This afternoon, in front of the Grand Hall of the Feng Country Capital, the place that earlier in the morning seemed quite empty had become quite bustling.

Carts drawn by oxen and horses had transported a large quantity of materials, gathering in front of the grand hall. They were moved inside by a group of strong men, placing wooden boxes or sacks properly. Among them were expensive gold and silver treasures, exquisite silks and satins, as well as armor, weapons, and even dried meat, making the composition quite complex.

"Your Majesty! The Xin Family's territory has been completely emptied by us! Most of the Xin Family members have also been exterminated! However, some fled north, disappearing into the mountains!"

At this moment, at the busy entrance of the grand hall, a cavalryman in short attire rushed over to Wang Zhifan, who was discussing with the old Chancellor holding a ledger while supervising the transportation. The cavalryman pulled the reins to stop the horse, jumped down, half-knelt on the ground, and cupped his hands to report to him.

"Hmm... do not worry about those Xin Family members who have escaped for now. Go and summon the troops to come for a merit awarding."

After listening to the cavalryman's report, Wang Zhifan quickly contemplated and responded, issuing the next order.

"Yes!"

The short-attired cavalryman immediately responded, jumped back onto his horse, and left with a rather excited expression.

"Chancellor, it's all thanks to you recommending this capable group of troops. Otherwise, the matter of extinguishing the Xin would not have gone so smoothly."

After the cavalryman left, Wang Zhifan smiled at the old man beside him and said, his gaze sweeping over the man who was eagerly watching the large batch of wealth being moved into storage.

"Your Majesty overpraises! The smooth execution of the campaign against the Xin is entirely due to your unparalleled might. These soldiers merely added some icing on the cake."

The old Chancellor, now liberated from financial crisis, immediately diverted his attention from the ledger, smiling broadly as he responded to Wang Zhifan, not daring to claim any credit.

As he had personally participated in the campaign to flatten the Xin Family's territory, he knew very well how the fortress established by the Xin Family, supposedly impregnable, was so fragile in front of this Majesty. It's no exaggeration to say that the swift downfall of the mighty Xin Family was entirely due to Wang Zhifan's formidable prowess. With just a few gestures, he annihilated the main force of the Xin Family, seizing decades of wealth accumulated by them. The remaining Xin Family members, even if possessing some power, could only abandon their properties and flee, not daring to confront the several hundred soldiers he had summoned.

"Chancellor, with the current financial resources, can I gather ten thousand troops?"

Without dwelling on the elder's praise, Wang Zhifan proceeded to ask the question he was more concerned about—he initiated the destruction of the Xin Family not only to resolve the treasury's emptiness issue but also to obtain the first batch of capital, extending the winning streak.

"This... let the old minister ponder a little..."

Hearing Wang Zhifan's desire to expand military forces, the old Chancellor didn't dare to answer lightly for a moment. He was well aware that affairs of war are complicated and consume immense resources. Even with wealth in hand, it cannot be squandered arbitrarily.

"The Xin Family's Number One Grain Depot has a thousand dan of grain; if supplied to a ten thousand-strong army, it could maintain..."

The elder then opened the ledger in his hands, calculating whether they could sustain the daily expenses of ten thousand soldiers based on the details listed.

"Chancellor, no need to be so meticulous. I only need to use the ten thousand troops for half a month. Capturing Tao Country or Yin Country naturally solves the supply issue."

Wang Zhifan immediately realized that the elder misunderstood his meaning and began to clarify.

"Your Majesty intends to attack Tao and Yin? The old minister believes it must be carefully planned."

Suddenly hearing Wang Zhifan reveal such wild plans, the plain-clad elder hurriedly lowered his voice to reply. Although he now knew Wang Zhifan possessed extraordinary power, he still subconsciously thought that relying solely on such strength to conquer other countries was not stable.

"In warfare, speed is of the essence, and delays must be avoided. I only ask if you can gather ten thousand troops for my use in the near future."

Wang Zhifan immediately responded with a stern expression, showing his very determined mindset.

"Your Majesty, assembling ten thousand soldiers can't be achieved in a few months. However, if only three thousand troops are needed, they can be seen the day after tomorrow."

After contemplating, the elder still felt that gathering ten thousand soldiers would not be easy in the short term. After all, Feng Country is only a small country, and the total number of military personnel is only a few thousand, expanding the scale wouldn't be a one-day achievement.

"Three thousand, then three thousand! Chancellor, give the orders."

Wang Zhifan thought it over and felt that having fewer people wasn't a problem, as, during the initial phase, these people would just play a minor role anyway.

"Moreover, I need commanders to lead the troops; the Chancellor may also recommend a few candidates."

Considering that he wouldn't lead personally and could not always fight personally, Wang Zhifan made this request, as for where the original generals of Feng Country were, he'd heard they fled after the military pay was cut off because they were not locals of Feng Country.

After they continued the conversation for a while, hundreds of soldiers began to gather from the mountain path below the peak. These people were all soldiers who had annihilated the Xin forces today and could be considered Wang Zhifan's current core base. Wang Zhifan called them over to award them for their merits in order to further win them over, so he could have some men to use under him, avoiding the need to rely on the old Chancellor for everything.

The following time was somewhat procedural; Wang Zhifan spent some effort to be familiar with these soldiers and personally distributed some gold and silver rewards to them, staying busy until nightfall when he finally had some personal downtime, resting on a wooden bed in a chamber within the King's Hall.

"Being a king is much more troublesome than being a gang leader; almost everything involves many people, and every move requires a comprehensive plan and consideration. It'd be great if battles could be resolved by single-handed duels."

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