Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

Inside the Imperial Study in Weiyang Palace.

After listening to Jiang Chaoyun's account, Jiang Mengxuan sat silently before the imperial desk.

She would occasionally glance at Shen Lang out of the corner of her eye.

Shen Lang, however, showed no change in expression whatsoever, as if the matter had nothing to do with him whatsoever.

Jiang Chaoyun continued, "Your Majesty, this wind must not be allowed to rise. Zeng Qian's act of removing the city's protective array without reporting to Your Majesty is already a violation of the laws of the Great Chu."

Opening the city gates to welcome refugees into the city is an even greater crime. Furthermore, distributing porridge to the people without prior notification to the relief department is suspected of being an attempt to win over the people.

Given all these circumstances, I believe he should be sent to the Court of Judicial Review for questioning.

Jiang Mengxuan: "Zeng Qian has not contacted the Prime Minister's residence either?"

Jiang Chaoyun: "No."

Jiang Mengxuan pondered for a moment, then turned her gaze to Shen Lang.

"Shen Lang, tell me, how should this matter be handled properly?"

Shen Lang replied, "This subordinate believes we should approach this from multiple angles. First, we must find out why such a group of refugees suddenly appeared."

Preliminary investigations indicate that this group of refugees mostly traveled north from Jiaozhou to Nanjing, a journey of at least four thousand li.

Why didn't the local officials along the route report this to the imperial court? This makes no sense at all.

Therefore, I believe we should first investigate the origins of these refugees and why they have fallen to this state.

Jiang Mengxuan immediately said to Jiang Chaoyun, "Commander Jiang, I'm entrusting this matter to you. If you need more manpower, you can contact Commander Jiang."

He will assign you people to investigate the cause of this matter as soon as possible.

"Wei Chen takes orders."

Jiang Chaoyun immediately responded.

Shen Lang continued, "Also, we can take this opportunity to find out who Mu Changge has been in contact with recently."

At the same time, they quickly checked with various rice shops in the capital to see if there were any recent records of large-scale grain purchases.

After all, it makes no sense that Mu Changge's porridge distribution team arrived just as the refugees entered the city.

I suspect this was a pre-planned outcome.

Jiang Mengxuan said to Jiang Chaoyun again, "Do as Shen Lang says."

"As ordered."

Shen Lang cupped his hands in greeting: "After all the clues have been uncovered, Your Majesty, please hold back for now."

Jiang Mengxuan asked, puzzled, "What do you mean? Aren't you worried when they slander you like this?"

Shen Lang laughed and said, "My reputation is already ruined in the capital. Whether or not this game happens, it will have no impact on me. What's the rush?"

Jiang Mengxuan sighed softly and said to Jiang Chaoyun, "You can go down now."

"Wei Chen retire."

Jiang Chaoyun bowed and left the Imperial Study.

As soon as he left, Jiang Mengxuan couldn't help but ask, "Shen Lang, now that it's just the two of us here, tell me, what are you really thinking?"

Shen Lang replied, "Your Majesty, this matter is ostensibly aimed at me, but it is also putting pressure on you. They are attempting to influence Your Majesty's decision through public opinion."

"I urge Your Majesty to withstand this pressure and not yield."

Jiang Mengxuan smiled slightly: "You and I have the same idea, that's rare, but..."

Her beautiful face showed worry: "I can withstand the pressure from Zeng Qian and the powerful families behind him, but I haven't figured out how to deal with the huge public opinion yet."

Shen Lang replied, "It's very simple. Your Majesty doesn't need to do anything. Just one word is enough."

"What word?"

"drag."

"drag?"

Jiang Mengxuan was somewhat puzzled.

Shen Lang looked up and said, "Yes, whether it's pressure from powerful families or public opinion, all Your Majesty needs to do is stall for time."

"If we can hold out until the factory is running normally, everything will change. There might even be an opportunity for Your Majesty to further consolidate your imperial power and enhance your prestige among the people."

Jiang Mengxuan quietly watched Shen Lang. The calm and indifferent demeanor on his face was something she couldn't understand.

It seemed that nothing could faze him, and no scheme or trick could shake his resolve.

Judging by their ages, he's only a year older than me, so why...?

"Your Majesty need not worry. As I said before, if Your Majesty is willing to support me, I have no concerns whatsoever."

Jiang Mengxuan took a deep breath: "How much time do you need?"

"Just three months."

"What else do you need me to do?"

"This humble servant needs to assemble a new army of three thousand men, composed of full-time soldiers, on the condition that they must be recruited from the civilian population, aged between 16 and 24."

They must be free from disease, honest and law-abiding, and at least a hundred of them must be literate; members of the old army are not accepted.

Jiang Mengxuan's pupils suddenly contracted: "Didn't you say that we should prioritize the economy and postpone the military industry?"

Shen Lang: "There is no conflict between civilian industries and military industries. Your Majesty, please rest assured that our current financial resources can support a small-scale military reform."

Jiang Mengxuan pondered for a moment, then immediately agreed: "I will find suitable soldiers for you within ten days, but the cost of recruiting them..."

"Ordinary soldiers pay six taels of silver, junior officers twelve taels, mid-level officers thirty taels, and senior officers are to be determined on a tentative basis."

Jiang Mengxuan: "The military system of the Great Chu was basically a combination of militia and civilians. In wartime they were soldiers, and in peacetime they were farmers. Neither of them received military pay."

Military funding was allocated to skilled martial artists and cavalry units. Ordinary soldiers were only provided with food and equipment by the court; any additional rewards had to be calculated based on military merit.

"If you were to change the military system to a conscription system like this, you would surely face opposition from the entire court."

Shen Lang laughed: "If these are just His Majesty's private soldiers, not bound by the court, what reason do they have to object?"

Moreover, recruitment is only a transitional measure and can only be applied on a small scale; further modifications will be needed in the future.

With the final implementation of compulsory conscription, the military reform of the Great Chu Dynasty was essentially complete.

Of course, if compulsory conscription is implemented, many civilian policies will also need to be changed.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Mengxuan immediately became interested: "What is a compulsory conscription system, and what changes should be made to the government?"

Shen Lang: "The so-called conscription system means that all males in the Great Chu who are registered in the household and meet a certain age must enlist in the army for two to three years, and then transfer to the reserve force when there is no war."

Jiang Mengxuan frowned slightly: "If all the men go to join the army in two or three years, won't agriculture be neglected?"

Shen Lang: "Therefore, this also relates to the need for the government to change the tax system. Apart from military service, all labor service and corvée must be abolished to reduce the burden on the people."

"What?" Jiang Mengxuan exclaimed in surprise. "But if we do that, the existing finances of our Great Chu will simply not be able to support the projects across the country!"

Shen Lang: "Your Majesty, please let me finish. After the corvée labor is abolished, all those miscellaneous and exorbitant taxes and levies must be eliminated."

The main source of future tax revenue will be industry and commerce. Setting up a factory requires paying land tax, emissions tax, revenue tax, and sanitation tax.

Merchants trading also had to pay certain taxes. Later, as industrial scale developed, foreign trade also required the establishment of customs to collect tariffs in order to protect domestic industries.

Your Majesty, as long as the trade of Great Chu can proceed smoothly, its industrial strength can steadily improve, and the people can truly feel the improvement in their lives,

We will naturally support His Majesty's decision.

Jiang Mengxuan thought for a moment and then smiled: "You've really thought this through. Well, there's another question: why not recruit those martial arts cultivators instead of these ordinary people?"

Shen Lang: "Your Majesty, when ordinary people wield firearms and can slaughter cultivators and martial artists, will their presence still be as significant as it is now?"

"You mean, once the new army is established and its military industry is perfected, those martial arts masters from those sects will have no use for their skills?"

"Not entirely. Perhaps the threat to top-tier martial arts cultivators isn't as great as one might think, but..."

Shen Lang's eyes suddenly turned cold: "Low and mid-level cultivators and martial artists will be completely eliminated by the tide of the new era."

They were left with only two paths: utter destruction or submission to the imperial court; there was no third option.

In short, Jiang Mengxuan was utterly shocked.

If low-level and mid-level sects become history, wouldn't that cover more than 95% of the sects on the Taiwu Continent?

Once these cultivators and martial artists lose their threat to the imperial court, what impact can the remaining small number of top-tier cultivators have?

Thinking of this, Jiang Mengxuan felt her blood boil.

If the cultivator-dominated situation that has lasted for hundreds of thousands of years on the Taiwu Continent is broken in her hands, then Jiang Mengxuan's name is destined to become the most legendary existence on the entire continent.

"Shen Lang, go ahead and do it. Whatever you do, I will support you unconditionally. I'm waiting for you to train a brand new army."

"I await you to change the future of my Great Chu. I hereby make you a promise: even if mountains and seas crumble and the future is bleak, I will always stand by your side!"

This is the second time in Jiang Mengxuan's life that she has shown her passionate side to another person.

The first time was when he was nine years old, and he told it to the late emperor.

Shen Lang frowned.

It's clear that the emotions in Jiang Mengxuan's eyes at this moment are genuine.

This was an emperor with extremely strong ambitions, but due to the circumstances, he was like a hidden dragon, concealing his true feelings.

Once she gains power, she will inevitably shed this disguise and reveal her powerful side, which will surely cause a sensation throughout the entire continent.

But so what?

I'm just someone who takes advantage of loopholes, why should I think so much?

Once they've made enough money and established an industrial base, they'll retire to the background.

When you want to kill me, you'll have to find yourself first.