Chapter 321

Chapter 321 The Three Armies

Emperor Wei had long been well aware of the unfilial son’s coveting of the Gray Guards. So when he heard that Wei Yu was asking for people again, he was not surprised. However, unlike before when he flatly refused, this time Emperor Wei thought for a moment and then slowly said, “A few days ago, you mentioned the matter of the military exercise. I have already discussed it with Du Xing. He has been arranging to reorganize the three armies recently. The new-style troops have not yet been selected…”

Wei Yu’s eyelids twitched, vaguely feeling that trouble was coming.

Sure enough, Emperor Wei, speaking, glanced over with a slight look, “As for the new-style troops, since you are most familiar with special forces, and you currently have nothing to do, why don’t you go to the army and select some men? Pick out suitable officers and soldiers to form a new army. I will allow you to take two hundred of them with you.”

The words “refuse” were on the tip of Wei Yu’s tongue, but in the end, the thought of those two hundred men was swallowed back.

Wei Yu smiled and feigned modesty, “That’s not very appropriate, Dad. No one else in the entire capital city dares to be so bold as to have two hundred private soldiers. If others find out, it will cause a lot of problems.”

Emperor Wei snorted coldly, looking at him with strong disdain, “I told you to go, so go. With me here, who can say you are wrong!”

Meat that’s handed over at one’s lips, and he’s still reluctant to eat it?

Such pretentiousness!

Isn’t it just that he, as the Emperor and Father, wants to give him a good excuse?

Upon hearing his Dad say so, Wei Yu lowered his head and smiled obediently, “Alright, Dad, your son knows you are the best.”

Seeing this expression was irritating, Emperor Wei looked away. His gaze landed on a letter, and after thinking for a few seconds, he resumed the earlier topic.

“As for those few people who came from Great Liang, do not take any action for now. Later, write back to Deng Zhengde and tell him to send people to keep a close watch on them.”

Wei Yu: “Yes, son understands.”

As for sending people to watch, Wei Yu did not doubt Deng Zhengde’s ability to execute, and besides, there was also Guo Yajun over there, whose political acumen was not low.

With these two watching in the shadows, and Sheng Hong along with Fu Jixiang, two playboys, following them around at all hours, Wei Yu really was not too worried about those several men from Great Liang sneaking around to cause trouble.

Whether they were spying or trying to steal tech, Wei Yu only believed that being strong oneself was the way to be fearless against the world.

—

Not having snagged the Gray Guards from the old man, Wei Yu was not disheartened in the slightest.

After all, the old man had only promised to give some men, and in the end, it would be at most a hundred soldiers. But now his Dad promised to openly grant him two hundred private soldiers!

And he was to select them personally from the army, so he would naturally pick some good-looking, educated, and even-tempered men!

Family background was the least useful thing—in the end, whose family background wasn’t higher than his? And skills could be trained. Wei Yu had no doubt about the training methods of his family’s Fang Sheng.

Once he selected the men, he would hand them over to Fang Sheng for training.

Being personally trained by the Deputy Commander of the Gray Guards, even if they couldn’t match the regular Gray Guards, they would at least be the reserve force, right?

Wei Yu wasn’t picky—as long as they were more capable than the average guards, it was good enough.

Due to a shortage of men, Wei Yu busily went to Du Xing’s mansion to look for people the next day.

But this trip was fruitless. After learning about the military exercises, the Lord Grand Commandant seemed to have found a second youth and energetically went to the training grounds outside the city every day, either observing training at one camp or whipping soldiers in another camp who were not taking things seriously.

Knowing Du Xing was at the training grounds outside the city, Wei Yu did not hesitate and directly took a carriage outside the city.

He had originally wanted to discuss the situation of the three armies with Lord Du, but since the man was at the training grounds, going to see it in person wasn’t bad either.

This time, Wei Yu did not bring many people. Fang Sheng rode ahead on horseback to lead the way, Ding Facai was on horseback pulling the carriage, and besides Wei Yu, Bai Feiyu sat inside.

This so-called “wicked man” from Qingzhou, weak and fragile in body, had been settled in the Wise King’s mansion since Wei Yu detained him forcibly.

Due to his poor health and Wei Yu’s scrappy nature that wouldn’t let go of any useful talent, Bai Feiyu basically hadn’t gone out during this period because he was reading.

Don’t ask what books he read—he read everything.

Any book that Wei Yu wrote in promises to others, as long as it was still in the mansion, Bai Feiyu had read it.

The kid’s brain was smart and promising. Although he showed no interest in anything and hadn’t thought of what to do for the time being, it was never wrong to use this free time for self-improvement!

Since there was nothing else to do, the best thing was to read more books and broaden his knowledge; maybe, just maybe, he would find his life’s calling by reading.

Wei Yu believed he was rather democratic—not assigning Bai Feiyu a job right away. After all, forced work was never better than voluntarily wanting to do something.

Today, Wei Yu took Bai Feiyu out purely because Bai Feiyu’s tall and strong servant Ah Shan was currently serving in the Tiger Vanguard Army camp outside the city.

Outside the capital city, there were three military forces stationed: the Imperial Guards, the Tiger Vanguard Army, and the Southern Army.

The soldiers of these three armies came from specific backgrounds: the Imperial Guards were mostly elite heirs from influential families; the Tiger Vanguard Army was made up of good family children from the seven prefectures of Great Wei; and the Southern Army mostly consisted of hereditary military officers’ children who enjoyed privileged status.

It was hard to say which army was better; after all, each had hardworking and ambitious men as well as frivolous, unmotivated ones.

Especially since Great Wei had been at peace for a long time, border soldiers remained diligent and trained daily for wartime, but those three armies stationed outside the capital city had many who just idled their days away.

Before Wei Yu sent Ah Shan into the army camp, he had briefly chosen.

Imperial Guards was out of the question—there were too many outstanding men there, with elite heirs from powerful families carefully trained as inheritors who could single-handedly confront Great Liang. It was a battlefield of gods fighting for top positions; Ah Shan was an ordinary man and not suited to enter.

Southern Army could be possible, but it was full of playboys from military families who lived carelessly. Wei Yu feared that putting Ah Shan there would let the rotten water corrupt a pure good kid, so he passed on that.

Only the Tiger Vanguard Army was left.

The good family children selected from the seven prefectures, with similar backgrounds and environment, depended on strength to be promoted; whoever was strong was obeyed in the army.

Wei Yu initially placed Ah Shan in the Tiger Vanguard Army hoping he could show his strength there and gain favor from some general, gradually serving the Imperial Court.

But plans never keep up with changes.

Although Wei Yu wanted to include Ah Shan in his two hundred private soldiers, thinking about the new-style army to be formed, Wei Yu felt it would be better to place Ah Shan in the new army as a special forces member, so as not to waste his great power.

Personal matters aside; Wei Yu chose the country.