Chapter 241: Chapter 158: Cultivating the Foundation_2
Translator: 549690339
As long as Lu Yuan endorsed it, even without the formal appointment from the court, if he said someone was an official, then they were an official.
Who wouldn’t agree? Just look at his top-notch strength and his tens of thousands of troops.
It’s undeniable that Lu Yuan’s warlord aura has become increasingly strong.
However, he did not resist this change; on the contrary, he rather enjoyed it.
With over a hundred civil officials available to fill the gaps, all of the vacancies in the Luyang prefecture and its ten counties were instantly filled.
Under the efforts of these officials, especially as Lu Yuan was willing to spend money, the war-torn and scarred Luyang began to slowly regain its vitality.
Displaced people who were originally well-off started to return to their hometowns, actively planting and farming, busy with their livelihoods for the year.
Attracted by the revitalization plan of Luyang prefecture, many merchants and travelers from other regions, like sharks drawn to blood, flocked to the area, making business thrive.
Just as in the previous Wugang County, Sun Siwen, based on his past experiences, began to revive this battered land.
As his close friend busied himself with rebuilding the economy, Lu Yuan continued to reorganize the local militia and county soldiers in the barracks.
It took more than a month for the framework of the 2,000-strong county soldiers to be organized, and he selected his meritorious followers and recorded disciples to fill various positions, such as Catch Officer, Inspector, County Captain, and Commanding Enforcer.
These loyal followers would control the local troopers and, through them, control the local militia.
Having such an armed force would be enough to ensure that the Luyang Prefecture would remain under Lu Yuan’s control.
When Luyang Prefecture’s economy and people’s livelihoods recover, and the system for county soldiers and local militia is perfected, this place will provide a continuous source of money and troops for Lu Yuan whenever he needs it.
Although more than a decade has passed, and he has become a top-notch master in the Jianghu, commanding tens of thousands of troops, he has not forgotten the grand ambitions he set for himself when he first traversed.
As a traverser with such martial might and opportunity, wouldn’t it be a waste not to strive for the supreme throne?
What man hasn’t fantasized about expanding territories, conquering in all directions, and making the world submit?
What man hasn’t dreamt of having three palaces and six courtyards filled with three thousand beauties, building great palaces, and indulging in wine and feasts, becoming a merry tyrant?
Lu Yuan believes that, with Da Yue’s current state and his own strength, the emperor’s position is not an unattainable prospect.
So, regardless of whether he wants to compete for world domination in the future, it’s always right to make some preparations now.
After all, it’s just a small investment of a few hundred thousand silver tales and some insignificant official positions. Nothing to worry about even if it ends up as a loss.
For him, it doesn’t really matter.
While organizing the local militia, Lu Yuan also trained his disciples.
That’s right, not Zhou Qing, but his recorded disciples.
After eliminating the Seven Star Sect, Lu Yuan obtained a total of twenty-six Pure Water Profound Pills.
He himself took five pills, gave six to Zhou Qing, and still had fifteen left.
These pills were of no significant use to him anymore.
His next step in cultivation was to find an innate cultivation method or a way to break through to the innate realm, which no longer required him to increase his Inner Strength.
So, instead of letting those pills gather dust at home, it was better to give them to his disciples to enhance their cultivation and strength, so they could better serve him.
However, there were only fifteen Pure Water Profound Pills left, limiting their number.
Over the past several years, Lu Yuan has acquired a total of forty-one recorded disciples.
On average, that would come to about one pill for every three disciples.
Of course, he couldn’t really distribute the pills evenly.
That would have minimal effect and wouldn’t achieve the goal of cultivating his disciples.
After thinking it over, he went with survival of the fittest, rewarding the pills based on merit and contributions of his disciples.
As a result, seven out of the forty-one disciples received elixir rewards, ranging from one to three pills each, based on their contributions.
It turned out that this method, which rewarded people based on their contributions, worked quite well.
Those who could make significant contributions were generally people with strength and ability, and their cultivation among Lu Yuan’s disciples was already at the forefront.
After the rewards, the seven disciples produced three second-tier masters, while the remaining four reached levels where they had mastered four or five meridians, not far from breaking through to the second-tier.
The emergence of these experts greatly alleviated the shortage of top-level combat forces among Lu Yuan’s followers.
He finally didn’t have to throw everything to Zhou Qing, treating his only disciple like a donkey to be ridden.
Lu Yuan now had four second-tier disciples, and the rest were all third-tier.
With such strength, he could compete with other first-class factions in Jianghu, although he wouldn’t surpass them.
But Lu Yuan’s real strength wasn’t just in himself and his disciples, but also the tens of thousands of soldiers under his command.
Taking that into consideration, he outstripped first-class factions by far.
Only the Innate Sect, with its Inborn Grandmaster and top-tier combat power, could challenge him, and perhaps even overpower him..