What's wrong with me, a powerful minister, supporting a few female officials?

Chapter 217 The Empress's Hidden Mission!
Upon hearing this, Zhong Yin frowned deeply.

Leng Xixi is the Empress.

He naturally understood the Empress's meaning.

It has already been made so clear that if I continue to dwell on this matter, it will only make the Empress feel disgusted!

But how could he feel at ease if such a crucial artisan battalion wasn't placed under the Ministry of War?
Just as Zhong Yin was struggling with his decision, the Empress changed the subject: "Lord Zhong, are you aware that His Majesty has ordered me to form a new army..."

"The new army?" Zhong Yin's heart skipped a beat.

This time, Su Mo was also stunned by these words.

He subconsciously looked at Leng Liuxi.

The Empress transferred the artisan battalion to the Phoenix Cry Division and ordered it to forge a thousand divine crossbows and eight-ox crossbows.

Su Mo had actually anticipated that the imperial court would form a new army.

I just didn't expect it to come so quickly!
Empress Wu Zetian is indeed decisive and efficient!

Zhong Yin took a deep breath, his attention indeed shifting from the artisan camp, and frowned as he looked at the Empress: "Your Majesty intends to form a new army?"

Leng Liuxi nodded: "Lord Zhong has also witnessed the power of the Divine Arm Bow."

"His Majesty is considering forming a new army primarily equipped with the Divine Arm Bow. What does Lord Zhong think?"

Zhong Yin's brows furrowed even deeper.

As Minister of War, he favored strengthening the military power of Da Wu.

However, forming a new army would be too big a undertaking.

He pondered for a long time before finally frowning and saying, "The Divine Arm Bow is powerful, but it needs the cooperation of other troop types to unleash its full potential."

"Does Lord Leng believe it is necessary to form a new army?"

"In my opinion, deploying the Divine Arm Bow to the current troops would be the same."

As a high-ranking official in the imperial court, Zhong Yin naturally tended to be conservative and subconsciously resisted major reforms such as the formation of a new army.

Leng Liuxi smiled, took out a piece of paper from her sleeve, and handed it to Zhong Yin.

"Lord Zhong, please take a look!"

The Empress was clearly prepared!

Zhong Yin took the paper with suspicion and glanced at it. In just a moment, his old face showed extreme shock.

Su Mo curiously leaned over to take a look and saw just half of the pattern.

Zhong Yin suddenly flicked his sleeve to cover the paper, then glared coldly at Su Mo and said in a cold voice, "Matters of national importance, how dare Su Shanzi pry into them!"

Su Mo had initially been quite polite to the Minister of War.

But the other party kept putting on airs, and Su Mo, with her stubborn temper, wouldn't tolerate it, regardless of whether he was the Minister of War or a mere official from the Ministry of War.

He has a powerful backer, no less powerful than Zhong Yin, the Minister of War!
Su Mo sneered: "It's just a flatbed cart!"

As he spoke, he pointed to himself and said, "Your Excellency, you probably don't know, but this flat-box cart was also invented by me!"

Zhong Yin was immediately dumbfounded...

Leng Liuxi covered her mouth and chuckled, then rolled her eyes at Su Mo: "Commander Su, stop fooling around!"

"Lord Zhong is the Minister of War. He did not know beforehand that the flat-box cart was invented by the young master, and he was naturally worried that outsiders would find out."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yin's heart skipped a beat.

On the surface, His Majesty was on his side, reprimanding Su Mo.

But how could you not hear it in their tone?
He clearly protected Su Mo in every way.

He was even more perceptive in how the Empress addressed Su Mo!

My love!

Could the Empress simply use such a title?

Just as Zhong Yin was shocked, the Empress turned to look at him again: "Your Majesty believes that the Divine Arm Bow and the Flat Box Cart complement each other perfectly and are extremely effective against cavalry."

"If deployed to the current army, it would require significant changes, so it would be better to establish a new army."

"In this way, even if we fail, it will not impact the existing forces."

Zhong Yin frowned, carefully examined the blueprints of the flat-box cart again, and finally hesitated before asking, "May I ask Commander Leng, has His Majesty consulted with the Cabinet regarding his idea of ​​forming a new army?"

Leng Liuxi shook her head: "No, not at all."

Zhong Yin gave a wry smile: "Forming a new army is no child's play."

"Leaving aside whether the cabinet agrees, I can guarantee that Minister Wang will vehemently oppose it!"

He paused slightly, then continued, "The national treasury is empty and the court is short of funds. How could the Ministry of Revenue possibly provide money to build a new army?"

Leng Liuxi said slowly, "Lord Zhong is absolutely right. I also know that Minister Wang will definitely not agree to form a new army."

Just as Zhong Yin was about to speak, the Empress immediately added, "Therefore, Your Majesty has decided that all expenses and military pay for this new army will be paid from the Imperial Treasury."

Upon hearing this, Zhong Yin's eyes widened in disbelief as he stared intently at Leng Liuxi: "Funded by the imperial treasury?"

"Does Lord Leng know how much it costs to form a new army?"

He took a deep breath: "In my opinion, to make the flat-box carts and crossbows a combined force, we need at least two thousand infantrymen, one thousand crossbowmen, plus logistics, ordnance maintenance, and equipment..."

Zhong Yin was preparing to list out all the expenses to dispel the Empress's unrealistic idea.

The Empress calmly replied, "Is 300,000 taels of silver enough?"

Zhong Yin instinctively replied, "Three hundred thousand taels of silver is definitely enough! Not to mention three thousand soldiers, even five thousand would be sufficient."

"only……"

Zhong Yin glanced at the Empress: "Your Majesty, can you allocate 300,000 taels of silver from your private treasury?"

For a normal infantryman, the cost of training, weapons, food, and military pay is about fifteen taels of silver per person per year.

Light cavalry ten times as many! Heavy cavalry twenty times as many!

In Zhong Yin's view, this new army of flat-box carts and divine bow archers, no matter how much money they spend, can never compare to cavalry.

Even if a new army is formed, the major investment would be in equipment and horses, but it's impossible for each person to be worth 100 taels!
The problem is obvious to everyone: the Empress has no money!
At most, it was just like the previous Tianchang County regulations, which brought in tens of thousands of taels of silver!

Leng Liuxi waved her hand: "There's no need for Lord Zhong to worry about that."

"I only ask you, sir: if His Majesty allocates funds from the imperial treasury to support the formation of the new army, would you, Lord Zhong, support His Majesty in establishing the new army?"

Zhong Yin remained silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "May I ask, Lord Leng, according to His Majesty's will, to which side does this new army belong?"

Leng Liuxi replied without hesitation, "Establish a separate guard, commanded by the Imperial Horse Administration."

Zhong Yin had actually anticipated this.

Since it is an allocation from the imperial treasury, it will certainly be directly under His Majesty's control, just like the four guards of the Imperial Horse Administration, namely the Wuxiang and Tengxiang.

He glanced at the Empress and knew that even if he disagreed, Her Majesty would not give up on this idea.

It would be best if the funds were provided by the Empress's private treasury.

If the imperial treasury runs out of silver in the future and cannot pay military salaries, this army will naturally be placed under the Ministry of War.

Therefore, Zhong Yin finally relented and said with a serious expression, "If Your Majesty can persuade the inner court to form a new army, this Minister will have no objection."

Leng Liuxi immediately smiled: "Lord Zhong's words are enough!"

"I will convey this message to Your Majesty without altering a single word!"

The Empress understood perfectly well that, as the Minister of War, although Zhong Yin was upright and a loyal and honest minister, he had been immersed in officialdom for many years and could not speak definitively.

The Minister of War has a lot of say in forming a new army. As long as Zhong Yin doesn't object, the matter is already half done!
She paused, then continued, "Lord Zhong, could you please step aside for a moment? I have something to say to Commander Su."

Zhong Yin was speechless.

As the Minister of War, Su Mo was discussing such an important matter as forming a new army with the Empress, and the Empress did not shy away from Su Mo at all.

Now it's my turn to talk to Su Mo, but I have to step aside!

What is this?

A treacherous minister is a treacherous minister!

Zhong Yin glared at Su Mo with annoyance, then walked toward the side hall with a stern face.

Yin Rou quickly chased after her.

After Zhong Yin and Yin Rou left, Su Mo gave Leng Liuxi a wry smile and said, "Lord Leng, you've really given me a big surprise this time!"

Leng Liuxi blinked her pretty eyes: "Should we bring Minister Zhong to the artisan camp, or should we discuss the new army?"

Su Mo said dejectedly, "They all exist!"

He could tell that Zhong Yin seemed to find fault with him in every way, though he didn't know why.

This was the first time I had ever met him!

However, Leng Xixi's status was clearly higher than Zhong Yin's, and he directly told Zhong Yin to step aside, so Zhong Yin obediently left!

Su Mo didn't know what to say.

Seeing Su Mo's gloomy expression, Leng Liuxi couldn't help but chuckle: "Minister Zhong is upright and honest, and he judges things by their merits, not by their personalities."

"He wasn't targeting Su Lang."

"Su Lang has managed the artisan battalion so well that he feels he can't rest easy until he returns it to the Ministry of War."

After a pause, the Empress added, "If he knows about the artisan camp but remains indifferent, I would doubt whether he is truly as upright and incorruptible as he appears!"

Su Mo's expression suddenly turned serious: "This subordinate has already made arrangements with Lord Leng and Lord Nangong."

"The artisan battalion will be contracted for at least ten years!"

Whether Zhong Yin is upright or not is none of my business.

The artisan battalion is truly their own property!

Leng Liuxi waved her hand: "I know!"

"I guarantee that no one can take away Su Lang's artisan battalion, right?"

She paused, then suddenly asked, "Does Master Su have any opinion on the new army His Majesty has formed?"

Su Mo answered without hesitation, "No!"

The Empress has a black line on her forehead.

Her eyes immediately lit up: "I was even planning to recommend to His Majesty that this new army be put in charge of by Su Lang!"

Su Mo's expression suddenly changed. He stared intently at Leng Liuxi, and finally took a deep breath: "Lord Leng, have I offended you?"

Leng Liuxi was taken aback: "No! Why does Master Su ask such a question?" Su Mo's face turned black with anger: "Since this humble servant has not offended you, why did you assign this humble servant to be in charge of the new army!"

He emphasized, "Lord Leng previously stated that the new army was under the jurisdiction of the Imperial Horse Administration!"

Leng Liuxi felt confused: "This concubine does not understand what Su Mo is referring to!"

"His Majesty places great hopes on this new army and is determined to expand it to a size of ten thousand. If Su Lang becomes the commander of the new army, it is not impossible for him to be promoted to the position of Grand Commander in the future!"

She really couldn't understand Su Mo's thoughts.

Since he was unwilling to enter the imperial court system, he aspired to become a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The commander of the Imperial Horse Stables is not as prestigious as a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
This is a prestigious position of the third rank, and one could even be given the seal of a Grand General and command troops in battle!

Su Mo glared angrily at Leng Liuxi: "Lord Leng, those are the soldiers of the Imperial Horse Administration!"

"This man is greedy and lustful, with a multitude of beautiful women in his household. He has never considered entering the palace to become a eunuch!"

Leng Liuxi was both amused and exasperated: "Who told you that the Imperial Horse Guards Officer has to be a eunuch?"

Su Mo was taken aback: "Isn't that right?"

Leng Liuxi was almost driven mad by Su Mo: "Of course not!"

"The Imperial Horse Administration's Tengxiang and the Commander of the Four Guards of Wuxiang are both normal men!"

"Only those who hold the seal of office or are commanders are eunuchs!"

Su Mo...

The Empress's pretty face turned pale, and she glared fiercely at Su Mo: "Hmph, you really don't know what's good for you!"

"Do you think anyone can become a eunuch just because they want to?"

"Hmph! You want to be... His Majesty doesn't want you!"

Su Mo quickly apologized with a smile, "This subordinate has misunderstood you, sir!"

His eyes darted around, and he quickly changed the subject to distract Leng Liuxi: "Uh... His Majesty's private treasury has that much silver? Three hundred thousand taels of silver!"

Sure enough, Leng Liuxi's attention immediately shifted to the new army, and she blinked: "Yes!"

She stretched out her delicate hand and counted on her fingers one by one, calculating with Su Mo: "The profit sharing from the restaurant and Changping County is 20,000 taels, and from Tianchang County it's another 70,000 to 80,000 taels. The refined salt also sold for more than 10,000 taels."

"In addition, there's income from bicycles, contracting the artisan battalion, soap making, etc., another thirty to forty thousand taels..."

"The imperial treasury currently has two hundred thousand taels of silver."

The Empress's beautiful eyes crinkled into crescent moons with laughter, as if she had never experienced such abundance of wealth and financial freedom.

Su Mo was speechless: "You make it sound like His Majesty's money is like an ordinary person's money."

"Besides, it's only two hundred thousand taels, isn't it?"

"The lord just said he would allocate 300,000 taels!"

Leng Liuxi blinked her pretty eyes at Su Mo: "It wasn't paid out all at once!"

"Selling the Guiwei and Baiyujing Restaurant, among other things, doesn't that bring a steady stream of silver into the imperial treasury?"

Su Mo was speechless for a moment.

Leng Liuxi's eyes darted around, and she suddenly said, "Even if it's really not enough, Su Lang, don't you have a lot of silver? Lend His Majesty some!"

Su Mo's expression changed drastically, and he said urgently, "This humble servant has no spare silver at home!"

Judging from his cold and disbelieving look.

Su Mo quickly added, "My lord, please think about it."

"I've taken so much silver to contract the artisan battalion, purchase shipbuilding quotas, and spend money to settle villagers. In the future, I'll have to build houses, repair roads, dig irrigation canals, and reclaim wasteland on Lonely Peak Mountain. This is a bottomless pit!"

"This humble servant has no spare money! Not even a single tael of silver left!"

Leng Liuxi snorted: "Fine, I won't lend it to you then!"

"mean!"

Su Mo looked at Leng Liuxi very seriously: "This subordinate is truly broke, not stingy!"

Leng Liuxi was so angry that her teeth itched.

This guy really thinks he doesn't know that his concubine, surnamed Liu, who has no official status, summoned a silversmith to melt down a lot of silver into large silver melons and hid them in the cellar.
snort!
One large silver melon costs three thousand taels, and there are twenty-one in total!
I can count them clearly and perfectly!

This is just the silver hidden in the Shenjing residence.

There must be a lot of silver hidden in Changping County, almost more than in my own private treasury!
The Empress took a deep breath and told herself several times not to be angry, that the money would be hers sooner or later!

Finally, looking at Su Mo seriously, he asked, "Su Lang, are you sure you don't want to be the new army commander?"

Looking at Leng Linglong's serious expression, Su Mo hesitated for a moment: "Are you serious, my lady?"

Leng Liuxi nodded gently, stating firmly, "I am well-read and would never lie to my lord!"

Su Mo immediately became conflicted.

After thinking it over and over, he finally shook his head: "It would be better for you to recommend someone else, sir."

“This humble servant is completely ignorant of training troops and waging war.”

I'm here to enjoy myself, not to work.

Leading a team is no easy task.

Leaving aside the military system, the power dynamics are complex and intertwined, with various factions and cliques, and open and covert conflicts.

If we train troops today, will we lead them into battle tomorrow?
Swords and spears have no eyes!

This is a world of cultivation.

What if they launch a decapitation strike?
It's certain that you'll sweat a lot in peacetime, and you might even bleed in wartime.

It's best to honestly complete the mission objectives.

With the Jinyiwei and Fengmingsi systems still in place, and with the help of Commander Lin and Commander Nangong, one can easily get promoted. Wouldn't that be even better?
When the Empress saw Su Mo say that, her pretty face turned slightly and she snorted, "Fine, I won't go then!"

"It's as if His Majesty can only use you!"

Su Mo breathed a sigh of relief, but still couldn't help asking out of curiosity, "If I were to go, what official position would His Majesty grant me?"

Leng Liuxi thought for a moment: "The new army has three thousand men, and an independent guard. If you go, you'll definitely get a commander of a thousand men, a rank of fifth grade!"

Su Mo gasped in shock!
He was promoted two ranks in quick succession, and he even became the sole commander of an army!
However, considering that there were also the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Horse Administration and the Superintendent Eunuch above him, he decided against it.

In reality, the commanders of the Imperial Guards were just like that.

Just look at Xiahou Yi to know.

Even a dignified commander of the Dragon Guard, a trial commander, dared not put on airs in front of me, and when he saw Leng Xi, he was like a mouse before a cat.

Becoming a centurion in the Embroidered Uniform Guard or a captain in the Phoenix Cry Division would definitely be more promising than becoming a chiliarch in other guards!
Seeing that Su Mo was unwilling, the Empress did not force him.

After all, what she wanted most was for Su Mo to become a civil official, preferably to work in the cabinet.

"Since you know that His Majesty is building a new army and that it will cost a lot, you should help His Majesty earn more money in the future!"

"Your Majesty can rely entirely on Su Lang for the expenses of the new army!"

The Empress gave Su Mo a word of advice, and then finally remembered the real purpose of her visit to the artisan camp.

She wanted to share her joy with Su Mo.

She couldn't help but smile, looking at Su Mo with a slightly playful and smug expression: "Does Su Lang know that His Majesty has really made the Grand Secretaries suffer a hidden loss this time!"

Su Mo was taken aback: "What hidden loss?"

Before the Empress could even speak, Su Mo saw a flashing green exclamation mark suddenly appear above Leng Xixi's head!

I rely on!

Has the examiner completed their task?
Su Mo immediately became excited and quickly clicked on the exclamation mark above Leng Xixi's head!
The system notification is coming soon.

[Examiner's task (completed)!]

[Cold? ??? Affection +5%! (Already awarded)]

[You have received a reward of a permanent +20% increase to grain production in Lonely Peak Mountain! (Already issued)]

[You have received the reward: Chi Wulei strategy target activated (pending distribution)]

The system task prompt appeared.

The green favorability bar above Leng Liuxi's head suddenly increased by a significant amount, rising from 28% to 33%!

Just as Su Mo was pleasantly surprised.

Unexpected changes.

A striking orange exclamation mark, seamlessly connected to a green exclamation mark, popped out from above the Empress's head!

Su Mo was instantly dumbfounded.

An orange exclamation mark?

Previously, it was always marked with a yellow exclamation mark.

Could it be because the system has been upgraded?

Su Mo took a deep breath and stared intently at the orange exclamation mark.

The Empress was about to speak, but then she noticed her gaze drifting back to the top of her head, and she couldn't help but unconsciously touch her hair bun.

no problem?

She didn't bring any gold or silver hairpins.

Today's item is a hair ornament with dangling ornaments.

Is there something strange about this hair ornament?
She couldn't help but ask, "Su Lang, what are you looking at?"

Su Mo was startled: "I didn't see anything!"

As he spoke, he quickly looked away, but in the end he still clicked on the orange exclamation mark.

The system notification popped up immediately.

[Mission: The Unspeakable Secret of Coldness!]

[Special reminder: This is a hidden mission. Rewards and penalties are unknown! The host may choose to accept or refuse!]

[Task details...]

　I'm asking for votes for each of my 5,000+ words next month, okay?

　　
　
(End of this chapter)