Grandpa, I'll Take That Deal!

Grand Marshal of All Troops Under Heaven!

Those seven words exploded over everyone's heads like a thunderclap.

Since the founding of the Great Ming Dynasty, there had never been such a position.

This was more than just a title. It represented supreme command over every army in the Great Ming Dynasty!

Second to one man, above countless others!

To obtain the Great Snow Dragon Riders' technology, Zhu Di had offered a price so staggering it shook the world!

When Prince Han Zhu Gaoxu and Prince Zhao Zhu Gaosui heard that title, their eyes instantly turned red.

During the Jingnan Campaign, the two of them had rendered outstanding service to Zhu Di. They considered themselves the finest generals in the Great Ming Dynasty.

Yet after all these years, Zhu Di had only made them princes. He had never given them any real military power.

And now Zhu Zhanjun, a mere brat, was going to leap straight to the top and become Grand Marshal of All Troops Under Heaven, all thanks to an army that had appeared out of nowhere?

They wouldn't accept it!

"Father, you absolutely must not!"

Zhu Gaoxu was the first to step forward in protest. "Zhanjun is still young and has no experience. How can he shoulder such a heavy responsibility?"

"This will chill the hearts of soldiers throughout the realm!"

"Indeed, Father."

Zhu Gaosui hurried to add, "Military power is a National Heavy Weapon. How can it be handed over lightly?"

"Please think this through, Father!"

Zhu Di gave them a cold glance but said nothing.

He simply watched Zhu Zhanjun, waiting for his answer.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on Zhu Zhanjun.

It was a temptation no one could refuse.

All he had to do was nod, and he would become the most powerful prince in the history of the Great Ming Dynasty.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Zhu Zhanjun shook his head.

"Not interested."

His answer was crisp and decisive.

"What?"

This time, Zhu Di was the one left dumbfounded.

"What did you say? You're not interested?"

Zhu Di couldn't believe his ears. "That's the Grand Marshal of All Troops Under Heaven! Do you know what those four words mean?"

"I do."

Zhu Zhanjun counted on his fingers. "It means I'd have to worry about grain and fodder, military pay, training, and fighting wars every single day."

"It means I'd never be able to sleep in again, or raise crickets, or listen to music."

"That job's too exhausting. I'm not taking it."

He waved a hand in disdain, as if the position countless people dreamed of were some filthy, backbreaking chore to be avoided at all costs.

A deathly silence fell over the great tent.

Everyone stared at Zhu Zhanjun as though he were some kind of monster.

Was... was he even normal?

The corners of Zhu Di's mouth twitched violently a few times.

He had spent his life ranging across the land and scheming against countless people, only to discover that all his strategies and tactics seemed so feeble and powerless in front of this grandson.

Because you could never know what he would say or do next.

He simply never played by the rules!

"Fine! Fine! Fine!"

Zhu Di said "fine" three times, laughing in fury. "If you won't be Grand Marshal, what do you want?"

"You have to give me a price!"

"Well..."

Zhu Zhanjun rubbed his chin. His eyes darted about, then he suddenly pointed toward the captured Mongol soldiers outside the tent and grinned.

"Grandpa, I can give you the technology and blueprints."

"I have just one condition."

"Name it!"

"All one hundred thousand prisoners captured this time are mine!"

"What do you want all those prisoners for?"

Zhu Di frowned.

One hundred thousand prisoners was no small number.

Just feeding and housing them each day would be a tremendous burden.

Besides, these men were wolves from the grasslands, wild and hard to tame. They could rebel at any moment.

According to past practice, prisoners like these were either buried alive en masse to eliminate future trouble, or the strongest young men among them were selected, scattered through the army, and used as cannon fodder.

"Why, to put them to Waste Utilization, of course."

Zhu Zhanjun smiled mysteriously. "My workshops and mines could use the labor."

"Put them to work digging mines, building roads, and handling construction. That's better than keeping them fed for nothing, isn't it?"

"And I guarantee that in less than three years, I'll turn every one of those grassland wolves into a watchdog guarding your home."

"Then, at your command, they'll bite whoever you tell them to bite."

Zhu Di looked at him intently.

In his grandson's eyes, he saw something he had never seen before: ambition.

It wasn't a desire for Imperial Power, but something grander, something he found even harder to understand... a desire for control.

"Fine. I agree."

Zhu Di finally nodded. "All one hundred thousand prisoners are yours."

"But you have to promise me this: within three months, I want to see the first batch of new troops equipped with Shenbi Crossbows!"

"No problem! It's a deal!"

Zhu Zhanjun snapped his fingers cheerfully. "Grandpa, I'll take that deal!"

A shocking bargain that would shape the future of the Great Ming Dynasty was hastily struck in just a few words between grandfather and grandson.

With the matter weighing on his mind settled, Zhu Di's mood improved as well.

He turned toward Zhu Gaoxu and Zhu Gaosui, who were still in shock, and his expression darkened again.

"You two still have the nerve to stand here?"

Zhu Di said coldly, "I was trapped on Great Snow Mountain, cut off from grain and fodder. Whose fault was that?"

"Gaoxu, your men were responsible for transporting the grain and fodder. Why did they take so long to arrive?"

"Gaosui, your scouts were responsible for gathering intelligence. How did the enemy lead them around by the nose?"