Following Yin Shuhuai and Shentu Yang’s elimination of several aristocratic families and powerful clans who had colluded with external enemies, the atmosphere within the imperial court was completely purified. The civil and military officials, who were already maintaining a low profile, worked with even greater dedication and diligence. No more did anyone dare to hold a sinecure while neglecting their duties, much less engage in illicit dealings. In an instant, the operational efficiency of all government ministries improved significantly.

During the summer harvest in the fifth month, the court dispatched envoys to various provinces and commanderies to conduct land surveys and census registration. The compiled data brought great comfort to Yin Shuhuai.

Compared to the chaos caused by the gentry and powerful clans across the provinces and commanderies last year, this year’s land surveys and census registration could be described as clean, honest, and upright. The year-end accounting ledgers submitted by each province and commandery differed barely at all from the data secretly transmitted back by the Night Owl scouts. From these figures alone, it was evident that under the deterrent of rolling heads, the aristocratic families and powerful clans had indeed turned over a new leaf.

To encourage the common people to clear wild lands for farming, Yin Shuhuai decreed a reduction in land taxes for citizens, but substantially increased the tax collection ratio on commerce. The powerful tycoons and great merchants grumbled slightly about this, but because the profits from refined salt and the weaving mills were immensely bountiful, and the swords of the Yan soldiers were exceedingly sharp, the merchants and powerful clans could only suppress their dissatisfaction and bite the bullet to pay their taxes.

Yin Shuhuai allocated the collected commercial taxes to road construction, water conservancy projects, military expansion, naval training, the construction of multi-decked warships, the establishment of medical clinics, and public welfare and military combat readiness such as the widespread establishment of community schools and official academies across all provinces and commanderies. Furthermore, he changed the system of unpaid forced labor to labor hired and paid for by the imperial court.

The common people who had migrated from within the passes and Henan were already accustomed to working short-term jobs at the coal yards and weaving mills during the slack farming season. Now, upon learning that the court was recruiting citizens to build roads and dig water channels, offering not only money but also free food and lodging, they instantly could not sit idle. Scrambling to sign up for service, the court could assemble a million citizens in the blink of an eye.

Seeing the common people so enthusiastic and proactive, Yin Shuhuai simply brought the plan to dredge and widen the river channels in the Northern Commandery and the Northeastern Commandery (formerly Goguryeo territory) onto the daily agenda. In an instant, the entire land of Yan fell into a fiery atmosphere of engineering competitions, displaying a bustling scene of thriving prosperity everywhere.

Yet, just when various parts of Yan were carrying out infrastructure construction in full swing, a memorial transmitted back from the Wartime Emergency Medical Department in Liaoyang County disrupted Yin Shuhuai’s good mood.

This memorial was submitted separately by the Medical Director, Zhang Guangling, who was an old imperial physician. In the memorial, he reported in detail on the work of the Wartime Emergency Medical Department over the past half year. In accordance with the Emperor’s edict, the members of the medical team immediately established the Wartime Emergency Medical Department after withdrawing from the frontline battlefields. While treating illnesses and healing injuries for the wounded soldiers to help the troops recover as quickly as possible, they also entered various military camps in batches to teach the troops knowledge related to wartime first aid.

As the number of wounded soldiers grew larger and larger, the medicinal herbs and other resources consumed by the Medical Department also increased. To procure herbs and resources locally, they also established a Wartime Pharmaceutical Bureau in Liaoyang County to teach local citizens how to process medicinal herbs and make gauze for bandages. This not only immensely relieved the Medical Department’s demand for various herbs and medical supplies but also provided a path for local citizens to make a fortune and attain wealth.

By the time the medical soldiers trained by the court rushed to Liaoyang County in an endless stream for internships, resulting in the medical staff at the Wartime Emergency Medical Department outnumbering the wounded soldiers several times over, Zhang Guangling contacted the Liaoyang County Magistrate to allocate a few squads of soldiers. They escorted the medical soldiers to Goguryeo to carry out wartime medical assistance. By this time, Shentu Yang had already led fifty thousand troops to break through the capital of Goguryeo, and the entire territory of Goguryeo was under the control of the Yan army, making it far less dangerous than during active wartime.

Zhang Guangling’s original intention was to seize this opportunity to train the medical soldiers in battlefield rescue capabilities, and he wished to save as many soldiers’ lives as possible. His decision was correct. As the medical rescue teams gradually advanced deeper into Goguryeo, many wounded soldiers received timely assistance and were sent back to the Wartime Emergency Medical Department in Liaoyang County at the first instance for comprehensive rehabilitation therapy.

Over a period of more than half a year, the Wartime Emergency Medical Department saved a total of tens of thousands of wounded soldiers and captives. The majority of the wounded soldiers returned to the army immediately upon recovery, while a small portion of them returned straight to their hometowns because their term of service had expired. All Goguryeo captives were handed over to the Liaoyang County Magistrate by Zhang Guangling upon recovery; the magistrate naturally arranged for these people to repair city walls, dredge river channels, cultivate military farms, and clear wild lands. In the end, only the wounded soldiers whose arms and legs had been chopped off on the battlefield were left with nowhere to go.

This was because these wounded soldiers had lost their combat effectiveness and even their mobility, making it utterly impossible for them to trek thousands of miles alone to return to their hometowns. What was more, losing their limbs meant losing their ability to labor, leaving them unable to farm and feed themselves; even if they returned to their hometowns, what would it matter? Nothing awaited them but days of becoming useless burdens. Thinking carefully, it seemed better to have died directly, as their families could at least receive some compensation funds.

Confronted with the bewildered, numb, and even completely despondent soldiers, Zhang Guangling’s benevolent heart was stirred. Taking matters into his own hands, he kept these disabled and wounded soldiers in Liaoyang County. He had them go to the Pharmaceutical Bureau to learn how to identify and sort medicinal herbs, or cut and manufacture gauze, or remain within the Medical Department to do what was within their capacity, such as washing bedding and sweeping floors. This could be considered providing them with a specialized skill and a place to shelter themselves.

It had to be said that Zhang Guangling’s compassion saved the disabled soldiers who had nearly fallen into a desperate plight. However, an even more troublesome problem followed closely on its heels.

As Goguryeo was incorporated into the territory of the Yin dynasty and the court carried out massive infrastructure construction across all provinces and commanderies, Liaoyang County, which was originally situated at the border, gradually transformed into a newly rising, prosperous county with stable livelihoods. After these disabled and wounded soldiers settled down in Liaoyang County, they personally witnessed the changes and wealth of the county, and saw the welfare policies such as official academies and medical clinics fully promoted by the court. Consequently, they wished to bring their wives and parents to Liaoyang County for a reunion.

These disabled and wounded soldiers were not all local natives of the state of Yan; some soldiers belonged to the forces of various regional lords whom Shentu Yang had defeated and annexed when he originally led his army south to rescue the Emperor. The original registered birthplaces of some of these men were as far away as the southern regions or even various commanderies within Shuzhong. If their families were to be brought to Liaoyang County, the number of provinces and commanderies they would have to cross along the way was simply too great. No one could guarantee whether the relatives of these soldiers would encounter bandit raids during their journey to Liaoyang County. When that time came, losing money and wealth would be a minor matter; the fear was that even their lives could not be preserved.

Yet, if the court were to step forward and bring the families of these wounded soldiers to Liaoyang County altogether, it sounded even more like a complete fantasy. Furthermore, Zhang Guangling was merely an attendant physician in the Imperial Medical Bureau; even though he held the post of Medical Director of the Wartime Emergency Medical Department and possessed the right to submit secret memorials to the Emperor, he lacked the authority to transfer so many household registrations. Moreover, he had no way to guarantee that the wounded soldiers’ families would remain completely safe and sound on this long journey from various provinces and commanderies. Yet, he could not bear to see the soldiers, who had finally gained a foothold, separated from their families and flesh and blood by vast distances.

After thinking back and forth, Zhang Guangling discussed this matter in the secret memorial submitted to the Emperor. He hoped to persuade the Emperor to bring the families of these disabled soldiers from various provinces and commanderies to Liaoyang County, and simultaneously spread the benevolence and virtue of the Emperor and the court across the four seas.

It was precisely this report that touched Yin Shuhuai’s thoughts.

Yin Shuhuai subconsciously thought of those ancestors in later generations who had advanced wave after wave to establish a new country. The disabled soldiers mentioned by Zhang Guangling in the memorial were by no means unique to the single location of Liaoyang County. Since Yin Shuhuai ascended the throne, the court had raised troops repeatedly, and it was unknown how many soldiers had fought and become disabled on the battlefield, only to be sent back to their hometowns by the court.

Yin Shuhuai dared not imagine what kind of miserable plight these heroes—who lacked medical insurance, lacked allowances, and received only meager military pay while fighting everywhere for the country, yet unfortunately ended up disabled—would fall into if not for Zhang Guangling’s compassion.

No! He could not allow heroes to shed blood and then shed tears!

Yin Shuhuai set down the report and paced back and forth within the hall, subsequently summoning Shentu Yang, Yao Wenruo, Huo Quan, Jiang Yang, Dong Wan, Zhou Tai, and others into the palace to discuss state affairs.

These individuals were either Yin Shuhuai’s trusted confidants or the ministers he relied upon most heavily, managing the military and political affairs of the Jixian court, and likewise serving as an extension of the Yin Emperor’s will.

When the crowd hurriedly entered the palace, Yin Shuhuai informed them of the matter concerning the disabled and wounded soldiers reported by Zhang Guangling. Without waiting for them to speak, he declared with absolute imperial authority that he intended to popularize a comprehensive social security and pension system within the military, requiring the court to step forward to support the heroes who died or became disabled for the country, as well as their families. He wanted to ensure that the children of the soldiers all had books to study; even when the court held imperial examinations to select scholars or local government offices recruited clerks, priority must be given to the descendants of martyrs. He wanted to ensure that the troops had no worries about the future, to let heroes enjoy the treatment that heroes deserved to enjoy, and to make their families proud of them.

Hearing up to this point, the various ministers looked at one another. This so-called comprehensive social security system was originally a package of benefits Yin Shuhuai had prepared for the hired workers at the coal yards and weaving mills. The ministers in the court were thoroughly familiar with it, yet they never expected that such a compensation system could actually be applied to the military.

As for allowing the children of fallen soldiers to enter official academies to study, or giving them priority when selecting officials and clerks in various regions, these were merely gestures of winning over people’s hearts that were highly beneficial yet cost little, so they did not catch the crowd off guard.

After all, when even completely destitute refugees could receive such meticulous care from the Yin Emperor, why shouldn’t those soldiers who fought and shed blood on the battlefield for the court possess the same treatment? Going a step more aggressively, those soldiers should even enjoy treatment that was one level higher.

In this way, the million soldiers of Yan would have no worries about the future, and they would only be increasingly valiant when fighting on the battlefield.

In a flash of lightning, Shentu Yang, Huo Quan, and the others all thought of the benefits of the Emperor doing this. Yet before they could open their mouths to speak, the Emperor spoke again.

“I also want to establish martyrs’ cemeteries and shrines for heroes across all provinces and commanderies, engraving the names of the fallen soldiers on stone monuments; I want their glory to endure as long as the state.” Since his time travel, Yin Shuhuai had rarely referred to himself using the imperial ‘I’. At this very moment, his heart was surging, and he spoke with boiling blood, “I cannot allow heroes to shed blood and then shed tears.”

These words were like a clap of thunder from a clear sky, instantly piercing everyone’s minds. Everyone felt a shiver run down their spines, and the gaze they directed at Yin Shuhuai shone with brilliant luster.

“Your Majesty is wise and sagacious!”

Shentu Yang was the first to react. Looking with burning eyes at the autocratic Emperor, he spoke with a face full of deep emotion, “As the saying goes, a clay pot is bound to break at the well’s mouth, and a general is bound to die before the battle ranks. Our Yan boys have never feared death; they only wish to die a worthy death.”

Furthermore, the Emperor’s phrase, “let their glory endure as long as the state,” hit their thoughts precisely. To the extent that the moment Shentu Yang heard this phrase, his entire body felt as if an electric current had passed through it, leaving him completely tingling, and the gaze he directed at Yin Shuhuai was increasingly filled with an all-consuming, uncontrollable deep affection.

Shentu Yang felt that in this lifetime, he was probably destined to fall completely for Yin Shuhuai. He not only adored the Emperor’s physical form but was even more captivated by his soul.

A scholar dies for the one who understands him.

At this very moment, Shentu Yang not only regarded Yin Shuhuai as his true confidant but was also wholeheartedly willing to fight to the death for the Yin Emperor’s grand enterprise.

Not only did Shentu Yang hold such thoughts, but Huo Quan, Jiang Yang, and Dong Wan at this instant likewise firmly believed that the Emperor was the brilliant sovereign they most wished to serve with absolute loyalty. Fighting on the battlefield for such a sovereign, they would feel honored even in death.

The only one capable of maintaining composure was probably Yao Wenruo. The moment he heard the Emperor’s grand vision, he was already calculating silently in his heart exactly how much funds and grain would be required to promote this social security and pension system in the military, and to support the parents, widows, and orphans of the fallen soldiers. Furthermore, building martyrs’ cemeteries and shrines for heroes across all provinces and commanderies would likely be another considerable expense. Money was truly needed everywhere!

Yao Wenruo let out a soft sigh. Fortunately, since the state of Yan began selling refined salt and subsequently annexed Goguryeo, it had indeed seized massive wealth and resources, which could still support the Emperor’s whimsical ideas.

As for Zhou Tai, he was already pondering silently in his heart exactly what the difference was between the Shrine for Heroes and the Qilin Pavilion. After his death, should he enter the Qilin Pavilion or the Shrine for Heroes? It was truly quite a perplexing dilemma!

Compared to Zhou Tai, who had fallen into a tangle of wild thoughts, Huo Quan noticed another matter, “This Attendant Physician Zhang truly possesses a healer’s benevolent heart; Your Majesty ought to reward him handsomely.”

If Zhang Guangling had not taken the initiative out of compassion to privately arrange for the disabled soldiers, there would not have been so many subsequent matters. Now, the Emperor insisted on raising the treatment of the soldiers in the army; though it would consume considerable funds and grain, it was also a golden opportunity to win over people’s hearts. He believed that after this matter, even if Shentu Yang and the generals of Yan wished to usurp the throne, the low-level soldiers who were bathed in imperial grace would not follow blindly.

The Emperor’s throne would be sat upon increasingly securely. And when the Emperor’s throne was secure, the power of their Huo lineage would naturally be as stable as Mount Tai.

This was truly an excellent matter that accomplished multiple goals at once, Huo Quan thought gleefully.

The news that the Emperor wanted to raise the treatment of grass-roots soldiers and support the families of fallen soldiers quickly spread throughout the court and the common people. Spreading along with this news was the announcement that the court would dispatch the naval fleet to various provinces and commanderies to receive the families of the Yan soldiers into Yan for a reunion. Soldiers who intended to bring their families to Yan for resettlement could register with their respective colonels; the naval fleet dispatched by the court would follow the addresses provided by the soldiers to pick up the people from various provinces and commanderies.

Once the news came out, the most excited individuals were naturally the grass-roots soldiers who directly benefited, and the soldiers whose registered birthplaces were in the distant southern regions and various commanderies of Shuzhong. They never dreamed that they would actually have an opportunity to reunite with their families. Furthermore, the living conditions of the common people in Yan were far better than those in the provincial commanderies controlled by various regional lords and powerful clans. If their families could migrate to Yan, it would truly be the most fortunate and wonderful thing.

In an instant, all the generals pledged their total allegiance. The Yin Emperor’s prestige surged unprecedentedly within the military. The common citizens also competed to praise the Emperor’s benevolence and virtue, because the families of the soldiers were also mostly ordinary citizens. Now that the Emperor wanted to raise the treatment of the soldiers, these families were naturally the most direct beneficiaries.

Likewise receiving the adoration of the people were the Duke of Yan, Shentu Yang, and the State Chancellor of Yan, Yao Wenruo, because the two of them were the specific executors of this series of programs.

Yin Shuhuai did not want Shentu Yang to misunderstand that his actions were intended to buy people’s hearts and steal military power (although doing this indeed produced a similar effect), nor did he wish to intensify the conflict between the imperial power and the officials of Yan. Therefore, he had to pay close attention to the propriety and boundaries within this matter.

Furthermore, since Shentu Yang occupied the position of Chancellor, one of the Three Ducal Ministers of the court, his duty was to assist the Emperor in managing all major military and political affairs. The state of Yan was also his fiefdom; handing over the operations of raising soldier treatment and establishing shrines for heroes to Shentu Yang was also a matter of course.

It had to be said that Yin Shuhuai’s decision was correct. Both Shentu Yang and Yao Wenruo were individuals of swift and resolute action, and the officialdom of Yan maintained an atmosphere where orders were executed without fail and prohibitions were strictly respected. They would not shift responsibility or procrastinate, much less hold sinecures. The moment the Emperor’s edict was issued, Yao Wenruo was already gathering information on the disabled and fallen soldiers within each army, and commanding various commanderies and counties to provide relief to the martyrs’ families according to the list, sending their children into official academies to study.

Shentu Yang’s movements were even faster; the naval fleet dispatched to various provinces and commanderies to pick up the soldiers’ families had already set out carrying the list and addresses. Setting sail from Youzhou and heading all the way south, they could return within three months at most.

When tangible benefits and honors materialized upon the bodies of the military troops and citizens, the grass-roots soldiers and common people naturally felt deeply grateful to the Emperor and the Duke of Yan. Consequently, a craze for building shrines for living persons and setting up tablets for longevity for the Emperor and the Duke of Yan emerged automatically among the populace.

This time, Shentu Yang could be considered to have truly felt the meaning of “water can carry a boat”; confronted with the spontaneous support and adulation of the citizens, his entire being felt like a small boat drifting on the water’s surface, floating lightly as if in the clouds.

Could this be the charm of achieving immortality in the hearts of the people? It truly was terrifyingly profound!

After Shentu Yang finished enjoying the thrill, he did not forget to urge the court to construct the martyrs’ cemetery and the Shrine for Heroes in Jixian. Yin Shuhuai had the top-tier artisans of the Ministry of the Imperial Household first manufacture architectural models of the martyrs’ cemetery and the Shrine for Heroes, and subsequently assembled fifty thousand soldiers to construct the cemetery according to the models. A month later, the Jixian martyrs’ cemetery and the Shrine for Heroes were completed.

The Imperial Astronomical Bureau carefully selected an auspicious day, and Yin Shuhuai, in his capacity as the supreme Emperor, led the civil and military officials along with fifty thousand military commanders to pay respects to the heroic souls.

Prior to this, the emperors of the Yin dynasty would only offer sacrifices to heaven and reward the spirits when performing the Feng and Shan sacrifices or paying respects to their ancestors.

The Yin Emperor’s action indisputably captured the hearts of the Yan soldiers.

Following the sacrifice to the heroic souls, voices discussing the Emperor’s benevolence and virtue gradually grew more numerous within the military. The soldiers, who previously knew only of the Duke of Yan and were unaware of the existence of the Emperor, seemed to suddenly discover that there was actually an Emperor in this world. Furthermore, although the Emperor resided high up in the court, he had never ignored their hardships and needs.

This progressively intensifying goodwill reached its peak when the court issued policies stating that all offspring of military soldiers could enter official academies to study for free, children of martyrs would receive priority admission when the court selected scholars through examinations or when various commanderies and counties selected clerks and medical soldiers, and the parents, widows, and orphans of martyrs would all be supported by the court, among other policies.

To commemorate the brilliant benevolence and virtue of the Emperor and the Duke of Yan, the populace spontaneously arranged songs, dances, and theatrical plays depicting the Holy Emperor and the Duke of Yan loving their soldiers like their own children.

Upon learning of this matter, Shentu Yang specially selected several of the most popular theatrical troupes, ordering them to enter the palace to perform for the Emperor.

Yin Shuhuai watched several performances of songs, dances, and plays with great relish. For a time, his own passion for drama was piqued, and he went so far as to personally compose several excellent plays, instructing the palace dancers and actors to rehearse them. They received unanimous praise from Shentu Yang and the entire court of officials.

Yin Shuhuai was immensely satisfied. By the time of the autumn harvest in the eighth month, he instructed the palace dancers and musicians to perform on the ridges of the fields and inside military camps to offer condolences and entertainment, calling it a nationwide celebration in the name of universal joy.

“This can be considered simultaneously raising the happiness index and spiritual civilization construction of the soldiers and citizens,” Yin Shuhuai thought gleefully.

Since happiness index and spiritual civilization construction were mentioned, Yin Shuhuai realized in hindsight that he seemed to have forgotten the most important group of people. He instructed the palace dancers and actors to rehearse a good number of inspiring song and dance plays, and under the escort of the Yan soldiers, they traveled thousands of miles to Liaoyang County to offer condolences to the wounded soldiers who suffered from disabilities and the medical soldiers who had been fighting on the medical frontline consistently.

Yin Shuhuai even had a sudden whim, organizing a food festival after the autumn harvest. He dispatched all the cooks of the Ministry of Imperial Entertainments onto the streets, having them set up stalls to sell their specialty dishes. Not only did this allow the local citizens to taste fresh delicacies, but it also aimed to introduce these culinary delights onto the dining tables of ordinary people as much as possible.

He himself did not forget to take Shentu Yang along to slip out of the palace in civilian attire, preparing to personally taste the favorite foods of the citizens of Youzhou.

However, these comfortable and pleasant days did not last long. The Grand Imperial Censor, Zhao Bushi, entered the palace for an audience, bringing the disastrous news of floods in Xu Province and the common people rising up in rebellion across various commanderies in the southern regions.