Chapter 1045 - Future Commander Is Benevolent

Honestly speaking, Ren Xiaosu felt a little uncomfortable discussing the policies of the Prosperous Northwest with Wang Yuexi and the others.

It was not that he did not want the Northwest to prosper, nor was it that he did not understand what Wang Yuexi and the others were talking about. On the contrary, he knew quite a bit.

But for some reason, he felt that it was a little difficult to execute his plans with decent people such as Wang Yuexi. He always felt that carrying out those plans in a proper and orderly way was not in line with his character.

Now that he was conspiring with the Great Hoodwinker, he found that it matched his energy much better. This was what the Prosperous Northwest's plan should be like!

"First of all, we have to bring those people back here." Ren Xiaosu said, "As you know, they're all starving in the Central Plains. It's still not that bad right now since there's still bark they can chew on. But there's hundreds of thousands of escapees and refugees there. Who knows, there could already be more than a million of them. Even if there's bark and roots for them to survive on, it's not enough to keep so many people alive. When I think about how they're about to starve to death because of me, I get really sad!"

The Great Hoodwinker hurriedly said, "Future Commander is benevolent. I didn't expect Future Commander to not only be skilled in literature and combat but also put the world's concerns before your own. I've thought about it carefully. We definitely cannot let those people starve to death like this!"

The two of them exchanged a look and grinned at each other.

"Moreover," the Great Hoodwinker changed the subject, "it's not only the escapees and refugees of the Zhou Consortium who can join the Prosperous Northwest!"

Ren Xiaosu's eyes lit up. "Who else is there?"

"Future Commander, have you forgotten what I said? Some of the Pyro Company's remnant troops have just fled north to the border of the steppe, and their commander has been executed by the Wang Consortium. They're without a leader." The Great Hoodwinker said, "Those troops are very prideful and refuse to yield to anyone. No matter whose territory they end up in, whoever takes them in will have a headache on their hands. But in our Northwest, we have just the person who can convince the Pyro Company's members…."

The Great Hoodwinker was referring to P5092!

As a matter of fact, during the battle at the northern front line of the Great Wall, P5092 gained the respect and admiration of most of the frontline commanders and soldiers. It was just that the Pyro Company was so stubborn they insisted on holding them accountable for the loss.

In the end, for the sake of the overall situation, P5092 took all the blame and left by himself. This was not only an honorable act but also a great favor to the commanders of the various Pyro Company divisions.

If it were anyone else who was dispatched to bring the Pyro Company's remnants under control, those troops would likely maintain their pride and refuse to accept any form of subjugation even though they were already a defeated force. But if it were P5092 who went, it would be a completely different situation!

Ren Xiaosu facepalmed. "That's right! There's still so many Pyro Company soldiers who're starving in the North. If P5092 finds out about this, he'll probably feel sorry for them too. Those soldiers have bled for the Central Plains, and I was even a little moved when they said that they were fighting to ensure that humanity in the Central Plains could survive. Who could bear to let them starve? I'll have someone summon P5092 right away."

After that, Ren Xiaosu and the Great Hoodwinker looked at each other and grinned again.

When P5092 arrived, Ren Xiaosu bluntly ordered, "It's like this: I need you to make a trip to the north of the Central Plains to gather your old troops and comrades for the Prosperous Northwest."

The Great Hoodwinker added on about the current situation of those Pyro Company soldiers.

Sure enough, P5092 revealed a look of worry after hearing that. Ren Xiaosu knew full well that even though the man had remained calm, he still cared quite a bit for his old comrades.

However, P5092 wondered, "But according to the Great Hoodwinker, there's still over 10,000 Pyro Company soldiers remaining. How are they going to cross the Wang Consortium's territory to come to the Northwest?"

"You don't have to worry about that." Ren Xiaosu said, "I have a handwritten letter here. Follow our Northwest's trade convoy to the steppe and hand the letter to the khan of the steppe when you get there. He'll arrange for cows and horses to transport the soldiers. You won't have to travel through the Central Plains. You can just take a detour back to the Northwest via the steppe instead!"

The Great Hoodwinker's eyes lit up. It was good that the future commander had friends all over the world. If the average person wanted to lead more than 10,000 soldiers on a detour through the Northern Plains, they would not only have to worry about their rations, they would also have to worry about getting attacked by the nomads of the Northern Plains. But this was different. The young lord of the Northern Plains was the future commander's younger brother. Not only would no one attack them this time, but they would also even have cows and horses to transport them.

When P5092 heard this, he gave a slight and serious bow to Ren Xiaosu. "Thank you, Future Commander, for remembering the comrades who fought alongside us on the Great Wall."

Ren Xiaosu smiled kindly and said, "Their act of protecting the Central Plains moved me deeply, so how could I forget? Hurry up and go!"

After P5092 left, the Great Hoodwinker figured, "With that, the expansion of Stronghold 144's military will be solved. We've already conscripted about 3,000 soldiers from the stronghold. When the Pyro Company's remnants arrive, the size of our army here will instantly reach 20,000. Moreover, the Pyro Company's troops are extremely combat effective. Their physical fitness is even higher than that of our elite troops. If they become part of Future Commander's faction, no one in the Northwest will be able to compete with you."

Ren Xiaosu politely waved it off. "Ahem, keep a low profile."

While they were discussing the "Prosperous Northwest 2.0" plan, no one else heard it. At the beginning, Yang Xiaojin was listening in on the conversation. But when she saw their behavior, she rolled her eyes and went out to shop for groceries.

The entire Northwest had expanded to a strength of 130,000 soldiers. Meanwhile, the 20,000-strong army that Ren Xiaosu's group was about to form would obviously become the strongest force in the whole of the Northwest.

As for the military budget, the tariffs collected in Stronghold 144 was enough to cover it. As for the food, they would just need to have Zhou Yingxue grow more potatoes, as well as purchase another batch of supplies from the Qing Consortium. As long as they could last through the year, they could definitely keep up with the demand by the next year after reclaiming the wastelands.

As for the armaments, the Great Hoodwinker said there was also no need to worry about that. As long as they formed an army, the fortress commander would equip them. Although the Northwest lacked food, they did not lack military equipment.

Previously, the progress of the industrial and agricultural structures in the Northwest had become a little unbalanced in order to survive the chaotic times. But now this imbalance was about to tilt back to normal.

Right now, they needed to think about how to bring the escapees and refugees over at the Zhou Consortium back to the Northwest.

"I'm afraid that the Zhou Consortium and the Wang Consortium will not sit back and watch us take their people away just like that." The Great Hoodwinker said, "We know the importance of population, and Wang Shengzhi knows that as well. To transport people from the Zhou Consortium to the Northwest, we'll have to pass through the Wang Consortium. Alternatively, we could travel through the mountainous regions. But the escapees definitely can't endure the hardships. Besides, how're we gonna convince them to come with us?"

A lot of people tended to forget how good Wang Shengzhi was at strategizing because of the artificial intelligence's existence. He had played the Zhou Consortium like a fiddle during the early years, and the strategy he employed at Stronghold 61 had also angered the Kong Consortium and the Zhou Consortium.

How could such a great tactician behind the scenes possibly sit back and watch the Northwest poach people from the Zhou Consortium? After all, Wang Shengzhi already regarded the Zhou Consortium's resources as the Wang Consortium's own.

Ren Xiaosu thought for a moment and said, "Don't worry, I'll personally make the trip to the Central Plains!"