xception.Many officials were directly taken away from their homes and families during the Spring Festival.This matter became the first political storm to sweep across the empire at the beginning of th...Chapter 1186: Zhou Ping'an, the Eloquent One

"Wu Qingcang."

Li Chen blurted out without hesitation.

The soldiers of the Ganzhong Weishuo were drawn from various regions in Gansu and Shaanxi provinces. Their commanders were a motley crew, with varying abilities. They could serve as capable officers, but they were definitely not suited to lead armies.

After Li Chen finished speaking, he glanced at Su Zhen'ting and said, "As for the Liaodong Army, although Su Pingbei has gone there, his age, seniority, ability, and temperament are not qualified enough."

Su Zhendong nodded and said, "Your Highness speaks truly. Su Pingbei can only be a vanguard general. Such a large-scale siege battle must have an experienced veteran with prestige and seniority leading the charge to command respect."

"Wu Qingcang was once widely recognized as the heir apparent to the military god. Although he went into hiding for twenty years, his prestige remained undiminished, and his skills hadn't dulled one bit. He could command an army, and Wu Ban Shan, the general guarding Yueya Pass, would be happy to serve as his deputy."

At this time, Hu Shifan expressed a different opinion, he hesitated and said: "Your Highness, in the army, it is most taboo for brothers to share command. Even if two brothers serve together, they are assigned different numbers. Whether it's General Wu Qingcang or General Wu Banshan, their seniority, prestige, and ability are beyond reproach. However, because of this, having the two brothers share command might lead to excessive concentration of military power"

Hu Shifan's words were already very blunt and direct, only lacking the explicit statement for fear that the two parties' power would be too dominant, which would instead cause trouble for the court with its excessive tail wagging the dog.

But Li Chen, upon hearing this, directly replied: "It's alright. Employ people without suspicion, and suspect those you don't employ. The frontline battle situation changes rapidly. If there isn't a trustworthy commander, coupled with facing the formidable sixty thousand strong Liao army, it would be like smashing an egg against a stone. This matter has already been decided in my heart."

Since Li Chen had already made his decision, Hu Shifan also suppressed his own thoughts and, together with Su Zhen Ting, bowed and said: "Your Majesty, we obey."

After half an hour, the two left the East Palace together.

Li Chenggang just sat down and took a sip of tea when someone announced that guests had arrived.

After a moment, Zhou Ping'an leisurely stepped into the side hall and performed a formal bow, saying: "Your humble servant Zhou Ping'an, pays his respects to Your Highness, the Crown Prince."

Li Chen held up his teacup and smiled, "I was just thinking you should be arriving in the capital, and then you came."

Zhou Ping'an, whose face was usually impassive, managed a tiny smile and said, "Your Highness summoned me, I dare not delay."

"Well, not bad. Seems like this trip to Nanhe Province was the right call. Learned how to speak sweet."

Li Chen said with a smile, then changed his tone and said, "This time, I appoint you as the chief executive of this tax case. I have high hopes for you."

Zhou Ping'an pondered for a moment, then uttered a shocking statement: "Indeed."

This really was an exit with two words, Wan Jiaojiao directly widened her eyes in astonishment, even Li Chen was stunned.

After a long while, Li Chen finally laughed and scolded, "You really are not polite."

As expected, this is the familiar Zhou Ping'an.

He doesn't speak much, but every word he utters is astounding.

Most importantly, this ability is truly powerful.

If it were anyone else, under such an urgent situation going alone to Nanhe, not being killed would be considered lucky, let alone preserving themselves and avoiding humiliation. That would be quite the talent. But Zhou Ping'an actually single-handedly completed all the tasks Li Chen had given him. He managed the entire Nanhe province by himself, without expending a single soldier or drop of blood, making them completely obedient.

Zhou Ping'an clasped his hands together and said, “Your Highness’s new policies, I have had the fortune of reading them. While it seems that the biggest changes are in the Three Ministries for Civil Officials and the Three Departments for Military Officers, in reality, it is the Tax Assessment Bureau that truly embodies Your Highness’s political aspirations and ambition.”

Therefore, Your Highness entrusting such a powerful weapon to me must be because You have great expectations of me.our Highness, this old minister has something to say, but please grant permission."“This champion, it must be Fu Minqing.”Upon hearing what Dantai Jing had to say, Li Chen raised an eyebrow slightly.A...