If you're made a fake emperor, why did you change the country's name?

Zhao Yu looked at His Highness's lips, which were as wide and hard to suppress as an AK, and gave a crooked smile.

"Wei An".

"Your servant is here."

"Issue my decree and proclaim it to the world."

From this day forward, each prefecture may independently recruit 10,000 soldiers for a period of one week. Those in command of the military may not be concurrently serving officials. During the recruitment period, each prefecture must not allow this to interfere with the administration of government orders or affairs; those who disobey will be punished for treason!

After a pause, Zhao Yu added a sentence.

"As for the imperial edict... let's postpone its issuance."

Upon hearing this, the joyful atmosphere that had just begun to rise among the civil officials instantly froze.

The smiles on Li Qiang and the others' faces froze.

The announcement was made to the world, but no imperial edict was issued?

While oral orders could be transmitted to lower-level government offices and then posted as notices, they ultimately lacked official endorsement.

Without the emperor's endorsement, this power is like duckweed floating on water; once the emperor reclaims it, it's even difficult to spread rumors that the emperor doesn't keep his word.

Minister of War Li Qiang immediately stepped forward and offered his advice with clasped hands.

"Your Majesty, recruiting soldiers is a matter of great importance to the nation. Without an imperial edict, local officials may find it difficult to recruit soldiers. We urge Your Majesty to issue an imperial edict to reassure the people of the land."

Zhao Yu chuckled inwardly. The pie was for you to see, not for you to eat.

Adopting a serious expression, he explained, "Minister Li, you are overthinking this. This matter is of utmost importance. I am also concerned that you ministers are new to military command and lack experience. If this were to affect local administration, wouldn't it be counterproductive?"

"The verbal order is sufficient for recruiting soldiers. I want to see the efficiency in various regions and whether military and political affairs can truly be managed in a balanced way. Wouldn't it be better if, after a month, the results in various regions are remarkable, I could issue another imperial edict?"

The civil officials looked at each other, feeling somewhat frustrated, yet unable to find fault with each other.

The emperor wanted to inspect the goods before paying.

Li Qiang secretly pondered that although the lack of an imperial edict was a hidden danger, the most important thing at the moment was to recruit soldiers.

As long as you have the troops and forces in hand, and the deed is done, even if you drag it out for a few months, the emperor will have to think twice before he backs out.

Thinking of this, he immediately agreed.

"Your Majesty's decision is well thought out, and we admire it."

"Your Majesty is wise!"

The other civil officials also realized what was happening, and they all knelt down, shouting "Long live the Emperor!"

Zhao Yu raised his hand slightly, signaling them to rise, then changed the subject.

"Recruiting soldiers is the first thing to do, and today there is a second thing to do."

"I believe the reason this banditry is so rampant is not only due to problems with the military system, but also to the slow response from various regions. Back when the Wolf Kingdom knocked on our gates, if the official roads hadn't been blocked, why would the Prince of Zhennan's army have arrived so late?"

"The official roads of the Great Liang have fallen into disrepair over the years. I have decided to rebuild all the official roads in the country to ensure that the roads between the prefectures are unobstructed and that orders are obeyed."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiang, the Minister of Works, immediately brightened up.

Road construction?

This is a huge amount of money!

He immediately stepped forward to express his opinion.

"Your Majesty is wise! This is precisely the duty of the Ministry of Works! I will handle this matter properly and will never fail Your Majesty's trust!"

"you?"

Zhao Yu glanced at him and interrupted him directly.

"After all these years of the Ministry of Works, what has become of the official roads? Putting that aside, since I ascended the throne, have I ever seen the Ministry of Works produce a single innovative item? Even I, the emperor who is busy with countless affairs of state, have managed to come up with the Red Cannon. What achievements has your Ministry of Works, which receives a salary from the court, made?"

Zhao Yu stared at the Minister of Works and asked, word by word:

"How dare you take this job?"

"minister……"

Zhang Xiang's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. Just as he was about to defend himself, Zhao Yu waved his hand to interrupt him again.

"No need for further words. I have decided to establish a Royal Engineering Team, directly managed by the Inner Court and reporting directly to me. The Ministry of Works need not interfere with the road construction; officials in each prefecture only need to provide their full cooperation."

Zhang Xiang was completely stunned.

This isn't just about not giving them any extra benefits; it's about taking away the Ministry of Works' livelihood!

He was about to object when he felt his sleeve being gently tugged from behind.

Looking back, he saw Li Qiang, the Minister of War, frantically trying to wink at him.

Zhang Xiang looked around again and saw that the ministers of the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites were also giving him frantic hints with their eyes.

His mind went blank for a moment, and he suddenly came to his senses.

The imperial decree granting the right to recruit soldiers has not yet arrived!

Now, if we fall out with the emperor over this matter of the Ministry of Works, and the emperor is furious and withdraws the recruitment plan, that would be a huge loss!

He could still distinguish between what was important and what was not.

Zhang Xiang quickly put on a fawning smile and bowed deeply.

"Your Majesty is right! Your Majesty is a genius, capable of creating divine weapons like cannons. Compared to Your Majesty, we ministers of the Ministry of Works are nothing but dust on the ground and the bright moon in the sky, utterly incomparable."

"This matter should be handled personally by His Majesty!"

Zhao Yu nodded in satisfaction.

With the promise of recruiting soldiers dangling in front of them, these idiots became much more obedient.

Next, we can implement sweeping reforms.

However, this reform still requires money...

Zhao Yu's gaze slowly moved and finally landed on the Prince of Zhennan, who was picking his nose and yawning listlessly in Wu Xun's ranks.

Zhao Yu's lips curled up slightly as he devised a plan.

He sighed, feigning helplessness, his voice filled with sorrow.

"Alas, road construction is a good thing, but it's also a bottomless pit, requiring a huge amount of money. The national treasury is empty right now, and we're really stretched thin."

He looked at the line of civil officials.

"I believe that the five great families are able to share the nation's fate and weather the storms together. The money for the road construction will be advanced by you, my beloved ministers, and I will settle accounts with you later when the national treasury is full."

Upon hearing this, the hall fell silent.

Li Qiang and the others froze, their lips twitching involuntarily.

Let them pay for it?

What's the difference between this and cutting flesh off their bodies?

The civil officials looked at each other, but none of them responded.

An awkward atmosphere ensued.

Zhao Yu didn't urge him, but simply turned his head with a smile and looked at the Prince of Zhennan.

"Uncle, what do you think?"

That one word, "Uncle," drew everyone's attention.

Qian Zhentian immediately stopped picking his nose, wiped it on his clothes, and then burst into laughter.

"Great! Building roads is a fantastic thing! Uncle supports it unconditionally without hesitation!"

His laughter ceased, and his fierce eyes glared at the civil official as he spoke menacingly:

"Gentlemen, you can't possibly be so stingy as to not even part with this little bit of money, can you? If you really can't bear to part with it, you can just tell me. My guys may not have any other skills, but they're good at 'giving' people money."

Li Qiang and the others trembled, cursing Qian Zhentian in their hearts.

What do you mean by helping them sacrifice? Isn't this just blatant robbery?

These soldiers are nothing but bandits!

Despite their insults, they didn't dare utter a single word in front of the Prince of Zhennan, who commanded a large army.

Li Qiang was the first to step forward, forcing a smile.

"Your Highness is too kind. Serving His Majesty and contributing to the Great Liang is the duty of us subjects. My Li family offers our unconditional support!"

Lu Wanliang, the Minister of Revenue, gritted his teeth and followed suit.

"The Lu family is also willing to contribute!"

"We second that proposal!"

Seeing this, the others could only step forward and express their opinions.

Zhao Yu's lips curled up; hadn't this solved the money problem?

"My esteemed ministers truly are the pillars of our Great Liang. Since that's the case, then I hope there won't be any delays in the project payments. Otherwise…"

Zhao Yu narrowed his eyes and threatened, "I will have to reconsider this matter of recruiting soldiers."

Everyone felt a chill and quickly bowed, promising that there would be no delay.

"Very good." Zhao Yu stood up. "The royal engineering team will be assembled today and will begin construction from the capital city outwards. Officials at all levels should prepare funds and cooperate with the engineering team as soon as they return."

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

"Dismiss the court."

Court adjourned!