Chương 469: continues to be discussed.

"And the Ministry of Justice!" Cheng Yu stood up, his face serious.

"The laws of the previous dynasty were too lenient and had no deterrent effect on corrupt officials and powerful local bullies."

Your subject suggests revising the laws to increase the penalties for crimes such as corruption, oppression of the people, and treason. Anyone who embezzles more than one thousand coins shall be exiled; anyone who embezzles more than ten thousand coins shall be executed immediately!

Furthermore, family members who know about the crime but fail to report it will be punished equally!

"The Ministry of Personnel also needs to be reformed!" Xun You continued.

"The Ministry of Personnel cannot only be responsible for dismissing officials, but also establish a strict assessment system. Every year, officials at all levels should be assessed. Those with good performance should be promoted, those with poor performance should be demoted, and those who are corrupt should be directly dismissed and investigated. We must never allow mediocre or lazy officials to occupy positions without doing their jobs."

When the topic turned to governance, Du Ruhui immediately chimed in:

"And the system for selecting officials! The recommendation system of the previous dynasty was rotten to the core. It was all about powerful families recommending each other, and poor families had no chance to rise up."

Your servant suggests implementing the imperial examination system, regardless of background or social status. Anyone with genuine talent and learning can participate in the examination, and the best will be selected.

This is the only way to select truly talented individuals and break the monopoly of powerful families on officialdom.

"I oppose the complete abolition of the recommendation system!" Tian Feng stood up, frowning as he spoke.

"Now that the country has just been pacified, many poor families have never been to school, and very few of them can even read."

The graduates of Youzhou Academy are far from enough. If we rely solely on the imperial examinations, those selected will still be scions of aristocratic families.

Your subject suggests that the imperial examination and the recommendation system be implemented concurrently for a period of ten to eight years, until official schools are established throughout the country and children from poor families have access to education, at which point the recommendation system can be gradually abolished.

"Brother Tian Feng is right!" Ju Shou nodded in agreement.

"I suggest that official schools be established in all prefectures and counties, providing free education for children from poor families, with teachers uniformly assigned by the imperial court. In this way, we will not have to worry about a lack of talent after ten years."

As the crowd was arguing heatedly, Liu Ce glanced at the sun; it was already noon. He smiled and said:

"Alright, alright, let's rest for a bit, eat something, and then we can argue. I've had some snacks and tea prepared; we can talk while we eat."

The servants immediately brought out plates of snacks and pots of hot tea.

Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Gong were already hungry, so they rushed forward and each grabbed a handful of snacks and stuffed them into their mouths.

Zhang Fei was not to be outdone, so he grabbed the largest piece of osmanthus cake and finished it in a few bites.

The three of them tugged at each other, making everyone burst into laughter, and the serious atmosphere instantly eased a lot.

After finishing their snacks, the group continued arguing, this time about local regulations.

"The governors of the previous dynasty wielded too much power, controlling both military and political affairs, which ultimately led to the fragmentation of the empire into warlord states. This must never happen again!" Guo Jia said, waving his feather fan.

"I suggest that a two-tiered system of prefectures and counties be implemented, the governorship of prefectures be abolished, each prefecture be only appointed as a governor who is only in charge of supervision and not military or political affairs, and each county be appointed as a magistrate who is in charge of administration and civil affairs."

Military power was entirely centralized in the central government, and all garrisons in various regions were commanded by generals dispatched by the imperial court.

"I believe we can retain the state level, but its power must be divided!" Shen Pei stood up and said.

"The prefecture is governed by a governor, with a prefect in charge of administration and a commandant in charge of military affairs. These three powers are separated and mutually supervised, preventing any one from becoming too powerful. This not only improves local efficiency but also prevents local separatism."

"Furthermore, all local officials must be appointed and dismissed by the imperial court, and their positions cannot be hereditary!" Chen Gong added.

"Especially in the south and border regions, we must never allow local powerful clans and barbarian chieftains to inherit official positions, otherwise trouble will inevitably arise sooner or later."

When the topic of military system came up, the military officers immediately perked up and eagerly took the lead in speaking.

"I propose that the Fubing system be implemented!" Li Jing stood up and exclaimed loudly.

"The integration of military and agricultural work, with farmers farming in peacetime and fighting in wartime, can both reduce the burden of military expenditure on the imperial court and ensure a sufficient source of soldiers."

At the same time, a military merit system should be established, where soldiers who fight on the battlefield are promoted and rewarded based on their military achievements. The greater the merit, the greater the reward, ensuring that meritorious soldiers are not discouraged.

"And the Imperial Guards!" Yuwen Chengdu clasped his hands and said, "I suggest that we establish 200, 000 Imperial Guards, directly commanded by Your Majesty, to guard Luoyang and deter all directions."

The Imperial Guards must consist of the most elite soldiers in the entire army, equipped with the best weapons and armor, to ensure that they can swiftly deploy and quell any rebellions in the region.

"The navy cannot be ignored either!" Yue Fei stood up and said earnestly.

"Our great Han Dynasty has a long coastline and major rivers such as the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. We must build a powerful navy to defend against pirates and to cooperate with the army in wartime."

"I am willing to oversee the construction of the navy and guarantee that within five years, a navy capable of fighting and winning battles will be built!"

"And there's a new army!" Qi Jiguang continued.

"Weapons and tactics are changing. I suggest that we train a new army, equipped with the firearms and artillery developed by Song Yingxing and others, and adopt new tactics, so that we can cope with future wars."

The crowd chattered back and forth, arguing about everything from the Three Departments and Six Ministries system to the imperial examination system, from local regulations to military regulations, and from laws to taxes, from morning till evening.

Everyone shared their thoughts, some agreeing, some disagreeing, some adding to the discussion. They argued heatedly, their faces flushed, but no one got angry. The entire council chamber was filled with vibrant energy and hope.

Liu Ce sat in the main seat, smiling as he looked at the noisy crowd below, his heart filled with emotion.

After eight years of war, the chaos finally came to an end.

And now, a brand new and powerful Han Dynasty is about to rise in their hands.

He picked up a pen and wrote the two characters "大汉" (Great Han) on the paper with vigorous strokes that seemed to penetrate the paper.

Finally, Liu Ce said, "No rush, take your time. Go back and think about it carefully, and we'll discuss it slowly. Rules and regulations can't be rushed; they need to be carefully considered and refined. We can't just make decisions on a whim."

Especially those matters that directly affect the vital interests of the people must be handled with utmost care. These systems are crucial for future generations and cannot be hastily established.

I've thought it through. I'll write a proposal and discuss it at the next meeting.

Everyone responded in unison, "Yes!"

Then everyone dispersed.

Fang Xuanling, Du Ruhui, Xun Yu, Guo Jia, Xi Zhicai, Xun You, Jia Xu, Tian Feng, Ju Shou, Shen Pei, Chen Gong, Xu Shu, Cheng Yu, and others finally left the Prince of Yan's residence.

A group of people walked and argued, all the way from the council chamber to the main gate, and no one could convince the other.

Cheng Yaojin was the first to come out. He glanced back at the council hall and grinned, "Good heavens, arguing all day is more tiring than fighting a war! At least in war you can kill people, but arguing only involves using your mouth. My lips are practically worn thin!"

Zhang Fei chimed in, adding insult to injury: "Your lips are already thin-skinned; if you keep trying, they'll wear thin!"

The two looked at each other, burst into laughter, and walked away arm in arm.

Cheng Yu held onto Tian Feng's sleeve and wouldn't let go, insisting that he admit that "being executed immediately for embezzling 10, 000 coins" was reasonable; Tian Feng shook off his hand and said, "This is tyranny, not the rule of law."

Guo Jia stood by, fanning himself with a feather fan and watching the commotion, occasionally interjecting, "You two, stop arguing and listen to me," but no one listened to him.

...