I only wished to take up my fiefdom, but my elder brother forced me to rebel.

Lu Cheng stared at the sword, his face extremely grim.

The dragon pattern on the crimson gold scabbard reflected the afternoon sun, dazzling his eyes.

"Is it pretty?"

After patting the scabbard, Lu Yuan deliberately moved closer to Lu Cheng, "How about I draw it out and show you?"

Lu Cheng gripped the wheelchair armrests so tightly that his nails were almost digging into the wood.

His lips trembled twice, and finally he managed to squeeze out a sentence from his throat.

"Lu Yuan, don't be too smug."

"How could I be proud of myself?"

Lu Yuan tilted his head, his expression far more innocent than the prince's. "I just came to say hello to my second brother. After all, I'll be commanding the Phoenix Battalion now. Three thousand men! I should treat you to a celebratory meal, shouldn't I?"

As soon as the words "Phoenix Camp" were uttered, Lu Cheng's face turned from purplish-red to ashen.

The late empress's soldiers.

My father suppressed the army for ten years.

Just like that, you gave it to him?

"You..." Lu Cheng opened his mouth.

"I'm leaving now, Second Brother. We'll talk later."

Lu Yuan patted him on the shoulder and then left.

But after taking two steps, he turned back.

"By the way, take good care of your wheelchair, don't let the wheels rust. With your health, you'll be sitting in it for a long time to come."

After saying that, he really left.

As Lu Cheng watched him turn and leave, he felt a tightness in his chest and almost vomited on the spot.

The guard pushing the wheelchair asked in a low voice, "Your Highness, shall we go back?"

"roll."

……

The Fengzi Camp was stationed in the northern suburbs of Beijing.

When Lu Yuan arrived, the sun was almost setting.

The camp was set up in an open area in the northern suburbs, with Wangyue Mountain behind it and a tributary of the Wei River in front.

It occupies a small area, but the layout is well-organized.

Above the gate hung a black lacquered wooden plaque with the character "Phoenix" written on it. The lacquer was quite faded, and much of it had peeled off the edges.

There were two women on guard at the camp gate, wearing tattered leather armor and carrying knives at their waists.

After seeing Lu Yuan riding over, the two exchanged a glance and did nothing else.

"Who goes there?"

The taller female soldier on the left shouted, and also gripped the hilt of her knife.

Lu Yuan mounted his horse and casually hung the reins around its neck.

"Ninth Prince Lu Yuan."

The two female soldiers' expressions changed.

"Does Your Highness have any orders for transfer?"

Lu Yuan took out the imperial edict from his robes and waved it in front of them.

"From now on, the Phoenix Battalion is under my command. Where is the commander? Bring her out."

The tall female soldier took the imperial edict, glanced at it, returned it to him, and then shouted at the camp.

"Go and report to the commander that the Ninth Prince has arrived."

Lu Yuan stood outside the camp gate, taking the opportunity to survey his surroundings.

All the buildings in the camp were constructed using mud and wood, and over time, some of the roofs of the camps began to leak.

The drill ground had been cleaned spotless, and the swords and spears hanging on the weapon racks were polished to a shine.

Five years after the late empress left, these three thousand female soldiers lived there for five years.

With no wars to fight and no one to manage the situation, how much military pay could the imperial court possibly provide?

Judging from the appearance of the military camp, it is probably similar to the treatment provided by the Yongning Marquis's residence.

Lu Yuan felt somewhat uncomfortable.

After a while, a person came out.

The woman was around thirty years old, tall and slender, wearing a black bodysuit, with a narrow-bladed long knife hanging at her waist.

She wasn't particularly good-looking, but her quick and efficient manner was somewhat similar to Su Yuling's.

She walked up to Lu Yuan and stopped.

No polite greetings were offered.

They did not kneel.

They even skipped the fist-and-palm greeting.

He just stood there, staring blankly at Lu Yuan, looking him up and down.

"My name is Qin Cang."

Her voice was low and deep. "Acting Commander of the Phoenix Battalion."

Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow. "Acting commander? What about the official position?"

"Her official position was that of the late Empress."

When Qin Cang said this, a glint flashed in his eyes, "After the late Empress passed away, no one can sit in that position."

This statement is harsh and direct.

The late empress is their commander-in-chief; they will not acknowledge any other commander-in-chief.

Lu Yuan was not angry.

He handed the imperial edict to Qin Cang.

"You can see for yourself what Father Emperor's decree is."

Qin Cang took it, flipped through it, and then put it away.

"I've finished watching it."

"That's fine then."

Lu Yuan took two steps forward. "From today onwards, I will be in charge of the Phoenix Battalion. I don't want you to engage in any empty formalities, but military orders must still be obeyed. Can you do that?"

Qin Cang did not answer.

A dozen or so female soldiers gathered behind her, ranging in age from seventeen or eighteen to over thirty.

Everyone had the same expression on their face.

To look at.

defensive.

And a hint of disdain.

"Your Highness, Ninth Prince."

Qin Cang's voice was calm. "The Phoenix Battalion has not participated in any battles for ten years. They have been protecting the late Empress. Five years after the late Empress passed away, the battalion was short of food and military pay, and the weapons and equipment were very old and the armor was tattered."

"His Majesty has entrusted us to Your Highness. What does Your Highness intend to do with us?"

Lu Yuan had already understood what she meant.

Let's test whether he really has the ability.

Or to put it more directly, are you qualified to be our head coach?

Lu Yuan smiled when he looked at her.

"Commander Qin, do you want to go to war?"

Qin Cang was somewhat stunned.

The female soldiers were all breathing rapidly.

There has been no war for five years.

It's been sitting here as a decoration for five years.

When people in the imperial court mentioned the Phoenix Battalion, they either told it as a joke or regarded it as an antique.

Who has ever treated them like soldiers?

"think!"

Qin Cang's voice was already a little hoarse when he said those words.

"That's fine then."

Lu Yuan clapped his hands and said, "I will take care of the food and military pay, and I will also replace the weapons and armor. Give me a month, and I will make you thrive again."

Qin Cang stared at him for a long time.

"Is Your Highness sincere?"

"When I, Lu Yuan, speak, my word is as good as nails."

Lu Yuan took two steps into the camp gate, then turned back to her and said, "If I'm lying to you, I'm your grandson."

Qin Cang's lips twitched slightly.

These words are crude, but they are much more practical than the flowery, empty talk in the imperial court.

"Is there an account book in the camp?" Lu Yuan asked.

"have."

"Let me see it."

Qin Cang turned and walked inside, with Lu Yuan following behind.

As Lu Yuan passed by the drill ground, he saw dozens of female soldiers practicing with their swords.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, and the sound of blades whistling filled the air.

The armor was worn and tattered, but the spirit and energy remained undiminished.

Good soldier.

What a fine soldier.

It's a pity that it's been sitting here for five years, just wasting time.

Lu Yuan entered the commander's tent.

The tent was small, with a table, a chair, and an old bow hanging on the wall.

There were several booklets on the table, their covers worn and frayed.

Qin Cang handed him the account book.

Lu Yuan turned to the first page, and his face darkened.

"An annual salary of eight thousand taels?"

Lu Yuan looked up at Qin Cang, "A camp of three thousand men, and you only give them eight thousand taels a year?"

"It hasn't been fully allocated in three years."

Qin Cang stood to the side, arms crossed, "Last year, the actual amount allocated was 4,600 taels. The year before, it was even less, 3,800 taels."

Lu Yuan slammed the account book on the table.

Three thousand soldiers, three thousand eight hundred taels of silver a year.

On average, each person receives a little over one ounce per year.

This isn't even enough to buy steamed buns.

Lu Cheng slammed his fist on the table: "What's in the brains of the people in the Ministry of Revenue? Is it mush?"