You were asked to impersonate the King of Qin, not to become emperor!

Although Chen Yong was unwilling, the facts were right in front of him, which silenced him.

"Haha, King Qin has done a great service this time! This salt-making technique doesn't seem complicated at all. Once it's widely adopted, it will benefit the world for generations to come!"

Emperor Jin's anger turned to joy. It is said that food is the most important thing for the people, and the importance of salt is no less than that of grain.

But as soon as this salt-making method was introduced, the faces of all the aristocratic officials, led by Zhang Xianzhao, changed.

These aristocratic families relied on salt trading as their family foundation.

The high prices ensured their wealth for generations to come.

In contrast, the industries of the Langya Wang clan and the Jizhou Zhen clan were not primarily based on salt.

Those who suffered the most were the southern gentry, all of whom were former supporters of the Prince of Jin.

Although it is not yet widespread, Zhang Xianzhao and others have realized that their families will suffer a heavy blow because of it.

If it were a weak emperor, they could use the power of the gentry to prevent the implementation of the new salt-making method.

But he happened to encounter a powerful ruler like the Jin Emperor.

Zhang Xianzhao knew that if they were obstructed, the Jin Emperor would definitely wipe out their entire clan.

"Father, that's nothing, there's even better news!" Chen Xuan pressed on while the iron was hot.

Chen Yong and Zhang Xianzhao were taken aback, but they felt uneasy, thinking that Chen Xuan was about to do something even more unpleasant to them.

The Jin Emperor, however, was filled with curiosity and asked, "Stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly, what good news is it?"

"Your Majesty has learned that there is a salt lake in the ancient Qiang region, enough to feed the people of our Great Jin for ten thousand years. Your Majesty humbly requests that we send troops to occupy this salt lake. In the future, by producing salt, our Great Jin can quickly restore its national strength. Moreover, the ancient Qiang region is currently weak, and we will benefit greatly from this war."

"Besides, we only want the salt lake, and the ancient Qiang people don't know that. We can get it with just a medium-sized war!"

Chen Xuan had absolutely no idea what the implications of his words were!

Enough to feed them for ten thousand years—such a temptation was enough to make the Great Jin Dynasty risk its national destiny to fight this war.

Is this really true?

Emperor Jin was overjoyed upon hearing this, as the natural disasters plaguing the Jin Dynasty had left him extremely troubled.

Now, the opportunity to get rich quick is right in front of you.

Once the salt lake is captured, refined salt can be used to exchange for grain from various countries, making the Great Jin Dynasty wealthy.

When the people live a prosperous life, rebellions by displaced leaders and the like will naturally be extinguished.

"It is absolutely true, how could your son dare to deceive Father Emperor!" Chen Xuan said.

"Alright, you will be in charge of this war against the ancient Qiang. How many troops do you need?" Emperor Jin asked, looking at Chen Xuan.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yong, Zhang Xianzhao, and the others were so angry they nearly vomited blood.

This time, the aristocratic families listened to them and piled up their salt, refusing to sell it even at high prices.

If Chen Xuan succeeds, these aristocratic families will definitely harbor resentment towards them.

What's even more frustrating is that this wave yielded nothing; firstly, it severely weakened the major clans, and secondly, it allowed Chen Xuan to legitimately gain military power.

They knew very well that Emperor Jin was willing to give up his troops in the face of such temptation.

Given Chen Xuan's personality, he would definitely ask for an exorbitant amount.

"Reporting to Father Emperor, the ancient Qiang soldiers are extremely skilled in battle. The best way to win this war is to use the elite troops of the Great Jin Dynasty to achieve a decisive victory. Otherwise, things may change if we delay! Once the ancient Qiang people learn of the existence of this salt lake, they will fight to the death. At that time, we will have to pay an even greater price to take the salt lake!" Chen Xuan said.

Upon hearing this, the Jin Emperor slowly nodded. "The elite troops of the Great Jin are at your disposal. Which unit do you think could win this battle?"

Seeing that his plan had succeeded, Chen Xuan naturally spoke without any politeness: "Your Majesty, I believe that only the elite troops who have fought against the Xiongnu in the north have the strength to quickly defeat the ancient Qiang. Now that the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Wuhuan are embroiled in a chaotic war, there is no need to send heavy troops to the north. I think that if we transfer 100,000 elite troops from the Prince of Yan, the most elite of them, we will surely achieve a resounding victory!"

The Prince of Yan was originally a son of a concubine, and he was the most capable military commander among the vassal kings of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Emperor Jin was already wary of him; the 300,000 elite troops under his command posed a significant threat to imperial power.

This is a good opportunity to transfer a portion of the Yan King's troops to the Qin King, thus diversifying the risks.

"Granted! I'll transfer the most elite troops from the Yan King's army to you!" Emperor Jin agreed without hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Chen Yong exploded.

It should be noted that these 300,000 elite troops were all trained by him.

Back then, he followed his father in battles across the country to conquer the land.

Now, are we to hand over a third of our military force to a beggar, an outsider with no connection to the Chen family?

Moreover, these 100,000 are the most elite among the 300,000 troops!

Chen Yong was like a mute eating bitter herbs, unable to express his suffering.

Although he knew perfectly well that the King of Qin was an imposter, he dared not say so openly.

"Since Father Emperor desires to seize the salt lake of the ancient Qiang, your son is willing to lead the army westward. After all, the Prince of Qin lacks combat experience, and it would be unwise for him to lead the troops!"

Chen Yong's refusal made Emperor Jin increasingly suspicious that he wanted to amass military power.

But all of this was already within Chen Xuan's prediction.

Chen Xuan thought to himself, "How foolish! The more you resist, the easier it will be for me to seize military power! There's nothing I can do; your military power is just too great!"

"Nonsense! If you leave, the entire north will be exposed to the Xiongnu. The Xiongnu will inevitably make peace with the Xianbei and Wuhuan, and may even unite to move south. Without you, those 200,000 elite northern troops will be leaderless and instantly crushed by the steppe barbarians!"

"If these elite forces are crushed, the gates of the Great Jin will be wide open. At that time, the northern nomads can continue to move south, and the entire north will be separated from the territory of our Great Jin!"

Emperor Jin narrowed his eyes and said sternly.

Those eyes seemed to be testing Chen Yong's attitude.

Although Chen Yong felt aggrieved, he ultimately nodded in resignation.

"Everything is up to Father Emperor's arrangement."

Having said that, he looked at Chen Xuan and said, "If Your Majesty has any needs, please let me know."

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yong was forced to hand over the military tally.

Upon receiving the military tally, Chen Xuan was overjoyed, as he had been worried that the Prince of Yan would station his troops in the north.

Now the situation has turned around. He has 100,000 elite troops under his command, which can be stationed in the west. With the addition of 10,000 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, they are enough to counterbalance the Prince of Yan.

"King Qin, I have already given you the troops. The next step is to take over the Ancient Qiang Salt Lake. If you can accomplish this, I will make you the Crown Prince. I am getting old, and the Great Jin cannot be without a Crown Prince, otherwise the foundation of the country will be shaken. After looking around, I feel that you are the only one who can shoulder this heavy responsibility."

Emperor Jin looked at Chen Xuan, perhaps also feeling that his body could no longer hold on and that he had to appoint an heir.

Moreover, during this time, Chen Xuan offered the divine oil to satisfy the Emperor and Empress's sexual desires, without mentioning any side effects.

This caused the already weak Emperor Jin to become even more physically unwell.