The most romantic little emperor

Li Zhen's expression was solemn when he heard this. He then continued to speak in a steady and powerful voice: "Your Majesty, Prime Minister Dong is right. Every word he said is thought-provoking. Now that Great Xia has finally found peace after experiencing the baptism of war, this is a heaven-sent opportunity. We should seize the opportunity and focus on recovering the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. This is the unfinished ambition of the late emperor, and it is also the pain in the hearts of the people of Great Xia."

"The Xiao family has complied with the world situation and submitted to our Great Xia. It is indeed a great talent and strategy of your majesty, and Xiao Tianyang has been named King of Liang, which is well deserved. Now, we should put aside our past grudges, work together, and jointly plan to recover the country, so as to comfort the spirit of the late emperor in heaven and live up to the expectations of the people of the world."

With the support of two big men, Dong Sicheng, the head of civil officials, and Li Zhen, a giant of military generals, Xiao Tianyang's road to becoming king was instantly clear.

In the court, the situation was changing rapidly, and the attitudes of civil and military officials underwent subtle changes in an instant.

They were no longer obsessed with the controversy over the title of king, but all turned their attention to the more ambitious Northern Expedition, with their hearts filled with the ambition to face the national crisis together.

Especially those military generals who were eager to die on the battlefield and make great achievements could not contain their inner excitement. They raised their arms and shouted, vowing to march north to the Central Plains to avenge their previous humiliation.

Their voices merged into an unstoppable torrent, echoing in the magnificent palace and resounding through the sky.

Qin Hao sat on the dragon throne with a deep look in his eyes. He nodded slightly, cast an approving glance at Dong Sicheng and Li Zhen, and a satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

Afterwards, the development of the situation was like a spring breeze, smooth and unobstructed.

Based on the suggestions of Xie An, Zuo Wenxuan and others, Qin Hao decisively ordered to exempt all prefectures and cities in Daxia from one year's taxes to allow the people to recuperate.

At the same time, with his extraordinary broad mind, he bestowed unprecedented favors on the business community, lowered business taxes by 20%, and promulgated a number of policies to encourage people to do business, thereby stimulating the rapid growth of Daxia's economy.

All civil and military officials in the court supported this, and the entire court was filled with a harmonious atmosphere.

After the court meeting, Qin Hao walked with the gait of a dragon and a tiger, leading the important ministers of the cabinet, the six ministers and a group of brave generals, and entered the deep and solemn imperial study.

People filed in and found seats to sit down. The room suddenly became quiet and the atmosphere was extremely solemn.

Qin Hao sat upright on the dragon throne, his eyes like torches, looking around. When everyone was ready, he got straight to the point and said, "I am thinking about the northern border, and I want to revive the country's prestige and recover the lost land of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun. I wonder if you have any good ideas or opinions on this?"

Just now in the court, civil officials and military generals were arguing over the Northern Expedition plan, each holding their own views, and the atmosphere was tense. At that time, Qin Hao looked indifferent, but did not easily express his opinion.

But at this moment, he actually directly expressed his ambition to march north, and everyone looked at each other involuntarily and fell into a brief silence.

Recovering lost territory is not as easy as it sounds. It cannot be conquered by passion alone. It is also a huge test of countless soldiers' lives, as well as national financial and material resources.

Before the troops move out, food and fodder must be sent first, supplies must be prepared, and military pay must be raised. Each link is closely linked to the next. If there is any mistake, the whole mission may fail.

Therefore, everyone was secretly calculating in their hearts, weighing the pros and cons, and no one was willing to speak first, for fear that a careless word would plunge the country into an irretrievable situation.

As the Minister of Revenue, Lu Yuanshan was the first to stand up after hesitating for a moment. He said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty, I have sold all the property of Su Zhengfang and others according to your will. Although the national treasury is slightly full now, it is still a little stretched to support a war against the Liao Kingdom?"

"Furthermore, our dynasty has just announced a one-year tax reduction for all prefectures in Daxia. Your Majesty's benevolent policy is what the people want, but it also means that for the next year or so, the treasury's revenue will be almost negligible, and the expenditure alone will be an astronomical figure. This is an unprecedented severe test for our dynasty's finances."

When everyone heard this, they all fell silent. Even those generals who usually spoke boldly and were eager to make achievements on the battlefield restrained their edges and did not dare to speak their minds easily.

Xiao Tianyang raised his head slightly, his eyes deep, looked around at everyone, and said to Qin Hao in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, if you can find the treasure of our Daliang Dynasty, perhaps the problem of food and military pay can be solved."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was shocked, and their eyes were all focused on Xiao Tianyang, as if they saw the dawn of hope in him.

Qin Hao smiled faintly when he heard this, and nodded gently, saying, "The treasure of the Daliang Dynasty is indeed real. The news of the treasure map circulating in the capital recently was also spread intentionally by me. I want to take this opportunity to attract those people from the martial arts world to one place, subdue them, and make them work for the court."

"But I did not really pin my war against Liao on that illusory treasure. Instead, I relied on the competition between the comprehensive national strength of Great Xia and Liao."

"Two years ago, the Liao people stole the Sixteen Prefectures of Yanyun, but their foundation was not stable. In addition, the situation in Liao was changing and unstable, so they were unable to move south. But God is not on our side. This year, a locust plague ravaged Liao territory, and the people were living in poverty. They will definitely take this as an opportunity to march south, intending to use foreign aggression to eliminate internal strife. The war between Liao and Xia is already on the verge of happening, and it has to start."

"My dear ministers, facing this situation, how can we sit idly by and watch the Liao cavalry trample on our Great Xia territory, allowing them to wantonly slaughter innocent people and plunder the people's food?"

Qin Hao paused for a moment, taking in the individual's reaction, and continued, "In the past, not long after Daliang was founded, Emperor Liang Yang ascended the throne and toured the west and hunted in the north. He was able to resist the invasion of the Liao cavalry in the north, and the Liao people did not dare to go south for decades. There was no more war at the border, and the people were able to recuperate."

"What did he rely on to achieve such success? He relied on the unity of the court, the willingness of the generals to die, and the willingness of the soldiers to fight for their lives. Now that the civil strife in Daxia has been quelled and the domestic situation is very good, should we still swallow our anger?"

"I tell you, I can't do it. I once said, 'The emperor guards the country's gates, and the king dies for the country'. This is definitely not an empty talk. Anyone who dares to offend Daxia will be punished no matter how far away he is!"

"So I have made up my mind. The Northern Expedition is unstoppable. Anyone who stands in the way will be severely punished, no matter who they are, to serve as a warning to others!"

After he finished speaking, Qin Hao’s firm and resolute words echoed in the hall, as if even the air was shaking.

When the soldiers heard this, their blood boiled like oil boiling over a raging fire, unstoppable.

They stepped forward one after another, with fearlessness and loyalty flashing in their eyes. They volunteered to be the vanguard of the Northern Expedition and to build the Great Wall of Steel for Daxia with their flesh and blood.

And those civil officials who were originally doubtful and wanted to advise but hesitated, now looked at each other. Although they had thousands of words in their hearts, they finally turned into a heavy sigh.

They knew very well that the emperor's determination was as solid as a rock and could not be shaken, and they dared not offend him at this moment for fear of bringing disaster upon themselves.