After the Wei court demonstrated its strength to all the major sects through the weapon "Thunderbolt", all the sects in Wei, whether sincere or not, expressed that they would obey the orders of the Wei court in the future and would not dare to disobey again.
Neither Chu Fan nor the royal family of Wei had expected that it would take some effort to make these sects in Wei surrender. However, they did not expect that after the Ministry of Industry produced the "Sky-shaking Bomb", the Wei court would have absolute say.
The warriors from stronger forces may be able to save their lives in the face of "Sky-shaking Thunder", but there are many low-level warriors in these sects or many family members are ordinary people. If the Wei court uses "Sky-shaking Thunder", then their sects will have no way to resist the attack of the Wei court.
In addition, the current Emperor Wei was no longer a foolish monarch, so they didn't need to worry that the Wei court would make them do things that would harm the interests of their clan. It was just that they could no longer act as they pleased, and would have to abide by the rules and laws of the Wei court.
However, after witnessing the terrifying power of the "Sky-Shaking Bomb," their previous disdain for ordinary people vanished completely. With weapons like the "Sky-Shaking Bomb," they understood that even ordinary people could now harm them. If they continued to oppress them as they had before, then once they angered them, they would be able to use the "Sky-Shaking Bomb" to resist, and they would face irreparable disaster.
These sects were filled with fear for the Wei court, knowing full well the calamity that would result if such weapons were used in war. In the past, these sects might have been able to contend with the Wei court, but now, with Wei possessing such weapons, they no longer dared to even think of resisting.
After these sects expressed their submission to the Wei court, the Wei court also fulfilled its promise and allowed these sects to develop better in the Wei state. After all, these sects have considerable influence in the Wei state. If they can be used by the Wei state, it will be of great help to the development of the Wei state.
When the first place in Wei State's No. 1 Martial Arts Competition was about to be announced, Chu Fan once again summoned the Imperial Government Affairs Office and court ministers to the imperial study in the palace to discuss how to deal with those sects in Wei State that did not participate in Wei State's No. 1 Martial Arts Competition.
Chu Fan was the first to speak: "Have all the sects and forces that have come to Kaifeng City sworn allegiance to the Wei Kingdom?"
Chu Zhenglin replied, "Yes, Your Majesty. After we showed them the power of the Sky-shaking Thunder, they all voluntarily expressed their submission before our royal family even said anything."
Chu Fan hadn't imagined that his simple goal of reducing casualties among Wei's soldiers in future campaigns by disclosing the method for making black gunpowder would yield such unexpected results. A few months earlier, Chu Fan and the Wei court had been racking their brains over how to subdue these sects.
Chu Fan's idea for the Wei Kingdom's No. 1 Martial Arts Tournament was to gather these sects and forces in Kaifeng City, allowing the royal family to use powerful military force to intimidate them, let them know the strength of the Wei court, and thus submit to the Wei Kingdom. Chu Fan also had another intention in doing this, hoping that these forces would resist so that he could complete the system mission.
He didn't expect that after he and the Ministry of Industry produced the "Sky-Thunder Bomb", the royal family would directly use such a weapon to intimidate those sects and forces. Coupled with the powerful strength demonstrated by the Wei royal family, these sects and forces had no choice but to choose to surrender.
Chu Fan nodded slightly and continued, "So, what does your court think of those sects that didn't come to participate in the martial arts competition?"
Prime Minister Cao Mengde stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Your Majesty, for those sects that didn't attend the martial arts tournament, perhaps we could adopt a strategy of combining kindness and power. On the one hand, we could send envoys to proclaim your majesty's kindness and the strength of Wei, letting them know the benefits of submitting to Wei. On the other hand, we could also appropriately demonstrate the power of 'Sky Thunder' to make them understand the consequences of rebelling against Wei."
Chu Fan felt something was wrong when he heard this. You know, these sects and forces that came to Kaifeng City to participate in the Wei Kingdom's No. 1 Martial Arts Conference, no matter what their intentions were, they all responded to the decree of the Wei Kingdom court, so it is reasonable for the court to give them certain benefits after they chose to surrender.
However, those sects and forces that did not obey the orders of the Wei court and came to Kaifeng City did not take the Wei court seriously at all. If such sects and forces could still receive preferential treatment, it would be unfair to these sects and forces that obeyed the orders of the Wei court and came to Kaifeng City.
Chu Fan said, "I don't completely agree with what Lord Cao said. If we give preferential treatment to all the sects and forces that didn't obey the orders of the Wei court and the royal family, then what do you think the sects and forces that did obey the orders of the Wei court and the royal family would think?
Even though the Wei court now possessed weapons like the "Thunderbolt" to deter them, unfair treatment would still leave them feeling dissatisfied and resentful. Even if they were deterred from doing anything out of line by the Wei court's intimidation, it could still lead them to slack off in future campaigns, or even secretly collude with hostile forces, laying the groundwork for hidden dangers.
Once this discontent builds to a certain point, it could trigger new contradictions and conflicts, which would be detrimental to Wei's stability and development. It might also leave everyone in Wei with a bad impression: that by disobeying the Wei court's orders, they might be able to gain more resources and preferential treatment. So, when the Wei court rolls out a new policy, which aristocratic families or clans in Wei will deliberately disobey the court's orders in the hope of gaining more benefits?
Therefore, I believe that we cannot easily give preferential treatment to those clans that do not obey the orders of the Wei court. Instead, we should take more severe measures to make them understand the consequences of defying the Wei court.
Only in this way can the authority of Wei's government orders and the dignity of the Wei court be maintained, while also allowing those clans that obey the orders to feel fair and respected, and thus believe that they are wise to obey the orders of the Wei court."
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