ALL NOVEL chapter 7
Chapter 7: Why is His Majesty Expanding the Army?
A monthly court meeting.
This is a routine in Daxia. On the first day of every month, His Majesty the Emperor comes to the main hall to handle state affairs. On this day, all central officials must be present.
This is also the day when the civil and military officials gather the most, so many major decisions are made on this day. For this reason, on the first day of every month, a large number of envoys and spies from various countries around the world wait near the palace, waiting for these officials to leave the palace and catch some information from their mouths.
However, this situation is rare. The court officials are very tight-lipped, and there is almost no issue of leaking secrets. At most, they would talk about some inconsequential decisions.
The civil and military officials lined up on both sides, quietly waiting for the emperor sitting above to speak.
Xia Yuxiao looked at the civil and military officials in front of her, then turned her gaze to Qin Ji, who was standing at the forefront.
“Today, there is something to discuss with all of you.”
Xia Yuxiao didn’t waste any words and spoke directly.
The ministers slightly lowered their heads, making a gesture of listening attentively.
“Since I ascended the throne, the country has been relatively peaceful, but I still cannot rest easy,” Xia Yuxiao said slowly. “Our Great Xia has been established for over a thousand years, and for over a thousand years, there have been continuous wars. The surrounding countries, the southern barbarian countries with their hot climate and miasma, the bitterly cold land of the northern Di, the narrow and unbearable land of the eastern Yi, and the western Rong with its endless yellow sand. Only our Great Xia has fertile land stretching for thousands of miles and abundant resources. Although the surrounding countries now bow their heads in submission, they have never stopped coveting our territory.”
As she said this, her gaze swept over the military officials in the court, as if trying to discern something from their expressions.
“Your Majesty means?”
“The late emperor fought on all fronts for thirty years, establishing the foundation that I see today. However, in my opinion, the surrounding barbarians must have the ambition to seize our Great Xia’s territory as soon as I ascended the throne.”
“I want to recruit and train new troops to expand the scale of the Great Xia Iron Army.”
“……”
When Qin Ji heard this, his mind buzzed, and he looked up at this woman in disbelief.
Are you crazy?
Just ascended the throne, and immediately preparing to expand the army and prepare for war? What kind of operation is this? Shouldn’t you first suppress the court ministers, stabilize the surrounding countries, deal with the loyalists of the late emperor, and then consider putting pressure on the surrounding countries?
And do you think Great Xia is a weak military country now? The late emperor died halfway through his career, leaving behind 1.06 million Great Xia Iron Army soldiers… These are just the full-time soldiers for war, not counting the large number of reserve troops prepared by Great Xia to deal with the Western Holy Church.
1.06 million soldiers, my dear! And you still plan to expand the army, what are you doing? Even if Great Xia has money, it shouldn’t be squandered like this, right?
“Your Majesty, I have something to say, but I don’t know if it is appropriate.”
Qin Ji quickly stepped forward, bowed, and saluted.
Xia Yuxiao glanced at him, her hand slightly gripping the armrest of the seat: “Speak freely.”
Whether it is appropriate or not, you will definitely speak. If I don’t let you speak, you might turn against me. Forget it, this dog will be dealt with sooner or later.
“Since I hold the position of Grand Marshal, commanding the country’s soldiers, I naturally have to think for the country. Your Majesty, do you know that our Great Xia now has over a million soldiers, with countless experts among them? In the Battle of Jinbei, our Great Xia shocked the world, and a million soldiers are enough to suppress the barbarians. If we continue to expand the army, I am worried…”
“The Grand Marshal is mistaken.”
A military officer suddenly stood up and said.
“The Grand Marshal has been in a high position for a long time and is unaware. Since the late emperor grew old, the surrounding countries have been eyeing our border lands. In the year the late emperor passed away, there were already more than a dozen conflicts. Now that Great Xia’s internal affairs are gradually stabilizing, I believe we should expand the army. On one hand, it can deter the surrounding countries, and on the other hand, it can respond to the joint invasions of the border countries at any time.”
Qin Ji recognized this general, surnamed Tie, a newly appointed general, and the youngest among the twelve generals of Great Xia.
“General Tie is right, but although our Great Xia’s treasury is sufficient, there are still many places that need money. Moreover, how much do you want to expand the army? If we expand the army by 200,000, we will lose 200,000 strong laborers and have to supply food for 200,000 soldiers. Can the food supply be maintained? Can the treasury ensure the construction of various major projects nationwide?”
Qin Ji carefully expressed his views.
“Grand Marshal Qin, as the Grand Marshal, you should know that now the countries are constantly at war, and the flames of war have not ceased. Besides the countries, there are also other species coveting us. If Great Xia does not strengthen its military, how can it protect itself?”
“Strengthening the military is not only about expanding the army. I naturally agree with enhancing the military, but I do not agree with expanding the army. We can completely use the money originally intended to support these hundreds of thousands of soldiers to improve the quality of our Great Xia’s military. For example, the Holy Knights of the Holy Church are a model of high-quality soldiers. Using their so-called holy techniques and advanced holy armor, they can fight one against a hundred. If we use the money for expanding the army to enhance the combat capabilities of our soldiers, wouldn’t it be wonderful?”
The two were arguing, but Xia Yuxiao, who had brought up the topic, was just watching them argue.
A slight smile appeared on her face, and while she was still watching the two argue, Qin Ji turned to Xia Yuxiao:
“Your Majesty, what do you think?”
“Ah? Ah…” Xia Yuxiao was a bit stunned by his sudden question, just like a student who was daydreaming in class and suddenly called upon by the teacher, “I think General Tie is right. Of course, I understand the Grand Commandant’s concern for the country and the people. But now, with the border defense imminent, expanding the army is the fastest and most effective way.”
“Does Your Majesty really think so?”
Qin Ji took two steps forward, stopping less than two meters away from Xia Yuxiao, and then bowed: “Your Majesty, I hope you understand that the empire is not yet completely pacified internally. Some regions still harbor rebellious intentions against Your Majesty, and last year, Hexi County suffered a great disaster, affecting the surrounding counties. The common people are still waiting for the court to rebuild the county town and allocate food… The urgent task is to appease the people’s hearts, not to exhaust the military.”
At this point, Qin Ji raised his head and looked directly at the emperor: “Or is it that Your Majesty’s intention is not to strengthen the border defense by expanding the army, but to increase Your Majesty’s… army size?”
This sounded like nonsense.
Expanding the army means increasing the size of the army, which is very normal. However, almost everyone present understood the meaning behind Qin Ji’s words:
“Your Majesty, you are using the pretext of expanding the army to increase the troops under your direct control, right?”
It’s a simple logic—currently, within the court, Duke An Guo, Qin Ji, holds the military power of 300,000 troops, while the rest are under the control of Your Majesty and the generals.
Although 300,000 is not much compared to the empire’s total of over a million troops, these 300,000 are all veteran soldiers of the Xia Kingdom, each brave and battle-hardened, and many of the officers have followed Duke An Guo since the previous Duke’s time.
The court does not dare to touch his military power.
But the court can “expand the army.” Once expanded, Qin Ji has no sufficient reason to demand the military power of these new troops, and these soldiers naturally belong to Your Majesty.
In other words, it indirectly increases the actual control of Your Majesty’s forces.