The world of film and television begins with the God of Medicine.

Chapter 1666 New Era

The capital city, ten miles outside Yongding Gate.

Wang Yan personally led a large group of people here to brave the cold wind, bask in the sun, and drink potted tea to keep warm.

"Shi Dakai reported his victory, saying that Guangzhou had been captured and that Di, Jiang, and others had all surrendered without losing a single soldier. Pang Qingyun led the vanguard to Hong Kong Island, where they were bombarded by foreign warships. Pang Qingyun deployed a hundred cannons and sank an English warship, capturing more than two hundred foreigners."

Wang Yan pulled his hand out of his sleeve and poured the water from the tea into his teacup, sipping the hot tea.

"Encourage Pang Qingyun, find him a suitable house in the capital as a reward, and let him lead troops along the coast to clear out bandits before returning to the capital. Bring Di, Jiang, and the others to the capital, and take care of their families first, and settle accounts with them for their past crimes..."

Someone nearby took notes on Wang Yan's reply, and then the person who had read the letter aloud earlier continued to read a new letter: "Third Master led his troops across Shanhaiguan and arrived at Ningqian, recreating the situation at the end of the Ming Dynasty. Third Master has written to ask whether to continue the advance?"

"Push them to Shengjing, drive them out, and then come to the capital. It's time to enjoy a good life."

"Zhang Zhidong, who was in charge of Guizhou, wrote to inquire..."

"Master Chen..."

This is Wang Yan's daily work now.

Having captured the capital and driven out the Manchu imperial family, the other territories that had not been attacked to begin with had little will to resist, and thus surrendered directly and were placed under their rule.

With major battles ceasing and order beginning to stabilize, the regions that were still maintaining their rule learned of the change of power and rushed to submit petitions through the remaining postal system to welcome the imperial army.

They had no choice but to welcome them. No one would be foolish enough to want to establish their own independent force, refusing to obey orders or decrees. Even if they were extremely unwilling, they had to understand this choice. Otherwise, the imperial army would truly be upon them, and they would suffer a terrible fate.

In addition to the issues of the regions he had previously conquered, and how to govern the new regions, he had a whole host of problems to solve.

It's only because the trivial matters were all dumped on Lord Chen's head that the important matters reached Wang Yan; otherwise, Wang Yan would be even busier.

After all, the world is so vast, with hundreds of millions of people, and there are countless major and minor events happening every day. Human energy is limited; how can one possibly attend to everything? Even after Jiajing liberated the cabinet, he still had to devise ways to make money while in seclusion in the palace. They got two million, and I got one million; I really couldn't ignore it…

Moreover, the situation is only in its initial stages, and many places are still under nominal rule. There is also a serious problem of displaced people, droughts, famines, and plagues. The country is scarred and waiting for the king to repair it.

Fortunately, although the Heavenly King chose to live a life of comfort and luxury, he was still clear-headed and a good Heavenly King.

Shortly after entering the capital, the Heavenly King sent people to Wang Yan's side to express his willingness to surrender. After a period of exchanges and negotiations, the major issues were finally settled: the interests of the Heavenly Kingdom's high command were determined, and the remaining people were no longer a problem.

After all, the higher-ups in Heaven are responsible to the middle and upper-ups below, and each of them has a vested interest group behind them. If these people at the top are dealt with, then they will naturally take care of those below, and those below will take care of those even lower down. So, settling things at the top is equivalent to solving the main problem.

The remaining issues mainly involve some adjustments to de-Heavenly influence. We need to use the institutional power of Wang Yan's side to break down the original interest ties within Heavenly Kingdom; otherwise, these internal groups will be a huge burden, and it won't be worth the effort to deal with them.

The best approach, in fact, is to defeat the Heavenly Kingdom until it submits, which would simplify the matter considerably. Those who are defeated and surrender have no right to negotiate.

By preserving the power of the Heavenly Kingdom in this way, these people can retain a certain amount of strength through these bargaining chips. Even if they are scattered, it will not affect their connection, and may even help them expand their influence.

At the same time, these people also have a greater psychological advantage: I didn't fight and cause you any damage, so that's what I earned for you, and it's okay for me to take a little for myself.

Based on this understanding, many subsequent problems are obviously inevitable.

However, not having a war is certainly a good thing. The people have suffered for so many years and are longing for a peaceful life. If peace can be restored a year earlier, it will affect hundreds of thousands, or even millions, of lives.

That's true; if we can make peace, then so be it. As for the internal problems of the Heavenly Kingdom Group, we can deal with them later. After all, he can live for many more years; time will make them disappear...

Wang Yan handled political affairs here, drinking tea from a teapot.

Outside the core area, some people were already sweating profusely, their sweat rising and steaming in the cold winter air, like celestial beings.

But they weren't happy about ascending at all.

Because they are the officials in charge of today's welcoming ceremony.

A welcoming party stretching for miles is a matter of courtesy. It's not about waiting in advance to pick up a friend, but rather about the friend preparing to come and see me.

Since the welcome was to be held ten miles outside the city, it would be best if Wang Yan waited there. However, given Wang Yan's status, while waiting was acceptable, he couldn't wait indefinitely. This required coordination from the relevant personnel; with so many people involved, various scenarios had to be considered. Ultimately, the goal was to ensure that Wang Yan would be greeted shortly after arriving.

With a large group of people here now, the longer it goes on, the more uneasy and nervous the relevant personnel become.

After about half an hour, a fast horse came galloping over to deliver the message. Wang Yan's troops then began to tidy themselves up, and soon after, dust rose in the distance as a large procession slowly approached them.

Wang Yan also had the miscellaneous items collected, stood up, and tucked his hands into his sleeves, waiting for the group to arrive.

Before long, the two sides finally met, and Wang Yan warmly took a few steps to greet them.

"I have long admired the name of the Heavenly King. Today I finally get to meet you. You are indeed a handsome and unparalleled hero."

The Heavenly King laughed heartily. He clasped his hands together as he walked over from afar. When he strode up to Wang Yan, before Wang Yan could make a move, he reached out and grabbed Wang Yan's hand. At the same time, his other rough hand squeezed Wang Yan's upper arm hard.

"I've long admired you. I knew you were a young hero, and seeing you now makes this old man quite jealous."

Wang Yan tensed his muscles, letting the Heavenly King grit his teeth and exert himself.

"Everyone says that the Heavenly King is arrogant, extravagant, and has lost his heroic spirit, but the Heavenly King's strength is still quite good. He can't be called an old man; the Heavenly King is in his prime."

"I'm here to be a carefree prince, and you still won't let me go? You want me to work for you?" The Heavenly King released his grip, his expression seemingly displeased.

"After we reached an agreement, I've been dealing with political affairs these past few days. There are some issues with the Buddhist and Taoist sects, the lamas on the plateau, and the foreign churches in various places. To be honest, these foreign devils are really fearless; they even dare to stay and preach."

"You want to kill them?"

"No, we also have to do business with the foreigners. The church has power too. Small-scale missionary work is tolerable; as long as they don't do evil or court death, let them spread their word. But we can't just let it go unchecked. We need to set rules for them. I plan to establish a separate bureau, with the Heavenly King as its head." In religious affairs, the Heavenly King is indeed an authority. After all, he has swept across a large part of China, establishing a vast theocratic system with rich theoretical foundations, practical experience, and genuine unity of knowledge and action. Furthermore, the Heavenly King has relevant research in Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, making him a professionally qualified individual.

"The task you assigned me is quite good." The Heavenly King smiled and nodded, acknowledging his acceptance of the assignment.

While the two were chatting, the other people around them also greeted each other and got to know each other.

At this moment, Wang Yan looked at the person who had been following the Heavenly King and said, "General Li, it's been a long time. You still look as dashing as ever."

Li Cheng smiled wryly: "The old man's demeanor is even more impressive than before."

Looking back, Li Cheng was once a valiant and heroic figure, attacking southern Anhui and besieging Huoshan. Ultimately, due to various reasons, he failed to break through Huoshan's defenses, ceased hostilities, and agreed to cooperate. As a result, Li Cheng later believed that it wasn't that he couldn't defeat Wang Yan, but rather that it wasn't worth the effort at the time, which allowed Wang Yan to escape unscathed.

When Wang Yan began to influence the situation and control the balance between the Heavenly Kingdom and the Qing Dynasty, he knew that was the only opportunity to defeat Wang Yan.

However, as their contact increased, Li Cheng realized that he never had a chance to defeat Wang Yan, not even the slightest possibility. Because by then, Wang Yan had already built cannons…

Most importantly, Wang Yan had already foreseen the situation and was quite certain that the Heavenly Kingdom would not risk its life to attack Huoshan.

The opportunity he thought he had never existed.

What a despairing reality this is...

Wang Yan patted him on the shoulder: "No need to smile so bitterly. I haven't taken away your military power. There will be plenty of battles in the future, and you'll have your chance."

"Thank you for your kindness, sir."

"It's not that I'm favoring you, it's that you're capable and have a clear head, otherwise I wouldn't dare let you lead the troops."

The Heavenly King nodded in approval: "I admire you for daring to let us lead the troops. You have a broad mind and are worthy of accomplishing such a great thing."

"Alas, no matter how magnanimous one is, one cannot compare to the Heavenly King. Your withdrawal of troops has brought peace to the world and saved countless lives. The people have suffered greatly and are all hoping for a few years of good life after the war ends. I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is said to be the best hall in the palace. The dragon throne is placed there. Let's eat and drink in the hall, have a good time, and chat slowly."

"I couldn't be happier! I have so much to say to you." The Heavenly King laughed heartily.

Then, the two rode together in a large carriage, and the two groups joined together, returning to the city in a grand procession.

Some came by carriage, some by horse, and some on foot. These high-ranking people were all gathered together, and the procession was sparse, looking no different from a mob...

This time, the Heavenly King has come to settle down in the capital, bringing his entire family and some people he's used to working with. It will be extremely difficult for him to leave the capital in the future.

However, this was also the Heavenly King's subjective wish. Otherwise, the Heavenly Kingdom would still retain its strength. As some of the Heavenly Kingdom's princes said, they could leave. Even if the Heavenly King took the lead, the number of people willing or forced to leave with them would probably only be two or three hundred thousand. This population loss is not significant; they are not dead, but rather going out to establish branches and spread their lineage. The King is willing to make things easy for them.

The Heavenly King truly doesn't want to cause any more trouble; he just wants to be a peaceful and happy prince enjoying wealth and status.

Perhaps the Tianjing Incident had upset the Heavenly King, and he really lacked passion...

As for the arrival of Li Cheng and other core members of the Heavenly Kingdom, it was to have a direct talk with Wang Yan and offer him advice. They wouldn't be coming down anytime soon, as they all held power, and the merger of the two sides would take time. Most importantly, the Heavenly Kingdom still had hundreds of thousands of troops, and their reorganization would require the cooperation of these Heavenly Kingdom generals.

Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Wang Yan and the Heavenly King drank and chatted amiably, without any hidden thoughts, speaking their minds freely. With neither side holding back, they felt even more at ease from then on.

The Heavenly King toured the palace, expressed many sentiments, and then proceeded to the Hall of Supreme Harmony for a meal.

At the banquet, the Heavenly King got completely drunk and spoke frankly with Wang Yan, revealing his innermost feelings and even shedding tears of sorrow, recounting the bitterness and grievances of many years, as if he had been completely liberated and that the world was finally his oyster...

Wang Yan echoed the Heavenly King. He didn't know if the Heavenly King was truly loyal, but at this point, whether he was loyal or not was no longer important. After all, the Heavenly King's entire family had gone to the capital, and the two sides had begun to merge; there was no turning back.

After drinking, it was already evening, and the world was pitch black. Wang Yan even climbed onto the roof of the main hall of the palace and looked around. He could see some lights on in the residences of officials around the palace, but it was dark outside.

Because the moon and stars are few today, it is still possible to see outside, as if the eyes are covered with a layer of gray fog, and the world has lost its color.

After enjoying the cold wind for a while, Wang Yan returned to the inner palace.

After this period of time, order has been restored within the palace, and all the original palace personnel have been retained after a second review. Of course, the review was not very effective, as many of them were undoubtedly spies left behind by others, gathering information or seeking opportunities to assassinate.

But with so many people, there were no other good arrangements, so keeping them was the best solution. These people were also destined not to enter the core circle of serving Wang Yan's large family, and since the palace needed people to do the work, there was no problem.

At this point in time, these people are the last batch...

Back at the back, they saw Liao Xuan and Su Zixuan sitting and eating snacks while talking. On the ground, a little boy was clinging to a cradle, looking at the baby inside.

The baby in the cradle was born to Su Zixuan; it was a girl.

"Your Majesty is back! I pay my respects to you." Su Zixuan exaggeratedly squatted down, waved her handkerchief, and a fragrant breeze wafted over.

Wang Yan laughed heartily, letting the maid beside him take off his outer robe, and picked up his eldest son from the ground to fiddle with, pretending not to hear.

Su Zixuan said unhappily, "I'm talking to you!"

"Is this how you speak to the Emperor? It's outrageous!"

Liao Xuan clapped her hands with a laugh: "Outrageous!"

Su Zixuan was speechless and choked with emotion: "You two are bullying someone who has no one to rely on again..."

Her tone suggested she had suffered a great injustice...

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　　(End of this chapter)