The Tyrant of the Great Qian Dynasty: Not only will I refuse to arrange a marriage alliance, but I w

On the high platform, Su Zhe held the thin list in his hand. The paper seemed exceptionally light between his fingers, yet it weighed heavily on some people below the stage, making it hard for them to breathe.

The faces of Wu Chengdao and the other heads of prominent families were drained of color, turning ashen.

They could sense that the surrounding cheers were gradually subsiding.

Tens of thousands of gazes converged from all directions, some with doubt, some with curiosity, and most with a solemn anticipation of a verdict.

The entire venue was completely silent, except for the jarring sound of the flags fluttering in the wind.

Su Zhe did not immediately meet everyone's expectations.

He gently put down the list, picked up another file, and read aloud: "During this siege of the capital, in addition to the soldiers' bravery, there were also loyal and righteous people who devoted themselves to the cause. The Prince of Chenliu donated 50,000 shi of grain and 30,000 guan of cash. His sons and brothers even took the initiative to go to the city to help defend it. Their loyalty is commendable. Therefore, he is hereby granted the plaque of 'Passing Down Loyalty and Righteousness' and awarded 100 taels of gold."

"The Cui family of Qinghe County donated 3,000 catties of iron and 10,000 bolts of cloth, relieving our army's urgent need. They are also meritorious and are rewarded with 1,000 taels of silver. The head of the family, Cui Shi'an, is also granted the honorary title of 'Fengyi Lang'."

……

Su Zhe recited the names of seven or eight prominent families who had devoted themselves to the war, donated large sums of money and grain, or organized manpower to support the city's defenses.

The rewards he bestowed were not particularly generous, consisting mostly of verbal commendations and insignificant honorary titles, but this public affirmation from the supreme ruler was itself an unparalleled honor.

The heads of the families whose names were called were all beaming with excitement. They stepped forward, kowtowed in gratitude, and drew envious whispers from the surrounding crowd.

Su Zhe's actions caused Wu Chengdao and the others, whose hearts had sunk to the bottom, to involuntarily rise again.

They saw that Su Zhe's handling of the matter was not as harsh as they had imagined; for the families who had contributed, he only gave them verbal praise and did not grant them any real authority.

Could it be... that Your Highness intends to raise it high and then lower it gently?

After all, these powerful families are deeply entrenched and have many connections. If they were all eliminated, it would cause turmoil in the capital and even the entire Daqian Dynasty.

The law does not punish the masses. Perhaps His Highness just wanted to give them a warning and make them pay a fine to settle the matter?

Once this thought arose, it spread like wild grass in their hearts.

Wu Chengdao even felt that his legs, which had gone limp from fear, had regained some strength.

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief and even began to calculate how much of their family fortune they should spend to settle the matter, Su Zhe on the high platform suddenly changed his tone, his words carrying a hint of amusement.

"Of course, there are those who have made smaller contributions and those who have made greater contributions."

He picked up the thin list again and lightly tapped the first name with his fingertip.

"The head of the Wu family, Wu Chengdao."

These five words struck Wu Chengdao like a bolt from the blue.

His nascent hope was shattered.

His body stiffened, as if he had fallen into an ice cave. His chest felt tight, and he couldn't catch his breath. He even forgot how to breathe.

Su Zhe's voice wasn't loud, but it clearly carried to every corner of the square: "Patriarch Wu is well aware of the immense logistical pressure our army faces, especially the 'lax' defenses at the western granary, which has caused him great concern. Therefore, he has taken the initiative to share our burdens, contacting trusted confidants in an attempt to 'assist' our army in clearing out the inventory and easing the burden on the garrison. His intentions are commendable, but his actions... are lamentable."

These sarcastic remarks, every word like an invisible whip, lashed hard across Wu Chengdao's face.

The so-called "assistance in inventorying the granaries" was nothing more than their plot to burn down the granaries! Su Zhe knew all about it!

He could no longer hold on; his legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, his official hat askew, revealing his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The surrounding people and officials were stunned at first, and then erupted into a huge uproar.

They finally realized that this was not a reward for merit, but a way to settle scores later!

Su Zhe ignored the collapsed Wu Chengdao and continued to slide his finger downwards.

"The Lu family of Fanyang, headed by Lu Zhi, felt the strain on the city's military forces and took the initiative to contact the city's defense commander, intending to 'persuade' him to open the gates to welcome the imperial army, in order to reduce unnecessary casualties among our Great Qian soldiers. Such 'compassion' truly moves one to tears."

"The Wang family of Taiyuan, headed by Wang Mang, believed that our army's firearms were too powerful and contrary to natural law. So he secretly bribed craftsmen, intending to 'improve' the gunpowder formula of the Shenji Battalion, presumably to make its power more 'milder'?"

One after another, the names of illustrious families were read out by Su Zhe.

Each recitation corresponds to a heinous crime of "intending to treason".

Without exception, all the family heads whose names were called turned pale and collapsed to the ground, like rotten mud with their bones removed.

As Su Zhe finished reading the last name, Wei An stepped forward at the opportune moment, holding up a thick file and showing it to everyone.

"Your Highness, here is all the evidence collected by the Shadow Dragon Guard, including their correspondence, coded messages, bribed witnesses, and... their respective surrender documents. Every single piece of evidence is irrefutable!"

Faced with such overwhelming evidence, no one could refute it.

Those family heads who collapsed to the ground couldn't even utter words of begging for mercy; all that remained were desperate gasps.

Everyone thought that what followed would be a bloody massacre.

Su Zhe's next words, however, once again surprised everyone.

"I know what you're all thinking." Su Zhe's gaze slowly swept across the audience. "You're thinking that I will confiscate all your property and exterminate your entire clan, leaving a trail of heads."

He paused, his voice not loud, yet carrying a weight that made people's hearts tighten: "But I do not wish to kill anyone today. Considering that you only had malicious intentions and did not cause any substantial damage, but instead allowed our army to follow the clues and expose all those with ulterior motives. In this respect, you have done a great service to our army by 'luring the snakes out of their holes'."

"Therefore, the death penalty may be avoided, but punishment is inescapable."

Upon hearing this, a glimmer of hope for survival flashed in the eyes of Wu Chengdao and the others, but Su Zhe's next words plunged them into a despair deeper than death.

"Issue my decree!" Su Zhe's voice suddenly rose, "All the noble families listed, their heads, and all core members are hereby stripped of their official titles and ranks! Effective immediately, they are to be exiled to the northern frontier to reclaim wasteland and cultivate land, and are forbidden from returning for thirty years!"

"All their property—fields, shops, gold, silver, and mansions—will be confiscated! Half of the proceeds will be used to compensate the families of fallen soldiers, and the other half will be used for post-war reconstruction and to replenish military funds!"

This treatment made them feel worse than if they had been killed outright.

For these aristocratic families who had been pampered and indulged in luxury since birth, being exiled to the harsh and cold northern frontier to engage in the most menial tasks of land reclamation and farming was nothing short of hell.

This is not only physical torture for them, but also a complete destruction of their spirit and dignity.

A family that had been passed down for hundreds of years vanished into thin air, reduced to the lowest level of criminals.

But for Su Zhe, this move was a triple win.

They punished these traitors in a seemingly "merciful" way, thus avoiding the turmoil caused by large-scale bloodshed;

They also nationalized all the wealth they had accumulated over hundreds of years, greatly replenishing the empty national treasury.

Furthermore, it provided a pool of free and high-quality labor for the development of the vast and desolate northern frontier.

After dealing with these powerful families, Su Zhe did not stop there.

Taking advantage of this intimidating momentum, he publicly announced a new military system reform that was poised to change the fate of the Great Qian Dynasty.

"From this day forward, within the territory of the Great Qian Dynasty, no local aristocratic family or ancestral household is permitted to maintain a private army! All military power shall belong to the imperial court!"

"The imperial court will formally establish three major military governorates: the Southern, Northern, and Central Governorates. The Northern Governorate will be headed by Marquis Chen Baipao, who will command all cavalry in the country. The Southern Governorate will be temporarily headed by General Qin of the Southern Frontier. The Central Governorate will be headed by Prince An, Su Xin, a member of the imperial family."

"The elite forces, including the Mo Dao Brigade, the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry, the Divine Machine Battalion, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, will serve as the 'Imperial Guards' directly under the central government, personally commanded by me, to protect the capital region and be ready to be deployed at any time!"

This series of orders was clear, logical, and interconnected, directly cutting off the possibility of local powerful families holding military power at the source, and integrating the entire military force of the Great Qian Dynasty into the central government to an unprecedented degree, placing it in his own hands.

From that moment on, he truly took control of this crumbling country.

After announcing all this, Su Zhe's gaze slowly moved across the square, finally landing on Xu Liang, the West Gate guard who had been hiding in a corner, trying to make himself inconspicuous.

Xu Liang kept his head down the whole time, his body curled up in a ball, wishing he could dig a hole in the ground and crawl into it.

When Su Zhe locked onto him, he felt a chill run from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and he was so frightened that he was trembling uncontrollably.

Everyone's attention, following Su Zhe's gaze, focused on this real "escapee".

They all wanted to know that Su Zhe's punishment for Wu Chengdao and other "intended" traitors was exile.

So what will be the fate of Xu Liang, the sinner who deserted his post and almost caused the fall of Ximen?

Su Zhe looked at Xu Liang, who was trembling like a leaf, with a hint of amusement on his face.

"General Xu, you failed to cut down the flag on the city wall, and I gave you a second chance. Now, I'm giving you a third chance."

His voice wasn't loud, but it had a strange magic that made Xu Liang's body stiffen abruptly.

"Do you dare to take it?"

What could this opportunity be?

Is it a bright road leading to life, or a bottomless cliff leading to hell?