Chapter 289: Eight Hundred Is Just Eight Hundred

The moment Chen Yan's words left his mouth, Li Chengqian slipped his foot and almost fell on the spot.

Everyone else went numb.

No, brother!

Do you know what you're saying?

Is this "raising troops" the same as the "raising troops" I understand?

Li Chengqian immediately panicked.

Li Shimin stared at Chen Yan, and slowly said, "What do you want? I didn't hear clearly; say it again."

"I… I want to raise troops."

Honestly, Chen Yan was also nervous, but he went all out, forcing a calm look into Li Shimin's eyes.

"Oh… you want me to chop off your head?"

Li Shimin, looking suddenly enlightened, said gently, "Zi An, why are you so hopeless?"

"Are you dissatisfied with your current life?"

"Do you actually seek death?"

"As an elder, I must remind you that you are no longer alone; you have a wife, she is pregnant, you have loyal subordinates, and they all depend on you for their livelihood."

"You have grown up to be the sole support for many; you can no longer act on a whim as before."

"Understand?"

At this moment, Li Shimin truly seemed like an elder, earnestly warning Chen Yan not to do anything foolish.

"Your Majesty, please stop joking; I'm not scared."

Chen Yan forced a thin smile, cold sweat streaming down.

"You're the one who joked with me first!" Li Shimin's voice rose sharply, shouting angrily.

On the street, many eyes instantly turned toward them.

Seeing this, Li Shimin withdrew his anger, lowered his voice, and said, "I have already entrusted Sizi and Gao Yang's Jinwu Guard to you, and also dispatched Niu Jinda to Weinan County so you can conveniently command the troops of the Negotiation Office."

"Moreover, Niu Jinda told you that in Weinan County you may privately mobilize part of the Negotiation Office's forces; I've already done that, so what the hell more do you expect from me?"

"With so many troops, is it still not enough for you?"

"Do you intend to rebel?"

Chen Yan tugged Li Shimin away a bit, stammering, "Your Majesty, I've never heard of anyone announcing a rebellion to the current saint in advance; besides, I don't have the nerve to rebel."

After speaking, he added, "It's not that the Negotiation Office and Jinwu Guard lack troops; they each have their own duties, making them hard to employ."

"I want a unit dedicated to a single task, trained by me in advance; of course, this unit can be directly under your control and supervision, and I only need them to handle that one matter for me."

Upon hearing this, Li Shimin's expression finally softened considerably.

If we take Chen Yan's words at face value, it's not entirely unacceptable.

It's like the Negotiation Office in Weinan County now; fundamentally it remains under Li Shimin's control, but he has granted Chen Yan the authority to mobilize it.

Li Chengqian's Eastern Palace Six Rates are the same.

After a moment of thought, Li Shimin asked, "Why do you need such a unit? For what purpose?"

"How many people?"

Seeing Li Shimin loosen up, Chen Yan was overjoyed, rubbing his hands and chuckling, "What it's for, please allow me to keep you guessing for now; let's first discuss the numbers, and once you agree, I guarantee to reveal the entire purpose of this unit."

"You're even bargaining with me?" Li Shimin sneered, "If I don't agree, you'll just stay silent?"

"No, no, I never meant that…"

"Then speak up!" Li Shimin said with an undisputed tone, "It's not that I don't trust you; but to form a private army, if you don't give me a suitable reason, I will absolutely refuse."

"Alright."

Seeing Li Shimin's firm stance, Chen Yan had no choice but to lean close to his ear and whisper.

Li Chengqian, who had been eavesdropping with his ears perked, suddenly grew anxious.

How could they still be whispering?

Can't I listen either?

Although Li Chengqian was eager to know what Chen Yan would tell his Father Emperor, he dared not eavesdrop and kept his distance.

However, after a while, Li Chengqian saw Li Shimin's expression shift from mild anger to doubt, then to intense delight.

"Are you serious?"

"In that tiny region, there really is a massive silver mine?"

Chen Yan said, "Your Majesty, you still don't know me? When have I ever lied to you?"

"The silver mine matter is absolutely true; I dare stake my own life on it."

"Hiss!" Li Shimin inhaled a cold gasp, the first time he saw Chen Yan speak so definitively.

He now believed it eighty‑nine percent; the remainder was merely the fact he hadn't seen it himself, so some doubt lingered.

He stood with his hands behind his back, pondering for a long while.

After a while, he said, "Then can I simply issue an order to attack it?"

"Cheng Laohei and Weichi Laohei would certainly be delighted."

"What's the reason?" Chen Yan tossed out a question.

"Don't forget, you only recently became the Heavenly Khan."

Li Shimin hesitated.

Indeed, dispatching troops always requires a reason.

One cannot launch a full‑scale war on a nation merely based on one side's words, even if that nation is completely disregarded by him.

Chen Yan added, "Your Majesty, this matter cannot be rushed; why not let me assemble a team to go and bring back evidence? Then the reason for dispatching troops would be there, wouldn't it?"

"If you don't want this matter exposed, we also have a force ready; at worst we can just go over there privately. As long as we don't admit it, who could take us, what would we do?"

Upon hearing that, Li Shimin had to admit that his heart was stirred.

A whole massive silver mine—who could not be moved?

"Fine, how many troops do you need?"

Li Shimin hardened his heart and made a decision.

Chen Yan, encouraged, said: "His Majesty, not too many, three thousand, three thousand will do."

"You just need to give me a place, help me keep it hidden, turn a blind eye, and give me some manpower to recruit soldiers privately; I will raise these troops, and they will be entirely under your supervision."

"How about it?"

"Three thousand?" Li Shimin shouted, "Do you the hell know what you're saying?"

"Your mouth says three thousand, and you also want me to hide the private recruitment for you—why don't you just go to heaven?"

"When I first built… it was only damn eight hundred people."

Li Shimin, getting agitated, almost said something he shouldn't have.

Chen Yan, of course, understood that three thousand was impossible.

But this thing, like any transaction, must give the other side a chance to bargain.

Chen Yan pretended to be reluctant: "Three thousand not okay?"

"Then how many do you propose?"

"Hmm!" Li Shimin saw through his little scheme, did the math seriously, and said: "I will issue an order to expand the troops of the Negotiation Office in Weinan County by five hundred, and then, under the pretense of the guards of Gao Yang, Sizi, Changle, and their three Princesses' palaces, recruit three hundred people."

"At most eight hundred, no more than that."

"Eight hundred?" Chen Yan hesitated, "Eight hundred is a bit few, isn't it?"

"Do you want it or not!" Li Shimin was angry.

"Fine." Chen Yan compromised, "Eight hundred will be eight hundred!"

"Eight hundred has its own tactics."

"......"