76: Chapter 76 The Establishment of the Qin State

As the most hands-off leader in history, Zhao Feng felt a splitting headache looking at Wu's report; it seemed he just wasn't cut out for management.

The administrative officials and garrison generals for the five cities had already been appointed after discussions by Wu and the others, but they still required Zhao Feng's final confirmation.

Military recruitment, financial allocations, research investments...

A mountain of tasks piled up, yet Zhao Feng had no choice but to dive in.

While Wu could help him make some decisions, the crucial ones still required his own input.

It was just like an AFK feature in a game; while it could automatically grind monsters to level up, it couldn't complete main story quests or add friends.

By the time he finished processing the selected official documents, it was already afternoon.

After carving the final stroke, Zhao Feng straightened his back and stretched. He hoped the next era would have paper and pens, as using a carving knife was just too troublesome.

"City Lord, Prime Minister Wu requests an audience."

A guard pushed the door open and reported.

"Please, show him in."

"Yes."

Zhao Feng straightened his wrinkled clothes, smoothed his hair, and sat up straight.

Wu had very high standards for his etiquette; if he were to see his previous sloppy state, he would surely be lectured again.

"Greetings, City Lord," Wu said with a bow.

"No need for formalities, Prime Minister Wu. Is the plan for the founding ceremony ready?"

"It is complete."

Wu took a thick piece of hide from his robes, walked over to a torch, and began to read by its light: "The founding ceremony is scheduled to take place in one week. The location will be the Qin Palace, which is currently under construction. The tribes we expect to invite are as follows: Dongli Tribe, Linghu Tribe..."

Wu read with clear, modulated tones, yet he could not hide the occasional fatigue that seeped through.

"Cough, cough..."

Hearing Wu's cough, Zhao Feng quickly stood up and said, "Prime Minister Wu, you must take care of your health. How about this: leave the plan with me, and I will give you my reply tomorrow. You should get a good night's rest tonight."

After all, Wu was an old man, and even as a creation of the System, he could not resist the fatigue brought on by aging.

"Yes, City Lord."

Wu lived up to his role as a novice instructor; the plan was perfect. As long as the various tasks were sent to the relevant departments, the ceremony would naturally be completed.

"Qian Wu, quickly convey my orders to all locations."

Zhao Feng finished carving the imperial decree, stamped it with his seal, and instructed his guards to send the orders to the various departments, ensuring close coordination to complete the preparations for the ceremony.

The first to respond were the combat troops stationed in the barracks of each city.

Qin City divided its military into two main parts: the various legions of the field army and the garrison troops.

The garrison troops could not be moved, but each field legion would dispatch elite forces to gather in Qin City to participate in the military parade.

Qin City currently had an army of 20,000. Among them, 6,000 were garrison troops; besides the 2,000 in the capital, Qin City, there were 1,000 stationed in each of the four cities: Birch, Wind, Cloud, and Rain.

There were 12,000 field troops, organized into six legions.

Of the remaining 2,000, some would become the future palace guards, while others would be assigned to intelligence departments and the like.

The four cities surrounded Qin City, firmly guarding the four directions of the Qin Kingdom.

To facilitate commercial and military activities, wide roads had long been built between the cities.

Cavalry carrying the imperial decrees spread the news of the founding ceremony to every village and affiliated tribe, which sent the people of the Qin Kingdom into a frenzy of excitement.

Besides the tribal matchmaking gatherings and annual festivals, such a ceremony would undoubtedly bring even greater liveliness and joy to the people.

The current Qin Kingdom was no longer what it used to be.

In addition to the Qin people from the System, a large number of people from affiliated external tribes had also become a major force in building the Qin Kingdom.

Under the constraints of the legal code, people of different cultures and races, despite some friction, still underwent Fusion together, forming a single name—the Qin people.

Among these Qin people, there were naturally many who loved a spectacle.

Therefore, on the day before the ceremony, a large number of people from the vicinity who were temporarily free began to spontaneously organize and head toward Qin City to witness the founding ceremony of the Qin Kingdom.

Some commoners with a good head for business rushed to prepare simple, convenient food to sell.

Looking at the crowded stream of people, it was easy to imagine that they would likely make a handsome profit.

As the hegemonic military power in the surrounding region, the prestige of the Qin Kingdom naturally spread far and wide along with the numerous caravans and goods.

In addition to the invited tribes, there were also some tribes that admired the Qin Kingdom, or those that could no longer survive on their own, who were also on their way.

These past few days, apart from the necessary Cultivate, Zhao Feng had been dragged by Wu to undergo etiquette training.

The previous Wu wouldn't have known these things; it seemed that after the era upgrade, this related knowledge had entered Wu's memory.

"Your Majesty, mind your stride. It cannot be so casual; you must have the bearing of a Dragon walking with the gait of a tiger."

Wu held a small stick, occasionally correcting Zhao Feng's posture and the like.

"You must have a faint smile on your face; it should be majestic yet not lacking in gentleness."

Zhao Feng pulled at his facial muscles as instructed, trying to make it look as standard as possible.

"Good, Your Majesty, let's do it again."

Wu nodded with a smile, expressing satisfaction with Zhao Feng's previous movement.

"Again?"

"Naturally, it is best to know it by heart."

Besides the practice of etiquette and posture, what annoyed Zhao Feng the most was the fasting.

Originally, three days before ascending to the throne, Zhao Feng was required to fast, bathe daily, pray, and so on.

But Zhao Feng was someone who hated trouble, so with a wave of his hand, he deleted all these tedious things, which caused Wu to complain endlessly.

Of course, some basic things were retained, such as the city-wide cleanup.

A large number of commoners were called upon to sprinkle water, sweep, and put up festive flags.

Through the hard work of the Farmer, the Qin Palace was completed the day before the ceremony.

The Qin Palace was not a System building, so it had no special functions.

However, with the omniscient and omnipotent Wu and Zhao Feng's occasional bursts of inspiration, the Qin Palace, which did not cover a very large area, was still built.

This was just a miniature palace complex.

The entire complex consisted of three parts: the Chaotian Palace for political discussions, the sleeping quarters for resting, and the Qunxing Palace where the palace maids and guards resided.

In addition to the palaces, there were also some auxiliary structures, such as the Imperial Garden.

Such a palace could be said to be very simple.

But the classical Chinese architectural structure and the use of a large amount of new Materials like pottery tiles would certainly leave the primitive natives of the Planet of the Dead, who had never seen the world, stunned and full of praise.

Amidst the anticipation of the masses, the day finally arrived.

"Dong... dong..."

With the arrival of dawn, nine clear and melodious bronze bell tolls rang out one after another.

The imperial guards, who had long since donned their shiniest armor, stood neatly on both sides of the main road.

From the South City Avenue to the Qin Palace, a bright red linen carpet had already been laid out.

"Woo... woo..."

Horns made from bison horns resounded through the sky.

"Boom... boom..." A thunderous sound gradually approached from afar.