Inside the Deyang Palace, in addition to Yuan Feng and Cao Song, Grand Commandant Li Ying and Minister of Works Hu Guang were also summoned by Liu Hong to discuss the matter of sending troops.

Liu Hong looked at Li Ying, "Grand Commandant, what's the situation with Huangfu Song?"

Li Ying respectfully reported, "Your Majesty, Huangfu Song's five thousand Youzhou cavalry have assembled and are awaiting Your Majesty's decree to head north to Yuyang to join Qiu Liju's forces!"

"Yes! Very good!"

Liu Hong nodded, then said in a deep voice, "In that case, let the Grand Commandant issue an order for Huangfu Song to lead the army north to support the expedition against the Northern Wuhuan!"

"promise!"

Liu Hong and the others then discussed the details of the expedition against the Northern Wuhuan.

"Your Majesty, I believe that after defeating the Northern Wuhuan, we should establish a new city eighty li north of Yuyang and station troops there. This place is both offensive and defensive, and in this way, it will be like a nail driven into the heart of the Northern Wuhuan."

"Oh? Is this the place the Grand Commandant is referring to?"

Li Ying's words caused Liu Hong's expression to change. Liu Hong then got up and went to the map of the Great Han Dynasty. He pointed to a place in the north of Yuyang and naturally drew a circle there.

Meanwhile, Yuan Feng, who was standing to the side, keenly noticed Liu Hong's subtle movement.

Seeing where the emperor was pointing, Li Ying nodded. "That's right! The geographical location there is extremely special. It is situated at the intersection of the Xianbei, Xiongnu, and Northern Wuhuan tribes, making it an extremely important strategic location."

“However, building a new city here will inevitably provoke dissatisfaction from the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Northern Wuhuan. They will surely launch attacks. Without a large army stationed here, it will be difficult to accomplish this!”

Hu Guang, standing to the side, frowned and voiced his concerns.

Cao Song also spoke up, saying, "Yes, Your Majesty, the construction of the new city is extremely costly and requires the mobilization of a large number of laborers and craftsmen. At present, the military supplies in various parts of our Han Dynasty are insufficient, and we simply cannot spare any extra troops to garrison it!"

Admittedly, Hu Guang and Cao Song's concerns were quite reasonable. Building a new city on flat ground would certainly cost an astronomical sum, and they would also have to constantly guard against attacks from the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Northern Wuhuan. The difficulty of this task can be imagined.

But what Li Ying said also makes a lot of sense, and the location of that place was also a very important city in later generations, namely Luanping area in western Chengde!

For the Han Dynasty at present, that place is connected to the Yanshan Mountains in the west and can be linked to Shanggu, Yuyang and Youbeiping in the south, making it a rare strategic location.

Liu Hong had coveted that area for a long time, and now that Li Ying had suddenly brought it up, Liu Hong felt it was time to incorporate it into the Han Dynasty's territory.

No matter how great the difficulties, Liu Hong was determined to obtain Luanping in Chengde.

Then Liu Hong looked at Yuan Feng and asked, "What does the Minister of Works think?"

When Li Ying proposed building a new city, Yuan Feng noticed the emperor's interest. Although Hu Guang and Cao Song raised various difficulties, he found that the emperor's expression remained unchanged.

“The emperor wants to build a new city, and he is very determined to do so!” This was Yuan Feng’s conclusion.

Hearing the emperor ask for his opinion, Yuan Feng pondered for a moment before speaking: "Your Majesty, I believe that although there are many difficulties at present, that place is of utmost importance to our Han Dynasty and must be incorporated into our Han Dynasty!"

Upon hearing Yuan Feng's words, Liu Hong nodded with satisfaction. Of the four ministers in Deyang Palace, two advocated building a new city, while the other two, though not explicitly opposed, had many concerns.

A delicate balance was formed, and now it was just a matter of waiting for Liu Hong to make the final decision.

"Just as the Grand Commandant and the Minister of Works said, this place is our Han Dynasty's must-have!"

Liu Hong turned around, his gaze fixed on the map of the Han Dynasty. Apart from Juyan, this would be the first starting point for the Han Dynasty's conquest of the four directions.

Cao Song and Hu Guang exchanged a glance. From Liu Hong's words, they seemed to sense the emperor's determination to expand the territory.

Even so, Cao Song still spoke up, saying, "Although this place is indeed very important for the future of the Han Dynasty, I think it would be better to discuss a safer solution. Next spring, the Han Dynasty will need manpower and money for so many places that the national treasury simply cannot provide enough funds and grain to build a new city!"

"I believe the Grand Minister of Agriculture is right! Everything in excess is as bad as deficiency! We should discuss a proper solution!" Hu Guang echoed.

As Cao Song and Hu Guang finished speaking, Li Ying and Yuan Feng, who were standing to the side, also hesitated. If the construction of the new city affected the economic development of the people next year, it would indeed be a loss that did not outweigh the gains.

Li Ying and Yuan Feng exchanged a glance, and then Li Ying stood up and said, "Your Majesty, as the Minister of Works and the Minister of Agriculture have said, the new city must be built, but it should not be a burden on the Han Dynasty. We really need to come up with a solution."

Liu Hong nodded and then said, "Excellent! Then let's discuss and see if there's a way that satisfies both sides!"

The imperial court wanted to build a new city, but it couldn't spend too much money or conscript too many laborers. It also had to avoid attacks from the Xiongnu, Xianbei, and Northern Wuhuan. With so many passive factors combined, it was indeed a very thorny problem.

For a moment, the people inside Deyang Hall fell into deep thought, and the hall was silent.

"I do have a method! Please listen to it."

After a long while, Liu Hong suddenly opened his eyes, breaking the silence in the hall.

"Please speak plainly, Your Majesty!"

The four of them looked at Liu Hong, wondering what brilliant idea the emperor had come up with this time.

Liu Hong smiled and said, "Since ancient times, the rise of new cities has always been inseparable from factors such as transportation, economy, and resources."

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