Minister of Works Xing Kang also chimed in, "I second that suggestion."
Of the four officials, three held the same view, while only the Minister of Revenue, Mi Zhu, remained frowning, pondering the previous events, and did not speak.
Emperor Ganwu put down the pick and sighed softly.
He certainly understood the principle that haste makes waste.
But his health is deteriorating, and God doesn't have much time left to arrange and handle his affairs after his death.
All he wants now is to leave Crown Prince Li Gancheng a stable foundation and a few capable ministers in the limited time he has left.
Sun Jian was indeed as Yi Youwei said, an all-rounder in every aspect, and a rare genius in a century.
Such a minister must be repeatedly tested and refined to ensure his loyalty before he can be entrusted to Crown Prince Li Gancheng.
The second aspect is the fighting on the front lines...
Thinking of this, Emperor Ganwu had a headache and said to his ministers, "I understand your thoughts, and I don't want to drain Sun Jian from the start, making him make countless enemies and causing him to have no goodwill towards the royal family."
"But the war at the front is dragging on, with conflict and peace constantly shifting. We are stuck in a rut, neither advancing nor retreating, wasting resources and effort. My efforts are already overburdened."
"We desperately need someone to defeat the enemy!"
The old emperor is right. We are overwhelmed by fighting on multiple fronts, and we cannot retreat hastily. Otherwise, we will not only lose the territory we have gained, but also cause chaos if we retreat, and chaos will lead to defeat!
Not only was the situation at odds with the Great Zhou, but it was also at odds with the Great Song.
Let's discuss this further now!
Emperor Ganwu sighed again, deciding that the priority should be on the matter at hand.
The locust plague will take at least a month to control, while the grand court assembly is still three months away. Let's just wait and see.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
Except for Mi Zhu, all four ministers bowed and clasped their hands in response to Emperor Ganwu.
Emperor Ganwu was taken aback and fixed his gaze on Mi Zhu, the Minister of Revenue, who had remained silent despite repeated attempts to speak.
What's wrong with this old man today?
Why is this reaction so different from usual?
"Why hasn't Minister Mi spoken?" Emperor Ganwu asked.
Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu was startled and quickly came to his senses, hurriedly saying, "Your Majesty, I...I was thinking about the matter of Attendant Reader Sun!"
"Oh? What is it?"
"Your Majesty, I am thinking of the battle record of my tutor, Sun, at the Tiger Warriors' training ground..."
Upon hearing this, the officials all cast disdainful glances at Mi Zhu, the Minister of Revenue.
This old man, his reaction time is so slow?
They were all discussing whether or not Sun Jian should be put in charge of the front-line military affairs after the grand court assembly, but he was still stuck on Sun Jian's previous achievements.
Perhaps it was because those achievements were too astonishing that Lord Mi Zhu was so puzzled?
Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu wiped the sweat from his brow and said, "Something's not right, Your Majesty! Something's not right!"
"What's wrong with it? Tell me."
Emperor Ganwu was not angry and gestured for Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu to continue speaking.
"Your Majesty, I have been repeatedly considering something."
"Before Sun Shidu became an official, His Majesty ordered me to investigate all of his files and records. If I am not mistaken, Sun Shidu only studied the classics for a few years and was of commoner origin. He has no other talents."
"My trusted advisors have visited his rural hometown several times to investigate. Before he left the mountain, Sun Shidu had no land, his house was dilapidated and leaky, he had no money or food, no clothes to cover his body, and he ate and slept in the open all day long, eating whatever he could find, and was doing nothing of note..."
"His parents had also starved to death during the famine!"
"This information is absolutely correct!"
Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu became more and more excited as he spoke, and he even began to question his own memory, and even the confidants he had raised since childhood.
"Why...why are all the stories of Sun Shidu circulating in the capital, and even throughout the entire Daqian region, in every street and alley, in such a short period of time?"
"It's one thing that his medical skills are little known, after all, medical skills can be hidden, and those with exceptional talent can study ancient books and conduct research at home without letting the world know."
"Although it is absurd, it can be barely explained."
"But what I really can't understand is why, after he entered the capital, there were rumors of his unparalleled martial arts skills and his extraordinary literary talent..."
Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu became more and more excited as he spoke, “He is proficient in all aspects of literature, martial arts, medicine, invention, creation, agriculture, and military strategy, and is skilled in everything he does.”
"This old minister is not jealous of talent, but apart from his medical skills which can be barely explained, how can we explain Sun Shidu's other talents?"
"Take the results of this martial arts exercise as an example. Before he became an official, Sun Shidu was almost starving to death. How could he have had the time and energy to study military books, formations, and the art of war?"
"But without research, how could one break the Crane Wing Formation, the Mysterious Xiang Formation, and the Arrowhead Formation?"
At this point, Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu turned to Yao Tianzheng and asked, "May I ask Governor Yao, you are well-versed in military strategy and have commanded troops for many years. Can you achieve such a record?"
Yao Tianzheng shook his head, denying it.
If he were Sun Jian at that time, leading a thousand new recruits who had not yet completed their training and integration, and simultaneously fighting against an enemy three times their size, and whose combat capabilities were not on the same level, without relying on any favorable timing or location, he certainly could not have done it purely in the training ground.
Seeing Yao Tianzheng shake his head, Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu became even more enthusiastic: "Indeed, even I, the Governor-General Yao, who has been working so hard, could hardly do it. As I said before, my information is absolutely correct. Now, gentlemen, think about it, how could there be such a person in the world?"
"Yes! Minister Mi is right! The implications here are truly terrifying upon closer examination..."
Apart from Yao Tianzheng, the other ministers nodded in agreement, acknowledging the words of Mi Zhu, the Minister of Revenue.
Sun Jianshi was truly amazing, so amazing that it was almost unbelievable!
His stunning appearance made people start to question what kind of trickery he might be up to!
"Your Majesty, this old minister has been in charge of the Ministry of Revenue for many years, and I am well aware of the vast amount of money, grain, and taxes levied. I am not jealous of your talent; these are truly my heartfelt words. I hope Your Majesty will understand!"
Emperor Ganwu nodded as well. He knew that Minister of Revenue Mi Zhu had no intention of bringing down Sun Jian; on the contrary, he was worried…
What they didn't know was that, besides this, Sun Jian also had another skill: the art of commerce!
Recently, the products developed by Sun Jian's workshop have been sweeping across Kyoto and beyond.
It even started circulating widely in other states and counties, becoming incredibly popular!
Few people knew who owned the workshop, but Emperor Ganwu and Yao Tianzheng were well aware of it.
Sun Jian's shops were packed with people from morning till night, and on several occasions, the streets were completely blocked by people queuing up to buy goods.
Keep in mind that the streets in Kyoto are a full 30 meters wide.
The fact that it could block the flow of water on a 30-meter-wide street shows just how popular it was.
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