Ping Yang County? Pingyang Prefecture?

The long street is lined with countless pavilions and towers that obscure the clouds and the horizon.

In the distance lies Accumulated Water Pond, where countless light boats glide by during spring, summer, and autumn.

In winter, only large boats and merchant ships with stoves for heating remain on the river, but even so, there are still dozens of large ships on the lake.

This is the unique prosperity of the Imperial Capital, with towering buildings reaching the clouds and gold everywhere.

Now, the entire Imperial Capital is being swept by a chilly wind.

Pedestrians looked back at the eastern sky and saw dark, heavy clouds rolling in. They hurried home.

The clouds advanced rapidly, covering half the sky with dark clouds, and the distant sound of striking Cloud Plate echoed from a high platform.

The imperial guards galloped wildly with their Dragon Blood Horse, leaping dozens of meters at a time, but the dark clouds chased after them even faster, and the air was filled with a thick layer of moisture.

Just as the dark clouds were about to catch up, the imperial guards finally verified their identities and entered the Imperial City.

The heavy door closed, seemingly keeping the dark clouds outside.

The entire Imperial Capital was shrouded in mist, but the Imperial City remained unaffected; only the air became slightly more humid.

In another hour it would be evening. A maid carrying an incense burner passed in front of the Hall of Diligent Governance. She seemed to hear a roar, which then stopped. A deep, resonant voice came from inside the hall.

"Summon the Hall of Central Pole, Hall of Establishing the Pole, Wuying Hall of Martial Glory, Pavilion of Literary Profundity, and Grand Scholar of the Eastern Pavilion!"

A moment later, several elderly men dressed in dark blue official robes rushed in, entered the hall, and were shocked as they perused the documents.

"The crimes are too numerous to recount! The Water Blessing Sect has committed such heinous acts that have aroused the wrath of both heaven and man! Blood Sacrifice 6,800 people, caused over 100,000 casualties, and displaced nearly a million. They must be wiped out! They must be wiped out!"

"Scholar Su refers to the Ghost Mother Sect as the Water Blessing Sect. Could it be that he still cherishes the glory of the Great Qian?"

"You're spouting nonsense! I'm just more educated and have a better memory of the old names!"

"I don't think so?"

"Shut up! Cloud Eagle sent a message saying that the Imperial Guards, with their Dragon Blood Horse, have been running in relay for twenty days without rest, and are still unconscious. Did they come here just to wait for you to start your verbal battle?"

The five Grand Secretary knelt on the ground, utterly silent.

"Stand up!"

An invisible force spread out, lifting the Grand Secretary up together.

"Tell me your thoughts."

The Grand Secretary looked at each other in bewilderment.

"The Ghost Mother Sect is a deeply entrenched problem. The late emperor's failure to achieve complete victory was not due to a lack of military prowess, but rather to insufficient national strength. Now that the country is prosperous and the people are strong, we should Autumn Wind Sweeping Fallen Leaves and eliminate them in one fell swoop!"

"Grand Scholar Xu's words are more eloquent than his actions. Right now, the Western Army and the Northern Army are both fighting against the Barbarian Kingdom and building the Great Wall, which is very expensive. The three prefectures in the northwest are suffering from drought, Lan Province is going to dig Canal. Where will we get the money to send troops to sweep away your fallen leaves?"

The two scholars started arguing incessantly.

"Your Majesty, there is something I do not understand."

"What is it?"

"On the map, why is it that among several large counties, only Chao River County's many towns and villages have not been disturbed at all, as if they were surrounded?"

Another secret report was thrown in front of everyone.

"I see. It's a blessing to have a veteran general in the country! This matter deserves a great reward!"

"This name Liang Qu, sounds somewhat familiar?"

"Oh, just a humble fisherman's son, why does the name sound familiar to you, Scholar Su?"

Scholar Su rolled his eyes, too lazy to pay attention to the criticism, and turned around to speak.

"I have a good friend who is a fellow graduate of the imperial examination. He also has another friend who is the headmaster of a town. We often exchange letters. A few days ago, he sent me a letter about a method of learning to read that was invented by a fisherman in the countryside. He said that it was very effective after learning it."

I found it quite interesting after reading it. My granddaughter was also at the age where she needed to learn to read, so I taught her a few characters, and the results were excellent. In about a year, she could recognize most of the characters."

Everyone was slightly startled.

Learn most of the characters in a year? Children generally start learning basic knowledge such as literacy, calligraphy, directions, Temporal Sequence, and etiquette from around the age of eight, known as the "teething age".

Then, one usually has to be fifteen years old before they can begin receiving a systematic education in the Classics, Histories, Masters, Collections.

While literacy is certainly not the sole reason for this, even so, it still takes five or six years to learn to read.

What method can improve efficiency several times over?

The crowd argued fiercely, but that was work. However, when it came to specific matters, Su Yigeng would never dare to deceive the Emperor. In other words, it was true! The head eunuch beside him spoke up, "It is the same person. This method is called the Pinyin Method. The Sixth Prince has been learning it recently, and it has been quite effective."

Su Yigeng suddenly realized.

"This boy is talented; perhaps he can be put to use."

It's not just useful, it's incredibly useful!

Chief Steward Kang glanced at the five scholars and thought to himself.

In recent months, His Your Majesty has been thinking about tax reform. The most difficult point is that imperial power does not extend to the countryside and there is a lack of people to implement the policies. Tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands, of literate officials are needed!

The cost of literacy has always been a major problem, but now it seems there are signs of a solution?

"Not only that, look at this section of the newspaper."

"Long Jiaos Crossing the River, a destiny?"

Having an extraordinary Fate Standard is a good thing; it can even be used as capital to boast about in advance and attract "investment."

Just like choosing a son-in-law after the Imperial Examination, even though they haven't become officials yet, everyone knows that the most outstanding ones will have a bright future.

Yang Dongxiong understood this principle, and when Cloud Hawk Embroidered Uniform Guard ask him for a message, he specifically asked him to write it into the report, hoping that it might inadvertently help his disciple gain a future.

"Then he should be given an important position!"

As expected, upon hearing this, the scholars changed their tune, from "maybe they could be used" to "they should be given important positions."

"Long Jiaos Crossing the River, close to and skilled in water, would be better suited to a position in River Conservancy Office?"

"There's no need to rush the reward. The current priority is dealing with the Ghost Mother Sect. If we let them come again and again, it will only damage our nation's fortune and boost their prestige!"

Scholar Xu suddenly spoke up, "Does Chief Steward Kang know how many households there are in Ping Yang Town?"

"More than 16,600 households."

What about Chao River County?

"More than 14,300 households."

One scholar asked in bewilderment, "How can Ping Yang Town have such a large population, even more than the county seat?"

A family, free from plague, war, and natural disasters, with three generations of grandparents and grandchildren, has at least six people!

Chief Steward Kang replied, "Martial Master Yang's two sons died for their country. After that, he retired and returned to his hometown, leaving only one son in the Western Army. He has been running Martial Arts School for twenty years. As a result, Ping Yang Town has been very safe and the population has gradually increased."

"What is the meaning of this question, Scholar Xu?"

"Your Majesty, since we have no other options and the Ghost Mother Sect is coming on strong, why not abolish Chao River County and establish Ping Yang Town as a county, and then establish Yi Xing City as a town? I have observed the map and Ping Yang Town is located in the center of the county where all the incidents occurred, or it is the closest place to the Ghost Mother Sect."

The town has a large number of Martial Artist, and Martial Master Yang and his disciples are all extraordinary. They can serve as a hub, and a River Conservancy Office and Demon Subduing Division should be set up here as a bridgehead for a counterattack.

Furthermore, after this incident, the counties under the jurisdiction of Huaiyin Prefecture were severely weakened, with a large number of displaced people. The Huai River region is a rich area, and the surrounding prefectures could provide grain and money to help Ping Yang County accommodate the displaced people. Once the population has been fully absorbed, it is not impossible for Huaiyin Prefecture and be established as a prefecture.

The person in the Hall of Diligent Governance fell into deep thought.

Scholar Xu's words make a lot of sense.

Throughout the entire Huaiyin Prefecture, only Ping Yang Town managed to withstand this attack.

When one is unable to free up their hands, setting up another high platform to fight the Ghost Mother Sect is the most appropriate course of action.

The Huai River region is a prosperous area; otherwise, under the Single Whip Law, several prefectures in this area would not have been required to deliver grain to supply the capital.

It can resettle displaced people without spending its own money, which can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

"Can!"