Chapter 170.2
At this time, after a bloody slaughter and suppression, the entire Great Xia territory finally quieted down, with no more forces of resistance, and all the generals returned to report their duties.
Lin Beifan was overjoyed: The generals have worked hard. I have seen all your performances, and its time for rewards! Now, I hereby confer the title of Duke of Fengwu on General Chai Yuxin and reward her with ten thousand taels of gold!
Chai Yuxin stood up happily: Thank you, Your Majesty!
General Wu Sangui is promoted one rank to Grand General of the Western Garrison, commanding 200,000 troops! Also, a reward of ten thousand taels of gold!
Wu Sangui, with a face full of joy, stood up: Thank you for your great grace!
General Wang Jinhai is promoted one rank to Grand General of the Southern Garrison, commanding 300,000 troops, and rewarded with ten thousand taels of gold!
General Wang Jinhai stood up happily: Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great kindness!
All the generals who had distinguished themselves in this great battle received generous rewards.
Basically, every general was promoted one rank, and some were even conferred noble titles.
Even the soldiers below received a reward of three taels of silver each.
With this round of rewards, millions of taels of silver disappeared, an unprecedented display of generosity.
However, nobody had any objections.
After all, this was an achievement of expanding territories, an unprecedented one at that. The nations land area had increased by more than 6 million square miles, which is about the size of a typical dynasty.
And then theres the population, which increased by more than 30 million, equivalent to the population of an entire dynasty.
As for other wealth and resources, lets not even starttheres just so much.
This windfall made Great Xia extremely wealthy, wealthier than many dynasties.
After the rewards were distributed, Lin Beifan said with deep emotion, Now, our Great Xia is no longer the Great Xia of the past! The current Great Xia, with its vast territory and abundant resources, can be described as a land of vastness and bounty!
Although Great Xia has become stronger, we also face many problems! Someone once said that the current Great Xia is a giant with clay feet, strong on the outside but hollow on the inside, and I think thats a very apt description!
So next, we must cultivate our internal strength and fortify ourselves!
The civil and military officials couldnt help but nod in agreement.
Isnt that the case?
Now that the nations territory has reached 8 million square miles, comparable to a typical dynasty, but with only over 2 million soldiers, how can they defend such vast lands?
The population of the entire Great Xia has now reached over 50 million, which is also top-tier among dynasties. However, their official system is too weak, and theres a shortage of talent reserveshow can they manage?
Therefore, it is now imperative to cultivate internal strength and quickly strengthen Great Xia.
Minister He, step forward to receive my decree!
Your servant is here! Heshen stood up.
Lin Beifan spoke loudly, I now command you to coordinate the common people throughout the nation to continue reclaiming wastelands, building roads, mining, constructing houses, and engaging in textile production! Especially with road construction, you must ensure that all major cities are connected by cement roads so that the people can become prosperous as soon as possible!
Your Majesty, does this include all common people, even those from the former Great Xue?
Lin Beifan nodded, Of course, now that they have become my subjects, I naturally treat them all equally! As long as they are willing to work for their food and clothing, they must be given the opportunity!
Your Majesty is benevolent, but we are a bit short on food, your humble servant is worried Heshens face was sweating.
If they really went through with this, at least 50 million people would come to him for food.
Whether its wages or food, it would be a huge expenditure.
They are now financially well-off and can distribute wages, as well as collect taxes, so they are not worried about money. But food
They had a great harvest last year, which was just enough to feed 25 million people for a year.
The food seized during the war was also just enough to feed 15 million people for a year.
That is to say, their current food supply is just enough for 40 million people for a year, which is not enough to feed the entire nation of 50 million common people. Theres a huge gap of 10 millionhow to fill it?
Lin Beifan knew what the other party was thinking and smiled, Dont worry, just do as I say! Although we dont have enough food, we just need to hold out until this years autumn harvest! The food well gather then will be enough to feed the nation!
If its still not enough, we can also do business with Yaoyao and the others! I have already resumed trade, so food is definitely not a problem!
Yes, Your Majesty! Heshen accepted the decree.
Although he didnt know why the Emperor was so certain that this years autumn harvest would be enough to feed the nation, the trade route with Yaoyao would allow them to buy food from outside, which greatly reduced his pressure.
Minister Cao Cao, step forward to receive my decree!
Your Majesty, your humble servant is here! Cao Cao stood up.
Lin Beifan smiled and said, Minister Cao, as you have seen, our Great Xias territory has reached 8 million miles, and we need a great number of soldiers. Therefore, continue to recruit for me and strive to reach a total force of 4 million by the end of the year!
Yes, Your Majesty! Cao Cao responded without hesitation, his heart filled with emotion.
At the end of last year, the Emperor had said they needed to recruit a million soldiers.
But who knew that plans couldnt keep up with changes, and with the land area increasing fourfold, recruiting a million soldiers was still a conservative estimate.
According to his estimate, indeed, 4 million soldiers were needed to defend Great Xia securely.
Your Majesty, to recruit 2 million soldiers within a year is an enormous challenge. Your humble servant has a suggestion!
What suggestion? Speak!
Cao Cao spoke loudly, Your Majesty, after years of continuous warfare, our Great Xia actually has many slaves, numbering over 3 million! These are soldiers who surrendered from other nations. We can transform them into our own troops! By doing so, we can quickly have a million soldiers who are ready and able to fight!
Lin Beifan nodded, The Minister speaks wisely! Previously, they served their own masters, so I demoted them to slaves to atone for their deeds! But now they are all my subjects, and they should be given a chance to start anew!
Those who have undergone reformation labor for more than two years and have shown good behavior can be released from their slave status and transformed into common people! If they are willing to continue serving in the military, then we shall enlist them to serve Great Xia!
Cao Cao spoke loudly, Your Majesty is benevolent! On their behalf, your servant thanks Your Majesty!
Following that, Lin Beifan continued to issue orders methodically.
He instructed the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Civil Service, Yan Song, to inspect the officials of the various cities in Great Xue.
In fact, not all officials of Great Xue had been eliminated; some lower-level officials with clean backgrounds were retained to continue managing the cities.
Now, Yan Song was to inspect them, retaining those who performed well and dismissing those who did not.
Additionally, he asked Li Linfu to prepare for another imperial examination.
Their country was indeed running short on talent reserves, so it was necessary to recruit more talented individuals to fill these positions.
After issuing the orders, Lin Beifan encouraged them, saying, I hope all Ministers continue to work hard, unafraid of hardship and difficulty! Once Great Xia stabilizes, I will then reward your merits and contributions!
Yes, Your Majesty!
Just then, a soldier rushed in, delivering an urgent report.
An urgent message from 800 miles away! Prince Rongzhen of the Great Feng Dynasty led a million-strong army through Phoenix Fortress, invading our borderlands. The situation is extremely critical!
The entire hall was shocked.
The Great Feng Dynasty has attacked?
Its just one thing after another!
What should we do?
Lin Beifan smiled, The Great Feng Dynasty, what perfect timing!
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