Chapter 207

(Very sorry.)

(This one finally succeeded.)

(Once again, thank you, brothers, for your support.)

(Once again, wishing you, brothers, a pleasant holiday.)

During the more than a year it took to secure the north, Wang Yan issued widespread edicts.

He recruited soldiers, cultivated land, repaired water conservancy projects, built bridges and roads, established factories and academies, restoring basic production and construction. He gathered a large number of artisan households and assigned them to his various research teams for learning and participation. He summoned renowned physicians, physicians, and doctors to assist in improving secret medicines and in building the broader public health and medical system. He sent men to find elderly scholars who had failed the imperial examinations and forcibly transported them to Liaodong for concentrated training, to be used in the future...

Overall, Wang Yan did not undertake any major actions.

The only relatively large-scale move was forcefully sweeping through the entire northern gentry and landowning class, toppling a large number of mid- and lower-level, and some upper-level civil officials; the forced labor corps grew larger again, and land was distributed to ordinary farmers.

Overseas saw little change—mostly farming or mining, with people using paper vouchers issued by Wang Yan to purchase goods he shipped over. Warships sailing the seas, if not their own, were routinely plundered.

Only the Mughal Empire was unsettled. Of course, rather than calling it warfare, it was more like a one-sided massacre. After all, Wang Yan's military strength could truthfully be called unmatched in the world—nothing like those petty scraps could compare; they weren't even worthy to be opponents.

He had already occupied part of the coastal region and captured many locals, who, under the guidance of elderly farmers aboard the ships, began farming. Meanwhile, he was deliberately contacting internal factions, deciding to help one rise to power...

As for the old stronghold beyond the pass, as the first region to begin its industrial revolution, its development was, of course, beyond mention. And most crucially, not a single woman in Liaodong had a swollen belly—either she had just given birth, or she hadn't shown yet, and she didn't stop.

It wasn't Wang Yan's fault for treating women as production tools; after all, this was the most natural division of labor between men and women. And with such vast land and so few people, paired with Wang Yan's excellent policies, even the women themselves wouldn't let the opportunity pass...

In terms of overall structure, Wang Yan still slightly modified his thirteen-tier system and applied it to the entire nation's framework. The only difference was that he referenced current official titles, combined them with responsibilities from later periods, and unified names for civil and military officials—essentially retaining the original names.

The original Three Departments and Six Ministries system, Wang Yan abolished the Three Departments and the Ministry of War; he clarified the duties of the remaining five ministries, established clear subordinate branches, split finance out of the Ministry of Revenue to form a separate ministry, and elevated the newly established Security Bureau to the same rank as the Six Ministries. The original Ministry of War was merged into the Five Military Directorates—the very office where he had served as "Left Director"—now the supreme military institution. Thus, the broad structure became the Six Ministries, One Bureau, One Directorate.

Although ancient civil officials prided themselves on broad knowledge, learning everything under the sun, and there was no lack of brilliant talents, those capable of mounting horses and fighting were still few. Commanders of troops could not rely solely on ideas—look at which civil official could fight? That's no different from children playing house. In the future, Wang Yan would establish a Military Academy under the Five Military Directorates, dedicated to officer training.

The most crucial point: although Wang Yan did not forbid military families from entering politics or civil families from joining the military, there were clear rules—based on the family's collective influence within the court, a maximum rank was set. As long as the highest-ranking member of the family remained in office, even if the individual worked until death or earned great merit, his position could not rise higher. Besides, his own position wasn't high enough—how much merit could he possibly have?

In short, whoever dared reach across the divide, he would kill them.

Wang Yan retained the original Ming Cabinet system, except that it no longer drafted edicts with eunuchs; otherwise, it remained largely unchanged. Now, the heads of the Six Ministries all entered the Cabinet, no longer allowing a single Cabinet minister to oversee multiple ministries. The Cabinet's main function was to deliberate on how to govern, to help share Wang Yan's workload—not to plot how to expand their own power bases.

At this stage, apart from two or three civil officials who had followed him out of Liaodong and were capable of major responsibilities, all other Cabinet ministers were the previous incumbents; overall, civil governance authority still rested firmly in Wang Yan's hands.

Wang Yan didn't care about these powers—he wouldn't even manage how they embezzled, how corrupt they were, how they fought for power and formed factions to suppress him, Wang Mou. As long as his edicts were effectively transmitted to the regions and implemented, as long as results met his expectations, he wouldn't interfere. After all, the military was in his hands; controlling this bunch was effortless.

Thus, after Wang Yan executed a batch of civil officials who deceived him, these people finally found his bottom line. Administrative efficiency wasn't particularly fast, but some policies did get implemented, even if local officials mostly paid lip service and acted otherwise...

However, for all industrial construction, Wang Yan maintained strict control, with a complete inspection system that allowed absolutely no shoddy work. Greed was acceptable, but no matter how much they embezzled, the work had to be done properly and to standard. If it wasn't done well, they were immediately dismissed, their families' property seized, and they were reduced to forced labor...

Wang Yan had abolished the eunuch system. The previous eunuchs, after recent turmoil, were now few in number in the Forbidden City—only a few thousand remained. Older ones were allowed to retire and live in comfort; younger ones were kept on, but they were the last batch. The duties formerly performed by eunuchs were now entirely assigned to a group of young maidservants; since men were inconvenient, all would be women.

Actually, he didn't care about this at all—none of the women in his harem would ever put a hat on him. If he lacked even this much confidence, what would he be doing?

Wang Yan also restructured the administrative divisions. He didn't touch the large provinces, merely eliminating certain Regional Military Commissioners and similar offices. Shaanxi was split according to later maps to form a new Gansu province. Prefectures, towns, townships, and villages were clearly defined by reference to later systems. Shuntian Prefecture remained directly under central authority; the Northern Directly Governed Region was abolished; apart from Wang Yan's newly established Shuntian Prefecture, all other regions were assigned to their respective provinces.

The most crucial military reform: the army was divided into four major corps—the Azure Dragon Guard, the Black Tortoise Guard, the Bai Hu Guard, and the Zhu Que Guard.

The Azure Dragon Guard, Bai Hu Guard, and Zhu Que Guard were all land forces, nothing special—except the Azure Dragon Guard, which resembled the old capital garrison and held slightly higher status. The Black Tortoise Guard was the navy and naval infantry, divided into Black Tortoise Land Guard and Black Tortoise Sea Guard.

Beneath the four guards were ten armies, each at full strength of one hundred thousand troops, named sequentially after their respective corps. The highest military commander was the army commander leading one hundred thousand troops; no one could command a million troops across the entire corps—no one, not even him.

Of course, his current total troop strength was under five hundred thousand; it would take several years to reach a full four million combat troops.

The Brocade Guard—Wang Yan had portrayed this in his film, and he personally thought the name sounded good. So he kept the name "Brocade Guard," altering its authority slightly. Overall, it still served as personal bodyguards and ceremonial troops, except that it no longer handled intelligence or espionage; otherwise, there was little difference.

The Security Bureau's police authority was essentially a hybrid of modern police and paramilitary forces. Especially now, police were mostly retired elite soldiers, and their combat effectiveness was often higher than that of his regular army. Once the eligibility criteria for police were gradually relaxed and no longer restricted to retired soldiers, a separate military unit would be established.

Moreover, at present, in major cities, there were not only police but also stationed troops. As his manpower increased, garrison troops would grow as well. Soldiers would rotate between combat duty and garrison duty, resting at home—effectively giving them leave...

Time quickly passed into the second year. With no new emperor, the Central Plains continued using the previous era name—Chongzhen Seventeenth Year—when Wang Yan moved.

Building academies wasn't difficult, so most of the northern region's academies were the first to be completed. What troubled Wang Yan wasn't the number of academies, nor the number of students, nor material shortages for compulsory education—but the number of intellectuals. There were too few elderly scholars; it was impossible to educate all school-age children in the north. Far from his envisioned goal.

But no matter what, education was education—the foundation of the Dao. As the year passed, the return of the elderly scholars previously sent to Liaodong for training sparked conflict.

In fact, the civil official group had long been preparing, but earlier, Wang Yan had assigned them heavy tasks and responsibilities, and with his wealth and ample supplies, they were busy accumulating silver and expanding their power. Moreover, Wang Yan was then conducting a land purge, ruthlessly executing land reform—so they were afraid.

They had delayed until now, when the academies were built, all boys and girls nearby were counted, and teaching was about to begin—only then did they have to act. If they didn't act now, it would be too late. No one was foolish; they all understood the importance of education—it was their foundation. Without it, they couldn't last long.

What are the children in Wang Yan's academies? Girls. When did girls start attending school? They were supposed to learn only the Three Obediences and Four Virtues, the Women's Precepts, and such. Now? Look at the women in Liaodong who abandoned their homes, pregnant, working—and earning well? Is this proper?

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And what are they teaching in the academies? Literacy, mathematics, investigation of things—worse still, martial combat? Do they still think this is the Spring and Autumn or Han-Tang era? Scholars carrying swords and knives? Is this proper? Most crucially, among these courses, besides literacy lessons with some ancient texts and inspirational writings, is there a single subject on the teachings of the sages?

Thus, on the first day of the fourth month, during the grand court assembly, a group of civil officials patiently explained to Wang Yan how to govern the realm and what to rely on for governance.

Even the Kong family of Shandong submitted a memorial expressing their views modestly...

Then Wang Yan issued an order, listing ten crimes—land encroachment, embezzlement of taxes, tax evasion, unauthorized punishment, wanton killings—and dispatched twenty thousand combat troops to attack Shandong.

He had held off on Shandong during the land purge, waiting for this. Without exaggeration, the Kong family ruled Shandong like a local emperor; their stronghold in Qufu was a state within a state, where local officials were mostly surnamed Kong. Their private slaves and soldiers need not be mentioned. Without powerful military suppression, they could never have ruled there firmly for a thousand years.

If he didn't send troops to suppress them, another peasant uprising might erupt—these people were too skilled at it. In fact, even the hotly active peasant rebels in the south might well have these people secretly involved.

When Wang Yan said he would raid the Kong family and depose the Duke of Yansheng, it was a direct strike at the root of the civil officials. The Duke of Yansheng was a mascot propped up by civil officials—kept there for show; whether he was truly a direct descendant of Confucius didn't matter—they said he was, and that was enough.

So several mid-level civil officials attempted to die by colliding with pillars in the palace as a first test. Wang Yan gladly agreed and even helped them along, then immediately sent men to raid their homes.

When a civil official leader stepped forward to protest, Wang Yan ordered his guards to crush him alive against a palace pillar, then raided the home—women were sent to Liaodong as state concubines, men reduced to forced labor.

This brutal approach did suppress opposition voices in court, but Wang Yan couldn't stop the storm brewing behind the scenes. The enemy was hidden; he was exposed. Only by killing as he responded.

In the following year and more, civil officials incited students, merchants, and remnants of the gentry to cause unrest, misled commoners and lower-level officials into rebellion, and coordinated with southern forces inciting peasant armies to march north. Wang Yan's main task was killing and raiding homes.

"Scholars rebel, and in ten years accomplish nothing." It did hinder production and construction, but this was a chronic illness; sacrificing some development time was reasonable and necessary.

Of course, Confucian thought had been bound to Huaxia for a thousand years; Wang Yan couldn't—and didn't need to—eradicate it. In truth, Confucius's teachings were indeed brilliant through the ages—self-cultivation and self-restraint were unquestionably sound. But now, a group of self-serving intellectuals had distorted it—each mouthed sages' words and benevolence and righteousness while doing nothing worthy of the name.

Wang Yan's main goal this time was to destroy the Ru Sect, while allowing Confucianism to exist—but the Ru Sect must be toppled. In this way, he had launched a cultural movement. Over time, diversity would flourish.

This upheaval could also be said to have been deliberately provoked by Wang Yan. This was a hundred-year plan—better to strike first than wait for others to slowly dig up his roots.

Especially this wave swept in many merchants who had grown tired of life; Wang Yan seized the chance to impose commercial taxes. He had long wanted to do so, but the civil official group had strongly opposed it—citing "don't compete with the people for profit," "don't raise taxes," and so on. Back then, Wang Yan still needed them to restore basic production and construction, so he held off until now.

Of course, he didn't mean he no longer needed these people—they were still necessary to carry out his edicts. But now that some tasks were complete, fewer civil officials didn't matter.

Moreover, Wang Yan restrained himself, avoiding mass purges of lower and mid-level minor officials, focusing instead on the upper echelons, promoting lower officials to replace them. Besides, so many people wanted to become officials—even knowing Wang Yan was digging up Confucianism's roots, they'd still gladly cheer and wave flags. How else to rise? How else to glorify their ancestors and achieve fame?

Many grassroots clerks, who had spent years handling local affairs but, due to their status, could never rise to official rank—now that Wang Yan opened a path, how would they choose? Though many petty clerks weren't good people, Wang Yan wanted those who could get things done, those who could execute his orders—whether they were good or bad didn't matter to him.

Only later, when his young ones matured and he had enough capable subordinates, would Wang Yan carry out a major purge. It wouldn't take long—five, seven, or eight years more would be enough.

But then another problem will arise: the first batch of children who come of age will all be from Liaodong… When children from other regions grow up and start working, the Liaodong people will surely band together, forming some Liaodong Party or Liaodong Gang to suppress people from other areas—another mess altogether…

But even if it comes to that, it won't be for another ten or twenty years. By then, I, Wang Mou, will still be around—who dares to provoke me?

Over the past year and more, Wang Yan truly crushed it all with sheer brute force. This method won't work for most people. Though it sounds simple—ferociously kill the ringleaders to instill fear, win over the lower classes, and divide the middle class—actual execution requires troops. If you don't have troops, or if your troops fail ideological training, don't go messing around.

Though there was some impact on civilian livelihood, the problem wasn't too severe. After all, though full recovery hadn't been achieved in the past year and more, some vitality had returned. And this upheaval primarily affected only merchants, landlords, and officials—not the common folk. Even if the lower classes were affected, it wasn't much. After all, while Wang Yan killed and destroyed, he also continuously promoted lower-ranking officials to power—no major issue.

So original projects like bridge-building, road-repairing, and hydraulic engineering weren't significantly delayed. In fact, because Wang Yan sent many people to hard labor, overall construction speed might even have increased.

As for farmers missing planting seasons, Wang Yan wasn't worried. Those who participated in the unrest were always a minority; most common folk still just wanted to live their lives. The Central Plains had been in chaos for over a decade; now that peace had finally returned, with clear tax exemptions for three years and a ten-percent tax rate afterward, who wouldn't rush to have children and till the land? As for the fuss made by a bunch of civil officials about "harm," they didn't think it worse than starvation.

Moreover, even if the entire northern region inside the Pass lacked grain, the problem wasn't too serious. Given this much time, Wang Yan could have conquered a large territory in the Mughal Empire and enslaved its civilians to farm.

With three harvests per year, plus the improved seed strains cultivated by the scientific farmers Wang Yan sent, even with primitive production methods and low overall land yields, the output was still an incredibly terrifying number. Ocean-going cargo ships never stopped sailing back and forth, delivering ship after ship to the port of Tianjinwei.

And Wang Yan always wielded thunderous methods with a bodhisattva's heart.

For the people in the Mughal Empire whom he enslaved and forced into servitude, Wang Yan showed considerable respect. As long as they obeyed quietly, they received the same treatment as the Southern Ocean Five from Champa—paid wages, in his own paper notes. Everything produced in his territory, beyond domestic needs, was mostly shipped over there…

Now, even beyond the regions Wang Yan had seized, many parts of the Mughal Empire still accepted his paper notes…

Wang Yan's goal wasn't even that big: according to later maps, he just needed the entire Eurasian continent to accept his paper notes…

Of course, right now no one calls it "Europe" or "Asia." Once he unifies Shenzhou, he'll name those places as he pleases…