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

(Wu Zhao Chapter)

Time flies, and five years have passed since the Liaodong Campaign.

In these five years, without external threats, the Great Chu has undergone earth-shaking changes.

First, the completion of the entire north-south railway line completely eliminated the difficulty of transporting goods by livestock over long distances, enabling trade between the north and south and allowing the domestic economy of Chu to take off.

However, the rise of emerging industries also heralds the decline of outdated traditions.

The era of relying solely on human transportation gradually declined, and was replaced by the shuttle of machinery and steel.

In the same year, the first steam freighter of Jiangnan Shipyard was launched. After a month-long trial run, maritime trade officially began.

Correspondingly, the canal transport system, which had been in operation for six hundred years, completely disappeared from the historical stage.

Survival of the fittest is the law of the market.

Outdated industries without official support are destined to gradually decline and perish.

In the present-day Great Chu, after the completion of the three phases of railway planning and construction, a frenzied highway construction boom has swept through all prefectures and counties.

Secondly, the power system was initially improved, and the first power station began trial operation in April of the third year of Xuansheng, which instantly caused a great uproar and shocked the whole country.

From then on, the people living in the capital city immediately ended the tradition of candlelight and gradually entered the electric age.

Third, the corvée system was completely abolished, and the people no longer had to become free laborers for the government during designated periods of the year, or pay a certain exemption tax.

As a result, people everywhere rejoiced, while the conservative forces in those places were heartbroken and indignant.

From now on, they will no longer be able to have people work for them for free; they will have to pay them.

Fourth, the education system reform was successful. From the establishment of the first literacy class to the improvement of the primary, secondary and tertiary education systems, people of all social classes in Chu, whether nobles or commoners, could attend school.

Children aged 6-10 in primary school, regardless of gender, can attend the school for free. The course lasts for five years and focuses on four subjects: Chinese language, history, mathematics, and the six arts.

Five years later, a graduation exam will be held, and those who pass the exam can continue their studies in secondary school.

Those who fail have two options: either receive a certificate of completion and end their studies, or repeat a year and take the exam again the following year.

Repeating a grade requires your own payment; it's considered punishment for not paying attention in class.

However, there are only three opportunities to retake the exam. If you fail to advance to the next grade after three attempts, it means you are not cut out for studying. There is no need to waste time on it. The school will still issue you a primary school graduation certificate so that you can officially enter the workforce and arrange other jobs as soon as possible.

This is much more humane than the imperial examination system, where one had to take the exams from childhood to old age without ever achieving official rank.

The primary school enrollment rate was controlled at around 20%. The purpose of establishing primary schools was to popularize the history of the Chu State among the people and to help them recognize their own identity, while also playing an enlightenment role in improving the quality of the people.

As for secondary school, it is also a five-year system, but it is much more rigorous than primary school, and the main subjects include physics and chemistry.

Moreover, tuition fees are self-funded, and there are also accommodation and meal fees, which also need to be paid out of pocket. If you go to middle school but there are no tuition fees, Da Chu Bank can provide interest-free student loans to help you complete your studies.

Only the top five students in each primary school graduation exam are exempt from tuition fees for the first semester. Starting from the second semester, tuition exemptions are selected based on academic ranking.

To encourage students to achieve academic success, Shen Lang proposed setting up a scholarship system to reward students with outstanding grades each semester.

However, those who can enter middle school are basically elites who have fought their way up. Even if they only manage to get a graduation certificate, they are still considered elites in various industries.

Those who successfully obtain their diplomas start as local officials, holding secure jobs with ample opportunities for advancement.

This group of people is the backbone of the grassroots officialdom of the Great Chu.

However, obtaining a graduation certificate is not easy. Similarly, if you fail the exam the first time, you can only repeat the year and try again.

However, the number of retake opportunities has been reduced to two. If you can't get your diploma after two attempts, you might as well find a job.

This stage will eliminate more than 90% of the students.

As for those who eventually receive their diplomas, less than 10% do so, and less than 3% are admitted to universities.

Once they graduated from university in three years, they would directly enjoy the salary and benefits of a sixth-rank official, and were destined to be among the people with the highest social status.

However, there are only four universities in the entire Great Chu. Those who can attend university are all elite students from various regions, and the difficulty of admission is extremely high. Every spot that is created means that hundreds or thousands of people are eliminated.

The reform of the education system has brought a vibrant and energetic atmosphere to the entire Chu state.

As the public's quality of life improves and their knowledge expands, the first benefit that comes with it is a significant reduction in the drowning of female infants in remote areas.

In the Great Chu, women now have many respectable jobs in various industries, even in the officialdom, and their salaries are enough to support their families.

For example, women can also be competent in positions such as banking and service industries, customs, and finance. Many private enterprises and factories are offering high salaries to hire women with a high school education or above.

With shared interests, the traditional preference for sons over daughters will gradually fade over time, and people will be influenced by a more civilized society.

In addition, the reform of the education system has also brought about subtle changes in various industries. Applicants must present their diplomas to select suitable positions, and the salary and benefits are naturally very different.

The competition for jobs in the future is bound to be fierce, but it is also a historical inevitability.

Fifth, the cabinet was formally established, but the first Grand Secretary was not Ye Mo, but Lin Yu from the Ministry of Revenue.

Ye Mo took the initiative to resign in the third year of Xuan Sheng. After the Empress accepted his resignation, the prime minister system was replaced by the more advanced cabinet system.

The chief minister has a term of office, which is five years, and can be re-elected for a maximum of two terms.

This avoided the drawbacks of the prime minister system, which allowed him to wield absolute power, but at the same time, it weakened the influence of imperial power among the people to some extent.

Change always comes at a price. Jiang Mengxuan, who has been with Shen Lang for many years, is no longer the clueless little vase she was when she first ascended the throne. She understands many principles now.

Moreover, the cabinet can shield the monarchy in emergencies, but it must take responsibility immediately if a policy goes wrong.

Reforms to the official system have significantly improved the administrative efficiency of the entire country.

After Ye Mo stepped down, Shen Lang immediately invited him to co-found a normal university to solve the current problem of teacher shortage.

For the first time, the Ye family patriarch, who had spent many years immersed in officialdom, abandoned everything and enthusiastically participated in this sacred cause.

Sixth, monetary reform.

After the Great Chu entered the industrial age, with a large influx of silver and gold from overseas colonies, Shen Lang suggested abolishing the existing monetary system.

From then on, broken silver coins ceased to appear on the market and were replaced by three types of currency: silver dollars, copper dollars, and copper coins.

Ten copper coins could be exchanged for one copper coin, and eighty copper coins could be exchanged for one silver coin. One silver coin was equivalent to the value of one tael of silver.

This change has revitalized the market, at least eliminating unnecessary disputes between trading parties over the weight of metals.

In addition, there are many banknotes in circulation, with denominations of fen, jiao, and yuan, the largest denomination being twenty yuan and the smallest being one fen. These banknotes can be exchanged for precious metals of corresponding value at any time.

However, the amount of paper money is not large, with only five million currently in circulation. Ordinary people prefer to use precious metals, and only merchants who carry large sums of money in large-scale trades choose to use paper money.

In addition, gold reserves were formally incorporated into the national policies and regulations of the Great Chu State.

Currently, the Great Chu Kingdom's treasury holds a total of 45 million taels of gold reserves, all of which are deposited in the central bank.

The amount of gold circulating in the market is approximately 50 million taels.

Seventh, the military system has been further improved and perfected.

Eleven years have passed since Shen Lang proposed military reforms, and the State of Chu has completely ended the era of cold weapons.

Now, with 600,000 regular army troops stationed throughout the country, and additional vassal tribes patrolling the borders, the external threats to the State of Chu have long since disappeared.

In addition, the Great Chu Navy already has four well-organized fleets, with sixty ships of various types that can be used for front-line combat. They take turns patrolling the colonies at home and abroad, wholeheartedly protecting the maritime economic lifeline of the Great Chu.

Moreover, with the technological explosion, new equipment from the arsenal was also being developed one after another.

The most abstract of them all was the steam tank, which Shen Lang exclaimed was "black technology" after seeing it.

Sitting on it for a round trip, aside from the nausea from the jolting, you get so hot when you come out that you feel like your skin is peeling off.

However, Shen Lang strongly supported their continued improvement until it was completely perfected and became a powerful tool in the military.

Today, the military strength of the Chu Kingdom has become a unique force on this continent.

Unexpectedly, before tank technology could be developed, steam-powered cars were introduced ahead of schedule, once again sparking a new trend in the upper class of the Great Chu.