The journey of the only child of a peasant family to take the imperial examination

This suggestion was first put forward by Prime Minister Lu Can, and the timing was very clever.

Anyone with a discerning eye can see that Your Majesty is a man of great talent and vision. With your eyes set on the Western Regions, it is only a matter of time before the troubles in the Western Regions are resolved.

Now that the north and the south have been pacified and the national strength is growing stronger, it is a good time to resolve the issue. Your Majesty has no reason to disagree.

Sure enough, Zhou Ziming did not reject it after hearing it, but asked all officials to express their opinions first.

The mission to the Western Regions was a major event, which was related to a series of issues such as the subsequent strategic deployment. Once these words were spoken, they were like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, and all the officials immediately started talking about it.

No one objects to resolving the threat from the Western Regions, and it is also the general trend.

However, a large number of generals who came from humble backgrounds and rose to prominence through fighting on the battlefield believed that the court was now unified from north to south and its military was stronger than before. There was no need to send envoys. Not only would it waste time, it would also alert the enemy and affect future military operations. It would be better to send troops directly to suppress the rebellion and demonstrate the country's prestige!

Another group of civil officials, led by Prime Minister Lu, believed that it was necessary to use courtesy before force. First, the Great Zhou was now governing the country with benevolence. If force was used directly, it would be "punishing without teaching", which was a barbaric and domineering behavior and would lose the support of the people.

Second, out of realistic considerations, war has always been a matter of great consumption of national strength. If we can defeat the enemy without fighting, it is the lowest cost and highest benefit option, and it is well worth a try.

The two sides were arguing fiercely.

Yang Zhong has now been awarded the title of Duke Dingguo and is considered one of the leaders of the military officers. In addition, he is a fearless person and relies on his status as Zhou Ziming's confidant to speak very rudely.

After the argument went on, he couldn't help but retort, "What the hell is this courtesy? If those barbarians could just surrender and become vassals of our Great Zhou with just a few words, there wouldn't have been so many soldiers killed on the battlefield, and we wouldn't have had to send the princess to marry. I don't think this is necessary, it's just going to alert the enemy. You civil officials are only good at talking, and it's not you who will be bleeding and fighting on the battlefield anyway, haha!"

After saying this, Yang Zhong stepped out directly and volunteered to lead the troops to quell the threat in the Western Regions.

"Duke Dingguo, although I am only a civil servant, I have read military books and understand the essence of 'the best strategy is to attack the enemy's plans, the next best is to attack their alliances, the next best is to attack their troops, and the worst is to attack their cities'. If my mission is successful, wouldn't it be the best of both worlds? Governing a country does not rely solely on fighting wars or rushing forward blindly. It requires strategies." Naturally, the civil servants were not willing to be outdone.

This statement was an implicit criticism that Yang Zhong was a reckless man who only knew how to fight.

When it comes to talking skills, ten military officers are no match for one civil officer. Yang Zhong was so angry that he jumped to his feet.

Therefore, at the end of the discussion, the two factions were deadlocked over how to quell the threat from the Western Regions.

This also shows the ideological differences between the new and old nobles in the court.

Prime Minister Lu was the one who started the fire, but at this moment he looked very calm and stopped talking, letting his subordinates charge into battle and engage in verbal battles.

Zhang Pingan realized that this old fox was probably holding back!

Looking at my father-in-law, Grand Tutor Qian, it was the same. Moreover, the Qian family did not make any overly harsh remarks from beginning to end and appeared to be very calm and collected.

This is intriguing.

Zhou Ziming listened quietly for a long while without commenting, then raised his hand and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, my dear ministers, has their own reasons, both advantages and disadvantages!"

This is what it means to stop arguing.

The court gradually became quiet.

Afterwards, Zhou Ziming turned his sharp gaze towards the ranks of civil servants, and Zhang Pingan could clearly feel his gaze gently sweeping over him.

In terms of functions, the Privy Council is in charge of military registration and tiger seals, and has the power to dispatch troops. The opinions of the Privy Councilor and the Privy Councilor's Deputy Councilor are very important in deciding whether to dispatch troops to the Western Regions.

Is this asking for my opinion? Zhang Pingan thought to himself.

But it was only his first day in office, and he had not yet figured out the situation in the court. Moreover, whether to send troops was a serious matter, so he was not willing to give an opinion easily, because it affected not only the court, but also tens of thousands of families.

After thinking of his words in his mind, Zhang Pingan was about to step out of the group.

Unexpectedly, his immediate superior, Privy Councilor Lord Guo, got there before him.

After stepping out of the line, he said respectfully, "Your Majesty has great ambitions and aims to resolve the threat in the Western Regions. I admire you, but this matter is of great importance and must be carefully considered and handled with caution. Historically, sending troops to the Western Regions has always been a tough battle. Regardless of success or failure, in the end, thousands of soldiers have died on the battlefield. As for the matter of sending envoys, Emperor Xiaowu once sent Zhang Qian to open up the Western Regions. It took repeated court discussions and years of preparation to achieve this great feat. As with everything, preparation ensures success; lack of preparation leads to failure. I believe that the benefits of sending envoys to the Western Regions will be long-term, but the risks are immediate. It is best to send envoys to the various countries in the Western Regions first, and then decide on the military deployment."

Lord Guo paused at this point, and seeing that Zhou Ziming didn't object, he continued earnestly, "Sending envoys to the Western Regions is a major undertaking that will enhance our nation's prestige and promote trade and benefit our workers. The journeys to the Western Regions are long and difficult, the situation in each country is unclear, and their cavalry are often on the move. If we want to carry out this undertaking, we must first understand the situation. Why not first dispatch an elite and capable general, leading a dozen men disguised as a merchant caravan, to explore the roads, water sources, and the attitudes of the various states? Once we have a firm grasp of the Western Regions' strengths and weaknesses, Your Majesty can then decide who to send and the route. This will achieve twice the result with half the effort and be foolproof. This way, we can achieve both victory and loss of national prestige."

This was to express the position of the Privy Council, which still supported Prime Minister Lu's decision to go on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions first, but it was more tactful and meticulous.

"We can't just listen to one person's opinion on everything, nor can we act arbitrarily. What is the prince's opinion?" Zhou Ziming asked with his head tilted.

One cannot tell whether he is happy or angry in his voice, nor can one tell which side his thoughts are leaning towards.

The Crown Prince had been sitting quietly at the bottom, not eager to express his opinion just now. Only when Zhou Ziming asked did he stand up, bow, and reply, "Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, what Lord Guo said makes perfect sense. If we send out an army, it will number hundreds of thousands. Regardless of success or failure, some soldiers will inevitably die on the battlefield, buried in their hides. The price is too high! It would be better if we first sent envoys to the Western Regions to promote our country's prestige, and then make a decision based on the situation!"

"Then according to what the prince said, who in the court can take on this important task?" Zhou Ziming asked patiently after thinking for a moment.

"This mission represents the reputation of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The person sent to the Western Regions must be determined, resourceful, physically strong, loyal and reliable," the prince replied with a calm attitude.

He then cast his gaze upon the officials and continued in a clear voice, "Matters of this magnitude are always jointly decided and reported by the Secretariat and the Privy Council, with the final decision coming from the Emperor. I believe it is best to proceed according to the rules."

Now, anyone who is not a fool can hear that the emperor is still inclined to adopt Prime Minister Lu’s opinion.

As soon as the Crown Prince finished speaking, Prime Minister Lu stepped out and saluted, saying, "Your Highness is right. The person sent on a diplomatic mission to the Western Regions must be resourceful and physically strong. We should select talented individuals from among the younger officials to take on this important task. I recommend Lord Zhang, Deputy Privy Councilor, to oversee this matter. Lord Zhang is young and promising, and he enjoys a high reputation among the younger officials. He will undoubtedly know who is best suited for this trip to the Western Regions."

Zhang Ping'an: ...This is not a hidden attack, it is an open attack. Isn't this a hot potato? If it is done well, the credit will go to Prime Minister Lu who proposed this matter. If it is not done well, it means that he, the Deputy Privy Councilor, is not talented enough. What's more, it is easy to offend people.

With Prime Minister Lu taking the lead, several civil servants immediately came out to second the motion, including his immediate superior, Lord Guo.