Chapter 59: Small Court Meeting (Please collect! Please vote! Please invest!)
Because the current emperor Jiang Rui is only ten years old and has not yet taken power, the power of the Great Zhou is basically controlled by a cabinet composed of five important officials. According to custom and without exception, on the first day of every ten days, the five important officials meet in the conference room to discuss state affairs. This is called a small court meeting.

And today is April 11th, the day when the cabinet holds a small court meeting.

The four bigwigs in the court waited in the conference room for about an incense stick of time, and then footsteps were heard outside the conference room.

Hearing the footsteps, the four people in the conference room all became serious and adjusted their states. Soon, a middle-aged man with a slender figure, extraordinary aura, and dressed in crane court robes, walked into the conference room.

Seeing this person coming, the four important officials of the Great Zhou in the meeting room all stood up and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Prime Minister!"

Shangguan Hongyuan looked around at everyone, nodded slightly, and sat down in the vacant main seat in the conference room. As he sat down, the others slowly returned to their seats.

It seemed that everyone knew what was going to be discussed next and what would happen, so the atmosphere in the conference room was very solemn. Except for Shangguan Hongyuan who remained calm, the other four people all had extremely serious expressions.

Seeing that none of the four spoke first, Shangguan Hongyuan was not surprised. His eyes shifted to Xu Bingyang, the Minister of War, who was sitting first on his right...
As Shangguan Hongyuan's important supporter in the court and his only ally in the cabinet, Xu Bingyang sighed in his heart after feeling the gaze from his superiors, but he did not refuse and said:
"Reporting to the Prime Minister, the Luobei people from the eastern border have repeatedly invaded the border over the years, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of evil. The people on the border are in dire straits. This time, they even want to conspire to instigate Gongdu King Li Zaiyuan to betray the Great Zhou. Their behavior is outrageous to both humans and gods, and their wolfish ambitions are obvious!"

"Therefore, after careful discussion with my colleagues in the Ministry of War, I request the Prime Minister to organize a Zhenwu Army in Liaoyang to stabilize the eastern border and guard against the Luobi people. If the Luobi people dare to cross the border, they will be given a head-on blow!"

After Xu Bingyang finished speaking, Shangguan Hongyuan nodded slightly, and then said calmly: "My Lords, what do you think of the proposal of the Ministry of War to organize the Zhenwu Army?"

After he finished speaking, the room fell into silence again. Those who could sit here were all outstanding people. They all understood the proposal of training Zhenwu Army. Although it was Xu Bingyang who said it, the mastermind behind the scenes was the Prime Minister Shangguan Hongyuan. Shangguan Hongyuan just used Xu Bingyang's mouth to bring up this matter...

Zhao Yuanan, Yang Chunchen, and Lin Yi exchanged glances in silence. Yang Chunchen, who was sitting behind Xu Bingyang, stepped forward first and said carefully, "I wonder how many soldiers the Zhenwu Army plans to train? How much military expenditure will it require?"

Although he knew that Yang Chunchen was asking the question knowingly, since he had asked it, Xu Bingyang, as the Minister of War, had to patiently introduce it:
"We are currently planning to establish a military army. We will select a group of military officers from the Imperial Guards, and then recruit and train 30,000 soldiers in Liaoyang. The first batch of military expenses will be 500,000 taels of silver, and the next 300,000 taels will be spent every year."

Hearing this answer, which was exactly the same as what he had heard before, Yang Chunchen did not embarrass Xu Bingyang anymore. Instead, he turned his attention to Shangguan Hongyuan, who was sitting in the main seat, and said very carefully:
"Master Prime Minister, I heard that the Robe people's envoys arrived in Luoan three days ago. Is this true?"

As soon as Yang Chunchen said this, the eyes of the four important officials in the court were all focused on Shangguan Hongyuan. Under the gaze of the four people, Shangguan Hongyuan nodded and said, "It is true!"

"Then may I ask, Prime Minister, what is the purpose of the Luobei delegation coming here?" Yang Chunchen continued to ask:
In spite of Yang Chunchen's continuous questioning, Shangguan Hongyuan remained unanimous and said calmly, "Peace talks!" After receiving this satisfactory answer from Shangguan Hongyuan, Yang Chunchen bowed to Shangguan Hongyuan, then sat in his seat without saying a word. He had completed his mission as a pioneer, and the rest depended on others!

"I wonder what the Prime Minister thinks of what the Luo people are asking for?"

After Yang Chunchen finished speaking, Duke Chengguo Zhao Yuanan, who was sitting on the left hand side of Shangguan Hongyuan, took over the conversation and asked Shangguan Hongyuan tentatively:

"We do have to talk, but the Luobei people are barbarians from outside the Great Wall and have no trust or loyalty at all. We must be on guard against them!" Shangguan Hongyuan's tone was flat, but the meaning revealed in his words was firm and unquestionable.

Zhao Yuanan, Yang Chunchen, and Lin Yi all felt their hearts sink when they heard this. The three of them exchanged glances quickly, and Zhao Yuanan spoke again to exhort:

“Your Excellency Prime Minister, what you said is very kind. However, I heard that the reason why the Luobi people asked for peace this time is because the Golden Horde is preparing to invade the Elunqin Steppe again. A protracted war will surely break out outside the Great Wall. The Luobi people should be unable to invade our dynasty in the short term...”

"The court's income is tight now. Lord Prime Minister, do you think we can consider the issue of training the Zhenwu Army in the long term?" After saying this, Zhao Yuanan looked up at Shangguan Hongyuan, observing the expression of the powerful Prime Minister of the Great Zhou.

Although his ideas were opposed by the ministers at the cabinet meeting, Shangguan Hongyuan still did not show any displeasure on his face. Under the gaze of everyone, Shangguan Hongyuan said expressionlessly, ""

"I think Duke Cheng must have made a mistake. The Luobei people will not be able to invade our dynasty in the short term, but this does not mean that we can live in peace!"

"You know, if the enemy can go there, I can go there too!"

"Over the years, the Luobei people have frequently invaded the border, making the Khitan, Shiwei and other ethnic minorities in Liaoyang restless. If we don't teach them a hard lesson and let them know the might of the Great Zhou, will Liaoyang still be the Liaoyang of the Great Zhou if this continues?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of coldness emerged on Shangguan Hongyuan's angular face, which immediately made the hearts of several people in the room sink.

At this time, the Minister of Rites Lin Yi, who was sitting behind Zhao Yuanan and had not spoken, said in a deep voice: "Please think twice, Prime Minister. The court is in financial difficulties and is already stretched to the limit in maintaining the current situation. We can no longer afford to send out a large army!"

(End of this chapter)