The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

As soon as Li Deyu finished speaking, Niu Sengru and the others opposite him immediately showed smiles.

Because from these words, it's clear that Li Deyu's logic was somewhat confused at this point, as he hadn't prepared in advance.

"Your Majesty, the regional military governors' guards and the Shence Army are different. The reason why the guards are arrogant and domineering is that they have been stationed in the same place for a long time. On the other hand, the fixed military registration of the Shence Army is precisely so that the Shence Army can be rotated regularly. There is a fundamental difference between the two."

"Moreover, the military guards of the regional military governors have developed to the point that they have become the private armies of the governors. Their military, political, financial and personnel arrangements are all under their own control. Therefore, these military guards can arbitrarily depose and install governors."

"But the Shence Army is the army of the imperial court. The Shence Military Governor's Office is in charge of the overall situation, the Department of Revenue is responsible for the allocation of military funds, and the Secretariat and the Chancellery are in charge of confidential matters and jointly allocate and manage the troops with the Shence Military Governor's Office."

"With all these factors combined, the Shence Army can be kept under the control of the imperial court and will never be allowed to become a bunch of regional military governors' vassal troops."

Linghu Chu listed them one by one, and spoke at length.

But in fact, even without so many reasons, the fact that troops are rotated regularly is enough to refute Li Deyu's argument.

The formation of the Yabing (牙兵) was essentially due to the fact that they were just local private soldiers, whose sphere of influence was limited to a small area. This special culture of subjugation only emerged when administration, personnel, and finance were highly centralized.

However, as the number of soldiers increases and their sphere of influence expands, with various institutions exercising checks and balances, this so-called "military culture" will naturally gradually disappear.

In a sense, the probability of a power grab by eunuchs or powerful ministers in the central court was much greater than the possibility of the army becoming completely militarized.

After all, for the regional military governors, because power is highly centralized, the soldiers can solve all problems by simply changing the military governor.

But if you can replace the emperor in the central court, how can you replace all the civil and military officials and various government departments?

Li Deyu's attempt to refute Linghu Chu from this angle shows that he was genuinely anxious.

Therefore, unsurprisingly, Li Deyu's expression turned very ugly after hearing Linghu Chu's words.

He wanted to refute it again, but in his haste, he couldn't think of a very good reason, so he could only say...

"Your Majesty, I still believe that reforms should be carried out gradually and not hastily. At present, the Shence Army is undergoing reforms. If we rashly investigate the military register, it may cause unrest. We should be cautious."

That's what they say, but after the debate we just had, such a vague reason is clearly not very convincing.

So in fact, the outcome of this discussion has basically been determined; all that remains is for the emperor to make the final decision.

Therefore, almost everyone's gaze turned to the saint on the throne.

Seeing this, Li Ang did not hesitate.

After all, Wang Ya had already privately mentioned the matter of checking military personnel records, and it was indeed included in the subsequent reform plan.

Although Wang Ya's eventual decision to join forces with Linghu Chu was somewhat unexpected, the general direction was within his expectations.

"This matter pertains to the Shence Army; what are your opinions, Commanders?"

This question itself reveals Li Ang's attitude.

Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi were both intelligent men, and Wang Ya and Linghu Chu had spoken with them privately before they entered the hall, so naturally they had no objections and spoke up.

"The Shence Army is the Imperial Guard, directly under His Majesty's command. All military affairs must be subject to His Majesty's decision. We will certainly do our utmost."

"That's excellent." Li Ang nodded and quickly said, "Since this matter was initiated by Minister Linghu, you should take charge of it."

"After the court session ends, you should draft a detailed memorial, outlining the difficulties that may be encountered in investigating the military register and the solutions. After the court session resumes after the New Year, we will convene the Yan Ying Conference and summon the Secretariat and the Military Governor's Office to discuss the matter together."

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the people below changed.

Li Deyu's face was almost as black as the bottom of a pot, while Niu Sengru and others could hardly hide their joy.

It should be noted that Linghu Chu had already stated his thoughts earlier that such major political affairs involving various government departments should ideally be led and overseen by a prime minister.

Now, the sage has entrusted this matter to him, which is practically an explicit instruction.

"Your subject obeys the decree..."

"Master Sikong, please stay for a moment. The rest of you may leave."

On the throne, Li Ang spoke again, and everyone quickly rose, bowed respectfully, and took their leave.

Once outside the palace gates, Li Deyu had long lost interest in continuing to chat with others and walked silently toward the Hall of State Affairs.

However, it was at this very moment that Linghu Chu called out to him.

"Please wait, Mr. Li..."

So Li Deyu had no choice but to turn around and coldly watch Linghu Chu and Niu Sengru walk towards him.

Not being in the Emperor's presence at the moment, he didn't bother with formalities and simply said...

"What is it?"

However, perhaps because of this great victory, Niu Sengru was very calm when facing him, and even had a smile on his face as he said.

"Lord Li, this investigation of military records is a matter of national policy, and it also supports your reform of the Shence Army. If we can work together, the atmosphere of the Shence Army will surely be completely renewed."

"Although we had a disagreement today, it was all in the best interests of the people. In the future, we will need your cooperation in many matters at court. I would like to express my gratitude in advance..."

These words were spoken politely, and could even be described as carrying a hint of reconciliation.

However, at this critical juncture, with the imperial debate having just ended in failure, Niu Sengru's words were undoubtedly seen as a provocation by Li Deyu.

His face was ashen, and he coldly glanced at Linghu Chu and Niu Sengru before letting out a sneer.

"Whether it was out of public interest or to flatter the sage, you all know in your hearts. I lost in court today, but such a major policy will not be decided by just one debate today. We will have plenty of time to have another debate in the court in the future..."

With that, he angrily flicked his sleeve and turned to leave.

Seeing this, Zheng Qin, who was standing to the side, was immediately worried. He also gave the two people opposite him a cold look before chasing after them.

As for Linghu Chu and Niu Sengru, they stood there and smiled at each other, everything understood without saying a word.

A moment later, inside the Hall of State Affairs.

Zheng Qin pulled Li Deyu to sit down in the office. He had jogged all the way here, and as soon as he sat down, he picked up the tea and took a big sip.

"Brother Zheng, slow down, don't choke..."

Li Deyu sat down behind the desk. In contrast, his expression was much calmer now, without any trace of the anger he had shown earlier.

After a long while, Zheng Qin finally caught his breath, and his first words were...

"Wenrao, you mustn't act impulsively. Those two, Niu Sengru and Niu Sengru, were clearly trying to provoke you. If you actually do something to stop them..."

"Then the saint will punish me first!"

Before Zheng Qin could finish speaking, Li Deyu continued.

Seeing this, Zheng Qin was slightly taken aback, and his tone softened.

"Have you figured it out?"

Li Deyu said, "There's nothing to understand or not understand. It's one thing to argue for such important court policies in front of the emperor, but it's quite another to sabotage them afterwards."

"Since the Emperor has already given his approval to investigate the military register, if I were to secretly obstruct it, how would I be any different from those despicable people like the Niu Clique?"