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

"Wenlie, what do we do?"

Cao Zhen asked Cao Xiu.

"We only have two options now: one is to surrender directly, and at worst, we'll be imprisoned for life, considering our background."

"The second option is to go to the military camp, mobilize the entire army to attack the palace, and after taking the palace, we will still hold supreme power, and may even go further."

Cao Xiu looked into Cao Zhen's eyes as he spoke.

Cao Zhen's eyes widened in horror. "Cao Xiu, have you gone mad!"

"Don't forget why we got to where we are today!"

"Besides, that's blatant rebellion. Do you think those soldiers would follow the two of us in doing that?"

"Doing this will only lead to your death!"

Cao Xiu fell silent. How could he not know?!

But over the years he has held great power, and apart from Cao Zhen being his equal, even the emperor had to be inferior to him.

How could he possibly endure living like this, dependent on others, for too long!

"Zidan, human desires are like a boulder rolling down a mountain; once they start, they can never be stopped."

Cao Xiu sighed. "Are you really willing to accept this?"

Cao Zhen's expression changed drastically, but eventually turned into relief.

He suddenly shoved Cao Xiu off his horse, drew his sword, and brought it to Cao Xiu's neck.

"I, Cao Zhen, have received immense favors from the Cao family for generations. My head may be severed, my blood may flow, and I may die, but I will never betray the Great Qian!"

Cao Xiu did not struggle. Without Cao Zhen's help, he had no way to command the entire army camp outside the city to rebel with him, relying solely on his prestige.

"So be it, so be it, it's just death."

"But Cao Xiu had no face to see the ancestors of the Cao family."

After saying this, Cao Xiu was about to slit his throat on Cao Zhen's sword, but Cao Zhen kicked him away.

"Let's wait together for His Majesty's judgment."

After saying this, he pulled Cao Xiu and prayed to Cao Ling on the city wall to surrender.

Cao Ling ordered the two men to be imprisoned and took over their troops.

The following day, Cao Ling carried out a major purge of the forces belonging to Cao Zhen and Cao Xiu, replacing important positions with her own confidants, and heavily relying on Sima Yi, Zhou Buyi, and others, thus firmly grasping the entire court in her hands.

The skill and political acumen he displayed in this process were in no way inferior to Liu Hong in his youth, and even stronger than Cao Cao in his youth; he was only somewhat immature compared to Cao Cao's ultimate form.

Under Cao Ling's command, even Sima Yi could only work diligently.

Given Sima Yi's cautious nature, he wouldn't reveal his true intentions unless he was 99% certain.

Until Sima Yi died of old age, he never had the slightest chance to seize power and become the sole ruler.

The Duke of Zhou feared rumors, and Wang Mang was humble before his usurpation.

If I had died back then, who would know the truth of my life?

In this life, Sima Yi trembled under Cao Cao's command, lived in fear under Cao Pi, and finally worked diligently under Cao Ling, never revealing his inner ambition.

Not only did he erase the infamy of his oath to the Luo River, but he also successfully proved his eagle-eyed and wolf-like gaze.

Not all people with eagle eyes and wolfish glances are necessarily bad people.

Before his death, Sima Yi left behind a final message.

"I have walked on thin ice my whole life, but I have finally reached the other side safely."

His posthumous title was Marquis Jing, which was a rather flattering one.

Since Emperor Qianwen came to power, he has reduced taxes and levies, befriended virtuous and capable officials, and promoted education. With his superb political skills, he has balanced the major forces in the court.

The power of the entire empire was united in his hands, and the ecology damaged by years of war was rapidly restored, leading to a steady increase in the empire's national strength.

In the thirty-fifth year of Emperor Qianwen's reign, the population and arable land of the entire country had surpassed the peak levels of the Han Dynasty.

With a wealth of capable ministers and fierce generals in the court, the empire reached a new peak.

In the fifty-sixth year of Emperor Qianwen's reign, Crown Prince Cao Rui rebelled.

"Is there ever a crown prince who reigns for 40 years?"

Yang Gu and Du Yu were ordered to quell the rebellion. After the Crown Prince's rebellion was quelled, Emperor Qianwen aged considerably overnight. This matter became a knot in his heart, and he began to cultivate his sixth son, Cao Mao, and gradually let Cao Fang take over the government.

Three years later, Emperor Qianwen died and Crown Prince Cao Mao succeeded him. Since his father had already brought the country to a peak, it was impossible to make any further breakthroughs in civil administration in the short term, so he turned his attention to military prowess.

Coincidentally, during Emperor Wu's reign, the winter of that year was exceptionally cold.

The soldiers sent to search for traces of the Xiongnu discovered that a strait north of Zhongzhou was frozen over due to the cold weather. The soldiers crossed the ice to reach another continent, which reminded him of a map left by the previous emperor, Zhongwu, and a land called Jidongzhou.

After a rough exploration of the continent, the team leader sent two people back to the capital to report the news, and then led the remaining team members to investigate the continent in detail.

When the news reached Luoyang, Emperor Qianwu was extremely interested in it.

The Roman Empire was too far from its homeland, making it impossible for China to launch a large-scale military campaign to conquer it.

But if this land is indeed the easternmost state that King Zhongwu spoke of, it might be possible to use it as a front line to expand the territory of the Great Qian Dynasty to the east.

To open up a new place for survival for China is a feat that is enough to earn him a place in history. If his contribution is great enough, he might even be able to rival his father.

Therefore, Emperor Qianwu dispatched a large number of soldiers to investigate and draw up a complete map.

Because the two continents are separated by a strait, they became unable to communicate again after the weather warmed up.

Emperor Qianwu dispatched a large number of ships to advance along the coastline, cross the strait, and arrive at the Far East Prefecture.

After more than a decade of exploration, the soldiers of the Great Qian Dynasty finally managed to get a rough idea of ​​the situation on this continent.

Rather than a single continent, it is more accurate to describe it as two separate continents, one in the north and one in the south, each roughly the size of the Central Plains.

What's even more peculiar is that neither of these continents has formed a distinct nation; instead, there are only cities and tribes.

The sight of a vast, unclaimed land caused a nationwide uproar in the Great Qian Empire, which had already reached its zenith.

Many civil and military officials wanted to establish their ancestral temples here. Due to the excessive population pressure, some people also hoped to go to another continent to obtain a large amount of land.

With the entire nation united, the massive migration began.

This indirectly promoted the development of Daqian Shipbuilding Industry.

Emperor Qianwu also took the opportunity to bestow titles upon many civil and military officials from the reigns of Emperor Gaozu, Emperor Hui, Emperor Wen, and the current emperor.

With its advanced civilization, the Great Qian began to plant its flags and establish a nation on another continent.

The entire Chinese civilization began to expand rapidly, gradually extending into the wider world.