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

When Wei Zhao slammed the roster onto the table, everyone inside and outside the Golden City fell silent.

"Of the millions of refugees, only a little over two thousand died in three days."

He looked up at the kneeling officer below him, his voice not loud.

"Should I praise you, or should I execute you?"

The officer's forehead was pressed to the ground, and beads of sweat fell into the cracks between the bricks.

"Your Majesty, we have done our best. There are too many people, not enough soup kitchens, not enough medical tents, and many people outside the city are still unwilling to register, saying they are afraid of being punished later if they register..."

Wei Zhao did not speak immediately.

More than two thousand people.

Placed among millions, it's as insignificant as a flimsy account.

But when you put them into each shed, there are more than two thousand parents and children.

Someone had just climbed off the Holy Fire Cult's dilapidated vehicle when he turned around and died next to the soup kitchen of the New Martial Dynasty.

This account is ugly.

But Wei Zhao also knew that being able to suppress the number to this extent was something that Su Qingyun, Xie Daoning, Huo Qingluan and a few others had practically snatched from the jaws of death.

We can't just resort to insults.

Of course, the emperor can get angry, but anger cannot conjure up food, medicine, or silence millions of mouths.

"Open twelve more soup kitchens."

Wei Zhao said, "If the city can't hold them all, we'll set up camp outside. Women and children will get porridge first, and the elderly and the wounded will go to the medical tent first. After the able-bodied men register, they will be organized into teams of one hundred, and ten teams will have a leader. Anyone who dares to steal porridge will be dragged out and beaten, and anyone who dares to incite others will be beheaded."

The officer quickly kowtowed.

"I obey your decree!"

Su Qingyun stood to the side and opened the newly delivered account book.

"Half of the grain from the capital has been stored, but the Zheng family's fleet is still on its way. The Cui family's grain carts are two days behind schedule, and there are displaced people blocking the official road."

Wei Zhao glanced at her.

"Send troops to protect them."

"It's already been sent."

Su Qingyun's voice was gentle, but there was no trace of softness in her eyes:

"I'll have the Lu family's accountant go with them. Anyone who dares to steal grain will be recorded first, then beheaded. After that, the household registration records must be copied back to prevent anyone from impersonating others to collect grain."

Wei Zhao felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

Wei Zhao walked to the military map and pressed his finger in the direction of Chenqiao.

"The top ten rebel kings need to be recalculated."

Su Qingyun looked up.

"How about now?"

"Let's calculate now."

Wei Zhao said, "Millions of refugees need to be resettled, grain needs to be seized, land needs to be redistributed, and the court needs to be cleansed. But if we don't fight the rebel kings, the supply lines will never be stable. I can't just sit here in the Golden City and cook porridge, only to lose the whole country in the process."

He spoke very plainly, but everyone in the hall understood him.

The new Wu dynasty may seem to have won a big victory, but in reality, it has laid the groundwork for an even bigger battle.

We must support the common people, stabilize the capital, suppress powerful families, and eliminate rebel kings.

This is not a question.

This is like having more than a dozen knives held to your neck at the same time.

Su Qingyun closed the account book.

"Then let's list them first."

Hua Jieyu just stepped out from behind the screen, holding a scroll of detailed intelligence in her hand.

Her smile remained alluring, but her eyes held a coldness.

"I have already had the list of the ten rebel kings that Your Majesty requested compiled."

Wei Zhao raised an eyebrow.

"So fast?"

Hua Jieyu placed the case file on the table.

"They're so eager to jump, which makes it easier to investigate them."

Wei Zhao unfolded the case file.

The first line is Han Dashan.

The rebel king of Bianzhou, whose forces were known as the Black Mountain Army, occupied Chenqiao and the northern part of Bianzhou. His army numbered about 120,000, and consisted of surrendered soldiers, refugees, and mountain bandits. They were most skilled at robbing grain.

Han Dashan was shrewd despite his rough exterior; outwardly reckless, but inwardly greedy. What he wanted most was a granary and a royal title.

Zhou Laodao, the rebel king of Chenqiao, led a force known as the Red Knife Army. He occupied the southern route of Chenqiao and the Yellow River ferry crossing, with an army of about 90,000, mostly veterans, capable of fighting on both land and water.

This man is ruthless; he dares to kill and he dares to gamble.

They outwardly joined forces with Han Dashan, but secretly guarded against each other.

King Qin Lie of Liangzhou, whose power was known as the Iron Ridge Army, occupied three counties in Liangzhou and had 80,000 soldiers.

He came from the border army and was competent in military administration. He was not prone to rash advances and was observing the outcome of the battle between Xinwu and Chenqiao.

Du Heng, the King of Huainan, whose power was known as the Huai River Alliance, controlled the Huainan water fortress and the salt roads on both banks. He had an army of 60,000, with a strong navy but a weak land force, and relied on salt taxes to support his army.

Ma Chengyi, the King of Hedong, whose power was known as the Hedong Righteous Army, occupied the mines and ironworks in Hedong. He had 70,000 soldiers, many of whom were heavily armed, but their discipline was poor, and the artisans under his command were severely oppressed.

King Xu Zhongmou of Jingxiang, whose power was known as the Azure Dragon Camp, controlled the grain supply route to Jingxiang and had 50,000 troops. He was literate and liked to pretend to be benevolent and righteous, but in reality, he was the best at betting on both sides.

Feng Wanjun, the King of Lingnan, whose power is known as the Baiyue Army, occupies the mountain roads of Lingnan. He has 40,000 troops, mostly mountain people and barbarian soldiers. He is far from the capital, so there is no immediate need to rush.

Sun Qing, the King of Donglai, whose power was known as the Haidong Army, occupied Donglai Port and the salt fields. He had 35,000 soldiers and many ships, and was deeply entangled with maritime merchants.

Two lines down, Wei Zhao's finger stopped.

Luo Shao, the King of Weinan, whose power was known as the Qinggu Army, occupied the three counties of Weinan, Qinggu, and Luoxi, with an army of 28,000.

Originally a local militia leader, he seized the opportunity of the chaos to annex the county's troops and proclaimed himself King of Weinan. He had never fought a major battle, had few soldiers but plenty of supplies, and was closest to Golden City.

Prince Xue Feng of Anling, whose power was known as the White Deer Army, occupied the entire Anling prefecture and had 40,000 soldiers. He gathered people by virtue of his status as a member of the former Wei imperial family. He lived not far from the capital and secretly corresponded with several former officials.

After Wei Zhao finished reading, no one in the hall spoke.

The Ten Great Anti-Kings.

The names of the people, their territories, their troops, their supply lines, and their personalities were all laid out on the paper.

It looks like a list, but it's actually a rotten, stinking map of the world.

Wei Zhao felt very cold inside.

Among these people, some had real soldiers, some had real land, and some just dared to declare themselves kings after seizing a few county towns in the chaos.

Regardless of their strength, as long as they all raise their flags, the edicts of the new Wu Dynasty will never reach the local areas.

Without the imperial edict, the land could not be distributed.

If the land cannot be distributed, the displaced people cannot be resettled.

If the displaced people cannot be resettled, a second Holy Fire Cult will soon emerge.

Therefore, the rebel king must be defeated.

And it can't be delayed.

Su Qingyun looked at Wei Zhao and said.

"The strongest are Han Dashan and Zhou Laodao. If we want to establish our authority, it would be best to attack Chenqiao directly."

Huo Qingluan shook her head.

"Chenqiao will be difficult to conquer."

She tapped her fingertip on the military map.

"Han Dashan and Zhou Laodao have joined forces, with about 200,000 troops, and they are blocking the ferry crossing and the supply route. Your Majesty needs to leave troops to keep watch over the refugees in Golden City, and you also need troops in the capital. You can't send all your main forces there."

Liu Jingshuang has not returned yet, and the palace is missing one of the people who dared to directly call for a fight.

Wei Zhao stared at Chen Qiao for a long time.

He certainly wanted to stab Han Dashan and Zhou Laodao with a single shot.

These two rebel kings were the first to jump out and the loudest to curse. Once they were eliminated, half of the world would immediately be at peace.

But Huo Qingluan is right, now is not the time to be stubborn.

Millions of refugees had just knelt down when Golden City, like a pot stretched to its limit, was about to tip over with the slightest tremor.

He can't ruin the whole thing just for the sake of having fun.

Conquering the world is not simply about killing people.

Killing people is fun, but cleaning up the mess is the real hassle.

"Let's not attack Chenqiao yet," Wei Zhao said.

Su Qingyun nodded, as if she had already guessed it.

"Then who should we attack?"

Wei Zhao's finger landed on the line of Luo Shao, the King of Weinan.

"he."

Zhao Qiniang leaned over and took a look.

"The King of Weinan? Who's that?"

"Luo Shao occupied the three counties of Weinan, Qinggu, and Luoxi."

Wei Zhao pointed to the military map: "These three counties are close to Golden City, and their granaries haven't been emptied by the Holy Fire Sect. If we take them, we can supply Golden City with grain, resettle refugees with land, and add soldiers to the military merit register."

He paused.

"More importantly, I want all the rebel kings in the world to see one thing."

Su Qingyun asked, "What?"

Wei Zhao smiled.

"I've just settled millions of refugees, and I still have the energy to kill people."

The expressions on the faces of the people in the hall changed.

That's the really dangerous thing to say.

The rebel king is now waiting for the new emperor to show signs of fatigue.

As long as Wei Zhao stays put in Golden City, they will feel that the emperor is being held back.

But if he were to easily eliminate a rebel king, even a weak one, it would be enough to make everyone reconsider.

To sustain war through war.

It's not a nice way to put it.

They would first pick the meat they could eat, swallow it whole, use its grain to feed the people, use its land to reward military merits, and use its head to frighten others.