Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 952: Chapter 674: The Yang Family of Liaodong Makes a Move!

Countless nobles and officials who were still within the Capital City were massacred.

Only when a torrential downpour began, followed by raging fires within the Imperial City, did the slaughter in the Capital City come to an end.

Emperor Jianxing set the imperial palace ablaze.

He burned his own empress and concubines to death, and of course, he perished with them.

As for his princes, those who could leave had already been sent away; those who hadn’t left perished in the fire.

The heavy rain poured down relentlessly, enveloping the Capital City in a misty white vapor.

The great fire within the Imperial City was slowly extinguished. When Zhang Luan stood in front of the Taiji Palace, he looked up at the dark sky, letting the rainwater beat freely against his face.

”Elder Zhang, you’ve worked hard!” Emperor Tianwu approached Zhang Luan from behind, accompanied by a group of generals.

Zhang Luan collected himself, turned around, and bowed with clasped fists, ”Greetings, Your Majesty!”

Upon seeing this, Emperor Tianwu could not suppress a smile.

He looked at the grand Taiji Palace before him. While much of the Imperial City’s rear palace had been burned down, the Taiji Palace, Wenhua Palace, Wuying Hall, and others remained intact, appearing grand and majestic, even under the torrential rain.

Recalling the past, he was once nothing more than a bandit chieftain. Who would have thought that one day he would stand before the gates of the Taiji Palace, sitting high on the throne?

”Let’s go inside! The rain is too heavy; we should take shelter!”

Saying this, he strode into the Taiji Palace.

Upon entering the Taiji Palace, Emperor Tianwu gazed at the dragon throne, his face revealing a greedy expression.

However, as a man of firm resolve, his greedy gaze quickly turned into one of determination.

Without any hesitation or delay, he stepped forward and sat directly on the dragon throne.

The generals who had followed him in brightened their eyes at this sight.

”Long live the Emperor, long live!”

It was unclear who started it, but soon all the generals were kneeling, shouting in acclaim.

Zhang Luan and Jian Chengfeng did not display any displeasure at this scene, merely smiling faintly. Naturally, they did not kneel or kowtow.

Not to the current Emperor Tianwu, nor to any past emperors of Da Rong; Innate Martial Artists had never been required to kneel or kowtow.

Having captured the Capital City, they now possessed the legitimacy to establish a new dynasty.

Although previously Emperor Tianwu had declared himself emperor, to be honest, it was somewhat of a farce, complete self-indulgence.

But now it was different. Emperor Tianwu had entered the Capital City and sat on the dragon throne, truly founding a new dynasty.

At this moment, Emperor Tianwu was delighted, ”Rise, my loyal subjects!”

”Thank you, Your Majesty!”

Although these generals were from humble backgrounds, in the Taiji Palace, they carried themselves with a proper demeanor, not much different from true nobles and officials.

Of course, they had rehearsed beforehand, having long established their own court.

However, Emperor Tianwu’s joy did not last long. Just as the generals were rising, a voice suddenly came from outside the Taiji Palace.

”Report!”

A general clad in iron armor, drenched from the rain, came to the front of the hall to report, ”Your Majesty, spies from Liaodong have sent word that there is unusual activity from the Yang family of Liaodong!”

Upon hearing this, Emperor Tianwu wasn’t too surprised; he merely asked, ”What unusual activity?”

”Half a month ago, the Yang family of Liaodong mobilized troops from Chongshan Town southward. Simultaneously, the Beihai Navy has moved south, sealing off the Ru River, and Jizhou has entered a state of martial law, seemingly preparing for war!” the general replied.

After hearing his words, Zhang Luan and Jian Chengfeng both looked grave.

Emperor Tianwu’s expression also turned somber. The movement of troops from Chongshan Town and the southward advance of the Beihai Navy were undoubtedly coming for them.

However, his solemnity differed from that of Zhang Luan and Jian Chengfeng. He merely regarded the Yang family of Liaodong as an ordinary enemy.

The Yang family of Liaodong, Prince Qing of Jiangnan, the Qu family of Southern Border Town, the Guo family of Yunling Town, and the Sun family of Anxi Town—all were the same in his eyes.

During Da Liang’s attack on the Capital City, various forces did not sit idle. First, Chen Hengchang captured most of the counties of Fuhai Province. Then, unable to resist any longer, the Guo family of Yunling Town began making moves against Nanyun Province and Tibet.

Following this, the Sun family of Anxi Town also began evolving towards separatist governance, starting to annex Wusi Town.

The current turmoil had entered its most chaotic phase, with numerous local separatist regimes emerging, and aristocratic families and worldly society forces across various regions all weighing in.

Whether the southeast or the southwest, any power with troops and authority couldn’t resist getting involved.

This naturally included the Yang family of Liaodong in the northeast.

Only the northwest had remained somewhat quiet.

However, the quietness of Suzhou Town and Longbei Town in the northwest wasn’t due to a lack of ambition, but because they lacked the strength for separatism.

They ravaged the three provinces of Longyuan, but they themselves suffered significant losses.

Moreover, the three provinces of Longyuan were now occupied by Da Liang, with the populace decimated, and Suzhou Town and Longbei Town being barren lands. Without the three provinces of Longyuan supplying various resources, they could only shrink back and lick their wounds.

In fact, Anxi Town and Wusi Town were in a similar situation to Suzhou Town and Longbei Town; Daring’s northwest and western frontier towns were all relatively barren, the populace languishing and resources scant, always relying on the Da Rong Court for money and supplies.

But Anxi Town’s and Wusi Town’s strength lay in having not participated in the wars previously, so they could still be self-sufficient for now and even spare their hands to engage in other matters.

That’s why Sun Yunbo of the Sun family conceived the idea, planning to annex Wusi Town after taking control of Anxi Town.

In Emperor Tianwu’s eyes, the Yang family of Liaodong was just like these noble family clans of the frontier towns.

Having just captured the Capital City, he was at the peak of his confidence, not considering the Yang family of Liaodong a significant threat.

His solemn expression was solely due to the realization that they needed to continue fighting.

Emperor Tianwu didn’t understand the Yang family of Liaodong, but Zhang Luan and Jian Chengfeng did.

”Your Majesty, we must treat the southward march of Chongshan Town’s army with utmost caution!” Zhang Luan advised.

Jian Chengfeng nodded in agreement, ”Indeed, the Yang family of Liaodong is no ordinary force. If they possess ambitions for world domination, we must tread carefully!”

Emperor Tianwu showed a surprised expression. Previously, neither Zhang Luan nor Jian Chengfeng had been this cautious confronting the Capital City, but now both advised caution against the Yang family of Liaodong.

This left him puzzled.

In truth, it wasn’t entirely Emperor Tianwu’s fault for underestimating the Yang family of Liaodong. The Yang family’s low profile in recent years contributed significantly to this.

Since Yang Zhenshan moved the Yang family to Star Moon Island, apart from forces close to the Yang family, most people in Da Rong knew little about them.

Even those close to the Yang family didn’t have much detailed knowledge of their strength.

For instance, the Duke Ning Mansion, Changping Marquis Mansion, Marquis Haichang’s Mansion, etc., they all knew the Yang family was strong now, but none had a precise understanding of how strong.

If even they didn’t know the specifics, others surely wouldn’t know.

Previously, the senior officials in Da Rong Court only knew that the Yang family of Liaodong controlled Liaodong and disrespected court orders, but in truth, their understanding was limited.

Yang Zhenshan had left Da Rong twenty years ago, and Yang Chengye had always lived in Chongshan Town, yet he wasn’t even the General of Chongshan Town.

Many were familiar with the name Yang family of Liaodong, but their genuine understanding of the family was scarce.

Before Zhang Luan joined him, Emperor Tianwu was not even aware of the names of many of the high-ranking officials in Da Rong Court, let alone the low-profile Yang family.

”””