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On the first day of the first month of the first year of the prosperous era, Su Ning's first edict after ascending the throne was to grant a general amnesty to the world.

The prison gates in Bianliang City opened, and the prisoners who had been detained for minor offenses knelt in the street and kowtowed to express their gratitude.

Those sentenced to death were commuted to exile, those exiled were commuted to imprisonment, and those imprisoned were released on the spot.

When the news spread, people flocked to the palace gates and knelt in worship in the direction of Chongyuan Hall.

"The new emperor is benevolent!"

Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!

Su Ning stood inside the hall, listening calmly to the faint cheers coming from outside.

"Your Majesty," Zhao Pu said softly, "it is time to appoint an Empress."

Suning nodded.

The second imperial edict was issued: Lin Wan, the principal wife of the Prince of Qin, was made empress.

Lin Wan gave birth to her first son, Guo Wen, for Su Ning in October of the third year of Xiande, so Lin Wan's position as empress was very secure.

On the same day, two other imperial edicts of investiture were also issued.

Zhou Ehuang was granted the title of Imperial Concubine.

Fu Qing was granted the title of Imperial Concubine.

When Zhou Ehuang received the imperial edict, she was writing poetry in her study.

In the fourth year of Xiande, Zhou Ehuang gave birth to her second son, Guo Zhi, for Su Ning, so it was well-deserved that she was conferred the title of Imperial Concubine.

Moreover, with the fall of the Southern Tang Dynasty, the Zhou family was moved to Kaifeng, so the Zhou family members were often allowed to enter the palace to meet with Zhou Ehuang.

Upon seeing the eunuch arrive with the imperial edict, Zhou Ehuang put down her pen, knelt down to receive it, and her face remained expressionless.

Over the years, Zhou Ehuang has come to understand Su Ning's mindset and has always instructed her family to be extremely cautious in Kaifeng.

Fu Qing's reaction was even calmer.

She simply nodded, said "I understand," and continued to play with the cat in her arms.

Over the years, Fu Qing has not borne any children for Su Ning, and she knows that Su Ning is deliberately keeping his Fu family at bay.

Therefore, Fu Qing did not make a big fuss and never hoped for a love that was not meant to be.

And so, three women, three attitudes.

But they all knew that from now on, the harem would be under the control of that peasant girl.

During the first month of the lunar calendar, Suning issued more than a dozen imperial edicts in succession.

The document that shook the government and the public the most was the one concerning the "reorganization of the Honest Businesses".

The name "Honest Business" is known throughout the world.

For twenty years, starting from a small cloth shop outside Bianliang City, they have now opened branches all over the world, leaving their mark from the Khitan to the Southern Tang, from Western Shu to Wuyue.

They were the ones who transported grain during the Northern Expedition against Yan and Yun.

They were the ones who contributed labor when Shanhaiguan was built.

Even half of the military pay for the National Defense Forces comes from their accounts.

But Suning said it would be nationalized.

"The Chengxin Trading Company will be reorganized into the State Assets Administration Bureau of the Ministry of Revenue." He announced the decree in the court. "All personnel of the original trading company will be transferred to official positions appointed by the court, with their salaries and benefits remaining unchanged. All properties under the trading company will be nationalized."

The court was silent.

Some people wanted to ask "why", but swallowed the words back.

why?
Because those industries are too important.

Steel, coal, grain, salt, tea, mining, shipbuilding, and infrastructure—these are all vital to the nation's survival.

It's unacceptable for someone's lifeline to be in the hands of a private individual, regardless of who that person is.

“From now on,” Su Ning said, “these industries will be managed by the imperial court. Private individuals will only be allowed to operate light industries such as textiles and catering, as well as service industries.”

"Anyone who disobeys this order shall be punished as a traitor."

The imperial edict was issued, and the whole country was shaken.

Those wealthy merchants who made their fortunes in the salt and iron trade fell from heaven to hell overnight.

Some people cried and wailed, some tried to pull strings and plead for leniency, and some even attempted to secretly transfer their assets.

But it's no use.

The Imperial City Guard had been watching them for a long time.

That was the new organization after the reorganization of Minglitang.

Minglitang, a name known to everyone.

For more than a decade, their people have been lurking in various countries and regions, gathering intelligence, turning garrison commanders against their cause, and assassinating enemy officials.

They deserve half the credit for the fall of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

Today, Minglitang has been reorganized into the Imperial City Guard.

“The Imperial City Guard is divided into two departments, the inner and the outer.” Su Ning said, “The inner department oversees all officials and can investigate and prosecute anyone who is corrupt, abuses their power, forms cliques, or plots treason. The outer department oversees foreign affairs and must spy on any movements of the Khitan, Northern Han, Goryeo, Japan, and other countries.”

"The two departments are not subordinate to each other and are directly responsible to me."

Zhao Pu was appointed as the first commander of the Imperial City Guard.

He knelt before the hall and accepted the gold plaque engraved with the words "Imperial City" with both hands.

"Your subject will certainly not fail in his mission."

From that day on, the officials of the Great Zhou Dynasty felt a greater sense of awe.

They knew that a pair of eyes were watching their every move from the shadows.

As new policies were promulgated one after another, the government and the public gradually adapted to the new order.

Lin Wan moved into Kunning Palace and continued to grow vegetables in the backyard every day.

The palace maids advised her not to do these rough jobs, but she shook her head: "If I don't grow vegetables, I'll be bored."

Zhou Ehuang spent her days in the palace study, writing poems and painting.

Occasionally, when Su Ning visits, she reads him a few lines of her newly written poems. Su Ning nods after listening, but still prefers to spend time with her son, Guo Zhi.

Fu Qing has a cat and plays with it every day.

When Su Ning went to see her, Fu Qing brought the cat to him and said, "Your Majesty, look, it's gotten fatter."

"That's good! This way you'll have company." Su Ning patted the cat and nodded.

"Your Majesty, I ask for nothing more than that your heart is like mine."

"..."

Although he knew he had wronged this woman, he didn't really want Fu Qing to have children for him until he resolved the problems in the Fu family.

Because the Fu family sided with Chai Rong, Su Ning had been suppressing the Fu family, and naturally could not allow the Fu family to grow too powerful as relatives of the emperor.

However, it's good that these three women can manage to live in peace and not bother each other.

Spring arrived peacefully in the first year of this prosperous era.

……

In the spring of the first year of the prosperous era, the willows in Bianliang City sprouted new buds.

Su Ning sat in the imperial study, where the map in front of him had been replaced with a new one.

Of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, twelve have already been painted red by the Great Zhou Dynasty, leaving four...

Shuozhou, Yingzhou, Yunzhou, and Weizhou are still blank.

Zhao Pu stood at the lower end, holding a thick stack of documents in his hands.

"A secret report from the Imperial City Guard's Outer Division, Your Majesty, please review it."

Suning took it and flipped through the pages one by one.

In Taiyuan, Northern Han, Liu Min's illness worsened.

I heard he's bedridden and has handed over all state affairs to his sons.

The sons argued back and forth, none of them willing to concede to the others.

On the Khitan side, Yelü Jing had just quelled an internal rebellion.

Several princes tried to seize the throne, but he killed some and imprisoned others.

However, people's hearts were unsettled, and undercurrents were surging in the capital.

"How many soldiers does the Northern Han still have capable of fighting?" Su Ning asked.

"At most 30,000," Zhao Pu said. "They were decimated in the battle of Gaoping. They lost even more in the battle of Yunzhou. Most of the remaining 30,000 are old and weak."

Su Ning nodded. "Will the Khitans come to our rescue?"

“Yes,” Zhao Pu said. “The Northern Han is the dog of the Khitan. If the dog is beaten, the master will not ignore it. But Yelü Jing has just quelled an internal rebellion, and the number of troops he can spare is limited. At most, fifty thousand, no more.”

Fifty thousand Khitan cavalry, plus thirty thousand remnants of the Northern Han army, totaling eighty thousand.

On the Great Zhou side, the National Defense Army has ten Class A divisions, ten Class B divisions, and twenty Class C divisions, totaling over 300,000 men.

In terms of military strength, the Great Zhou Dynasty has the advantage.

However, the Khitan cavalry were swift and unpredictable, making the outcome of a real battle uncertain.

Su Ning was silent for a moment, then said, "Issue my decree."

"First, the Imperial City Guard and the Outer Guard, launch a full-scale operation against the Northern Han immediately. Use every means at your disposal: subversion, bribery, sowing discord, assassination. Within three months, I will make the people of Taiyuan City live in fear."

"Secondly, each of Youzhou, Jizhou, and Pingzhou will be reinforced with an additional Class B division to strengthen their defenses. At Shanhaiguan, another 5,000 men will be dispatched to work day and night to ensure the project is completed before winter."

"Third, the 1st to 5th Divisions of the National Defense Forces shall enter a state of combat readiness immediately. They shall be ready to move north at any time."

Zhao Pu agreed to everything.

"Your Majesty, when shall we make our move?"

Su Ning looked north and said, "We'll make our move once things get chaotic in Taiyuan."

……

The efficiency of the Imperial City Guard's Outer Division is faster than anyone could have imagined.

Two weeks later, people began to die in Taiyuan.

The first to die was Liu Min's eldest son, Liu Ji'en.

He was drinking in his own residence when he was poisoned.

The imperial physician said there was something wrong with the wine, but they couldn't find out who sent it.

The second person to die was Guo Wuwei, the Privy Councilor of the Northern Han Dynasty.

On his way to court, he was shot in the throat by an arrow. The murderer escaped and was never caught.

The third, the fourth, the fifth...

Within a month, seven ministers died in Taiyuan.

Some were poisoned, some were assassinated, and some died suddenly from illness.

The survivors were filled with fear and no one dared to go out.

Liu Min lay in his hospital bed, listening to the news, his hands trembling. "Who...who did it?"

No one could answer him.

But everyone knows who did it.

The new emperor of the Great Zhou Dynasty, the King of Qin who crawled out of the well, has made his move.

When the news reached Bianliang, Su Ning was reviewing memorials.

After listening to the report, he nodded and said, "Continue."

In the second month, chaos began to break out in Taiyuan.

Families where people had died suspected and blamed each other.

You say he killed him, he says you killed him, and they're arguing like crazy.

A few hot-tempered men immediately led their personal guards into a fight.

Liu Min's sons seized the opportunity to vie for power, each gathering their own faction, and none of them would submit to the others.

Taiyuan City was in complete chaos.

In the third month, the National Defense Forces moved.

From the First Division to the Fifth Division, 50,000 elite troops marched north in a mighty procession.

Cao Bin was appointed commander, Shi Shouxin as deputy commander, and Li Chongjin as vanguard commander.

The army's banners stretched from Bianliang all the way to the Yellow River, and the people along the way lined the roads to see them off.

"Attack the Northern Han!"

"Reclaim Yan and Yun!"

"Long live the Emperor!" Su Ning stood on the city wall, watching the procession gradually disappear into the distance.

Zhao Pu stood behind him and said softly, "Your Majesty, this journey..."

“I know,” Su Ning said. “This trip is either a win or a loss.”

"Does Your Majesty think we can win?"

Suning did not answer immediately.

He gazed northwards, remaining silent for a long time, then said, "We can win."

"why?"

"Because we deserve to win! The world has been in chaos for too long."

……

The news of the Great Zhou army marching north spread throughout the land.

On the Khitan side, Yelü Jing could no longer sit still.

"If Northern Han falls, we'll be next." Yelü Jing summoned his generals. "Order all units to assemble their troops. I will personally go south to meet that new emperor."

But no sooner had he issued the order than an incident occurred in the capital.

Several princes took advantage of the situation to cause chaos, setting fires and killing people in the city.

After all, the Imperial City Guard of the Great Zhou Dynasty had been secretly supporting them, so they naturally wanted to compete for the position of Emperor of the Great Liao Dynasty.

Yelü Jing had no choice but to stay and quell the rebellion.

After he quelled the rebellion, he would only have 30,000 troops left to spare.

The Northern Han dynasty is no longer waiting for his reinforcements.

In Youzhou City, Gao Huaide stood on Shanhaiguan Pass, gazing northward.

The fortress was completed, and the walls were high and thick enough to block any invading enemy.

The twelve prefectures of Yan and Yun are now secure.

All that's left is to fight back.

Take back the last four as well.

Gao Huaide turned around and looked at the soldiers who were fully equipped and ready to go. "Give the order to prepare to set off."

"Follow His Majesty and fight our way back to Yunzhou."

"promise!"

In June of the first year of the prosperous era, the National Defense Army divided into three routes and marched straight towards the Northern Han.

A momentous Northern Expedition has officially begun.

……

In June of the first year of the prosperous era, 50,000 elite troops of the National Defense Army divided into three routes, crossed the Taihang Mountains, and headed straight for the heartland of the Northern Han.

Cao Bin personally led the main force of the central route northward from Luzhou, heading straight for Taiyuan.

Shi Shouxin led the left wing army westward from Liaozhou, cutting off Taiyuan's connection with the Khitan.

Li Chongjin led the right wing army eastward from Fenzhou, sweeping through the prefectures south of Taiyuan.

The three armies advanced in unison, their momentum unstoppable.

Meanwhile, Taiyuan City was in complete chaos.

The people in the Imperial City Guard's Outer Division haven't had a moment's rest in the past three months.

More than a dozen ministers of the Northern Han Dynasty died, and the remaining ministers distrusted each other and dared not trust anyone else.

Liu Min's sons fought for power, turning Taiyuan into a chaotic mess.

Liu Min lay on the hospital bed, listening to the battle reports coming from outside, his hands trembling.

"Where is Zhou Jun...?"

"Your Majesty, we have already passed Luzhou and are less than three hundred li from Taiyuan."

Liu Min closed his eyes.

Three hundred li.

Zhou Jun can walk fifty li a day, and he can arrive in six days.

How many days does he have left to live?

"Issue...Issue an imperial decree to summon Ji'en and the others to the palace."

It's too late.

The brothers Liu Ji'en and Liu Jiyuan were confronting each other outside the city with their personal guards.

"Brother, what gives you the right to mobilize troops?" Liu Jiyuan asked his brother from his horse.

"Because I'm the eldest son, if I don't mobilize troops, who will?" Liu Ji'en sneered. "Second brother, you'd better go back to the city and stay there obediently."

"Return to the city? Return to the city and wait to die? Zhou's army is coming!"

"It is precisely because Zhou Jun is coming that I need to deploy troops to defend the city!"

The two of them argued back and forth, getting into a huge fight.

The people in the city hid in their houses, listening to the commotion outside, trembling with fear.

"Zhou Jun is coming..."

"I heard that the new emperor crawled out of a well and is a ruthless killer..."

"Don't talk nonsense. I heard from the caravan that the Zhou army doesn't kill civilians, they only kill officials..."

But no one dared to gamble.

On the third day, the vanguard of the National Defense Army arrived at the gates of Taiyuan.

Cao Bin rode his horse to the city walls and gazed at the capital of the Northern Han Dynasty.

The city walls were high and thick, and the garrison numbered at least 20,000.

If we fight head-on, many people will die.

But he had an inside man.

The Imperial City Guard had already made preparations within the city.

That night, a fire suddenly broke out at the north gate.

The soldiers guarding the gate ran to put out the fire, and the city gate was opened from the inside.

The National Defense Forces poured into the city.

The brothers Liu Ji'en and Liu Jiyuan were still in a standoff when they heard the news that the city gate had been breached, and they were both stunned.

"How...how could it be so fast?"

Zhou Jun had already reached them.

Liu Ji'en tried to run away, but was stopped by his personal guards.

Liu Jiyuan tried to fight back, but was slashed down with a single blow.

By daybreak, Taiyuan City had completely fallen into the hands of Zhou's army.

Liu Min lay on the sickbed and was carried out by several eunuchs.

He was wearing a white undergarment, his hair was disheveled, and his face was deathly pale.

Cao Bin stood in front of him, looking at this old rival who had been fighting with the Guo family for more than a decade.

"Liu Min, will you surrender or not?"

"..." Liu Min remained silent for a long time.

Suddenly, he laughed.

The laughter was shrill and piercing, echoing through the empty street.

He laughed and laughed, but tears streamed down his face. "My son... my son died at the hands of your Guo family... now the Northern Han has also been destroyed by the Guo family... good... good indeed..."

Cao Bin looked at him without saying a word.

He only spoke after Liu Min had finished laughing and crying.

To lower or not to lower?

Liu Min lowered his head and remained silent for a long time before saying, "...He surrendered."

He was then put into a prison cart and sent to Bianliang.

The entire Liu family was captured.

On the walls of Taiyuan, the flags of the Northern Han were torn down and replaced with the dragon flags of the Great Zhou.

……

The news of the fall of Taiyuan spread like wildfire.

In Xijing City, Yelü Qilie's face turned ashen upon hearing the news. "Taiyuan... is lost?"

"It's lost. It was lost in just three days."

Yelü Qilie remained silent for a long time.

Three days.

The Northern Han dynasty lasted for more than ten years, but it was gone in just three days.

What about Xijing?

How many days can Xijing hold out?

He recalled the battle two years ago, in which he defeated Li Chongjin but wounded Guo Rong.

But now, Guo Rong is dead, and an even more ruthless one has taken his place.

I heard that the new emperor started training troops when he was a teenager and pacified the south when he was in his twenties.

The Southern Tang, Later Shu, Jingchu, Minyue, and Southern Han were all destroyed by him.

If someone like that comes to Xijing, can he hold onto it?
"Send orders to strengthen the city's defenses. Prepare more logs and stones, and more arrows."

"Also, send someone to the capital to request reinforcements. Tell them... tell them that the capital is in danger and request Your Majesty to send reinforcements immediately."

Can reinforcements come?
When Taiyuan was besieged, the Khitans did not come.

With Xijing besieged, will they come?

Yelü Qilie did not know.

But all he could do was wait.

……

News of the fall of Taiyuan also reached Bianliang.

Su Ning sat in the imperial study, looking at the battle report sent by Cao Bin, and nodded.

"Well played."

Zhao Pu stood to the side, a smile on his face.

"Your Majesty, with Taiyuan captured, the Northern Han will be destroyed. Next, it will be Yunzhou."

Suning nodded.

"Issue an imperial decree ordering Cao Bin to lead his army north to join forces with the troops in Youzhou and take Yunzhou directly."

“Tell Yelü Qilie…”

"Surrender and you will be assured of wealth and honor. Do not surrender, and on the day the city falls, not even a chicken or a dog will be spared."

In July of the first year of the prosperous era, the National Defense Army advanced from Taiyuan and Youzhou simultaneously, its forces heading straight for Yunzhou.

An army of 150,000 men advanced northward in a dense, dark mass.

The Khitan garrison in Yunzhou City stood on the city wall, gazing south, their palms sweating.

Yelü Qilie stood atop the city wall, gazing at the billowing dust, and remained silent for a long time.

He knew in his heart that this battle would not be easy.

But he really had no choice.

He was a general of the Khitan and a subject of His Majesty.

Moreover, not only did they defeat Li Chongjin, but they also seriously injured Emperor Shizong of Zhou, demonstrating an irreconcilable hatred towards the Great Zhou.

Therefore, we must defend what we can defend, and we must defend what we cannot defend.

Yelü Qilie turned around and looked at the equally tense soldiers.

"Issue the order to the three armies."

"Prepare for battle."

...(End of this chapter)