You get Lu Bu as your starting character.

Chapter 327 Suppressing Literature and Promoting Military Skills
The next day.

Early morning of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

In the Golden Palace, after more than an hour of reports, the morning court session was drawing to a close.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne, surveying the assembled officials in the court; "Do my esteemed ministers have anything else to say?"

As soon as Zhou Chen finished speaking, all the civil and military officials in the court stood up again; "We have nothing to report."

The morning court session lasted for more than an hour, and all the officials had said what they needed to say.

"Retreat."

After giving Cao Zhengchun a few instructions, Zhou Chen got up and left the Golden Palace.

Only after Zhou Chen left the Golden Palace did the officials dare to stand up.

"Your Majesty's diligence in governing and love for the people is truly a blessing for our Great Zhou and a boon for our people!"

One of the ministers said with a look of deep emotion.

Since Emperor Zhou Chen recovered his health, he devoted himself wholeheartedly to government affairs, showing no slackening in his attention to the people's livelihood and national affairs.

Although Zhou Chenlong recovered from his illness, he became ruthless and ruthless, and among all the emperors of the Great Zhou Dynasty, probably no one could compare to him.

However, it must be said that after Zhou Chen's swift and bloody purge and massacre, all aspects of the Great Zhou began to improve.

The emperor's killings deterred all officials from forming cliques, engaging in corrupt practices, or influencing the political situation.

The emperor's killings terrified the powerful and wealthy families of the land, deterring them from acting recklessly.

The emperor's slaughter of the foreign tribes beyond the Great Wall paved the way for the Great Zhou, accomplishing a feat the Great Zhou had never achieved before: expanding its territory.

Did the emperor kill the wrong person?
Did the emperor kill too many people?
The Great Zhou Dynasty had experienced hundreds of years of ups and downs, and was already rotten to the core.

If we don't use such methods to kill indiscriminately and clean up the abuses, how can we save the Great Zhou Dynasty from its crisis?

Watching that imposing figure depart, all the civil and military officials were filled with emotion.

The Great Zhou Dynasty is now prosperous, with a full treasury, a stable court, and hope for the future for its people. Although it cannot yet be called a golden age, a revival is in sight.

All the civil and military officials knew that all of this in the Great Zhou Dynasty was thanks to Emperor Zhou Chen.

If it weren't for Emperor Zhou Chen, the Great Zhou Dynasty wouldn't be what it is today.

With such a wise ruler to assist them, what a fortunate thing it is for them as subjects.
After exchanging a glance, Xiao He, the Left Chancellor of the Cabinet, and Fang Xuanling prepared to return to the Cabinet after the morning court session to assist the Emperor in handling state affairs.

After all, due to the upheaval caused by the fusion with the Wilderness Realm, many things happened in various parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and many important government affairs had to be reviewed and handled by the Cabinet immediately.

however.

at this time.

Cao Zhengchun walked over with a smile and stopped Xiao He and Fang Xuanling.

Besides Xiao He and Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Liu Ye, and the other ministers of the Six Ministries, as well as the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the Prince of Kao Shan Zhou Zhan, were also stopped by Cao Zhengchun.

"My lords, His Majesty requests your presence."

Cao Zhengchun smiled and spoke humbly.

Cao Zhengchun might not show any favoritism to the other ministers.

But these ministers in front of him were all the emperor's confidants, his right-hand men, and deeply trusted by the emperor.

Xiao He needs no introduction. As the Left Chancellor of the Cabinet, he commanded all civil and military officials, held great power in the Cabinet, and was able to replace the imperial authority in handling national affairs.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui were both ministers of the Six Ministries, wielding great power and were highly regarded by the emperor.

As for the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and the Prince of Kao Shan Zhou Zhan, needless to say, they are members of the royal family and hold a prestigious position.

"His Majesty is looking for us?"

Xiao He and the others were visibly taken aback.

If Your Majesty needs to speak with them, you can do so directly during the morning court session.

Why invite them over privately?

Xiao He and the others were all somewhat puzzled.

However, Xiao He and the others did not hesitate and left directly with Cao Zhengchun.

soon.

Xiao He and the others then followed Cao Zhengchun to the front of the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

"Please wait a moment, gentlemen. I will go in and report first."

After Cao Zhengchun finished speaking, he walked into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

moment.

Cao Zhengchun then came out.

"Please, gentlemen."

Xiao He and Prince Zhou Zhan straightened their posture and stepped into the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Fang Xuanling and Du Ruhui followed closely behind.

Inside the Yangxin Hall.

Zhou Chen sat upright on the dragon throne.

"Your Majesty, we have come to pay our respects."

After Xiao He and his entourage entered the Hall of Mental Cultivation, they bowed to Zhou Chen on the dragon throne.

Zhou Chen waved his hand; "My dear ministers, please dispense with the formalities!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

Xiao He and the others all spoke respectfully.

Zhou Chen glanced at Xiao He and the others, and without beating around the bush, said directly, "I plan to extend the Royal Academy to all prefectures, counties, and districts, and establish a martial arts academy in each prefecture, county, and district for students from all over the world to practice martial arts."

As soon as Zhou Chen finished speaking, Xiao He and the other ministers were slightly startled.

They never expected that the emperor would want to extend the royal academy to various counties and establish martial arts academies in different places.

It should be noted that since the founding of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the country has been divided into prefectures, counties, and districts.

Below the county level are the villages and settlements in various places...

These villages were basically not included in the statistics.

Because there are just too many villages.

Some villages are merged into other counties within a few days of being established, while others are completely deserted within a few years.

The villages are too unstable.

The statistics that Da Zhou could only compile were at the county level.

Even so, the Great Zhou Dynasty had at least several thousand counties.

Extending the Royal Academy to various counties and establishing martial arts academies in each county town is no easy task and will cost a considerable amount of money.

Zhou Chen leaned back slightly on the dragon throne, watching the reactions of Xiao He and the other ministers.

In Zhou Chen's view, talent is of paramount importance for any dynasty or empire.

Especially after merging with the Wilderness Realm, the Great Zhou Dynasty was no longer simply an era where one could survive with secular martial arts, but had entered a much broader and more cruel fantasy world.

In the desolate realm, if the Great Zhou wants to establish itself and achieve stability, it must immediately become powerful.

If the Great Zhou is to become stronger overall, it needs to provide a platform for more of its younger generation to cultivate and grow, so that they can soar to great heights.

Undoubtedly, establishing martial arts academies in various parts of the Great Zhou is the best way to make the Great Zhou stronger quickly.

As the saying goes, a strong youth makes a strong nation.

Only by giving all the younger generation in the Great Zhou Dynasty the opportunity to cultivate and become stronger can the overall strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty grow rapidly.

"Your Majesty, extending the Royal Academy to all prefectures and counties and establishing martial arts academies in each prefecture and county is quite difficult."

"Our Great Zhou has several thousand counties. To open so many martial arts academies would require a massive amount of money, which is not a small sum."

"Furthermore, after the martial arts academy is established, we will need to hire teachers and handle many other matters. These are all problems..." said Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, with a solemn expression.

The establishment of the Royal Academy was partly due to the involvement of the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, who also served as the temporary dean of the Royal Academy.

Therefore, King Zhou Xian of the Eighth Prince knew better than anyone how much it would cost and how difficult it would be to establish an academy, not to mention that extending it to various prefectures and counties would involve unimaginable costs and problems.

Upon hearing what Zhou Xian, the Eighth Prince, said, Du Ruhui and Liu Ye nodded in agreement.

The establishment of the Royal Academy was overseen by Du Ruhui, the Minister of Rites, and Liu Ye, the Minister of Works, also participated in it.

Like the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian, both of them knew that extending the Royal Academy to various prefectures and counties and establishing martial arts academies in each prefecture and county would be no easy task.

Even Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, was the same.

The Royal Academy was established with funds obtained from the Ministry of Revenue.

Although the Ministry of Revenue's treasury is currently very full, it cannot withstand such depletion!

Zhou Chen understood the many questions raised by the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian.

However, the overall strength of the Great Zhou Dynasty was really too poor. Not to mention achieving the level of a Celestial Being, even in terms of the strength of the ninth rank of martial arts, only a small number of people in the Great Zhou Dynasty had such strength. The majority of people in the Great Zhou Dynasty were still ordinary people.

This wouldn't have been a problem before.

But now that the Great Zhou has merged with the Wilderness Realm, the Great Zhou may have to face the beast dynasties, demons, and monsters next...

How could the small group of powerful cultivators in the Great Zhou Dynasty withstand a large-scale beast dynasty or other unforeseen events?

If the Great Zhou does not improve its overall strength as soon as possible, the only consequence will be its annihilation and elimination.

Zhou Chen looked at the Eighth Prince Zhou Xian and said, "I understand what the Eighth Imperial Uncle means."

"But after this integration with the Wilderness Realm, you are all aware of the changes that have taken place throughout the Great Zhou."

"Putting everything else aside, just consider the mutation of wild beasts. Large-scale attacks on villages will occur frequently in the future. The current military strength of the various regions of the Great Zhou is simply insufficient to deal with the crisis. And this does not even include the threat from the barbaric realm outside the Great Zhou."

"Therefore, the Great Zhou should improve its overall strength as soon as possible and establish martial arts academies in various places to cultivate strong individuals."

"The focus of the Great Zhou should be on martial arts training, suppressing literature and promoting martial arts, so that everyone in the Great Zhou can enter the door of martial arts and embark on the journey of martial arts."

At this point, Zhou Chen picked up the book on barbaric history that was on the dragon's desk.

"I have a book on the history of the Wilderness here, which contains some basic information about the Wilderness Realm. My beloved ministers may take a look first."

Zhou Chen handed the history of the barbaric lands to Cao Zhengchun, who was standing beside him.

Cao Zhengchun presented the History of the Wilderness to Xiao He and his ministers.

"The history of barbarism".

Xiao He and the others were all startled. Curious, they took the History of the Wilderness from Cao Zhengchun's hands and began to read it.

A few minutes later.

Xiao He and the others all wore solemn expressions.

Although they only flipped through a few pages, some basic information about the history of the barbaric lands still had a significant impact on Xiao He and his ministers.

"My dear ministers, you have all read some information about the history of the barbaric world, haven't you? The barbaric world is far more cruel than we imagined."

"It was only after I finished reading this history of barbarism that I decided to establish martial arts academies throughout my Great Zhou, so that people from all over the Great Zhou could cultivate martial arts and embark on the path of martial arts."

Zhou Chen looked at Xiao He and the others and said.

"Your Majesty, establishing a martial arts academy is a feasible plan."

"However, it is very difficult to popularize martial arts academies in all prefectures and counties of the Great Zhou in a short period of time, and the problems in various aspects are difficult to solve."

Xiao He pondered for a moment before speaking.

As the Left Chancellor, Xiao He knew that it was simply impossible to complete such a large-scale operation in a short period of time.

"I know."

Zhou Chen nodded; "I never thought this could be accomplished in such a short time. The establishment of the Martial Academy must be done step by step."

"This matter will be left to your cabinet."

"Your cabinet needs to come up with a feasible plan as soon as possible and implement it immediately."

"All six ministries must fully cooperate and must not shirk their responsibilities."

Zhou Chen said seriously.

The establishment of martial arts academies throughout the Great Zhou Dynasty is a crucial plan for the long-term development of the Great Zhou, and cannot be neglected.

As the saying goes, if you are slow in one step, you will be slow in every step.

The dangers surrounding the wilderness won't give the Great Zhou much time.

"The ministers obey the order."

Xiao He and the six ministers bowed in unison to receive the imperial decree.

"At the same time, the Ministry of War should also increase its military deployment efforts. All the martial arts manuals and secret techniques that the court has confiscated can be made available to the army."

"As long as you have enough merit points, you can claim and redeem them."

Zhou Chen then looked at Li Yuan, the Minister of War, and said.

Even before that, Zhou Chen had already instructed Li Yuan, the Minister of War, to begin deploying military forces within the army.

Now, Zhou Chen hopes that this effort can be increased again within the military.

After all, the army is the symbol of the Great Zhou's military power and the reliance on the Great Zhou to suppress everything.

Upon hearing this, Minister of War Li Yuan immediately bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Zhou Chen then looked at Liu Ye, the Minister of Works; "Liu Ye, you are the Minister of Works. This History of the Wilderness was obtained with great effort by the Eastern Depot. Your Ministry of Works should immediately begin reprinting it. All the officials of our Great Zhou should read this History of the Wilderness so that they can understand the situation in the Wilderness."

"The minister obeys the order."

Liu Ye bowed and accepted the imperial decree.

……

Outside the Yangxin Hall.

Xiao He and several other ministers came out.

Xun Yu looked melancholy.

The emperor wanted to extend the royal academy to all prefectures and counties, and establish martial arts academies in each prefecture and county. This would require funding from the Ministry of Revenue.

His Ministry of Revenue's treasury is currently very full, but the various expenditures of the Great Zhou Dynasty are also quite substantial!
Especially recently, the integration with the Wilderness Realm caused earthquakes and landslides, resulting in disasters for many people in various parts of the Great Zhou Dynasty. The Ministry of Revenue has allocated a considerable amount of silver for this purpose.

Now, the emperor wants to establish military academies in various prefectures and counties, which will be another considerable expense.

The wealth that his Ministry of Revenue had painstakingly accumulated will likely be completely depleted in this end.

"Lord Xun, His Majesty has ordered the Ministry of Works to immediately reprint the History of the Wilderness. Your Ministry of Revenue must immediately allocate the wages to the Ministry of Works."

"Otherwise, my work department wouldn't be able to start operations!"

After leaving the Hall of Mental Cultivation, Liu Ye, the Minister of Works, went directly to Xun Yu and asked for money.

"And what about my Ministry of War? His Majesty has ordered my Ministry of War to increase its efforts, but we have no money. How can we increase our efforts like this?!"

Minister of War Li Yuan also joined in.

When Xun Yu saw the two men come up to ask for money, his face immediately darkened.

"No money."

After uttering those two words, Xun Yu quickened his pace and left.

Watching Xun Yu's figure disappear quickly, Xiao He, Liu Ye, and the others exchanged smiles.

They knew that Xun Yu, the Minister of Revenue, was in for a real headache.

The things His Majesty has instructed all require silver.

Moreover, it's not a small amount.

(End of this chapter)