The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 720

The military academy occupied a vast area. Emperor Jiajing spent a fortune to buy land near Liangxiang. The entire academy covered nearly 3,000 acres, and this large area was mainly used to plan various war simulation sites.

It is, after all, a military academy. We can't just talk about military strategy on paper. We must have enough space for students to confront two armies, and even various terrains, and we should be able to use all kinds of battle formations.

The construction of the entire academy was a massive undertaking. Fortunately, Emperor Jiajing was wealthy and willing to spend money, which allowed it to be completed so quickly. However, it was only a basic completion; the terrain of many sites was still under construction.

Throughout the academy, Jiajing specially dispatched more than 10,000 soldiers to guard it. These soldiers served the dual purpose of protecting the academy and also allowed students to practice against each other, which was a win-win situation.

The soldiers were initially reluctant to take on the job of guarding the military academy, especially after hearing that they would be ordered around by those children.

But this matter was no challenge for Wang Xian, the Minister of War.

"You're still not happy? Other troops would kill for a job guarding the military academy. There's extra pay here, and being stationed outside the capital is much better than being stationed on the border. This is the Royal Military Academy. The students who graduate will become meritorious generals and heroes of our Great Ming. They will lead you to expand the territory of the Great Ming in the future. Wouldn't it be better to build good relationships with your superiors in advance?"

Wang Xian's words made the 10,000 soldiers realize in an instant. Yes, those who come from this military academy will be extraordinary in the future. It is said that even Hu Ruzhen and Zhao Mengjing, who swept through the South Seas, were students of the academy. If they can serve under such fierce generals, they will be able to make great achievements in the future.

Upon thinking of this, everyone felt their blood boil and stopped complaining.

Zhou Chu did not plan to recruit too many students for the first batch of students at the military academy, tentatively setting it at around sixty, since good talents were rare.

Before the military academy began recruiting students, gentry, officials, and even some ordinary people from all over the country, having heard the news, spared no expense and borrowed money from all sides to raise enough money for their sons' travel expenses, hoping to seize this opportunity to change their sons' fate in one fell swoop.

Of course, only a very small number of people truly had the courage to burn their bridges, but in the context of the entire Ming Dynasty, there were quite a few. Zhou Chu had the Embroidered Uniform Guard secretly count them, and there were nearly two thousand people from gentry and official families, and two to three hundred people from ordinary families.

Many of these students who came to study traveled thousands of miles to the capital, but the vast majority of them were destined to be eliminated.

Most people were prepared for this, since countless people failed the imperial examinations every year, and military academies were already an alternative path for them.

The students sent by the gentry and officials' families were mostly those with some talent or knowledge of military strategy. They also knew that if they sent just anyone, it would be impossible for them to compete with the others.

Even the list that Jiajing gave to Zhou Chu before has been adjusted. Many officials in the capital have realized that it would be a waste of opportunity to let a son of a concubine participate in the selection of the military academy at will.

The establishment of the Zhenwu Hall made many people realize that as the Ming Dynasty continues to expand its territory, the status of Ming military generals will be elevated. Although they may still not be as high as civil officials, they will certainly be much stronger than before.

With the bloody examples of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and the warlord separatism in the late Tang Dynasty, even the Jiajing Emperor and the Zhou Chu regime would not allow military generals to surpass civil officials in status.