Start with Tianlong Murong family, fight against the heavens

Chapter 1067 Abandonment
The princes of the world also cooperated and came to the court to discuss business with tribute.

The tributes brought by the princes were not just rare treasures. In addition, they also included food, fodder and money, which was definitely not a small amount.

It is like the national taxes in later generations, with a portion retained by local governments and the rest collected into the national treasury.

The annual tribute was definitely a huge expense for the princes.

As for how much the princes extorted from the people, that was not something the King of Shang could control. In this era, he was a commoner, not a Shang citizen.

At a court meeting, the performance of the princes who came was disappointing.

The so-called audience meant that the princes from all directions came in person to pay a visit to the King of Shang.

Those who came nowadays were only descendants of various princes or even their retainers.

To the King of Shang, this was extremely disrespectful.

Wen Zhong sat alone in the government office, looking at the list of vassal states that had come to pay homage, and his eyes fell on a name.

Xiqi, Jili period of Zhou State.

I was not present, and the tribute was only half as much, which was almost a challenge to the authority of the King of Shang.

Among the thousands of vassal states, there were eventually divisions of closeness and distance between them. When King Tang was alive and conferred titles on the vassal kings, he established four major vassal kings based on the four directions.

Xiqi is one of them, but he is the weakest among the four princes.

The hereditary princes have always been the backbone of the Shang Dynasty's foreign wars.

Now that casualties have decreased, they have begun to have thoughts that they shouldn't have.

Wen Zhong's brows sank further and further, but he didn't know what to say. At this moment, his heart was very confused. The situation in the Shang Dynasty was even more chaotic than he had imagined.

Among the four great princes, one has other ideas, but it is difficult to deal with. What about the other three princes?
What are you thinking?
Wen Zhong sighed, but did not say much. It was nothing more than meeting the enemy with our troops and blocking the water with earth.

After the court meeting, the entire Shang Dynasty began to prepare for war, issuing orders to the world to punish disobedient forces.

All the princes, both big and small, who did not come to the court in person were suppressed and killed, or their countries were destroyed and killed.

All the descendants or clansmen of these treacherous ministers were beheaded by Wen Zhong at the city gate with cruel and decisive means.

If Wen Zhong knew a term called "nine clans", he might even exterminate all ten of their clans.

After fifteen years of fighting, the prestige of the Shang Dynasty was restored.

The three parties were basically pacified, and the toughest bone to chew was the Western Qi Zhou Kingdom.

Wen Zhong's methods were ruthless, but they shocked the princes from all directions, making them terrified and frightened.

Those princes who were defeated luckily escaped from Wen Zhong's hands, but they dared not have any other thoughts.

Be a good soldier of the Shang Dynasty.

However, those vassal states that had not yet faced the Shang king's army gathered in Xiqi and hid under the big tree of Jili, the King of Zhou in Xiqi.

Although they are a group of rabble, their numbers are huge. If a real fight breaks out and the situation is unfavorable, it will cause greater damage to Da Shang.

Especially the prestige that has just been established.

The expedition against Xiqi had to be put on hold temporarily.

Wen Zhong went from being an ordinary minister to a powerful official in the country, and he also gathered many talented people under him.

Among them there are many demons, and there are also many generals of witch bloodline.

Wen Zhong learned a lot in the mountains. He had outstanding talents and insights, and could give some guidance to each of his subordinates in their practice.

Therefore, he is both a master and a disciple to these subordinates.

These people may not listen to the King of Shang, but they must listen to Wen Zhong.

After years of fighting and increasing military achievements, Wen Zhong gradually became a key official in the imperial court.

Wen Zhong was in power and gradually began to prepare for the conquest and attack on Xiqi. At this time, the Duke of Xibo sent Ji Chang as a hostage and went to Shang in person.

Including dozens of disloyal princes.

The situation was reversed for a while. After the Zhou Kingdom surrendered, the other princes, especially those who were dependent on Xiqi, became extremely peaceful and honest.

Wen Ding sat on the top of the hall and looked at King Zhou of Xiqi below with a gloomy look in his eyes.

The entire hall was silent, and everyone was waiting for Wen Ding's decision. The life or death of King Zhou depended on just one word from him.

After much thought, Wen Ding still felt that it would be better to keep King Zhou, after all, this man was too unstable.

"We'll build a new house in Youli, and you can live here until you retire."

Ji Li's face was pale, and he managed to force a smile: "I will obey the king's orders!"

Then he was imprisoned in Youli.

At this point, the entire Dashang had a hint of revival, but various problems still persisted.

In the days that followed, the focus was placed on improving water conservancy and dredging the fields.

As for the people's livelihood and sentiment, Wen Zhong went down to observe the people's conditions personally. Under his supervision, the whole of Da Shang was free from all its ills.

There is indeed a trend of prosperity.

After everything was ready, Wen Ding planned to do something crazy.

Cut down the princes!

At midnight, Murong Ji stood at the door, looking in the direction of Chaoge City, feeling a little heavy in his heart.

The situation in Da Shang is now gradually stabilizing. If we don't see those great powers from ancient times coming out to fill the gap, that would be strange.

This situation is actually the most dangerous. The lack of movement just proves that someone is plotting behind the scenes. "What's wrong? Are you still worried about the fate of the human race?"

Murong Ji shook his head and said nothing more. What he was worried about was whether it would affect my own situation.

"Wen Zhong did a good job, what are you still worried about?"

Murong Ji put his arm around Jin Ling, then turned around and walked into the house to rest.

He wanted to reduce the number of princes.

The primary goal is to reduce the power of King Zhou, or at least to suppress this thorn in his side.

Not long after, Jili was gouged to death on the altar.

To worship Hou Tu Niangniang, the ancestor of the human race, and to pray for good weather and a peaceful world.

Not long after, when they were planning to further implement the policy, Wen Ding passed away!
Before his death, he rewarded Wen Zhong with a golden mace and a whip, and entrusted his son to him with tears.

Wen Zhong watched Wen Ding being buried again. Looking at this old friend of his for half his life, he couldn't tell what he was thinking.

Then, he supported Emperor Yi to ascend the throne and become the new King of Shang.

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The change of emperors did cause many people to be dissatisfied, such as the King of Xiqi Zhou.

Prince Ji came to the Shang Dynasty from afar and wrote a letter in the hall, saying that he wanted to bring his father Jili back home to live with him in his old age.

For a moment, the entire hall was dead silent.

"The King of Zhou sacrificed his life for the good weather and harvests of human beings. You have to understand him." Wen Zhong frowned and squinted his eyes to watch Ji Chang's reaction.

Ji Chang suddenly learned that his father was dead. He was stunned for a moment, but his face was expressionless. He respectfully bowed to Emperor Yi and said, "Please, Your Majesty, appoint me as the new King of Zhou."

After he finished speaking, he knelt on the ground very respectfully.

Asking for permission to succeed the King of Zhou could be a big or small matter.

For a moment, Emperor Yi could not refuse, and after discussing with Wen Zhong, he decided that it would be better to appease the people and reduce the number of princes by other means.

Soon after, the King of Shang issued an edict to the whole country, conferring upon King Ji Chang of Zhou the title of Marquis of Xibo.

This marquis is a title, not real power. However, if one has this title, it is legally reasonable and compliant.

The vassal kingdoms said they had this king or that king, but in fact, it was just a respectful title. The only real king was the King of Shang.

If any prince calls himself a king, it means he has the intention of rebellion.

The words "king" and "prince" encompass the authority of the entire world.

Under the King of Shang, the Marquis is the highest rank.

After Ji Chang went to the palace to express his gratitude, he returned to Xiqi without even taking his father Ji Li's body with him.

After observing for a while, I found that Xiqi was indeed extremely honest and respectful.

After Emperor Yi took the throne, the first thing he did was to reduce the number of princes.

From several thousand princes, they were reduced through conquest to eight hundred.

Those disappeared vassal states were replaced one by one and became the native lands of the Shang Dynasty.

The strength of the Shang Dynasty grew rapidly, and within a short period of time, it showed a prosperous trend.

Unknowingly, a large number of powerful and wealthy people emerged from the conquests of the princes.

The situation was improving. All the princes on all sides submitted and no one dared to have any other ideas.

Except Xiqi...

For several years, the Shang Dynasty has been committed to resolving internal conflicts and conflicts between the various city-states.

Reduce the number of princes from all sides, sort out the land and water conservancy, the population of Yunyang and many other measures.

The Duke of Xibo was extremely submissive to the Shang Dynasty, and although he sent more soldiers to fight against the Shang Dynasty than before, there was no excuse to attack him.

As a whole, Xiqi is constantly rising, and its population is gradually prospering. After several generations of governance, it seems like a paradise.

The State of Zhou lurked in the dark and developed silently, and before anyone knew it, it had become the leader of the four great princes.

By the time Da Shang noticed him, he had become too big to be dealt with.

There was no other choice but to convene the princes for a court meeting again, and eight hundred princes from all over the world came to discuss the matter.

Murong Ji stood in front of the mountain gate, watching the changes in the situation in Chaoge, and raised his eyebrows slightly.

Suddenly he realized that there was no longer much meaning for him to stand here.

No matter what direction the Shang Dynasty will go in the end, whether it survives or perishes, Murong Ji is in a state now where he can no longer intervene.

Immediately afterwards, he disbanded the mountain gate, sent a message to Haotian, and asked Bai Mudan to take many flower and plant elves to the heaven to take up their posts.

He is in charge of the rise and fall of all plants and trees in the world, and has considerable power. In a sense, he can also decide the changes of the four seasons, and especially, he can interfere with the rise and fall of food and fodder.

His eyes fell on his two sons again, and without further ado, he sent them out to gain experience.

Jin Ling and Yun Xiao returned to Biyou Palace. Murong Ji locked the mountain gate, carried his bag, and walked down the mountain step by step.

There were only two people left in the entire mountain gate, Jin Chanzi and Yuan Hong.

Yuan Hong's face turned pale. He wanted to follow Murong Ji, but he couldn't catch up with him.

It was as if there was an extremely huge gap between the two of them.

Murong Ji made arrangements for everyone except him. How could he be so heartless to a mountain guard disciple like him?

(End of this chapter)