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According to Han Huang's predictions, Huaxia might need to harvest food for another two to three quarters. Only with a certain amount of food reserves can the war begin, but initially, it would only be small-scale battles. To launch a national war, it might require six to seven quarters of food reserves.
This roughly translates to two to three years.
For this reason, Zhou Tong made an unexpected decision that surprised Lian Yun: he resigned from his official position to study at the Hundred Schools Academy.
To be honest, Zhou Tong was indeed exceptionally intelligent, but after meeting Han Huang, he realized that due to his background, he had significant limitations in his overall perspective. There were many things he could not think of; it was simply that he lacked the vision to see through them.
For example, he initially did not consider the Tang Nation's schemes, but once Han Huang hinted at it, he could easily deduce that the Tang Nation's plan was just as such.
Knowing his own shortcomings, Zhou Tong always regarded himself as a student when interacting privately with Han Huang. If not for the instability in the region, he would have already wanted to go to the Hundred Schools Academy to learn.
Now that there would be no wars in the short term and with Han Huang, a truly unparalleled talent, staying behind along with the unfathomable Master Pang, Zhou Tong felt that he could completely leave Cloud Nation for a while.
In truth, Zhou Tong often relied on his loyalty to 'trouble' Lian Yun. Many times he expected Lian Yun to have the demeanor of someone in power while simultaneously opposing him.
This was quite a contradictory situation for him.
It was only because his lord was Lian Yun and never held it against him that he rarely realized this point. However, after receiving hints from Han Huang, he began to reflect deeply on it.
He then felt that although Master Pang's insights were unmatched, he was ultimately just one person and would not dedicate all his time to teach him patiently. Thus, he planned to enter the Hundred Schools Academy for study.
The first reason was to broaden his personal horizons and enhance his ability to observe and strategize on a larger scale. The second reason was to learn how to express his loyalty while still challenging Lian Yun without appearing disrespectful.
For Lian Yun, although Zhou Tong often posed challenges for him, he never felt annoyed because he understood that Zhou Tong was merely addressing matters as they were.
How could someone who was wholeheartedly loyal to him want him to feel uncomfortable? It was simply a matter of differing personalities leading to contradictions.
In truth, regarding Zhou Tong's departure, Lian Yun felt both hope and reluctance.
He hoped that he would go, not because he wanted him to leave his side or to avoid troubling him, but because in the past year, the number of times he had slept could be counted on one hand.
Establishing a nation from scratch involves countless tasks. Even though Jiang Ao and Murong Ying possessed extraordinary abilities, under normal circumstances, the three of them were still insufficient to support the entire Cloud Nation.
However, Zhou Tong worked around the clock, relying on stimulants and vitamins to manage almost all the trivial matters across the nation.
Thanks to Zhou Tong's dedicated efforts, Lian Yun, the founding monarch, was arguably more relaxed than any other ruler.
Privately, Han Huang once remarked, "No one is perfect, yet Lord Zhou can be said to be worth a hundred officials."
This meant that while Zhou Tong had some shortcomings, no one could truly excel in every aspect. Nevertheless, Zhou Tong was comparable to a hundred officials, which highlighted Han Huang's high regard for him.
It was precisely because of this admiration that Han Huang suggested Zhou Tong go to the Hundred Schools Academy for further study.
Given that Lian Yun's faction had only been established for three years, time was extremely limited. Reluctantly, they allowed Zhou Tong to handle matters typically managed by many officials. However, if this continued and Zhou Tong were to falter, internal affairs in the Cloud Nation would descend into chaos. It would be better to use this period of peace to promote some talented individuals.
The goal was to make Cloud Nation a sound country rather than a distorted one.
Before his departure, Zhou Tong resigned from his title as the chief minister. He intended to leave this title within Cloud Nation to create more positions capable of handling affairs.
However, Lian Yun directly refused. Firstly, Cloud Nation could establish another Throne beyond the thirty-six ministers. The initial decision to limit it to thirty-six was merely a strategy to attract talented individuals within the country.
Secondly, the position of King came with rights granted by Earth Formation that could be utilized outside Cloud Nation as well. The thirty-six Thrones were merely titles within Cloud Nation; the true Throne would greatly assist Zhou Tong on his educational journey.
Moreover, upon learning that Zhou Tong planned to walk to the Hundred Schools Academy, Lian Yun specifically summoned Zhao Jinlong and Zhao Jinhui to act as attendants and protectors for Zhou Tong during his journey.
It should be noted that Zhou Tong was not yet a disciple of the Hundred Schools Academy but rather an important minister of Cloud Nation. Neighboring countries could easily plot an ambush against him. Even though Zhou Tong hailed from Fengdu and possessed abilities such as sound perception and imaging, Lian Yun insisted that he should not travel alone.
Lian Yun made a joke, saying, "What if you go and never come back?" It was as if he were sending Zhao Jinlong and Zhao Jinhui to keep an eye on Zhou Tong.
Thus, Zhou Tong left with Zhao Jinlong and Zhao Jinhui. After Zhou Tong's departure, it was time for Han Huang and Jiang Ao to make their move.
Han Huang proposed that the officials of Cloud Nation could be selected from the Innocent Civilians. This had several advantages; for instance, if there were high-ranking officials among the Innocent Civilians in the court, they would not fear assassination attempts from enemy nations. Additionally, it would give all Innocent Civilians within the country a sense of hope, showing them that they were not destined to be enslaved. As long as they had talent and ability, there was a possibility of becoming high-ranking officials.
This not only helped to unite the people's hearts but also attracted talented Innocent Civilians from outside Cloud Nation to seek refuge, ensuring a continuous influx of talent in the future.
However, since Innocent Civilians had a tendency to disregard national laws, the character of those selected became extremely important. In this regard, Jiang Ao, who possessed an ability to discern people's hearts, became the final gatekeeper.
To be honest, for the founding families of other nations, Cloud Nation's land distribution policy was something they scoffed at. In these chaotic times, unless one had ambitions to establish a dynasty or desired to be above ten thousand people as a ruler, what was the point of nation-building?
Yet despite their disdain, they could not deny feeling threatened. Some talented individuals were quietly making their way to Cloud Nation; some had already arrived, some were on their way, some were packing their bags, and others had yet to make up their minds.
However, when Cloud Nation announced its policy allowing Innocent Civilians to hold official positions, the other Fifteen Nations immediately felt restless. They quickly declared that they would implement the same policy in their own countries in an attempt to retain domestic talent.
Nevertheless, those with true ambition and great talent would only choose Cloud Nation.
(End of Chapter)
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