If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

Zhao Yu put on a smiling face and asked in a friendly manner:

"Uncle, what do you think of this 'one city, one army' system?"

Upon hearing this, the Xuanzheng Hall fell silent instantly.

The civil and military officials, who had been arguing fiercely, all stopped arguing and turned to look at Prince Qian Zhentian of Zhennan.

After all, he was a powerful prince who commanded a million soldiers of the Great Liang Dynasty, and his attitude was of paramount importance.

Qian Zhentian was picking his nose out of boredom when he was startled by the stares of so many people.

He then burst into a loud, rough laugh.

"Ah...hahaha!"

"Nephew, your uncle is just a rough man. All I know is how to lead troops into battle. What do I know about military systems?"

"This is a matter of national importance, you can make the decision yourself. I, your uncle, will support you!"

As he spoke, he patted his chest forcefully, making a dull thud.

With his honest and straightforward appearance, anyone who saw him would think he was a straightforward and honest warrior without any scheming.

But everyone knew perfectly well that someone who could command a million soldiers could not possibly be a kind-hearted person.

Zhao Yu smiled slightly, but did not ask any further questions.

He already understood that his uncle, whom he considered a stranger, was testing him.

Zhao Yu withdrew his gaze from Qian Zhentian and looked again at Li Qiang, the Minister of War, and the group of civil officials behind him with their various expressions.

His brain was working at lightning speed.

Agree to recruit soldiers?

Those five families could then rightfully turn the prefectures under their jurisdiction into their own sweet potato fields.

At that time, if government orders do not leave the capital, the emperor himself will be completely sidelined and become a puppet in name only.

But if you disagree...

Zhao Yu frowned slightly.

These civil officials, who have been feeling stifled in the court for so many days, will definitely try every means to trip them up.

It's harvest time right now, and this is the most important tax revenue of the year.

They only need to manipulate the tax collection process, and if they can collect 10% of the tax revenue this quarter, it's considered a stroke of luck.

More importantly, without money, all of my subsequent plans would have to be put on hold.

The situation is tricky!

Below the stage, a number of civil officials, led by Li Qiang, already wore smug expressions on their faces.

They clearly anticipated this.

They were convinced that the young emperor had no choice but to compromise.

After all, an emperor who has the throne but no money or provisions is no different from a cripple who has lost his hands and eyes.

Just as these civil officials were confident of victory and waiting for Zhao Yu to back down, a voice shattered their smug illusions.

"Your Majesty! I firmly oppose the system of one army per city!"

Prime Minister Wang Zhang strode out from the ranks, his voice strong and clear.

"Recruiting soldiers in each city is tantamount to local separatism! If officials in the cities surrounding the capital harbor rebellious intentions, a large army could arrive in no time, and the capital will once again be besieged, repeating the mistakes of the Wolf Kingdom's military calamities!"

He turned his head sharply, glared at Li Qiang, the Minister of War, and questioned him in a stern voice.

"Lord Li, what are you plotting? Are you perhaps planning a rebellion?"

The words "treason" were displayed directly on the table.

Everyone knows this perfectly well, it's just that before it's weighed, it's only four ounces, but once it's weighed, it's over a hundred pounds.

Everyone's faces fell, clearly not expecting Wang Zhang to bring this matter up so openly.

Minister of War Li Qiang's face darkened, and he let out a cold snort.

"Lord Wang, you are mistaken! The vast majority of our officials in Great Liang come from the five noble families, loyal and virtuous for generations, deeply favored by the Emperor. They will only dedicate themselves to Great Liang until their dying breath, so how could they possibly plot rebellion!"

He changed his tone and retorted:

"But you, Lord Wang, are so adamant in opposing the recruitment of soldiers. Do you want local bandits to continue to run rampant, trade routes to be cut off, tax revenue to be collected, and His Majesty to have no money to use?"

Upon hearing this, Wang and Zhang flew into a rage, their beards and hair standing on end.

"Nonsense! If local officials can't even protect the tax revenue under their jurisdiction, it only proves that they are incompetent and do nothing to be officials! In my opinion, such mediocre officials should be dismissed and investigated immediately!"

Li Qiang was so enraged by his words that his face turned ashen, and he immediately broke off all pretense of civility.

"How dare you, Wang Zhang! You are merely an acting prime minister. His Majesty has not yet issued a formal decree, yet you dare to point fingers at court officials here!"

"Exactly! He's just an agent, what does he know about the rules!"

"Lord Wang, you have overstepped your authority!"

As soon as Li Qiang finished speaking, the civil officials behind him immediately launched an attack, all pointing fingers at Wang and Zhang.

Chaos erupted once again inside the hall.

"That's enough!"

Zhao Yu suddenly spoke.

The voice wasn't loud, but it carried an air of authority, instantly silencing all the noise.

The entire hall fell silent once again.

Zhao Yu looked at Wang Zhang, whose face was full of anger and who seemed about to say something more.

"Minister Wang, you may step down now."

Wang Zhang was taken aback, his face a mixture of anger and resentment. He moved his lips, but ultimately bowed in respect.

"I... obey your order."

They slowly retreated back into the queue.

Seeing this, Li Qiang and the civil officials behind him smiled even more broadly.

In their view, the emperor's decision to dismiss Wang and Zhang was a signal of compromise.

Li Qiang stroked his beard with a smug grin, stepped forward, and grinned broadly.

"Your Majesty is wise! Once the power to recruit soldiers is in your hands, I guarantee that bandits and villains everywhere will tremble in fear and dare not disturb trade routes again. This year's autumn taxes will definitely be delivered to the national treasury!"

A smile appeared on Zhao Yu's face.

"Minister Li is right. Bandits are rampant all over the Great Liang. Local officials have no troops at their disposal, so it is indeed difficult to maintain order, let alone suppress bandits and ensure tax revenue."

Upon hearing this, the smiles on the faces of the civil officials widened even further.

"But!" Zhao Yu paused, his words faltering.

The faces of the many civil officials immediately darkened, thinking that Zhao Yu was going to renege on his promise again and refuse to grant them the right to recruit soldiers.

Minister of War Li Qiang cupped his hands and said, "Your Majesty, winter is approaching, and the importance of taxation cannot be overstated..."

He wanted to "remind" Zhao Yu again, but before he could finish speaking, Zhao Yu spoke up again.

"But bandits are not easy to deal with. If each prefecture only has a few thousand soldiers, it probably won't be of much use."

"Wh...what?!"

"!"

"!"

"!"

The atmosphere in the hall froze instantly, and everyone looked on incredulously.

Everyone else is afraid of their subordinates gaining military power, but you're the opposite—you're afraid your subordinates don't have enough power!

The Minister of War tentatively asked, "Does Your Majesty mean... with too few people, safety cannot be guaranteed?"

Zhao Yu nodded and added, "I cannot guarantee the safety of the tax money. If it is robbed by bandits, I will be in a very difficult position."

The civil officials were overjoyed, unable to suppress their smiles.

Do they not know whether there are bandits or not?

The Minister of War asked with a beaming smile, "Then, Your Majesty, how many do you think should be recruited?"

Zhao Yu pretended to think for a moment, then said, "A city must have no fewer than ten thousand troops. If it has fewer than ten thousand troops, then it will be considered disobeying an imperial order, won't it?"

"Aha... Ahahaha..."

Upon hearing this, many civil officials felt satisfied and tried to suppress their laughter.

The way he looked at Zhao Yu now held a hint of disbelief, as if he were an idiot.

However, they couldn't see that Zhao Yu looked at them as if they were prey falling into a trap.

He had already devised a brilliant plan: to lure the enemy into a trap and then strike at their root!