Xu Zhao: Form a Team and Enter the Elite Tournament! The Great Ming Royal Team?! (Please Read On!)

As each name was read out, the four Titled Douluo stepped forward in turn and bowed to accept their orders.

With that, the upper ranks of the Great Ming Empire had begun to take shape.

One emperor, one empress, one crown prince, and four Titled Douluo stationed at the Elder Hall.

Such a formidable lineup was enough to make any force on the continent—except Spirit Hall—feel suffocated.

After the court meeting ended, Xu Zhao did not leave. Instead, he stayed in the hall.

"Father, now that we've decided to make Linhai our capital, the city is far too small."

Xu Zhao spoke bluntly:

"Linhai City was originally just a border port of the Star Luo Empire. Though its trade is thriving, its defenses are rudimentary and its scale is limited.

"As the capital of an empire, it won't be able to accommodate the population that will inevitably surge in the future. Nor can it display the dignity of the Great Ming Empire."

Xu Yu nodded. Looking at the tiny patch of land on the map, he felt rather troubled as well.

"I've thought of that too.

"But expanding the capital isn't something we can do overnight. It'll take a great deal of manpower and resources.

"And... at the pace of construction here on the Douluo Continent, it'll probably take three to five years before it amounts to anything."

"Three to five years is too long. We can't wait that long."

A glint flashed in Xu Zhao's eyes, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a confident smile.

"Father, don't forget that we brought more than Soul Masters and troops. We also brought Soul Guidance Technology that's thousands of years ahead of this continent."

"We're not building an ordinary city of stone. We're building an iron capital that can never fall!"

Xu Zhao turned and took a set of plans he had already drawn from his Soul Tool, spreading them across the table.

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

"We'll incorporate the twelve surrounding villages and towns, expand the original port tenfold, and turn it into a deepwater naval harbor capable of accommodating all our Steel Warships."

"At the same time, we'll level the three barren mountains north of the city and build a new imperial palace and administrative district there."

"As for the labor force..."

A cold smile flickered across Xu Zhao's eyes.

"Don't we happen to have a ready supply of 'laborers' on hand?"

Xu Yu froze, then understood. An odd smile crossed his face.

"You mean... the prisoners?"

"Exactly."

Xu Zhao replied calmly:

"The crown prince and Crown Princess of the Star Luo Empire, along with Duke Nether, have all been sent back.

"But those noble Soul Masters are strong and have deep Soul Power.

"Put them to work carrying bricks and stones, and each one will be worth a hundred commoners. It'll be more efficient, and we'll save a fortune on wages."

After taking Linhai City, Xu Zhao had ordered an investigation into the local nobility.

Those who had committed outrages had their estates seized, and part of their wealth was distributed among the people.

As for the nobles themselves, they would be put to good use.

"Besides, having them build a capital for their conquerors with their own hands will be a fine bit of 'discipline,' don't you think?"

The following morning.

North of Linhai City, the once-desolate rocky hills were now alive with dust and activity.

Hundreds of people in prison uniforms, their ankles shackled, struggled to haul enormous blocks of stone under the whips of overseers from the Great Sun Prince Mansion.

Among them were many nobles who had once lived in luxury, as well as quite a few Soul Elders and Soul Ancestors.

The sun blazed overhead, and dust filled the air.

At the construction site north of Linhai City, nobles who had once lived pampered lives were now enduring the darkest hours of their existence.

"Move it!

"What are you dawdling for?

"Didn't you get anything to eat?"

An overseer swung his whip, lashing it hard beside a massive boulder.

"Crack!"

The sharp snap of the whip made a potbellied middle-aged man flinch. He nearly dropped the stone in his hands on his foot.

The man was named Dai Tiande, a distant relative of the Star Luo Imperial Family.

His bloodline was thin, but in this small corner of Linhai City, he had once been an absolute tyrant.

In the past, he had used his imperial connections to abduct women and seize land.

He had committed every sort of crime, and the people of Linhai City hated him to the bone.

But now, the expensive silk robe he had once worn had been replaced by a tattered prison uniform of coarse cloth.

His face slick with sweat, he panted as he mustered his pitiful Soul Power and carried a boulder weighing hundreds of jin toward the foundation pit.

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

Dai Tiande's legs trembled as he wailed miserably:

"I'm a member of the imperial family!

"I'm a noble!

"You can't 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 full of scorn.

"Parasites like you, who've sucked the people dry, can only atone for your sins through labor.

"You want to buy your freedom?

"Fine. Ask again once the palace foundation is finished!"

"And besides, the only crown prince now is Xu Zhao of the Great Ming Empire.

"There's no such thing as an Heir Prince anymore!"

Dai Tiande had no mind to worry about what Xu Zhao was called.

Looking at the former hangers-on around him, each now covered in dust and grime and worse off than beggars on the roadside, he was filled with despair.

He couldn't understand how these damn outsiders could be so ruthless, completely ignoring the "courtesy" and "unspoken rules" expected among nobles.

On a temporary platform in the distance,

Xu Zhao stood with his hands behind his back, gazing indifferently at the nobles below as they underwent "reform through labor."

"Heir Prince, these fellows may have lived pampered lives, but at least they have a foundation in Soul Power. They really do work faster than ordinary people at heavy labor."

The official in charge of the project stood behind Xu Zhao, reporting excitedly:

"At this rate, we should finish the foundation in about half a month."

Xu Zhao nodded slightly, but his brows remained furrowed.

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

He turned and pointed toward the framework being erected in the distance.

"We're building the imperial capital of the Great Ming Empire, the future center from which we'll rule the entire continent.

"With only laborers who know how to lay bricks and ordinary craftsmen, at best we'll end up with a sturdy fortress. It won't have any beauty or grandeur."

Though the Great Sun Prince Mansion had brought advanced Soul Guidance Technology, putting them thousands of years ahead of the Douluo Continent in metallurgy and weapons manufacturing,

they had no particular advantage in traditional crafts like civil engineering and landscape design.

Especially when it came to building a magnificent capital that combined the style of Soul Guidance Technology with the traditional aesthetics of the Douluo Continent,

they needed true master architects.

"Master architects..."

A name immediately surfaced in Xu Zhao's mind.

The Defense Clan, one of the four single-attribute clans!

The clan specialized in defense, and its Martial Soul, the Plate Armor Giant Rhino, was astonishingly resilient.

More importantly, they were born master builders.

In the original story, whether it was the Clear Sky Sect's compound or the Tang Sect's later headquarters,

or even many of Heaven Dou City's iconic buildings, they had all been built by the Defense Clan.

Their understanding of structural design and their use of materials were unmatched anywhere on the Douluo Continent.

"If I can bring the Defense Clan under my command, there'll be nothing left to worry about with the capital's construction."