Xu Zhao: Form a Battle Team, Participate in the Elite Competition! Great Ming Royal Battle Team?! (Seeking Follow-up Reading!)

As each name was called out, the four Title Douluo stepped forward in turn, bowing to accept their orders.

With this, the high-level structure of the Great Ming Empire began to take shape.

One Emperor, one Empress, one Crown Prince, and four Title Douluo stationed in the Elder Hall.

Such a luxurious lineup, aside from Martial Soul Hall, was enough to make any power on the Douluo Continent feel suffocated.

After the morning assembly concluded, Xu Zhao did not leave, but remained in the palace.

"Father, since we have decided to make Linhai City our capital, the current layout of this city is far too small."

Xu Zhao spoke bluntly:

"Linhai City was originally just a border port of the Star Luo Empire. Although its commerce is prosperous, its city defenses are crude and its scale is narrow.

As the capital of a nation, it is not only unable to accommodate the inevitable population explosion to come, but it also fails to manifest the majesty of our Great Ming Empire."

Xu Yu nodded, looking at the palm-sized area on the map with a headache of his own:

"I have thought of this as well.

However, expanding a capital is not a task that can be completed in a day; it requires a massive expenditure of manpower and resources.

Moreover... if we follow the construction speed of this Douluo Continent, I fear it won't amount to much for three to five years."

"Three to five years is too long; we cannot afford to wait."

A sharp glint flashed in Xu Zhao's eyes as the corners of his mouth curled into a confident arc:

"Father, do not forget that what we brought with us is not just Soul Masters and an army, but Soul Tool technology that is thousands of years ahead of this continent."

"What we are going to build is not an ordinary stone city, but an impregnable iron fortress!"

Xu Zhao turned, took a pre-drawn blueprint from his Soul Tool, and spread it out on the table:

"My plan is to expand Linhai City outward by thirty li!

We will annex the twelve surrounding villages and towns, expand the original port tenfold, and build it into a deep-water naval base capable of docking all of our iron warships."

"At the same time, we will level the three barren mountains to the north of the city to serve as the new imperial palace and administrative district."

"As for the labor..."

A cold smile flashed in Xu Zhao's eyes:

"Don't we have a batch of ready-made 'coolies' on hand?"

Xu Yu was stunned, then immediately realized what he meant, a strange smile appearing on his face:

"You mean... those captives?"

"Exactly."

Xu Zhao said indifferently:

"The Crown Prince of the Star Luo Empire, the Crown Princess, and Duke Nether were all released.

But those noble Soul Masters are all strong and possess deep soul power.

Making them move bricks and carry stones—one of them is worth a hundred commoners. Not only is the efficiency high, but we can also save a large sum in wages."

After capturing Linhai City, Xu Zhao had ordered an investigation into the city's nobles.

He had confiscated the assets of those who had committed crimes, distributing a portion of the wealth to the common people.

As for these nobles, they naturally had to be put to good use.

"Besides, having them build the capital for their conquerors with their own hands is a rather good 'refinement,' isn't it?"

The next morning.

To the north of Linhai City, on the once-desolate, rocky hills, dust was now swirling, and the scene was a hive of activity.

Hundreds of figures wearing prison uniforms and shackles were struggling to move massive boulders under the whips of the Great Sun Prince Mansion overseers.

Among these people were many nobles who had once lived in luxury, and even quite a few powerhouses at the Soul Elder and Soul Ancestor levels.

The scorching sun hung in the sky, and dust filled the air.

At the northern expansion site of Linhai City, the once pampered nobles were experiencing the darkest moments of their lives.

"Faster!

What are you dawdling for?

Did you not eat?"

An overseer swung the long whip in his hand, lashing it fiercely against the ground beside a giant boulder.

"Crack!"

The crisp sound of the whip made a pot-bellied middle-aged man tremble all over, nearly dropping the stone in his hands onto his feet.

This man was named Dai Tiande, a collateral branch member of the Star Luo Imperial Family.

Although his bloodline was thin, he had been the undisputed local tyrant in the small territory of Linhai City.

In his daily life, he relied on his status as a royal relative to forcibly seize women and enclose land for himself.

He was guilty of every conceivable crime, and the commoners of Linhai City hated him to the bone.

But now, this former Prince Dai wore a tattered coarse prison uniform instead of his expensive silk robes.

Covered in grease and sweat, he was panting as he channeled his meager soul power, lugging a granite block weighing several hundred jin to fill a foundation pit.

"I can't do it anymore... I really can't..."

Dai Tiande's legs trembled as he wailed with a miserable expression:

"I am a royal relative!

I am a noble!

You cannot treat me like this!

I want to see your Heir Prince!

I want to buy my freedom!"

"Buy your freedom?"

The overseer sneered, his eyes filled with contempt:

"For parasites like you who suck the blood and fat of the people, only labor can wash away your sins.

You want to buy your freedom?

Fine, wait until the foundation of this imperial palace is finished before you talk!"

"Also, there is only the Crown Prince of Great Ming Empire, Xu Zhao, now.

There is no such thing as an Heir Prince!"

Dai Tiande had no heart to care about the title used for Xu Zhao.

Looking at his former arrogant cronies around him, now all disheveled and looking worse than beggars on the side of the road.

Dai Tiande's heart was filled with despair.

He could not understand how these outsiders could be so ruthless, completely disregarding the "decency" and "unspoken rules" between nobles.

In the distance, on a temporarily erected high platform.

Xu Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferent as he watched the group of nobles below undergoing "labor reform."

"Heir Prince, although these fellows are usually pampered, they at least have a foundation of soul power, so they are indeed much faster at manual labor than ordinary people."

Standing behind Xu Zhao was the official in charge of the project's progress, who was reporting with an excited expression:

"At this rate, the foundation part is expected to be completed in half a month."

Xu Zhao nodded slightly, but his brows did not relax:

"The speed is sufficient, but what about the quality?"

He turned around and pointed to the frame being built in the distance:

"What we are building is the imperial capital of the Great Ming Empire, the future center that will rule the entire continent.

Relying solely on these laborers who only know how to move bricks and ordinary craftsmen, what we build will at best be a sturdier fortress, devoid of any aesthetic beauty or grandeur."

Although the Great Sun Prince Mansion had brought advanced soul guidance technology, leading the Douluo Continent by thousands of years in smelting and weapon manufacturing.

In traditional crafts like civil engineering and garden planning, they did not have much of an advantage.

Especially when it came to building a magnificent capital that both conformed to the style of soul guidance technology and integrated the traditional aesthetics of the Douluo Continent.

What was needed were true master architects.

"Master architects..."

A name instantly surfaced in Xu Zhao's mind.

One of the four single-attribute clans, the Defense Clan!

This clan specialized in defense, with the Plate Armor Giant Rhino as their martial soul, possessing not only astonishing defensive power.

More importantly, they were natural-born master architects.

In the original work, whether it was the sect grounds of the Clear Sky Sect or the later new site of the Tang Sect.

Even many of the landmark buildings in Heaven Dou City were the work of the Defense Clan.

Their understanding of architectural structures and their application of materials were second to none in the entire Douluo Continent.

"If I can bring the Defense Clan under my command, there will be no more worries about the construction of the imperial capital."