Munitions Empire

"Your Majesty! General Feng Kezhi, in Fengjiang, must contend with the Tang Army while also guarding against Qin Country's two hundred thousand barbarian soldiers," Shen Chuan bowed his head, his voice echoing in the great hall.

Zhao Kai also understood that the troops borrowed from Qin Country were, after all, borrowed troops and not his own.

If these Qin soldiers were lost, his Dahua Empire would have to compensate! Moreover, if Qin Country pulled back these troops, he couldn't do anything about Qin Country.

Therefore, the Dahua Empire certainly should replace them with its own troops on the front lines as soon as possible; only by doing so could they ensure stability.

Zhao Kai agreed with the conscription. In his view, increasing troop strength on the front lines was much more appealing than the recent clamorous proposals to directly seek peace.

Moreover, having just witnessed the terror of the White Phosphorus Bomb and revising his impression of Shen Chuan, who had been maintaining the frontline without collapse, he was even more willing to support Shen Chuan.

So, Zhao Kai asked, "May I know, Minister Shen, how many new recruits do you think would be appropriate?"

When he asked this question, he was already thinking that if Shen Chuan's request was not too excessive, he would immediately decide to fulfill Shen Chuan's needs.

But who would have thought, Shen Chuan directly replied, "Your Majesty, I believe that we should immediately conscript 1.5 million new soldiers and send them to the front lines as soon as possible."

"Not... how many?" Hearing the number Shen Chuan stated, Zhao Kai felt like he was having a breakdown. What do you mean, one point five million? Are you fully awake?

If they really conscripted 1.5 million people, in total, the Dahua Empire will have drafted nearly 3 million troops for this war.

How is life supposed to go on? You must remember that those heading to battle are in their prime! What does 'in their prime' mean? Youth! Middle-aged! They are the labor force, the precious core of production!

Those are the people needed for farming; next spring, they are supposed to be working the fields and engaging in agricultural production! If they die in battle or are lost, what happens to next year's spring plowing? Are we not repairing the dikes and canals anymore? Are we not mining anymore?

There are already reports from the imperial censors saying that every household is in mourning. If we conscript another 1.5 million people, aren't we afraid that there will be rebellions?

"Minister Shen thinks we need 1.5 million!" Shen Chuan felt that, taking advantage of this opportunity, he must fight for more resources, no matter what, to support General Feng Kezhi on the front lines.

The reason he suggested this number was actually well-calculated. Excluding the 200,000 Qin soldiers, who were increasingly reluctant to work, at least 1 million were needed to hold the defense lines and prepare enough reserves for General Feng Ke to continue his maneuvers around Fengjiang.

Considering the current situation of the war and Tang Country's new weaponry, he needed to request an additional 500,000 to bolster other areas of the defense line to ensure absolute security.

By this calculation, 1.5 million was actually a very conservative number—in a normal situation, even 2 million wouldn't be too much.

"Minister Shen! Not only can His Majesty not agree to your number," Chief of Staff Chen Jing interjected, seeing Zhao Kai on the verge of an outburst, "but my Ministry of Works also cannot supply so many weapons and equip these 1.5 million men!"

Shen Chuan sighed, knowing that Chen Jing meant well. But with Chen Jing's explanation, his hope for the 1.5 million was dashed. After all, this was the last shred of hope he was fighting for on behalf of Feng Ke.

Without this hope, he feared that General Feng Kezhi in Fengjiang would not be able to hold out much longer.

Listening to the ministers of the Dahua Empire court arguing back and forth, Shireck's advisors also looked grave. The war they had planned now seemed to be lost. But with loss comes the need for someone to take the blame, for someone to be held accountable... Last time, lives were lost. What about this time?