Chu Zhenglin held the memorial submitted by Changsun Dechong tightly in his hand and hurried towards the Ministry of War.

He was incredibly excited along the way, his heart filled with anticipation and excitement for leading his troops into battle. For him, being able to lead his troops again and plunge into the smoke of battle was undoubtedly an incomparable pleasure.

Chu Zhenglin wasn't interested in the throne; he preferred to be a powerful general. He was grateful to Chu Fan for handing over power to him.

Chu Zhenglin's greatest passion in life was to fight on the battlefield and shed his blood. When his father had asked him to assist with government affairs, the endless pile of memorials he had submitted day after day had worn him out. Now, when Changsun Dechong proposed rapidly raising a new army of 200,000 men, how could Chu Zhenglin not be moved?

Chu Zhenglin arrived at the Ministry of War and rushed to find Zhangsun Dechong. He asked directly, "Uncle Zhangsun, where is the 200,000 new troops you reported?"

His voice echoed in the Ministry of War, drawing the attention of everyone present. Changsun Dechong responded calmly, "Your Highness, please address me by my title in the government office."

Chu Zhenglin didn't care about such formal details. He immediately said seriously, "Minister Changsun, I have carefully reviewed your memorial. Now, please take me to check the specific location of the 200,000 new troops."

As Chu Zhenglin spoke, he handed the memorial in his hand to Changsun Dechong. Changsun Dechong took the memorial, his eyes fell on the seal of the imperial seal, and an indescribable excitement surged in his heart. Mu Yunfeng had actually mentioned to him many times the intensity of the border war and the urgent need for reinforcements. At the previous court meeting, Changsun Dechong had intended to report this matter to His Majesty, but he did not expect His Majesty to delegate power and establish the Royal Government Affairs Office to handle these affairs. And now, as Changsun Dechong had expected, Prince Chu Zhenglin arrived here with the approved memorial.

Chang Sun Dechong took a deep breath, calmed his excitement, and then said to Chu Zhenglin: "Your Highness, please follow me."

Chang Sun Dechong led Chu Zhenglin to a place where camp had already been set up, which happened to be the side of Kaifeng City where the Acropolis had not yet been built.

In order to accommodate the victims displaced by the famine, Kaifeng City has built three citadels, and Changsun Dechong plans to use this vacant land to build a military fortress specifically for accommodating troops to strengthen the defense of this area.

Chu Zhenglin felt very satisfied looking at the well-trained and disciplined soldiers. These soldiers were exactly the elite troops he had hoped for, capable of exerting great combat effectiveness on the battlefield of the future.

Chang Sun Dechong immediately sent his guards to find the city guards responsible for guarding the area and ordered them to gather all the centurions. He needed to convey the news that they had become soldiers of the Wei State.

After Chang Sun Dechong finished speaking, the city guards seemed a little slow to respond, saying, "Sir, those civilians have not yet become part of the army, so they cannot be called centurions yet."

Chang Sun Dechong frowned when he heard this, looking a little impatient. He kicked the city guard hard on the butt and said sternly, "From now on, they are soldiers. Go and notify the others and ask them to come see me."

The city guards were a little stunned by the kick, but they reacted quickly and turned around to run to carry out the order.

Chang Sun Dechong and Chu Zhenglin found a tent nearby and planned to go in to rest and have an in-depth conversation while waiting for the centurions to gather.

Chang Sun Dechong was the first to speak to Chu Zhenglin. "I've always had a plan to transform this place into an impenetrable military fortress. This way, Kaifeng City will be more effectively protected and less vulnerable to enemy attacks. At the same time, the number of troops stationed in the city can be reduced accordingly, allowing the people here to enjoy a freer and more peaceful life."

Chu Zhenglin nodded slightly in agreement, but then raised a practical question: "Since you have such a plan and idea, why don't you submit it directly to His Majesty? His Majesty will surely understand your thoughts and seriously consider your suggestions, and perhaps they will gain the support and approval of the court."

Chang Sun Dechong sighed and explained, "It's not that I haven't considered submitting a memorial, but this matter involves a wide range of issues and requires careful planning."

Chang Sun De went on to explain in detail, "The three citadels surrounding Kaifeng were built successfully because they were intended to provide shelter for those affected by the disaster. Therefore, the victims, driven by hope for the future and a desire for a home, voluntarily devoted themselves to the construction of these cities without asking for any reward."

However, if we were building a military fortress, the situation would be completely different. If we asked civilians to participate in the construction without paying them, it would be tantamount to exploiting their labor, which is unfair.

Chang Sun De's tone revealed deep worry: "The current financial situation of Wei State is not optimistic, and the funds in the treasury are not sufficient. If we want to build a new city under such circumstances, the funds required will definitely be huge.

Furthermore, if we were to build a military fortress, the financial and material resources would be even more staggering. Considering Wei's current economic situation, the treasury might not be able to bear such a huge expenditure. Therefore, I myself feel very hesitant and lack sufficient confidence and determination to push forward with this project.

After hearing the other party's statement, Chu Zhenglin was very generous. He responded without hesitation: "Leave this matter to me. As soon as I return to the Royal Government Affairs Office, I will immediately investigate the current financial situation of the Wei treasury. Once we confirm that there are sufficient funds in the treasury, we can confidently implement this plan."

After the two continued chatting for a while, the captains and centurions stood neatly in the open space outside the tent, while twenty lieutenant generals stood outside the tent waiting to be received by Chang Sun Dechong and Chu Zhenglin.

Chu Zhenglin walked out of the tent and looked at the strong and energetic general in front of him. He felt very satisfied. Chu Zhenglin decided in his heart that he would take this army.