In the seventh year of Jian'an, AD 202, it was the ninth day of the first lunar month.
On the second day after the founding of the Qin State, Liu Zhang's courtiers gathered in Weiyang Palace for the first court meeting after the founding of the state.
A group of civil and military officials lined up on both sides, standing in order from high to low, waiting for the arrival of the king of Qin.
Not long after, a sharp voice suddenly sounded.
"The Duke of Qin has arrived!"
The civil and military ministers on both sides turned to the throne at the same time, and then bowed down.
"Greetings to Duke Qin!"
Liu Zhang came slowly from the side and then sat on the main seat.
"Your Majesty, no courtesy!"
"Thank you Duke Qin!"
All the ministers stood up straight and looked at Liu Zhang who was sitting on the throne.
None of the dozens of monarchs and ministers in Weiyang Palace spoke, they all looked at each other.
Everyone, including Liu Zhang, was very... uncomfortable!
Whether it is Liu Zhang's official uniform or the court uniform of civil servants and generals, they are completely different from before.
Especially Liu Zhang's official uniform, which was decorated with nine tins by the emperor and crowned with ten beautiful colors.
In the eyes of the ministers, Liu Zhang's attire was almost the same as that of the emperor!
It was as if everyone was worshiping the emperor, and they were the three nobles and nine ministers in the court!
When Liu Zhang saw the military uniforms of his subordinates, he seemed to see himself more than ten years ago.
When Liu Hong was alive, wasn't he one of the people below?
At that time, General He Jin and Grand Tutor Yuan Wei were still at the head of the ministers.
Although he had defeated the Yellow Turbans and was awarded the title of General, he was still standing in the crowd!
Everything has really changed!
Liu Zhang couldn't help but sigh in his heart.
From today on, they can no longer be too casual. Rules will bind them.
No matter how good these civil and military relations are with him, they cannot be too casual.
Just like this attire, official uniforms, hats, and taking off shoes to go to the temple are all indispensable!
Even the savage Dian Wei is extremely well-behaved and shows no signs of disrespect.
"Ahem..."
Liu Zhang cleared his throat and prepared to start his first court meeting in his life.
"Thanks to your majesty's love, I have given you the Dukedom of Qin! This is inseparable from the joint efforts of all the ministers. I... I will always remember it in my heart!"
For a while, Liu Zhang felt uncomfortable with calling himself Gu.
"However, the world is still not peaceful at present, and the situation of separatism among the princes is still continuing! I... have received the emperor's kindness, and I should share the country's worries!"
"Today is the first court meeting of the Qin State. It is rare for all ministers to be in the court hall, so I would like to hear their strategies for the future!"
After Liu Zhang finished speaking, he looked at the ministers.
I thought everyone would be eager to give it a try at this special moment, but unexpectedly everyone looked at each other and became humble.
After a long time, the minister ordered Jia Xu to stand up.
Jia Xu was not only the Shangshu Ling of the Shangshutai, but was also given the title of Military Advisor by Liu Zhang, making him the number one person in the Qin court!
"To Duke Qin, I have something to say!"
Liu Zhang nodded slightly and made a gesture of invitation.
"Jia Lingjun, please speak!"
Jia Xu bowed his hands and saluted. Not only was the etiquette extremely complicated, but his movements were also very slow.
"I guess that your Majesty gave Duke Qin the word "Qin" because he naturally wanted Duke Qin to follow the example of Qin Shihuang and sweep across the world, sweep all directions, wipe out all traitors and traitors, and unify the world again!"
Jia Xu's voice was extremely loud and had nothing to do with the word "Lao Chen".
The ministers on both sides nodded slightly and expressed their agreement.
The corners of Liu Zhang's mouth raised, revealing a hint of a smile.
"What Jia Lingjun said is absolutely true!"
After Jia Xu looked around at everyone, he looked at Liu Zhang again.
"Duke Qin, our Qin State has a strong military, but the two years of northwest attacks have damaged our strength."
"If you want to imitate Qin Shi Huang and sweep away the six kingdoms, the most important thing now is to accumulate strength. Only by accumulating strength can you defeat the enemy!"
"Therefore, the old minister suggested that in the next few years, our Qin State should turn from offensive to defensive, concentrate on restoring production in Guanzhong and train sergeants."
"For the time being, let Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Liu Biao, Sun Quan and others attack each other. When they are all exhausted, we, the Qin State, will wipe out the rebellion in one fell swoop!"
After Jia Xu finished speaking, he slowly returned to the queue.
Although this is just a general strategy of the Qin State and does not give specific implementation conditions, it is enough.
At least it can calm the hearts of extremely hawkish people.
This time Guanzhong was captured in one fell swoop, and it was inevitable that some people within the Qin State would be completely distraught.
Especially after receiving 10 million stones of food and grass from Jingzhou, I felt that it was time to dominate the world.
Liu Zhang personally said that he was switching from offense to defense, and it was inevitable that he was somewhat complacent.
But when Jia Xu said it with reason and evidence, the effect was completely different.
After Jia Xu retreated, Liu Zhang quickly expressed his approval of Jia Xu.
"What Jia Lingjun said is very consistent with Gu Xin!"
"Two years of fighting brought us the establishment of the Qin State, but we also lost more than half of our 100,000 elite troops!"
The monarch and ministers of Qin all had this attitude, and naturally the ministers had no objections.
At this time, Shangshu Pushe and former military advisor Xun You also stood up.
Jia Xu is the military advisor of the Central Government, which means sitting in the center, while Xun You's former military advisor means pioneering and enterprising.
In fact, the ministers felt that Xun You was the representative figure of the hawks, and his presence was indispensable in every expansion of territory.
"Qin Gong, I also have something to say."
"Xun Shangshu, please speak!"
All the ministers' eyes were focused on Xun You, and Xun You's opinions could almost influence the future situation of Qin.
"Reporting to Qin Gong, Wei Chen feels that it is no longer a question of whether to turn to the defensive, but a question of how to resist the attack of external forces in the next few years!"
"Right now, our Qin State has won consecutive battles. It seems that our military strength is strong, but in fact, it is already at the end of its power!"
"The focus in the next few years should be to try our best to maintain the territory and resume production in Guanzhong with peace of mind!"
Xun You's words immediately caused a commotion, especially among the newly promoted officials of the Yizhou family.
Although Liu Zhang was extremely opposed to forming cliques, he had to admit that the current court was already divided into factions.
Especially the Yizhou faction!
Not long after, Bu Cheng Yang Hong stood up.
Bu Cheng is a subordinate of Da Si Nong, one of the Nine Qings, and is mainly in charge of Qiangu.
"This is for Duke Qin, even the humble minister has something to say!"
Liu Zhang frowned slightly, but unexpectedly Yang Hong stood up.
"Yang Bucheng, please speak!"
"Informing Duke Qin, I think we should concentrate our forces to continue expansion now."
"This can not only expand the results of the war in one go, but also enhance the prestige of our Qin State and form a deterrent to the princes of the world!"
Sure enough!
Liu Zhang sighed secretly in his heart, showing a hint of helplessness.
I thought that with the dual support of Jia Xu and Xun You, Yang Hong would not have any objections.
It seems that Yang Hong is not very satisfied with the power class of Qin this time!