For a short time, Da Zhou was not ready for war against the European powers.

This is not to say that Zhang Lingyang is afraid of Europe.

It's just that now the war with Europe is not worth the cost.

With swords, guns and sticks on one side and strong ships and cannons on the other side, Zhang Lingyang knew in his heart that if Da Zhou wanted to defeat the European powers, he would definitely have to pay a great price.

And although Da Zhou can bear this price, Zhang Lingyang is unwilling to bear it.

After all, after a few years of patience, when Da Zhou has its own industrial base, can also make its own strong ships and cannons, and then start a war with the European powers, will Da Zhou lose at that time?

Unless the commander is an extremely incompetent person.

Otherwise, Da Zhou would not have lost at all.

After all, the population base of the Great Zhou is here, and once the army explodes, no one can stop it.

What did you say?

Will the European powers unite?

Not to mention the filth between the European powers, even if they really united, Da Zhou would not be afraid.

Because the population of Da Zhou is a little larger than the total population of Europe.

In the final analysis, human resources are Zhang Lingyang's biggest reliance.

Of course, the premise is that Da Zhou must have its own industrial base.

Without its own industrial base, even if the population of Da Zhou doubled, it was not a match for the European powers.

……

Before you know it, the time has entered the height of summer.

At this time, the first trial-produced steamship of the Great Zhou had been successfully tested.

The first experimental steamship was not large and could sail freely on the canals.

Zhang Lingyang went to experience it in person, and the speed was really fast.

As a result, Zhang Lingyang, who was satisfied, rewarded the craftsmen who participated in the development of the steamship with ten taels of silver.

Although the silver is not much, it is an extra income for the craftsmen, and how can they not like it?

At this time, the textbooks of the Royal Academy had also been compiled and officially taught.

Considering that the students enrolled were all poor scholars, Zhang Lingyang deliberately gave them a work-study opportunity.

In the past few months, there have suddenly been many more primary schools in the capital.

Those scholars who studied in the Royal Academy, every time they took a break or after school, they would go to these schools to teach the children of poor families in the capital, and get a reward for it.

In fact, judging from the current income of the palace, let alone 3,000 scholars, even if there are 3,000 more, Zhang Lingyang will have no pressure to raise them.

But Zhang Lingyang didn't do it.

Zhang Lingyang understands that the easier things to get, people often don't cherish them.

And the hard-won things, the more people will cherish them.

It is precisely because of this consideration that Zhang Lingyang came up with this work-study method.

The hard days naturally made these poor scholars understand the truth that it is not easy to study, so they cherish the current opportunity.

In fact, there is no way to cherish it.

The Royal Academy has an institution.

Because of the three-year academic system now implemented by the Royal Academy, after three years, these students who enter the school have to take a graduation examination.

If you fail the examination, the college will not issue a graduation certificate.

And the graduation certificate of the Royal Academy is also the entry qualification for the inner court to recruit these students.

Why the inner court and not the outer court?

In fact, it is obvious that the ministers inside and outside the court will not agree to this group of scholars from the Royal Academy to enter the imperial court.

Even if it is a small official, I am afraid that it is not easy.

Not so with the inner court.

The inner court is completely up to Zhang Lingyang alone.

Not to mention that the Royal Bank is now in short supply of all kinds of financial personnel, that is, with the arrival of the steam engine, all kinds of scientific and technological personnel in Dazhou are facing a very short supply.

As the king of a country, Zhang Lingyang will not make a fuss about opening a mine or digging some coal.

Zhang Lingyang's layout is the entire Great Zhou.

Even, Zhang Lingyang has already thought about it, and after the taxes across the country are paid this year, he will see the situation.

If optimistic, Zhang Lingyang's next step will be to implement commercial tax and mining tax.

Needless to say, Zhang Lingyang has long wanted to withdraw from Guangzhou.

In Zhang Lingyang's view, even if the Great Zhou Dynasty implements the system of apportioning the land into the mu and the gentry paying grain in one, the annual tax revenue of the state treasury will not exceed 30 million taels at most.

As for the mining tax?

There was no precedent before, and Zhang Lingyang didn't know how much silver he would collect.

But if everything goes well, I'm afraid it's not a small amount.

Will everything go well?

A question that you can figure out even if you think about it with your feet.

If it is said that the system of apportionment of land to mu and the integrated payment of grain by the gentry harmed the interests of the gentry, then the commercial tax harmed the interests of the merchants.

As for the imposition of a mining tax?

The interests of the merchants and gentry were all harmed.

It can be seen that when the time comes, Zhang Lingyang will face a new round of challenges.

But will Zhang Lingyang be afraid?

The answer is self-evident.

What's more, Zhang Lingyang has already begun to look for new support objects.

Still a soldier!

As I have said before, one of the biggest drawbacks of the Great Zhou system is that the imperial power is not lower than the county.

The township pavilions below the county level are controlled by the gentry from all over the country, which is why there is a saying that the Son of Heaven and the scholars rule the world together.

Now, Zhang Lingyang began to issue an order to let the retired veterans over the years return to their hometowns and be arranged as township chiefs and pavilion chiefs in various places.

In this way, the situation in which the gentry dominate the place will no longer exist.

For any situation that threatens their own interests, the gentry will not be happy to see.

Zhang Lingyang's arrangement, they are naturally not happy.

After all, this is a real threat to the very foundations of their rule.

But what if you don't want to?

Now the gentry everywhere are like a plate of loose sand, and they can't be condensed at all.

And those who are retired veterans are different.

In any era, in any place, the military community is much more united than any other group.

What's more, as a person who has been adding blood to the knife all year round, will he be afraid of the local gentry?

The answer, of course, is that many retired veterans are actually very afraid in their hearts.

After all, for those veterans who have been home for many years, they have long been numb to life.

But even though they were numb, Zhang Lingyang injected them with a stimulant.

You know, that's the local township chief and pavilion chief, how glorious is it?

What's more, is it true that the guards of the state capitals are not furnished?

Even, Zhang Lingyang ordered people to send a message to the commanders of the local guard posts, asking them to boldly and wholeheartedly support the local retired veterans to work against the gentry.

The purpose is obvious.

After receiving Zhang Lingyang's message, the commanders of the guards in various places did not dare to slack off.

In any case, the interests represented by these soldiers were more inclined to the nobles, which was completely different from the gentry.

Coupled with the words of his old boss, the local health offices naturally knew what to do.

For a time, the local health centers launched an all-out attack, wandering around the counties and townships under their jurisdiction, encouraging those retired veterans......