To be honest, Lin Yang was also helpless. Who doesn't like centralized power, or rather, dictatorship? But the problem is, reality doesn't allow it.
Although he knew that too much power held by his people was not good for him as ruler, who would be willing to venture into the wilderness to cultivate land without offering incentives?
After all, if it were simply about land, wouldn't it be possible to get land by going to the north with Yuan Shao and Cao Cao? Although it wouldn't be as much as Lin Yang's offer, it would be much safer there.
Soon it was noon, and Lin Yang was sitting in the cafeteria eating. He was holding a large bowl with quite a bit of meat in it. Overall, it was pretty good.
There was plenty of rice, and each person also received a pound of meat and a large bowl of meat soup at every meal. This kind of diet was more than enough. Even with continuous daily training, it was still sufficient.
Moreover, every ten days, they would receive one or two spirit rice grains and one hundred drops of spirit dew. For these veterans whose strength was only at the peak of the Acquired Realm, this was already a dream come true. Fortunately, Lin Yang was wealthy; otherwise, this kind of extravagant spending would have been a real financial disaster.
"Not bad. There's no obvious shortage of food, the soldiers' weapons are of good quality, and morale is high. They're also training very hard. Overall, Ziyi, you've done a pretty good job," Lin Yang praised.
After all, this army is the foundation of Lin Yang's power. Therefore, being cautious and careful is only right. Looking at it now, he's quite satisfied. While he might not be able to sweep across Jiangdong, he should be able to deter Mao Zedong.
However, it was fortunate that Lin Yang was a Duke. Even if he was just a nominal Duke, his authority or privileges were still astonishing.
Within the laws of the empire, and within its territory, a baron may command one hundred guards. Do not underestimate the number of guards; a well-organized army of only one hundred, when coupled with appropriate Taoist priests, is sufficient to intimidate all directions.
A viscount has three hundred guards. An earl has one thousand. A marquis has three thousand. As for a duke like Lin Yang, he can lead ten thousand men.
All of this is legal, meaning that Lin Yang could lead an army of ten thousand men and roam freely throughout the empire if he wished. Of course, there would be consequences for doing so.
That means being constantly watched by hundreds, or even thousands, of spies. Presumably, even while eating and sleeping, there would be no secrets between them.
Of course, at this moment, Lin Yang was using this privilege. Otherwise, openly training an army right next to Luoyang—were you planning a rebellion? Or a rebellion? Or a rebellion?
"Hehe, my lord, rest assured. At this moment, the entire Wu Kingdom is still very united, so problems such as embezzlement of military funds and receiving salaries without working are still rare. After all, only by making the pie bigger can the interests of the soldiers rise accordingly," Xi Zhicai said calmly.
Indeed, throughout history, all forces, regardless of their origin, are generally very energetic when they first rise to power. They can overcome any difficulty, but once they achieve success, they tend to become complacent. In a sense, this is only natural.
All Lin Yang could do in this regard was to improve the system and strengthen supervision as much as possible. As for anything else, he could at most find a few unlucky people to make an example of and appease public anger.
As for hoping that all his subordinates would be as clean as water, outstanding in ability, not forming cliques for personal gain, and all wholeheartedly devoted to the public good, that's just wishful thinking. At least Lin Yang couldn't achieve that.
After visiting the military camp, Lin Yang returned to the Duke of Wu's mansion and began to think things through carefully.
Now we have troops, supplies, armor, and weapons. We've even stockpiled a considerable amount of medicines, cloth, and other daily necessities. In short, the hardware preparations are almost complete.
On the software side, a united small team, centered around Lin Yang and with the Five Hundred Gentlemen as its backbone, has also been formed.
Although there may still be issues with their quality, with their abilities, after some training, they should be able to serve as village chiefs or even township heads.
With money and connections, what else is there to lack?
"Fengxiao, how's the recruitment of craftsmen going?" Lin Yang suddenly asked.
After all, in the future, he intends to develop a true qi machine and create a fantasy-style heavy industry that conforms to the laws of this world. At that time, a large number of skilled workers will be indispensable.
"His Highness has provided ample funding, and with the Great Han Daily constantly promoting the news, the current situation is quite good," Guo Jia said with a smile. After all, the better Lin Yang's future is, the better his own future as a baron will be.
"To date, we have recruited five hundred doctors. Most of them are general practitioners who can treat minor illnesses and pains. Only about fifty can be considered good doctors who can treat second-tier experts. Only two can be considered divine doctors who can treat third-tier experts. However, considering the situation in Jiangdong, this is already sufficient."
"What about the various craftsmen?"
“There are over a hundred carpenters, over two hundred blacksmiths, over three hundred farm apprentices, and over a hundred veterinarians. Basically, there are people from all walks of life. All in all, there are several thousand people,” Guo Jia said.
"Do you think there are any other problems?" Lin Yang suddenly asked.
After all, at this moment, my way of thinking is that of a modern person. There might be something I subconsciously overlook. And then, at a crucial moment, I could suffer a great loss—that's not impossible.
“Indeed, there is one problem: our Wu Kingdom has far too few experts. We don’t have a single fourth-tier expert. Although we are currently in a time of peace and have a battalion of five hundred Imperial Guards at our disposal, capable of besieging and killing fourth-tier experts, what about three years from now? What will happen after the Imperial Guards leave?” Guo Jia said.
"Master, master, where can I find a master?" Lin Yang looked up into the distance and muttered to himself.
------------
Chapter 3: The Blessing of Having Multiple Women Isn't Easy to Enjoy; This Is Really Too Embarrassing
The Long Pavilion, as its name suggests, is a place for farewells. Located thirty miles outside the capital, it's a place where all sorts of wealthy and powerful people part ways. Everywhere you look, there's lush greenery, and beside the pavilion, rows of willow trees are planted.
Although it was still winter, and the outside world was a vast expanse of white, inside the pavilion, it was a warm, spring-like world with willows swaying in the breeze. Needless to say, this was once again the power of magic.
Of course, only a big spender like Lin Yang wouldn't care about such a small expense and would choose a place like this for a farewell.
At this moment, Lin Yang stood at the edge of the pavilion, gazing calmly at the snow scene outside and the willow trees inside. He couldn't help but sigh, compared to his previous life, these immortals really knew how to enjoy life.
Moreover, because the raw materials are imbued with spiritual energy, they are completely pollution-free. Of course, this just means it costs more money. Only the wealthy can enjoy it.
Outside the pavilion, nearly ten thousand people stood. Among them were five thousand veterans, five hundred Imperial Guards, more than three thousand craftsmen, and five hundred nobles.
"Feipeng, you left so early?" Shi A was still dressed in shorts, looking quite capable. However, his aura seemed to come and go intermittently; Lin Yang knew this was the result of his occasional states of oneness with nature. This indicated that Shi A was not far from breaking through to the Grandmaster level.
“Yes, Jiangdong is quite far. It’s at least ten thousand li from the capital. Moreover, I’ve brought many craftsmen with me, and even with enough horses, it will probably take two or three months to get there. I just hope it won’t delay the spring planting,” Lin Yang said calmly.
After all, the most important thing in developing colonies—no, it should be said that developing fiefdoms—is to be self-sufficient. Anything that can be solved within the fiefdom should be done without spending money.
Otherwise, you'll need money for grain, weapons and armor, and even farming tools for the people. If you have to spend money on everything, what's the point of developing your fiefdom?
With only input and no output, who can bear to keep pouring money into a bottomless pit? Throughout history, the failures in developing Jiangdong have not been without this reason.
Therefore, Lin Yang believed that he couldn't afford to miss the spring planting season. Even if the harvest wasn't large, it had to be at least some. This would give the people in his territory more confidence. After all, confidence was crucial at the beginning of any expansion.
Secondly, I need to find ways to generate income and expenses, even if it's just on paper. In the original owner's memories, there were quite a few good things there.
“Indeed, your territory is too large, and it’s in the south, so there are many difficulties. In comparison, mine is much easier. Seeing your various preparations every day, I realized that developing a territory is actually so difficult,” Shi A said with some relief.
Just as Shi A said, he truly had little interest in developing the territory. However, everyone has their own ambitions. If it weren't for the original owner's memories that this world would face numerous calamities and difficulties in the future, why would Lin Yang have gone to such lengths?
As they chatted, a long time passed without them realizing it. Looking up at the sky, they had no choice but to part ways.