Chapter 349 Stirring up the Storm! (Fourth update completed)
The Duguan was the Political Affairs Hall, responsible for assisting Xin Zhen in the management of the entire Quanzhen Sect;
Zhike is the Ministry of Rites, responsible for receiving visiting Taoists and other personnel;
The Xunzhao was the Ministry of Justice, responsible for internal inspections of the religion, as well as trials of Taoist temples and rebel forces in various places;
The clerk is the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for promotions and rewards;
The treasury is the account department, which manages various expenditures;
The master of the palace is the Minister of Works.

Xin Zhen set up these departments, firstly to free up his own hands, and secondly to make it easier for him to take control of various powers.

After all, by setting up a new department, you can reappoint people and naturally centralize the originally dispersed power.

After all, Xin Zhen had been a prime minister, so he certainly knew how to concentrate power.

However, for Xin Zhen, centralizing power was not the goal, but only for better management.

The previous Quanzhen Sect had unclear rights and responsibilities, resulting in loose management. Although it had 3,000 Taoist temples and 80,000 disciples, the energy that could be exerted was not great.

Such a large organization already requires a very professional management agency to manage it in order to truly unleash its tremendous energy. Moreover, as the Quanzhen Sect gains control over the rebel forces in various places, it requires even more professional management.

Therefore, Xin Zhen set up the institution based on the imperial court, but did not copy it completely. After all, at this stage, it was still far from a real imperial court, so the three ministries were simplified into the Council of State Affairs, and the functions of the six ministries were simply retained. However, as the scale grew, the number of personnel in each department increased, and the functions became more and more complete.

Xin Zhen was thinking about something, so he stood at the door and watched. At this time, Qiu Chuji passed by nearby and saw it, so he came over.

Xin Zhen quickly bowed and said, "Master, you are here."

Qiu Chuji looked at the busy Chongyang Palace with a smile and said with emotion: "Look at the commotion you have created, it's so amazing."

Xin Zhen smiled and said, "I hope you, Master, will not blame me for not doing my job properly."

Qiu Chuji laughed and said, "What do you mean by not doing your job? What did our Chongyang Patriarch do? Wasn't it rebellion? That's our job. If we indulge in practicing Taoism and reading scriptures, that would be the real thing!"

Qiu Chuji is still as heroic as ever.

Xin Zhen whispered, "What do the other Grandmasters think?"

Qiu Chuji glanced at Xin Zhen and sneered, "What do they think? Can it affect you?"

Xin Zhen smiled. The Quanzhen Sect was already in his hands. Even if the six Quanzhen disciples stood up to oppose him at this time, it would only cause some trouble, but it would be impossible to shake the foundation.

Qiu Chuji naturally understood the meaning of Xin Zhen's smile, and he also laughed and said, "They will also complain that Chongyang Palace is full of smoke and dust, and there is no peace and quiet for practicing Taoism. It doesn't look like a holy place for practicing Taoism, but more like a court. But even though they complain like this, they are still very happy in their hearts. You don't have to worry about these things."

Xin Zhen nodded and said, "If you want to practice Taoism properly, you should wait until the world is pacified. If the world is not stable, there will be no room for a meditation cushion."

Xin Zhen's words made Qiu Chuji silent. After a while, he sighed and said, "I don't know how many of these disciples will be able to come back to practice Taoism when the world is pacified."

Xin Zhen was silent for a moment and said, "Foreign tribes invaded and poisoned the Central Plains, and the land was full of blood and stench. How can we cultivators sit back and watch? I think our ancestors, master, uncles, brothers and junior brothers all think the same. Even if we die because of this, it is probably what we deserve."

Qiu Chuji nodded and said, "Of course."

The two men's conversation was just a casual chat when they met, and there was actually not much to it. At this time, the little Taoist priest came running over, panting and saluted Qiu Chuji, and then said to Xin Zhen: "Master, someone from Jingzhao has arrived."

Xin Zhen raised his eyebrows and asked, "How many are there?" The little Taoist priest also smiled happily and said, "There are as many as seventy or eighty people. It is said that several of them are top craftsmen, some who study bows and arrows, some who study steel, and even top craftsmen who study firearms!"

Xin Zhen was delighted when he heard this: "Great! With them joining us, our progress may be even faster. Come on, take me there."

The young Taoist priest hurriedly led the way. Xin Zhen thought the process was too slow, so he simply put his hand on the young Taoist priest's shoulder. With a whoosh, the two of them rushed out as if flying close to the ground.

The people nearby couldn't help but smile when they saw this. Someone asked curiously, "What's wrong with the headmaster? Why are you so anxious?"

"Shh! Don't ask nonsense questions, this is confidential!"

"Ha, what secrets can there be for our Ministry of Public Security?"

The man looked around and whispered, "The headmaster proposed a method to improve firearms and asked the craftsmen to make the improvements. The headmaster is so anxious. Maybe there is a breakthrough in firearms. I can only tell you this much. You can't ask any more questions."

Another person said nonchalantly: "It's not difficult. Just go back and check the expenditure and you will know."

Both of them are core members of the Metropolitan Administration Department, and these things really cannot be hidden from them.

But they guessed correctly. There have indeed been signs of breakthroughs in firearms recently, but they are still stuck on the sealing problem, and more experienced craftsmen are needed to achieve it.

These seventy or eighty top craftsmen were pried out from the Mongolian artisan camp by Yelu Chucai.

Yelu Chucai listened to Xin Zhen's half-advice and went back, but not completely. He did not return to the capital, but instead surrendered to Kublai Khan. Kublai Khan was granted the title of Jingzhao, so Yelu Chucai was also in Jingzhao.

Before, Yelu Chucai was hesitant in his cooperation with Xin Zhen. When he asked him for craftsmen, he only gave him a few people at a time. But this time, he gave him seventy or eighty people at a time, which was very rare.

Xin Zhen also knew that the impact of Kublai Khan's death was beginning to ferment.

After Kublai Khan's death, his younger brother Ariq Boke might take over Central China. Then Kublai Khan's forces would either be annexed or destroyed. For Yelu Chucai, his future fate would not be very good.

The Quanzhen Sect has been gaining momentum lately, and Yelu Chucai should think about his future retreat, so he sent so many people this time, which seemed to show some sincerity.

While Xin Zhen was speeding, he was already thinking about what else he could take from Kublai Khan's legacy.

Yelu Chucai, you will definitely not let me down, right?
The person who came was Yelu Qi.

He didn't look very well, he looked tired from the long journey, and he also had deep hidden worries.

When he saw Xin Zhen, Yelu Qi was both enthusiastic and full of admiration.

This young man, who is only 20 years old, is already the head of the Quanzhen Sect. In recent years, he has even stirred up the entire situation north of the Yangtze River!

(End of this chapter)