Chapter 93: Strategy

The campaign north was split into three stages. First was to have Luoyang completely surrounded.

The region’s surrendering would be contributing with men, plugging any hole his sizable army couldn’t.

The defenders of the capital would be around 30,000 in every direction. 

Breaking though the defenses would be easy, especially since he would drive them towards unrest.

The second stage was to drive his army into the city and take Emperor Ling.

With the spiritual leader of the nation gone, many of his loyal officials would have no choice but lay down their arms.

For this purpose, he prepared seven counties for the emperor and 25 for other renowned officials of the court. 

All in order to scatter them and appease their rebellious hearts.

So they could not rally the people under them through some excuse nor get close to each other.

He had a rule for the clans as well. The clans of every state would elect the head that would receive four counties, while the other clans just a county.

Therein lay the problem. Every state had many powerful clans, in charge of the state’s order.

The candidates for the four counties in a state were quite many.

Who would take it? What clan would represent the entire state? It would hold an entire state in its grip.

The clans close in power to each other would drift apart, on the opposite side from the one having all the power, in its shadow.

The clan could tell it was a blatant attempt at dividing the clans, but for the sake of their clans, they could not resist the bait.

This was an open ploy. ‘Would you be willing to take it? Becoming my power, working for myself?’

Some clans might be indignant at this treatment and would like to fight, but they would be going against the clans that earned from this already, the latter needing to quell them lest they destroy their vested interests.

Pulling the carpet from under someone was a known tactic throughout the ages. But the kings didn’t want to use it and became the second Emperor Zhou and replayed the Spring and Autumn period again.

For this reason the power was centralized, for a quicker unification.

CHina’s second dynasty, similar to Zhou’s, Tang’s, clearly proved it.

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After the An-Shi Rebellion, the vassal lords all obeyed Emperor ZHou’s orders on the surface, while looking after themselves in truth.

It was no different from being kings to their lands, setting whatever taxes and laws they wanted.

It lasted a hundred years, until the Tang Dynasty was crushed under them, wiped out.

While his aim wasn’t this meager world, it paled in comparison to the thousands of worlds at his beck and call, the hoards of people bowing. 

So he could disregard the side effects, dishing out land and making them draw support from him to awe them.

Just how Emperor ZHou did it, with the vassals paying tribute to the head until it turned the nation into one of ceremony.

How could he overlook such an obvious example? He would make every world a vassal and then make them hold homage to him.

And forming a supreme court by conferring titles went against the will of the world. No one virtuous and powerful would just give in their spoils to another.

Once he formed his power, any world he traveled to and was ruled by his men and had their loyalty and faith, he rewarded them with existence.

Just like how the emperors of old had to pay tribute to the heavens, to declare they ruled the world with justice by their side.

As for the final stage, forcing Luoyang to surrender then sending his men to quell the pockets of resistance, to unify the world in one fell swoop. 

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He divided his army in four, led by Wang Fang, Han Kai, Zhao Ping and Li Zhen, on route to Luoyang.

Two months later found the armies in position, controlling the surrounding counties. With the clans providing supplies, he forwent any logistics.

While Zhong Yu took 100,000 veterans to Xuchuan city, the regional city of Yingchuan Region. 

With the counties surrendering one after the other, he drafted 600,000 cannon fodder to fill the gaps.

Some loyalty for the 400 years old dynasty existed still and that had to end in bloodshed. It was the only way to unify this land.

From those 600,000 he’d out to gain another 100,000 veterans and by the time the end of this little world came, he’d be wallowing in fortune.

He would train the men in this world he conquered for a few years, helping take out Lost Plains that much easier when he returned.