Chapter 209 Preparing to Attack the Wilderness Kingdom

Xiao Qidi uttered four words expressionlessly, "I don't care."

Rong Ruigong's last ounce of anger did not elicit any emotional response from Xiao Qidi. He vomited a large amount of blood on the spot and died.

Subsequently, Xiao Qidi followed the established plan, ordering the Imperial Guards to imprison the dozen or so ministers, led by Minister Wen, in the imperial prison, and then announced to the public that Duke Rongrui had been beaten to death in a conflict in the court.

All the princes and nobles living in the royal city rushed to the royal palace.

Once they had all arrived, the Imperial Guards caught them like fish in a barrel, arresting them all and sealing off their residences overnight, imprisoning all those involved.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining members of the royal family and nobility scattered throughout the Great Xuan also received news of Rongrui's death.

This was a matter of great importance to the royal family, and no one dared to delay, so they immediately rushed back to the capital.

This included several royal family members, including the son of Rongrui Gong, who held various military powers.

They were all immersed in great grief and rushed back to attend the funeral. Little did they know that this was a trap set by Xiao Qidi and the officials of the capital. They also thought that the imperial guards in the capital were all in the hands of the royal family, so they were not on guard at all.

As a result, they all walked right into a trap, and before they could even see Rongrui Gong's remains, they were all beheaded by the Imperial Guards.

Less than a month.

From the capital to the provinces, hundreds of core members of the royal and aristocratic group centered around the Xiao family were either dead or imprisoned, all under Xiao Qidi's control.

Prior to this, he had already given Qingyoutai detailed information about this group of people.

They then acted swiftly and decisively to handle the situation.

First, by using the cases of Duke Rongrui and Lady Ronghua, the royal family and noble classes were directly abolished, and all titles such as duke, marquis, earl, viscount, and baron were canceled.

Secondly, among the former princes and nobles, those who had committed offenses were to be executed without mercy; those who had neither merit nor demerit were to be stripped of all their authority and become commoners, no longer enjoying any preferential treatment; those who had made merits were to be either temporarily retained in their positions or transferred away from their original posts, depending on their specific achievements.

Finally, laws were enacted to prohibit the theory of bloodline, and the principle that anyone with both virtue and talent could be selected as an official through the imperial court, regardless of their background, was included in the Great Xuan Law.

As for the dozen or so court officials under Minister Wen, considering their redemption and repentance, they were transferred to various prefectures and counties as local officials after their abilities were assessed, in order to assist Xiao Qidi in promoting subsequent reforms.

As expected, Yu Guo was renamed Wangxi Province, just as Xiao Qidi had envisioned, with Duan Wu serving as the governor of Wangxi.

The original Huangsha Pass was also incorporated into its provincial capital, Linxian City, forming the largest city since the establishment of the Xuan Kingdom.

The Kingdom of Shayue was incorporated into Bashu Commandery and named Tianfu Province. The original city of Bashu Commandery became the city of Tianfu Province. Xue, the former Imperial Censor who had been demoted to the magistrate of Hewan County, was promoted to the position of Governor-General of Tianfu.

Qi Zhan and Mu Cheng took command of 200,000 border troops in the eastern part of Da Xuan and began preparations to attack the Desolate Kingdom.

Two months have passed in the blink of an eye.

Winter cold waves gradually descended upon the Central Plains from north to south.

The Wasteland Kingdom had fought a war with the Kingdom of An more than three months ago and had recovered a lot of territory that had been taken away by the Kingdom of An. However, this also damaged its strength, and many places were experiencing shortages of food and supplies for the winter.

Memorials from all over the country were sent to the king of the desolate kingdom.

The king of the desolate kingdom was undecided, so he summoned the prime minister and several of his favorite ministers to his study to discuss the matter.

"Prime Minister, these memorials are giving me a headache. Please take a look at them for me." The king of the desolate kingdom affectionately pulled the prime minister and sat down with him on the couch covered with a cashmere blanket.

The prime minister stroked his goatee, casually flipped through the bamboo slips, and without looking at them closely, tossed them into the stove where he was warming himself.

The king of the desolate kingdom was greatly alarmed. "Prime Minister, these are petitions from many places in the desolate region requesting support from the capital! It seems many people are lacking clothing and food, and are struggling to survive the winter. How can you possibly provide this..."

The Prime Minister laughed and said, "Those local officials must have exaggerated. Since they've already annoyed and given His Majesty a headache, we might as well burn some firewood for warmth."

The king of the desolate kingdom hesitated for a moment, then tentatively asked, "Even if it's an exaggeration, these situations should still exist. I wonder if the prime minister has any way to deal with them?"

The Prime Minister pointed to the bamboo slips burning in the stove, "Isn't this it? They are all trivial matters, Your Majesty need not take them to heart."

"Ah? Are we just going to ignore it?" The king of the desolate kingdom frowned. "Prime Minister Sun and General Mu have repeatedly warned me that the affairs of the people are of all importance..."

The prime minister looked displeased. "Your Majesty, one is an old man who is already dead, and the other is a traitor who killed our border general and fled the pass. Why are you still holding onto their words?"

The king of the desolate kingdom was somewhat embarrassed and forced an apologetic and ingratiating smile. "I have been influenced by them for too long and mentioned it without thinking. It was my fault for being so talkative. Please forgive me, Prime Minister."

A minister standing nearby, while drinking, casually asked, "How did Your Majesty handle this situation in previous years?"

Without a second thought, the king of the desolate kingdom said, “I don’t need to handle this. It was all done by the former prime minister and General Mu… uh… that traitor. On one hand, they transferred grain, clothing, and firewood from places with surplus to places in need. On the other hand, they made everyone in the capital, from the princes and nobles to the officials in the court, reduce their salaries, and the common people in the capital cut back on their food and clothing to save up grain and supplies to send over. Alas, every winter, even I have to cut my meals in half. It has really made me suffer a lot… Other princes and nobles also have many complaints.”

"This is utterly outrageous!" the Prime Minister roared. "To expect our Emperor and nobles to aid the common people? Your Majesty, you will no longer suffer this year! Let those lowly people die if they want, but Your Majesty must not be wronged!"

The king of the desolate kingdom was instantly moved to tears, "You are still the one who is good to me."

The Prime Minister hurriedly replied, "Of course! I care about nothing else but that Your Majesty may be at ease!"

“We are the same!” The other ministers present echoed.

The king of the desolate kingdom could never have imagined that these men, though speaking sweetly, were actually just trying to avoid having their salaries reduced. To squeeze some food out of them to help the people would be worse than killing them.

"You are all my good ministers!" The king of the desolate kingdom was in tears. "When I was a child, I was disciplined by the late king, and when I grew up, I was still disciplined by those surnamed Sun and Mu. No one has ever considered my feelings like you have. Having you is the greatest blessing in my life!"

Taking advantage of the king's deep emotion, the prime minister leaned closer and said, "Your Majesty, I have heard that quite a few military generals and some of Mu Cheng's former subordinates have been quite critical lately..."

The king of the desolate kingdom exclaimed in surprise, "Really? How come I haven't heard of it?"

The Prime Minister grasped his hand and said solemnly, "I did not wish to disturb Your Majesty, so I prevented those absurd claims from reaching Your Majesty's ears. However, after much deliberation today, I feel it is still necessary for Your Majesty to know, otherwise..."

"Otherwise what?"

"Alas, I am worried that those military generals and Mu Cheng's former subordinates will become increasingly dissatisfied with Your Majesty."

"No way?"

The king of the Wilderness shook his head. “I know that some generals had a good relationship with Mu Cheng in the past, mainly because they admired his ability to lead troops in battle. Mu Cheng’s former subordinates have always been loyal to the Great Wilderness. Mu Cheng’s rebellion was a matter of course for me to deal with him. How could they be dissatisfied with me?”

The Prime Minister's expression was grim. "Did Your Majesty ever foresee that Mu Cheng would plot a rebellion?"

The king of the desolate kingdom frowned, then shook his head, before pausing, a look of fear on his face. "What does the Prime Minister mean...?"

"Your Majesty is wise; you thought of that in no time," the Prime Minister flattered. "They have always been close to Mu Cheng, so Your Majesty must be wary!"

The king of the desolate kingdom fell silent, frowning as he did not immediately express his opinion.

The prime minister immediately gave the other ministers a wink.

"Yes, we must be on guard!" The other ministers immediately echoed.

“That’s right, Your Majesty. What if one of them follows Mu Cheng’s example?”

"Or perhaps some of them harbor resentment towards the Emperor because of his treatment of Mu Cheng? Even if they haven't done anything outrageous yet, who knows, one day they might..."

"..."

The king of the desolate kingdom grew increasingly uneasy as he listened, but he still hesitated and said timidly, "I still need them to guard the border. Besides... several places that were taken away by the An Kingdom were taken back by them and Mu Cheng. Now I need them to manage those places."

"Did they steal those?" the Prime Minister immediately retorted confidently. "If I hadn't brought back over two hundred thousand sets of iron weapons and equipment from Xuan Kingdom, could they have defeated An Kingdom's army?"

The king of the desolate kingdom chuckled, "That's true, Prime Minister, don't be angry. I didn't mean to overlook your contributions..."

The Prime Minister then said, "For the sake of the Great Wilderness and for the sake of Your Majesty, I do nothing for personal gain. I only hope that Your Majesty will not be confused and will not take those people too seriously."

"Then... what does the Prime Minister think I should do?" The king of the desolate kingdom looked at him expectantly.

The Prime Minister stroked his goatee. “Those reclaimed territories are quite rich. If they are still under the control of those generals who are on good terms with Mu Cheng or his former subordinates, they will definitely take the opportunity to secretly amass wealth and expand their power. Therefore, they must be taken over by people who are truly loyal to the Emperor.”

"Who? Are you suggesting I send you, Prime Minister?" The king of the desolate kingdom asked with a worried expression. "But if you go, who will be in charge of the court? I cannot do without you!"

The Prime Minister laughed and said, “Your Majesty, do not be afraid. Your subject will not leave you. Besides your subject, the ministers present are also loyal. Moreover, Your Majesty may not know, but their sons have all joined the Great Wilderness Army. However, they were always suppressed by Mu Cheng and his gang. They have great skills but cannot serve Your Majesty. Now, with just one word from Your Majesty, they can manage the territories that Your Majesty has recovered.”

The king of the desolate kingdom was overjoyed, exclaiming, "Excellent! Excellent!"

However, he still turned to ask those ministers a question.

"Are your sons truly capable of shouldering such a great responsibility? They will not only have to manage those territories for me, but also guard against Anguo seizing them again. Anguo's army is not easy to deal with."

The ministers exchanged glances.

They all thought that the Great Wilderness Army over there was equipped with more than 200,000 sets of iron weapons and equipment from the Yuanyu Kingdom, so defeating the An Kingdom should be a piece of cake, and they might even be able to clash with the Xuan Kingdom's army.

Anyone who went there could have been a good commander even with their eyes closed.

They could then use their positions and military power to amass wealth for themselves and the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister's recommendation now is clearly an implication of this intention.

How could I refuse such a good thing?

So, even though they knew their son wasn't very capable, they still confidently agreed, promising that he would do even better than Mu Cheng and might even be able to help the king conquer Anguo in the future.

The king of the desolate kingdom was even more pleased to hear these words. "Excellent! I am now completely at ease! Prime Minister, let us arrange things as you wish!"

A triumphant smile flashed in the Prime Minister's eyes. "Thank you for your trust, Your Majesty. Well then... if those generals who are on good terms with Mu Cheng, and Mu Chen's thousands of former subordinates, refuse to comply with the arrangements, I should..."

"Kill them if they deserve it! Go ahead and do it!" The king of the Wilderness Kingdom waved his hand. "Let them all see for themselves whose Wilderness this really is!"

The Prime Minister cupped his hands in greeting, "Of course it is Your Majesty's will. In that case, I will obey Your Majesty's decree and will not show any mercy to those people."

The king of the desolate kingdom was completely unaware of the seriousness of the situation. Instead, he held the prime minister's hand affectionately and said with genuine concern, "You've really worked too hard, Prime Minister."

"To relieve Your Majesty's worries and troubles is hardly a hardship," the Prime Minister said, adopting a posture of utmost loyalty. "As long as Your Majesty can enjoy your life in peace, I will not feel tired no matter how much I do. Your Majesty, a few days ago I specially obtained a batch of top-quality charcoal made from golden nanmu wood. Even if all the rooms in the palace use it day and night, it will be enough to last until next spring."

The king of the desolate kingdom quickly said, "The prime minister is so thoughtful. I feel warm all over, even more comfortable than sitting by a fire."

“In the past, even the use of charcoal for heating in the palace was subject to time and quantity restrictions. One year, it even caused the death of a pair of canaries that I particularly liked. I wanted to get more charcoal, but Mu Cheng said that it was only two birds that froze to death. Many people in impoverished areas still rely on a little charcoal to get through the winter, so he forbade me to use more charcoal.”

"I'm truly furious! Does he really think that a few ordinary people are more important than my beloved pet? Sigh, what a miserable winter I've always had..."

Whenever these matters were mentioned, the king of the desolate kingdom would be heartbroken and beat his chest in anguish.

The prime minister and several ministers immediately comforted him and, incidentally, gave Mu Cheng another good scolding, helping the king of the desolate kingdom vent his anger.

They also said that even if Mu Cheng escaped to Xuan Kingdom, once the Great Wilderness destroyed Xuan Kingdom, they would definitely find Mu Cheng and tear him to pieces.

"Oh, right!" The king of the Desolate Kingdom slapped his forehead. "I almost forgot, General Liu from the Xuanhuang Mountains is dead, and we're short of someone to take over as the Grand General of Zhenhuang Pass! Does Your Excellency have anyone in mind?"

The prime minister frowned.

The Xuanhuang Mountains are the border region between the Great Wilderness and the Xuan Kingdom.

The two countries ruled from the mountains, and both relied on this mountain range as a natural defensive barrier between them.

It is a very important place for the desolate country.

However, the Xuanhuang Mountains are mostly primeval forests with extremely harsh environments, making it a real ordeal to guard them.

He quickly thought it over. He didn't want his own men to suffer, nor did he want any other generals who had no connection with Mu Cheng to take on this important task. So he said, "It's simple. Just promote one of General Liu's deputy generals."

The king of the Wilderness Kingdom said, "At this time of year, Mu Cheng would collect extra cold-weather supplies such as quilts, winter clothes, and cotton shoes from the royal city and send them to Zhenhuang Pass. If it was a bumper year, he would also send more grain and meat. He said that because the Xuanhuang Mountain Range is full of high mountains and is colder than other parts of the Great Wilderness, the soldiers of Zhenhuang Pass especially need to keep warm so that they can cope if the Xuan Kingdom attacks. Shouldn't the prime minister also make some arrangements?"