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

On the seventh day of the first month of the fourth year of Xuanyuan, the Ministry of War in Jinling established a new conscription office.

"By imperial decree, starting from the fourth year of Xuan Yuan of the Great Chu Dynasty, a new military and political system shall be promulgated. Anyone who is willing to join the new army shall be permanently exempted from all corvée labor, poll tax, and labor service in their household."

"The military service period is two years. Within two years, anyone who is promoted to the rank of sergeant can apply to become a member of the regular army and receive a fixed military salary. If they wish to retire, they can receive a retirement allowance."

"All other demobilized officers and soldiers of the new army will be transferred to the reserve force and issued sergeant certificates. With these sergeant certificates, they can obtain certain discounts when purchasing goods in designated areas and have priority in decision-making!"

"Starting today, the conscription period is one month. All those who pass the recruitment will be issued two sets of quarterly military uniforms and two bolts of cotton cloth, and will be sent to the designated area!"

"The age limit for conscription is 16-35 years old. Those who meet the requirements can quickly register at the local conscription office. Once accepted, they can become a member of the Great Chu New Army."

After nearly a year of research, the military reform policy was finally successfully implemented.

This decree caused a great uproar among farmers, merchants, and even small landlords throughout the Jiangnan region.

The allure of exemption from corvée labor and forced labor was too great, as it meant having more time to manage one's livelihood.

As soon as the conscription order was issued, almost without hesitation, families sent their eligible children to the various conscription offices to register.

Two weeks later, a total of 120,000 new recruits joined the army, successfully exceeding the target.

Shen Lang immediately discussed with the Ministry of War and formed ten divisions, each with 12,000 men, which were then incorporated into the Central Army.

The Imperial Guard was transformed into a training and supervision team, and its members were incorporated into the new recruits in batches, becoming instructors.

Whether it was the training and supervision team or the Central Army, the highest-ranking general was Shen Lang, personally appointed by the Empress.

"Qu Yi is proposed to be appointed as the commander of the First Division of the First Army of the Central Army."

"Lü Meng was appointed commander of the Second Division."

"Zhang Dingbian was appointed commander of the Third Division."

"Meng Gong, commander of the Fourth Division..."

With the army expanding, Shen Lang naturally had to promote his subordinates, quickly assigning his trusted men to the new army.

Of the ten divisions of the Central Army, seven were originally from the Imperial Guard, while the remaining three were secretly controlled by people sent by Shen Lang.

The people were naturally very enthusiastic about the promotion of the former guards officers.

But Shen Lang's next words put immense pressure on the group.

"Three months. I'm only giving you three months. After three months, I want you to lead the troops you've trained to press the Wu border and advance."

"Please rest assured, Commander, we will fulfill our mission!"

Shen Lang smiled with satisfaction as he watched the officers in their azure uniforms take their oaths in unison.

The expansion of the new army naturally necessitates the supply of weapons.

During this period, the arsenal worked overtime and produced weapons at breakneck speed, finally delivering the training firearms and ammunition on schedule.

Meanwhile, as alloy steel technology has gradually matured, artillery has also begun to be upgraded.

Cannons forged from gun steel far surpassed those made from carbon steel in both quality and chamber pressure resistance, and gradually began to replace them in the military field.

However, the production of artillery also began to decline due to technological updates.

……

Inside the imperial study, the Empress looked at the numbers on the military register and felt a surge of satisfaction.

"Ah Lang, just how strong is the fighting power of this army?"

Shen Lang smiled slightly and slowly recited a string of numbers.

"Individual soldiers are equipped with a 98K rifle, 360 rounds of ammunition per person, and five hand grenades. A squad is equipped with one Maxim machine gun and one light machine gun (Czech type), and five hand grenades."

In addition, there are twenty-four light artillery battalions and twelve heavy artillery battalions in support. I think this firepower is enough to make the Chu army invincible in land battles.

Jiang Mengxuan was very excited after hearing Shen Lang's words.

This means that she has a powerful army that is completely loyal to her.

"The thought that my Great Chu has such a strong army makes my heart pound."

Seeing the smile bloom on the woman's face, Shen Lang simply smiled faintly.

Then he produced another official document.

"This is the railway factory's report. The train has been successfully developed. It is powered by coal and can transport nearly 10,000 tons of goods to and from various places at the same time. The speed at full load is about 30 kilometers per hour."

"30 kilometers, which means you can travel 60 li in half an hour. Wouldn't that be more than 1000 kilometers a day?"

"uh-huh."

Shen Lang responded and continued, "The north-south railway is about to be completed."

Railway tracks have begun to be laid in various places, and the journey from Nanjing to Lingnan, a distance of more than 3,000 kilometers, will take no more than five days.

Furthermore, after the boiler undergoes advanced modifications, the speed can be maintained at around 50 kilometers per hour, resulting in a faster round-trip speed.

Jiang Mengxuan took a deep breath, held Shen Lang's hand tightly, and looked at him with gratitude and admiration.

She exclaimed with emotion, "Ah Lang, this is the enormous benefit that industry brings, isn't it! I finally truly understand its power!"

Thank you, thank God, for appearing in my life when I was most helpless and confused.

"Without you, I'm afraid I would have lost the throne long ago."

The Empress's eyes gleamed with determination and resolve, as if she saw a glimmer of hope for the future.

Shen Lang smiled slightly but did not answer. However, the light in his eyes gave Jiang Mengxuan the answer.

The two have gone through countless challenges and difficulties together, but they have always adhered to their beliefs and come to where they are today.

At this moment, Jiang Mengxuan's heart was filled with anticipation for the future.

She believes that with Shen Lang's wisdom and hard work, the country will usher in a brighter tomorrow.

And I will do everything I can to give this man the dignity and tenderness he deserves.

Shen Lang coughed twice: "Xuan'er, the Wu Kingdom is about to be destroyed. The closer we get to this point, the more careful we must be of hidden forces causing trouble."

Once your new decree is issued, the regional princes will surely react; you must prepare accordingly.

Jiang Mengxuan smiled slightly: "Of course, I have already secretly sent people to the vassal states to persuade the local gentry and noble families."

As long as they're not blind, they'll realize the situation has changed and be willing to pledge allegiance to the court. As for Jiang Chong's side..."

When Jiang Chong was mentioned, a cold glint flashed in the Empress's eyes.

"I will definitely not let him get away with this."

"Since you've already made arrangements, I won't worry about it anymore."

Shen Lang shifted his body and continued, "By the way, we can speed up the procurement of grain. After the fall of Wu, there will definitely be places that need a lot of grain."

"Last year, we confiscated the property of the prominent families in Jiangnan and obtained 24 million shi of grain. Of the 40 million taels I received, 15 million taels were used to exchange for grain."

After careful consideration, this should be enough to quell the disaster in the Kingdom of Wu.

"not enough."

Shen Lang shook his head.

"Floods are always followed by locust plagues. This year will surely be another year of disaster in the Wu region, and the number of people affected will only increase."

News from the Jingwei Division indicates that cannibalism has broken out in the worst-hit areas of Wu, and the influence of bandits in the south is growing.

Disaster relief will be a considerable expense, and I have already issued an order to the Ministry of Revenue that farmers' taxes will only be collected in kind.

I also instructed the Ministry of Works to arrange for the 100,000 Wu refugees who had fled to Chu territory to repair roads and mine. It is precisely at times like these that we cannot let our guard down.

We must remain vigilant until the new army is fully trained.

Jiang Mengxuan nodded: "I'll do whatever you say."

At this moment, Ye Mo ordered someone to deliver an official document.

"Your Majesty, the Kingdom of Wu has sent a letter stating that they have closed the border trade routes."

They demanded the release of the Wu people who had fled to the territory of Chu, or they would sever all relations with Chu.

Shen Lang and Jiang Mengxuan's eyes lit up immediately.

Just when they were wondering how to find a reason to confront the Wu Kingdom, they unexpectedly delivered themselves to their doorstep. It was like a pillow being delivered to a sleepy person.