Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 286 Li Longji: Wasn't my military reform very bold? [Seeking monthly votes]

Chen Xuanli was very capable of execution. Without saying a word, he led his troops to escort all the Japanese envoys to the Tang Dynasty to the reviewing stand, and in front of tens of thousands of soldiers, he beheaded these Japanese people.

Hundreds of heads were neatly arranged in a row, adding a touch of grimness to the martial arts training ground. The soldiers participating in the training were also infected by this atmosphere and became fiercely aggressive.

Under the guidance of Zhang Yue, the Minister of War, Li Longji began to inspect the troops. Each army had its own origin and history, and all of them had participated in a series of wars of annihilation against small countries during the reign of Emperor Taizong.

After the inspection, Li Longji, accompanied by Zhang Shuo, came to the reviewing stand, which was equipped with loudspeakers so that all the soldiers could hear the emperor's voice.

Zhang Shuo picked up the microphone and first passionately reviewed the glorious achievements of the Tang Dynasty's soldiers in their foreign wars, reciting a long list of the names of the countries they had destroyed.

After finishing his remarks, he looked to the future and discussed the border troubles in various regions. This served as both a warning and a cautionary tale for all the soldiers:
"The time has come to make your mark. Whether you get a special place on the family tree is up to you!"

The wars in the early Tang Dynasty were truly remarkable, and those achievements have a great inspirational effect on the soldiers today. Everyone wants to be remembered in history. Even if they can't become figures like Su Dingfang or Li Weigong, they should at least be like Xi Junmai, capturing tens of thousands of prisoners with a hundred cavalrymen. Only then will their lives be worthwhile!
After Zhang finished speaking, it was Li Longji's turn to give his instructions.

Not far away, Granny Gongsun, who was controlling the drone to take pictures, asked Li Bai:
"The entire army will surely be shouting 'Long live the Emperor' soon. Do you think your eldest grandson might secretly take out the token and take the opportunity to eliminate some disloyal people?"

Li Bai shook his head:

"Probably not. There are too many people. If the lightning causes a riot, so many people crowded together could cause a stampede... Next, they should announce military reforms, and all soldiers will be re-selected. Some bad apples will be punished."

After discussion, Li Longji, Zhang Shuo, and others decided to try a system of "professional soldiers + conscripts," with officers as the backbone and civilians from all over the country serving in the army, truly realizing the goal of "the whole people being soldiers."

Soldiers who have completed their conscription will be allocated thirty mu of permanent farmland; those who choose to go to areas outside the Central Plains and Guanzhong will have their permanent farmland area doubled and their taxes halved; those who are killed or wounded will enjoy different levels of pension benefits according to standards; the children of martyrs will be enrolled in state schools, with their food and lodging paid by the imperial court.

As for officers, they need to be assessed regularly on their combat skills and strategy, and are promoted every three years. Before being promoted, they need to give a report on their work.

In addition, all eunuch supervisors were dismissed, their powers were restricted, half of the eunuchs in the palace were to be dismissed, and those who owned land were to be transferred to the court.

The allocation of land to conscripts required a large amount of arable land, and the source of this arable land was the fertile land occupied by temples, corrupt officials, and powerful clans.

Without the Black Iron Token, Li Longji was always worried about how to balance the relationships between various parties.

Now that we have the token, we don't need to think so much anymore. We can do whatever we want. Those once arrogant and powerful families have now become fat little piglets.

If you cooperate obediently, there's still a chance to survive; otherwise, you'll be slaughtered like a pig for the New Year.

On the reviewing stand, Li Longji announced that the army would begin a two-month intensive training program. Through this training, some unqualified officers and soldiers would be eliminated. After retraining, the soldiers' pay would increase by 30%, and would be further increased based on their performance in the future.

Well, before the war even starts, a 30% pay raise is an order that will definitely tempt all the soldiers. They'll train as hard as they can to stay in the army.

While Li Longji was giving his entire army a pep talk, Gao Lishi led a group of men to a royal garden near Qujiang in Chang'an City and handed a scroll of Xuan paper to the leader:
"Here are the blueprints. Let's start building from there. The number of rooms must be no less than two hundred, and the training ground must be large enough."

The leader asked respectfully:
"May I ask, Steward Gao, what is the purpose of this place?"

Gao Lishi said:
"His Majesty will personally serve as the Dean of the Royal Military Academy of the Great Tang Dynasty."

After giving his orders, Gao Lishi mounted his horse and prepared to head to Mount Li to experience the imposing and powerful aura of tens of thousands of people gathered together.

As we were walking, a dirty man suddenly rushed in front of the horse and blocked our way, his voice slightly high-pitched:
"Godfather, Godfather, save me!"

Gao Lishi tightened the reins and then discovered that the person blocking his way was none other than Wei Liangyuan, his adopted son from the palace. A few days ago, Wei Liangyuan had been expelled from the palace after it was discovered that he had embezzled tens of thousands of acres of fertile land, and all of his fertile land and houses had been confiscated.

Gao Lishi said:
“We are no longer on the same side. If I help you, it would be disloyal to His Majesty.”

He had already sworn a solemn oath before Li Longji, and now he just wanted to stay away from these short-sighted fools. Even at this point, they were still obsessed with money. Couldn't they open their eyes and see what others were busy with?
During this golden age of China's rise, and at this perfect moment for the Tang Dynasty to defy fate, some people dare to hold it back. Such people should be buried in the mud.

After Gao Lishi finished speaking, he was about to leave when Wei Liangyuan knelt down and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Godfather, I haven't eaten for days. Please, Godfather, have mercy and give me some food..."

He portrayed himself as extremely pitiful, but unfortunately, Gao Lishi wasn't buying it:
“There is a bridge repair project at the East Gate that is a work-for-relief project, and meals will be provided when you go there; there is a charity hall under the supervision of the Imperial Preceptor in the city, and there is always hot soup. You have hands and feet, so if you are hungry, find something to eat yourself and don’t block the way.”

Several attendants pulled Wei Liangyuan aside, and Gao Lishi rode away on horseback.

Wei Liangyuan got up from the ground, spat in the direction Gao Lishi had gone, and was about to leave when a scholar with a smile blocked his way:

"Steward, may I have a word with you in private?"

Wei Liangyuan asked warily:

"who are you?"

"My name is Ge Nu, an insignificant nobody in Chang'an..."

After exchanging a few words, the two found they were kindred spirits and decided to leave together, ready to pull off a big heist.

Meanwhile, at a long-established restaurant in Yiyang City, Fang Hongyan hosted a banquet for Zhou Yi, mentioning that everything he had been doing lately had gone smoothly. He also mentioned that some influential people in the provincial capital wanted to invest in Wan Ke Lai, and Fang Hongyan wanted to know Zhou Yi's opinion.

The Book of Changes asked in return:
"How much energy does 'having energy' refer to?"

Fang Hongyan sighed helplessly:

"They don't have the ability to make Wan Ke Lai's business better, but they can make Wan Ke Lai's business fail... Master Zhou should understand what I mean, right?"

Zhou Yi nodded, observed Fang Hongyan's face, and said to him:

"Your current fortune is extremely strong, to the point of being unstoppable. Everything you do will go smoothly, and you will not encounter any setbacks."

He didn't say much, only emphasizing that everything he did went smoothly.

Upon hearing this, Fang Hongyan quickly grasped the situation:

"Since everything is going smoothly, why don't I just write a letter of complaint?"

Zhou Yi nodded and reminded him:

"You can talk to Chairman Han of the Feng Shui Folk Customs Association; you should be able to get some help."

Old Han seems to have a strong network of connections and relationships. He can get things done with just a few words, like getting human bone materials for tattoo shops and business at Xishan Cemetery. He must have some other background as well.

After Fang Hongyan finished talking about this matter, he opened the photo album to show Zhou Yi the new security guard uniforms of Wankelai Shopping Mall—exquisitely made Ming Dynasty flying fish robes and Ming Dynasty armor.

"I think if shopping malls want to keep attracting customers, they need to come up with more creative ideas. Scenes that combine Hanfu (traditional Han clothing) with modern elements are very attractive."

Zhou Yi thought this idea was very good:
"What happened to the old security guard uniforms? I remember you still had bomb suits there. Are you not using them anymore?"

Fang Hongyan nodded:
"Not for now. Ming-style armor also has blast protection. We even hired some veterans who are over 1.8 meters tall to wear it. They're practically walking clothes hangers."

Hearing that bomb suits were no longer needed, Zhou Yi was immediately intrigued.

"Could we donate those discarded bomb suits to Hunyuan Palace? I always feel insecure and want to get some security equipment."

Fang Hongyan readily agreed:

"No problem, we have two hundred sets of riot gear, two hundred riot shields, and batons, etc., we'll bring them all over for you later... It's too much trouble to keep them for accounting purposes, it's better to just buy new ones if you need them later."

Modern blast suits and shields would definitely be very useful in ancient times, but their effectiveness still needs to be tested in actual combat. If possible, Zhou Yi plans to find a security company and purchase a large quantity.

After the meal, Fang Hongyan paid the bill and left. Zhou Yi strolled around and bought fried chicken, cola, and a few cups of milk tea. He drove back to Hunyuan Palace and saw Wu Meiniang and Li Qingzhao eating boiled noodles. He quickly took out some noodles to reward the two beauties.

"There's meat and eggs in the fridge, how are we going to eat plain noodles?"

Li Qingzhao picked up a chicken wing and ate it with a crunching sound:

"Sister Meiniang said that meat and eggs should be left for the generals. We don't go to the battlefield, so eating some noodles is far better than in ancient times..."

Hearing this, Zhou Yi really wanted to drag the elderly Wu Zetian over and ask her if she felt ashamed.

However, if two Wu Zetians were to appear, it might lead to a match-3 or match-3 situation, which wouldn't be good. The thrifty and hardworking Empress is much more interesting than an old woman who only cares about pleasure.

Wu Zetian picked up a piece of popcorn chicken and put it in her mouth, then asked Zhou Yi:

"I just looked at your work schedule on the calendar. Are you going to the crane equipment factory to perform a religious ceremony tomorrow?"

Zhou Yi nodded:

"You want to go?"

Wu Meiniang was indeed somewhat tempted. Her impression of modern machinery factories only existed in the information she had. She had only passed by the factory gate from afar during her several trips to Yiyang, and had never had the chance to see what it looked like inside.

The Book of Changes says:

"Tomorrow, Li Qingzhao will stay behind and take the opportunity to learn how to operate a crane, hoping to write 'Partridge Sky: The Crane' as soon as possible. I'm even planning to post it online and ask for likes."

Li Qingzhao chuckled and said:
"They'll definitely say it's AI making things up. By the way, Immortal Master, besides Sister Meiniang, did no one else come today? Are they all coming tomorrow?"

Only after she reminded him did Zhou Yi realize:
"Today is also the day Guo Rong comes, but he hasn't shown up yet. I'm going to do a divination to see if he's encountered any problems..."

This matter concerns merit, so we cannot be careless. We must protect and protect Emperor Zhou Shizong and earn more merit from him!
(End of this chapter)