"Father, Wu has surrendered. The Regent's army will return to Hongdu soon," Feng Zhousheng said anxiously.
"These days, there are rumors all over Hongdu that the Regent plans to change dynasties!"
"What's the rush?" Feng Qinghong took a sip of tea and said, "The Regent is also a member of the Great Wei imperial family. Where would a change of dynasty come from? Don't listen to the nonsense people outside are saying."
"Father!"
Feng Zhousheng strode to Feng Qinghong's side and said, "You know what I mean. The current Regent has conquered three kingdoms and has the momentum to unite the world."
"With the Regent not yet returned, many have already turned to him. If the Regent were to rally the people, who knows how many would support him! Is the sky of Great Wei truly about to change?"
Feng Qinghong frowned slightly and said, "The Regent had the opportunity to usurp the throne back then, and it's just happening again now. There's nothing surprising about it."
"It's different, Father," Feng Zhousheng said. "Back then, Great Wei was on the verge of collapse and could not withstand great turmoil. Moreover, at that time, the Regent's army consisted only of a part of the northern army. Now, the Regent controls the vast majority of Great Wei's forces, and the throne is within his reach."
Feng Qinghong said slowly, "Then what do you plan to do? Truly fall out with the Regent, or lead your army into battle?"
"I..."
"That's enough," Feng Qinghong interrupted. "Your father has it all figured out. Look at yourself. Withdraw for now, and we can discuss it later."
Feng Zhousheng, helpless, cupped his hands and withdrew.
Feng Qinghong slowly toyed with the teacup in his hand, watching the wisps of tea steam rise.
...
The war in the south had essentially ended. Only a small number of people were still resisting; the majority had stopped opposing the Wei army.
This did not mean that the south had truly returned its allegiance, but it had been incorporated into the territory of Wei. The remaining task was to spend enough time to slowly digest these lands.
At most, it would take two generations. After two generations, it would be unlikely for any forces seeking to restore the former kingdom to emerge from this land. Of course, this was on the premise that the rulers of Wei were not too cruel.
Although the victorious Wei army had suffered heavy losses, their morale was high.
New recruits were constantly being added to the main camp, partly to replenish the losses from the fighting and partly to redeploy some of the army to garrison the south.
After all, the south had just been pacified and required a sufficient army to deter those with ill intentions.
However, before the army could be divided, there was an important matter to attend to.
Late autumn had arrived. The climate in the south was not yet too cold, but most of the Wei soldiers were from the north and were not accustomed to such heavy humidity.
Today was an unusual day. Around the flag-raising platform in the main camp, many officers and soldiers were gathered. Most of them were mid-to-lower-ranking officers within the Wei army. Further away, soldiers were surrounding the perimeter, peering up at the platform.
This was an extremely vast military camp, housing hundreds of thousands of soldiers. Even the main camp alone had over a hundred thousand men.
However, those gathered here at this moment were the elite of the Wei army, the most powerful military force in this world!
The entire scene was chaotic, but most people were excited and looking forward to what was about to happen.
Lin Fan stood on the high platform, surveying the army, but today he appeared unusually solemn. The army was not in formation, and it did not look like they were about to review troops.
At this moment, a group of soldiers carried a dragon throne onto the high platform, followed by some of the senior generals of the Wei army.
Seeing them like this, Lin Fan's expression changed, and he shouted, "What are you doing? What are you doing..."
However, the Wei army generals who were rushing towards the platform ignored Lin Fan's words. They directly stepped forward, forced Lin Fan onto the dragon throne, and the great general Wu Jinqin draped a dragon robe over Lin Fan's body.
All the Wei army generals knelt on the ground and shouted in unison, "Long live Your Majesty, ten thousand years, ten thousand years!"
Lin Fan then stood up and said to the kneeling generals, "You have caused me great suffering!"
Wu Jinqin said loudly, "Your Majesty is the direct grandson of the Saint Ancestor and has achieved such great merit. The prosperity of our Great Wei lies here now. To unite the world, we need a wise and capable ruler."
"In this world, only Your Majesty can bear this responsibility. For the sake of the empire of Great Wei, please ascend the throne!"
At this moment, the lower-ranking soldiers of the Wei army surrounding the flag-raising platform also prostrated themselves on the ground, shouting, "Long live Your Majesty!"
"Long live Your Majesty!"
The sound of the crowd swept through, wave after wave of people kneeling on the ground, performing the kowtow ritual to Lin Fan. Even the scribes and clerks in the army knelt down and shouted in unison.
The sound spread from the main camp to the other camps, and the soldiers also prostrated themselves.
Throughout the entire camp, the shouts of "Long live!" echoed incessantly, as if piercing the heavens, shaking the earth!
The soldiers in the Wei army camp, each and every one of them, knelt with joy and without the slightest hint of reluctance.
There was no coercion, no flashing blades, as one might have imagined. It was as if everything was proceeding naturally, and even generals and armies with whom there had not been much interaction easily submitted.
It happened almost without a ripple.
Indeed, Lin Fan's brilliance was too great, so great that everyone had to look up to him.
Lin Fan had long possessed the capital to become emperor, but he had not revealed it. This time, by directly leveraging the momentum of unification, no one dared to object.
In broad daylight, under the watchful eyes of everyone, wearing the dragon robe, there was absolutely no turning back... He had to firmly establish himself, otherwise, he would not be able to step down!
Lin Fan cleared his throat and said, "Since this is the case, when the world is in distress, how can I, as the grandson of the Saint Ancestor, stand idly by? I am willing to devote my life to Great Wei until my death."
"Long live!"
Following this, the army's music began to play.
Magnificent and tragic military music, slow yet majestic songs, and a vigorous spirit quickly spread throughout the camp.
The soldiers in the camp began to sing along loudly. The valiant men in the camp raised their voices in song, releasing a powerful aura throughout the camp.
Hundreds of thousands of soldiers, the most colossal military power in this world, were all gathered in Lin Fan's hands.
Lin Fan suddenly realized why so many officials in the imperial court had been wary of him.
It was because Lin Fan had already possessed most of the authority of an emperor, yes, authority. An emperor could not be entirely a match for a thousand men. So, where did an emperor's power come from? The answer was prestige and status.
Why were generals who won consecutive battles on the battlefield often feared by the emperor, and eventually met with a tragic end?
It was precisely because victorious generals on the battlefield fundamentally threatened the most important foundation of imperial power.
That was the instrument of violence, the army. Such violence could only be held by the most noble person in this world – the emperor. No one else could touch it.
However, generals who directly commanded armies were the most likely to establish prestige within the army.
There was no need to exaggerate the victories of generals. Even if a general led an army to achieve more than ten consecutive victories, it was enough to make the soldiers under his command regard him as a deity, to believe implicitly in his words.
Therefore, this formed a perfect closed loop. For generals, once they achieved too many victories, they would be feared by the emperor. Yet, the emperors had to rely on these generals to maintain their rule.
This had been the case for thousands of years, and it had never changed.
In the early stages of the establishment of a vast empire, the founder of the empire was often a military expert, so they did not need to pay much attention to this aspect. After all, the emperor was the supreme military commander.
However, as time passed, generals who were also talented in military matters and had achieved many military feats would often emerge within the empire. These generals would become the emperor's most reliable assistants in the early stages.
But when the order of the dynasty gradually stabilized, these generals instead became the greatest destabilizing factors in that dynasty.
Lin Fan was facing such a scenario, as he had ascended to the throne.
Undeniably, Lin Fan's enthronement was not solely his own idea, but also included the ideas of the generals under him and those who supported him.
Because they had reached this point, if Lin Fan did not take one more step forward, the generals under Lin Fan would always remain in an extremely awkward position, finding it difficult to advance further. Only when Lin Fan took that step could they possibly obtain higher status, greater power, and more wealth.
Therefore, this was also why many people who usurped power had to take that step. It was because when power expanded to a certain point, the people under you would also push you to keep moving forward.
Moreover, in political struggles, stopping progress often meant regression. Everyone faced an abyss behind them, and taking a step back could mean utter destruction.
Lin Fan had long lost his way back. From the day he had assisted with military affairs, from the day he became Regent, from the day he became the Imperial Father, step by step, he had already walked onto a path from which there was no retreat.
Lin Fan looked at the cheering soldiers around him and observed the half-respectful, half-fearful gazes of the people around him.
So, this was what it meant to be an emperor?
This was what it felt like to be above all men. No wonder so many heroes throughout history had fallen before the allure of power.
...
The Wei army completed an enthronement ceremony in the vicinity of Great Wei's mainland.
This ceremony was simple, but extremely solemn, as it was completed under the witness of hundreds of thousands of soldiers. No one in the world would dare to deny this outcome.
The reason Lin Fan waited until so many troops were gathered before ascending the throne was to smoothly declare his sovereignty over the army.
It was also to use the momentum of the army to make those with ulterior motives abandon their inappropriate little thoughts.
The result was gratifying. The army experienced no unrest. Compared to the young emperor in the deep palace, the battle-hardened Regent was closer to the army, so opposition was extremely weak, almost non-existent.
Even generals who had long been in contact with certain individuals offered no resistance at this time.
The armies in the southwest and northwest quickly pledged their loyalty to the new emperor and voluntarily accepted the reorganization of the army.
Lin Fan made further adjustments to the armies stationed in various regions, enhancing his control over the military.
As for the Shuofang Army, it was greatly promoted as Lin Fan's direct force.
Many soldiers thus became officers, even if it was just a squad leader or centurion.
As for great generals like Wu Jinqin, they were heavily entrusted with important positions. This was their due reward, as they were Lin Fan's direct subordinates, his most trusted individuals, and they were the true followers who assisted him in his rise.
Once everything was settled, Lin Fan led the army back to Hongdu.
...
There was no bloodshed. Most of the officials in Hongdu continued their work as usual. Even with a change of emperor, not much had changed for them.
The new emperor also needed them to continue maintaining the operation of the imperial court.
A small number who could not accept it merely resigned their posts. The army all supported Lin Fan, so no one would truly fight to the death.
Furthermore, Lin Fan was also a direct descendant of the imperial family, so there was no so-called martyrdom. Everything proceeded peacefully.
After entering the city, the army advanced rapidly. A portion of the army directly entered the Imperial Guard camp, where troops were arranged to control the Imperial Guards. The rest, Lin Fan's personal guards and direct subordinates, entered the imperial palace to take over the city defense.
The entire process was extremely swift. Whether it was the palace guards or the guards at various government offices, there was no resistance. Lin Fan's army easily took control of the entire city.
Soon, led by the Left and Right Prime Ministers, a large group of officials approached Lin Fan's imperial carriage and shouted in unison, "May Your Majesty live ten thousand years!"
The leading Left Prime Minister, Feng Qinghong, and the Right Prime Minister, Gong Shuping, also maintained calm expressions, without the slightest hint of awkwardness. Everything was a foregone conclusion.
After meeting the civil and military officials, Lin Fan led his men into the imperial palace.
The eunuch leader of the imperial city, Jin Ying, led a group of people forward to prostrate themselves and greet the emperor. However, Lin Fan ignored them and instead sent people to detain most of the palace staff first.
This was the imperial palace, the place where emperors had resided throughout the dynasties. Lin Fan had to be cautious of the Empress Dowager Feng Qingshu, who had once controlled this palace.
Even though Lin Fan had entered here many times before, entering this time, the imperial palace gave Lin Fan a completely different feeling.
The imperial palace was built with great grandeur, and an emperor residing here indeed felt a sense of being high above all others.
Lin Fan carefully observed this imperial palace. From now on, this would be Lin Fan's imperial palace.
In the past, he had found it ordinary, even somewhat stifling to reside here. But today, it looked very different. This was truly the center of power in the world, magnificent and dignified, full of aura.