After a while, Li Che stepped out of the Ten Princes Residence again.
Behind him, a burly man like an iron tower followed closely.
The burly man was named Hu Qiang, and he was fourteen years old this year.
One winter three years ago, the original owner met Hu Qiang, who had fainted from hunger on the street, and out of pity, saved him and brought him back.
Hu Qiang had never eaten his fill in his life before meeting the original owner; after being fed by the original owner, he cried uncontrollably and had stayed by the original owner's side as a bodyguard ever since.
This young man had an astonishing appetite, and his strength was proportional to it; it was no exaggeration to say he possessed innate divine strength.
More importantly, his mind was simple, and he was utterly loyal to the original owner.
"Ah Qiang, have you eaten your fill today?" Li Che looked at the young man behind him with a smile, the gentleness in his eyes unconcealed.
After experiencing the complexities of human relationships in later generations, he appreciated such pure individuals who maintained a sincere heart even more.
"I've eaten my fill," Hu Qiang scratched the back of his head Silly, "But if Your Highness wants me to eat, I can still eat!"
"Hahaha! Just say what you want to eat on the way; today, I'll let you eat your fill!"
"Okay, I'll listen to Your Highness."
Hu Qiang would not say thank you; in his mind, his life belonged to His Highness, so what was the point of saying thanks?
Li Che rode a horse from the Ten Princes Residence, while Hu Qiang, with his astonishing weight, had no horse that could bear him.
However, his legs were very long, and he could stride a great distance in one step; Li Che controlled his horse to walk slowly, and he was actually able to keep up on foot.
The two unhurriedly headed straight for Xizhimen, and Li Che did not break his word, buying a lot of food for Hu Qiang along the way.
This fellow's appetite was truly astonishing; he accepted all kinds of food, eating a normal person's daily amount in just half an hour.
Li Che suspected that he alone could eat an entire ox!
Outside Xizhimen was a desolate wilderness; sparse, low shrubs grew on both sides of the official road, wilting under the scorching sun, and the Criminal Army was stationed ten li outside the gate.
The Criminal Army, as the name suggests, was an army composed of criminals.
Murder, arson, rape, plunder—anyone who committed a serious crime and was sentenced to be executed by law would be thrown there.
Qing Emperor organized these people into a separate army; whenever there was a difficult battle or a need for a suicide squad, he would send them out as cannon fodder.
The Criminal Army's camp, seen from afar, resembled an ugly toad squatting on the ground; dilapidated tents were haphazardly set up, without any discernible order.
Li Che frowned slightly; this was not a military camp at all, but clearly a construction site!
He saw those ragged criminals, some moving huge stones, others digging ditches, sweating profusely; there was no hint of a soldier about them.
These criminals had to act as suicide squads during wartime and perform hard labor in peacetime?
Were they truly being used like livestock?
Li Che dismounted, threw the reins to Hu Qiang, and said indifferently, "Let's go, let's go in and see."
As soon as they entered the wooden fence, a strong smell of sweat and blood assailed them, and Li Che couldn't help but rub his nose.
"Faster! Whoever wastes time, I'll chop off his head!"
He saw a burly man, eight feet tall with a fierce face, standing on a high platform in the center of the camp, holding a whip and gesturing imperiously.
Crack—
The whip lashed the high platform, and the ragged criminals trembled, quickening their movements.
Seeing Li Che, dressed in luxurious clothes, the burly man raised an eyebrow: "Who are you?"
Li Che frowned tightly; the way this man stood on the high platform and spoke to him reminded him of his middle school discipline director.
That was truly a hateful person.
Presumably, this fellow was also an arrogant upstart!
Li Che did not have the habit of looking up to speak to people; he walked step by step towards the high platform with Hu Qiang.
Clang—
The burly man drew his saber.
"I'm asking you a question! This is a heavily guarded military camp; unauthorized personnel are not allowed to trespass!"
Li Che still said nothing, walking step by step onto the high platform.
Only when his gaze was level with the burly man did he speak:
"This Prince is Ninggu Prince; I am here to select personal guards."
"Ninggu Prince?" A hint of surprise flashed across the burly man's face, "Is there such a Prince in the court?"
At this moment, a guard approached the burly man.
"Boss, this is the Sixth Prince; I saw him from afar once before."
Upon hearing this, the burly man immediately showed a disdainful expression: "Who did I think it was? So it's the Sixth Prince?!"
It was well-known that the Sixth Prince was not favored by the Emperor and was known for his weak character.
None of the court officials gave him face, let alone a coarse martial man like him.
"Apologies, Sixth Prince," the burly man pushed his saber back into its sheath with a 'clank', "This general is a cavalry commander of the Crown Prince's Left Guard, ordered to oversee these criminals; if you want to select personal guards, go elsewhere!"
"Am I discussing this with you?" Li Che's eyes gradually sharpened, "What are you, to presume to call yourself 'this general' to this Prince?"
"You..." The burly man flew into a rage, stomping and shattering a wooden board on the high platform, "Sixth Prince, this is the Crown Prince's territory; do not think that just because you are a Prince, you can speak wildly here!"
Seeing this, the surrounding criminals stopped their work and gathered around, gloating.
A Prince and that dog-like cavalry commander had clashed; regardless of who suffered a setback, the criminals were happy to see it.
"The Criminal Army is an independent army, directly under the Emperor; when did it become managed by the Crown Prince's dog?" A hint of amusement flashed in Li Che's eyes.
"You..." The burly man instantly became furious, his right hand subconsciously reaching for the saber he had just sheathed.
Li Che caught the burly man's subtle movement and suddenly shouted: "Ah Qiang!"
Swish—
A gust of wind swept by, and the burly man only saw a greasy, fan-sized palm descend.
Then came a dizzying sensation, and the sound of bones and flesh twisting.
The burly man, who had been facing away from the criminals below the platform, suddenly saw their faces, filled with fear and shock.
Hu Qiang's slap had forcefully rotated his head 180 degrees, leaving it eerily dangling behind him.
Hiss—
Everyone looked at that face, taking a deep breath, and the entire area instantly became so quiet you could hear a pin drop!
After a few seconds, the burly man's body, with its broken neck, crashed down, falling below the high platform and raising a cloud of dust.
The loud thud of the fall startled the surrounding guards; they frantically picked up their weapons from the ground, aiming them at the figure standing proudly on the high platform.
Li Che unhurriedly reached into his embrace, pulled out a dark black scroll, and held it high above his head.
"The Imperial Edict is here; who dares to be presumptuous!"
Li Che pointed to the corpse below the high platform.
"This person attempted to assassinate this Prince and has now been executed. All of you, quickly lay down your weapons and do not follow in his footsteps!"
The guards looked at Li Che's calm expression and then at the exquisite scroll in his hand, which did not appear fake.
Clang—
One person dropped his weapon and knelt on the ground.
Then, weapon after weapon fell like dominoes, and all the guards knelt before Li Che.
The guard who had just spoken to the burly man knelt on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face.
This was the Sixth Prince? The Sixth Prince, rumored to be the weakest and most incompetent?
If you had an Imperial Edict, you should have said so earlier! No matter how bold the cavalry commander was, he would never dare to disregard an Imperial Edict.
Did you have to tear off his head?
Such methods, where was the slightest weakness? He was clearly a living King of Hell!
Li Che's expression remained unchanged.
Producing the Imperial Edict now was part of his plan.
Without killing someone to display his power and cunning, with the original owner's reputation, these criminals would not even look him in the eye, let alone pledge loyalty.
As for that burly man...
He was just borrowing something from him; he figured a big man like him wouldn't be too petty.
A criminal's hoe slipped from his hand, clanging to the ground.
He looked dazedly at the figure on the platform, Li Che's words echoing in his ears.
"Your Highness," the criminal asked tremblingly, "You just said you were recruiting personal guards..."
His eyes gleamed with longing: "Are you going to save us?"
Li Che looked down at the man, a benevolent smile on his face:
"This Prince has no interest in saving people; this Prince is here to lead you to your deaths!"
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