bioinnovel Chapter 42 The Overt Scheme to Reduce Feudal Powers, and the Complete Unification of the Great Qian
Chapter 42 The Overt Scheme to Reduce Feudal Powers, and the Complete Unification of the Great Qian
Although the situation in the capital has stabilized for the time being, Lin Hanzhou is well aware of it.
The so-called loyalty of the three vassal kings was nothing more than a facade built on the intimidation of his terrifying power.
If he is not careful, or if his lifespan runs out in the future, these wolves that have been entrenched in one area will immediately turn against the court.
The threat of the vassal kings was a thorn in the side of the Great Qian Dynasty, and they had to be eliminated as soon as possible.
On this day, Lin Hanzhou took the initiative to find Empress Li Yuechan, who had begun to take control of the court and had become increasingly calm and decisive.
"Your Majesty, although these three vassal kings have submitted, their hearts are surely not the same."
"His private army numbers in the hundreds of thousands and occupies wealthy lands, making him a major threat to the empire."
"I believe that while we are at the height of our prestige following this great victory in the capital, we should eliminate this threat once and for all."
Lin Hanzhou got straight to the point without any beating around the bush.
Upon hearing this, Li Yuechan frowned slightly.
"Does the Grand Preceptor mean to wage war against the three imperial uncles?"
"But they are, after all, members of the royal family, and they have just sworn allegiance. If we wage war without cause, we may lose the hearts of the people."
"Heh, there's no need to use force to deal with them."
"If it comes to war, I've already gone to the territories of the three great vassal kings and visited them one by one."
"To deal with these old foxes, we must use open strategies."
At this point, Lin Hanzhou's lips curled into a knowing smile.
He had been an emperor for nearly a hundred years in the previous dream world, so he had some knowledge of imperial power politics.
Over the next hour, Lin Hanzhou meticulously planned a series of interconnected strategies for the young empress.
After listening, Li Yuechan's bright eyes sparkled with admiration.
Looking at the white-haired and white-bearded imperial advisor before her, she felt an overwhelming sense of admiration and peace of mind.
It's so good to have him around.
……
A week later.
Imperial edicts, handwritten by the Empress herself, were sent to the fiefdoms of the three vassal kings at the fastest speed.
The imperial decree was filled with boundless imperial grace.
In her decree, the Empress highly praised the three vassal kings.
During the critical moment in the capital, he was "loyal to the country" and "never rebelled".
To recognize the "merits" of her three imperial uncles, she decided to summon all three princes to the capital.
She wanted to personally promote them, bestow upon them countless titles and honors.
This is the first step of a calculated strategy—a promotion in name only, a demotion in reality, a diversion to lure the enemy away from their prey.
Upon receiving the imperial decree, the three vassal kings were all like ants on a hot pan.
They know better than anyone how ridiculous their so-called "achievements" are.
They're already lucky they didn't take advantage of the chaos; what credit do they deserve?
This was clearly a trap.
Going there would be like walking into a trap, turning one into a caged bird in the capital, never to return to one's own territory.
But what if we don't go?
That's blatant defiance of the imperial decree!
At this moment when this white-haired sword saint is renowned throughout the world, what difference is there between disobeying the imperial decree and courting death?
They certainly don't want to be found "ashamed to death" in their own mansion one day.
The three princes are now so worried in their palaces that their hair is almost turning white.
They secretly contacted each other, discussed countermeasures, and even sent people to seek help from the three major sects that had been secretly colluding with them.
However, the responses from the three major sects were surprisingly consistent.
"Sects should obey the orders of the imperial court and dare not presume to discuss state affairs."
Upon receiving this reply, the three princes were so angry they nearly smashed the table.
No? What do you mean by "not daring to discuss state affairs"?
Weren't you the ones who encouraged us to amass troops and rebel?
Now that they have encountered an invincible national advisor, they abandon us like worn-out shoes.
The three vassal kings cursed the three major sects in their hearts for their ruthlessness, and they almost cursed each of their ancestors for eighteen generations.
Despite their criticism, they are also very clear about their current situation.
The three major sects severed ties with them, effectively cutting off their last hope.
Now, they have been isolated by the entire Daqian.
In the end, after several days of torment, the three princes had no choice but to swallow their anger and suffer in silence.
Each of them, accompanied by a small personal guard, traveled to the capital to claim their reward with great trepidation.
When they arrived in the capital, they received their new official titles from the Empress at the grand ceremony of bestowing honors.
Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, and Grand Protector—these official titles may seem prestigious, but they are merely nominal positions without any real power.
This is a clear case of promotion in name only, a demotion in reality.
Immediately following, the second step of the open conspiracy arrived.
The Empress issued another decree, declaring that in order to strengthen national defense and counter the threat from the Qing army in the north, she decided to reform the national military system.
All private armies under the control of the feudal lords will be reorganized into the national defense army.
They were then transferred in batches to the northern border, which directly faced the Qing army, for reorganization.
When the three vassal kings learned of this news, their anxiety finally subsided.
In the past, if the imperial court had issued this order, they would have had a hundred ways to refuse.
Now, the Grand Preceptor of the Qianlong Emperor has defeated two Grandmasters of the Qing army, and his prestige in the army has reached its peak.
With such prestige, nothing they do can change anything.
Even if they wanted to rebel now, the vast majority of their soldiers would absolutely not agree.
What? You want me to go and fight that Great Sage Protector of the Nation?
Go fight that white-haired sword saint who single-handedly killed two grandmasters and slaughtered through 100,000 snow wolf cavalry?
Screw you, I'll be the first to beat you up when the time comes.
Therefore, the three vassal kings had no choice but to relinquish their military power.
Refusing to relinquish military power will result in immediate death, while relinquishing it will not only save you from death but also earn you a reputation as a loyal subject.
Given this choice, the three feudal lords naturally chose the latter.
Faced with this series of overtly conspiracies that they could not refuse, the three princes, already trapped in the capital and reduced to commanders without any power,
Despite their deep resentment and unwillingness, they dared not utter a single act of resistance.
Because they knew that the Great Protector of the Nation was deep within the palace, coldly watching them.
They could only watch helplessly as their military power and territory, painstakingly built up over decades, were used to benefit the imperial court.
Ultimately, the problem of vassal kings that had plagued the Great Qian Dynasty for decades was thus resolved.
This was resolved peacefully with almost no bloodshed.
Those once arrogant feudal lords were now confined to the magnificent cage of the capital.
Of course, it's impossible for them to live out their lives as wealthy and leisurely people here.
You have to understand, they had rebellious intentions before, how could they let the rest of their lives be so peaceful?
Their ambitions led to the loss of two border states of the Great Qian Dynasty and caused countless people of the Great Qian Dynasty to be displaced.
Such a heinous crime cannot be simply wiped away like this.
When the time is right, Empress Li Yuechan will settle this score with them properly.
Thus, for the first time in hundreds of years since its founding, the Great Qian Dynasty achieved true centralization and unification.