Three Kingdoms, Myth

Chen Xi glanced at Fa Zheng, who was now seated beside Jia Xu, and didn't say much. In terms of ability, Fa Zheng was indeed qualified to sit in that position, even if his thinking was a bit unconventional. With some experience, he would improve. Since neither Jia Xu nor Man Chong objected to Fa Zheng being there, Chen Xi pretended not to notice. However, with such status came corresponding responsibilities.

On the other side, the military officers were quite noisy. After all, this was Liu Bei's first official gathering of everyone, and the seating arrangement spoke volumes about one's status.

The head seat was empty, which was expected. Guan Yu, as the oldest and most senior, had the highest position, with Zhang Fei seated second—no one contested that. Zhao Yun was in the third seat, and behind him sat Hua Xiong, followed by Sun Guan. Among the generals, only the head seat remained vacant. Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, Yu Jin, and Zang Ba were absent; otherwise, Gan Ning's stellar performance would likely have pushed Hua Xiong out of his position.

By the time Liu Bei arrived, everyone had already found their seats. Liu Bei took a quick glance but didn't dwell on these matters.

"Everyone, I've gathered you here today because I have important matters to discuss, and Zichuan also has some decisions to implement," Liu Bei said directly, wasting no time with pleasantries.

He recounted everything he had seen and heard earlier that day. The military officers were all fervently listening to Liu Bei, as the idea of bringing peace and prosperity to the world was incredibly inspiring to them.

As for the civil officials, most of them were staring at Chen Xi. It was obvious to them what had happened—Liu Bei had been influenced by Chen Xi again. No matter how passionate the words, if they came from Chen Xi, they were met with skepticism.

"Yes, that's the goal. First, we'll ensure our people have food and clothing, and then we'll work towards enriching the nation. Ultimately, our aim is to ensure that the young are educated and the elderly are cared for," Chen Xi said, coughing slightly to ease the tension from being the focus of the civil officials' scrutiny, and then speaking with a dignified tone.

"Just as Zichuan said," Liu Bei affirmed, his demeanor almost saintly. He was fully immersed in his mission, having been convinced by Chen Xi. "Zichuan, explain your plan in detail."

With no other choice, Chen Xi stood up again and began explaining the educational expansion and household registration plan, not forgetting to mention the need for donations.

"In essence, that's the plan. Following this sequence, we should have many academies officially enrolling students by the end of this month. By next spring, most areas in Qingzhou and Taishan should be covered. Of course, some remote areas might be harder to reach, so we'll offer additional benefits and double the salary for scholars willing to go to those places. Zijing, any other benefits to add?" Chen Xi asked, as he wasn't great with details—he was more of a big-picture person.

"I've already categorized and adjusted the scholars' benefits. Salaries will vary based on the region's prosperity and cost of living, but I can assure you that scholars will have no worries about food and clothing," Lu Su replied without specifying numbers, but his reputation as a reliable person made his assurance credible.

"Zijing, can the Taishan treasury support this?" Liu Bei asked.

"With the summer grain already collected in October and commercial taxes providing support, as long as we maintain the current stable situation, Zichuan estimates that in three years, we'll see the first boom in prosperity, leading to increased tax revenue. Supporting the education of the youth shouldn't be too difficult," Lu Su replied, indicating that as long as stability was maintained, Taishan could bear the burden.

"What if we enter a state of war?" Liu Bei asked, furrowing his brow.

Chen Xi glanced at Lu Su, then stood up. "Even if we go to war, this expenditure cannot be cut. It concerns our future."

As soon as Chen Xi said this, the military officers began whispering among themselves, clearly uneasy. Chen Xi's approach seemed to suggest a subtle restriction on the military.

"As for finances, you can all rest assured. As long as I'm here, the treasury won't run dry," Chen Xi said calmly as he glanced around, silencing any objections from the military officers.

Chen Xi wasn't about to reveal that his mindset was simply "we'll cross that bridge when we get to it." Education had to be prioritized, and if war came, they'd find other solutions. For now, they needed to get through this stage.

With Chen Xi's assurance, the military officers had nothing more to say. Everyone acknowledged Chen Xi's knack for making money, and with no reduction in troop numbers, they were happy to support him.

In this harmonious atmosphere, the plans for household registration and education passed without any objections. The only thing left was for the officials to contribute funds to buy land for academies, or for some wealthy individuals to make donations.

"Next, we'll discuss improving soldier welfare. Given that some armies include both teenagers barely thirteen or fourteen years old and white-haired men in their forties, I plan to enforce mandatory discharges for those who don't meet the standards," Chen Xi said coldly, casting a sharp glance at the generals.

Instantly, all the military officers became alert. Even Zhao Yun, who spent most of his time acting as a civil official, was particularly concerned about his command.

"First, all soldiers under eighteen will be discharged—those boys can hardly be considered effective in battle," Chen Xi declared, glaring at the generals. "Soldiers who haven't achieved the rank of squad leader by thirty-two will be discharged, and those who haven't become company commanders by thirty-five will also be discharged. By forty, lower-ranking officers will be transferred to logistics."

"Zichuan, this isn't right. Many of our soldiers are in their thirties, and many are veteran soldiers who have been with us for a long time. If we discharge them, how will they survive without their pay?" The generals all turned to Zhao Yun, who had a reputation for eloquence and had once even managed to argue Chen Xi to a draw.

"Zijing, read the benefits!" Chen Xi gave Lu Su a glance.

Lu Su stood up, picked up the plan, and began reading with a smile. Unlike the half-finished education plan, this soldier welfare plan was something Lu Su had carefully crafted. It provided ample benefits and honor for retired soldiers, while minimizing the financial burden—a point of pride for Lu Su.

When Zhao Yun finished listening, he was stunned. The benefits were exceptionally generous, addressing all the concerns about soldiers' livelihoods after retirement.

"Big Brother, if we start discharging soldiers now, we'll have no troops left!" Zhang Fei wasn't stupid. He realized that trying to argue that retired soldiers would have no means of survival wouldn't work, as Chen Xi had already prepared for that. So he turned to Liu Bei directly.

"General Zhang, don't be hasty," Chen Xi said with a smile. "I'm only discharging those who don't meet the standards—I'm not saying you can't recruit new soldiers. You can still enlist troops from the eligible Tuntian units."

"But that won't guarantee the same combat effectiveness!" Zhao Yun seemed ready to compromise, knowing that the other side had come prepared and that this had become inevitable.

Unfortunately, all the military officers were looking at Zhao Yun. Left with no choice, Zhao Yun stood up to continue the argument. But being no fool, Zhao Yun cleverly offered Chen Xi a way out while subtly negotiating.

"Exactly! If we discharge these soldiers, our army's combat strength will plummet. Newly recruited troops can't compare to veteran soldiers," Zhang Fei chimed in. "I think we should discharge them in batches, one group at a time."

Zhang Fei's plan was to stall. If they discharged soldiers in batches, the process would likely get bogged down, especially once Guan Yu returned to lead the generals.

At that moment, Zhao Yun felt like giving Zhang Fei a hug. He was the perfect sixth man! If it weren't clear that Zhang Fei hadn't colluded with Chen Xi, Zhao Yun might have thought he'd been bought off by the civil officials...