All the ministers looked at each other and thoughts were different for a moment, but everyone was surprised. They did not expect Longtai to come up with such an idea unexpectedly today.
The Black Scale Camp was naturally famous back then, and together with the Black Sword Camp, they were called the two strongest elites in Nanchu.
These two troops are not well organized, but their combat effectiveness is the best among the soldiers and horses of the Southern Chu team. They are among the best in terms of equipment and individual combat capabilities.
The reputation of an army is not to be shouted out, but to lay the foundation for the baptism of countless blood and fire.
Today's Black Sword Camp was once a bloody and fire on the battlefield, which made it a frightening reputation today. The same is true for the Black Scale Camp, which was running with it back then.
Many years ago, the Black Scale Camp fought with the Northern Han Xuelan Army. Until today, it still mentioned it after dinner. When talking about that war, no one would have any contempt for the Black Scale Camp because of the entire army of the Black Scale Camp. In addition to sighing, the most regret is regret.
In that battle, although the Black Scale Camp was wiped out, the people of Nanchu never thought that the Black Scale Camp was defeated.
The fame of the Northern Han Xuelan Army was never under the Black Scale Camp back then. Moreover, as we all know, the war horses of the Blood Scale Camp were actually better than the Black Scale Camp. The war horses of the Northern Han were already stronger than the Southern Chu. In addition, the horses they carefully trained for the Blood Scale Camp, their speed and endurance were higher than those of the Black Scale Camp.
Even so, in the end, although the Black Scale Camp was wiped out and there were only a few dozen people left, the Xuelan Army was not much better. Although the name of the Xuelan Army was still retained, the Xuelan Army did not appear on the battlefield since then. Therefore, the Southern Chu people always felt that the Northern Han people still kept the Xuelan Army flag just for their face. In fact, the Xuelan Army had already disappeared from that battle.
After that battle, the Black Scale Camp no longer existed. Although the court did not remove the Black Scale Camp number, the dozens of people left behind the Black Scale Camp either stayed in the Jinyi Hou Mansion like Duan Canghai or were assigned to other troops as generals. The Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Works no longer had to provide any money, food, military pay, weapons and equipment to this once glorious army. In fact, if there was no Black Scale Camp.
The annihilation of the Black Scale Camp is naturally a huge blow to Nan Chu. After all, the army trained by Qi Jing at that time not only consumed Qi Jing's countless energy, but also consumed great financial resources from the court. Among the Qinhuai Legion, the Black Scale Camp is like the crown pearl of the Qinhuai Legion, dazzling.
Although some people talk about the crushing of such a pearl in private, the court has not mentioned it more since then. After all, it is the scar of the empire. It will still make people feel uncomfortable when they mention this past.
In fact, the ministers present would not have thought that the court would prepare to rebuild the Black Scale Camp. At this time, Longtai suddenly proposed it, and the ministers were naturally very surprised.
After a moment of silence, Qi Ning glanced at Longtai and found that although Longtai looked very calm on the outside, there was a hint of tension in his eyes.
"Lu...Lu Xiao, you are the Minister of War, what do you think?" Longtai stared at Lu Xiao and asked.
Lu Xiao bowed and said, "Report to the emperor, I think...no!"
"Oh?" A trace of disappointment was clearly seen in the depths of Longtai's eyes, but a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he asked calmly: "Why not?"
"In my opinion, there are at least two reasons." Lu Xiao said: "First, the Black Scale Camp fought against the Xuelan Army and the entire army was wiped out. The only 58 remaining people now perform their own duties. The emperor wanted to rebuild the Black Scale Camp of the Black Scale Camp, but now there is no foundation. In order to train the Black Scale Camp, the silver spent by the court was like flowing water. Whether it was equipment or horses, the Black Scale Camp needed the best. Other troops had three meals a day, but when they arrived at the Black Scale Camp, they had to serve five meals a day, and they were in charge of wine and meat...
......, even their military pay is much higher than other soldiers." After a pause, he said, "Your Majesty, I will give you a simple example. The black scale armor worn by the soldiers of the Black Scale Camp back then was positive and strict. Not only did they require a large amount of refined iron, but several kinds of concentrates were also needed to be integrated into it. When creating the Black Scale Camp, as long as there was a slight flaw, they would have to be abandoned and rebuilt. A set of black scale armor can create more than seven or eight deputy soldiers. The emperor can imagine how much money it would take to rebuild the Black Scale Camp."
Longtai frowned slightly. Seeing this, Lu Xiao continued: "The Black Scale Camp charged forward on the battlefield and made many military achievements. It is indeed admirable, but for this reason, every time they go into battle, their equipment is damaged, and they must be replenished. Every year, the money spent on it is a heavy burden for the court."
"I want to win the battle, but I don't want to lose it. Lord Lu, there is no such perfect thing in this world." Qi Ning couldn't help but say.
Lu Xiao did not argue, but instead smiled: "Marquis Jinyi was born in the Marquis' Mansion. He had never been to the battlefield and had never worried about silver. When it comes to the suffering of silver, Lord Dou should have the most experience."
Dou Kui took the opportunity to sigh: "Your Majesty, Lord Lu is right. The money spent on the Black Scale Camp back then gave the Ministry of Revenue a headache. At that time, I could still hold on, but now...!" He smiled bitterly: "Your Majesty, the Battle of Qinhuai has just ended, and countless people who have suffered from the war are still poor. In recent years, most of the money from the treasury has been spent on the frontline war. Now I have to spend a lot of money to resettle refugees. If the Black Scale Camp is rebuilt at this time, the Ministry of Revenue will probably not be able to afford the money."
Longtai's delicate face was already slightly angry and said, "The Black Scale Camp is only equipped with a thousand people. Even if it costs some money, can't I even take out this little money?"
Dou Kui heard Longtai’s tone slightly dissatisfied, so he didn’t dare to speak, but just lowered his head.
Seeing that Dou Kui was not speaking, Longtai glanced at the Marquis of Zhongyi and asked, "Marquis of Zhongyi, do you also feel that it is not suitable to rebuild the Black Scale Camp at this time?"
Zhongyi Hou said: "Reporting to the emperor, the old minister thinks that after the Battle of Qinhuai, it is a good time to rebuild the Black Scale Camp."
Longtai's eyes lit up slightly and he said, "Why did the Marquis Zhongyi say that?"
"Your Majesty, the battle between Qinhuai took several years, and the soldiers of the enemy and our countries were exhausted." Zhongyi Hou's voice was low and slow, as if every word had been carefully thought out before he could speak out: "Whether it is the Northern Han Dynasty or the Great Chu Dynasty, the morale is currently very low."
Longtai nodded slightly, but Qi Ning also felt that Sima Lan's words were true. After a few years of fighting, the soldiers on the front line were exhausted. In addition, Qi Jing and the previous emperor passed away continuously, which was a continuous blow to the entire Chu State. The soldiers on the front line must have a low morale.
"The old minister has always been thinking about how to improve the morale of the frontline soldiers." Sima Lan said: "The old minister is in chaos and has never come up with a good idea, but the emperor's words woke up the dreamer today. The old minister thought that rebuilding the Black Scale Camp is the best way to enhance the morale of our Chu army."
"oh?"
Sima Lan smiled: "As we all know, if the Qinhuai Legion was a battle knife back then, then the Black Scale Camp was the blade of this knife. With the blade, it would be sharp and unscrupulous. If the Black Scale Camp was rebuilt at this time and the soldiers in front knew about it, it would inevitably be a great boost in morale and would also let the soldiers know the court's importance to the army."
Longtai smiled and said, "I just wanted to fulfill the wish of the late emperor, but I didn't expect this level. The old man from Zhongyi was able to plan the country. If he could think of this level, he was indeed a pillar of the pillars. Yes, once the Black Scale Camp was rebuilt, our Chu army soldiers would definitely have a great morale." He turned to the King of Huainan and asked, "Does the King of Huainan think this is the case?"
Many of the ministers present were thinking that the King of Huainan would have a bloodless battle with the Marquis of Zhongyi in the future. Marquis of Zhongyi advocated the reconstruction of the Black Scale Camp, which of course would not be of any benefit to the King of Huainan.
Who knew that the King of Huainan smiled and nodded, "What the old Marquis Zhongyi said is very true. Now our Great Chu is about to boost the morale of the army. Rebuilding the Black Scale Camp can not only boost our morale, but also let the Northern Han people know the military power of our Great Chu. The Xuelan Army was in a slump back then and has not appeared on the battlefield until now. However, when our Great Chu rebuilt the Black Scale Camp, one day it will appear in front of the Northern Han people, it will make them lose their souls."
Long Tai originally thought that the King of Huainan would make excuses to object, but he did not expect that he agreed so easily, and said in surprise: "King of Huainan, do you agree with the reconstruction of the Black Scale Camp?"
"Although rebuilding the Black Scale Camp requires some money, the value of this silver cost can not only boost our army's morale, but also attack the Northern Han people." The King of Huainan smiled and said, "Besides, this is also the wish of the late emperor. We are ministers, so we naturally want to help the emperor fulfill the wish of the late emperor." He glanced at Dou Kui and smiled and said, "Mr. Dou, this is a big deal. Although your Ministry of Revenue is tight, you should squeeze in such a thing and get some money out."
Dou Kui immediately said: "Since it is a major event that is beneficial to the morale of the army, even if I sell the goods, I will squeeze out silver from my teeth."
This was the first time Longtai was preparing to do something after ascending the throne. He thought things would not go too smoothly, but he didn't expect that both Zhongyi Hou and Huainan King agreed. He was a little excited and said with a smile: "Okay, our monarch and ministers are united, and nothing can be done. Qi Ning, I...!"
Before he finished speaking, the Marquis of Zhongyi suddenly said, "Your Majesty, the old minister has something to do!" He interrupted Longtai's words.
Longtai was stunned and asked, "Marquis Zhongyi, what are your concerns?"
"Your Majesty, the old minister has no worries." Sima Lan said slowly: "It is just to rebuild the Black Scale Camp. The candidates for the Black Scale Camp must be carefully considered."
"Ah?" Longtai immediately knew something was wrong and frowned: "I have considered that Qi Ning is the most suitable candidate for the Black Scale Camp."
Sima Lan shook her head and said, "The old minister thinks that Marquis of Jinyi is not suitable to serve as the commander of the Black Scale Camp."
"But... But then the Black Scale Camp was commanded by General Qi." Longtai felt a little anxious and immediately felt that he was likely to fall into the trap of the old fox. "Qin Ning inherited the position of Jinyi Marquis and was also the descendant of General Qi. He was commanding the Black Scale Camp. Isn't it the best candidate?"
"Your Majesty, I also think what the old marquis said is very true." The King of Huainan said slowly, "The little marquis is not the General Qi. When he was young, he followed the old marquis of Jinyi to fight on the battlefield. When he was thirteen years old, he had already made the first contribution on the battlefield. He was trained from the blood and fire, so he could train the elite team of the Black Scale Camp." He looked at Qi Ning and saw Qi Ning looking very calm. He smiled and said, "Marquis of Jinyi, I am not saying you are not, but military and national affairs are not a joke. The Black Scale Camp is the face of our Chu army, so you must not be careless."
Qi Ning also understood at this moment that Longtai was preparing to rebuild the Black Scale Camp and let himself serve as the commander of the Black Scale Camp, which was nothing more than cultivating his own direct line. However, the two old foxes were silent, which made Longtai’s original plan quickly deviate greatly. He knew that at this time, he had to remain calm. He smiled slightly and said, “What the prince said is that Qi Ning is still young and has too shallow experience, so he really needs to consider it more.”
Chapter completed!