Chapter 3: Rebellion of the Three Guards
Ji Zhao and Tai Gong stood on the city gate, watching the newly enfeoffed princes leave Haojing. They brought with them a large number of retainers, slaves, goods, and weapons. Taking the opportunity of the enfeoffment, Ji Zhao reorganized the six armies directly under the emperor. Although the number of people was much smaller, their fighting power was much better.
In Ji Zhao's eyes, these people have different fates.
Some of them had black aura floating above their heads, proving that the process of their becoming a vassal would not be smooth, and their lives might even be in danger; some of them had purple aura spreading straight into the sky, and at a glance they were the Tang Hou, Yan Hou and other overlords in history, all of whom were relatives of the Ji clan.
The eldest sons of Ji Zhao and Taigong Wang were also among them, going to their fiefdoms on their behalf. Moreover, these two people brought the most soldiers, numbering thousands!
Ji Zhao's eyes were on the largest caravans, which were the caravans of Pan Geng, the former prince of the Shang Dynasty. He was appointed to the former Shang territory to appease the remnants of the Shang Dynasty and was given the title of Duke.
In order to supervise this prince, Ji Zhao appointed the elders of the Ji clan to Guan, Yong and Bei, all of which were marquisates, blocking almost every transportation route for Pan Geng to leave Yin.
"Tai Gong, do you think that the three Marquis of Guan, Yong, and Bei can keep an eye on Pan Geng, the king of the Shang Dynasty?"
Tai Gong Wang pondered and said, "If you try your best, there will be no problem, but..."
Ji Zhao understood what Tai Gong Wang meant and said with a smile: "These people are either my uncles or my brothers. They are all elders of the Ji clan and the closest relatives of the emperor. If we treat them harshly, how can the majesty of the clan law be reflected?"
There are ninety-six countries and sixty-seven princes with the surname Ji. Within ten years, the power of the Ji clan will expand greatly. By then, the biggest threats, the old people of the Shang Dynasty and the invasions of barbarians, will be defeated, and the status of the emperor will naturally be consolidated.
As for the possibility that the emperor would not be able to hold the sharp sword of the Ji clan in the future, this was not within his consideration. If he could not even do something like reducing the power of the princes when the patriarchal system was at its most strict, it would be better for the emperor to abdicate and let others take over.
However, Ji Zhao had naturally considered Taigong Wang's concerns. "Taigong's concerns are reasonable. At that time, Taigong may have to follow me and lead the emperor's three armies to the east to quell the rebellion. By then, I don't know how many of the ninety-six countries will be stripped of their titles and exterminated."
Tai Gong Wang replied: "When the late king was dying, he entrusted the state of Zhou to you. Besides, Qi Jiang is the queen, so how can I not do my best?"
Qi Jiang was the queen, and her child was the legitimate son, who would definitely inherit the throne in the future. At that time, Qi would be the true uncle state.
When Ji Zhao dies, even if Luo State is still one of the most important vassal states in the East, it will certainly not be able to maintain its current transcendent status. By then, Qi State will be the number one among all the countries, especially all the princes of different surnames in the world will have to regard the Marquis of Qi as their leader.
Ji Zhao paused, then smiled again and said, "The queen is of noble birth, and I believe she will give birth to a prince in the future to continue the prosperity of our Zhou Dynasty."
For Ji Zhao, the moment he got the Heavenly Grade·Heavenly Man Card, the Ji-Jiang alliance became dispensable. But putting aside the fact that he would not directly expand it, from Bang Zhou's perspective, this alliance was very necessary to maintain stability.
You know, the Ji-Jiang Alliance is not just an alliance between the emperor and the Jiang clan, there is also a small Ji-Jiang Alliance - the Qi-Luo Alliance. With the combination of Qi and Luo and the newly built capital, the entire East will be stable in this triangular power structure.
The two smiled at each other and said no more.
As the news came that the emperor had appointed Wu Geng as Duke, ruling the old land of the Shang Dynasty and managing the old people of the Shang Dynasty, the remaining people of the Shang Dynasty were very happy, especially because the emperor allowed them to use the old customs of the Shang Dynasty, they were even more jubilant.
Wu Geng was worried and said to his trusted ministers many times: "The Zhou emperor granted me the capital of my homeland to comfort the survivors, but the three kingdoms of Guan, Yong and Bei have surrounded me. If they want to harm me, how can I resist?"
He could never have imagined that the three marquises Guan, Yong and Bei didn't care about supervising him at all.
Guan Hou was the oldest brother of King Wu and the most qualified minister to be regent. However, King Wu unexpectedly bypassed him and chose Ji Zhao as regent.
He had expressed his dissatisfaction to his superiors many times: "The late king passed away, and I am the eldest son of the clan. Ji Zhao is only the fourth son. How can I be the regent and govern the country?"
Moreover, although Ji Zhao expanded the power of the various Ji princes and granted fiefs to the princes on a large scale, he strictly restricted their development with etiquette. Moreover, he only got the status of a marquis, which was the same status as the Marquis of Jin, whom he had always looked down upon. This made him even more dissatisfied.
Yong Hou and Bei Hou were the elders of the clan, so they were unwilling to be inferior to Ji Zhao, a younger generation. So they spread rumors among the vassal states, "The emperor is young, and Ji Zhao must have evil intentions in his regent position. I'm afraid he wants to replace the emperor and establish himself as king."
The three decided to join forces to cause chaos.
Wu Geng was worried day and night and was restless, so he joined forces with the three marquises of Guan, Yong and Bei, and mobilized dozens of state rulers who were close to the Shang Dynasty but had not been enthroned by the Zhou emperor. He also led a group of princes, and the entire Shang Dynasty's former territory was almost involved in war.
…
Ho Kyung.
The news of the rebellion in Guan, Yong, Bei and Song was transmitted back almost at the fastest speed. The two marquises of Qi and Luo had already led many princes to start fighting with the rebels.
In the palace, the ten-year-old King Kang Ji Yun sat on the throne, holding Ji Zhao's clothes with his little hand, and asked, "Uncle Wang, are you going to go out to fight and wipe out the rebels? Just like father did."
The only ministers in the hall were Ji Zhao, Taigong Wang, and Ji Zhao's half-brother Cheng Houlin.
Ji Zhao and Taigong Wang were both wearing armor and holding swords, and there was no panic on their faces. This rebellion was something they had expected.
"Don't worry, Your Majesty. They are just some rebels. This time, I will go to war with Taigong, and the affairs of the country will be handed over to Marquis Cheng. Your Majesty can discuss anything with Marquis Cheng." He then looked at Ji Lin, "Marquis Cheng, you must be cautious when staying in the royal city this time, serve the emperor wholeheartedly, and remember not to make any mistakes."
Upon hearing this, Cheng Houlin immediately bowed and said, "I will definitely keep in mind what the Prime Minister said. The food supply will not be in short supply and will not delay the Prime Minister's plan to march east."
Ji Zhao and Taigong Wang's expedition to the east was not just to deal with a rebellion. After suppressing the rebellion, they would take advantage of the victory to search the eastern countries, build Luoyi, and prepare for the subsequent division and governance of Shaanxi. After all, the emperor was growing up day by day, and the world would eventually be handed back to him.
This time I will be away from the capital for at least three years and at most five years. Naturally, I will have to hand over the capital city of Haojing to my own people before I can feel at ease.
As for the Eastern Expedition, Ji Zhao was 100% confident. After two years of accumulation, his strength was now incomparable.
[Clan leaders: Ji Zhao, Luo Zhao (first generation ancestors)
Title: Marquis (Monarch)
Country: Zhou Dynasty, Luo State.
Faction: Royal Family.
Politics: 90; Strategy: 90; Military strategy: 90.
Faction reputation: hatred, indifference, neutral, friendly, respect, and admiration.
①Royal family: neutral; ②Nobles: friendly; ③Army: friendly; ④Fellow countrymen: friendly; ⑤Rebels: hateful.
Luck Points: 15000
Props:
① Heavenly Stage·Heavenly Man Card (How could one be like this if not the incarnation of a god?): Use this card to instantly become the incarnation of eternal wisdom. The three-dimensional attributes rise to 100. As a prime minister, you can stabilize the country, comfort the people, provide food and supplies, and ensure that the army has an uninterrupted supply of food. As a strategist, you can make plans in the tent and win battles thousands of miles away. As a general, you can lead millions of troops to win every battle and take every city.
②Tianjie·Sitianjiantai: This is a national treasure. Users can build it according to the blueprint. After it is built, they can stand in it to adjust the celestial phenomena of a country and bless the dynasty with good weather and good harvests.
③ Earth Rank·Heart Knot: Use this item to connect one person, and the trust is always full. 】
Although he had not been able to obtain any more items in the past two years, the two heaven-level items, one earth-level item, the three previous achievements, plus the accumulation of the past two years, totaled 15,000 luck points.
After several years of training and learning, his three-dimensional attributes have exceeded 90, all reaching the level of famous officials. He can be called a small hexagonal warrior. Coupled with his extraordinary knowledge, Ji Zhao is confident that he can handle any problem in this era.
Moreover, the army, nobles, and people are all subservient to him. Not all members of the royal family are rebellious like the Three Supervisors. For example, Marquis Jin, Marquis Cheng and a group of other princes with the surname Ji are on his side. With one mind, he will surely win this battle.
The three of them discussed some subsequent matters concerning the expedition. At the grand court meeting, Ji Zhao announced to all the ministers in the royal capital that he was going to go on the expedition, and the emperor held a grand ceremony to offer sacrifices to the heavens.
Ji Zhao took away half of the emperor's six most elite armies that guarded the royal capital. At this time, one army had 12,000 people, a total of more than 30,000 troops, which set out from Haojing in a mighty manner and headed towards the eastern part of Bang Zhou.
The central army chariot.
Ji Zhao and Taigong Wang sat opposite each other.
"What a farce!"
"It's a farce, but the rebels are numerous, so Dazai should be cautious."
"If we divide them and destroy them, they will be nothing but chickens and dogs, and will not be able to withstand a single blow."
Ji Zhao closed his eyes and thought quietly, pondering the direction of mountains and rivers, and where he could march, set up camp, ambush, and deploy troops.
Many people have played too many strategy games and think that war is simply a matter of strategy. In fact, the status of a counselor is far inferior to that of a general.
The so-called unity is based on righteousness, and the general who commands the troops is righteousness.
The ability of a general to command troops is the foundation for all plans to be realized, but commanding troops is actually a very boring task. Most of the time, it is just marching, setting up camps, and deploying defenses step by step.
Ji Zhao came from the royal capital of Haojing, holding the emperor's edict, ordering the princes to send out their troops to assist the three armies.
The monarchs of various countries knew very well that if they did not lend a helping hand at this time, when Ji Zhao returned after suppressing the rebellion, they would have nothing to gain. Death would certainly not be their worst option, but being stripped of their titles and kingdoms would be worse than death!
Besides, they are already very satisfied with the current order, so naturally they don't like troublemakers like the Three Supervisors.
By the time Ji Zhao finally set foot on the old land of the Shang Dynasty and held a meeting with the princes, he had 60,000 soldiers. Together with the slaves who served as cannon fodder and transported food and grass, the number of troops exceeded 200,000.
"Dazai is truly extremely knowledgeable. This is his first time commanding an army of 200,000, and he was able to manage it in an orderly manner, surpassing many generals who have fought wars for many years."
Tai Gongwang praised half-seriously and half-falsely.
Taigong Wang was not surprised that Ji Zhao was able to command an army of 30,000 troops in an orderly manner, because 30,000 people were not a large number, and basically any talented general could do the same when he was just starting out.
But the two hundred thousand troops were still well organized, which even made Taigong Wang feel a little incredible. You know, Ji Zhao had never commanded an army!
The command of a large military group requires the support of experience, this is an unshakable truth!
If Taigong knew that there was a god-like person named Han Xin in later generations, who could lead a large army right away, win battle after battle, and could command an army of hundreds of thousands of people in battle with ease, he probably would not think that what Ji Zhao did was anything special.
There are ninety-six countries in the world this time, and twenty-three countries are in rebellion with the Three Supervisors or are being held hostage by the Three Supervisors. At this moment, there are twenty-six princes under Ji Zhao. The princes in the north and south who have received the emperor's edict are still hesitating on the way.
These princes who were granted fiefdoms in the north and south were either distant relatives of the Ji clan or princes of different clans. Their countries were small and weak, and they were busy fighting with the barbarians for days. They did not want to take part in the war in the Central Plains, nor did they dare to withdraw their troops.
Most of them consisted of dozens of armored soldiers with hundreds of slaves as well as money and food supplies for the army. Ji Zhao did not care. After all, one of his purposes of enfeoffment of princes was to wipe out the barbarians throughout the world.
(End of this chapter)
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