The poorest member of the Imperial Guard, the Empress begged me to embezzle.

The next day.

The Great Zhou Dynasty, the Golden Palace.

Chu Xiu, dressed in the robes of the Marquis of Champion, stood in the main hall.

The civil and military officials glanced at Chu Xiu from time to time, secretly wondering if his special appearance at court today, which he never attended on ordinary days, was related to the Yellow Heaven Sect.

After all, the news that the Yellow Heaven Sect had taken over Jizhou, Jingzhou, and Yanzhou had already spread throughout the capital.

of course.

They also already knew that the Imperial Advisor Qi Tianchen had personally intervened and had reclaimed Jingzhou and Yanzhou for the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"His Majesty has arrived..."

Jiang Wan'er's voice came from outside the Golden Palace.

"Your Majesty, we pay our respects! Long live the Emperor!"

All the civil and military officials knelt down and shouted in unison.

Empress Murong Si, accompanied by Jiang Wan'er and Pei Guanyin, entered the Golden Palace and sat down on the dragon throne. She calmly said, "All of you, rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

After expressing their gratitude, the civil and military officials stood up.

"If you have something to do, start the show, if nothing happens, leave the court!"

Jiang Wan'er stood to the left of Murong Si's dragon throne and shouted loudly.

"Your Majesty, I have something to report!"

Chu Xiu stepped forward and bowed to Murong Si.

"allow."

Murong Si said calmly.

All the civil and military officials turned their gazes toward Chu Xiu, including the five cabinet ministers: Zhao Duo, Minister of Personnel; Cui Yu, Minister of War; Zheng Yun, Minister of Works; Dugu Tai, Minister of Justice; and Yuan Chongli, Minister of Revenue.

"Your Majesty, the governors of Qingzhou, Li Chengfeng, Jingzhou, and Yanzhou, Yuwen Wuji, have been killed by the Yellow Heaven Sect."

"Your Majesty, please reappoint new governors of Qingzhou, Jingzhou, and Yanzhou."

Chu Xiu said with a solemn expression.

Zhao Duo frowned slightly. A governor of a prefecture was a truly important official in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

The governor was a third-rank official, on par with the vice ministers of the six ministries.

The governor of a prefecture was a second-rank official, on par with the ministers of the six ministries.

Appointing important officials like the governors of Jingzhou and Yanzhou was not just a matter for the Ministry of Personnel; it required discussion within the cabinet, submission of a list to Empress Murong Si of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and ultimately, a decision by Murong Si.

As the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, Chu Xiu was not qualified to get involved in this matter.

As a result, Chu Xiu not only raised this matter at the court assembly, but also nominated three governors at once.

Not only Zhao Duo, but also Cui Yu and others frowned.

"Does Minister Chu have anyone to recommend?"

Murong Si said calmly.

"Your Majesty, I recommend Xie Xuan, the Deputy Commander of the Capital Garrison and General Who Pacifies Bandits, to serve as the Governor of Qingzhou."

"Gu Tianhe, the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard and the general who quelled bandits, was appointed as the governor of Jingzhou."

"Li Ruxian, deputy commander of the Imperial Guards and general who pacifies the enemy, was appointed governor of Yanzhou."

Chu Xiu said solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Duo and the others exchanged glances. They immediately guessed that Chu Xiu's recommendation of Xie Xuan and the others must be Empress Murong Si's intention.

All three of them came from the military.

Two of them were generals of the Imperial Guards, and one was a general of the Beijing Garrison.

As is well known, the Imperial Guards and the Capital Garrison were the two most loyal armies of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Murong Si didn't trust the others, so she wanted to appoint Xie Xuan and the other two as governors of the three prefectures.

They weren't surprised by this.

There were no objections to Xie Xuan and the other two being transferred from military officers to civil officials.

Military generals of the Great Zhou Dynasty could be converted into civil officials at any time.

Civil officials can be transformed into military generals at any time.

Because military officers of the Great Zhou Dynasty, once they reach a certain level, can only be Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) who have passed the imperial examinations of the Great Zhou Dynasty!

A general who rises purely from the ranks of the army can at most become a mid-level general in the Great Zhou Dynasty, but cannot become a true general.

"Prelude!"

Murong Si spoke in a deep and powerful voice.

"Your Majesty is holy."

Upon hearing this, Chu Xiu bowed respectfully.

"Your Majesty is holy."

All the civil and military officials shouted in unison.

Even though Zhao Duo and the others were dissatisfied, they dared not show it at this moment.

"Minister Chu, is there anything else you wish to report?"

Murong Si nodded slightly and looked at Chu Xiu as she spoke.

"Your Majesty, I propose that, just like the border states, the number of soldiers in each prefecture of our Great Zhou Dynasty should be increased from 5,000 to 30,000, and the number of soldiers in each state should be increased from 50,000 to 200,000."

"This rebellion by the Yellow Heaven Sect has also exposed the fact that our Great Zhou Dynasty's ordinary prefectures are short of troops."

"Therefore, I believe that the army in ordinary prefectures should also be increased."

Chu Xiu's expression was solemn, and he spoke with a firm and resounding tone.

"What? The number of county soldiers in ordinary states has been expanded from 5,000 to 30,000? The number of state soldiers has increased from 50,000 to 200,000?"

"Absurd, utterly absurd! How can our Great Zhou Dynasty's treasury possibly support this!"

"Heh, Marquis Champion truly doesn't know the cost of living when you're not in charge! A single prefecture could potentially gain two or three hundred thousand troops. How can our Great Zhou Dynasty afford to support them?"

"That's right. With the national strength of our Great Zhou Dynasty, we simply cannot afford to maintain such a huge army!"

"..."

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire Golden Palace erupted in chaos. The civil and military officials glared at Chu Xiu with righteous indignation and began to accuse him furiously.

Not bad.

It wasn't just the officials from the Ministry of Revenue who were criticizing Chu Xiu.

Rather, it was nearly half of the civil and military officials in the entire court.

Murong Si looked calmly at nearly half of the civil and military officials, remaining silent.

Seeing Murong Si's expression, the civil and military officials quickly quieted down.

The entire Golden Palace fell silent.

"Minister Chu, increasing the number of troops in our Great Zhou Dynasty's Ordinary Prefecture will inevitably lead to a significant increase in military expenditures, which our Great Zhou Dynasty cannot currently sustain."

Murong Si then looked at Chu Xiu and said with a slight frown.

"Your Majesty, I have a good plan that can solve the problem of military expenses!"

Chu Xiu smiled slightly and said with a confident expression.

"Oh?"

"I wonder if Minister Chu has any good ideas to solve the problem of military expenses."

Murong Si's eyes lit up, and she looked at Chu Xiu with surprise, asking him a question.

The civil and military officials looked at Chu Xiu with surprise and doubt, clearly not believing that Chu Xiu could really solve this problem.

It should be noted that of the thirteen provinces of the Great Zhou Dynasty, only four are currently border provinces: Youzhou, Bingzhou, Liangzhou, and Yizhou.

However, the military expenditure of these four border states is more than that of the other nine states combined.

If the remaining nine provinces were to expand their armies accordingly, the number of troops in each province would soon be close to, or even equal to, the number of troops in the border provinces.

Then the military expenditure of the entire Great Zhou Dynasty will be more than double what it is now!

"Your Majesty! I humbly suggest that the Great Zhou Tax Bureau should be established immediately to unify the national tax categories and set uniform tax rates, so as to rectify the order of finance and taxation!"

"It is even more necessary to abolish the tax exemption privileges of the gentry, enhance the effectiveness of taxation, and begin to establish a commercial intelligence network that covers the whole world in order to consolidate the foundation of the country and strengthen national power!"

Chu Xiu clasped his hands in a fist salute to Murong Si and spoke with passionate and resounding words.

"Your Majesty, you must not! This plan is a disastrous move that will bring ruin to the country and its people. If it is implemented, our Great Zhou Dynasty will surely be torn apart and the country will cease to exist!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! Reforming commercial taxes is a grave taboo; we must not act rashly!"

"Your Majesty, Chu Xiu is a man with treacherous intentions. His aim is not reform, but to overthrow the foundation of our Great Zhou Dynasty, cause the people to be divided, and lead to the decline of the nation!"

"Your Majesty must not be misled by Chu Xiu's seditious words! Such actions will surely incite uprisings throughout the land, and our Great Zhou Dynasty will be in imminent danger, with the nation on the verge of collapse!"

"..."

The officials echoed their sentiments, their voices hoarse and strained, causing an uproar in the court.

Reforming commercial taxes has touched the most inviolable bottom line in the hearts of all civil and military officials, as it concerns the vital interests of all powerful families.

How could they agree to that?

How can we sit idly by and watch our own interests be harmed?