Chen Fan, who was in the lead, also stood up, bowed to Liu Hong, and then said in a deep voice:

"Your Majesty is right. This situation must change. Those who look down on the court must be warned and punished!"

Cao Song quickly chimed in, "That's right. Otherwise, wouldn't we, the people of the court, be looked down upon?"

"Absolutely! The prestige of the imperial court must not be damaged, and all localities must resolutely implement the imperial decrees!"

Immediately, everyone in the hall expressed their opinions, and their meaning was clear: the authority of the imperial court must be established.

Seeing that everyone had reached a consensus, Liu Hong smiled and nodded.

Then Liu Hong asked, "Since you all agree, then let's discuss which two other provinces, besides You, Bing, Liang, and Sili, are the best choice?"

Upon hearing Liu Hong's question, everyone fell into deep thought, and subconsciously avoided the three prefectures of Yan, Qing, and Yu.

After a moment, Li Ying stood up and said:

"Your Majesty, I believe that Ji Province should be the first choice. Ji Province is located among You, Bing, Yan, Qing and Sili, and its geographical location is extremely important. The court must strengthen its control over it!"

"Yes, Grand Commandant is right. Ji Province is one, but what about the other one?"

Liu Hong nodded, then looked at the crowd again.

Chen Fan spoke up, saying, "Your Majesty, I believe that another option is either Yizhou or Jingzhou!"

Liu Hong thought for a moment and then said, "Then let's choose Yizhou. Yizhou has rugged and difficult roads and inconvenient transportation, making it very easy for it to break away from the control of the imperial court. We must keep it in our hands!"

"Your Majesty is wise!!"

Everyone agreed with the emperor's choice of Yizhou, as it was known as the Land of Abundance, with a large population, and was extremely important to the court and the country.

After much discussion, the Ministry of Personnel issued several more imperial edicts, exempting You, Bing, Liang, Sili, as well as Ji and Yi provinces from poll tax, military service, and corvée labor, and replacing them with a system of taxation per mu and recruitment of soldiers.