Chapter 883

A slightly solemn atmosphere permeated the main hall.

Li San’s words made Xiao Ming frown slightly. This organization, so mysterious in contemporary history, seemed even more active in this era.

Without personally experiencing history, one cannot truly understand its essence. Previously, Xiao Ming had only briefly skimmed it in books, but now he had to take it seriously.

After all, he was now in the vortex of history, and the current situation was far worse than in contemporary times.

“They think their success in France can be replicated here? Delusional.” Xiao Ming sneered repeatedly. He said, “Keep an eye on them. If there’s an opportunity, capture one alive and bring him back to me.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.” Li San responded.

After a pause, he continued, “Your Majesty, I believe the Azure Dragon King is more troublesome than Cao Kun now. Under his incitement, many common people have believed him and joined the merchants’ council. There’s even a children’s song circulating.”

“Oh? Tell me.” Xiao Ming showed some interest.

Li San recited, “Dynasties rise, dynasties fall, from ancient times the poor and lowly lived hard. Open the gate and welcome the Azure Dragon King, teaching young and old, all happy. Leading white horses, offering wine, the city gate opens, he is the Dragon King. When the Dragon King comes, no taxes are paid. Ask not for father, ask not for mother, if grain is insufficient, there is the Dragon King.”

“No taxes? How long can this beautiful lie last?” Xiao Ming sighed softly.

Li San said, “As Senior Grand Secretary Pang said, the common people are easily incited.”

“Indeed. The Azure Dragon King succeeded once in Jizhou, and now he is even more proficient,” Xiao Ming clenched his fists.

Although he still held the title of Emperor, the Great Yu Empire’s system was becoming increasingly modernized, increasingly suitable for the common people’s lives.

In Xiao Ming’s view, whether he held the title of Emperor or not was unimportant. After all, even in contemporary times, there were still monarchies. Did their common people live in dire straits?

Moreover, what was the difference between commanding three armies and being a head of state or president? The only difference was that they used media to create a false impression.

For him, he could also play this game, but what would be the point? Who else in this era could be more far-sighted than he?

If the merchants’ council were to rule this country, it would merely be powerful families becoming council members, like county magistrates in the late Qing Dynasty transforming into revolutionaries. Everything would just be a change in name, not in substance.

Coupled with these people’s unreliable nature, the Great Yu Empire would probably soon fall apart, with warlords fighting among themselves. Such a thing had historical lessons from later generations.

“You needn’t worry about this. The Azure Dragon King is merely using this as a slogan; he cannot fulfill his promises. What is most needed in war is grain and fodder. If he collects no taxes, he can only resort to plundering grain. Whose grain? It’s still the grain of those common people and powerful families who don’t follow him. In the long run, they will surely incur the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people. And once the common people realize this, they will side with me,” Xiao Ming said confidently.

Now, whether it was the merchants’ council or the Azure Dragon King, they were all makeshift organizations to him. This play would not last long. The reason was simple: he was confident that his nation’s system, after reforms, had a stronger appeal.

The common people’s eyes were sharp. As long as they saw the truth with their own eyes, they would make the most correct choice. So, he only needed to manage the State of Chu well.

To achieve this goal, he would mobilize students from Bowen Academy’s School of Government Affairs to serve in the State of Chu. After several years of cultivation, his reserve of talents was gradually becoming abundant.

Most importantly, he planned to completely transform the State of Chu, because the development potential of the Suzhou-Lin’an line was immense. In later generations, it was a famous economic zone, especially Songjiang, which was later Shanghai, with extremely advantageous geographical conditions.

“Your Majesty is far-sighted. I was overthinking it,” Li San said with relief.

Xiao Ming smiled. He said, “However, even so, to get the common people to submit as soon as possible, you secret guards must also speed up. The Azure Dragon King can incite the common people, and so can you. As long as you show the common people a prosperous future, they will surely come around.”

Li San nodded heavily. “Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will live up to your expectations.”

With that, Li San bowed and left.

As soon Sam Li left, Niu Ben and Luo Quan walked in. Glancing at the map, Niu Ben said, “Your Majesty, the supplies and common people in Suzhou City have been tallied. The grain, fodder, and supplies in the city were all taken by the council army. Whatever was not taken was burned. Many common people had their grain stolen, and many also died. Moreover, the city’s over one million common people now only number eight hundred thousand. About two hundred thousand served as porters for the council army, transporting grain and fodder.”

“Hahaha…” Hearing this news, Xiao Ming suddenly burst into laughter.

Niu Ben and Luo Quan asked, puzzled, “Why is Your Majesty laughing?”

Xiao Ming explained, “I laugh because the council army is ultimately just a group of bandits; they cannot be taken seriously.”

Luo Quan and Niu Ben immediately understood. Niu Ben said, “That’s right. Our soldiers never harass the common people wherever they go, nor do they take anything from them, much less kill them. Now, the council army not only burned grain and fodder, but also plundered and massacred to gather supplies. This will surely make the common people despise them.”

“That’s what I mean. So, you must further discipline the soldiers. Let the common people see the conduct of the imperial army when it enters a city. Additionally, distribute some military rations to the common people to help them get through the winter,” Xiao Ming said loudly.

The two nodded upon hearing this.

Then Luo Quan asked, “Your Majesty, this is the offensive plan we drafted, aiming to reclaim the entire State of Chu within two months.”

Xiao Ming took it and glanced. It detailed the upcoming offensive sequence and the deployment of troops and provisions. According to Luo Quan’s plan, they would steadily advance southward, using Songjiang, Jiaxing, and Suzhou as strongholds.

“Hmm, let’s do it this way,” Xiao Ming agreed. Two months was already very short. After all, the State of Chu was relatively large, and walking from north to south, and east to west, would take a long time.

…

Qingzhou.

While the war in the south was in full swing, a major event was happening here.

After overcoming the gloom of students defecting, the electricity research laboratory, led by Su Liangcai, successfully produced electricity using its small thermal power generation facility.

Upon learning this news, Pang Yukun personally went to the site. While the war was ongoing, the Great Yu Empire’s various developments were also progressing.

At this moment, Su Liangcai’s successful operation of the power generation equipment was undoubtedly a greatly encouraging event.

“Senior Grand Secretary Pang, please look.” Su Liangcai proudly pointed to the equipment before him.

Before him was a horizontal large generator. This generator was now rotating under the rotational movement of a steam engine. Connected to the steam engine was a large boiler. Workers were filling the boiler with coal. The electricity generated from the generator was making an electric motor rotate. Its smoothness and stability surpassed that of a steam engine.