NOVEL NEXT chapter 8
Chapter 8: A Compromise
No one spoke.
Or rather, no one dared to speak at this moment.
Xia Yuxiao stared at the man in front of her, her eyes slightly narrowed.
“What’s the difference, Grand Commandant,” Xia Yuxiao’s voice was very cold, as if the surrounding air had dropped a few degrees, “The army of the Great Xia is all under my command. Expanding the army of the world is expanding my military power. Do you have any objections to this, Grand Commandant?”
“I dare not have any objections.”
Qin Ji said, then turned to look at the military officers: “However, there are some things I must say: If Your Majesty has any opinions about me, I have no complaints. But I ask Your Majesty to prioritize the country—distinguish between what is important and what is not.”
“Duke Qin!” An old man among the civil officials finally couldn’t hold back. He stood up, his white beard trembling, “The affairs of the state, His Majesty has his own decisions. And look at you, showing no respect, disregarding everyone, what are your intentions?”
“Prime Minister Long, your words are too much,” Qin Ji turned his head to look at the old minister, “I am merely explaining the pros and cons to His Majesty. Since the founding of our dynasty by our ancestors, although we have been strong in military virtue, the foundation of the country is essential. Why should we blindly expand the army? You, as the Prime Minister, are in charge of court affairs. These are the national policies of our Great Xia, and you should advise His Majesty on these matters. But you have been silent for so long, leaving it to a military officer like me to discuss national policy. This is your dereliction of duty.”
“Grand Commandant,” Xia Yuxiao smiled, “Don’t be angry. The Prime Minister is old, why argue with him? Prime Minister, don’t worry. Grand Commandant Qin’s words are reasonable, though harsh.”
That smile looked very beautiful, as if it could melt ice. If she were an ordinary woman, countless people would be moved by her smile.
But she is the emperor.
Although Xia Yuxiao had done a pretty good job, the old ministers, including Qin Ji himself, could feel that her smile was just a facade.
You ask how Qin Ji knew?
He could tell from the delicate jade hand of the emperor, which seemed eager to smash the armrest of the dragon throne.
“It was my recklessness.” Qin Ji quickly took the opportunity to step down, “Prime Minister, forgive my rudeness. In a moment of urgency, I forgot the etiquette between sovereign and subject and offended the emperor. The Prime Minister’s words are very true. As a subject, I should naturally understand the principles of being a subordinate. In the future, I hope the Prime Minister will correct me more often.”
Seeing Qin Ji take the step down, the old man had nothing more to say—in fact, the emperor herself was already under immense pressure, so what use would it be to say more?
Fine, let’s give him some face.
“Please don’t take my harsh words to heart, Lord Qin. You speak generously for the country and the people, and I admire that.”
The two immediately became harmonious.
However, the issue of military expansion was not yet resolved.
“How about this, why not take a compromise between the emperor and the Grand Commandant?”
A somewhat hoarse voice came from below.
It was a middle-aged man in a general’s armor, with a scar running almost across his entire face, looking particularly intimidating, and his breathing was heavy with a “hiss.”
“What is your opinion, General?” Xia Yuxiao asked.
“The Grand Commandant’s intention is to expand the army at the expense of the country and the people; the emperor’s intention is to expand the army to secure the borders and deter other nations. In this case, why not compromise—let us generals, under the guidance of the emperor and the Grand Commandant, reform the 200,000 troops of the Tiger Army and the Red Kite Army. Use these 200,000 as an experiment to gradually implement reforms in military affairs, equipment, and tactics. Our dynasty has many strategists eager for reform, and there are many feasible methods. Why not use these 200,000 as the first experiment? If the results are excellent, we can implement it across the entire army; if not, at most, we will only lose some financial and material resources. This also avoids the large-scale recruitment and training of new soldiers, saving manpower, material, and financial resources.”
Upon hearing this, Qin Ji chuckled inwardly.
This General Bai was also an old general, highly respected and meritorious, and related to Xia Yuxiao. His method was indeed a good one. This way, it would prevent the emperor from depleting the national foundation due to internal strife, and at the same time, it could enhance the combat power of the domestic army. According to his book, it was indeed a compromise, and a well-balanced one at that.
This way, Xia Yuxiao couldn’t possibly insist on wasting resources, could she?
Well done, General!
“The general’s words are reasonable. What do you think, Your Majesty?” Qin Ji immediately said.
“…” Xia Yuxiao thought carefully.
This method, although not perfect—after all, the troops she could mobilize were still these. But these two armies were firmly in her hands. From a certain perspective, this compromise also increased her future leverage against Qin Ji.
Moreover, Qin Ji’s words were actually not wrong. Although the Great Xia had a solid foundation, expanding the army by 200,000 was still a significant burden—although it could be borne, it would also increase the burden on the people engaged in production.
If it weren’t for being forced into a corner, she wouldn’t want to deplete too much national power. No matter how large the army, without sufficient economic and human support, the Xia Kingdom would be difficult to sustain. In the thousand years of the Great Xia, there had never been a truly incompetent emperor, and she didn’t want to be the first.
Besides, this was still a semi-probing move. It was not surprising that Qin Ji could detect it, but… it seemed that Qin Ji was genuinely concerned about the national power?
Thinking of this, Xia Yuxiao looked at Qin Ji in front of her.
Previously, there was a trace of anger in his eyes—Xia Yuxiao didn’t know what the anger on Qin Ji’s face was for, but she always felt that his gaze had a bit of a “hating iron for not becoming steel” feeling…
Strange, you’re not my father!
Forget it.
Xia Yuxiao nodded: “This method works, I don’t see any problem with it, so this matter will be handled by…”
“This matter can be handled by General Bai. General Bai has high prestige in the army and is well-versed in military affairs, making him the best candidate for military reform.” Qin Ji turned around and gave a slight nod to General Bai.
“Your words are very true, but allow me to…”
“Hmm?!”
Xia Yuxiao was a bit confused.
Huh? No, he actually didn’t prepare to snatch this task?
Xia Yuxiao had already prepared to argue a bit with Qin Ji, after all, she thought this guy would definitely not miss such an opportunity, especially since her previous probing had been very obvious, he would surely fight for such an opportunity.
But he actually gave it to someone else?
By the late emperor, did the sun rise from the west today? What’s going on?
Qin Ji just smiled, then took two steps back.
Taking a break
Sumimasen, I have some personal matters these days, so I might not be able to update every day. I’ll stop for tonight and update again tomorrow.
Of course, it’s not a hiatus, just slower updates.