"Don't skimp on essential spending!"
"This grand banquet will last for three days, and it will be attended by every single person within the entire territory of Great Liang!"
Lin Yi was incredibly generous in this regard, showing no stinginess whatsoever, and simply treated everyone to a meal.
It's just the cost of a few meals, no problem at all!
During this period, the Great Liang launched numerous campaigns in the east and west, continuously destroying several countries and acquiring the wealth accumulated by those countries—a truly astonishing figure.
In addition, Sun Jian and Zhou Yu also achieved great success at sea, with Tiandu, which has brought the resources accumulated by Great Liang to a terrifying level.
Using that money to host a three-day national banquet is just a drop in the ocean.
"Your Majesty is wise!"
"Haha, His Majesty is truly magnanimous. The people of Great Liang are probably the happiest people in the world."
Upon hearing this, the ministers' eyes lit up, and they instantly erupted in excitement. The Emperor was truly generous, holding a three-day national banquet, and they, his ministers, would surely be among those honored!
They had no objection whatsoever, because Great Liang was not short of money at all; on the contrary, it needed to spend money and convert it into necessary resources.
Most importantly, the banquet lasts for three days, giving us a three-day holiday!
hey-hey!
After each victory, the emperor was overjoyed, and these were moments of happiness for his ministers. He truly hoped for victory every time.
Depend on!
Hearing their words, Lin Yi couldn't help but roll his eyes. Had he been too nice to them? They were actually starting to long for a holiday, which would have been considered extremely disrespectful in feudal times.
However, considering their hard work and dedication, he wasn't angry.
After all, with them around, I have no worries whatsoever, and that's something that no amount of money can buy back.
How many emperors longed for a minister like this!
"Your Majesty's strategy is brilliant! This achieves multiple goals at once!"
Among the assembled officials, upon hearing of Lin Yi's lavish banquet for the All Under Heaven, Lu Yafu's eyes lit up, and he was already impressed by Lin Yi.
Despite his young age, he acted with remarkable maturity. What might seem like a wasteful act was actually a far-reaching strategy to win people's hearts and minds, and also a way to bring peace and stability to the people.
One reason is that it can enhance the cohesion of Great Liang.
After the founding of the Great Liang Kingdom, it began to expand wildly in all Great Liang, which increased the territory of the Great Liang Kingdom, added a large number of people, and a large number of army units.
These people may all appear to belong to the Great Liang, but in reality, there are barriers between them.
For example, the military campaigns of the Great Liang were generally fought by legions privately trained by the emperor, so the local people had no sense of participation, which resulted in a lack of identification and unity.
Letting them share in the victory and celebrate with the soldiers would undoubtedly improve the situation.
Giving them a sense of participation in major national events will foster greater harmony and a stronger sense of belonging to Great Liang.
Secondly, there's the spiritual aspect.
Given such a resounding victory, it would be foolish not to properly publicize the strength of the Great Liang.
This will not only enhance the people's sense of identity, but also elevate the soldiers' honor, and further instill a strong will in the people, which is what His Majesty once referred to as "everyone becoming like a dragon."
A country with a powerful military may be formidable, but that's about it.
But if a country has a powerful populace, it's not just scary; it's a terrifying story.
Once the people develop a martial spirit and a worship of the strong, the surrounding foreign tribes will likely suffer greatly, as they may be beaten or even wiped out by a few herdsmen from the Great Liang Kingdom.
Why? Because they developed a fighting spirit.
If you provoke them, they'll adopt a fighting stance, ready to fight if they dare to disagree.
This is a spirit, a habit, and once it's ingrained in your bones, it can never be erased.
Thirdly, there's the economic aspect.
He had a vague feeling that Great Liang was driving the operation of luxury goods to complete market layout and segmentation, while also creating countless resource demands to improve market operation.
This grand three-day banquet may have seemed expensive, but in reality, the emperor had already recouped his investment through other means.
Thinking of this, Lu Yafu couldn't help but sigh, " All Under Heaven is truly a great fortune for the country to have such a wise ruler. I dare not even imagine the future of Great Liang!"
At this moment, he was truly and utterly convinced of the current emperor's power.
Not only is his military strength unparalleled, but his vision for governing and promoting the country is also like that of a god. Compared to him, the former Li Anlan is far inferior, a world of difference.
The only flaw is perhaps that the current emperor is too domineering and has too much of a bloodthirsty nature.
However, this was not a big deal for the people of Great Liang.
Upon hearing his words, a smile flashed in Xun Yu's eyes. An emperor who could utter the phrase "everyone is like a dragon" was no ordinary person, even if he was just pretending.
Moreover, the current emperor's vision and character are no joke; even he himself is often amazed by them.
He glanced at Lu Yafu and smiled, " Old Lu is right. The lives of the people of Great Liang today are probably unimaginable to people in the past. The future of Great Liang will surely be even better!"
"Haha, let's wait and see!" Lu Yafu smiled, quite expectantly.
He decided that he must live a good life, witness the rise and prosperity of Great Liang, and after he died, he would boast to Li Anlan and his son, letting them know how pathetic he was.
You've betrayed me, dismissing me from my position as prime minister three times! I'll make sure you die with your eyes wide open in disbelief!
"That old man!"
Lin Yi glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Although the old man is still stubborn, he has long been convinced in his heart. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been promoting his ideas and opinions at the Imperial Academy. To put it bluntly, he was building up his own momentum.
This shows that he still identifies with himself in his heart, but he just can't get over that inner hurdle, which is harmless.
Now that the grand banquet for the All Under Heaven has been decided, all that remains is to reward the three armies.
Now that Zhennan has become Southern Liang, the meritorious officials who made contributions this time should be rewarded. The main generals are easy to deal with; the positions of governors of the five major prefectures of Southern Liang, west, north, and central) are prepared for them.
And Li Ru too!
This time he really proved himself, creating the famous scene of flooding Flying Hero Pass and bringing Huo Qubing, one of the two great heroes of the Great Han, to the forefront.
This is absolutely a monumental achievement. After all, Huo Qubing is a military general that many monarchs covet, and now that Li Ru has brought him out, he certainly cannot be treated unfairly.
The remaining ordinary soldiers also need to be rewarded sufficiently, after all, they risked their lives, and their contributions cannot be ignored.
If the generals always benefit, what's the point of the soldiers fighting? They should all be treated equally.