You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

Hiss!

As soon as Xie Guyan finished speaking, a collective gasp filled the entire main hall of the prefectural governor's mansion!

Within a year, 30,000 elites at the acquired level?

Isn't this result just too terrifying?

In military strategy, regardless of aptitude, the ultimate achievement is the same.

But it does affect the speed of one's cultivation progress...

Xie Guyan said this because among the refugees who were taken in, there were many people with decent qualities.

The number of these people is approximately 50,000, with 30,000 being her conservative estimate…

Not only were Chu Yunlong and the others shocked, but Lu Zuo was also slightly taken aback.

With these 30,000 elite troops, even if the Sui Dynasty invaded a year later, he would be able to hold them off for a while.

but……

The amount of meat consumed is truly terrifying.

If each person consumes three jin (1.5 kg) a day, then 30,000 people would consume 90,000 jin (45,000 kg)!

That's 32.85 million jin a year!

Nantong would need to raise at least 200,000 pigs to meet its demand!

Moreover, this is only the official figure; after all, Nantong is training not only these 30,000 people, but also more than 200,000 disaster victims who have enlisted.

These people also need a certain amount of meat every day to sustain their high-intensity training.

In addition, supplying the feed needed for these pigs is another huge expense!

Lu Zuo silently calculated in his mind and came to the conclusion that with Nantong's current productivity, plus the financial resources to purchase from other places, it would only be enough to sustain these 30,000 elite troops...

We need to increase productivity as soon as possible!

He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Okay!"

"I will provide for you with all my might, but if I see no improvement in a year... I will punish you severely!"

Xie Guyan nodded emphatically: "Your Majesty, I hereby pledge my life. If Your Majesty does not see 30,000 elite troops within a year, I will offer my head in apology!"

Lu Zuo waved his hand, gesturing for her to stand up, then looked at Huang Ye: "How is the land allocation progressing?"

"Your Majesty, we have completed about half of it, but there have been quite a few troubles along the way, making it difficult to move forward."

Ok?

Upon hearing this, Lu Zuo felt quite puzzled.

The Nantong aristocratic families were almost completely wiped out, and their land was distributed to the common people, but it was difficult to implement.

Why?

Huang Ye: "Your Majesty, among these lands, there is also a share of the temples, large and small, in Nantong."

"There are quite a few people in the general public who believe in Buddhism; how could they dare to accept land belonging to a Buddhist temple?"

Lu Zuo's eyes turned cold, and his killing intent surged!

He already had little affection for Buddhism, and after dealing with Cihang Jingzhai, the leader of all Buddhist sects, his goodwill almost completely disappeared.

just now……

Do they even dare to obstruct my development plans?

Why not kill them and keep them around for the New Year?

"Chu Yunlong!"

"Your subject is here."

How many troops does Nantong still have?

"Your Majesty, when General Yue Qing left, he took more than 90% of the troops with him."

"In the past ten days, we have recruited approximately eight thousand martial artists from humble backgrounds..."

Lu Zuo continued, "How many temples are there in Nantong? How many monks are there?"

Shen Luoyan: "Your Majesty, there are a total of 327 temples, 65 nunneries, and more than 30,000 monks and nuns. Your Majesty... you wouldn't happen to be...?"

Lu Zuo glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "Issue my decree!"

"From this day forward, all monks and nuns in all temples and monasteries in Nantong shall be registered and recorded."

"I will give them ten days. Those who return to secular life within ten days will be allocated land equal to that of commoners according to the original temple's ownership, and will be permitted to marry and make a living."

"After ten days, those who have not yet returned to secular life..."

"Anyone still wearing monk's or nun's robes, anyone reciting Buddhist mantras or residing in temples or monasteries..."

"All of them will be regarded as defying the imperial edict and plotting rebellion, and will be punished for violating national laws and obstructing national policies."

"Chu Yunlong".

"Your subject is here!"

"Ten days later, I will send you to lead troops to investigate one by one."

"Those who have not returned to secular life, whether monks or nuns, shall be executed on the spot without further trial."

"The temples and monasteries involved will have their land confiscated, and their buildings will be demolished or repurposed as granaries or schools."

"The golden statues of Buddha were melted down and cast into coins to supplement military funds."

Chu Yunlong was taken aback for a moment, then realized what was happening and nodded, saying, "Your subject obeys the decree."

Shen Luoyan parted her red lips slightly, as if she wanted to say something, but seeing Lu Zuo's murderous look, she ultimately did not speak.

Then, Lu Zuo asked about some other things.

Such as the status of the school's operation, personnel organization, etc.

The results were fairly satisfactory. After taking over as the Prefect of Nantong, Shen Luoyan designed an assessment process.

For example, at the academy, she requires teenagers aged twelve to fifteen to pass a memory test, and only those who pass can enter the academy for full-scale training.

In this way, usable talents can be cultivated quickly.

To ensure that these young men could focus on their studies, the prefectural government would allocate a sum of money each month to subsidize their household expenses.

The assessment of officials was even more stringent, and a supervisory body was established to prevent officials from embezzling, breaking the law, and oppressing the people.

After understanding the situation, Lu Zuo nodded, expressing his satisfaction with everyone's progress.

Then, he glanced down at the audience and said, "Nantong's terrain is seven parts mountains, two parts water, and one part farmland, so arable land is already scarce."

"In the future, we should organize more martial artists to open up terraced fields in the mountains to increase agricultural production."

"In addition, we must strongly encourage people to raise livestock."

"The prefectural governor's office may formulate regulations to provide interest-free loans, and those who successfully raise livestock may also have their corresponding taxes reduced or exempted."

"Furthermore, those who reclaim wasteland and cultivate land will be granted corresponding tax reductions or exemptions once they reach a certain scale."

"You shall discuss the specific proposal and submit it to the emperor."

Upon hearing Lu Zuo's words, Shen Luoyan and the others were shocked!

Throughout history, in every dynasty, has there ever been such a decree?

Some people simply have slightly larger businesses, so they are taxed more and exploited at every level. Even worse, some people are even charged a repair tax for a leaky roof.

But Your Majesty…

Why would they do the opposite?

The more livestock a farmer raises, the more land he owns, the lighter his taxes become, and he is even allowed interest-free loans.

If this approach is implemented, Nantong's landscape will be completely transformed within a year!

Barren mountains have been transformed into verdant terraced fields, livestock thrive in villages, and goods abound in markets.

People are no longer afraid of heavy taxes, young and middle-aged men have the energy to join the army, and teenagers can study with peace of mind...

For some reason, everyone felt a surge of excitement and a burning sensation in their palms.

"Your Majesty, I hereby report."

Just then, a yamen runner walked to the entrance of the main hall, bowed and cupped his hands: "There is a man outside who claims to be a member of the royal Shadow Guard and requests an audience with His Majesty."

"He also handed over a token, saying that His Majesty would know its meaning at a glance."

As he spoke, he presented a dagger to Lu Zuo with both hands.

finally come!

Lu Zuo's eyes narrowed, and he said in a deep voice, "Go and tell him that it is not appropriate for me to meet with him now."

"Tell him to wait at the foot of Lonely Cloud Mountain outside the city. I will go there at midnight tonight to discuss important matters with him."

……

Night falls near Guyun Mountain.

"Disciple greets Master."

Zhu Yuyan bowed and greeted a woman in white standing under a pine tree that could be embraced by two arms.

"Yu Yan, what's the situation in Nantong right now?"