The revitalization of the Tang Dynasty began with the Ganlu Incident.

Chapter 74: Subject to Divine Judgment

Li Deyu's voice continued, and the expressions of the people in the hall varied.

Although the ministers only saw the memorials after entering the hall, they were somewhat prepared. At least for now, they all seemed calm and composed, without making any obvious moves.

In contrast, Liu Hongyi and Yang Qinyi, who were reading the memorial, had much more complicated expressions.

Holding this so-called reform memorial in their hands, various thoughts surged in their minds, and their expressions changed from bright to dark.

"...After the reform, all military and political matters were submitted to the Emperor through the General Military Governor's Office and the Privy Council. All officials, including the General Military Governor, Deputy General Military Governor, and Commander-in-Chief, were subject to the Emperor's decision. For officials below the rank of Commander-in-Chief, the Ministry of War would submit the report, and the General Military Governor's Office would sign it. After obtaining the imperial decree from the three ministries, the decision would be implemented..."

With Li Deyu finished speaking, the basic content of the memorial was almost complete.

So Li Ang said, "Today, please speak freely. Prime Minister Li's reform plan focuses on the Shence Army. Therefore, I hereby grant you two permission to participate in the discussion. If you have any questions or comments, please speak them directly."

The last sentence was addressed to Liu Hongyi and the other person.

Or perhaps, this summons was actually set up for them.

Liu Hongyi's eyes held a complex expression.

He had been working his way up in the palace and the court for many years, and perhaps he couldn't compare to these ministers in many important political matters.

However, when it comes to power struggles, he is in no way inferior to these people.

He read Li Deyu's memorial from beginning to end.

The core measure of the other side's reform was actually only one: to reorganize the Shence Army, which was biased towards the Imperial Guard, into a central army controlled by the imperial court.

The so-called Shence Military Command may seem like just a Shence Lieutenant with a different name, but it effectively transferred control of the Shence Army from the inner court to the outer court...

Still processing this information, Liu Hongyi felt the gazes of everyone focused on him and had no choice but to cup his hands and speak.

"Since everyone has given their orders, then I will presume to do so."

"Lord Li, what you just said about the Shence Army's reorganization being due to lax discipline and neglected training may be true, but to resolve this matter, all that's needed is to reprimand the military discipline and enforce strict discipline. Why go to such lengths?"

These words reveal that Liu Hongyi was subjectively somewhat resistant to the proposal.

However, Li Deyu was clearly prepared for his question and replied.

"Since Emperor Dezong transferred the Shence Army to the capital, it has accumulated many problems over the years. This is not the fault of any one person. Among the Shence Lieutenants of previous generations, there were upright and strict officials, but they could only slightly restrain the Shence Army. Once the person was replaced, the old ways would reappear, and even worse."

"Therefore, relying solely on so-called reprimands of military discipline is probably not very effective. To thoroughly rectify the situation, the Shence Army should be reinstated to the imperial system and subject to institutional constraints in order to completely eradicate its old malpractices and become a strong army that guards the capital and is loyal to His Majesty."

However, Liu Hongyi did not immediately agree with his explanation. Instead, he seized on the loophole in his words and said directly.

"When Emperor Dezong first summoned the Shence Army to the capital, it was precisely to protect him. Now, the Southern Army is in disarray and practically useless. The safety of the entire capital rests on the Shence Army. If we follow your suggestion and establish a Shence Military Governor's Office to command the Shence Army, how can the defense of the palace be guaranteed?"

Liu Hongyi wasn't stupid; he knew very well what Li Deyu's so-called reforms were really for.

Under the current circumstances, the Shence Army Commander-in-Chief has complete control over the entire Shence Army. Because it belongs to the inner court and is completely independent of the outer court, the Secretariat and the Chancellery have no way to intervene.

However, once the Shence Military Governor's Office is established, it will be placed under the jurisdiction of the outer court.

No matter how much it is emphasized, this so-called Shence Military Governor's Office is only subject to the imperial edict, and it will inevitably be influenced by the Secretariat and Chancellery.

The most typical point is that the deployment of troops would certainly not be as free as it is now.

Li Deyu was prepared for this question and replied, "There are tens of thousands of Shence Army soldiers stationed in the capital. The vast majority of them do not take turns guarding the imperial city. As for the defense of the palace, I have already discussed this in my previous memorial."

"For matters involving palace patrols and defenses, the Governor-General's Office only needs to report to the Secretariat after receiving the Emperor's decree before proceeding. Unlike other important military and political matters, it does not need to obtain decrees from the three ministries first. Therefore, the reform will not affect the defense of the palace."

Liu Hongyi remained silent for a while.

Indeed, Li Deyu's memorial was very detailed, and most importantly, he grasped the appropriate degree of power consolidation perfectly.

For example, regarding the authority to command and mobilize troops under his command, after the establishment of the Shence Military Governor's Office, the number of troops that the so-called Grand Commander could freely mobilize was reduced compared to the current Shence Lieutenant, but it was still within an acceptable range.

The so-called military and political affairs required to be discussed with the Secretariat, and the defense of the palace was decided by the Governor-General's Office. In Liu Hongyi's view, this could be summarized in one sentence.

That is, the Grand Commander still has absolute control over the several thousand people responsible for the defense of the palace, but if the number exceeds this, it must be jointly signed by the Secretariat.

This undoubtedly limits the power of the existing Shence Lieutenant.

However, in exchange, Li Deyu also offered corresponding conditions.

That is, the new Shence Military Governor's Office will be able to obtain far greater power in personnel appointment than it currently has, as well as the legitimate power to participate in the decision-making of the court's military and political affairs.

Under the existing system, due to the limitations imposed by the eunuch's status, even someone as powerful as Wang Shoucheng could only act arrogantly in ordinary times. When it came to truly important military and political matters, the decision still had to be made by the Grand Chancellor.

Even the appointment of military officials, although mostly controlled by eunuchs, still required the approval of the Secretariat and Chancellery for all other positions except those that eunuchs could hold.

Once the Shence Military Governor's Office is established, all these powers will be concentrated in its hands.

However, the corresponding cost is that the Shence Army, including this so-called Grand Commander, will be essentially removed from the inner court's command.

Or to put it more simply...

Li Deyu's proposal gave Liu Hongyi a choice: to go from being a eunuch to a court official.

Once he agrees to this plan, he will effectively lose his status as an inner court eunuch and become a court minister on par with the prime minister.

This was not an easy choice, so much so that after hearing Li Deyu's words, Liu Hongyi remained silent for a long time, plunging the hall into a deep silence.

Seeing this situation, Li Ang, who was at the head of the table, said: "The Shence Army was originally the Imperial Guard, but it is also the army of the court. All the previous emperors have made preparations for the Shence Army. Now that it is in my hands, I hope that it can truly be used for the country, to guard the capital, to protect the people and the borders, and even more so... to safeguard the peace of everyone."

The last sentence carried a somewhat profound meaning.

Upon hearing this, Liu Hongyi seemed to understand something. He hesitated for a moment, but finally, he cupped his hands in greeting.

"Your Excellency, this is a matter of great importance and should be decided by Your Excellency and the prime ministers. I am Your Excellency's servant, and I shall obey Your Excellency's orders in all matters."

As he spoke, he stood up and bowed deeply, almost lowering his head to the ground.

Seeing this, Li Ang turned his gaze to the other ministers present and asked, "Do any of you gentlemen have anything else to say?"

The ministers also stood up.

For them, Li Deyu's proposal actually had many points that were open to discussion.

However, they understood even more clearly that now was not the time to bring up any of this.

The most urgent task right now is to finalize things; as for the details, we can discuss them later.

Otherwise, if this opportunity is missed, it will be difficult to regain control of the Shence Army.

Therefore, everyone bowed and spoke in unison.

"We, your humble servants, await Your Majesty's decision!"