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

"Very well, send the battle reports to all my ministers so they can see what happens to those traitors."

"The Ministry of Rites has issued a decree to all nations: anyone who dares to harbor those two traitors will be stripped of their royal title and forever barred from joining the Yanhuang system!"

Li Heng was overjoyed when he received the battle report.

Now that the borderlands have been pacified, only those rats in the south remain, who are not worth worrying about.

Once he has completely seized power over the world, it will be time for him to show his true abilities.

He was determined to eradicate the ills of the world, allow the people to live in peace and prosperity, and make amends for the mistakes his father had made.

In the southern borderlands, the restless military governors, upon hearing that the northern and western borderlands had been pacified, suddenly settled down.

With just a single decree, Li Heng stripped them of all their military power.

Li Heng's decree was also circulated by the Ministry of Rites to various countries and proclaimed to the world.

The two military governors who had fled also received the news through various channels. As people of the Central Plains, they were even more able to appreciate the power of this imperial edict.

The titles of the feudal lords are now recognized by the Divine Continent Empire. Regardless of how they obtained their titles, as long as their territory is large enough, their subjects are numerous enough, they have a complete political system, and they acknowledge the legitimacy of the Divine Continent, the Divine Continent Empire will also recognize their thrones.

Both sides knew perfectly well that everyone was helping each other out; you gave me face, and I gave you face in return.

If they are stripped of their Yanhuang system, it's like they've been stripped of their Shenzhou identity. Everyone can attack them at will, and most of their subordinates will rebel in order to rejoin Yanhuang.

That's a ruthless move!

It's as if they've fallen into a state of desolation, unable to return to their roots, becoming lost and wandering ghosts.

No other vassal state would accept them. Fortunately, they never intended to become foreign subjects. They built their own kingdom, so what if they weren't recognized?

The ancestral temple sacrifices are still performed by their own incense offerings.

Staying in the Western Frontier would only mean certain death.

Knowing they had no way out, a fierce glint flashed in their eyes, and they launched an attack on a small country some distance from the Tang Dynasty.

They were leading the elite troops of the Tang Dynasty, and some small countries were indeed no match for them, falling one after another.

The news of the fall of these small countries quickly spread to the surrounding states. When King Ying Fen of Qin learned of this, he could not hide the smile on his face.

Due to historical issues, their family has always been coveted by surrounding countries.

The states even formed an alliance, vowing to strike Qin at all costs should it show any signs of expansion.

To prevent a repeat of Qin's conquest of the six states, even though the states could not trust each other, they were more united than in history and joined forces against external threats.

This thwarted Qin's expansion efforts time and again.

I never expected to have such a great opportunity!

These two are traitors to China. Sending troops to attack them is perfectly justified and in accordance with righteousness. Other vassal states cannot even stop us.

Ying Fen immediately wanted to launch an attack.

"Your Majesty, please wait."

At that moment, a minister in the court stepped forward to stop it.

When Ying Fen looked, he was surprised to see that it was his prime minister Zhang Bang, a descendant of Zhang Yi, the former prime minister of Qin.

"What plan does the Prime Minister have?"

Ying Fen asked, showing great respect for this prime minister who came from a family with a strong academic background and genuine talent.

"I urge Your Majesty to unite with the surrounding nations and jointly discuss the matter of subjugating these two rebels."

Zhang Bang stepped forward and spoke.

Ying Fen frowned, somewhat puzzled. Even the generals in the court directly objected, arguing, "Why should two mere rebels warrant a campaign against us by various countries?"

"Your Majesty, just give me 100,000 troops, and I will surely conquer them!"

A general stepped forward and spoke.

Ying Fen looked at Zhang Bang with suspicion, waiting for Zhang Bang's explanation.

"Taking them is easy, but the question is, how much will Qin gain from it?"

Zhang Bang countered with a question.

"Right now they have only occupied the territory of a small country. With their military strength, if we can hold back the other countries, they will surely be able to conquer more territory."

"Pigs need to be fattened before they can be slaughtered. Who slaughters their piglets when they are still young?"

"As long as we can hold off the other nations until they are strong enough, we can launch a preemptive attack while they are not paying attention."

"Anyone who wants to get involved can be accused of aiding and abetting a rebellion. I'd like to see who dares to accept that label."

"It would be even better if they dared to accept. If the Qin Dynasty were to launch another campaign, no one would be able to say a word against it."

"And those two traitors, they can be defeated, but they must never be killed."

"We must ensure that they can always lead their elite troops to escape at crucial moments, fleeing to other small countries to continue their rebellion."

"Only in this way can we continue our conquests and expand our gains under the pretext of eliminating the rebels."

"This is the greater good, and it is also the only way for Great Qin to break the deadlock."

After Zhang Bang finished speaking, Ying Fen's face was full of agreement.

The same applies to other generals; they can still distinguish between a full meal and a full stomach.

Taking action now would only result in one battle.

They're incredibly shrewd at choosing to hold back and fight continuously.

"In that case, let us do as the Prime Minister says. Someone, please help me invite the kings to Xianyang Palace to discuss important matters together."

Ying Fen said excitedly that their Great Qin had not had a war for nearly 10 years, and the whole country had been suppressed for 10 years, including him, the king.

The Qin Dynasty has been thirsting for blood for a long time.

……

Luoyang, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

The most demanding and outspoken military governors have all been eliminated. Now, the most important thing for the court is to bring all the other wavering military governors into the palace and strip them of their military power.

Of course, the most important thing is to reward those who have made contributions.

Gao Shi, Geshu Han, Guo Ziyi, Li Guangbi, Li Bi, and others—all those who made contributions during this suppression of the rebellion—were rewarded according to the magnitude of their merits.

In this respect, Li Heng was clear about rewards and punishments, and was unambiguous.

He specifically sent his trusted confidants to infiltrate the army and caught a group of people who, relying on their family background, were stealing credit from others.

Li Heng ruthlessly arrested all these people and implicated their families, severely striking a blow against the arrogance of these powerful clans.

When Li Bi returned to Luoyang, the matter was already over, and it was too late for him to offer any advice.

In his view, Li Heng's actions were somewhat like alerting the enemy.

These people certainly need to be dealt with, but their families should not be implicated, as this would prematurely expose one's intentions.

The major clans are now on high alert, and any further attempts to target them will only provoke a fierce backlash.

Compared to that, this small gain is simply insignificant.

After listening to Li Bi's analysis, Li Heng also felt some regret.

"Now that things have come to this, is there any way to salvage the situation?"