If you neglect one thing while focusing on another too many times, it will not be easy to stabilize the situation.
After the three forces fought back and forth for a while, not only did she eat away more than 90% of the newly occupied states and counties of the King of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo, but she also controlled their relatives who stayed in the northern and southern borders.
What made Prince Zhenbei and Duke Jingguo most upset was not their complete defeat, but the fact that they only learned about the fact that their relatives were being controlled because Yu Zizhen "kindly" wrote to them.
At this point, Prince Zhenbei and Duke Jingguo both knew very well that they had actually reached the end of their road.
Not only did the two of them suffer day and night because of this, and their hair grew grayer day by day, but also huge differences of opinion began to emerge among their advisers and generals.
Some thought they should choose to surrender as soon as possible, while others thought they should be more resolute and fight to the death. The two factions argued constantly, constantly making suggestions to the Prince of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo.
However, before the Prince of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo could make a decision, the defenders in the north started fighting with the foreign tribes who could no longer restrain themselves.
Upon receiving the news, King Zhenbei wished he could immediately break through the siege of Yu Zizhen's forces and return to the border as quickly as possible. However, before he could contact Yu Zizhen, Yu Zizhen took the initiative to send him the latest news.
Yu Zizhen told him that the troops she sent attacked with precision and, together with the remaining part of the Zhenbei King, had repelled the invading enemy.
Moreover, her people also captured several spies planted by Beiyan in the northern border. The confessions of the spies attached to the letter clearly stated how "great contributions" the lustful fifth cousin of the King of Zhenbei had made in Beiyan's large-scale military deployment.
The King of Zhenbei read all the content that Yu Zizhen had sent him with shaking hands, "Asshole, what a bastard."
His advisers had been observing the changes in the Zhenbei King's expression. After he finally finished reading the ridiculously thick letter that Yu Zizhen had sent, they hurriedly asked him tentatively, "Your Highness, what exactly is written in the letter?"
King Zhenbei handed the letter to the counselor closest to him and said, "Read it for yourselves."
He was angry at Yu Zizhen's ruthlessness towards his biological father, and at his fifth cousin's lustful behavior. Of course, he was most angry at himself. He was angry at himself for claiming to be a hero, but in the end he was repeatedly blinded by his family and made serious mistakes.
Before the Prince of Zhenbei could adjust his mood, Yu Zizhen sent someone to use bows and arrows to deliver a letter of surrender with similar content to the besieged Prince of Zhenbei and Duke Jingguo.
Although the letter of persuasion for surrender was not written by her personally, it was written entirely according to her instructions.
She first fully affirmed their achievements in guarding the border over the years, and then very honestly and enthusiastically helped them analyze their current predicament.
After finishing her analysis, she ignored the writer's subtle objections and wrote a very blunt sentence, "Stop struggling. You have no chance of winning."
Finally, Yu Zizhen advised them, for the sake of the country and the people, as well as for their own sake, to quit while they were ahead. Now that Northern Yan had already attacked and the Southern Barbarians had quelled the civil strife, they would soon be able to free up their hands to look north to the Central Plains. If they chose to surrender, they would also gain a good reputation for considering the overall situation and having a sense of justice.
She gave the Prince of Zhenbei and the Duke of Jingguo two choices. One was to be granted the title of a prince of a different surname and live in the capital with their families to enjoy wealth and prosperity. The other was that they would continue to guard the border, but all the female members of their families and children under the age of fifteen would have to live in the capital permanently.
Of course, Yu Zizhen also said that no matter which one they chose, they would have to live their lives in accordance with the law like everyone else, and the soldiers under their command would have to accept Yu Zizhen's unified management and dispatch.
This so-called unified management and dispatch included, but was not limited to, complying with the military management regulations formulated by Yu Zizhen, controlling the size of the army within the range permitted by Yu Zizhen, re-screening and registering the soldiers under their command, and sending all soldiers who were not of the appropriate age group and had physical disabilities to retire and return home.
In addition, Yu Zizhen also proposed that all the land owned by them, their family members, and their subordinates must be unconditionally subject to unified investigation. She will nationalize the land that is obtained through illegal means free of charge and deal with the parties involved according to the law.
This clause regarding land, like the one regarding military power, will severely harm the interests of the Prince of Zhenbei, the Duke of Jingguo, their families, and their subordinates. However, Yu Zizhen also said, "Don't be angry when you see this. This is not intentionally targeting you. I simply formulated the relevant policies for nationalizing land. I specifically had it written in advance to give you ample time to prepare yourself mentally."
Not only did he provide an explanation, Yu Zizhen even thoughtfully attached all the regulations regarding nationalization of land.
Prince Zhenbei and Duke Jingguo then realized that Yu Zizhen had actually stubbornly touched the fundamental interests of those big and small forces.
The two of them thought in unison, "No wonder even though she killed so many people to establish her authority, there are still people in the eastern region who are eager to overthrow her rule."
Of course, to be able to capture the capital city alive and well after doing such a thing and force them into a desperate situation, Yu Zizhen is more than just stubborn. The two of them seriously suspect that she is actually made of iron and steel that cannot be pierced, beaten or poisoned.
Otherwise, with her ability to make people hate her, the two felt that she would not have survived until now.
"It's time, fate, and luck." Duke Jingguo sighed and threw the letter to his children, grandchildren, and subordinates to read.
Although the old man felt very sorry that what he had planned for many years ended in complete failure, when he thought of Yu Zizhen, he inexplicably had a strange feeling of being convinced of defeat.
In his opinion, if he and the King of Zhenbei were the type who were blessed by God, then Yu Zizhen was probably the type who was chased, coaxed and fed by God. Otherwise, she would not have been able to achieve what he and the King of Zhenbei had been unable to achieve in just over ten years as a helpless woman.
Lord Jingguo accepted his fate, but Prince Zhenbei, who received the letter of surrender almost at the same time as him, was not so easy to look at this matter calmly.
He felt it was extremely shameful to submit to his own daughter, and for the thousandth time he cried out in his heart, asking why God had not given Yu Zizhen a male body.
If Yu Zizhen was a man, the King of Zhenbei believed that the Princess of Zhenbei would not treat her like that, and she would not have such a big complaint about being taken to the capital as a hostage.
Unfortunately, there is no such thing as "if" in this world.
No matter how complicated the King of Zhenbei's mood was, he eventually broke away from his fantasy and returned to reality, forcing himself to calm down and face the mess in front of him.
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