Your Majesty, please beg for mercy. The prince's rebellion was successful.

The northern border of Great Zhou.

"Boss, everything is going as planned."

"In just half a month, my father has occupied ten cities in the Great Zhou and has firmly controlled them."

Zhou Ping's voice was a little excited at this time. He never expected that the effect of this seemingly cruel massacre was far from as horrible as they had imagined at first.

On the contrary, the further back they went, the more they realized that the common people were no longer affected.

Only those aristocratic families and those local gentry and powerful people would be slaughtered.

In Zhou Zheng's words, no matter what attitude these aristocratic families have, no mercy can be shown at this critical moment.

You know, if the local gentry and powerful people wanted to change their flags, they would not have waited until now.

Even if they regret it now, it's useless.

Because Zhou Zheng knew better than anyone that what they really regretted was not that they did not listen to Zhou Zheng's reforms from the very beginning when he came to power, but that they were afraid and afraid that they would be liquidated, so they regretted it.

It’s a pity that the only thing that is not for sale in this world is the medicine for regret.

"Do you need to continue?!"

"According to this method, we can occupy half of the Great Zhou in less than half a month."

Zhou Ping's eyes were fiery, and his eagerness to fight was evident in his eyes.

Nowadays, people all over the Great Zhou Dynasty are fleeing at the news of King Zhou Yong. Even the most elite troops are powerless in the face of such a situation.

This unstoppable momentum even made Zhou Ping wish he could send a message directly to King Zhou Yong and push forward all the way.

"Let King Zhou Yong stop."

However, contrary to everyone's expectations, Zhou Zheng waved his hand and rejected Zhou Ping's suggestions and ideas.

This was something Zhou Ping had not expected.

"Boss, this is a great opportunity!"

Zhou Ping was a little surprised and still couldn't figure out the key point.

"Your Majesty certainly has a plan. Besides, we have lost the advantage of continuing the attack now."

King Zhenbei also waved his hand, indicating his approval of Zhou Zheng's decision.

King Yong of Zhou had fought many battles in the northern border. He knew too well the principle of not pursuing an enemy who is desperate, and even the key of not dividing the troops to fight.

Today, the aristocratic families and the gentry all over the world are already terrified.

If we attack again, these aristocratic families and gentry will certainly resist at all costs, and they will not hesitate even though they know it is a dead end.

In this case, not to mention the enormous pressure King Zhou Yong might face, the damage caused alone would be irreversible.

There are not many elite troops left in the current Great Zhou Dynasty. These 300,000 elite troops are one of Zhou Zheng’s only remaining trump cards.

If the casualties continue, what will Zhou Zheng do in the subsequent battles with the Great Xia Kingdom and the Far West? !

After all, no matter how powerful Zhou Zheng is and how many tricks he has, without elite support, it would be useless.

Hearing this, Zhou Ping was slightly shocked and sighed inwardly.

Fortunately, I asked Zhou Zheng for advice first, otherwise if I had done this rashly, I would have ended up with more harm than good.

"So what are we going to do next, Boss!?"

Zhou Ping collected his emotions and looked at Zhou Zheng again, with a hint of seriousness and heaviness in his eyes.

Others did the same.

King Zhou Yong is now launching a fierce offensive. If I am not mistaken, the imperial court will certainly respond as quickly as possible.

At that time, the decisive battle between the two sides is about to begin!

"What is supposed to come will always come."

Feeling everyone's gazes, Zhou Zheng slowly stood up, his eyes moving as he looked in the direction of Kyoto.

He knew better than anyone that the life-and-death battle between him and the imperial court could not be stopped.

Zhou Zheng never cared about the strength of the imperial court. What he really cared about was the combat effectiveness of the five ancient families.

These five ancient families have not made any move except giving money, which makes Zhou Zheng a little panicked and worried.

Looking at the current situation in the world, no matter it is the imperial court, the five ancient families, or the land of the far west, there is no one who does not want to kill me.

However, the five ancient families are now at peace, which is not normal behavior or phenomenon at all.

"Your Majesty, are you worried about the five ancient families?"

Xiao Mu quickly noticed Zhou Zheng's worry.

If before, Zhou Zheng was holding the truth, and all attacks under the musket were meaningless, then perhaps he could still compete with the five ancient families.

But several years passed, and when the five ancient families surfaced, I'm afraid they had already mastered the method of making muskets.

After all, there is no wall that is completely airtight.

With the abilities and means of the five ancient families and countless years of accumulated experience and resources, their muskets are probably not inferior to the one Zhou Zheng originally created, or even better than Zhou Zheng's.

In this way, Zhou Zheng’s biggest trump card was gone.

In addition, Zhou Zheng had already secretly replaced the weapons depot, but under such circumstances, the court had not responded, which made Zhou Zheng feel vaguely uneasy.

The biggest possibility is that the imperial court no longer relies on Zhou Zheng’s firearms arsenal.

Both sides have muskets, so the advantage is no longer in Zhou Zheng's hands.

"Yes."

"It's a pity that King Zhou Yong did not ask the five ancient families to take action..."

Zhou Zheng shook his head. He thought that 300,000 troops were enough to involve the five ancient families.

Unfortunately, Zhou Zheng still underestimated the patience of the five ancient families.

They were like shadows hiding in the dark, waiting for the perfect opportunity to deal him a fatal blow.

But this result is definitely not what Zhou Zheng wants to see.

"Report!"

At this moment, a scout hurriedly walked into the inner hall.

Then, he knelt in front of Zhou Zheng and kowtowed.

"What's the matter?!"

Zhou Zheng asked in a deep voice without even frowning.

"Your Majesty, news has come from the capital that the imperial court is gathering troops and will be dispatched soon to fight to the death."

The scout's voice continued to echo in the inner hall. The pupils of many people present suddenly shrank, and their breathing became much faster.

Although they had already known that there would be a fatal battle between the two sides, they were still a little surprised and panicked when they actually heard the news.

After all, everyone knows that this decisive battle is different from the previous ones, and may even be bloodier than before.

No one spoke. Everyone's heartbeats wildly at this moment. They breathed rapidly and turned their eyes back to Zhong Zhouzheng.

"Is there any news about the five ancient families?!"

Zhou Zheng straightened his back, nodded slightly, and asked in a deep voice.

"Your Majesty, no."

The scout shook his head.

Zhou Zheng was not surprised by this. After all, the whereabouts of the five ancient families would never be exposed.

"but......"

The scout raised his head, looking uncertain.

"Say!"

Zhou Zheng noticed that the scout's expression was a little different, and he frowned, then signaled the scout to speak directly.

"It is said that the situation in the court has changed drastically."

"The Prime Minister has become the actual controller of the court, and Emperor Tianjing has been sidelined."

"At present, everyone inside and outside the capital of the Great Zhou is under the control of Chengxiang. The entire court, both civil and military, is completely headed by the prime minister."

The scout did not dare to delay and quickly passed the news he had received to Zhou Zheng.

You must know that the matter between Emperor Tianjing and the Prime Minister had already spread from the court to the capital of the Great Zhou.

I don't know where the rumor first came from, but some people think that the current Emperor Tianjing is unworthy of his position, and even because of his own selfishness, he has plunged the entire Great Zhou into civil strife and has put it in a critical moment of survival.

In short, no matter how wrong a thing is, it's all Emperor Tianjing's fault.

Now, the only person in the court who can turn the tide and save the collapsing empire is the prime minister.

For a time, the prime minister's image and status reached an unprecedented height.

"It seems that the court is also unstable."

Xiao Mu was a little surprised. He didn't expect the situation to change so quickly, even he didn't expect it.

"But, will Emperor Tianjing really be willing to accept this?"

Soon, Xiao Mu's pupils shrank to the size of pinholes, his voice became low, and there was a hint of suspicion in his eyes.

He knew Emperor Tianjing too well. He knew better than anyone that Emperor Tianjing could give up everything but would never give up the power in his hands!

He would never allow anyone in the Great Zhou to surpass his own reputation.

Prime Minister, how dare you?

"Report!"

Just as everyone was talking, someone rushed in.

"What's the matter?"

"Your Majesty, someone wants to see you!"

......