Chinese martial arts! Grandmaster

The two sat in a carriage on the street.

A violent storm ensued.

After returning to the Qianwang Mansion, Thirteenth Aunt finally lay lazily in Chen Jie's arms.

call--!
Chen Jie let out a long breath, still feeling unsatisfied.

As his strength grows, he is now also quite troubled.

If it weren't for feeling sorry for Aunt Thirteen, another storm would probably have broken out inside the carriage.

It seems that

Princess Lingyue was very prescient after marrying into the family.

Wasn't the purpose of having four maids accompany Chen Jie in her dowry simply because Chen Jie was young?

in fact,

Thirteen Aunt's martial arts level is not low; she has already broken through to the late stage of Dark Force.

The medicinal baths and tonics never stopped, and the soul-stabilizing incense was also supplied in unlimited quantities.

However, her martial arts skills are far inferior to Chen Jie's.

Seeing Aunt Thirteen's exhausted state, Chen Jie smiled and said:

"Thirteenth Aunt, can you still hold on?"

“I know you were anxious after seeing that Eighth Sister was pregnant, and you also wanted to add a son to my Chen family.”

"However, these things cannot be rushed; everything should be left to fate."

Thirteen Aunt took a deep breath and composed herself.

After she got up, she said with a hint of defiance:

"Keep going! I want more—!"

Helpless, Chen Jie draped his clothes over her shoulders and said, "Alright, doing this too often is bad for your health."

Thirteen Aunt stretched and put on her clothes.

Back at the Prince Qian's residence, she completely ignored Chen Jie's words and launched another fierce attack.

A long absence is better than a new marriage.

to be frank,
During this period, Chen Jie has been leading his troops to attack the capital and has not had a moment's rest.

Having finally relaxed, and with Aunt Thirteen actively asking for more, Chen Jie naturally wasn't going to give in.

Aunt Thirteen finally calmed down as dawn broke.

It's clear that she's genuinely anxious and unwilling to back down.

A mother's status rises with her son's!

If it weren't for her sister's pregnancy, she probably wouldn't have felt this sense of crisis.

She now understands very well that if she cannot give Chen Jie an heir, her position will be in grave danger.

To know,
Chen Jie is now a powerful figure, with a large and influential family and business empire, and his Ximen Hall is even more powerful and well-equipped.

Thirteen Aunt now controls the 'undercover department' of Ximen Hall, and her status in Ximen Hall is very high.

If she has no children, it will be difficult for her to secure her position in the future.

Therefore,
Even though she was exhausted, she still pressed on after a short rest.

Fortunately, she had been practicing martial arts and had an excellent physique.

Otherwise, with Chen Jie's crazy antics, he would have been unable to withstand it long ago.

Finally, she felt she had reached her limit.

If this continues, she might get hurt.

Unlike Princess Lingyue, she had no helpers by her side, so she had to stop and rest.

in fact,

Thirteenth Aunt was older than both Li Lingyue and Eighth Sister, and she knew how to behave appropriately and when to advance or retreat.

But no matter what, she is still a woman.

Especially as Chen Jie grew older and his power increased, Ximentang flourished.

Therefore,
Her sense of crisis naturally grew stronger.

Everything she has now is because Chen Jie loves her.

but,

She must be able to help Chen Jie in his career, and she absolutely cannot lag behind in having children.

not to mention,
Thirteenth Aunt knew better than anyone else that once the world was stable...

In order to stabilize the situation, all major powers will take the initiative to form marriage alliances with Chen Jie.

People from the Western Regions, Tibet, and even the powerful families of the Great Qian Dynasty would spare no expense to marry their daughters to him.

In that case, Chen Jie will have many women.

Therefore,
Thirteen Aunt wants to take this opportunity to get pregnant.

Once she has offspring, her position in the Ximen Hall, and even in the entire Daqian Dynasty, will be unshakeable.

Chen Jie naturally knew what Thirteenth Aunt was thinking.

Since Ximentang grew in size, Chen Jie has been too busy and has had much less time to spend with Aunt Thirteen and Eighth Sister.

Thirteenth Aunt was in charge of the work of the Ximen Hall's "undercover department," and even the propaganda of newspapers throughout the Great Qian Dynasty, controlling public opinion.

She has always been there for me, quietly supporting me.

Of all the women in Chen Jie's life, only Li Lingyue is currently his legally married wife.

But if we're talking about who has the deepest feelings, it's naturally Aunt Thirteen, Ji Yunsha. The two share a true bond forged through thick and thin.

If the world only allowed one husband, Chen Jie would marry Thirteen Aunt without hesitation.

Seeing that Aunt Thirteen was exhausted, Chen Jie put his arm around her and said with a smile:
"Thirteenth Aunt, I've let you down. Once the situation in Daqian is stabilized, I'll definitely spend more time with you, and we'll never be apart again."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Thirteen felt as sweet as if she had drunk honey.

She smiled and said, "Junior brother, I know how you feel. Don't worry, I'm fine!"

"The situation in the Great Qian Dynasty is becoming increasingly severe. Junior Brother is destined for great things."

"However, you need to visit Princess Lingyue often. Seeing that Eighth Sister is pregnant, she should be even more anxious than I am."

The two cuddled for a while before washing up and getting dressed.

The east was beginning to lighten; it was already morning.

The two of them got up and asked someone to prepare breakfast.

During breakfast, Aunt Thirteen gave Chen Jie a detailed report on the recent events in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Although the Ximentang secret service had been compiling intelligence from various places and submitting it to Chen Jie for review.

but,

The intelligence was transmitted via 'telegraph', and many details were not well understood.

After Aunt Thirteen's detailed report, Chen Jie finally understood the current situation of the Great Qian Dynasty.

suddenly,
Aunt Thirteen remembered something and said:

“Junior brother, you are now the imperial son-in-law, but there is something you need to know: most of the power under the emperor is actually under the control of the Sixth Prince.”

"In order to stabilize the situation in Daqian, and in the face of the counterattacks from Xu Shichang, the Thirteenth Prince and other powerful families, the Sixth Prince must keep the situation under control."

"Marriage is currently the best way to balance the power of all parties, and it is also the least costly way."

"The Sixth Prince's daughter, Li Yun, is still unmarried and of marriageable age."

“I asked the princess, and she strongly approves of you marrying Li Yun.”

"What do you think should be done about this?"

Chen Jie was taken aback upon hearing this and didn't know what to say.

Unexpectedly, Aunt Thirteen brought up Li Yun, and the scene of his first encounter with Li Yun in Tianjin immediately came to mind.

When he shot and killed the Japanese samurai "Tsuchizo Shinzo", he saved Li Yun's life.

It's been almost two years, and Li Yun still hasn't gotten married?
Next,
When Chen Jie saw the intriguing smile on Aunt Thirteen's face, he suddenly understood.

It must be said that, given the current situation, marriage is indeed the least costly solution.

Some things cannot be resolved by force.

In particular, the internal strife within the Great Qian Dynasty purged one group of powerful families, only for another group to emerge.

After becoming the 'King Qian', Chen Jie finally understood some things.

To solve the problems of aristocratic families, we must address them from a systemic perspective.

otherwise,

Even if a group of powerful families are wiped out, a new generation of 'powerful families' will emerge in just thirty years!
As long as power is centralized, all of this will be unavoidable.

Perhaps in the initial stages, everyone from top to bottom will be very honest and clean, and there will be no embezzlement.

but,

Time will prove human nature right. Once the system fails to restrain it, a new batch of "powerful and wealthy families" will be born!
In fact, the imperial power has been able to stand for so many years, so it must be well aware of the interests involved.

This is why the royal family emphasizes 'balance' but rarely eliminates powerful families.

Water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. Once the power of aristocratic families grows to the point of being out of control, the imperial power can mediate and maintain balance.

Whether it's an organization or a country, maintaining the stability of its organizational structure requires ensuring a balance between several forces and absolutely preventing any one power from growing too strong.

The most perfect architecture is actually balance.

Whether it's imperial power or rules and systems, it's essentially an art of balance.

Throughout history, the way of balance has always been the most perfect way to achieve stability.

Might makes right, but it cannot guarantee that it will last.

Once the balance is broken, a powerful figure will emerge.

in fact,

The balance of power in the Great Qian Dynasty was broken by the rise of Ximen Tang and the invasion of the Japanese and Western allied forces.

The Ximen Hall became a powerful group, and Chen Jie gained absolute power.

For the Great Qian Dynasty, this was definitely not something to celebrate.

Therefore,
There was a reason why Emperor Li Zheng of the Great Qian Dynasty was always wary of Chen Jie.

Suddenly, a behemoth emerged in the entire structure of the Great Qian Dynasty, which was neither controllable nor weakenable.

The best solution, then, would naturally be to support another incredibly powerful force to keep them in check.

Why was Guan Qilin's army able to grow rapidly to 500,000 after leaving Jinling?

all of these,
This was all because the royal family supported Guan Qilin's large army, which restrained Ximen Tang's unlimited expansion.

The way of balance is very mysterious.

If you don't play it well, it's easy to lose control.

Given Ximentang's current situation, there is no problem for him to move to the capital.

However, in order to stabilize the situation in Daqian and counterbalance the power among the other princes, it is necessary to support a force to restrain the princes and aristocratic families.

Prince Li Lie, the Sixth Prince, is someone we must win over.

He was originally a member of Emperor Li Zheng's camp. If Chen Jie wanted to stabilize the situation in Daqian, he needed to help his forces grow stronger and become an assistant to Ximen Hall.

Therefore,
Both Li Lingyue and Aunt Thirteen hoped that Chen Jie would marry Li Yun, the daughter of the Sixth Prince.

In this way, by binding interests and marriage, the Sixth Prince's forces can have Ximen Tang as their backer, gain a foothold in the court, and form the largest group of power.

After figuring out the key points, Chen Jie finally understood the good intentions behind Thirteen Aunt and Princess Lingyue's marriage.

then,

He nodded readily and said:

"Alright, I'll go see the Sixth Prince tomorrow and meet with Li Yun to see if we can get this matter settled!"

-

Five days later.

Crown Prince Li Heng officially ascended the throne in the Zichen Hall and changed the era name to Zhengwu.

Starting next year, it will be the first year of the Zhengwu era.

Next came the appointment of civil and military officials in the Great Qian Dynasty.

Although Chen Jie didn't care about official positions at all, and didn't even want to stand in front.

but,

To stabilize the situation in the Great Qian Dynasty, a legitimate identity is necessary.

not to mention,
His current identity is the 'King Qian', and he can practically rule the entire Great Qian Dynasty with an iron fist.

The Crown Prince is only eight years old, what could he possibly understand?

He held imperial edicts and the imperial command tokens, meaning that no one in the entire Daqian Dynasty could restrain him.

But there are rules in the imperial court.

To command all civil and military officials, one must have a legitimate identity.

According to the draft decree, Chen Jie was appointed as Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion, Grand Secretary of the Cabinet, Duke of the State, and Grand Tutor of the Crown Prince.

Xu Shichang was appointed as Grand Secretary of the Dongge Pavilion, Minister of War, Governor-General of Hebei, and Second Grand Secretary of the Cabinet.

The Imperial Preceptor Feng Guoxuan was appointed Left Censor-in-Chief, ranking among the Three Dukes, and Grand Secretary of the Eastern Pavilion.

Next came the Censorate, officials at all levels of the Six Ministries, and members of the Cabinet.

After the Crown Prince ascended the throne, many young officials were given important positions.

of course,

The vast majority of the proposed official positions were handled by Zeng Xuanhuai.

As for the inner court, although Chen Jie possessed the 'command token,' he still left it to Eunuch Huang to handle.

have to say,

The entire management structure of Daqian underwent a major reshuffle.

The Imperial Guard was under the full command of Ximen Tang.

At the same time, the Imperial Guards of the capital became a branch under Ximen Tang.

Overall, within the Great Qian Dynasty, a new balance was achieved among the various factions after Chen Jie became the Grand Secretary.

After the powerful families under Emperor Li Zheng surrendered, Chen Jie did not take advantage of them.

Therefore,
Both the old guard and the newly appointed officials at all levels were satisfied with the power distribution within the entire Daqian court.

Although Ximen Hall still holds a dominant position, it is a military organization, and its members do not participate in official positions in the imperial court.

Even Zeng Xuanhuai was not allowed to hold a position in the Daqian court to avoid too much concentration of power.

Xi Mentang's army became the cornerstone of the Daqian Dynasty.

Xu Shichang finally made it through the tough times, becoming a cabinet member and then the second-highest-ranking cabinet minister.

The Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty, led by Xi Mentang, formed a new army.

After all the official positions were appointed, the next step was the most important military arrangement.

Due to the unstable situation of the Great Qian Dynasty, Guan Qilin's army in the north, after cooperating with the Russians, was eyeing the country covetously.

Simultaneously,

Although the Japanese army withdrew from Shanhaiguan, they never gave up attacking the capital of the Daqian Dynasty.

Although Prince Ning Li Mu's rebel army was defeated and fled in disarray, it still numbered 400,000.

Simultaneously,

Rebel forces in Guangdong and Guangxi, western Sichuan, Tibet, the Western Regions, and southern Vietnam still pose a threat to the Daqian Dynasty.

therefore,

The establishment of the new army by the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty was not merely a reorganization of the army of Ximentang.

At the same time, it was also a preparation for the defense of the capital and the expansion of the army.

The Great Qian Dynasty is too vast; if Ximen Tang wants to defend it comprehensively, it must ensure that its main force exceeds 800,000 men.

Simultaneously,

The new army of the Ministry of War of the Great Qian Dynasty must also maintain a force of 500,000.

Within the capital city and the Shandong Ximen Hall headquarters, as well as in important areas, Ximen Hall still needs to station elite troops.

Therefore,
To stabilize the situation in Daqian and defeat the Japanese, the Russians, the Western Allied Forces, and the rebel armies of various regional princes, Chen Jie's army needs to be expanded to 1.5 million men.

As for the Ximentang army's plans, Chen Jie had a detailed plan.

The emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty was reinstated, and imperial power was temporarily stabilized.

The ministers in the imperial court were granted official positions and rewards as appropriate.

of course,

All of this does not mean that the situation in the Great Qian Dynasty is completely stable from now on.

in fact,

The real test has just begun. First, we are surrounded by powerful enemies, and we must accelerate the path to building a strong military.

Another very important issue is the funeral arrangements for the late Emperor Li Zheng.

but,

One of the greatest advantages of power is that in the imperial court, no one dares to be perfunctory or continue to argue.

Even though some people and forces are dissatisfied with the power structure that Chen Jie has restructured.

but,

No one dared to speak up, and no one dared to start a pointless argument in the court.

Of course, Chen Jie was not an arrogant or self-willed person.

He had already set the rules in advance: anyone who had something to say could submit a written statement to him.

If there are problems, fix them; if there are no problems, arguing in court is pointless.

to be frank,
Chen Jie was able to turn the tide and stabilize the turbulent situation of the Great Qian Dynasty in less than half a month after Emperor Li Zheng's death.

All of this is based on Ximentang's incomparably powerful combat strength.

The core of power is military power!

Without soldiers at your command, how can you claim to have power? (End of Chapter)