Watching Han Sui’s reaction, not only Ma Teng but even Bian Zhang was stunned.
What the heck?
You’re not playing by the rules!
Weren’t you hesitating just moments ago?
And now you’ve knelt down in the blink of an eye?
Damn it!
This makes it really awkward for me, the first one here, to save face!
Despite his inner curses, Bian Zhang’s movements, or rather his legs, were not slow at all.
*Thump~!*
Following right after Han Sui, Bian Zhang said with unwavering resolve,
“My Lord, your command is our will!”
“Very good!”
Ye Feng smiled as he observed everything, nodding slightly.
“All of you, rise!”
“ From now on, you are…”
“Thump~!”
Before Ye Feng could finish his sentence, the still-hesitating Ma Teng also knelt down.
He couldn’t bear to hear any more!
What if Ye Feng’s offer was too tempting? It would be too late for him to kneel then.
Therefore,
As Ye Feng was mid-sentence, Ma Teng simply knelt down.
“Reporting to my Lord, this subordinate also feels it is an honor to be by your side and obey your commands!”
“Hahaha…”
Although Ma Teng interrupted him, Ye Feng was not unhappy at all.
This was Ma Teng!
Ma Mengqi’s father!
Thinking of the future Five Tiger Generals, Ma Mengqi, Ye Feng felt a sense of satisfaction.
He was a collector, after all!
Whether useful or not, he had to get his hands on them first.
Moreover,
The little princess of the Ma family… cough cough, I wonder how old she is now?
Heard she liked Zhao Yun too?
Forget it!
Why worry about so much?
Since he was already in this world, if he could get his hands on it, he would get it.
As for the White Horse Silver Spear Zhao Zilong?
Aren’t there plenty of women?
If one isn’t enough, give him two. If two aren’t enough, give him three.
Ye Feng refused to believe it!
Even if the quality might not be top-notch, having enough quantity would be good too!
Of course!
Ma Teng, who was still kneeling, had no idea what Ye Feng was plotting at the moment.
If he knew?
He would probably grab his spear and fight Ye Feng to the death, an unending battle!
He’s too monstrous!
Unfortunately!
Even though Ye Feng’s thoughts were a little… well, he maintained a kind smile on his face.
“All of you, rise!”
“Since you have accepted this governor as your Lord, this governor will not treat you unfairly!”
“How about this!”
“The commander and deputy commander of the Third Legion of You Province will be the three of you!”
“???”
As Ye Feng’s words fell, the three brothers who had just stood up were somewhat bewildered.
The, the Third Legion?
Does You Province even have such a legion?
Weren’t there only the First and Second Legions? Where did this Third Legion come from?
Ma Teng, however, proved to be the eldest brother, understanding Ye Feng’s meaning immediately.
“My, my Lord~!”
Swallowing hard, Ma Teng pointed outside the city with his hand.
“The Third Legion you’re referring to… it’s not those soldiers, is it?”
“Of course!”
Ye Feng nodded affirmatively, “That is the newly established Third Legion of You Province!”
“It includes thirty thousand elite infantry, fifty thousand regular infantry, and twenty thousand elite cavalry!”
“However…”
Speaking of which, Ye Feng rubbed his nose, a hint of embarrassment on his face.
“Their food, drink, and daily necessities, as well as their salaries, and the logistics personnel, will be your responsibility to figure out!”
“Hiss~!”
After confirming they hadn’t misheard, Ma Teng exchanged glances with his two brothers.
Is this a dream?
One hundred thousand troops?
And it’s the one hundred thousand troops they had been envious of and desperately wanted to possess?
Just like that, given to them?
Impossible, right?
Even if the three of them had some influence in Liang Province and Chang’an, it wouldn’t be worth Ye Feng paying such a high price, would it?
As for logistics personnel and provisions?
Don’t be ridiculous!
With so many troops in hand, would they still need to worry about food and drink?
Too kind!
Whether they went on a little trip to the foreign tribes or levied some non-existent taxes within their jurisdiction, they could easily procure the necessary provisions.
If someone were to give them troops for free, let alone these ‘mere’ one hundred thousand!
Even if you gave them a million troops right now, Ma Teng would accept without hesitation.
At worst, half of them could be discharged to farm!
What’s the big deal?
His only concern now was whether Ye Feng was trying to trick them.
“Right~!”
As if sensing the three’s apprehension, Ye Feng patted his forehead and said,
“After giving you the Third Legion, there are a few points you need to pay attention to!”
“First…”
“ You are not allowed to increase taxes within your jurisdiction under any pretext, nor are you allowed to plunder the common people of Great Han under any pretext!”
“Regardless of whether they are within your jurisdiction or not, plunder is strictly forbidden!”
“Do you understand?”
“This…”
Ma Teng, who had some minor ideas, quickly nodded with his brothers under Ye Feng’s intense gaze.
“My Lord, rest assured, we will absolutely not do anything against the people!”
“Indeed!”
Whether Ma Teng’s words were true or not, Ye Feng didn’t dwell on it. Someone would teach them a lesson later.
Therefore,
Seeing the three nod in agreement, Ye Feng continued,
“Second…”
“The Third Legion of You Province belongs to the army that this governor is gifting to the imperial court of Great Han. Normally…”
“What?!”
This time, before Ye Feng could finish speaking, Ma Teng couldn’t help but exclaim.
“My, my Lord, you are… truly giving the Third Legion to the court?”
“Why not?”
Ye Feng shrugged, a cold smile on his face.
“Since this governor dares to give it, I am confident I can get it back. Can’t you figure this out?”
“With your intelligence, you want to rebel?”
“You’d better learn from your brother. At least he can wait for me to finish speaking…”
“My Lord, no!”
Just as Ye Feng was about to praise Han Sui, this fellow seemed to have suddenly come to his senses.
“My Lord, if you give the Third Legion to His Majesty, then we will be finished!”
“Hmm?”
Forcibly suppressing his displeasure, Ye Feng nodded noncommittally.
“Tell me your thoughts!”
“My Lord…”
Han Sui didn’t care about the surprised looks from his brothers and leaned closer to Ye Feng.
“Once you hand over the Third Legion to His Majesty, he will definitely reorganize it drastically. At that time, we might not be able to control the army!”
“Is that so?”
Hearing Han Sui’s concern, Ye Feng chuckled and patted his shoulder.
“Considering you thought of this, this governor won’t hold it against you!”
“However…”
“The Third Legion belonging to the court is already inevitable. The rest is up to you.”
“Otherwise…”
Ye Feng paused here and glanced at them with a half-smile.
“If I didn’t need you as a nail, what would be the point of having you?”
“Remember!”
“As long as it does not involve this governor, all commands are subject to His Majesty’s!”
“As for reorganization and the like?”
“Heh heh…”
Thinking of the possibility of Emperor Ling gifting him tens of thousands of troops for free, Ye Feng couldn’t help but chuckle.
He had always chosen to trust the loyalty of the system’s soldiers.
Besides,
Even if he let Emperor Ling reorganize them freely, how many people could he possibly insert?
It’s not that Ye Feng looks down on him!
If Emperor Ling could still muster one hundred thousand troops at this moment, he wouldn’t have fallen to this state.
What?
The Allied Forces of Qin Wang?
Don’t be ridiculous!
Out of the entire Allied Forces of Qin Wang, totaling over two hundred thousand men, how many truly obeyed Emperor Ling Liu Hong alone?
It can be said,
Except for the stubborn Lu Zhi and a few imperial relatives, no one would listen to Emperor Ling Liu Hong.
Ultimately, the Han Dynasty was a family affair!
The powerful families first needed to protect their own survival.
The Emperor?
Sorry!
Even if someone else took this position, it wouldn’t be any worse for them.
Only esteemed figures from humble backgrounds like Lu Zhi would care more about their reputation.
Because he had received immense imperial favor!
If he did not serve the court and Liu Hong, he would be slandered.
Of course!
This was also partly due to Lu Zhi’s inherent loyalty.
But besides Lu Zhi?
Can you find anyone in the entire Han court who is not from a powerful family?
Although there were good and bad families, or some of them still favored Emperor Ling Liu Hong.
But what use was that?
It matters if they can come out and say it!
Because in the future, the court of Great Han would be established in Chang’an City.
And who is the most powerful family in Chang’an City?
Don’t know!
What about the Ma family?
Of course, it wouldn’t be the Ma family!
The Ma family might have some minor fame in the Three Commandaries, but it was nowhere near the level of dominating the Three Commandaries.
But did that matter?
It didn’t matter!
In chaotic times, anyone could be a king!
With one hundred thousand troops behind them as a backing, it was believed that Ma Teng and the others would soon gain control of Chang’an.
At that time,
Even if Emperor Ling wanted to bribe them or insert his people, he would find himself without anyone to use.
However,
This was Emperor Ling and the Ma family’s business, it had nothing to do with Ye Feng.
You want troops?
Here you go!
And they are all very obedient, doing whatever you say.
If you can’t win them over even with this, who else can you blame?
Anyway, Ye Feng thought if it were him, he would be too ashamed to blame anyone else!
It’s like they’re feeding you directly, and then you say you have a toothache and can’t eat?
Is that anyone else’s fault?
It’s a joke!
The only thing that worried Ye Feng was whether the Ma brothers would cause trouble.
For example, breaking away from Emperor Ling and acting on their own?
This was why he specifically set the second requirement, and his tone was very stern.
“You remember this for me!”
Looking at the three brothers who still seemed unconvinced, Ye Feng said with an undeniable tone.
“Any troop movement exceeding one thousand men must have an imperial edict from Emperor Ling as authorization!”
“This governor will also issue instructions regarding this matter!”
“If you believe you cannot do this, then speak up now!”
“Otherwise…”
“My Lord~!”
Seeing that Ye Feng seemed to be closing off all possibilities, Ma Teng couldn’t help but ask,
“We have no problem with everything you’ve said, but we want to know…”
“Why?!”
“Why are you willing to leave a legion of one hundred thousand for Emperor Ling?”
“The throne?”
“If a throne could be exchanged for so many troops, Emperor Ling would have done so long ago, right?”
“Hmm…”
Hearing Ma Teng’s confused tone, Ye Feng’s smile deepened.
“Why?”
“If you want to know why, then assist Emperor Ling properly!”
“Believe me!”
“Within a year, you will know why all this is happening!”
Ma Teng: “???”