newbobooks Chapter 226 1 Thoughts of the Pass 29
Chapter 226 1 Thoughts of the Pass 29
Given her status as a woman, it was impossible for her to gain the genuine support of the imperial family and the scholar-officials in the court.
Therefore, Yang Ying had no intention of slowly boiling the frog in water and decisively launched a mutiny.
In just one day and night, the entire Wudu underwent earth-shaking changes.
When the sun rose again and the morning light bathed the earth, Yang Ying had become the new ruler of Wu Kingdom.
The Empress, Prince Danyang, Prince Ying, and many other members of the royal family who fiercely resisted were all imprisoned in the Imperial Clan Court on charges of treason.
The court officials also underwent a reshuffle, with three out of ten of the old officials leaving, and the number is even decreasing.
Wu Kingdom has been established for quite some time. Beneath the surface of prosperity, undercurrents are surging. The powerful and wealthy are closely connected, forming an unbreakable network of interests. Wealth and power are increasingly concentrated in the hands of a very small group of people at the very top.
If we do not seize this opportunity to break this entrenched pattern of interests, implement sweeping reforms, and shave off our own rotten flesh, Wuguo will sooner or later decline like those dynasties in history.
Therefore, Yang Ying did not hesitate to take action against the imperial family, nobles, and court officials, and also eliminated those old-fashioned people who strongly opposed women ruling the court, thus clearing obstacles for her to implement new policies in the future.
As for her reputation...
She's already staged a coup, why would she care about this?
She doesn't care as long as it's not brought up in front of her.
……
On the 26th day of the 12th month of the sixth year of the Yongyou reign of Emperor Wuzong of the Southern Tang Dynasty, under a clear sky and gentle breeze, Yang Ying, amidst the attention of the masses, formally ascended the throne in his dragon robe and changed the reign title to "Zhaoming," meaning a period of political clarity and prosperity.
The world was in an uproar!
The Kingdom of Wu has produced an empress!
A woman ruling the court is unprecedented in history.
How can a woman be an emperor?
The various states were abuzz with discussion, vehemently condemning Yang Ying for being a hen crowing at dawn. Yet, after their outbursts, they had no choice but to send envoys, beaming with joy and laden with treasures, to Dawu to congratulate Yang Ying on his ascension to the throne.
The atmosphere in the Anguo court was even more somber. Emperor An's face was ashen, and he was filled with mixed emotions.
He never expected that the Prince Li, who had previously destroyed half of Anguo's territory and made the entire country tremble with fear, was actually a woman.
shame!
This is an absolute disgrace!
This humiliation was like a sharp blade, piercing straight into Emperor An's heart.
Emperor An went on a rampage in the court, but after venting his anger, he had no choice but to follow Yang Ying's previous conditions, raising 200,000 taels of gold from the whole country and sending a prince as a hostage. At the same time, the lives of several generals who had participated in the Battle of Tianmen Pass, including Li Tongguang, were also sent to Dawu.
Thus, the feud between the Kingdom of Wu and the Kingdom of An has come to a temporary end.
Yang Ying then began to deal with Wuzhou's internal affairs.
Becoming emperor was already a very easy thing for Yang Ying.
He swiftly reformed the court, improved the system for selecting officials, abolished outdated customs and practices, broadened the channels for talent, and selected more capable young people to fill vacant positions.
The vast wealth obtained from the previous purge was used to continue casting various firearms and military equipment, thereby improving the overall strength of the army.
The vast tracts of unclaimed fertile land obtained after the mutiny were all distributed to the people, promoting agricultural growth.
Then came the familiar Industrial Revolution...
Previously, other countries had mocked the Wu Kingdom for having a woman presiding over the court, seeing it as a sign of the country's impending doom.
Who would have thought that the Kingdom of Wu would not only survive, but would become even stronger?
In just a few years, it became the undisputed hegemon of the Central Plains thanks to its strong military strength and advanced technology.
The Northern Pan tribes, who had originally dreamed of re-entering the Central Plains, now quietly stayed in the north, afraid to make a move and attract the attention of the Wu Kingdom.
Yang Ying, a warmonger, seeing that the provisions, troops, and military equipment were almost ready, personally led the Wu Kingdom army to begin the journey to unify the world.
Previously, a single cannon and rocket could rout Anguo, but now, thanks to the Industrial Revolution, the new weapons they have produced are making other countries unable to raise their heads.
First came the more powerful states like An, Chu, and Shan, followed by the less powerful Qi, Su, and Yi. In the end, the remaining states, Yuan and Yan, didn't even have the courage to fight anymore and surrendered directly, joining the embrace of Wu.
With this, the nine kingdoms of the Central Plains were unified.
Therefore, Yang Ying set her sights on Bei Pan.
She beat them half to death, and then every year she would bring her troops to hunt and conduct military exercises, using Beipan as a whetstone.
After completing all this, Yang Ying, who was already over thirty, inevitably thought about the issue of the next generation's successor.
This was the first time in all her worlds that she had considered this question.
Previously, she maintained a detached attitude towards the issue of succession, only caring about her own enjoyment, and it had nothing to do with who the next emperor was.
But this world is different!
Yang Ying gazed at the ever-changing clouds on the horizon, her eyes unusually serious.
"In this life, I ascended the throne as a woman. Once I pass away, the successor will be a man. He will be just like the emperors after Lü and Wu, even more wary of women holding power, and will begin to suppress the status of women indefinitely. At that time, women in this world will be in an even more difficult situation."
"Changing customs and habits cannot be accomplished without three generations of reform."
"After me, there will have to be at least two more female emperors to avoid this situation."
Yang Ying sighed. Over the past ten years, in order to make things go more smoothly, she had defied public opinion to establish girls' schools and open special courses for women, opening a door to knowledge and rights for women. Now that she had come this far, how could she give up halfway?
"Since I've already done so much, why not do more?"
Having made up her mind, Yang Ying no longer hesitated and began searching for intelligent girls.
Normally, it would be best to select from within the royal family, since the education and upbringing of royal children are of the highest quality.
However, the original owner was not favored as a child and suffered a lot of bullying from these members of the royal family. So when Yang Ying ascended to the throne, she almost purged all of them... um...
It seems that joining the royal family is out of the question.
Yang Ying sighed, but then she thought about it again. She had no blood ties here, and the original owner's blood relatives had a grudge against her. So, what did it have to do with her whether the next emperor was a member of the royal family?
All she needs to do is train her two heirs.
Having figured this out, Yang Ying suddenly understood and immediately began selecting intelligent girls to be raised in the palace.
Because Yang Ying had high standards, it took a full forty years of observation, selection, and training, with several changes, until finally, the most outstanding one was chosen from among a group of excellent candidates and made the Crown Princess.
After the Crown Princess was officially appointed, Yang Ying immediately began to cultivate the next generation...