I, the villainous eldest prince, will suppress everything!

"Ah, is this young man our great hero of Yunle County?"

"He single-handedly wiped out thousands of bandits from Tiger Head Mountain?"

"Everyone, kneel down quickly and thank our great hero!"

The bandits on Tiger Head Mountain controlled Yunle County for many years, causing immense suffering to the people of Yunle County.

Some people went to the county seat to report to the authorities, but were arrested and brought back. It was then that they realized the county governor and the bandits were in cahoots.

They had assumed they would live under the rule of a band of bandits for the rest of their lives.

Who would have thought that the bandits who were swaggering around just a few days ago would have their heads chopped off by a teenager today?

They wished they could marry all their young daughters to Su Chen, to thank him for ridding Yunle County of this scourge.

"Make way! Make way!"

"Everyone, get out of the way!"

Just then, several fast horses approached from afar and quickly rushed into the crowd.

Several soldiers dismounted and knelt on one knee before Wang Hu, saying, "Reporting back to the General, we have not failed in our mission!"

After saying this, they presented a box. When the box was opened, it revealed a severed head with its eyes wide open in death.

"It's the prefect! It's the prefect!"

"He was even beheaded!"

After the prefect's head was brought over, the people were even more furious, with some so angry that they wanted to beat drums and gongs on the spot.

This day is destined to be recorded in the annals of Yunle County.

The banditry was quelled, but the prefect was killed!

The two mountains that once stood over Yunle County are gone.

They will all be able to live a good life from now on.

"Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!"

The people knelt down in gratitude, tears streaming down their faces.

"Sigh, I've already told you, you should thank this young hero, not me!"

"He not only wiped out the entire bandit group in the cave, but also went to the prefectural city that very night and killed the prefect!"

Qin Li said.

Upon hearing this, Wang Hu almost couldn't help but laugh.

That nephew of mine is really something. In order to create a great hero, he's completely shameless, blatantly lying through his teeth.

Su Chen is in such a terrible state, how could he go and kill the prefect in the middle of the night?

Besides, it would take several days to travel from Hutou Mountain to the county seat and back.

Unless Su Chen grows wings, it's impossible for him to do so.

The people aren't stupid; how could they possibly believe it's true?

To everyone's surprise, the people knelt down again before the unconscious Su Chen, unable to find any loopholes in Qin Li's words, nor did they have the mind to look for them.

Qin Li smiled, then mentally prepared himself before stepping forward and speaking with great passion:

"Gentlemen, now that the banditry has been quelled and the prefect is dead, you have finally ushered in good days!"

"But the barbarians to the north are causing trouble and have launched a surprise attack on our border. They are about to march south, and this place will be reduced to scorched earth!"

"The southward incursions of foreign tribes caused far greater and more severe damage to Yunle County than banditry or the presence of a prefect!"

"What do you think we should do?"

A planted person, hidden in the crowd, clenched his fist and shouted, "Of course, we fight!"

"Well said!"

Qin Li said in a deep voice, "Constantly backing down and seeking peace will only embolden the foreign races. Only by fighting can we drive them back and protect our land, our parents, our children, our wealth..."

"But war needs men. I, the prince, hope that all of you will join the army and go to the border to defend our country!"

"If none of you join the army, who will protect your families? Are you going to rely on others? Are you really willing to entrust your family's lives to someone else?"

Only now did Qin Li finally reveal his true colors.

The suppression of bandits and the killing of the prefect were all intended to encourage the people of Yunle County to join the army.

"But, but the Northern Barbarians are too powerful, we can't win..."

The conscription in Yunle County had already begun, and the people had all seen the conscription post at the city gate.

But this time, the Northern Barbarians came with overwhelming force, with hundreds of thousands of troops marching south together. Even the regular army of the Great Zhou couldn't defeat them, so what use would it be for them to join the army?

Moreover, the bandits had come down from the mountains to persuade them that they absolutely could not join the army, as they would all be cannon fodder for the imperial court.

"Powerful? Unable to win?"

Qin Li walked to Su Chen, who was covered in wounds and still unconscious, and raised his right arm, saying:

"This young man is a great hero. He fought a whole cave of bandits by himself, and entered the heavily guarded county town by himself, taking the head of the county governor."

"Isn't he powerful?"

"No matter how powerful the Northern Barbarians are, they are not as powerful as the great heroes of our Great Zhou!"

"I believe that under Prince Su's leadership, our Great Zhou will definitely win this battle!"

"Everyone, don't be afraid anymore! With Prince Su, we will surely win! As long as we follow Prince Su, there is no battle we cannot win!"

"Come on, join us, join the army against the Northern Barbarians!"

"Even if not for yourself, you should think about your family."

"Do you intend to stand by and watch the Northern Barbarians sweep south, crushing the heads of your family members, while you are powerless to do anything but be slaughtered?"

"In no mood!"

The man who had just spoken, with red eyes, shouted loudly.

Having said that, he stepped forward two paces, clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Your Highness, I, Wu Erniu, am willing to join the army!"

Qin Li nodded in satisfaction and looked at the others.

He simply couldn't believe that, despite the atmosphere being set up to this extent, the people of Yunle County would remain unmoved.

Finally, after exchanging glances, several able-bodied men, disregarding their families' objections, stepped forward and said, "We are also willing to join the army. At worst, we'll die, but eighteen years later we'll be heroes again!"

"I would also be willing!"

An elderly man, trembling, stepped forward.

When Qin Li saw this, he was both amused and exasperated. "You can't even walk properly, so please don't join in the fun."

When you join the army, let alone go to the border to fight the enemy, you'll need several people to take care of you.

"I do!"

"I'd like to too...!"

However, the effect was still very significant. With someone taking the lead, more and more people stepped forward and expressed their willingness to join the army.

Seeing this, Qin Li felt it wasn't enough, so he added:

"All those who enlist will immediately receive a settlement allowance of twenty taels of silver. Those who are unmarried will be provided with wives by the government free of charge. It's not too late to set off after you've all produced offspring!"

"On the battlefield, rewards will be given fairly and justly based on merit. Those who return alive will be able to walk with impunity in Yunle County. As long as they don't do anything immoral, I, the prince, will absolutely not interfere. As for those who unfortunately die in battle, I will take care of their families!"

boom!

As Qin Li finished speaking, everyone present was moved.

Isn't the purpose of a man's life to carry on the family line and bring honor to his ancestors?

Enlist and you'll be given a wife; leave a child before you go.

Even if someone dies, there will still be people to worship and burn incense for them, so it's not like the family line has ended.

What people envy most is returning alive from the battlefield. If you can come back alive, what difference is there between you and a county magistrate?

Even if they were to die in battle, their families would be supported by the eldest prince, so they would have no worries about the future.

As a result, some people who were still hesitant stepped forward and expressed their willingness to join the army.

"Those who wish to join the army, please report to the recruitment office!"

In a short time, the conscription office in front of the Yunle County town gate, which was deserted yesterday and avoided by the people, was almost packed with people today.

The people were enthusiastic about joining the army, and everyone was shouting that they wanted to join and fight against the Northern Barbarians.

Seeing this, Qin Li nodded in satisfaction, then waved his hand, ordering someone to take Su Chen away to heal his injuries.

Back in the city, Wang Hu followed behind Qin Li, scratching his head vigorously.

Qin Li saw this and frowned, asking, "Is there anything else you don't understand, Uncle?"

Wang Hu eagerly stepped forward, "Nephew, your uncle does have a few questions."

"It's still the same question: why give up your reputation to that immature kid Su Chen and mold him into a great hero?"

"Your uncle thinks you, my dear nephew, should be the great hero. Just think, if you were to contend for the throne someday, wouldn't this reputation be like adding wings to a tiger?"

Qin Li was speechless for a moment, then pointed to himself, "Me, reputation? What does Uncle think of my reputation now?"

Wang Hu spoke frankly, "Terrible, terribly terrible, even worse than me!"

Wang Hu was known for his strict discipline in commanding his troops, but he was even more remembered for his bloodthirstiness and indiscriminate killing. He once massacred 30,000 surrendered soldiers, which drew criticism from many.

Although Qin Li never massacred surrendered soldiers, his treacherous and cunning nature, along with his ruthless pursuit of his goals, are all hallmarks of him that he cannot shake off.

"So now that my reputation is so bad, do you think anyone would believe me if I were portrayed as a great hero?"

Wang Hu shook his head.

If no one believes that Qin Li is a great hero, there is no way to inspire the people to join the army.

Everything we did was in vain!

"Therefore, Su Chen is the only choice!"

Qin Li laughed and said, "Furthermore, the reason I chose Su Chen is because of his status as the heir of the Marquis of Dingyuan's mansion. His grandfather was General Su, the only person in our Great Zhou who could wear a sword and shoes in the imperial court! He was once the number one person in our Great Zhou's military!"

"The old general held great prestige at the border. Although he is now dead, he still has many former subordinates!"

"Only Su Chen can win over those old subordinates and make them work for us!"

After hearing this explanation, Wang Hu suddenly understood and couldn't help but give a thumbs up:

"Brilliant! Absolutely brilliant!"

"Nephew, I, your uncle, could never have come up with this trick even if I lived ten lifetimes."

"Forget it, forget it. Before the army set off, Fatty Xiao repeatedly advised me to listen to you. At the time, I was quite unconvinced. Why should I? But now it seems that I'll listen to you, my nephew, along the way. Your uncle won't make decisions on his own!"