Chapter 1707

Upon hearing this, the ministers whispered to each other and discussed heatedly. A moment later, an elderly minister stood out; it was the current Grand Tutor, Li Ru. He stroked his gray beard and said slowly: "Your Majesty's move is truly a wise one. The Taixue is the foundation of the country and a place to cultivate talent. In the past, Emperor Wu of Han established the Taixue and achieved a prosperous age; today, Your Majesty has such a grand ambition, and you will surely be able to create an even more brilliant future."

Gu Yi nodded slightly, his gaze revealing approval. "Grand Tutor's words are very true. I wish to follow the example of the sages and establish a Taixue, not only to teach the classics, military strategy, and farming, but also to focus on innovation and encourage students to bravely explore the unknown, injecting new vitality into the country."

At this moment, Prime Minister Seeing Xun Yu also stood out, holding his tablet, his expression solemn. "Your Majesty, establishing a Taixue requires a large amount of financial and material resources, and it requires selecting excellent teachers and compiling textbooks; it is not a task that can be accomplished in a day. This minister suggests that we can first establish a preparatory committee, with this minister, the Grand Tutor, and the Minister of Rites jointly responsible, to come up with specific plans as soon as possible and present them to Your Majesty for review."

Gu Yi nodded in agreement and looked at Seeing Xun Yu, his eyes filled with trust. "I am naturally at ease with Minister Xun handling matters. This matter shall be fully entrusted to you; be sure to implement it as soon as possible to cultivate more pillars of talent for the country."

After the morning court ended, Gu Yi returned to the inner palace, but his heart was still thinking about state affairs. He knew deeply that establishing the Taixue was only the first step; if he wanted to make the country truly powerful, he needed more reforms and innovations. He remembered his previous conversation with Jia Xu and decided to summon him again to discuss deeper reform matters.

Night fell, and Jia Xu was summoned to the palace. He wore casual clothes, his expression calm, as if he had long expected Gu Yi to look for him. The two sat opposite each other, and Gu Yi spoke first: "Minister Jia, I wish to carry out deeper reforms; I wonder if you have any good strategies?"

Jia Xu smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with the light of wisdom. "Your Majesty, reforms must be steady and solid; one cannot be overly hasty. This minister believes that the most important thing currently is to strengthen central authority and weaken local forces. At the same time, implement the rule of law and severely punish corruption to rectify the government."

Jia Xu smiled slightly, his eyes flashing with wise light. He took a light sip of the hot tea on the table and said slowly: "Your Majesty, reforms must be steady and solid; one cannot be overly eager for quick success. This minister believes that besides establishing the Taixue to cultivate talent, we also need to start from three aspects: military, economy, and legal system, in order to comprehensively promote the country's development."

Upon hearing this, Gu Yi leaned forward, obviously quite interested in Jia Xu's insights. "Oh? I would like to hear the details."

Jia Xu set down his teacup and continued: "In terms of military, although our dynasty has strong soldiers and sturdy horses, our tactics are outdated, and our training system needs improvement. This minister suggests that we can send delegations to border countries to learn their advanced tactics and training methods, and combine them with our country's actual situation to innovate the military system and improve the overall combat effectiveness of the army. At the same time, strengthen border defense construction to ensure territorial safety and create a stable external environment for domestic reform."

Gu Yi nodded, his gaze revealing deep thought. "This plan is excellent; it can both enhance military power and promote cultural exchange, killing two birds with one stone. What about the economic aspect?"

Jia Xu pondered for a moment and continued: "In terms of economy, we should encourage farming, build water conservancy projects, increase grain production, and ensure that the people have food as their priority. At the same time, develop industry and commerce, reduce commercial taxes, encourage private trade, promote commodity circulation, and increase national wealth. In addition, we can establish a Royal Chamber of Commerce to coordinate domestic and foreign trade, protect the rights and interests of merchants, and guide the healthy development of the market."

"As for the legal system," Jia Xu changed the subject, "we need to revise the laws to make them more fair and strict; we must both severely punish the wicked and protect the rights and interests of the people. At the same time, strengthen the assessment of officials, severely punish corruption, and ensure that the government is clean and the hearts of the people are directed toward us."

After hearing this, Gu Yi slapped the table in approval. "Minister Jia's strategy is truly golden advice! I decide to establish a reform group starting today, with you as the leader, fully responsible for reform matters in these three aspects. You need to select a group of loyal and capable officials to promote reforms together."

Jia Xu received the order, his expression even more firm. "This minister will definitely not fail Your Majesty's trust and swears to carry out the reforms to the end to help Your Majesty achieve a great cause for thousands of generations."

With the advancement of reforms, the court and the public were in a fervor. In terms of military, the delegation sent by Gu Yi brought back advanced tactics from border countries, the army began comprehensive training reforms, the soldiers' morale soared, and combat effectiveness significantly improved. The border defense lines were also reinforced, and the former border troubles were effectively controlled.

Upon hearing this, Gu Yi fell into deep thought. He knew deeply that strengthening central authority and implementing the rule of law were both sensitive topics, and a slight carelessness could trigger turmoil. However, he also understood that this was the only way for the country to enjoy long-term peace and stability.

"Minister Jia's words resonate with me," Gu Yi said in a low voice, "but this matter needs to be discussed at length and cannot be acted upon rashly. I wish to first establish a reform group, with you as the leader, responsible for research and formulating specific plans. After the plans are mature, present them to me for review."

Jia Xu nodded in agreement; he knew Gu Yi's caution and wisdom, and also understood that reform required time and patience. "Your Majesty, rest assured, this minister will definitely not fail the trust and will come up with feasible plans as soon as possible."

In the days that followed, Jia Xu led the reform group to run around, researching the situation in various places and collecting opinions and suggestions. They conducted in-depth exchanges with local officials, gentry, and the people to understand their needs and expectations, providing valuable basis for formulating reform plans.

Months later, the reform plan was finally released. After careful review, Gu Yi decided to hold an expanded meeting, inviting local officials and gentry representatives to discuss it together. At the meeting, Jia Xu detailed the content and purpose of the reform plan, which sparked heated discussions among the participants.

After a fierce debate and negotiation, the reform plan was finally passed. Gu Yi delivered a passionate speech at the meeting, emphasizing the importance and urgency of reform and calling on all officials and the people to work together to strive for the country's prosperity and strength.

However, reform was not smooth sailing. As the reforms deepened, the interests of some conservative forces were touched, and they began to obstruct secretly, and even planned rebellions.

One day, urgent news came from the border that a rebel army had launched a surprise attack on a border stronghold at night, and the situation was critical. Gu Yi immediately summoned his ministers to discuss countermeasures and decided to lead the army himself to suppress the rebellion.

Before his departure, Gu Yi entrusted state affairs to Jia Xu and solemnly urged: "Minister Jia, I do not know when I will return from this trip, so I hope you will take care of the affairs in the court. Although the rebel army is fierce, I have the confidence to crush them in one fell swoop. You just need to stabilize the court situation and wait for my triumphant return."