Chapter 986 Cabinet Meeting

Pang Tong, on the other hand, did quite well. He's back to report for duty now, having served for over four years—a commendable achievement.

Military merit is often the easiest path to promotion; it's hard to say which is better, everyone has their own expertise.

The Crouching Dragon and the Phoenix Chick, one in charge of administration, the other in charge of the army, they cooperate quite well.

The Inner Court Meeting.

Lu Ming, absent from court for a long time, sat on the main seat, yawning, looked around, and said, "It's rare to have everyone here today, let's have a simple meal together later.

Zhang Bao, tell the imperial kitchen to prepare hot pot!"

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhang Bao withdrew and found a young eunuch to give the order.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Everyone knelt down before Lu Ming; this was an extraordinary favor.

Beef was rarely available outside, and the slaughter of draft cattle was forbidden.

To eat beef, one could only obtain it from specially raised beef cattle.

Lu Ming looked at the mature-beyond-his-years Pang Tong, picked up his teacup, and said, "You have done very well these past few years, and I am very pleased.

Pang Tong, tell me about your experiences in the borderlands, and tell me about the situation in Kushan."

Affirmation was necessary; their work was acknowledged.

Their hard work and contributions were commendable, but they still needed to continue. He was the emperor, so it was his duty, his obligation, and his necessity as a subject.

Pang Tong rose and bowed slightly to everyone, including his uncle, Pang Degong.

There was a saying these days: "Four generations of high-ranking officials" was based on family background, but "three members of the Grand Secretariat from one family"—that was based on ability.

The Grand Secretariat was not a place for personal connections; it only recruited the elite. Every decision they made concerned the rise and fall of a region.

It concerned the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.

Naturally, such a place wouldn't allow incompetent people.

Whether you can enter the cabinet depends on His Majesty's approval. If he says you're capable, you're capable; if he says you're not, you're probably just a fraud.

"Now that the road from Yumen Pass to the Western Regions has been completed, the transport time for spices from the Western Regions has been greatly reduced from once every three months to once a month. The kingdoms of the Western Regions also intend to annex our Great Qin. Now it's up to His Majesty to decide."

"Oh?"

"Why would the kingdoms of the Western Regions want to annex Great Qin?

Do they want to use Great Qin's influence for something?

Unification is possible, but they must submit to its rule.

Once annexed, they cannot withdraw. Any destabilizing factors will not be allowed to exist!"

Lu Ming immediately guessed what was going on. It must be due to the tense situation at the border, which was why this was happening.

Pang Tong nodded, his expression grave and cautious. "Because of the invasion from the northern Rakshasa Kingdom, these barbarians are known for their bravery and belligerence, frequently raiding the Middle East and waging war against the Kushan Empire for a long time. In four years, I have annihilated all 500,000 of the Kushan Empire's soldiers. The Kushan Empire is now utterly powerless to resist. With just Your Majesty's order, we can seize their territory. I am willing to expand Your Majesty's borders!"

Lu Ming smiled and waved his hand, his tone somewhat flippant, yet it invigorated everyone.

"Leave the matter of territorial expansion to the Crown Prince. In a few years, the Crown Prince will oversee the country and handle state affairs on my behalf.

Although the territories are now initially settled, it is far from enough.

In terms of military equipment, food needs further research to produce compressed food, using lighter weight to ensure soldiers are well-fed.

We also need to upgrade our firearms, and develop more efficient road transport!"

The Crown Prince overseeing the country!

This is a bombshell!

While such situations have occurred throughout history, in those dynasties, the crown prince was always the one listening and learning, not handling the affairs.

Now, His Majesty is actually delegating matters to the crown prince; something seems amiss.

Seemingly sensing the ministers' predicament, Lu Ming added, "My Qin Dynasty doesn't care for formalities. I've fought wars my whole life; can't I enjoy myself? I'll be watching from behind.

This empire belongs to me; your task is to assist the crown prince."

"Your humble servant obeys."

Jia Fan was the first to kneel, leading the way. He too couldn't fathom Lu Ming's intentions.

But there was no need to guess; perhaps it was simply laziness.

After all, His Majesty wasn't Qin Shi Huang, who would stay up all night reviewing memorials.

Clearly lazy by nature, yet giving the impression of diligence—truly, a wise ruler for all time!

The others followed suit, all understanding that the focus would remain on developing domestic affairs and the main strategic objective.

And war will break out soon!

"Pang Tong, besides the Russian Empire, what's the situation with the Kushan Empire?"

Lu Ming was eyeing the Indian subcontinent, a natural breadbasket.

The farmland there could yield three harvests a year, and there was a vast array of crops.

The grain grown there could be directly supplied to the army, and the Indians were easy to enslave, exceptionally docile; there was no better choice than colonizing them.

"Besides the Russian Empire, there's also the Roman Empire from the Middle East. I've fought against them; their cavalry is formidable, and their infantry formations are quite different from any enemy I've encountered before. We're still investigating. They haven't sent many people; they're said to have come at the invitation of the Kushan Empire."

Pang Tong's expression darkened when he mentioned the Roman Empire, clearly having suffered a defeat.

This was also mentioned in the reports.

However, the losses weren't significant.

The losses were mostly ordinary soldiers… while Lu Ming's troops, those who genuinely surrendered and could be upgraded, suffered relatively few losses. So, while the Roman Empire's army was strong, it was only average.

The troops sent were elite, but even elite troops, when faced with the Qin army's elite forces, were utterly defeated.

Lu Ming stroked his chin; he really wanted to go to Rome.

Putting everything else aside, conquering Rome and enslaving it would be incredibly satisfying and exciting!

They spent the entire afternoon discussing military matters. After lunch, the cabinet members dispersed; they would return tomorrow to discuss public works projects in various regions.

But today, for everyone, it was absolutely shocking.

Because the Crown Prince was going to oversee the country!

That meant the Crown Prince was about to emerge. Without rivals, even if the Crown Prince wanted to gamble, there was no way to do so.

Because His Majesty only had one 'son'!

In the inner palace.

Lu Ming was holding his daughter, Lu Yue. The legendary Crown Prince had grown into a graceful young man.

To disguise her, specially designed clothes were needed to ensure she wouldn't give herself away.

"Yue'er, thank you for your hard work."

"It's not hard work at all. Working for Daddy makes me happiest."

"But how will Daddy reward Yue'er?"

Lu Yue raised her head, revealing a delicate face, strikingly similar to Wang Yi, with a neutral beauty—a style that's universally appealing to both men and women, utterly irresistible!