IDWBE -Chapter 184 Reforms

He finally understood what Xie Zan meant in class when he said, “If you are poor, do not speak in a crowd; if your words carry little weight, do not advise others.”

If your voice is weak, you should speak less!

No matter what you say, it doesn’t matter. No one listens.

Let alone try to answer your doubts.

Everyone before him was either eighth-rank or ninth-rank officials, and even Cui Gengren, about the same age as him, had reached seventh-rank!

And he? The most useless, stuck floundering in the third rank, going nowhere.

Thinking about it brought pressure he could hardly bear.

All day, he wore a frown; even laughing felt impossible.

When Cui Gengren and Yu Xiaoshi came to drink with him, he didn’t feel like joining.

He even felt unworthy to sit with them.

Why should a mere third-rank official drink with them?
Better lock himself in his quarters and practice martial arts!
Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have the courage to face anyone!

Night fell.

Lin Yi still hadn’t slept—not because of a novel, but because he was writing a plan for grassroots reforms.

Since he had decided to challenge Prince Yong and the Jizhao Nunnery, he had to take it seriously. It was time to show his true strength!

Moreover, before, he had held back because of concerns over the court and his father.

Now, with his father’s fate unknown, who else could he fear?

Accept life and death lightly, and if dissatisfied, act.

By then, he would have these bastards kneeling before him, singing of conquest.

His first move: abolish the Baojia system, replacing it entirely with village names.

Previously, central authority had never truly penetrated ordinary villages. Imperial laws were basically empty words in the countryside; everything was decided by local clans and gentry—people like Liang Gen and Wang Cheng.

They were effectively gods over a twenty-li radius.
If someone displeased them, they could kill or punish at will.

Lin Yi now aimed to strip these gentry of power, locking them in a cage and assigning them only the duty to earn honestly and contribute to Sanhe’s economic development.

He would extend his reach to every inch of Sanhe land, constantly monitoring the most basic conditions of the grassroots population.

History had shown that those disconnected from the people always met a bad end.

Next: military reforms for the garrison.

Currently, Shen Chu and He Jixiang commanded the garrison, but without official recognition, their authority was weak; being called “Master” by others made them uneasy.

Having lost the so-called “righteous authority,” Lin Yi decided to start anew, structuring the army into army, division, brigade, regiment, battalion, company, platoon, and squad.

He detailed exactly how many men in each unit.

Finally, while resettling refugees, Sanhe would conduct a thorough census.

First, to understand their households; second, because Sanhe’s traffic was complex, many posed significant public security risks.

Anyone breaking the law in Sanhe would face strict investigation.

Stability was the foundation for development, and he firmly believed this.

His ultimate dream: in Sanhe, dragons coil, tigers lie, even grandmasters obey!

“Your Highness, it’s late. You should rest.”

Mingyue came over, emptying his tea leaves and replacing them with plain water.

“No rush. A long night lies ahead, and sleep is far from my mind,” Lin Yi yawned. “You all go rest. Don’t mind me.”

He then continued writing, adding sudden inspirations with charcoal pencil.

He wrote until the rooster crowed before going to bed.

When he woke, the sun hung high.

After a meal, still feeling short on sleep, he lay back in his chair and dozed again.

When Shan Qi came by, he didn’t disturb him—just sat across, holding a teacup and sipping occasionally.

Seeing Lin Yi open his eyes, he quickly stood. “Your Highness!”

“Perfect timing,” Lin Yi rubbed his eyes. “Sit down, no need for formalities.”

He beckoned behind him, and Mingyue brought in the manuscripts he had written.

Lin Yi didn’t take them, simply saying, “Give them directly to Master Shan.”

“Thank you, Miss Mingyue.”

Shan Qi took the pages, flipping through carefully.

After rinsing his mouth with tea, Lin Yi said, “If anything isn’t clear, speak up immediately.”

Shan Qi smiled, “Your Highness has written the numbers clearly. The army commander is equivalent to a commanding officer, the division commander to a thousand-house commander. Nothing is confusing—only the names have changed.”

Lin Yi nodded. “Good. Proceed with this plan. Let Shen Chu be army commander, He Jixiang deputy commander. As for division commanders and deputies, you choose yourselves.”

“Yes.”

Shan Qi continued, “Your Highness suggested the village organization, which I also agree with, but I worry that selecting village and town leaders may not be easy.”

“Take your time. Virtue comes first, ability second. Try to choose the young ones,” Lin Yi smiled. “Let their own heads manage the villagers—no unnecessary interference.”

Tribal people were unruly; no one obeyed except their leaders. Appoint the wrong village head today, and tomorrow they might be dead.

Forget regulations!
If the leaders are upset, they’ll just march their troops back to the border.

“Your Highness really thinks everything through,” Shan Qi breathed a sigh of relief, afraid Lin Yi might impulsively seize the leaders’ power—nearly fifty thousand people, and growing.

“I will follow your orders,” he said.

Lin Yi considered. “Training must be intensified. Not a single day of slack. If there’s not enough money, I can’t help; handle it yourself, step by step.”

“Yes,”

Shan Qi forced a wry smile. “I take my leave.”

In the following days, While selecting village officials, Sanhe launched a vigorous census campaign.

Thousands of constables, after dividing responsibilities, went mountain and village to village to record households. The farthest reached the eastern Fangniao Island, southern Jinji Mountain, and northern Nanzhou border.

Mainly following the repaired roads.

Lin Yi had little hope of full coverage. Sanhe’s population concentrated in Baiyun City, while the surrounding areas were scattered. Counting Baiyun City alone would be a success.

The census needed only rough estimates—close enough would do.

The Administration Office grew increasingly poor.

Shan Qi, following Lin Yi’s plan, intensified training while also weeding people out to save costs.

Daily cross-country runs of ten kilometers with load, those unable to persist were eliminated.

Mostly, the tribal members who had spent the least time practicing basic skills were cut.

Once eliminated, they didn’t complain; instead, they rejoiced.

However, Shan Qi didn’t release them entirely—he assigned them to the militia, occasionally supervising meals during training, but they received no monthly pay.