Soon, Liu Hong set the tone for this debate.

The Han Dynasty needs talent, but it needs high-quality talent.

Subsequently, Liu Hong issued an edict on the spot, ordering officials from all counties of the Han Dynasty to recommend thirty people of good character from each county to be sent to Luoyang and enter three academies for training.

The assessment will resume next March.

In Liu Hong's view, there are good people in aristocratic families and bad people in poor families. They cannot be completely denied, nor can they be completely accepted. All he can do is add more rules and regulations to avoid this.

As soon as Liu Hong issued this edict, cheers erupted at the scene.

Liu Hong's method took into account both the old-style recommendation system and the new-style assessment system. It also provided fresh blood to the three academies, selected some talents with both virtue and integrity, and did not violate his previous decrees.

This can be described as killing two birds with one stone.

Late August.

Holding the tax reports compiled from various regions, Cao Song reported the latest harvest of the three years of Jianning to Liu Hong and the officials.

Thanks to the continuous construction of water conservancy projects in various regions over the past two years, disasters such as drought and floods have been greatly mitigated.

As a result, the grain output in Jianning in the third year increased by more than 30% compared to the previous year, making it the year with the highest harvest in nearly 20 years.

What excited the officials the most was the Royal Trading Company's 30 billion in revenue, even though the Royal Trading Company had only just started out.

If this trend continues, I believe that in just a few years, once the Royal Merchant Guild's factories, workshops, and shops have spread throughout the Han Dynasty and even to the surrounding countries, the income will surely increase by tens or even hundreds of times.

In their excitement, the officials unanimously abandoned their plans to distribute the money this year and instead requested the emperor to use all of the royal merchant guild's revenue for the year to open new factories, workshops, and shops.

Liu Hong smiled and nodded in agreement.

As the saying goes, "With grain in the granary, there's nothing to panic about."

While civil and military officials fully supported the Royal Trading Company's further expansion, official granaries in various regions were also under construction at a rapid pace.

At the same time, the Grain Bureau, which was under Zhou Yi's jurisdiction, also began constructing new granaries in various places.

Unlike the strategic reserves in the official granaries, the grain stored in the Grain Bureau was used by Liu Hong to regulate grain prices and subsidize farmers. Although he was always losing money by buying high and selling low, the farmers had surplus money, which ensured the stability of people's livelihoods and also boosted the circulation of commerce.

Therefore, the officials continued to support the Grain Bureau with all their might.

Under the meticulous planning and management of Liu Hong and his officials, everything in the Han Dynasty was progressing rapidly in the direction everyone expected.

It's September now.

Imperial Guard Camp.

Cao Cao, Yuan Shao, Sun Jian, and other members of the first batch of trainees have been at the Imperial Guard Camp for more than two years.

The daily, uninterrupted training, coupled with the meticulous guidance from Huangfu Gui, Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, and others, as well as the experience of suppressing the rebellion this year, have made these young men much more mature.

In addition, thanks to the persistent political education provided by the Military and Political Department, today's young people possess all the prerequisites for an excellent military officer, both in terms of physical fitness and ideological awareness.

Now that these seeds have sprouted, it's time to sow them.

September 10th.

Cao Cao, Sun Jian, Yuan Shao, and other veteran trainees all stood upright and full of confidence on the training ground, their eyes sparkling with anticipation and longing.

Today will be the last assessment before graduation. Those who pass will be granted military rank and sent to various armies to lead troops. Those who fail will remain in the Imperial Guard to receive other training.

Before long, Liu Hong, the chief examiner for this event, dressed in military uniform, arrived at the command platform accompanied by Huangfu Gui, Lü Bu, Gao Shun, Dong Zhuo, Xu Rong, Zhu Jun, and others.

Looking at the fledgling eagles with their wings already fully grown, Liu Hong felt a surge of pride and honor.

"I look forward to your performance!!"

Liu Hong only said this brief sentence before ordering the assessment to begin.

The first thing to do is a physical fitness test.

The first event was long-distance running.

To win a war, marching is of paramount importance, and as an officer, one must always be ahead of the soldiers.

Soon, the long-distance race began. The Imperial Guards trainees ran towards a marker 2,500 meters outside the camp. After reaching the marker, they had to run back within a specified time.

Cao Cao and Liu Bei walked almost side by side, running at the very front of the group.

As Cao Cao ran, he panted heavily and looked at Liu Bei beside him.

"Hoo hoo~, Xuande, you're only twelve years old this year, aren't you?"

Liu Bei: "Fifteen...!"

"Uh... how many years older have you gotten?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Cao's lips twitched, and he was speechless.

"None of your business?"

Liu Bei turned his head away, ignoring Cao Cao, and quickened his pace.

Today's long-distance run is the first test. Whoever comes in first place will get a better score, and Liu Bei will naturally not let this opportunity slip by easily.

When Cao Cao saw that Liu Bei had actually gotten ahead of him, he gritted his teeth and chased after him.

"Xuande, with your small frame, can you handle it on the battlefield?"

Liu Bei: "Yours is big?"

Cao Cao's face darkened: "But I can run fast!"

"I'm not slow either!"

Cao Cao: "..."

Cao Cao then asked, "If you pass the test, where do you want to go?"

Liu Bei: "Youzhou!"

Cao Cao: "Why?"

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