The Demonic Crown Prince

"If Your Highness wants to build this team now, it is certainly unrealistic to select, train, and cultivate the best of the best, because that would take a long time and is something to be done later."

Therefore, the best approach now is to select our existing elites and build our own elite force!

Then there's only one word: Buy!

Yan broke through the mountain road.

"Where can I buy it?" Li Yuan asked, puzzled.

If that's the case, then ordinary armies, whether they're the Imperial Guards or the Feathered Forest Guards, definitely wouldn't be up to the task.

Not to mention that he has already made a boast about wanting two thousand soldiers, if he were to select men, it would certainly give others grounds for criticism and even arouse suspicion. Moreover, who could give him truly elite soldiers? And how could loyalty be guaranteed? In particular, there's no need to buy them.

But seeing Yan Poshan's confident demeanor, he became somewhat curious.

"Black Wind Horn, Your Highness, have you heard of it?" Yan Poshan asked in a low voice.

"I've heard about that," Li Yuan nodded.

Black Wind Horn was similar to the gladiators of ancient Rome.

However, unlike in ancient Rome, the gladiatorial arenas were publicly run and were specifically for performances by royalty and nobility.

Black Wind Corner was a clandestine underground industry in Da Ye, essentially equivalent to an underground boxing ring in later times.

However, the people here are not called underground boxers or gladiators, but fighting slaves.

The origins of the fighting slaves here are extremely diverse, including people from Daye, the Northern Di, the Wolf Rong from the west, and even barbarians from the south. They come from all walks of life and all kinds of races.

Every day, multiple underground boxing matches are held here, where slave fighters fight to the death on stage, while gamblers place bets in the audience.

The winners are overjoyed, the losers curse and swear, and many more are ruined by gambling, chased by loan sharks, or die in the streets.

In short, that place is like the appendix of Daye, constantly inflamed in a dark place, causing pain to countless people.

"You mean you want me to go and buy fighting slaves there?" Li Yuan pondered for a moment, then looked at Yan Poshan and asked.

"Yes, Your Highness. The reason for this suggestion is that those fighting slaves are forced to fight to the death on the stage. They not only live a life of darkness, but also face death at any time. Their fate is extremely tragic."

Whoever can rescue them at this time will be their benefactor. And with the prince's prestige and methods, he will surely be able to win them over, win their hearts, and make them truly serve the prince to the death.

At the same time, all those fighting slaves who were still alive were veterans of countless battles, each one having crawled out of piles of corpses. Moreover, many of these fighting slaves were former professional soldiers from various countries, who were sold to Black Wind Cape after their defeats.

There are others, such as the soldiers of Daye I know, who were imprisoned or exiled because of their outstanding martial arts skills, or because they offended someone, or because they were targeted by the people of Black Wind Horn, and then were sold here in a roundabout way.

Therefore, if the prince wants to quickly build a truly elite force, these fighting slaves are undoubtedly the best choice.

With just a little training and the instilling of military discipline, and by demanding ironclad rules and regulations from them, I believe they will be able to meet the Prince's requirements in a short time.

Yan Poshan said.

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Furthermore, Your Highness can certainly use them to form another personal guard unit. After all, these are turbulent times, and Your Highness has also said that the ordinary soldiers around you are probably not up to the task."

These people have survived countless near-death experiences, possessing an astonishing sensitivity and awareness of death. Having them protect the prince will undoubtedly be twice as effective!

"That makes sense." Li Yuan nodded. "How many fighting slaves are there? How can we buy them?"

"Black Wind Horn has two major house owners. I don't know how many fighting slaves they have, but each house probably has at least two hundred people."

The two major bookmakers went back and forth, keeping the fighting slaves locked in a fierce and chaotic battle.

However, this is a very profitable business, and it's impossible for ordinary people to buy or sell it.

However, if Your Highness were to intervene, it should be possible to purchase some.

As for how much it will cost, that remains to be seen. But it's safe to assume it won't be cheap.

Yan broke through the mountain road.

"Who are the two major bookmakers?" Li Yuan asked directly, knowing who was behind it would make things much easier.

He believed that Yan Poshan must know.

Because the Imperial Guards were the inner guards of the imperial city, and Yan Poshan was the chief instructor of the inner guards. Although this position was not a high-ranking official, it was extremely important, and he had many connections with people of all kinds and levels.

Therefore, even things that Li Yuan didn't know, Yan Poshan knew very well!

As expected, Yan Poshan uttered two names, "The two major players are ostensibly the Red and Blue factions, but in reality, they are the Fourth Prince of the Red faction and the Fifth Prince of the Blue faction, who run the business together and share the profits."

"Fourth son, Prince Qi, Li Duo? Fifth son, Prince Wu, Li Yu?"

Li Yuan squinted and repeated it.

"Yes." Yan Poshan nodded.

"The fifth prince is in the capital and has not yet taken up his fief, so that's fine."

But how could the fourth prince, who had been enfeoffed in Lingnan, have extended his influence so far, reaching all the way to the capital?

Li Yuan frowned and asked.

"Even though he's far away, the Fourth Prince is still a prince. Besides, this is Black Wind Corner, which he built together with Li Yu. The profits were so huge that even though it's far away in Lingnan, he's reluctant to give it up."

Yan broke through the mountain road.

"That makes sense." Li Yuan nodded.

After thinking for a moment, he smiled slightly, "Since that's the case, there's no time like the present. Let's go there tonight. Of course, you don't need to come with me. After all, your injury hasn't healed yet, and it's not good for you to travel back and forth."

After saying that, he stood up and walked outside.

……

After having dinner and resting, Li Yuan, along with Wang Wanquan and several skilled guards, changed their clothes, disguised themselves, covered their faces with veils, and left the military camp under the cover of night, heading straight for Black Wind Corner.

Suburbs of Beijing.

Several people stood in front of an abandoned warehouse.

The warehouse door was made of heavy solid wood, its surface covered with rust, with only a narrow door on the side that allowed only one person to pass through.

Two burly men dressed in black short-sleeved shirts blocked the way at the entrance, their hands on the hilts of their knives, their eyes warily scrutinizing Li Yuan and his group.

Wang Wanquan stepped forward and handed over a bronze plaque engraved with black ox horns—it was the entry token that Yan Poshan had asked someone to get for him that afternoon.

It must be said that Yan Poshan is definitely a know-it-all. He is generous and righteous, and knows a lot about everyone from high-ranking officials to people from all walks of life. He knows a little about everything and can handle anything.

If he hadn't been so straightforward and unwilling to take sides, he probably would have reached a much higher position by now!

The burly man on the left took the bronze plaque and examined it three times. He then glanced at Li Yuan, his expression softening slightly, and led the way.

"Come with me. Let's get down to the rules first. Once inside, no trouble or private fights are allowed. If there's a dispute, come to us. If you want to place a bet, go to the dealer. If you break the rules, even the King of Heaven won't be able to leave."

"Understood," Wang Wanquan nodded.

After passing through a winding corridor, a large gate soon appeared ahead.

As soon as the door was pushed open, a wave of heat mixed with the smell of blood, sweat, and cheap liquor hit you.