Chapter 196: Wine and Territory

In the first year of Jianlong, summer.

Kaifeng, the imperial palace, Purple Palace Hall.

The lavish night banquet almost turned the hall's beams and pillars into gold. Hundreds of massive tallow candles burned, lighting the hall as bright as day; the heat mingled with the rich aroma of the imperial wine and the expensive spices on the dancers, drifting through the air.

In the hall stood Zhao Kuangyin, the founding emperor of the Great Song, dressed in reddish‑brown ordinary robes, seated upon the throne. He lacked the imagined imperial majesty, appearing instead like a hearty older brother, repeatedly raising his cup and exchanging drinks with several Imperial Guard commanders below—Shi Shouxin, Wang Shenqi, Gao Huaide, and others.

They were his sworn brothers, the dragon‑following ministers he had elevated from Chenqiao Station.

"Shouxin, come, fill it up!" Zhao Kuangyin stepped down from the red throne steps, seized the wine jar before Shi Shouxin, and poured him a full cup. "Back then on the battlefield we couldn't even get a sip of hot water. Today, I will not leave until we are drunk together!"

Shi Shouxin, the deputy inspector of the hall in the new dynasty and the second‑in‑command of the Imperial Guards, held the wine cup with both hands, his torso drawn tight like a fully drawn bow. His palms were slick with sweat, and the cup's icy chill made him shiver.

He forced a smile.

"Your Majesty… I am terrified,"

It wasn't just him; every general present wore a smile, yet the smile was stiffer than crying. They were men who had crawled out of seas of corpses, their sense of murderous aura sharper than a hunting hound's.

Tonight's Purple Palace Hall had no glint of swords, yet it felt more suffocating than any battlefield.

Zhao Kuangyin took everything in. He patted Shi Shouxin's shoulder with a heavy hand.

"Why be terrified? You and I are brothers; why keep such distance?"

He turned, returned to the throne, lifted his own cup, and scanned the faces of each brother below.

"Since I ascended the throne, not a single night has given me peaceful sleep," his voice rang clearly in everyone's ears, instantly drowning out the music of strings and flutes.

The dancers had slipped away unnoticed at some point.

Inside the hall, only the crackling of the candles and the generals' heavy breathing remained.

"My position here is all thanks to you brothers. Yet…" Zhao Kuangyin's tone shifted, a hint of a bitter smile appearing, "Who doesn't desire wealth and honor in life? If the soldiers under your command were to be granted the yellow robe, could you still refuse if you didn't want it?"

"Boom!"

The words thundered in every general's mind like a flash of lightning.

Shi Shouxin's cup clanged "clang" as it fell to the floor, shattering into pieces, wine splashing everywhere.

He fell to his knees with a "thud," his forehead pounding the ground, his voice warped by sheer terror.

"Your Majesty! I would die a thousand deaths! I am utterly loyal to Your Majesty, with no second thoughts!"

"We have no second thoughts!"

Gao Huaide, Wang Shenqi and the others, their souls scattered, knelt en masse, kowtowing as if pounding garlic.

They finally understood.

This was no brotherly feast; it was a Hongmen Banquet.

Zhao Kuangyin watched the brothers trembling like sifted chaff beneath him, his eyes unmoving. This was the effect he wanted.

He rose slowly, descended the red throne steps again, and personally helped Shi Shouxin to his feet.

"I know your loyalty. If I didn't trust you, why would I entrust my life and fortune to you?" His tone softened, as if soothing frightened kin, "But life is short, a white horse flashes by. Fame and wealth are but fleeting clouds. Why spend every day worrying, laboring in the military?"

He surveyed everyone, saying word for word: "Better yet, surrender Military Power, and I will select a prosperous place for you, purchase ample fertile lands and fine houses, establishing an unshakable legacy for your descendants. Between ruler and subjects there will be no more suspicion; we can intermarry, enjoy lasting peace, live happily. Isn't that good?"

Each sentence was spoken gently, yet it severed their final ties to the army.

No scolding, no swords.

Only meticulous concern and an inescapable "gift".

Shi Shouxin and the others lay limp on the ground, faces ashen. They knew they had no choice. To resist was to die.

"... I obey the decree."

The three words squeezed from between his teeth drained all their strength.

An era, amid the clashing and shattering of cups, quietly drew to a close.

…

News that many war heroes had relinquished Military Power and received rewards spread across the realm at astonishing speed.

While the nobles of Kaifeng were still trembling at Zhao Kuangyin's uncanny tactics, an official vessel from Yangzhou had already slipped into the Capital.

The envoy sent by the Wang Family was a paternal uncle of Wang Hao, a middle‑aged man who seemed unremarkable and even a bit dull.

He did not request an audience with any high officials, but instead used the most formal channel to submit a memorial to the new emperor.

Three days later, Zhao Kuangyin summoned him to the Chui Gong Hall.

Without much words, the Wang Family envoy respectfully presented two items.

The first was a finely drawn map. It showed the whole eastern Jiangnan road, with detailed maps of every Prefecture and County except Yangzhou.

The second was a dozen thick registers. They recorded the fields, population, and taxes of those Prefectures and Counties with meticulous accuracy.

"Your Majesty, Head of Family Wang Zhen of the Wang Family, grateful for the late emperor's recognition and also admiring Your Majesty's destined mandate," the envoy said evenly, without a hint of emotion, "Although the Wang Family is a lineage of scholars, we lack virtue and ability, and our covert hold on Jiangnan is truly fearful. Now that the realm is settled, it should belong to Your Majesty. The Wang Family wishes to withdraw to Yangzhou, to govern a region for the Great Song's people and for Your Majesty, and we earnestly request Your Majesty's approval."

Zhao Kuangyin sat on the dragon throne, his fingers lightly tapping the armrest.

He looked at the Wang Family envoy, whose posture was very low, and then examined the map and registers so detailed that even the emperor himself was astonished.

He knew this was the Wang Family flexing its muscles for him.

Being able to grasp Jiangnan's wealth so clearly was, in itself, a terrifying strength.

Yet they were so "considerate", voluntarily delivering this prime piece of meat, leaving only Yangzhou at his doorstep.

"Wang Family, you have shown intention," Zhao Kuangyin's voice revealed no emotion, "Wang Zhen understands the great righteousness, and I am greatly pleased. Go tell him, Yangzhou, I will hand it over to him. The Wang Family will share the nation's burdens; I will not treat you poorly. In the future, any talented Wang descendants, I will not hesitate to grant titles."

"Thank you, Your Majesty, for your great grace."

The envoy bowed deeply and then slipped away silently.

Zhao Kuangyin picked up the Jiangnan map and weighed it in his hand.

It was heavy.

He smiled.

Since the forces he once feared were gone behind him, he could now confidently expand the Great Song's territory, aiming to accomplish the great undertaking that the two Later Zhou dynasties had failed to achieve, reuniting the world under one banner.

"Issue the edict!" his voice, filled with unstoppable ambition, "Order Murong Yan Zhao as commander, send troops to Jingnan and Hunan! I want this world, all to belong to Great Song!"

Just like that, the wheels of time rolled forward.

Several more years passed.

Under the secret financial support of Jiangnan, the Song army's unification war advanced like splitting bamboo. Jingnan, Hunan, Later Shu... one after another, these separatist regimes, under Zhao Kuangyin's Iron Control hooves, were reduced to ashes and smoke.

The territory of Great Song grew ever more complete.

And Yangzhou, this city firmly controlled by the Wang Family, completely faded from the world's view, as if it had become a secluded utopia.

No one knew that beneath this calm surface, a power capable of overturning the world was growing wildly at a terrifying speed.