Chapter 559: Call Me Grand Secretary!

"Now that the matter has reached this point, do any of you have anything else to say?"

Li Shimin nodded and faced the ministers, his demeanor utterly resolute.

The hall fell silent for a moment; no one spoke. After a long while, Du Ruhui and other talents stepped forward to voice their support.

Even they have supported it; even those who might want to object now realize the big picture is set. Chen Yan... from today onward, will officially be Grand Secretary Chen!

"Very good!"

Li Shimin nodded at Chen Yan, then turned and walked slowly toward the elevated platform. "Then the matter is settled this way: Wang Aiqing will assume the position of Minister of Works, Wei Zheng will succeed as Palace Attendant, and the vacant Secretariat Director post will temporarily be filled by Dai Zhou."

"As for the Minister of Revenue, Chen Yan will take that role, and Ma Zhou will succeed Chen Yan in the position of Assistant Minister of the Ministry of Revenue!"

"Wang Aiqing..." Li Shimin approached the first seat and sat down, speaking earnestly: "Since last year, I have ordered the construction of the Hall of Civilization, and it still remains unfinished."

"With the upcoming Imperial Examination for the new cohort, I hope that after you assume the post of Minister of Works, you will expedite the completion of the Hall of Civilization, for it is not merely a grand hall but also carries my expectations and the years of effort of scholars across the realm."

Wang Gui felt a vague unease, but Li Shimin's words had already been spoken, and he naturally had to respond immediately, so he did not think too much and replied at once:

"Your Majesty, rest assured. I, as an elder minister, have been somewhat attentive to this matter; although the Hall of Civilization is not yet finished, it is already more than half completed."

"The remaining work will not take much time and will surely be finished before the spring Imperial Examination begins."

"Very well then." Li Shimin nodded with satisfaction and then gave a slight signal to Wushe.

Wushe understood and produced identical secret reports, distributing them to the assembled.

"Take a look, this is news from the Tang Dynasty frontier; after reading it, share your thoughts."

Li Shimin's expression remained calm as he spoke leisurely.

Chen Yan and the others felt a jolt of spirit, realizing the main act had arrived.

After Wang Gui's appointment was finalized, there was a massive reshuffling of top Court positions, including Chen Yan's promotion to Minister of Revenue; these matters are neither insignificant nor trivial.

After all, the officialdom is ever‑changing; anyone can rise or fall.

Such widespread changes in posts, though surprising, are not unacceptable.

And today, the most important thing is certainly Li Shimin's intention to fully announce a military campaign against Tuyuhun!

The Tang Dynasty's large‑scale offensive against the enemy state, aiming to decisively quell the frontier threat, is certainly no small matter and requires all ministries and provinces to prepare well in advance.

It's not just about mobilizing supplies; even dispatching troops cannot be accomplished in a short time.

"This is excessive deceit!"

Minister of War Li Jing stared at the secret report, his anger inflamed by Tuyuhun's intermittent raids on the Tang frontier and the bloodshed they had caused.

"Your Majesty, Tuyuhun is a nomadic state, and there exists an irreconcilable conflict between them and our Central Plains lands; this move is certainly testing our attitude!"

"If the Tang Dynasty makes no response, Tuyuhun will surely push further; today they merely harass the border, but who knows what they might do tomorrow?"

"Furthermore, the Tang frontier faces more than just Tuyuhun; I recommend sweeping Tuyuhun away with thunderous force, eliminating the border threat and deterring neighboring states!"

When those words fell, many at Court furrowed their brows, while Li Shimin remained indifferent and offered no comment on Li Jing's remarks.

Du Ruhui and the others kept their hands lowered, saying nothing further.

Because it was not yet the right moment; the matter was not that simple.

Whenever troops are mobilized, how many people step forward to oppose?

Sure enough, shortly after Li Jing spoke, Dou Dan immediately objected, "Impossible!"

"Why is it impossible?" Li Jing gazed at him.

Dou Dan was already angry, and Li Jing's stare made his fury flare even more.

"War! War! It's easy to speak of it, but how difficult it is to actually carry out!"

"Can't you consider that the Tang Dynasty has just entered a period of recuperation, the people have endured countless natural disasters and turmoil, and after only a few days of peace, you now want to wage war?"

"Leaving aside whether the people are willing, can the Tang Dynasty in its current state even support such a massive war?"

"From where will the grain and fodder for war come? Where will the military pay come from? Where will the myriad small supplies originate?"

"Do you expect to rely on the Ministry of Revenue, which cries poverty every day?"

Upon hearing that, Li Jing was already angry; Dou Dan was indeed foolish, truly worthy of being called a useless person who rose through connections, as Xiao Yu had scolded.

The Tang frontier has already been harassed; if the Tang does not respond, setting aside whether Tuyuhun will push further, what will the other border states think?

Do they think the Tang is easy to bully?

If they all come to harass us a few times, will the Tang have peaceful days ahead? Can we still properly recuperate?

However, after hearing the final sentence, Li Jing suddenly ceased being angry.

His gaze toward Dou Dan now carried a hint of pity.

"Do you really think Chen Yan was a soft target forcibly promoted by Li Shimin?"

"And now you want to rush up and step on him?"

"Then you've truly hit the jackpot."

"Chen Yan might still be worrying about how to secure his position, and now you jump out like a chicken, just in time to kill the respectful monkey."

"......"

"What about my Ministry of Revenue?"

Chen Yan's gaze instantly turned cold: "Lord Dou means that my Ministry of Revenue only takes in and never gives out, holding the empire's taxes yet scrimping and crying poverty all day, and, like you, does nothing even when the Tang frontier is being harassed?"

"Putting the distant matters aside, in the fourth year of the Zhenguan era, when Your Majesty sought to subdue the Eastern Göktürks and needed grain, fodder, and silver, did my Ministry of Revenue ever hold back? Did it ever utter a single 'no'?"

Dou Dan would not take that bait; he retorted, "When have I ever seen the Tang frontier being harassed and done nothing?"

"My point is that the Tang now needs to recuperate and should not mobilize troops; I did not say no troops, so Minister Chen, please do not misinterpret my meaning!"

"Call me Grand Secretary!!!"

Chen Yan suddenly raised his voice, his clear tone echoing through the great hall: "Your Majesty has already issued the order; even though I have not formally gone to the Ministry of Personnel to register and receive my official sash, now the entire Court knows, I should rightfully be Grand Secretary!"

"Also, Minister of the Imperial Secretariat Dou Dan, when speaking to me, remember to address me with the honorific 'your subordinate'!"

Fine!

That's how it should be!

Li Shimin wasn't angry at all; in fact, he couldn't help but his eyes lit up!

He entered government service at eighteen, and by twenty he was the Minister of Revenue.

He should be exactly like that!!!

"You..." Dou Dan's hands shook with rage.

He is Li Shimin's brother-in-law; by seniority, Chen Yan should still call him 'uncle'.

Yet now, before the whole assembly of civil and military officials, he forces him to call himself 'your humble servant'.

How... absurd!

"What do you mean 'you'?" Chen Yan stood his ground, "Did I say something wrong?"

"The Tang borders are troubled; even if the Ministry of Revenue is in difficulty, it knows its priorities. As long as His Majesty wishes to remove the threat and mobilize troops, the Ministry would rather smash pots, sell iron, eat buns and drink cold water than shortchange the soldiers!"

"Today I declare here: if His Majesty wishes to raise an army, the entire Ministry of Revenue will fully cooperate!"

"Whatever the Ministry has can be deployed! What it lacks, we will find a way to obtain!"

"..."