75: Chapter 75 Expanding the Army!

"Beat the Great Qian into submission directly!"

As soon as the messenger's words fell, the entire imperial court erupted in excitement.

"Good! Well done, Li Wenzhong!"

A military official stood up, his face flushed red, slapping his thigh in excitement.

"Your Majesty, this subject believes that since the Great Qian has suffered a massive loss of Origin Qi, we should strike while the iron is hot and push through!"

"Li Wenzhong was able to wipe out three hundred thousand of their troops with only one hundred thousand men. Now that our morale is high, we should head north immediately, destroy the Great Qian, and eliminate any future threats once and for all!"

Several other military officials followed suit, echoing his sentiments.

"Right! Let's beat the hell out of them!"

"The Great Qian has been bullying us for a hundred years; it's time to make them taste defeat!"

"Your Majesty, this humble general is willing to lead troops north to assist Li Wenzhong!"

"This humble general is also willing to go!"

The military officials were filled with righteous indignation, rolling up their sleeves, eager to ride out of the city immediately and strike the Great Qian from the north.

However, the civil officials did not look so pleased.

Minister of Revenue Li Qiming was the first to step forward, frowning as he spoke.

"Generals, do not act on impulse."

"War is not fought on passion alone."

"Do you know how much silver is in the national treasury? Have you calculated if the provisions are sufficient?"

"The Central Army has just finished fighting, with nearly one hundred thousand casualties, and the rest are exhausted."

"If we strike north now and fail, what then?"

At this moment, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, Yang Rong, also chimed in.

"Minister Li is right."

"Although we wiped out three hundred thousand in the north, the Great Qian still has hundreds of thousands of troops; they aren't out of soldiers yet."

"On our side, the Zhenbei Army is gone, and the Southern Garrison Army is gone. We are short on troops in both the north and south."

"If Li Wenzhong loses, and the Great Qian takes advantage of the situation to move south, our northern border will be empty. What will we use to stop them?"

Several civil officials nodded in agreement.

"Indeed, war cannot be fought on a whim."

"We must consider this carefully."

"If we lose, the consequences will be unimaginable."

The military faction was displeased.

"You civil officials only know how to count!"

"You've been counting for a hundred years, what have you calculated?"

"You've only calculated how the Great Qian can crap on our heads!"

"Exactly! Back when the Great Ancestor was conquering the world, if he had calculated things like this, the Great Xia would have been gone long ago!"

"Li Wenzhong won with only one hundred thousand men; now with the Central Army added, what is there to fear?"

The two sides argued incessantly.

The civil officials said the treasury was empty; the military officials said the opportunity must not be missed.

The civil officials spoke of what would happen if they lost; the military officials said they wouldn't lose.

The noise grew louder and louder, like a vegetable market.

Xia Chen sat on the Dragon throne, tapping his fingers on the armrest without saying a word.

He listened for a while, and after the two sides had argued enough, he finally spoke.

"Are you finished arguing?"

The hall instantly fell silent.

Xia Chen leaned back on the Dragon throne, his gaze sweeping across both sides. The military officials were all flushed and red-necked from the argument.

The civil officials all lowered their heads, not saying a word.

"Li Wenzhong wants to continue pushing north; that is a good idea."

"The Great Qian has been crapping on our heads for a hundred years. The common people have been holding back their anger, and now that we have turned the tables, it is only right to pursue our victory."

The military officials' eyes lit up, thinking Your Majesty had agreed.

But Xia Chen changed the subject.

"But war is not child's play; we must see if our resources are sufficient."

"The Central Army has just finished a hard battle, with nearly one hundred thousand casualties. The men and horses are exhausted, and the provisions are almost depleted."

"If we strike north now and fail, letting them bite back, the losses will outweigh the gains."

The military officials opened their mouths, but no one spoke.

Xia Chen was not one of those civil officials.

They dared to challenge the civil officials.

But no one dared to challenge Xia Chen.

The civil officials glanced sideways at the military officials, their smugness on full display.

Xia Chen ignored their reactions and began to issue his decree.

"Hear my decree."

"First."

"All remaining forces of the Central Army are to move north and be placed under the command of Li Wenzhong."

"Tell him to station there and defend the newly conquered territory."

"As for continuing the northern expedition, we will hold off for now."

"We will discuss it again once the troops have rested and provisions are fully prepared."

The messenger hurriedly noted it down.

"Second, General Lin Yue."

General Lin Yue stepped forward: "This subject is here."

"You are to remain in Luozhou to recruit troops and train a new army."

"You are to fill the gap in the Central Army for Us."

"The northern and southern borders are both short on men; you must hurry."

General Lin Yue cupped his hands: "This subject obeys!"

"Third."

Xia Chen looked toward Grand Guardian Wu Zongxian.

"Order the Western Garrison Army and the Eastern Garrison Army to each dispatch fifty thousand troops to station in the south."

"Although Prince Kang has been pacified in the south, the territory is vast, and we cannot leave it without troops."

Grand Guardian Wu Zongxian hurriedly stepped forward: "This subject will go and handle it immediately."

After the three orders were issued, the hall fell silent for a moment.

General Lin Yue frowned, hesitated for a moment, but still stepped out and spoke.

"Your Majesty, this subject has a question."

"Speak."

General Lin Yue carefully chose his words: "Your Majesty, by moving all of the Central Army to the northern border, Luozhou will be left empty."

"Although the capital still has the Imperial Guards, if... I mean if, someone foolish decides to cause trouble again, here in the capital..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but the meaning was clear.

The Central Army was the first line of defense for the capital. If they were all moved away, what would the capital use to stop a rebellion?

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense.

Several old officials secretly exchanged glances, none daring to speak.

Xia Chen looked at General Lin Yue for a while and said indifferently.

"It is fine, We have our own ways."

General Lin Yue wanted to say more, but when Xia Chen glanced over, he swallowed the words that had reached his lips.

Although he had always been stationed in Luozhou.

He still knew clearly how this Emperor had ascended the throne.

From killing his way through the Third Prince's death squads on the road back to the capital, to entering the palace and slaying Commander Liu Zhenshan with a single sword strike.

After ascending the throne, he wiped out the Empress, the Su Family, the Shen Family, and the Liu Family.

Then he killed the Second Prince, the Third Prince, the Fifth Prince, and the Ninth Prince.

These were all his own relatives.

Yet Xia Chen didn't even blink.

How could such a decisive Emperor not have a way?

Moreover, General Lin Yue could feel it.

There was absolutely no aura on Xia Chen.

This situation made even an old veteran like him, a Heavenly Human Realm Late Stage expert, feel a chill down his spine.

He had lived for over a hundred years, fought countless battles, and seen countless experts, but he had never had this feeling before.

Even the Late Emperor Xia Tianlin, at his peak, could not have had absolutely no aura.

A thought popped into General Lin Yue's mind, and he quickly suppressed it.

"A Land Immortal?"

"Only a Land Immortal could achieve such a complete absence of aura, right?"

"But, that's impossible."

"This land hadn't produced a Land Immortal for hundreds, perhaps thousands of years."

"How could it be..."

General Lin Yue hurriedly pushed this thought down; he dared not think about it anymore.

He knew all too well the value of a Land Immortal.

With the existence of a Land Immortal, the entire Great Xia and even the surrounding nations would have to prostrate at the feet of the Great Xia.

Thinking of this, General Lin Yue felt a surge of excitement.

"If His Majesty was truly a Land Immortal, that would be wonderful."

He knew that at the time of His Majesty's ascension, his strength was at the Peak Heaven-Human Realm.

A Peak Heaven-Human Realm expert at only twenty years old.

For such a genius, it was not impossible to break through to become a Land Immortal.

Even if the Laws of this world were flawed and could not give birth to a Land Immortal.

But His Majesty possessed the Mandate of Heaven.

Perhaps he was even above the Laws of Heaven and Earth!

Since His Majesty chose not to reveal his strength, it must be His Majesty's own consideration.

As a subject, he only needed to obey.

Anyway, if the sky fell, His Majesty would hold it up!

"This subject understands."

Xia Chen swept his gaze across the hall, and seeing no one else speak, he said, "Then it is settled. Court dismissed."