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

When Hua Jieyu slammed the third urgent report onto the imperial desk, Wei Zhao was looking at a map of the grain transport route north of the Yangtze River.

"Your Majesty, Du Heng has rebelled."

Wei Zhao's finger stopped on the river transport line.

It’s over.

The thing I least wanted to see has still happened.

He looked up: "Only Du Heng?"

Hua Jieyu smiled faintly.

"If it were just Du Heng, I wouldn't have come in at this time."

She took out a few more sheets of paper and spread them out one by one.

"Xue Wanshan of Guangling, Sun Ding of Linchuan, Lu Xiao of Huaibei, the three battalions of former troops of Pingyang, and the two righteous armies of Jiangdong have all rebelled."

In the imperial study, the candlelight flickered slightly.

No one spoke.

As Wei Zhao looked at those names, the fire in his heart slowly subsided.

A total of ten.

Yesterday he was kneeling before the Taiji Hall to express his gratitude, and today he dares to declare himself king.

He had only been on the throne for a month, and before he could even warm his seat, the world presented him with a great gift.

Su Qingyun closed the ledger in a voice so soft it sent chills down your spine.

"River transport in Jiangbei has been cut off."

Wei Zhao looked up.

Su Qingyun continued:

"Du Heng seized thirty-seven grain ships, and Xue Wanshan sealed off the Guangling granary. The salt route to Linchuan was also blocked, and the price of grain in the capital has already risen by 30% this morning."

Wei Zhao pressed his knuckles against the edge of the imperial desk.

%.

Only one day.

The common people don't care who Du Heng is or who Xue Wanshan is.

All they knew was that rice was expensive, grain was scarce, and the children would go hungry again.

That's the most disgusting part.

When a rebel king revolts, the first to die are never the rebel king, but the common people.

Wei Zhao suddenly felt that the dragon robe was very heavy.

It was even heavier than when it charged into the Imperial Guard formation.

On the battlefield, if the enemy brandishes his sword, he brandishes his sword too, and charges in.

Things are different now.

With each stroke of the sword, grain prices, farmland, displaced people, military pay, and a group of old officials kneeling and shouting "Long live the Emperor!" were all weighed down.

Hua Jieyu then said, "There's one more thing."

Wei Zhao looked at her.

"explain."

"The Holy Fire Cult has risen."

After those five words were spoken, Huo Qingluan finally raised her head.

Wei Zhao frowned: "What is it?"

Hua Jieyu pushed the last secret report over.

"A month ago, it was just a small sect circulating among the disaster victims in Jiangnan, spouting nonsense about holy fire, purification of the world, and equal distribution of grain. Now it has swept across three prefectures, and its followers are said to number 300,000."

Han Dashan's eyes widened.

"Three hundred thousand? A month?"

"It is said to be..."

The flower, as it speaks, says:

"In reality, there are at least tens of thousands of people who can actually lift a hoe or a wooden stick."

Wei Zhao looked at the words on the secret report.

Sages and wise teachers.

The sacred flame descends upon the world.

Burn down the old dynasty, destroy the new Wu dynasty, and everyone will have land and grain.

He almost burst out laughing.

Good guy.

Before the rebel king was dealt with, the cult arrived.

This world really doesn't want him to catch his breath.

Su Qingyun whispered:

"The Holy Fire Sect operates under the banner of equitable distribution of grain, specifically targeting disaster victims, refugees, and tenant farmers. They open granaries to distribute food, kill powerful families, and burn down government offices, which is why they expand so rapidly."

Wei Zhao rubbed his temples.

He is not afraid of the Holy Fire Cult chanting slogans.

What he fears is that these slogans will resonate with the people.

If the people have enough to eat, who would follow some saint or wise teacher to rebel?

But they didn't.

The old Wei dynasty had been rotten for so many years. Lu Song, powerful families, corrupt officials, and local tyrants had stripped the people bare, leaving them with nothing but bones.

Now that the new regime has just been established, the land has not been distributed, the grain has not arrived, the officials have not been replaced, and the old accounts have not been settled.

The fire of the Holy Fire Cult is not lit by gods and ghosts.

It addresses the hunger in people's stomachs.

Wei Zhao stared at the secret report, but the murderous intent in his heart was suppressed.

Of course, we must kill.

Cults coerce the people, burn down cities and destroy counties, and in the end, it is the people who die.

But killing people with force alone is not enough.

If the people still have no land and no food after the Holy Fire Cult is wiped out, tomorrow there will be the Black Fire Cult, the White Fire Cult, and the Heavenly Fire Cult.

One by one.

They can't kill them all.

Wei Zhao looked up at the outside of the hall.

The memorials submitted by those former officials over the past month have piled up on the emperor's desk, half of them requesting official appointments and the other half of them trying to shirk responsibility.

Truly useful methods are extremely rare.

Some suggested appeasing the rebel king.

Some say they are trying to persuade the Holy Fire Cult to surrender.

Some even suggested that His Majesty should repent and repent, so as to move the world.

When Wei Zhao saw this sentence, he almost threw the folding book at the man's face.

Guilt?

What crime did he commit?

Was it because he killed Lu Song too quickly, not giving these people a chance to continue kneeling before the old dynasty?

Wei Zhao asked coldly, "What is the court saying?"

Flowers may speak, but their smiles are colder.

"The Ministry of Rites said that envoys should be sent to appease them, the Ministry of Revenue said that there was no grain to be allocated, and the old officials of the Ministry of War said that the troops in various places had just been submitted and it was not advisable to act rashly. Several other officials jointly petitioned Your Majesty to enfeoff Du Heng and Xue Wanshan as kings to put their minds at ease."

Wei Zhao felt mentally exhausted.

I'm really tired.

The ten rebel kings stationed their troops outside and plundered the people, forcing them to provide food and labor.

Under the guise of saving people from suffering, the Holy Fire Cult coerced disaster victims, burned down government offices, killed local gentry, and also killed ordinary people who refused to join the cult.

What about the court officials?

A fence-sitter, a shrewd schemer, a sycophantic opportunist.

They kneel down faster than anyone else, but are slower than anyone else at getting things done.

None are available.

When those four words popped into Wei Zhao's mind, he himself felt ashamed.

He sat on the dragon throne and was known as the New Martial Emperor.

As a result, among all the officials in the court, there were very few who could hold up the pillars.

This emperor was truly a pathetic ruler.

Wei Zhao pressed the secret report under his palm.

"Issue an imperial decree to summon the ministers of the six ministries to the palace."

Hua Jieyu didn't move.

Wei Zhao looked at her.

Hua Jieyu said softly, "Your Majesty, even if they come, they will only advise you to be patient."

Wei Zhao's eyelid twitched.

he knows.

But he still had to listen.

Because the emperor cannot only listen to the sound of swords.

He needs to know what these people are afraid of, what they are thinking, and to whom they are prepared to shift the blame.

Half an hour later, the former officials of the six ministries knelt on the ground.

really.

Every time he opened his mouth, it was all about restraint.

"Your Majesty, the new dynasty has just been established, and it is not advisable to wage war."

"Although the ten marquises were confused for a time, they have after all made contributions to the country. If Your Majesty suddenly sends troops, I fear it will discourage the meritorious officials of the country."

"Although the Holy Fire Cult is chaotic, many of its members are starving people. If we suppress them with force, it may incite an even greater popular uprising."

"In my opinion, it would be better to first send envoys to appease them, then allocate grain for relief, and wait until after the autumn harvest..."

Wei Zhao smiled when he heard this.

The official's voice immediately stopped.

Wei Zhao looked at him: "Where is the grain?"

The official was sweating profusely.

"This... the Ministry of Revenue can try to raise the funds."

Su Qingyun opened the account book beside her and said gently:

"The Ministry of Revenue's surplus grain in the capital's granaries is enough for 300,000 troops for a month. The grain supply route to Jiangnan has been cut off by Du Heng. The grain depot in Guangling has been seized by Xue Wanshan. Your Excellency says you need to raise funds, but where will you get them?"

The official's lips moved, but he couldn't speak.

Wei Zhao looked at the other one:

"You say you've chilled the hearts of meritorious officials. Du Heng seized the grain ships, Xue Wanshan sealed the granaries, and ten men declared themselves kings. Tell me, are they meritorious officials or rebels?"

The man turned pale and immediately kowtowed.

"I made a mistake!"

Wei Zhao stared at him.

This is not a slip of the tongue.

This is a test.

They were testing whether the new emperor dared to kill meritorious officials or take action against the rebel king.

If he backs down today, these people will dare to pile up memorials on his desk tomorrow advocating "granting kingship to secure the world."

At that time, the world will not be the world of Xinwu, but the world of ten rebel kings.

Wei Zhao raised his hand.

"Get out, all of you."

The former officials of the Six Ministries were stunned.

The Minister of Rites whispered, "Your Majesty..."

Wei Zhao looked over.

"I said, get out."

The group of people scrambled out of the room.

The hall finally quieted down.

"His Majesty."

Liu Jingshuang's voice came from outside the door.

Wei Zhao looked up.

Liu Jingshuang entered the hall, still dressed in plain clothes, with a long sword at her waist, and covered in the dust of the training ground.

She knelt down on one knee.

"Weijia Army volunteered for battle."

Looking at her, Wei Zhao felt a lump in his throat loosen a little, then tighten again.

"Jing Shuang, do you know what sending troops now means?"

Liu Jingshuang looked up.

"Know."

"The ten rebel kings are not just Lu Song alone. The Holy Fire Sect is not an army either. If a real war breaks out, people will die, many people will die."

Liu Jingshuang said, "Even if we don't fight, we'll still die."

Wei Zhao remained silent.

That's a very strong statement.

It's also very accurate.

Liu Jingshuang stood up, her gaze not avoiding his.

"You hesitate because you want fewer deaths. But Your Majesty, the current situation is not your doing. The debts owed by the former Wei dynasty, the debts owed by Lu Song, and the debts owed by powerful clans and wealthy families are all now weighing on your case."

Wei Zhao's lips twitched slightly.

"So I deserved to receive it?"

"You've already answered."

Liu Jingshuang said this very quickly.

Wei Zhao was momentarily speechless.

it is good.

She truly lives up to her reputation as Liu Jingshuang.

Advising people is like wielding a knife.

Liu Jingshuang continued:

"To achieve peace and stability, gentle appeasement alone is insufficient. Rebel kings will not surrender their granaries simply because you are merciful, nor will the Holy Fire Cult disperse just because you issue an edict. If you retreat, they will advance. If you endure, they will assume you are afraid."

Wei Zhao looked at her.

He understood every word she said.

Understanding and giving orders are two different things.

Liu Jingshuang's voice turned cold.

"To stop war with war."

The hall was so quiet that only the soft creaking of the candle wick could be heard.

"If swift and decisive action is taken, the world will feel the pain for a while. But if we allow them to run rampant, the world will rot away."