World-Ending Demon Emperor
Chapter 701 - 347: The Governor’s Power! A Rift with Fu Lingxi?

Chapter 701: 347: The Governor’s Power! A Rift with Fu Lingxi?

Rage Wave Kingdom consists of eleven provinces, with the Southeast Province ranking third.

Aside from Tianshui City and Linhai City, there are also two noble families in the territory of the Southeast Province: Ironwood City and Qichi City.

These two families are much smaller in strength, owning merely two hundred miles of territory and a population of several hundred thousand.

In addition to the four noble families, the Southeast Province also has six counties, totaling about several hundred thousand square kilometers.

With the six counties and the four noble families’ territory combined, the entire Southeast Province has a population of nine million.

To thoroughly control the Southeast Province, a single edict is definitely not enough.

The military obstacles are not significant, as Duke Zhi Wei had previously pulled out all the military forces from the Southeast Province to eradicate Suo Lun, suffering casualties of over a hundred thousand, and more than forty thousand captured.

Today, either dead in battle or captured, most of the military and major generals of the Southeast Province have been completely wiped out.

The key lies in the local officials led by the prefectural governors of the six counties; they are the direct rulers of the Southeast Province.

Duke Zhi Wei has been in the Southeast Province for eight years, and everyone from top to bottom is his person, surely managed as tightly as an iron barrel. By normal means, it would be impossible for Suo Lun to take control of the entire province in the shortest time.

The total number of officials, big and small, in the entire Southeast Province is more than ten thousand. If Suo Lun wanted to completely reorganize and straighten things out, it would take years.

But if he didn’t follow the normal procedures, at this moment, the entire Rage Wave Kingdom was watching Suo Lun.

Because of this great victory, many nobles and lords had already begun to waver and hold out for the best offer. If Suo Lun offended too many people, he would just push these forces toward Zhi Li.

...

Gui Xingfu was still kneeling on the ground, showing the utmost respect.

"Gui Xingfu, how many officials are there in the Southeast Province in total?" Suo Lun asked.

"There are over twelve thousand registered," Gui Xingfu said.

"Are they all Zhi Li’s and Zhi Wei’s people?" Suo Lun asked.

"Yes," Gui Xingfu replied. "Formerly, Prefectural Governor Zuodao Jin of Izumo County was a man of Duke Zhi Ting, but later he was stripped of his position due to the Chaos Stone Salt Field incident and sent to the royal city to be imprisoned. So currently, half of the officials in the entire Southeast Province are Zhi Wei’s men, and the other half are Prime Minister Yan Wuji’s men."

"Yan Wuji wields that much power in the Southeast Province?" Suo Lun asked.

"There are six prefectural governors; three of them are his disciples, one is his nephew, and the Chief Historian of the Governor’s Mansion is his own brother," Gui Xingfu replied.

Suo Lun frowned and said, "No wonder Yan Wuji is so arrogant and power-drunk!"

"Ever since the King fell seriously ill and could no longer manage state affairs, Zhi Li, Turing Tuo, and Yan Wuji joined forces to completely control the kingdom’s politics. Of the eleven provinces of the Rage Wave Kingdom, I fear half of the officials belong to the Yan Party. It’s beyond power-drunk; it’s completely overshadowing!"

Suo Lun’s brow furrowed further, realizing he had underestimated Yan Wuji, the Kingdom’s Prime Minister.

Originally, Suo Lun had only been focused on Zhi Wei and Turing Tuo, thinking that the civil official faction would not amount to much in this major conflict. Yet, the power Yan Wuji held in his hands was in no way inferior to Turing Tuo’s.

Zhi Li was indeed the sovereign, but after all, he assumed control mid-way and lacked a strong foundation.

The reason he became a minor king was due to the support of people like Turing Tuo, Zhi Wei, Gui Xingfu, Yan Wuji, etc.

While it was Turing Tuo and Yan Wuji who were the true powerholders.

Gui Xingfu continued, "The Yan Party not only has its hands in the provinces and counties but has also begun to reach into the lands of various nobles and lords. Neishi Yanting Yi of Linhai City is one such example."

Suo Lun closed his eyes to consider his options, knowing he didn’t have much time to spend on the politics of the Southeast Province. To gain complete control over the entire province in the shortest time, he had at most two to three months.

"Gui Xingfu, how should I go about taking control of the entire Southeast Province in the shortest possible time?" Suo Lun asked.

"It hinges on one person; deal with him, and you’ll have most of the Southeast Province in your grasp," Gui Xingfu said.

"Who?" Suo Lun asked.

"Yan Wuzhi!" Gui Xingfu replied. "This man is Yan Wuji’s own brother, the Chief Historian of the Governor’s Mansion of the Southeast Province; second only to one, above tens of thousands. Duke Zhi Wei was a royal duke who focused more on military matters, so he left most of the political affairs to Yan Wuzhi. Now that Duke Zhi Wei is dead, the prefectural governors of the six counties will definitely regard Yan Wuzhi as their leader. If you gain his support, you can take control of the Southeast Province in the shortest time."

Suo Lun fell into deep thought.

Gui Xingfu went on, "Although you killed Yan Tingyi and gave Yan Wuji a heavy slap, if the benefits are high enough, what is a mere Yan Tingyi? Your grand victory in the battle against Zhi Li has all the nobles and lords across the land watching and waiting. No family will put all their eggs in one basket, and Prime Minister Yan Wuji is no exception. Perhaps right now, he is trying to find a way to mend relations with you and invest in you."

Suo Lun sought the Southeast Province more for its military needs rather than for political/administrative ones. As for the trivial annual tax of more than a hundred thousand Gold Coins, he wasn’t particularly concerned.

Therefore, if Yan Wuzhi was willing to pledge loyalty, he didn’t mind taking over all the existing officials of Nulang Province.

After pondering for half a quarter of an hour, he said, "Alright, I’ll give him a chance. You go personally to speak with Yan Wuzhi. If he is willing to pledge loyalty to me, I am willing to forgive the past and still appoint him as the Chief Historian of the Governor’s Mansion, accepting all of the Southeast Province’s officials."

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