A thousand-year-old family begins with one fighting against ten thousand.

Cao Cao began to ascend the steps, recalling when he first entered the capital and obtained the position of Commandant of the City Gates because of his grandfather.

Back then, I was full of passion and longed to use my abilities to realize my ambitions, be favored by His Majesty, sweep away all injustices in the world, kill the Ten Attendants, weaken the power of the Empress's relatives, and establish unparalleled achievements.

He also dreamed of leading troops into battle, expanding the territory by thousands of miles, rising to the rank of General Who Conquers the West, and being ennobled for his merits.

Their greatest wish was nothing more than to achieve great merit and be granted a fiefdom abroad, where they could establish a small ancestral temple belonging to the Cao family.

Cao Cao continued climbing the steps, and his memories continued.

He was retaliated against for beating Shuo's uncle to death.

Thanks to his grandfather's legacy and the money his father had accumulated, he was assigned to govern a local area.

……

It wasn't until Emperor Ling of Han fell seriously ill that he was summoned to the capital and ordered to guard the palace.

Then, on the advice of many strategists, he issued an edict seeking talented individuals, which shocked the world.

Years later, Dong Zhuo turned against the powerful families of the land, and blood stained the heavens.

Under pressure from powerful families, he had no choice but to join the coalition and attack Dong Zhuo several times.

If we're talking about the warlords of the land, he felt that the greatest threat to him was not Yuan Shao, who came from a family of high-ranking officials, nor Liu Bei, who was a member of the imperial family and extremely shrewd, nor even Liu Biao, the so-called Tiger of Jiangdong and one of the Eight Steeds, but Dong Zhuo, who rose from humble beginnings to wield immense power and was defeated only by the combined strength of all the powerful families in the land.

It was Dong Zhuo who defeated the myth of the invincible aristocratic families, causing them heavy losses. This allowed Cao Cao and Yuan Shao to suppress the aristocratic families and seize the dominant position.

Later, he annexed Xuzhou, Yanzhou, and Yuzhou, becoming the most powerful warlord in the land and even holding the title of King of Qi.

He defeated Dong Zhuo, destroyed Yuan Shao, swallowed Sun Jian, and triumphed over Liu Bei. After decades of fighting in the south and north, he finally unified the world.

As the recollection ended, Cao Cao had just stepped onto the last step.

Wei Xue was already waiting there, holding a bright yellow scroll of sacrificial text in his hand:

"There is a commoner from Qiao County named Cao Cao, courtesy name Mengde. He was recommended as a filial and incorruptible official and appointed as the Northern Commandant of Luoyang."

"..."

After reading it, Cao Cao stood in front of the dragon throne.

A table with ceremonial robes and crowns was set up in front of the golden chair. Attendants held the ceremonial robes and crowns.

Wearing a black robe and a crimson skirt, the robe is decorated with six symbols: sun, moon, stars, mountains, dragon, and pheasant; the skirt is embroidered with six symbols: ancestral vessels, waterweed, fire, rice grains, axe, and axe.

The moment the crown was placed on him, the twelve tassels blocked most of his vision. The world before him was fragmented into countless tiny, shimmering spots of light.

Looking at the awe in the eyes of those around me, I felt that a pathetic barrier had formed between me and them.

"All officials bow."

Wei Xue shouted.

All the civil and military officials bowed down.

"The students bow."

Many students from various schools of thought bowed down in unison.

"The people bow."

Representatives from various prominent families, the elderly, and soldiers all bowed in unison.

Music played loudly.

"All of you, rise."

Many people stood up and bowed again.

After bowing and rising three times, the ceremony between ruler and subject was complete.

After the ceremony, Cao Cao descended from the altar, where his imperial carriage was already waiting outside the southern suburban gate. The grandeur of the procession far surpassed that of when he was still the King of Qi.

Twelve banners of solemnity led the way, accompanied by twenty-four steeds whose hooves thundered. Four banners each bore the banner of tigers and leopards, held by the bravest soldiers of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, flanked by two tigers and two leopards on each side.

Sun flag, moon flag, blue dragon flag, white tiger flag, cloud flag, thunder flag, wind flag, rain flag, river and Huaihe River flag—eight flags overlapped and fluttered in the morning breeze, as if the entire Central Plains' mountains and rivers had been folded into this sixty-four-foot brocade.

Then come the Twenty-Eight Mansions. Horn, Neck, Root, Room, Heart, Tail, Winnowing Basket, the seven mansions of the Azure Dragon in the East; Dipper, Ox, Woman, Emptiness, Danger, Enclosure, Wall, the seven mansions of the Black Tortoise in the North; Legs, Stomach, Pleiades, Net, Beak, Three Stars, the seven mansions of the White Tiger in the West; Well, Ghost, Willow, Star, Extended Net, Wings, Chariot, the seven mansions of the Vermilion Bird in the South.

His imperial procession alone stretched as far as the eye could see.

Is this what it feels like to be an emperor?

Even someone as resolute as Cao Cao couldn't help but feel somewhat lost; the feeling of commanding a hundred followers and reaching the pinnacle was incredibly captivating.

The civil and military officials returned to the palace, where the long-awaited bestowal of titles and rewards began.

"I raised an army to quell the tyranny and rebellion, and for decades we have been victorious in every struggle. How could we have no merit? It is all thanks to the efforts of virtuous scholars and officials. The world is now at peace, a result of our joint efforts with these virtuous scholars and officials. Yet they are rewarded solely for their labor. Why should I grieve? Let us hasten the determination of merit and the bestowal of titles!"

"Loyal and Martial King Wei Ping was a man of both literary and martial talents. He could use his pen to bring peace to the world and his horse to conquer the world. The two words 'loyal and Martial' alone cannot fully express his abilities."

"Now, in the name of the founding emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty, I hereby bestow upon Wenxuan the title of Wenxuan Zhongwu King."

"The eldest son of the Duke of Yan, who raised excellent seedlings throughout the land, was appointed Grand Minister of Agriculture, ranking among the Four Dukes."

"Wei Xue, a son of the Wei family, was enfeoffed as Marquis Wenzhong, appointed as prime minister, and commanded all officials."

"Xi Zhicai of Yingchuan recognized my talent when I was still a nobody, and helped me from all directions. He has repeatedly offered ingenious plans, and his contributions are immense. I hereby confer upon him the title of Marquis of Wenzhen and appoint him as Grand Commandant."

"Xun Yu, also known as Xun Wenruo, is my Zhang Liang. He is stationed in the rear, allowing me to have no worries about the rear. All logistical needs are met without any shortage. He is hereby granted the title of Marquis of Suiting and appointed Grand Censor."

"Guo Jia, Guo Fengxiao..."

"Xiahou Yuan..."

"Xiahou Dun..."

"..."

All the meritorious officials who made great contributions to Cao Cao's unification of the country received their due rewards.

Everyone was overjoyed, having been promoted and given higher ranks.

The top few, in particular, are already planning how to make a name for themselves and gain the qualifications to be granted fiefdoms.

This was the highest ideal of civil and military officials throughout history since Wang Mang initiated the enfeoffment system.

As founding heroes, they had a very high chance of qualifying for this position.

As expected, Cao Cao decisively launched a war against the Parthian Empire.

The country doesn't need such a large army right now, but disbanding these troops would severely damage the country's security.

Why not just send them abroad to attack the Parthian Empire, while simultaneously granting fiefdoms to his own civil and military officials there, thus strengthening his control over these overseas vassal states?

After the news spread, all the military officers were eager to fight.

Even Xi Zhicai, Guo Jia, Xun You, Cheng Yu and others couldn't help but be moved.

This is a legitimate family genealogy book, on its own page. Who could resist such temptation?!

After a fierce competition, Cao Ren, Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, Huang Zhong, Xun You, and Xi Zhicai won the qualification.

Two generals from the imperial clan, two generals from other clans, and two civil officials and strategists will establish new fiefdoms on the corpse of the Sasanian Empire, becoming a bridgehead for the Great Qian Empire to grant fiefdoms to foreign powers.

The six of them will lead 1.2 million elite cavalrymen toward the Sasanian Empire, with supplies provided by the local vassal states along the way.

These vassal states also hoped to defeat the Sasanian Empire as soon as possible and expand their own territories.

The pressure from the Sasanian Empire and the Roman Empire was too great, so they had to rely on the power of the central court in Zhongzhou, and it was only natural that they would contribute some provisions.