A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Just as Hua Jieyu placed a secret report on the imperial desk, Wei Zhao picked up his teacup.

"Your Majesty, Du Heng and Xue Wanshan have made their move."

Wei Zhao's hand froze in mid-air.

He looked down at the paper; there weren't many words on it, but each one was glaring.

Du Heng of Jiangbei and Xue Wanshan of Guangling contacted eight leaders of the eighteen rebel armies and met privately at the old post station south of the city.

Ten people secretly plotted to leave the capital with their troops, seize control of prefectures and counties, and establish themselves as kings.

There's one more sentence at the end.

"If Wei Zhao could rule the world, why can't we?"

No one spoke in the imperial study.

The sound of the cup hitting the table was very soft, but Wei Zhao heard it clearly.

He suddenly smiled.

It wasn't a laugh born of extreme anger.

It really seems absurd.

Lu Song was still tied up in a side hall of the Taiji Hall, the Imperial Guards had not yet been fully organized, the grain prices in the capital were still being suppressed, and the register of refugees from Qingzhou was still piled up on the left side of the Emperor's desk.

As a result, these people have started to want to be kings.

Human hearts are a damn hard thing to satisfy.

When we all fought Lu Song together, we shouted the loudest than anyone else.

They claim they are seeking justice for the people and killing traitors for the sake of the world.

Now that the treacherous officials have fallen and the throne has been taken over, their first concern is not whether the people have enough to eat, nor how to compensate the wounded and injured soldiers.

They asked.

Why not me?

Wei Zhao put down the secret report.

"How many people?"

Hua Jieyu said, "Ten."

"Du Heng, Xue Wanshan, and eight other rebel leaders who were originally ennobled as marquises."

Han Dashan stood up abruptly, causing the chair to tilt backward from his impact.

"What are these bastards up to? They just got ennobled and they're already rebelling? Aren't they good enough for a marquis?"

Old Zhou leaned on his knife, his usual playful expression gone.

"A marquis title is certainly not enough. His Majesty didn't grant them the title of king, so they're resentful."

After he finished speaking, he glanced at Wei Zhao again and quickly added a sentence.

"I'm not saying Your Majesty made a mistake in bestowing titles. It's the best-case scenario of bestowing titles upon kings that's causing a major problem."

Wei Zhao glanced at him.

"You can fill in the gaps now?"

Old Zhou's lips twitched.

"Now that you're a marquis, you have to learn some official language. Otherwise, you won't even know you've been tricked to death by those civil officials."

On a normal day, Wei Zhao would probably laugh.

I can't laugh now.

If the ten rebel armies really rebelled, he certainly wouldn't be afraid of fighting.

With the capital in hand, the Wei family army at their command, and Liu Jingshuang, Huo Qingluan, Baishui Camp, and Heishan Fort all present, they are all here.

The question isn't whether we can win.

The question is, what happens after you win?

The Central Plains had just been half-dead from the chaos caused by Lu Song and Emperor Yuanxi. The people had only just begun to recover from the turmoil in the capital. The grain had not yet been cooked, the land had not yet been distributed, and the salt tax had not yet been paid.

If another battle breaks out, whose grain will be burned?

Whose son died?

This emperor must have had a really frustrating time.

Before, he could kill whomever he wanted without hesitation. Now, with every slash, he has to think about how many civilians are standing behind the blade.

Su Qingyun opened the account book, her voice gentle yet sharper than a knife.

"If the ten rebel kings leave the capital and return to their respective prefectures, the worst-case scenario is that the river transport in Jiangbei will be cut off, the Guangling granary will be seized by them, and several salt routes will also be blocked."

Wei Zhao raised his eyes.

"How long can the food supply last?"

"The capital only has the existing grain reserves, without touching the follow-up in Jiangnan. Three hundred thousand troops can hold out for a month."

Su Qingyun paused.

"If Du Heng cuts off the river transport in Jiangbei, the grain from Jiangnan will arrive slowly. If Xue Wanshan burns down the Guangling granary, things will look very bad before the autumn harvest."

Wei Zhao tapped his fingers on the imperial desk.

It’s over.

This is not a trivial matter.

This is choking him.

Du Heng controls the river channels, while Xue Wanshan occupies the granaries.

With one person blocking the waterway and the other pressing down the grain sacks, it's no wonder they dared to jump out at this time.

They are not stupid.

They felt they had a price to pay.

Huo Qingluan moved the map of the capital region to the center.

"We can't let them go back."

She doesn't talk much, but every word she says is direct.

"They are currently outside the capital, their camps are scattered, and their command flags are not yet in place. If they are released back to the prefectures, we will have to launch a siege and annihilation campaign."

Liu Jingshuang said coldly, "A siege will drag on."

"It will be delayed until the autumn harvest."

Su Qingyun continued:

"It might even drag on into winter."

Shang Wanqing slammed the roll of military equipment shut.

"We don't even have enough weapons."

Everyone looked at her.

Shang Wanqing frowned, as if someone had broken the crossbow she had just finished making.

"The Imperial Guard's armor needs to be repaired, and the Wei Family Army's heavy armor has suffered too much damage. Thirty percent of the shields in the Xuanwu Formation are broken. We can fight another tough battle, but it will be difficult to repair the border areas afterward."

Wei Zhao rubbed his temples.

it is good.

There wasn't enough money, enough food, and enough armor.

But people are inherently greedy.

Hua Jieyu said softly:

"They'll meet secretly tonight, and tomorrow they'll probably use that as an excuse to go out of the city to muster their troops. Once they're outside the capital region, His Majesty will have to mobilize a large army if he wants to suppress them again."

Wei Zhao looked at her.

"Can we turn them to defect?"

Hua Jieyu smiled.

"We can try the eight smaller ones. Du Heng and Xue Wanshan are not suitable."

Why?

"Du Heng felt that the waterways north of the Yangtze River were his lifeline. When His Majesty took over the navy, he felt that His Majesty wanted him dead."

Hua Jieyu tapped another line of text with her fingertip.

"Xue Wanshan is in even more trouble. He has already spread the word that the new Emperor Wu is nothing more than a remnant of the Wei family. If he can sit on the throne with his army, then heroes of the world can also become kings with their armies."

Han Dashan was so angry that his face turned red.

"Damn it! Why didn't you call yourself a hero when you were fighting Lu Song? You hid in the back and held back your strength, but now you dare to call yourself a king?"

Zhou Laodao also cursed.

"That's called knowing when to strike. When Lu Song was around, they were afraid he would kill them. But now that His Majesty is in power, they think His Majesty is principled and won't easily slaughter them."

Wei Zhao glanced at Zhou Laodao.

That hits the nail on the head.

They are not unaware of their own ruthlessness.

They just felt that he couldn't be ruthless right now.

The new dynasty had just been established, and all the officials, the common people, and the prefectures and counties of the whole country were watching.

If he were to confer a marquisate on the first day and then kill the marquis on the second, those opportunists would immediately say that Emperor Xinwu could not tolerate meritorious officials.

But if we don't kill them, the ten rebel kings will tear this world apart again.

This is the emperor's seat.

If you don't take action, others will think you're weak.

If you use a knife, people will call you violent.

very nice.

So good that Wei Zhao wanted to take off his dragon robe, change into white clothes, and go out with his spear.

Xie Daoning said softly:

"If we can avoid fighting, it's best to avoid it. There are too many people in the wounded soldiers' camp. Many of the heavily armored soldiers who retreated from the Xuanwu Formation still have wounds that haven't healed."

Huo Qingluan's fingers paused for a moment.

She didn't say anything.

Wei Zhao saw the strip of cloth that was still in her hand.

She personally nailed those five thousand heavy armored soldiers to the front of the Imperial Guard.

She knew better than anyone how many people would die if another battle were fought.

Tuoba Yue sat to the side, her face pale, but she still raised her head.

"We can't be afraid of what they say."

Wei Zhao looked at her.

Tuoba Yue gritted her teeth and said:

"It's the same in the Western Qiang tribes. When you first win, everyone is convinced. But when it comes to dividing the meat, some people complain that they got less. If you give way once, they'll think you can give way a second time."

Xiao Guanyin whispered:

"Xian Yuan is the same. A fence-sitter is not afraid of a benevolent ruler, but only of a knife that can cut people."

Wei Zhao did not respond.

He knew they were right.

It may be correct, but that doesn't mean it's easy.

He could kill Wang Jing with a single spear thrust, and drag Lu Song off the imperial carriage. Those were enemies; he would wipe them out completely.

But the ten rebel armies were different.

Among these people, some did indeed fight alongside him at the White Bone Grave, shed blood, and die as soldiers.

Even if Du Heng and Xue Wanshan had ulterior motives, many of their soldiers were simply looking to make a living.

With one slash, whether the rebel king lives or dies is another matter; the common people will suffer first.