Chapter 998

In a flash, the court was filled with whispers.

Xiao Ming carefully observed the expressions of the generals. When everyone stopped discussing, he said loudly, “Since you all feel that Zhu Sansi cannot serve as the Eastern Commander, then who is willing to take on this responsibility?”

The court fell into dead silence. After a moment of silence, Ma Xudong said, “Reporting to Your Majesty, Zhu Sansi is young and promising. His expedition to Yakutsk must have accumulated rich experience in expeditions. This position of Eastern Military Region Commander is indeed very suitable for him.”

“So, you have no objections?”

“No, no,” Ma Xudong’s forehead was sweating.

“What about the others?” Xiao Ming looked around, his eyes sweeping over the generals one by one. Every general he looked at lowered their head.

With a sneer, he continued, “Since no one objects, the position of Eastern Commander is settled. This matter is now over. If anyone dares to gossip about it afterwards, don’t blame me for being impolite.”

Xiao Ming’s tone revealed anger, and the generals all understood it. They knew that the Emperor was displeased with their unreasonable bickering.

Luo Hong’s expression also returned to normal. He certainly did not want to be sent to North America.

With no one objecting, Xiao Ming had Qian Dafu read out the imperial decree, formally appointing the commanders of the six military regions. Then Xiao Ming also appointed the chief scribes of each military region.

Although the army had undergone several reforms, the position of chief scribe remained consistent. It was precisely because of the existence of these chief scribes that the army did not become the private army of the generals and remained loyal to him, the emperor.

Therefore, after the military reform, he paid even more attention to the position of chief scribe, and to prevent the chief scribes from colluding with the military commanders, the chief scribes would be rotated every two years.

The appointment of generals came to an end. Xiao Ming continued to talk about the construction of the army, which was the most important aspect of the military reform.

According to his plan, all six military regions would be independent armies, possessing all branches of the military, capable of handling battles independently, and even, if necessary, the Great Yu Empire could fight a six-front war simultaneously.

“After this military reform, all commanders must rationally build the military branches of their respective military regions: cavalry, infantry primarily armed with Han-style rifles, machine gun squads primarily armed with Changping machine guns, reconnaissance troops responsible for scouting, logistics troops responsible for food and transportation, artillery, sappers responsible for laying mines, and engineers must all be comprehensively established. Only when all of these are completed can this military reform be considered a success,” Xiao Ming read out word by word.

At the same time, he had the eunuch hand the new “Military Construction Regulations” to Lu Fei, the six main generals. These regulations contained clear details, and following them would be sufficient.

The reason for this was that he did not want the generals to take detours anymore; it was better to go directly on the right path.

This was similar to the current technological and industrial development of the empire. He was now beginning to formulate plans, whether five-year plans or ten-year plans. Everyone and every department would execute the plans he formulated.

In this way, the empire he ruled would truly achieve a curved-road overtake.

A court session on military reform lasted for a whole morning. The generals, having given up on their aspirations for commander positions, began to focus on the details of the military reform.

For the remaining time, he specifically answered the questions raised by the generals.

The court session ended, and at noon, he held a banquet in the palace to entertain the military generals.

After eating and drinking their fill, the generals left one after another. At this time, he asked Qian Dafu to call Zhu Sansi to the Imperial Study.

“Your Majesty.”

Zhu Sansi looked a little uneasy. He had been uncomfortable throughout today’s court session.

Xiao Ming smiled and said directly, “I’m making you a commander with no troops under your direct command. You won’t blame me, will you?”

“How dare I?” Zhu Sansi said. Xiao Ming had always held a high position in his heart, because like the people of Qingzhou, he had personally experienced the transition from poverty to prosperity.

They were only grateful to Xiao Ming, who had led them out of hardship.

Xiao Ming nodded lightly. “There’s no other way. If it weren’t for this, you wouldn’t be able to keep your commander position. Although I am the Emperor, I cannot be an absolute dictator. I must consider the opinions of the majority, otherwise, if they are dissatisfied, they will not serve me wholeheartedly.”

“I understand Your Majesty’s troubles. Sometimes I encounter this situation when appointing generals in the army.” Xiao Ming was so approachable that Zhu Sansi’s spirit relaxed a little.

“En, it’s good that you understand. Now they have every reason to object to you. So, you must work hard after the Eastern Military Region is established. When your wings are full, they will naturally no longer question your ability.”

While speaking, Xiao Ming led Zhu Sansi to the map of North America. He continued, “Are you willing to go to North America? My words in court were not a joke.”

“Wherever Your Majesty’s sword points, that is where your humble servants’ hearts lie. If Your Majesty desires North America, your humble general will take it for Your Majesty,” Zhu Sansi said loudly.

Xiao Ming looked at Zhu Sansi, “Actually, I have observed you for a long time. The Battle of Yakutsk was just a small test, and the result proves that my judgment was correct. This North America is a blessed land, and I would not feel at ease entrusting it to generals with impure thoughts. That is why I ultimately decided to appoint you as the commander of the Eastern Military Region.”

“Blessed land?” Zhu Sansi was a little confused.

Xiao Ming explained, “Compared to the many countries surrounding the Empire, North America has a superior geographical location and almost no natural enemies. Once there is a stable country here, within a hundred years, this country will benefit from its geographical advantages and become a powerful nation. And now, such a country has already been established, but fortunately, this country currently consists of only thirteen linked colonies, and most of the area is still unowned land. I need you to preemptively seize these areas.”

Zhu Sansi nodded, looking at the marked colonial locations on the map.

After a pause, he continued, “Once you have established a foothold in North America, I will encourage emigration there. You will be responsible for building our colonial provinces, gradually encroaching on North America, and eventually driving the Europeans on this land back to their homelands.”

For Zhu Sansi, this was undoubtedly a difficult task. He knew nothing about this place, and there was a country here at the same level of civilization as Europe.

Noticing Zhu Sansi’s concern, Xiao Ming said, “There’s no need to worry too much. The Europeans’ firearms have been left far behind by us. This time, I will equip you with machine guns. The first place you need to go is Alaska. After arriving there, you need to establish a stronghold, and we’ll call it Snow City.”

The words “machine gun” relaxed Zhu Sansi. At least, the equipment for his Eastern Military Region would not be poor.

However, he also realized a problem: the number of troops going to such a distant place naturally could not be large, as logistics would be a major issue. He could only continuously expand the army by establishing colonial settlements and attracting immigrants.