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The scorching midday sun pierced through the gaps between the tree trunks, casting dappled shadows on the three of them.
After their debate, Fiji and Pang Yukun finally looked at Xiao Ming, awaiting his decision.
Dealing with these imperial clan members was indeed troublesome. If he ignored them, Xiao Ming would inevitably be branded as inhumane and unjust. After all, in thousands of years of history, even tyrannical emperors had to care for their clans.
It was then that Xiao Ming gradually realized that the imperial family itself was a huge powerful clan, and the emperor was the head of this family.
But even so, Xiao Ming felt somewhat reluctant. He was well aware of the state of the government coffers; the fief was already not prosperous, so how could he support these clan members as well?
Moreover, he had no emotional attachment to these clan members. Firstly, Xiao Ming’s original body had left the capital since childhood, and secondly, he came from modern times and understood that this kind of situation could not continue.
The imperial clan would only proliferate, and in the long run, it would become a heavy burden on the nation.
After careful consideration, Xiao Ming said, “Neither supporting them nor abandoning them is good. Since that’s the case, I have a compromise.”
Pang Yukun asked, “How to compromise?”
“It’s simple: allow the imperial family to engage in commerce,” Xiao Ming said lightly.
In feudal society, emperors kept a tight leash on the imperial family, preferring to raise them like pigs rather than allowing them to support themselves, fearing that the power and wealth in their hands might lead them to covet the throne.
After all, they were all descendants of Emperor Gaozu, and if the legitimate eldest son failed to inherit the throne, it would fall to a collateral branch.
“Your Highness, absolutely not!” Fiji was greatly alarmed. “This is a rule established by Emperor Gaozu for the stability of Great Yu Empire. We cannot condone these imperial relatives engaging in commerce!”
Xiao Ming always got a headache whenever he heard about ancestral laws. Perhaps in these people’s eyes, Xiao Yuanzhi was great, but in Xiao Ming’s eyes, he was ultimately a monarch of a feudal dynasty, and their own thinking was very backward.
So he said, “Since this is a rule established by Emperor Gaozu, then I ask you, is Great Yu Empire stable now?”
“This…” Fiji immediately fell silent.
“As the saying goes, ‘only those who adapt to the times are true heroes.’ Now that Great Yu Empire is in chaos, how can we still abide by some stubborn rules?” Xiao Ming said lightly.
Fiji’s heart was shocked. Even Xiao Wenxuan would not dare to utter such rebellious words. Ancestral laws were the foundation of the nation. If this were in Chang’an, it would certainly be opposed by many officials.
But this was Qingzhou, and when he saw Pang Yukun’s smile, he knew that this matter was irreversible.
Xiao Ming looked at Fiji, who at this moment seemed to be on the verge of speaking but held back. He understood that he had just uttered something very radical for this era, because the rules established by the founding emperor of Great Yu Empire were tantamount to a constitution.
Now, Xiao Ming was violating the constitution, openly breaking the rules, basically equivalent to an American president not recognizing the Declaration of Independence. If Qingzhou hadn’t been largely controlled by the officials he had cultivated, he estimated that a large number of officials would soon kneel before the royal residence, begging him to retract his order.
“Your Highness speaks reasonably. After all, Great Yu Empire is about to change its ruler.” Fiji’s expression suddenly became somewhat strange.
Pang Yukun’s eyes flickered, revealing a hint of a smile. Fiji had compromised.
In fact, compared to Fiji, he understood Xiao Ming’s thoughts better. A fief was a fief, and Great Yu Empire was Great Yu Empire. The rules naturally had to change.
Xiao Ming nodded, “Since that is the case, you inform these imperial clan members that I will meet with them another day to make things clear. The world now is no longer the world of the past. Only those who adapt to local circumstances can long preserve their wealth and status.”
“Yes, Your Highness.” The two said in unison.
Having decided on this strategy, Xiao Ming basically had no intention of continuing to manage these imperial clan members. After giving them the last batch of silver, they could do whatever they pleased. At most, he would give them a little preferential treatment in business.
He was absolutely not going to spend millions of taels of silver every year to support these people.
After this matter was settled, the two entered the Qingzhou Grand Barracks. At this time, some of the new recruits who had passed the assessments were watching the Qingzhou Army’s daily training.
Unlike before, many training facilities had been built in the Qingzhou Grand Barracks. These facilities were developed by the generals after reading his “Soldier Training Manual.”
In the training ground of the grand camp, there were running tracks, horizontal bars, climbing rocks, balance beams, mud pits, and the new recruits’ training regimen was also very modernized, including 5-kilometer runs, 100-meter sprints, single and parallel bar exercises, push-ups, sit-ups, long jump, and grappling techniques.
Besides these physical training, there were also technical training sessions like formation drills, bullet loading, three-stage firing, rolling, climbing, and also packing backpacks and carrying equipment.
Looking at the soldiers training on the field, these new recruits who had passed the inspection were all filled with curiosity.
As the saying goes, ‘you haven’t eaten pork, but you’ve seen the pigs run.’ The training of veteran soldiers in the past was completely different from current training methods. Now, these soldiers performed all sorts of strange movements, which truly amazed them.
Fiji was also seeing the Qingzhou soldiers’ training for the first time. Their peculiar appearance made him shake his head repeatedly, but he understood that it was this kind of training that made the Qingzhou soldiers strong.
However, his surprise was yet to come. When it was noon, Xiao Ming led them to the Qingzhou Grand Barracks’ mess hall. When the food was served, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Your Highness, is this what ordinary soldiers eat?”
At this moment, before Fiji was three white steamed buns, a dish of chives and eggs, a dish of braised pork, another dish of celery and small shrimp, and a bowl of millet porridge.
Three of these dishes were stir-fries.
Pang Yukun said with a smile, “Grand Councillor Fei, now you understand why military expenditure is so high, don’t you?”
“I understand. These soldiers eat almost as well as nobles.” Fiji said, picking up his chopsticks and eating. The taste of the dishes made him even more amazed.
Xiao Ming, meanwhile, said, “Today we’re lucky. It’s the once-a-week meat day. This isn’t how it is every day. If the Qingzhou Army didn’t raise their own pigs, the soldiers wouldn’t have meat to eat.”
Speaking of which, Xiao Ming had only been here for over three years, and true political reform had only been going on for a little over a year. Rebuilding from scratch also took time. Currently, the fief’s resources were still not abundant enough. After all, even raising a pig took a year to be slaughtered; there were no growth hormones here.
“Since that’s the case, this is still much better than what the imperial guards eat. No wonder the Qingzhou Army is strong and well-fed. Coupled with high-intensity training, how can these soldiers not be formidable?” Fiji grew increasingly confident about the future. The matter of the imperial relatives was now far from his mind.
While the three of them were inspecting the new recruit recruitment, Xiao Ming’s order arrived in Yangzhou.
Ye Qingyun, having received the order, immediately commanded his soldiers to retaliate against the powerful families in Yangzhou City and its surrounding prefectures and counties. Due to food shortages during the two days they occupied Yangzhou City, he had already received news that the powerful families in the nearby prefectures and counties seemed to be somewhat restless.