Attacking the Peacock Kingdom and the Western kingdoms was not just a matter for Lin Tian and Ying Zheng.
It was a matter for the entire Great Qin.
This undertaking, to a great extent, required the consent of the ministers and the people of Great Qin.
However, what surprised Lin Tian was that after the people and officials of Great Qin learned of this matter, not only was there no opposition, but they all agreed.
Many of them even strongly requested to enlist.
All sorts of declarations of intent to join the army echoed throughout every corner of Great Qin.
"Conquering the Western countries naturally requires us. I haven't been to any Western countries since I was born!!"
"That's right! This kind of thing needs us! When those Western countries attacked us, we didn't get a chance to fight them. Now that we're going to attack those Western countries, we naturally have to contribute!!"
"I also want to attack Western countries and let those Western people know how powerful our Great Qin is, but I don't know if it's too late to enlist now!!"
"There are so many Western countries. To attack them, a large number of soldiers will surely be needed. I hope His Majesty can send more troops this time, so that we will also have a chance to go to the battlefield!!"
Such words were not only spread among the common people but also among the army.
Everyone was filled with interest regarding the matter of attacking the Western countries.
If possible, they would undoubtedly follow Lin Tian without hesitation to attack the Western countries.
This also led many of the generals of Great Qin to have thoughts of following Lin Tian on the expedition.
Therefore, they asked Ying Zheng:
"Your Majesty, how many troops will be needed for this attack on the Peacock Kingdom??"
"The Crown Prince said that although the Peacock Kingdom's territory is vast, the combat strength of their soldiers is not high. Therefore, only 150,000 troops will be needed to attack the Peacock Kingdom and the Western countries!!"
"150,000 troops to attack so many countries, this... isn't that a bit too few??"
"You all know the Crown Prince's combat strength, and his subordinates are all elite soldiers. 150,000 troops are already a lot for them!!"
With these words spoken, no one could refute.
After all, when Lin Tian conquered the entire land, he also led an army of 150,000.
However, many people were still unwilling to give up the opportunity to attack the Peacock Kingdom and the Western countries.
Therefore, some of them, compromising, said:
"Your Majesty, there must be a large amount of wealth in the Peacock Kingdom and the Western countries, right!"
"The Crown Prince's army is very powerful in battle, but when they take down those places, it might not be so easy to bring all that wealth back."
"Therefore, I believe that our Great Qin should form another army specifically for transporting wealth for the Crown Prince!"
"When necessary, it can also supply the Crown Prince!!"
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Ying Zheng was clearly surprised.
This was something neither he nor Lin Tian had considered.
In their minds, they were more concerned with territory. What they wanted to do was to build Great Qin into an empire on which the sun never set.
As for wealth, they would naturally bring back as much as possible.
If it couldn't be brought back, they would have to let it go.
But now, hearing someone propose such an idea, Ying Zheng found it feasible.
After all, only when the wealth arrived in Great Qin would it truly belong to Great Qin.
If it was not delivered to Great Qin and remained in other countries, it would be a true waste.
Especially if Great Qin conquered those countries but could not bring back all their wealth, that wealth would inevitably be exhausted by the locals.
Thinking of this, Ying Zheng felt pained again.
Although Great Qin was very wealthy now, even if he spent his entire life, he might not be able to spend it all.
But in Ying Zheng's heart, he hoped that Great Qin would be passed down for ten thousand generations.
Thinking this way, his wealth was not enough.
"What you said... seems plausible!!"
"Of course it's possible, Your Majesty! With this army, even the Crown Prince's safety will have an extra layer of protection!!"
"Long-distance marches are fraught with too many unknown dangers!!"
Hearing these words, Ying Zheng was completely moved.
"Then how many people do you think would be appropriate for this army?"
"Five hundred thousand!!"
"??"
When the number of five hundred thousand was spoken, Ying Zheng was a little stunned.
This number was too large.
Although Great Qin had a million troops, even if 500,000 were dispatched, they could still maintain order in all directions.
However, 150,000 troops attacking the Peacock Kingdom, and 500,000 troops following behind to collect the Peacock Kingdom's wealth, how could this not seem strange?
The people collecting wealth outnumbered the people fighting. How could this not be considered bizarre?
"Is... is it a bit too much??"
Seeing Ying Zheng's expression, the general who had spoken of 500,000 chuckled sheepishly.
He hoped to dispatch 500,000 troops so that he would have a very high probability of going to the Peacock Kingdom and the West.
But judging by Ying Zheng's demeanor, he was clearly not satisfied with the number 500,000.
So, he wondered if he should revise his stated number to 100,000.
However, before he could speak, another general spoke up.
"Your Majesty, this subordinate believes that 500,000 troops is not a lot. After all, the Peacock Kingdom is no smaller than our Great Qin, and they must have a lot of undeveloped wealth!"
"With 500,000 troops, they can thoroughly develop the Peacock Kingdom!!"
"However, the food needed for 500,000 troops to go on an expedition is immense. Although Great Qin is not poor, it cannot produce so much food at once!"
"Therefore, this subordinate suggests that we should send 300,000 troops to accompany the Crown Prince in conquering the Peacock Kingdom!"
"300,000 troops, not too many, not too few, it's very reasonable!!"
300,000 troops was not a small number, but it was double the 150,000 troops Lin Tian was to lead.
The resources consumed would also be considerable.
But after hearing this, Ying Zheng found it reasonable.
After all, the Peacock Kingdom was so large that if they didn't send more people, the wealth within it might truly not be fully collected.
Because of this, Ying Zheng unexpectedly agreed to the plan.
"Very well, then another 300,000 troops will be dispatched to obey the Crown Prince, specifically responsible for transporting wealth and goods!!"