The Great Gan's Open Scheme to Curb Vassals, Complete Unification

The situation in the Capital City was temporarily stable, yet Lin Hanzhou knew the truth all too well.

The so-called loyalty of the Three Feudal Lords was nothing more than a facade built upon the deterrent of his own terrifying strength.

Should he show the slightest sign of weakness, or when his lifespan eventually ran dry, these wolves lurking in their territories would immediately turn to bite the imperial court.

The threat of the Three Feudal Lords was like a thorn in the back for Great Gan; it had to be removed once and for all.

That day, Lin Hanzhou took the initiative to find Empress Li Yue Chan, who had begun to take control of the court and was growing increasingly steady and decisive.

"Your Majesty, though these Three Feudal Lords have bowed their heads, their hearts remain treacherous."

"With hundreds of thousands of private troops under their command and control over the most fertile lands, they are, in the end, a malignant tumor for the empire."

"I believe that while we have just achieved a great victory in the Capital City and my prestige is at its peak, we should resolve this hidden danger once and for all."

Lin Hanzhou got straight to the point, bypassing any unnecessary pleasantries.

Li Yue Chan frowned slightly upon hearing this.

"Does the State Preceptor mean that we should take military action against the three imperial uncles?"

"But they are, after all, members of the royal clan, and they have only just sworn their loyalty. If we attack them without cause, I fear we will lose the hearts of the people."

"Heh, there is no need to resort to force to deal with them."

"If I intended to use force, I would already be visiting the territories of the Three Feudal Lords one by one."

"To deal with these old foxes, one must use an open conspiracy."

As he spoke, a smile of absolute certainty curled the corners of Lin Hanzhou's mouth.

Having spent nearly a hundred years as an emperor in his previous Dream World, he knew a thing or two about the arts of imperial power.

Over the next hour, Lin Hanzhou meticulously planned a series of interconnected strategies for the young Empress.

After listening, Li Yue Chan's bright, beautiful eyes shimmered with brilliance.

She looked at the White-Haired Sword Saint before her, her heart filled with boundless admiration and peace of mind.

It is good to have him here.

A week later.

Decrees written in the Empress's own hand were dispatched at high speed to the fiefs of the three lords.

The content of the decrees was filled with the vast grace of the throne.

In the documents, the Empress highly praised the Three Feudal Lords.

She lauded their "illustrious military achievements" in "loyally protecting the nation" and "refraining from rebellion" during the crisis in the Capital City.

To honor the "merits" of the three imperial uncles, she decided to summon them all to the Capital City.

She intended to personally grant them promotions, titles, and countless rewards.

This was the first step of the open conspiracy—to promote them in name while stripping them of power, luring the tiger away from its mountain.

Upon receiving the decrees, the Three Feudal Lords became like ants on a hot pan.

They knew better than anyone how laughable their so-called "merits" truly were.

They had been lucky enough not to loot the burning house; where could they have possibly found any merit?

This was clearly a trap, a banquet of death.

To go was to walk straight into a net, becoming a caged bird in the Capital City, never to return to their own domains.

But if they refused?

That would be open defiance of an imperial decree!

At a time when the White-Haired Sword Saint's power shook the world, how was defying the decree any different from seeking death?

They certainly did not want to be found having "died of shame by suicide" in their own mansions one day.

The Three Feudal Lords were so worried in their respective palaces that their hair was turning white.

They contacted each other in secret to discuss countermeasures and even sent envoys to seek help from the three major sects that had been colluding with them in the shadows.

However, the response from the three major sects was shockingly unanimous.

"The sects must obey the orders of the imperial court and dare not comment on state affairs."

Upon receiving this reply, the Three Feudal Lords were so angry they nearly smashed their tables.

What is this? What do you mean you dare not comment on state affairs?

Weren't you the ones who incited us to stockpile troops and rebel in the first place?

Now that we face a State Preceptor who cannot be defeated, you discard us like worn-out shoes?

The Three Feudal Lords cursed the heartlessness of the three major sects, nearly insulting their ancestors back eighteen generations.

But curses aside, they were acutely aware of their current predicament.

With the three major sects severing ties, their last shred of hope had been completely extinguished.

By now, they had been completely isolated by the entire Great Gan Dynasty.

In the end, after several days of torment, the Three Feudal Lords had no choice but to swallow their pride and accept their fate.

Each of them brought only a small personal guard, heading toward the Capital City to receive their rewards with hearts full of trepidation.

Upon their arrival at the Capital City, during the grand conferment ceremony, they accepted their new titles from the hands of the Empress.

Grand Preceptor, Grand Tutor, Grand Guardian—these titles appeared noble, yet they were empty positions devoid of any real power.

This move was a blatant promotion in name but a demotion in reality.

Immediately following this, the second step of the open conspiracy arrived.

The Empress issued another decree, declaring that to strengthen national defense and counter the threat of the Qing Army in the north, she had decided to reform the national military system.

All private troops under the command of the feudal lords would be reorganized into the National Defense Army.

They would be deployed in batches to the northern border, where they faced the Qing Army, to undergo reorganization.

When the Three Feudal Lords received this news, their hanging hearts finally died.

In the past, had the imperial court issued such an order, they would have had a hundred ways to decline.

But now, the Protector Grand Master of the Great Gan Dynasty had slain two grandmasters of the Qing Army, and his prestige within the military had reached its zenith.

Under such prestige, whatever they did would be of no avail.

Even if they wanted to raise an army and rebel at this moment, the vast majority of their soldiers would absolutely refuse.

What? You want me to fight that Protector Grand Master?

Fight that White-Haired Sword Saint who single-handedly slew two grandmasters and cut through the one hundred thousand Snow Wolf Iron Cavalry?

To hell with you; I'll be the first to strike you down when the time comes.

Thus, having no other choice, the Three Feudal Lords had to surrender their military power.

If they did not surrender their military power, they would die immediately; if they did, not only would they live, but they would also gain the reputation of being loyal subjects.

Faced with such a choice, the Three Feudal Lords naturally chose the latter.

Confronted with this series of open conspiracies that they could not refuse, the three feudal lords, now trapped in the Capital City as commanders without troops, felt ten thousand grievances and deep resentment in their hearts, yet they dared not offer the slightest resistance.

Because they knew that the Protector Grand Master was deep within the imperial palace, watching them coldly.

They could only watch helplessly as the military power and territories they had painstakingly managed for decades became a wedding dress for the imperial court.

In the end, the scourge of the feudal lords that had plagued the Great Gan Dynasty for decades was resolved just like that.

It was resolved in a peaceful manner, with almost no bloodshed.

Those once arrogant princes would from now on only be able to stay in this magnificent cage that was the Capital City.

Of course, it was clearly impossible for them to spend the rest of their lives as wealthy idlers.

One must know that they had previously harbored intentions of treason; how could they be allowed to live out the rest of their lives in such peace?

Their ambition had caused two provinces on the border of the Great Gan Dynasty to fall and left countless commoners displaced.

Such monstrous crimes could clearly not be written off so easily.

When the time was ripe, Li Yuechan would settle these accounts with them properly.

And so, for the first time in the hundreds of years since its founding, the Great Gan Dynasty achieved true centralization and unification.