The evolution of the military system involved many things and was even more difficult than ordinary reforms, because it concerned the dynasty's instrument of violence—the army.
This was the group that truly held the power to overthrow a dynasty, and one of the important tools for suppressing the fortune of the realm.
One major reason Li Kun had sent Qiu Yan to Jiannan was to prepare for military reform, using Jiannan Circuit as a testing ground. It reflected the Emperor's determination and will.
Back when Qiu Yan had left the Imperial City, it had also been the Emperor protecting his official career, preventing him from directly clashing with powerful officials and great aristocratic families before his reputation was established and his wings had fully grown.
Before the White Lotus Sect rebellion, Qiu Yan had pacified the calamity in the Marshlands. He had further supplemented Agricultural School methods with Military School measures, nearly eliminating the Marshfolk threat. All that remained was to wait for it to pass down through generations: as the Marshfolk's lives gradually improved, farming would slowly replace fishing and hunting, the food stores of every tribe would steadily grow, and their former customs would inevitably change, bringing fundamental changes to their social structure.
However, scholars from the Central Plains would also play an important role in this process. Qiu Yan had long prepared for this and made arrangements within the army, pairing scholars with troops and using each garrison as a unit to spread education and civilization. He had also established the post of Culture Commissioner beside each commander. He had memorialized the court about it already; only after receiving his reward, once his fortune and official position were secured, could those measures truly be put into effect, become established institutions, and be passed down to later generations.