Upon hearing the emperor mention the Qiang people, the officials in the hall immediately fell silent.

Since the last decisive battle in which the Xianbei were defeated, the two Qiang tribes, who had originally planned a rebellion, have remained quiet until now.

Today, all the Zhou tribes of the Great Han Dynasty, except for the Qiang people and the Baiyue people in the south, have been incorporated into the territory of the Great Han. Even the Three Han tribes took the initiative to submit a petition two years ago, requesting to be incorporated into the Great Han.

Given the emperor's personality, now that the northern grasslands have been incorporated into the territory of the Han Dynasty, he would naturally not tolerate such a large vacancy in the surrounding territory.

The situation in Baiyue is relatively better. With the discovery of more and more spices and minerals, the adventurers and various families alone can bring them to ruin without the imperial court sending troops.

Therefore, the only country worth taking action against right now is the Qiang people.

While the ministers remained silent, Liu Hong suddenly stood up and walked to the map of the Han Dynasty.

"Qinghai has been part of China's territory since ancient times. In the past, the emperors of the past pitied the Qiang and Shi people and allowed them to live there temporarily."

However, those powerful chieftains did not appreciate the Emperor's grace and repeatedly misled the Qiang and Shi people into rebellion, harming the people of our great Han Dynasty.

This is intolerable!

Therefore, I have decided to personally lead an army of 200,000 to completely eradicate those powerful chieftains, bring Qinghai under the control of the Han Dynasty, and ensure the eternal peace and prosperity of the Han people and the Qiang people!

Liu Hong's words were resounding and echoed throughout the hall, stirring the hearts of everyone present.

As expected, the Emperor is about to personally lead another expedition!

However, none of the ministers objected to the emperor's desire to personally lead the expedition.

Since defeating the Xianbei, the Han Dynasty has been using economic and trade means to continuously weaken the power of the Qiang people. Many Qiang people have fled the Qiang lands and settled in Jincheng and Longxi.

Today, in the area of ​​Dongqiang Mayi, the number of Qiang people under his rule is less than 300,000, and the number of soldiers under his command who can fight is at most 60,000.

Today, the Han Dynasty boasts numerous fierce generals, a strong and well-equipped army, and a fighting force far greater than when it fought the Xianbei.

With an army of 200,000, even if you just let a dog bark twice, it would be enough to wipe out the Qiang people.

Faced with such an inevitable victory, the ministers naturally wouldn't want to spoil the emperor's mood.

Cao Song, whose hair was already gray, was the first to stand up and said loudly, "Your Majesty, the allocation of provisions is of paramount importance when the army goes on an expedition. I am willing to go with Your Majesty!"

“Your Majesty, Grand Secretary Cao is advanced in years and bears the heavy responsibility of Grand Secretary. He cannot leave lightly. Let this old minister go with him!” Yuan Feng, who was standing to the side, also hurriedly spoke up.

"Nonsense! I'm in the prime of my life, how am I old? It's you, Yuan Zhouyang, who's already wobbling when you walk. Why don't you stay home and retire instead of joining in the fun?"

Seeing Yuan Feng start competing with him again, Cao Song couldn't help but swear.

"Cao Jugao, I'm giving you face because you're the Grand Secretary, but how could you behave so disrespectfully in front of His Majesty? You don't look like a Grand Secretary at all! I think you should be the one retiring home!"

Yuan Feng, not to be outdone, began to confront Cao Song head-on.

Seeing these two old rivals start up again, Liu Hong shook his head helplessly.

Just as Liu Hong was about to speak, Duan Jiong stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, going on a campaign is a matter for military generals. It is not appropriate for Grand Secretary Cao and Grand Secretary Yuan to go. Let me do it!"

"Butcher Duan, what did you say?"

As soon as Duan Jiong finished speaking, Cao Song and Yuan Feng stopped arguing and turned to question him together.

"I say, fighting is a matter for military men, you two civil officials shouldn't get involved," Duan Jiong replied with a smile.

In the present Han Dynasty, the Grand Secretariat is in charge of all political affairs, while the Privy Council is in charge of all military affairs; the division of power between civil and military officials has become a fixed structure.

For Duan Jiong, who was in charge of the Privy Council, his position was no lower than that of Cao Song, the Grand Secretary, so he naturally had no fear of them.

Cao Song glared and said, "Hmph! We, the scholars of the Han Dynasty, are full of martial virtue. Every one of us can wield a long sword and go into battle to kill the enemy. When did fighting become the exclusive domain of you warriors?"

“That’s right, we scholars are good at governing the country on horseback and managing the state on foot, which is much better than what you all do!” Yuan Feng chimed in.

Zhang Huan, standing to the side, said with a smile, "What the two Grand Secretaries say is true, but His Majesty also said that everyone has their own expertise, and it's better for us professionals to handle the war!"

"Exactly, it's best to go with the professionals!"

Several veterans of the Privy Council also chimed in with their agreement.

In a short time, the original conflict between Cao Song and Yuan Feng escalated into a conflict between the Cabinet and the Privy Council, as well as a conflict between civil and military officials.

This expedition against the Qiang people was the last major battle of the Han Dynasty. These old but still vigorous fellows naturally wanted to go along and show their faces, to see the Han army standing at the top, and to satisfy their youthful fantasies.

The younger officials, including Yang Biao and Xun You, watched the old ministers arguing endlessly and all shrank back, not daring to speak, for fear of being dragged into it.

"Alright, everyone, stop arguing!"

In the end, it was Liu Hong who stepped in and stopped the argument among the group of veteran officials.

"Since you all wish to go, then you may all come together. Accompany me to see the scenery of the Northwest and explore the western territory of the Han Dynasty!"

"Here you go!"

Upon hearing the emperor's words, the group of veteran officials beamed with joy and bowed in agreement.

Liu Hong smiled and shook his head, then looked at Yang Biao and Xun You, among other young and promising officials.

"While I and my lords are away on campaign, you will be in charge of the affairs of the court!"

The reason why Liu Hong readily agreed to let veteran officials such as Cao Song and Yuan Feng accompany him on the expedition was not only to take care of their feelings, but also, and more importantly, to give young officials such as Yang Biao an opportunity to gain experience.

"Here you go!"

Yang Biao, Xun You, and the others quickly and respectfully agreed.

After the meeting, the ministers returned to their posts and began preparations for the upcoming campaign.

First, the cabinet drafted an imperial edict for the emperor's personal expedition, which was sent to various counties and prefectures surrounding Luoyang, Chang'an, and Jincheng, ordering them to begin preparing all the necessary provisions and supplies for the army's departure.

Subsequently, the Privy Council issued several orders to mobilize troops, namely, to levy 20,000 cavalry from Liaozhou, led by Zhu Jun and Xu Rong; to levy 20,000 cavalry from Bingzhou, led by Lü Bu; and to levy 20,000 cavalry and 10,000 Imperial Guards from the Northern Army, led by the Emperor.

As for the remaining troops, they were conscripted from Liangzhou and led by Huangfu Song.

Immediately afterwards, the Great Han Daily also published the orders from the Cabinet and the Privy Council, and characterized this expedition as a war for the integrity of the Great Han territory.

In the words of editor-in-chief Kong Rong, the land in Qinghai where the Qiang people live was originally a fiefdom granted by the Zhou emperor to the feudal lords. It was only because the emperor pitied the Qiang people who had nowhere to go that the land was lent to them for temporary lodging.

Therefore, Qinghai has always been an inherent part of China's territory, and the Emperor's decision to reclaim it today is both reasonable and lawful.