Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

Chu Ning's words sent a chill down Li Bi's spine, and his shirt was soaked with cold sweat.

Only then did he fully understand that the young emperor had never intended to leave any way out for those aristocratic families from the very beginning.

The so-called banquet was nothing more than a trap to lure the emperor into a trap, and the subsequent military operations had already been planned.

Seeing Li Bi's silence, Chu Ning changed the subject and finally revealed the real purpose of summoning him tonight:

"I didn't ask you to come here tonight to discuss how to deal with the counterattack of those dying people. Those trivial matters will be handled by Ran Ming and the soldiers."

His eyes fell on Li Bi, with a look of scrutiny and entrustment:

"What I want to discuss with you is the subsequent governance of this place."

Li Bi was cheered up and quickly collected his thoughts and listened attentively.

"Now, these biggest stumbling blocks have been removed."

Chu Ning finally revealed a hint of an almost cruel smile: "The new policies of my Great Chu can be implemented smoothly and quickly in Han territory."

He stood up, walked to the huge map of the Central Plains, and pointed his finger at the former Han territory that had been crossed out with a red brush:

"The first priority is to complete the equal distribution of land! This is the foundation for the people's safety and the foundation of the country!"

"We must quickly and fairly distribute the land we have nationalized from the aristocratic families to the landless and land-poor people, allowing them to truly enjoy the benefits of the new dynasty and see the tangible benefits of allying themselves with the Great Chu!"

He turned around and looked at Li Bi with burning eyes:

"This matter is complex and concerns the will of the people. I need someone who is familiar with the local situation and has the ability and determination to take charge of it."

Chu Ning paused for a moment and clearly stated his decision:

"Li Bi, I will leave this matter to you to handle."

It was as if a huge lightning bolt split the haze in Li Bi's heart. He was stunned at first, and then an indescribable ecstasy surged through his body like a volcanic eruption!

The previous fears and worries were instantly shattered by this huge opportunity!

Take charge of the equal division of land!

What an important authority this is!

This is the core measure of the Xin Dynasty to implement benevolent policies in the Han area!

If this matter can be done well, not only will he be able to achieve great merit in front of His Majesty, but he can also take this opportunity to extend his tentacles to the local areas and cultivate his own power. His future political capital will be limitless!

He suppressed the excitement that almost made his body tremble, and the pain in his back caused by excitement, and suddenly bent down to the bottom.

His voice was choked with extreme joy, yet it was remarkably loud and resolute:

"Your Majesty! Li Bi! I obey your command! Thank you for your trust!"

He stood up straight, his face filled with unprecedented radiance, and he promised solemnly:

"Your Majesty is wise! Now that those stubborn, self-serving aristocratic families are no longer obstructing us, the equal distribution of land will surely proceed smoothly!"

"I will do my utmost, working day and night to distribute the land to the people as quickly and fairly as possible, so that the benevolent rule of the Great Chu will benefit all the people of Han! I will never let your majesty down!"

Looking at Li Bi's grateful and eager look, a barely perceptible light flashed in Chu Ning's eyes.

He had cleared the obstacles with the most bloody means. Now, it was time to win over the people's hearts with benevolent policies and use surrendered ministers like Li Bi to implement them, so that the Han could rule the Han.

The chess game unfolded step by step according to his will.

The candlelight in the imperial study of the palace illuminates the blueprint and ambition of the new dynasty's governance, while outside the palace walls, Chang'an City is shrouded in an even more intense atmosphere of terror and blood.

Ran Ming moved extremely quickly.

After cleaning up the waterside pavilion in the Imperial Garden to a state that was generally acceptable to the eyes, he immediately carried out Chu Ning's subsequent orders.

The heads of dozens of heads of aristocratic families were roughly processed, slightly preserved with lime, and then placed in wooden cages. They were escorted by teams of stern-looking Chu cavalry and hung on several of the most important city gates of Chang'an City.

Zhengyangmen, Andingmen, Yongxingmen...especially the city gates near Xishikou, where the royal massacre had just taken place during the day, had the most hangings.

It was already late at night, but the area near the city gate was still as bright as day due to the torches held by the Chu army.

Those heads, which once represented supreme honor but now had hideous faces and were covered in blood, looked extremely eerie and terrifying in the flickering firelight.

The evening breeze blew, and the wooden cage swayed gently, casting a twisted and swaying shadow, like the silent roar of a ghost who died unjustly.

The soldiers who were ordered to impose martial law and drive away the crowd struck the ground with their long spears, making a dull sound and scolding any civilians who tried to stop or approach.

However, the visual impact of the hanging head was too strong, and the news spread quickly to every corner of Chang'an City, as if it had wings, accompanied by endless fear.

"Oh my God! That's...that's Mr. Cui's head!"

"And the Wang family master! The Li family master! Oh my God, all of them..."

"What on earth happened in the palace? How could all these important figures suddenly..."

"The Emperor of Chu...is going to kill everyone who disobeys him!"

"Go away! Stop looking! You'll get into trouble!"

Whispers of fear flowed through the night, and panic spread like a plague.

In the eyes of ordinary people, aristocratic families were once unattainable and deeply rooted. But now their leaders were being hanged and displayed to the public like ordinary bandits. This subversive terror completely shattered the remaining hope and wait-and-see attitude in the hearts of many people.

Chu Ning used this most direct and brutal way to declare the complete collapse of the old order and the unquestionable iron-blooded authority of the new order.

However, this public display of heads was just the beginning.

While the heads were being hung on the city gate, Ran Ming personally put on armor and took up weapons, gathering thousands of his most elite troops.

These fierce and powerful troops, who had just experienced the war of annihilation and the massacre in the palace, still had murderous auras on their bodies. Their eyes were filled with indifference to killing and absolute obedience to carrying out orders.

They split into several groups and pounced on the vast mansions of the aristocratic families in the city, which were full of pavilions and towers, like tigers released from the cage.

The first to be affected was naturally the residence of the Qinghe Cui family, the leader of the northern gentry, in Chang'an City.

The Cui Mansion is located in the best area in the east of the city. It has red gates, high walls and deep courtyards. On ordinary days, there is a lot of traffic in front of the door, but at this moment the door is closed and the atmosphere behind the door is as solemn as a lead block.

Cui Yan was obviously not completely unprepared before attending the banquet.

He seemed to have a premonition that this trip would be disastrous, and had secretly ordered all 800 private soldiers in the mansion to be on alert, with bows strung and swords drawn, and to occupy all the key points and walltops in the mansion.

Most of these troops are elite soldiers trained or recruited by the Cui family for generations. They are very loyal to the family and are well-equipped.