Iron-Blooded Military Strategy: Setting Up a Kill Game

Wang Hao stood before the dragon throne, looking down at his trusted aides below the steps, and began to issue a series of iron-blooded commands that would shake the entire Great Zhou Empire. Every word he spoke was accompanied by the smashing of massive amounts of gold and silver, and also foreshadowed that countless heads were about to fall.

"Wei Zhongxian, Pei Jingzhe!"

"Your servant is here!" The Director of the Eastern Depot and the Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard stepped forward simultaneously, their bodies exuding an oppressive, murderous aura.

"I give you three days. Within three days, the Eastern Depot and the Embroidered Uniform Guard will deploy in full force to thoroughly investigate every civil and military official of the fifth rank and above in the capital! I want to know exactly how much silver they have embezzled, how many mistresses they keep outside, who they have dined with, what they have said, and even whether they snore at night!"

A cold light flickered in Wang Hao's eyes. "At the grand court assembly in three days, I want to see a detailed summary of the officials' crimes. Anyone who has perverted the law for bribes or colluded with foreign enemies will be nailed to the pillar of shame!"

"We receive your decree! We will definitely not disappoint Your Majesty!" The two kowtowed heavily.

"Yu Huatian!" Wang Hao turned to the bewitching Director of the Western Depot.

"Your servant is here."

"The Western Depot is newly established and cannot be without soldiers. I permit you to draw two thousand of the most elite and ruthless experts from the thirty thousand Cleansed Army in the palace to serve as the foundation of the Western Depot. For the remaining shortfall, you will personally recruit from the martial world! Those lawless swordsmen, sabermen, and evil cultivators—as long as they are useful, as long as they are ruthless enough, and as long as they are willing to acknowledge me as their master, grant them all amnesty and enlist them!"

Wang Hao waved his large hand, and Hai Dafu immediately brought out a thick stack of silver notes from the side.

"I give you three months to form five battalion commands and gather a force of five thousand! Take these five hundred thousand taels of silver notes first, to be used for settlement allowances and purchasing martial world intelligence. In three months, I want to see a force capable of tearing apart any martial sect, making those noble families sleep with one eye open at night to see if there are any Western Depot agents around!"

Yu Huatian took the heavy five hundred thousand taels of silver notes, a flash of extreme fanaticism in his eyes. With money, power, and the absolute support of the emperor, he was confident in forging a terrifying Western Depot legion.

"Your servant obeys! If the Western Depot cannot be formed within three months, I will present my head to you!"

"Cao Shaoqin!" Wang Hao's gaze turned to the Commander of the Cleansed Army.

"Your old servant is here!"

"Although the Cleansed Army in the palace numbers thirty thousand, they are usually lax in their drills, and there are many old, weak, sick, and disabled mixed in. I do not need useless trash making up the numbers!" Wang Hao's voice was stern. "I give you five days to conduct a cruel elimination! Remove all the old, young, sick, and disabled, and compress the organization to twenty-five thousand men!"

"These twenty-five thousand men will be organized into two guards! In addition to cultivating the martial dao, they must also be equipped with strong bows, heavy crossbows, muskets, and cannons! I don't want them to only know close combat; I want them to be able to kill from both far and near! Hai Dafu, issue three million taels of silver notes to Cao Shaoqin! All armor and weapons must be replaced with Yellow-rank high-grade standard weapons produced by the Armory Bureau! At cost price, three million taels is absolutely enough."

Cao Shaoqin was so excited that his face flushed red. Three million taels to arm twenty-five thousand men—this was simply pasting silver onto the soldiers! Once such an army took shape, it would absolutely be invincible throughout the country.

"Your old servant receives the decree and thanks Your Majesty! I will definitely forge an indestructible Cleansed Army for Your Majesty!"

"Cao Zhengchun!"

"Your old servant is here!"

"The fifty thousand Imperial Guards you have taken over are the absolute priority for guarding the outer perimeter of the Imperial City. Although Li Kang was corrupt before, the foundation is still there. Reorganize them for me, and weed out those good-for-nothings and spoiled heirs stuffed in by the nobles and prominent families!"

Wang Hao tapped his fingers on the table, calculating the troop deployment in his mind. "Fifty thousand men, organized into four guards, twelve thousand men per guard, separately guarding the four gates of the Imperial City. The remaining two thousand elites will be drawn out and organized as 'Inner Palace Guards' to closely defend the Ganquan Palace and the vital areas of the inner harem! The position of Commander of the Inner Palace Guards will be set at the principal third rank, and you will personally select an absolutely loyal martial arts expert to fill it. Submit the list of names to me for the final decision!"

Cao Zhengchun accepted the order. He knew very well that these fifty thousand Imperial Guards were the emperor's greatest conventional military trump card, and there could be no room for error.

Order after order was issued like flowing water. Handfuls of silver were scattered out, in exchange for the most efficient and terrifying violent machine in the entire Great Zhou beginning to operate madly.

But this was not enough. The external blades had been sharpened, but how could one allow others to sleep soundly beside one's own bed internally?

Wang Hao's eyes became extremely profound. He looked at Wei Zhongxian and Yu Huatian, his tone as cold as ice. "Eastern Depot, Western Depot. Your first task next is not to go outside to arrest people, but to cleanse this Great Zhou imperial palace for me!"

"How many of others' eyes and ears are hidden in this inner harem? Eunuchs, maids, guards, and even those unfavored concubines—how many of them belong to Zhao Wuji? How many belong to the noble families? Comb through them for me over and over again! I would rather kill a thousand by mistake than let a single one slip away! I want this inner palace to be completely clean, where only my voice can be heard!"

"We obey the decree!" The two most ferocious hounds acknowledged the order in unison, and murderous intent overflowed within the Ganquan Palace.

Having arranged all the armed forces, Wang Hao let out a long breath of stale air. He turned his head and looked at Sun Li, who had just been promoted to Grand Eunuch of the Inner Court.

It was also time to thoroughly resolve a "mess" left behind by the late emperor.

"Grand Companion Sun." Wang Hao's tone softened a bit, but his brows remained tightly furrowed.

"Your old servant is here." Sun Li bowed respectfully.

Wang Hao rubbed the center of his brows, seemingly finding it difficult to speak, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "I have just ascended the throne, and logically speaking, I should observe a period of mourning. But that mess left by the late emperor... is truly an eyesore, and it wastes the silver of the inner treasury."

Wang Hao paused. "Go to the Cining Palace immediately and ask the Empress Dowager for instructions. Just say it is my intention that the concubines left by the late emperor—except for those who have borne princes or princesses—all the rest without children, whether they are consorts or concubines, are to be entirely dismissed from the palace!"

As soon as these words came out, everyone in the hall was startled. In past dynasties, when the late emperor passed away, concubines without children were either buried alive with him or driven to Ganye Temple to become nuns, spending the rest of their lives with blue lamps and ancient Buddhas.

Wang Hao snorted coldly. "I am not a tyrant, and I have no interest in making a group of women seek death or endure a living hell. Hai Dafu, allocate a special fund from the inner treasury. Depending on their rank, issue each of them a settlement allowance ranging from one thousand to ten thousand taels, and let them go home. Also, issue an imperial decree specially permitting them to remarry freely. No one is allowed to stop them or gossip!"

Directly dismissing them to go home and even allowing them to remarry—this was a first in the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Hearing this, a trace of admiration flashed in Sun Li's old eyes, and he immediately knelt down. "Your Majesty is merciful, truly an enlightened ruler unprecedented since ancient times! Your old servant will go and ask the Empress Dowager for instructions right away."

Sun Li acted with lightning speed and immediately headed for the Cining Palace.