Great Zhou Empire: Kill Zhao Kuangyin at the beginning

Chapter 484: The Godly Arm Bow is Unleashed (Special thanks to the book friend Seventeen Years Old Bookworm for his two monthly tickets!)

Chai Zongxun slammed the imperial desk in anger and said:
"I ordered the migration of people to the lands of the Star Religion in Central and West Asia, but now tens of thousands of Han people have died at the hands of the Star Religion mobs?
Isn't this an embarrassment to me?!

Pass on my order to exterminate all these Star Sect rebels!"

Chai Zongxun lost his temper for a while, then calmed down and frowned, saying:

"The Han Chinese who have immigrated to Central and West Asia number 25 million. How come they were unable to protect themselves during the riots? Even though the government troops were immediately dispatched to quell the riots, there were still more than 20,000 casualties among the people?"

The chief military minister, Hu Yanzan, came out and said:
“Your Majesty, nowadays, the martial arts are flourishing among the people of our Great Zhou, and there are many Han people who practice martial arts. They can also unite and face the outside world when encountering difficulties.

According to my observation, during the battle with the Starry Sky Rebellion, the Han people rose up in resistance and fought in an orderly manner under the command of the military candidate.

However, the Han people only have swords, spears and arrows, and do not have the various magical weapons equipped by the royal army. Therefore, facing the large number of Xingxing Sect rebels, it is inevitable that there will still be casualties. "

Chai Zongxun pondered for a moment, thinking that in the past two years, the Royal Arsenal had produced more than two million Kaixi No. 33 rifles to equip the royal army.

Soon, the musket will become the main individual weapon of the Great Zhou Royal Army, and the Shenbi bow will be relegated to second place.

Perhaps, with our country being so vast today, it is time to popularize the Shenbi Bow among the Han people.

Chai Zongxun said:

“Now that our royal army has transformed to using muskets as the standard weapon for individual soldiers, the Divine Arm Bow will sooner or later spread to the people and be learned by folk craftsmen.

Why not open up the purchase of the Divine Arm Bow to the Han people, so that our people can resist the chaos and increase their military strength!"

At present, the total number of mercenaries in private businesses in the Great Zhou Empire has reached more than 800,000.

Since Chai Zongxun allowed citizens to purchase large merchant ships equipped with "Yansu Cannon" produced by the "Royal Shipyard" in the 25th year of Kaixi, private businesses have gradually equipped their mercenaries with cannons and warships in the process of conducting maritime trade.

After several years of world ocean trade, almost all maritime countries in the world know about the reputation of the Great Zhou Empire's "sailing battleships" and "Yansu cannons" for their long range and fast firing rate.

The leaders of these mercenaries are almost all retired officers from the royal army. A business company often hires a retired officer, who can then call on dozens of his former comrades to quickly form a merchant protection team with rich battlefield experience.

Imperial Censor Wang Bowen came out of the class and said:
"Your Majesty, with the prosperity of sea trade among the people, there are many mercenaries. If we open the sale of the "God's Arm Bow" to the people, the combat power will be greatly increased. I am afraid that there are too many armored soldiers among the people, which may be detrimental to the court's rule in the future."

Wang Bowen, courtesy name Zhongming, was born in the second year of Kaixi (961) in Jiyin, Caozhou. His grandfather Wang Jian moved to Bianjing when he was the deputy envoy of the workshop in Xijing.

He was famous for his poetry at a young age. In the 4st year of Kaixi, he became a Jinshi in Chinese literature and became well-known in Bianjing for his four palindrome poems.

Because Wang Bowen handled cases impartially, he was appointed as the judge of Kaifeng Prefecture. In the 33rd year of Kaixi, when Chai Zongxun implemented the "term system" and "retirement system" for court officials, he was evaluated with excellent results and was promoted to the position of Chief Censor.

Chai Zongxun smiled and said:
“Wherever your heart sets your mind to, you will succeed!”
Today, my Great Zhou Empire represents the interests of the vast majority of the people in the entire empire. What I like, the people like; what I hate, the people hate. What is there to fear?
Moreover, the caravans hired by private businesses are mostly retired soldiers from my royal army, and their loyalty to me and the court is just as strong as when they were in the army. "

After hearing this, all the ministers were impressed.

Therefore, the imperial edict was sent to the whole country, and the court released the previously strictly controlled Shenbi bow to the public. The manufacturing cost was five taels of silver, and the selling price to the Han people was ten taels of silver, regardless of its use.

Other minorities in the Great Zhou were required to strictly control the number of people who bought the Shenbi bow and register their purpose, and the price was 20 taels of silver. After the "Shenbi bow" became popular among the Han people, their combat effectiveness increased greatly. When encountering rebellions among the minorities, the government army often did not need to be dispatched to quell the rebellion, and the Han people could quickly quell the rebellion.

The martial arts spirit flourished among the people of the Great Zhou.

On the first day of July in the thirty-fifth year of Kaixi, at the morning court, the emperor and his ministers reviewed the administration of the past six months.

In general, the court's administration was stable, the political situation was harmonious, the private economy developed rapidly, and the people's lives were steadily improving.

The Prime Minister Li Hang came out and said:
“Your Majesty, after all these years of development, now all regions of our Great Zhou, except for Tubo, Beiming, and the newly acquired Central and West Asian regions, still need financial subsidies from the court. The rest of the prefectures can hand in their surpluses. Our Great Zhou’s commodity economy can be called glorious!

Among them, the three prefectures that submitted the largest fiscal surpluses were Bianzhou, Yangzhou, and Nanjing, where Bianjing was located.

The annual financial subsidy to Tubo was 5 million taels, to Beiming was million taels, and to Central and West Asia was million taels.

I believe that with the promotion of the new policies in these areas and the continued development of the people, within ten years, these three areas will be able to turn losses into profits and pay taxes to the court. "

Hu Yanzan, the chief minister of the military cabinet, said:

"Your Majesty, the country has been peaceful for more than half a year, except for the newly-accepted Star Sect, where wars have been frequent.

The local Longxiang garrison has so far suppressed nearly 4,000 rebellions launched by Xingxing Christians and wiped out more than 1.2 million rebels.

The frequency of rebellions by the local Xingxing Sect has now dropped significantly.”

Chai Zongxun nodded and said:

"The Star Cult has been rampant for a long time relying on its barbaric missionary model. In the Tang Dynasty, Central Asia was once a "thousand-mile Buddhist country". How many people have been massacred by the Star Cult in the past two hundred years?

Any Xingxing believers who dare to rebel will be severely suppressed without mercy!
As for the prosperity or poverty of a region, the key lies in fiscal policy.

As long as the political situation in the three places is stable and the new policies are promoted for a few years, the economy and people's livelihood will surely develop."

Minister of Works Guo Zhi came out and said:
“Your Majesty, since May of the 23rd year of Kaixi, the unprecedented livelihood project “Da Zhou Zhi Dao” was approved and started to be built. It is divided into a six-year “national road” construction period, a five-year “state road” period, and a five-year “county road” period.

This year has entered the final year of construction of the "Da Zhou Straight Road" and it is expected that all approved road construction projects will be completed in December this year.

During the eleven years of construction, Your Majesty was wise and brave, and expanded countless territories. As for the vast new territory, will you also build the "Great Zhou Straight Road"? Or will it be built in the future?
Your Majesty will make the final decision."

After Chai Zongxun pondered for a moment, he said:

"Over the past decade, the completion and opening of the Dazhou Straight Road have proven that convenient transportation is an important prerequisite for promoting economic development.

Now, our Great Zhou has completely pacified the great enemy, the Star Religion, and the national treasury has a great annual surplus!

After the original "Da Zhou Straight Road" project is completed, we will immediately start building the "Da Zhou Straight Road" that has been newly acquired from the territory of these years from next year. The Ministry of Works is required to formulate a project plan before the end of the year and submit it to me!"

(End of this chapter)