Iron Dynasty Chapter 998

Instantly, murmurs spread throughout the court.

Xiao Ming closely watched the faces of the generals. Once the chatter died down, he declared in a strong voice, “If everyone thinks Zhu Sansi isn’t fit for the Eastern Commander role, then who among you is ready to shoulder that duty?”

A heavy quiet descended over the court. Moments later, Ma Xudong spoke up, “Your Majesty, Zhu Sansi is youthful and full of potential. His campaign in Yakutsk surely gained him valuable fieldwork knowledge. The Eastern Military Region Commander spot fits him perfectly.”

“Does that mean you agree fully?”

“Yes, absolutely,” Ma Xudong replied, sweat beading on his brow.

“And the rest of you?” Xiao Ming scanned the room, his gaze passing over each general in turn. Each one he fixed on ducked their head.

With a cold smirk, he pressed on, “No opposition? Then the Eastern Commander post is decided. We’re done with this. Anyone caught whispering about it later shouldn’t expect mercy from me.”

Anger laced Xiao Ming’s words, and the generals caught the hint. They realized the Emperor resented their pointless squabbles.

Luo Hong’s face eased back to calm. He had no desire to head to North America.

Without further resistance, Xiao Ming instructed Qian Dafu to proclaim the imperial edict, officially naming the leaders of the six military zones. He then assigned the top clerks for every zone as well.

Even after multiple army overhauls, the chief scribe role stayed unchanged. These scribes ensured the forces never turned into personal forces for the generals, keeping their loyalty to him as emperor.

That’s why, post-reform, he focused even harder on these scribes, and to avoid any secret alliances with commanders, they rotated every two years.

The general assignments wrapped up. Xiao Ming shifted to army building, the core of the military changes.

His vision made each of the six zones a self-sufficient force, complete with every type of unit, able to manage fights alone—and if needed, the Great Yu Empire could wage war on six fronts at once.

“Following this reform, every commander needs to smartly develop their zone’s units: cavalry, foot soldiers mainly using Han-style rifles, machine gun teams with Changping machine guns, scout units for intelligence gathering, supply teams for provisions and movement, cannon units, mine-layers for sappers, and engineering groups—all must be fully set up. Only then will the reform count as done,” Xiao Ming stated clearly, emphasizing each point.

Meanwhile, he directed the eunuch to distribute the fresh “Military Construction Regulations” to Lu Fei and the other five key generals. The rules spelled out everything precisely, so sticking to them would work fine.

He aimed to stop the generals from making wrong turns; straight to the proper route was best.

This mirrored the empire’s ongoing tech and industry growth. He was now setting schedules, like five-year or ten-year ones. All people and offices would carry out his outlined strategies.

Thus, his empire could pull off a swift leap ahead.

The military reform meeting stretched through the entire morning. The generals, dropping their hopes for top spots, turned their attention to the reform’s finer points.

For the leftover time, he tackled the queries from the generals directly.

The session closed, and come midday, he hosted a feast in the palace for the military leaders.

Once they’d eaten plenty, the generals departed gradually. Then, he told Qian Dafu to summon Zhu Sansi to the Imperial Study.

“Your Majesty.”

Zhu Sansi appeared somewhat on edge. The day’s proceedings had left him uneasy.

Xiao Ming grinned and cut straight to it, “Putting you in command without your own soldiers right away— you’re not holding that against me, are you?”

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Zhu Sansi responded. Xiao Ming occupied a revered place in his mind, just like for Qingzhou’s folk, since he’d witnessed the shift from want to wealth firsthand.

Gratitude filled them toward Xiao Ming, who’d guided them from suffering.

Xiao Ming gave a slight nod. “No choice in the matter. Otherwise, you’d lose the command. Emperor or not, I can’t rule without limits. I have to weigh the group’s views, or if they’re unhappy, they won’t give their all to me.”

“I get the challenges Your Majesty faces. I run into similar issues picking officers in the ranks.” Xiao Ming’s easy manner helped Zhu Sansi unwind a bit.

“Good, you see it. Right now, they’ve got solid grounds to challenge you. So, once the Eastern Military Region stands up, pour your effort in. When you’ve built strength, they’ll stop doubting your skills.”

As he talked, Xiao Ming guided Zhu Sansi to the North America map. He added, “Ready to head there? What I said in court wasn’t just talk.”

“Your Majesty’s blade aims where it will, and that’s where we servants follow. If North America is your goal, this general will claim it for you,” Zhu Sansi proclaimed firmly.

Xiao Ming eyed Zhu Sansi. “Truth is, I’ve watched you closely for ages. Yakutsk was merely a trial, and it confirmed my view. North America’s a prime spot, and I wouldn’t trust it to officers with mixed motives. That’s why you’re the Eastern Military Region’s commander.”

“Prime spot?” Zhu Sansi puzzled.

Xiao Ming clarified, “Unlike the Empire’s neighboring states, North America boasts a prime position with hardly any foes. A steady nation there could, in a century, leverage its location to rise as a mighty power. One’s already forming, but luckily, it’s just thirteen connected colonies now, with vast empty lands. You must grab those first.”

Zhu Sansi nodded, eyeing the map’s colony marks.

After a beat, he went on, “Secure a base in North America, and I’ll push people to migrate. You’ll handle setting up our provinces, slowly pushing into the continent, and in time, shoving the Europeans back across the ocean.”

For Zhu Sansi, this loomed as a tough challenge. He knew zilch about the region, and a European-level civilized nation already existed there.

Sensing Zhu Sansi’s worry, Xiao Ming reassured, “Don’t fret excessively. Our firearms outpace the Europeans’ by miles. This go, you’ll get machine guns. Start in Alaska. Set up a base there—we’ll name it Snow City.”

Mention of “machine gun” eased Zhu Sansi. At minimum, his Eastern Military Region’s gear wouldn’t lag.

Still, he spotted an issue: sending forces to such a remote area meant limited numbers, thanks to supply headaches. Growth would come from building settlements and drawing settlers to swell the ranks.