A Show of Force (2)

Just how formidable was the heir apparent Zhou Yao's martial arts? The eleven great chiefs present and Wuying all felt that his skills were unfathomable.

All eleven great chiefs had been won over by Zhou Yao. They all revered the strong, and Zhou Yao was precisely such a powerhouse. Every one of them was utterly convinced.

After Zhou Yao sealed the eleven men's acupoints, they were all instantly unable to move. Zhou Yao did not strike lightly, but when he did, he took down all eleven great chiefs in an instant.

Zhou Yao then unsealed their acupoints. As soon as they were free, the eleven great chiefs knelt before him and shouted, "Your Highness's martial arts are unrivaled! We are utterly convinced. From this day forth, we are willing to serve you unto death. If we break this oath, may heaven strike us with five bolts of thunder!"

Seeing the eleven great chiefs submit to him willingly, Zhou Yao nodded in satisfaction. He had achieved his goal.

Then he smiled and said, "Please rise, everyone."

Hearing this, all eleven great chiefs immediately stood and took their places on either side, waiting for Zhou Yao to address them.

Zhou Yao said, "I presume Wuying has already told you that the former intelligence organizations have all been renamed the Brocade Guard."

"The Brocade Guard's duties include monitoring every official in the Great Zhou State and all developments within its borders. Your surveillance must reach every village."

"We must also have the Brocade Guard's eyes and ears in the countries surrounding the Great Zhou State. I want to know their every move, as well as the situation within each of those countries."

"Besides surveillance and gathering intelligence, the Brocade Guard must also carry out assassinations. Assassinate traitors who sell out their country and their families, as well as all organizations and individuals within the Great Zhou State that endanger its domestic peace and stability. When it comes to such people, the Brocade Guard must not leave a single one alive."

"The Brocade Guard will also be responsible for interrogations. I don't care what methods you use, you must pry these people's mouths open and get useful information out of them. That, too, falls within the Brocade Guard's duties."

"In short, the Brocade Guard is my eyes and ears. You must find out everything I want to know, whether it concerns the Great Zhou State or the countries surrounding it."

"The Brocade Guard's specific duties are gathering intelligence, assassination, arrest, and interrogation."

"All the Brocade Guard's work will be done in the shadows. I want our enemies to hear the name Brocade Guard in the future and be scared out of their wits, their souls flying from their bodies, and confess everything at once."

Hearing Zhou Yao's words, all eleven great chiefs were beside themselves with excitement, clenching and unclenching their fists. They had finally seen the light after a long struggle. From now on, their Brocade Guard was going places, and a bright future lay ahead of them under Zhou Yao.

But after hearing about the Brocade Guard's duties, they also felt great pressure. The Brocade Guard was short of both money and men. Even the cleverest wife could not cook a meal without rice!

"We are willing to serve Your Highness unto death and follow wherever you lead!" The eleven great chiefs immediately knelt and shouted.

"Rise."

"Thank you, Your Highness."

"From now on, the Brocade Guard answers only to me. No one else has the authority to command it."

"Yes... Your Highness!" the eleven great chiefs answered excitedly.

"I will now give each of you eleven great chiefs two hundred thousand taels of silver in banknotes. Central Capital is an important seat of the capital, so I will give it three hundred thousand taels. This money is for you to recruit men and expand your forces."

"Yes... Your Highness!" the eleven great chiefs shouted excitedly. Th-this heir apparent is far too generous! He's giving each of us such a huge sum of money! Haha... Brocade Guard, oh, Brocade Guard, I love you to death! All eleven great chiefs present were completely dizzy with this sudden happiness.

"I don't care exactly how you do it or whom you recruit into the Brocade Guard. I have only one requirement: for anyone who joins us, the first and most important thing is 'loyalty.' That is a hard-and-fast condition."

"If a man or woman cannot be loyal, the Brocade Guard will never take them, no matter how capable they are."

"Yes... Your Highness."

"From now on, everyone who joins the Brocade Guard will receive a monthly salary of five taels of silver each. Bonuses and other allowances are not included in that salary. As for everyone else's pay and benefits, Wuying will explain those to you later. In short, you only need to know that I am not short of money."

"The eleven of you will each receive an annual salary of five thousand taels of silver, not counting bonuses and other benefits."

The eleven answered excitedly, "Thank you for your grace, Your Highness!"

Their current annual pay was a mere hundred-odd taels of silver, and they had already thought that generous. But compared with the pay Zhou Yao was now giving them, it was like a minor sorcerer before a great one. They all thought to themselves that they had chosen the right master, and were willing to go through fire and boiling water for Zhou Yao without hesitation.

"Now, to make the Brocade Guard easier to manage in the future, some changes need to be made to its positions. From now on, the eleven of you will be the first chiefs of your respective provinces. That is the same as the former great chief of each province, just with a different title."

"Below you, there will also be second, third, fourth, and fifth chiefs. These will form the main structure of the Brocade Guard in each province."

"Under them, there will also be thousand-household commanders, hundred-household commanders, general banner officers, small banner officers, captains, and ordinary personnel."

"The eleven first chiefs will decide who fills these positions in each province. You will make the appointments yourselves; I will not interfere. Everyone who joins the Brocade Guard must be entered into a register, which must then be submitted to me."

"If anyone in the Brocade Guard betrays us, hunt them down even if they flee to the ends of the earth, and do not stop until they are dead."

"Yes... Your Highness!" This authority is far too great! His Highness Zhou Yao is treating us far too well. He gives us money whenever we need it, and he's delegated all the authority to us. My immortal's chopping board!!!

The eleven of them also knew that Zhou Yao was delegating authority to them. He did not concern himself with the process; he only wanted results.

This move by Zhou Yao also led the eleven first chiefs to perform exceptionally well in their future assignments, much to his gratification.

"One more thing: those of you whose provinces are close to neighboring countries will be responsible for gathering intelligence on those countries. Wuying will give you the necessary funds later."

"The founding of the Brocade Guard is of great significance. You could say that it will be the cornerstone of the Great Zhou State's security in the future, and you eleven first chiefs will surely go down in the annals of history."

"We are willing to serve Your Highness unto death, and to serve the Great Zhou State unto death!" the eleven first chiefs shouted.