chen did not participate in any state affairs in these years, he read a lot of books. Besides, he had served in the army at Zhenyao Pass and understood the ways of the world.

"Let the mayors and chief judges of each county quickly investigate those bandits. I want to see how many forces Lizhou has and whether they are secretly connected with the bandits. The severity of the connection must be clearly marked."

"Yes, Your Highness. Do you have any other instructions?"

"The major threat of mountain bandits has been eliminated, but the bandits who escaped are still roaming around. Forget about those who left Lizhou. Have someone notify Luozhou and Qingyang to take precautions and capture the bandits immediately if they are encountered."

"Hurry up and round up the bandits hiding in Lizhou to prevent them from reviving."

Ning Chen said.

Yan Conglong nodded and turned to do it.

Not long after, Xie Zifeng arrived at the palace and looked at the Ninth Prince with admiration.

He had heard before that the Ninth Prince was known as "waste" in the palace, but now that he saw it, he was better than many princes and at least had the courage to do great things.

No wonder even the Gou family is willing to help the Ninth Prince.

"The Ninth Prince's cultivation speed is really fast. When we first met, he was only at the sixth level of Tiangang, but now he is at the ninth level of Tiangang." Xie Zifeng was very surprised.

Suddenly, he remembered that the Ninth Prince had entered the Immortal Tomb. There was immortal affinity in the Immortal Tomb. Could it be that the Ninth Prince had obtained immortal affinity in it?
He knew about the tomb of the immortal Fengtian, but because of his duty, he did not go to Fengtian at that time.

But he knew clearly that those people had entered the Immortal Tomb.

The ninth prince had been in there, and later I heard that no one else had the chance to become an immortal.

He didn't believe this statement.

The Mad Saint Chen Hou is only twenty-two or twenty-three years old, but he can already fight with the Martial Emperor. If he had not obtained the immortal fate, would he be so terrifying?

The old Emperor Wu of Tianwu Sect wanted to kill Chen Xian, probably for Chen Xian's fate as an immortal.

"Thank you, General. Please take a seat."

Xie Zifeng came back to his senses, smiled and nodded, then sat down on a seat nearby.

"Your Highness Prince Li, do you have something to ask me?"

Ning Chen nodded: "Clear the mountain bandits, the dead and wounded soldiers should be buried with honor, and the pensions must be paid in full."

Xie Zifeng nodded: "Don't worry, Your Highness, I have already arranged this matter."

Ning Chen smiled: "Thank you General for your help. I am still very relieved."

"The emperor has rewarded me with 200,000 taels of gold and 3 million pills. You should supply them according to the situation of the soldiers in the barracks. Although the threat of mountain bandits has been resolved, the barracks exist to protect the safety of 1.4 billion or 1.5 billion people in Lizhou. If the soldiers are too weak, they will not be able to deter some forces that have evil intentions."

"I need a force of 200,000 capable and skilled soldiers, with a minimum cultivation level of Chongyuan realm or above. Can General Xie build one?"

Xie Zifeng's eyes flickered, the four words "good at fighting" made him think too much.

A cavalry of 200,000 capable and battle-hardened soldiers, who are at the Chongyuan realm and above, can be compared with the Demon-Suppressing Army.

"Your Highness, are you building such soldiers just to protect the safety of the people of Lizhou?" Xie Zifeng asked. This was not something he should ask as a subject, but he couldn't help it.

Because let alone 200,000, even 50,000 such cavalry would be enough to sweep away all the major forces in Lizhou.

Of course, the prerequisite is to have someone from the Gou family with supernatural powers take charge.

Ning Chen smiled and said, "I have served in the demon-suppressing army, and I know the importance of the army to Daning. Although the threat of mountain bandits has been eliminated, I still feel a little uneasy in my heart."

"Take Dinghai Tower for example. Why did he secretly cultivate a group of bandits? He is obviously not the strongest force in Lizhou. How can he have the confidence to go against the imperial court?"

"I think he has someone or some force behind him, but he couldn't openly oppose the imperial court, so he didn't show up when Dinghai Tower was destroyed."

Xie Zifeng nodded secretly: "Your Highness, your consideration is correct. If Lizhou can form a cavalry of 200,000 capable and skilled warriors, then Lizhou will surely be stable."

Ning Chen said: "In addition to Dinghai Tower, Lizhou Territory is also relatively close to Fulong Territory. Fulong Territory is close to the demon tribe. If the demon tribe army attacks and Fulong Territory cannot withstand it, we in Lizhou also have the power to support it, right?"

Xie Zifeng said: "Your Highness has great foresight, which makes this general admire you. It is not impossible to form a cavalry of 200,000 people who have cultivation above Chongyuan Realm. It is just very expensive. If Your Highness can solve the problem of resources, it can be completed within ten years."

"Ten years?" Ning Chen frowned: "It's a bit too long."

Xie Zifeng said: "If Your Highness wants to complete it quickly, there is a way. You need to recruit soldiers continuously and select elites from them."

"How long will it take to recruit soldiers, select elites, and train them?"

“It can be done in three years at the fastest and five years at the slowest.”

"Okay, then keep recruiting soldiers." Ning Chen said.

Xie Zifeng smiled bitterly and said, "Your Highness, His Majesty has strictly prohibited it. Except for Fengtian Territory, which has 300,000 soldiers, all other territories have 200,000 cavalry. The number cannot exceed 200,000."

"If we continue to recruit and select soldiers, a problem will arise: how will the soldiers be placed?"

Ning Chen was slightly stunned. He had never thought about this question.

"How many soldiers are there below Chongyuan realm in the military camp at present?"

"One hundred and sixty thousand people."

"...!"

Ning Chen stopped talking immediately. According to his request, in order to form a cavalry of 200,000 above Chongyuan realm, 160,000 soldiers in the barracks would have to be replaced. So where would these 160,000 people be placed?
After pondering for a long time, he looked at Xie Zifeng and said, "You should discuss this matter with Nie Yongxuan and Luo Kang to see if the City Guard Department and the Demon Suppression Department need people. The City Guard Department, in particular, does not have many requirements for city guards. If there is a need, transfer them from you. As for the salary, the soldiers who came from Lizhou will remain unchanged."

"Also, the veterans who have reached the age limit in the military camp should be allowed to retire and return home to retire."

Xie Zifeng nodded: "There are not many veterans, and the main problem is their cultivation strength. However, I will discuss this matter with Lord Nie and Luo Sizheng and try to properly arrange for them."

Ning Chen said: "Try not to cause dissatisfaction among the soldiers, otherwise it will be difficult to recruit soldiers." Xie Zifeng nodded.

He stood up and was about to leave, but suddenly he sat back down.

"Your Highness, I just suddenly thought of a faster way. It doesn't even take three years. We can build such an army in one year, and the quality can even be improved."

"Tell me about it." Ning Chen said with a smile.

"Your Highness, the Gou family is the largest martial arts family in Lizhou, with a history of thousands of years. They are very prestigious in Lizhou. If the Gou family is willing to help, I believe that the martial arts families in Lizhou will give them face and send some disciples above the Chongyuan realm to hone their skills in the army. In this way, it will not take three years to form a powerful cavalry of 200,000."

Xie Zifeng said.

Ning Chen was slightly stunned. This method was the same as the strategy proposed by the eldest prince Ning Quan to establish a martial arts alliance and secretly send talents to the training camp, and the ultimate goal was to form an army.

It’s just that Xie Zifeng said it openly, while the Martial Arts Alliance acted secretly.

In fact, the method Xie Zifeng mentioned was implemented in the early days of the founding of the Da Ning Dynasty, but it did not work.

Isn’t the Lu family in Fengtian Realm important enough?
No one from the Lu family joined the army, and no one from the seven major families in Fengtian City joined the army either, because joining the army was very hard and even if they were born in wealthy families, they would not want to do it.

Even the Tang family of Xiliang only contributed a small part to form the current Zhenhuang Army.

The Xiahou family was also a small part of the group, and those families that were willing to send young clansmen to the military camp were all from weak families, while families with a little bit of strength were unwilling to do so.

If you join the army, you have to fight. Currently I am in the Lizhou Army.

But if you join the army, you will be deployed by the court. If you go to Zhenyao Pass, you will become a member of the Zhenyao Army.

If the young men of the family go to the battlefield and die on it, the clan will only die out faster. This is also the reason why those martial arts families are reluctant to have their members join the army.

The Tang family and the Xiahou family are examples.

Although both families have powerful Martial Emperors and their status in the Daning Dynasty is very high, the clansmen are not prosperous. The reason is that many of them died on the battlefield.

For example, the Zhenhuang Army has never been disbanded since the founding of Daning. Not only has it not been disbanded, it has also been constantly replenished.

The same is true for the Demon-Suppressing Army, including the Monster-Suppressing Army.

The three major branches of the military are the reason why many people are unwilling to join because the mortality rate is too high.

"This method won't work. If the Gou family comes forward, the martial arts families in Lizhou might give them face. But if a member of the clan has problems or dies, they will definitely resent the Gou family. With years of resentment, the martial arts families will have conflicts with the Gou family and will not even send talents to the military camp. Then it will be a conflict with the court. If this continues, there will definitely be chaos."

"The only way is to let the children of the martial arts families voluntarily join the military camp, including facing various difficulties in the future. It's all voluntary, so there will be no resentment."

Xie Zifeng nodded secretly, his eyes twinkled as he said, "Your Highness, I got some news secretly, it's a bit suspicious, I haven't confirmed it yet, I don't know if I should tell you about it?"

Ning Chen asked curiously: "What's the matter?"

Xie Zifeng said: "The Li family has been secretly doing some small things in the past few months. Their descendants have been wandering around the counties and cities of Lizhou, getting involved with some weak martial arts families and small sects."

"In addition, there are some independent martial artists who secretly enter and leave the Li family."

"I suspect that the Li family is secretly building some kind of power."

Ning Chen's heart skipped a beat. Was he discovered so soon?
Although he was shocked in his heart, he pretended to be curious on his face: "Li family? Are they very powerful?"

Xie Zifeng said: "The Li family is also a first-class martial arts family in Licheng, with a heritage of more than 300 years. The clan leader, Li Quanwu, has the seventh level of Wanxiang cultivation, which is not inferior to this general."

"I have never heard that the Li family has so many friends in the martial arts world before, but recently, there have been frequent visits of independent martial artists in the Li family martial arts world, and people from the clan have also been active in various county cities. I don't know what their plans are, and I haven't investigated secretly.
This is not within the scope of my duties. Luo Kang should be the one to investigate secretly.

The news is that there is a general under my command who is a distant relative of the Li family. He noticed this when I went to the Li family last time and told me. I asked him to pay attention to it and only then did I discover this problem.

Ning Chen said: "It's not surprising that a first-class martial arts family in Licheng has some friends in the martial arts world, right? Are you thinking too much?"

Xie Zifeng said: "I hope so."

Ning Chen nodded: "Don't worry, since General Xie has said so, I will pay attention to it. But he is from a Jianghu family, so as long as he is not detrimental to the court, you don't have to pay attention to him."

Xie Zifeng said: "Your Highness is right."

After Xie Zifeng left, Ning Chen sat in the hall playing with the teacup.

The Li family secretly formed a branch of the Martial Arts Alliance in Licheng. It has not even been three months yet, but Xie Zifeng has already discovered it. What about other forces?
It seems that I have to warn Li Quanwu not to act too hastily.

"Liu Dai."

"Your Highness, this servant is here."

"Come and get Commander Yan."

"Yes."

Soon, Yan Conglong came to the hall and said, "I pay my respects to Your Highness."

Ning Chen said: "Let me ask you, how is Li Quanwu's case going?"

Yan Conglong said: "During the time when Your Highness was suppressing the bandits, the Li family has obviously formed a much faster team. Now there are already five to six thousand people, and they are being selected in secret, but the talents have not been selected yet."

"I have something else I want to say. Your Highness, should you consider setting up a training camp?"

Ning Chen asked, "Commander Yan, do you have any good suggestions?"

Yan Conglong shook his head.

Ning Chen said: "Regarding the training camp, let me think about it carefully. How many forces are starting to pay attention to the Li family now?"

"This, I haven't paid attention to, but there is currently no force that is going to cause trouble for the Li family." Yan Conglong said.

Ning Chen said: "You keep an eye on it secretly, don't mess things up."

Yan Conglong nodded: "I will give the order right away."

Ning Chen sat alone in the hall, "Where is the training camp arranged?"

The training camp must be a secret place, and the three training camps cannot be together.

"Ten or twenty thousand people eating, drinking, defecating and urinating will make quite a lot of noise. If you want to hide it from the world, you have to stay away from it."

Ning Chen opened the map of Lizhou to see which places were more sparsely populated.

He found that sparsely populated areas were all mountainous areas, but some sects were also built in the mountains, so it was impossible to build a training camp quietly.

"Make a big fuss in Lizhou, the bigger the better." Ning Chen suddenly thought of what Chen Xian said. Chen Xian also gave him a letter, which told him to contact the Gou family when he was in trouble.

Who knew that when his father arranged a marriage, the Gou family came to him on their own initiative, so he did not take out the letter.

"The louder the better."

He will definitely continue to cause trouble in Lizhou. The bandits have been detained, but he has not yet investigated which forces have been connected with the bandits. Once he finds out, he will definitely rectify Lizhou.

As for the fact that the louder the noise, the better, it is of course done for the sake of being seen by the Emperor and the eldest prince.

But this training camp... (End of this chapter)