Chapter 313: Fight! Fight! Victory news keeps coming!

After the Saint of Rites’ treasures were repaired and the formation of the Marquis Jing’an’s mansion was rebuilt.

Jia Cong returned to his previous peaceful life.

In her free time, she either studies diligently in the study or practices and plays with her sisters at home.

However, the power under his command expanded rapidly during this period.

……

First is Dongli Academy!

After the Mid-Autumn Festival lectures, a total of seventy-three great scholars joined Dongli Academy.

In addition, there are sixteen great scholars of various schools and two great scholars!
A great scholar of famous family, a great scholar of novelist, a great scholar of diplomacy!
There are a total of eighty-nine great scholars and five great scholars.

Including the great scholars sent by Nankong.

Shunde seven or eight years!
There has been good weather and a good harvest for two consecutive years.

There is also a steady supply of resources from the Southern Protectorate.

With the support of massive amounts of silver, Dongli Academy officially started its full-scale expansion!

Ghosts and gods from all over the country cooperated secretly, and a number of people from the Xue family and the founding lineage were seconded.

After the massacre before the Mid-Autumn Festival, the noble families in the world were trembling. How could they dare to secretly hinder the expansion of Dongli Academy?

County schools, prefectural schools, and provincial schools!
They were established one by one like mushrooms after rain.

It usually only takes a little over half a month to select a site and build an academy from scratch.

The provincial schools in the 130 prefectures across the country are all headed by great scholars.

There are great scholars giving lectures in the provincial schools of the thirteen provinces!
The county school enrolled three to five hundred students each year depending on the population size of the area, provided food and accommodation, and provided a small amount of financial subsidies.

Most of them are smart children from common farming families, ranging in age from eight to twelve years old, which is equivalent to elementary school.

The school lasts four years, and after graduation one either graduates or goes to the provincial school for examination. Those who pass the examination will be admitted to the provincial school.

The money and food subsidies from the provincial school were enough for the daily needs of a family of three.

The same goes for the provincial schools and the Shenjing headquarters.

Wait until the entire Dongli Academy system is on the right track.

The county school is for enlightenment, and the prefectural school is for education!

When arriving at the provincial school, all students are required to develop a literary temperament as a minimum standard!
Only those who have reached the second realm can enter the Shenjing headquarters.

Taking advantage of this great era, Jia Cong will be confident that he can cultivate a great scholar of his own in twenty years at most!
Moreover, for other students, even if they have only studied in the county school for three years, they will be able to read and write, and will be able to find a decent job in the city in the future.

……

The development of Shintoism was also changing with each passing day, and Jia Cong and Emperor Shunde reached a tacit understanding.

Except for the capital area, the Shinto system of ghosts and gods can be established!

The earliest Shintoism in Jiangnan, Shandong and Korea has already flourished and borne fruit, and several city gods with great merits have taken office.

The three provinces of Guangdong, Guangxi and Fujian, as well as Annan, Jiaozhi, Siam, Myanmar and other places behind are also gradually expanding, occupying a lot of energy of the ghosts and gods under Jia Cong.

The new round of expansion was presided over by Miaoyu.

All the fourth-level ghosts and gods under the command of Heibai Wuchang and others have been sent out.

According to Jia Cong’s idea, all ghosts and gods above the seventh rank in various places will be governed by the soul of Daqian.

Let’s not talk about the ninth and eighth grade mountain gods, land gods and river gods for now.

The main thing is to get the county gods in place in the shortest possible time!

Although the speed was not as fast as the expansion of Dongli Academy, it gradually opened up the situation in various places.

In this way, not only can all parties be monitored.

It can even secretly monitor the major branches of Dongli Academy.

This is to prevent the great scholars in charge of the academy from enriching themselves and stealing the results of Jia Cong’s great educational efforts.

……

In Daqian, Jia Cong’s power expanded rapidly.

In addition to Daqian, the offensive of the South Sea island countries was equally vigorous!
On the third day of August, the ghost soldiers split into small groups and attacked simultaneously in various places, killing a large number of noble families!

Then they gathered in Ningbo Prefecture.

August 18th!

Zhuxie led the First Ghost Army Corps and the Second and Third Fleets of the South China Sea out to sea!
On September 12, the fleet reached the South China Sea.

The First Ghost Army Corps is composed of five ghost armies, which are divided into two groups, each leading a fleet and dividing into two routes!
One of the routes is led by Zhuxie himself, and under him are two ghost armies, Zhuxie and Dangkou!
There is also a group led by the Ghost General who is in charge of three Ghost Generals: Demon-Exterminating, Barbarian-Suppressing, and Barbarian-Pingering!
The two armies landed separately. In the past few months, many island countries in Southeast Asia had been heavily infiltrated by the merchant caravans sent by Jia Cong carrying silver.

Wherever the army passed, they cooperated internally and externally and were unstoppable all the way!

On September 18, the Malacca Kingdom was declared destroyed!
On September 27, the Kingdom of Sumatra was declared destroyed!
On October 5th, the Javanese Kingdom was destroyed!

On October 19th, the Manboyi Kingdom was destroyed!
On October 27th, Pahang, Baihua and Srivijaya surrendered!

On the eighth day of November, the Brunei Kingdom was destroyed!
On the ninth day, the Luzon royal family, who had suffered three shocks in one day, prayed for surrender. The royal family members moved to Shenjing, and the King of Luzon was renamed Le Anbo!

By December 21st, the New Year is approaching!
The last few South Pacific island countries such as Sulu and Jimalalang were either destroyed or surrendered!

At this point, the South Sea Islands were completely incorporated into the territory of Daqian!

Luzon Protectorate!
Puduan Protectorate!
Brunei Protectorate!
Sumen Protectorate!
Mangadu Protectorate!
Java Protectorate!
A total of six protectorates were divided!

In the past six months, the army that marched south has received frequent reports of victory, thanks to Jia Cong’s deliberate promotion.

Almost every few days, a red-feathered messenger would rush into the city, proclaiming the good news.

At first, the people of Shenjing would stop to watch and cheer continuously.

Later on, even the children playing on the streets were no longer surprised by the good news from the Red Feather Messenger.

The people of Shenjing don’t know where the island countries are exactly, but they have experienced this kind of scene.

It would be truly strange if the Red Feather Messenger ever brought news of defeat.

Although this battle was not commanded by Jia Cong himself, he did not even leave the city of Shenjing.

But the people in Beijing still habitually attributed the credit to Jia Cong.

The title of the world’s number one general is well deserved and known throughout the world!

The official in charge of geomancy and map drawing at the Military Affairs Department felt that his hair was about to fall out.

When the good news came, we were responsible for redrawing the maps and distributing them to major government offices.

It would definitely be too late to send people to survey in person within a short period of time, so we can only search and draw from the intelligence sent by previous imperial courts and the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

I’ll do a more detailed geomancy later.

As a result, the previous version of the map had not yet been drawn up and distributed to various government offices.

Then new good news came, and the territory expanded again!
Just repaint!

It just so happens that the island countries in the South Seas are some big, some small, and some as big as a province of Daqian.

The small ones occupy one or two small islands, which is only equivalent to a county in Daqian.

Coupled with the chaotic situation, changes of dynasties were common.

Historians of all dynasties may not have recorded geomancy carefully, so if one word was wrong, the name would not match the map.

In this case, the difficulty can be imagined.

……

Emperor Shunde is also experiencing mixed emotions now.

The territory of Daqian is expanding every day!
He is a king on the outside and a sage on the inside. Now among the officials, there are already scholars who are openly promoting the reputation of Emperor Shunde.

Once Shunde comes, it is certain that its name will go down in history.

It’s just these six protectorates, with a territory of millions of ordinary square kilometers.

Now, the whole army depends on the First Ghost Army led by Zhuxie and the 240,000 criminal prisoners camped locally to guard the area.

The First Ghost Army Corps was the elite under Jia Cong. How could it be possible for them to guard the six major protectorates in Nanyang alone? The imperial court would have to raise at least 180,000 troops and a navy of more than 800 warships.

In this way, together with the 200,000 prisoner camps, the six protectorates can be firmly suppressed.

But there had been frequent rebellions in the past few years, and all the camps in various places needed fresh blood!
Emperor Shunde also established two large camps, Shenwu and Shenwei, in the capital with a total of 240,000 troops!
They were scattered here and there, together with the young and strong men who cooperated with the army in the southern expedition, and the troops recruited by the navy.

At least millions of young and strong people from Daqian were mobilized!

Emperor Shunde did not realize the saying that scholars often say, “You only regret not having read enough when you need it.”

Now, I am unable to sleep night and day because of the worry of “I only regret the lack of soldiers when I need them”.

……

Until the grand court meeting on the first day of the ninth year of Shunde!
At the beginning of the new year, this year, Jia Cong is thirteen, Daiyu is twelve, and Baochai is seventeen!
Outside the Meridian Gate, it’s bustling and noisy!
“Greetings to the Marquis!”

“Greetings to the Marquis!”

“Meet Duke Zhenbei!”

“Greetings to the Imperial Master!”

Having not been seen in the mansion for several months, Jia Cong came to the outside of the Meridian Gate today before the hour of Mao, which was unprecedented.

Daiyu and Baochai followed behind him.

As they walked along, officials kept bowing respectfully to the three men.

The eighth year of Shunde was undoubtedly a year of harvest for Daqian.

The territory expanded and food became abundant.

Never underestimate the smart people of any age. After Jia Cong led the army to the south and established the Protectorate.

Soon, some brave families organized caravans to head south and open up trade routes into the territories of the major protectorates.

The porcelain, tea, silk, and even all kinds of pretentious antiques and paintings in Daqian were all hot-selling goods that were fought over by local families in the major protectorates in the south.

Through the routes of these caravans, the speed at which resources from the south flowed into Daqian doubled.

At the instruction of Jia Cong, Lin Ruhai wrote a letter to the emperor proposing to reform commercial taxes.

It can be said that the momentum of rejuvenation is no longer just a momentum.

However, this year’s grand court meeting was much quieter than in previous years.

Without him!

The founding lineage, the Qi and Lu lineage, and the nobles who defected to Jia Cong are all now serving in various major protectorates.

Emperor Shunde issued a decree that the officials of the newly established protectorates in the south did not have to return to the capital to report on their work within three years.

This made the ranks of nobles much thinner.

There is also the procession of envoys from foreign countries.

Most of the southern dynasties that had sent envoys to Beijing in the past have now been defeated.

The Ministry of Rites had long ago quietly destroyed the list of countries that would not be conquered set by the former Emperor Taizu.

Only a few envoys from the Oirat Mongols and the Tatars were still standing there alone.

They looked at each other in silence, with only sadness in their hearts.

Jia Cong had a cold expression as he took Daiyu and Baochai to greet Lin Ruhai.

Under the envious gazes of everyone, he walked to the front of the team and stood there.

The position is still before the Grand Master Prince.

At the hour of Mao, the gates of the imperial palace opened.

Before today’s grand court meeting, all officials first paid homage to the Taimiao.

Jia Cong stopped outside the Taimiao and did not go inside to worship with the ministers.

After the worship, they returned to the main hall to hold the court meeting.

“In the eighth year of Shunde, every time I woke up, it felt like I was in a dream.”

“The Red Feather messenger has been delivering good news frequently. Our Daqian territory is expanding so fast that the Military Department’s Military Affairs Department has even filed three apology memorials in a row.”

“Daqian’s current prosperity is inseparable from the hard work of all the ministers, and even more so from the soldiers who marched south…”

“Okay, I won’t say anything more, except for one thing!”

“I am not a suspicious king, nor am I a stingy person…”

“My Lords, do you have any memorial to submit?”

Emperor Shunde spoke first for the first time, eloquently delivering more than a thousand words.

Only after he finished speaking could the morning court truly begin!
“Your Majesty, I have this memorial!”

According to convention, a grand court meeting will be held today.

It was nothing more than envoys from various vassal states coming to the court to pay tribute, and then all officials singing praises.

After following a set of procedures, Emperor Shunde would give a banquet in the palace to entertain his ministers.

But I didn’t expect that today, the court meeting had just begun.

Lin Ruhai, who had just been promoted to the position of Deputy Prime Minister of the Cabinet, walked out of the queue with a memorial in his hand.

“Lord Lin, do you have any memorial to report today?”

Emperor Shunde was also slightly stunned when he saw this.

“Your Majesty, six new protectorates have been established in Nanyang, and they are now all guarded by the Taoist soldiers under the command of Marquis Jing’an.”

“After the spring, the imperial court will launch a new round of southern expeditions. The elite Taoist soldiers under Marquis Jing’an will play an important role. It would be a waste of talent to continue to station them on the Nanyang Islands.”

“We need to quickly dispatch troops to the six major protectorates in the Nanyang Islands to replace the Taoist soldiers under Marquis Jing’an to ensure the southern expedition plan after the spring.”

“It’s just that in the past few years, the imperial court has been constantly recruiting young men from all over the country, and I have checked the official documents sent from all over the country.”

“Over 1.2 million young and strong men have been recruited…”

“What does Lord Lin mean?”

Emperor Shunde did not expect that at the beginning of the grand court meeting the next day, Lin Ruhai would bring up the problem that had been bothering him recently.

He immediately continued to ask questions following Lin Ruhai’s words.

“Your Majesty, I believe that the comprehensive reform of our Daqian military system cannot be delayed any longer!”

“The military household system was originally established by Emperor Taizu in consideration of the poor livelihood of the people at the beginning of the founding of our country.”

“Using farming to support the army can ease the burden of the imperial court’s allocation of food and fodder and the people’s tax burden.”

“However, up to now, the military household system in various places has mostly become corrupt. According to my private investigation, only in Jiangnan, Shandong, Fujian, Guangdong and Guangxi, etc.”

“Eating empty salaries has become a common practice. The number of commanders of garrisons in various places ranges from 10% to 20% and even up to 50%.”

“Not only did they collect empty salaries, they also withheld soldiers’ food and wages, leaving them hungry and unable to train. Their combat effectiveness is worrying.”

“But they were restricted by their military household status and could not change their occupations. In the end, they were called Daqian soldiers, but in reality they were tenants of the generals of the garrisons in various places.”

Immediately afterwards, Lin Ruhai’s voice was sonorous and powerful, echoing in the hall.

To the ears of civil and military officials, it was like a category eight hurricane!
The military household system has been established for a hundred years and has many drawbacks.

This is already an open secret.

Such signs had already appeared even in the early days of Emperor Kaiyuan’s reign.

But no one dares to touch it easily.

This was true for both the respected old general of the Five Military Commanderies and the successive officials of the Ministry of War.

Firstly, the impact was too wide, and local families and garrison commanders were colluding with each other.

Even part of the gray income such as ice and charcoal tributes received by civil and military officials in the court every year came from here.

Secondly…

If there are major reforms, no one knows what those killers in the army will do if they unite!
Everyone’s surprised eyes first fell on Lin Ruhai.

Immediately afterwards, some smart people turned their heads directly to Jia Cong and the other two who ranked before the other kings!
(End of this chapter)