Starting as pearl divers, they have endless jobs.

Chapter 80: Troops March to the Grasslands, A Bloody Hunt (Please Subscribe)

Chen Ye called Wang Xing over and handed him the thick stack of surrender documents.

"Take these surrender documents and lead the people from the Ministry of Revenue to investigate each household, making sure they thoroughly inventory and register the land, population, and privately held military equipment. If anyone dares to conceal anything or feign compliance, you will be given the right to act expediently."

"Your Majesty, rest assured, I'm very skilled at this!" Wang Xing grinned, his eyes full of excitement.

"Furthermore, tell them that the imperial court's affairs are the imperial court's affairs, and the martial arts world's affairs are the martial arts world's affairs. I will not interfere with the internal inheritance of their sects, but if their disciples break the law, they will be dealt with according to the laws of my Great Chen Dynasty. There are no exceptions for those who are martial arts practitioners."

"Yes!"

Chen Ye's style was to act swiftly and decisively. With a series of decrees issued from the capital, all the major martial arts sects became obedient.

They voluntarily opened the mountain gate, handed over the land deeds, and registered all the people in the sect.

Some disciples who were usually arrogant and had committed bloody crimes were even personally bound by the sect leader and sent to the local government for questioning, hoping to gain the new emperor's forgiveness.

At the same time, Chen Ye also established the Jianghu Division, which was specifically responsible for matters related to the Jianghu (martial arts world).

After thoroughly purging the martial arts world, Chen Ye ordered the complete merger of the territories of Dayong and Daliang, abolishing the old system and adopting the name Chen as the new state.

He transplanted the policies he had implemented in Daliang to this much larger land without reservation.

Crack down on powerful clans that seize land, investigate and punish officials who hold their positions without merit, and promote talented individuals from humble backgrounds.

These three simple and brutal moves hit the mark every time.

This naturally also affected the interests of countless old forces, leading to a series of rebellions.

But these resistances were nothing more than a mantis trying to stop a chariot in the face of Chen Ye's overwhelming prestige and his ferocious army.

Anyone who dares to outwardly comply but inwardly defy and secretly obstruct will find hundreds of black-armored soldiers appearing in front of the mansion the next day.

kill!

Kill until no one dares to oppose us anymore!
Under such a high-pressure policy, a brand-new empire is emerging with remarkable vitality at an astonishing speed.

Meanwhile, a reform sweeping across the entire military was also quietly underway.

Chen Ye abolished all the unreasonable practices of favoritism in the military and re-established a strict yet fair promotion system.

Regardless of background, only military merit matters!
Even if you are a cook, as long as you dare to fight and make contributions on the battlefield, you can still get a title and honor for your family and ancestors!
At the same time, military discipline was revised, and anyone who dared to harass the people or embezzle military pay would be executed immediately.

However, in line with the strict military discipline, the treatment of soldiers has been unprecedentedly improved.

Military pay was paid in full, and there was meat at every meal. The families of fallen soldiers received a pension that would ensure they would live comfortably for the rest of their lives.

In a short time, joining the army, which used to be a dreaded job that respectable men avoided, has transformed into a glorious choice that all passionate men across the country are eager to pursue.

……

Three years have passed in the blink of an eye.

The entire Great Chen Dynasty had been completely transformed.

The national treasury was full, the people lived in peace, and the newly trained army had been honed into a peerless weapon with its sharp edge fully revealed.

This was the morning court session.

A civil official stepped forward, holding a tablet, and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, the tribes of the northern grasslands have jointly submitted a petition, expressing their willingness to submit to our Great Chen, pay tribute annually, and come to court every year. I believe this is a sign that Your Majesty's power and virtue are spreading far and wide, and that the barbarians are submitting. This should be announced to the world to demonstrate the vastness of Your Majesty's grace."

Upon hearing this, many officials nodded in agreement.

To these civil officials, being able to subdue those barbarians without shedding blood was naturally a tremendous achievement.

However, Chen Ye, sitting on the dragon throne, remained expressionless and tossed a memorial in front of him aside.

"read."

A palace attendant quickly stepped forward, picked it up, and began to read it aloud.

The memorial was simple, recording dozens of disturbances that had occurred on the northern border since the founding of the Great Chen Dynasty.

Although their operations were small in scale, they were filled with arson, murder, looting, and all sorts of atrocities, too numerous to recount. "When they were powerful, they would raid southwards, treating the people of the Central Plains like pigs and dogs. Now that they see I have unified the world and have a strong army, they've suddenly become subservient subjects, wagging their tails and begging for mercy. But is there such a thing as a free lunch?"

Upon hearing this, the entire Hall of Supreme Harmony fell into a deathly silence.

But the military commanders were all excited, because they knew that the emperor was about to take action against the grasslands.

As expected, Chen Ye said in a deep voice, "I refuse to surrender. I will personally lead the army to sweep away the grasslands and eliminate future troubles!"

"Your Majesty, Holy Might!"

Wang Xing was the first to kneel down on one knee, his eyes filled with fervor.

"This humble general is willing to be the vanguard and crush the Han Hai Royal Court for Your Majesty!"

At Chen Ye's command, all the fighting machines in Da Chen started operating at high speed.

Just half a month later.

The 100,000-strong army in black armor, like a long black dragon, marched out of the pass and onto the vast grassland.

Banners obscured the sun, and a murderous aura soared to the sky.

The tribes of the grasslands were terrified upon receiving the news, completely unprepared for the new emperor of the Central Plains to be so unruly.

Didn't the emperor in the past just submit two surrender documents and say a few kind words and everything would be fine? He could even receive generous rewards. Why did it fail this time?

In a panic, these grassland tribes began to scatter and flee.

Their ancestors' experience told them that as long as they dispersed and hid deep within this vast grassland, no matter how large the Central Plains army was, they would not be able to find them.

Inside the central command tent, a general looked worriedly at the enemy markers scattered across the sand table.

"Your Majesty, these barbarians are as cunning as rats in the ground. Although we have many soldiers, the grasslands are so vast that once they are scattered, finding them again will be like looking for a needle in a haystack!"

Chen Ye simply smiled and lightly tapped his finger on the sand table.

"Since they want to play hide-and-seek, then I will play along with them."

He raised his head and looked around at his generals.

"Issue my military order: the entire army shall be divided into smaller units of one thousand men each, and launched in a hundred different directions, like a vast net cast into this grassland!"

"The distance between each unit shall not exceed fifty li. When encountering the enemy, they shall use beacon fires as a signal to provide support at any time."

"I don't want prisoners, I only want heads. Every tribe that is wiped out will be recorded as a great achievement, and 70% of all spoils will go to the soldiers!"

"As for logistics and supplies..." Chen Ye paused, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Using war to sustain war."

Upon hearing this order, the generals were taken aback.

Because this is exactly what the grassland people love to do.

Before they could recover from their shock, Chen Ye's next order arrived.

"Then send orders to the spies lurking in each tribe, to let everyone know how those tribal chiefs live a life of extravagance and how they oppress the lower-level herders!"

"Tell those poor herders that anyone who voluntarily surrenders and abandons darkness for light will be given cattle, sheep, and pastures by me, so that they can live a truly good life!"

Divide, win over, and slaughter!

With such a combination of attacks, no one, let alone a grassland tribe, could withstand it.

As Chen Ye issued his military order, the 100,000-strong army instantly transformed into hundreds of torrents, roaring as they surged into the depths of the grassland.

An unprecedented bloody hunt has begun!

(End of this chapter)