Great Xia: At the start, summon the Net of Heaven to suppress the martial arts world.

After having a family dinner with Yan Shi and Xia Beixuan, Xia Taige got up to take his leave and returned to the Imperial Study.

Along the way, Xia Taige could see that the entire palace was in a state of busy activity.

Inside the imperial city, lanterns and decorations were everywhere, creating a festive atmosphere.

It was clearly prepared in advance for Xia Taige's wedding.

If you think about it, there are less than half a month left until their wedding.

In the afternoon, a policy concerning land tax quickly stirred up a storm within the Great Xia territory.

After the cabinet drafted the document and the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs affixed its seal, the policy of merging the poll tax into the land tax was finalized and officially implemented throughout the country.

Unlike his previous life, Xia Taige did not choose to implement this strategy in one province before extending it nationwide.

Instead, after careful consideration by the cabinet, it was immediately stamped and issued for nationwide implementation.

This policy caused a sensation as soon as it was issued.

Such a policy, which touched upon the fundamental interests of the gentry and nobles, immediately met with resistance.

Within an hour of the implementation of the land tax reform, many ministers were already kneeling at the palace gates outside the capital, begging to see Xia Taige.

He even declared that the cabinet's move was suspected of shaking the foundation of the Great Xia Dynasty.

After the Eastern Depot reported to Xia Taige, he ignored it completely, leaving the ministers kneeling outside the palace.

Without Xia Taige needing to think too much, this matter was undoubtedly the first shot fired by the powerful clans.

Before these ministers could express their opinions...

After being drafted by the Grand Secretariat and stamped by the Directorate of Ceremonial, an imperial edict was once again issued to all government offices throughout the Great Xia Dynasty.

From this day forward, the Emperor of Great Xia intends to establish schools in all prefectures and counties of Great Xia, and construction shall commence immediately.

This imperial edict further provoked resistance from the powerful clans. Both edicts were shaking the foundations of these clans, so how could they possibly accept it?

In an instant, the entire Great Xia Dynasty began to be in turmoil.

Outside the palace, more and more ministers were requesting Xia Taige to retract his decree.

However, not long after these two imperial edicts were issued, keen-eyed people noticed that more and more Imperial Guards and Zhenwu Division officers were leaving their respective offices.

Teams set off in an orderly fashion to various parts of the Great Xia.

Within the jurisdictions of various prefectures of the Great Xia Dynasty, the previously vacant Zhenwu Division offices were increasingly filled with Zhenwu Division and Jinyiwei personnel.

These changes startled the various powerful families and clans, making them realize that the imperial court was determined to implement this matter thoroughly.

The following day, before the turmoil caused by the two imperial edicts from the previous day had subsided, a notice issued by the Zhenwu Division once again caused a huge uproar.

From this day forward, within seven days, all martial arts sects and clans within the Great Xia territory must register their members with their respective Zhenwu Division branches and be subject to unified allocation by the Zhenwu Division.

Such a grand gesture stunned all those who intended to rebel.

The powerful clans couldn't understand what gave Xia Taige the confidence to be an enemy of the gentry, nobles, and martial arts sects throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty.

Before these martial arts sects could make any move, the Misty Pavilion, ranked first among the top ten sects of the Great Xia Dynasty, issued a statement first.

"From this day forward, all personnel of the Misty Pavilion shall register with the Great Xia Zhenwu Division and shall obey the orders of the Zhenwu Division without question."

Not long after the Misty Pavilion issued its announcement, the Boundless Palace also immediately issued a statement declaring its unconditional obedience to the Great Xia Zhenwu Division's orders.

Wuji Palace is also one of the ten major sects of the Great Xia Dynasty. Although it had already surrendered to the Zhenwu Division, the impact of issuing this announcement at this time was by no means small.

In an instant, all the martial arts sects within the Great Xia territory were taken aback.

Some sects that had originally decided to resist to the end now began to hesitate.

After the emergence of the previous Pavilion Master, the Misty Pavilion's power and influence grew stronger.

Its former master even made it onto the list of Grandmasters.

Throughout the entire Great Xia Dynasty, apart from the Zhenwu Division, among all the martial arts forces, only the Misty Pavilion has someone on this list.

The implication is obvious.

Moreover, it has only been a month since the Misty Pavilion wiped out the Sword Sect overnight.

I still vividly remember his ruthless methods.

For a moment, the entire Jianghu (martial arts world) forces of the Great Xia Dynasty were caught in a dilemma.

Resistance was no match for the Zhenwu Division, but acceptance was also somewhat unsatisfactory.

The powerful clans that had originally planned to take advantage of the chaos in the martial arts world to fish in troubled waters immediately stopped and waited to see how things would develop.

Both martial arts sects and powerful families are well aware of this.

Once this matter proceeds according to the Great Xia Dynasty's plan, there will be no other voice in the entire Great Xia Dynasty except for Xia Taige.

At that time, whether it's aristocratic families or the ten major sects of the martial arts world, their life or death will be in Xia Taige's hands.

There is no room for resistance; this will be the last chance.

For a time, both martial arts forces and powerful clans were watching how the four great families would act.

To completely submit and accept one's fate, or to stand up and resist?

As four great families that have existed for even longer than the Great Xia Dynasty, if they all choose to submit, then the other great families and clans will have no choice but to accept their fate.

However, none of the four great families would be willing to accept this.

If they do not resist, in a few decades, the strength of the four great families may be reduced to less than one-tenth, and they will completely withdraw from the stage of history.

In the imperial city, Xia Taige canceled today's morning court session and did not attend.

Inside the Imperial Study, Xia Taige listened quietly to Cao Zhengchun's report beside her.

When the Eastern Depot appeared, Xia Taige had already ordered the Zhenwu Division and several other organizations, including the Tianji Pavilion, to share intelligence.

Even though the Eastern Depot was guarding the imperial city, it could still obtain various intelligence reports clearly.

"Your Majesty, just like yesterday, the major clans and families have not yet made any moves, probably waiting for the four great families to express their opinions."

"But according to reports from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and the Zhenwu Division personnel who have already arrived, there are many obstacles to this matter."

"Many local officials outwardly comply but inwardly defy His Majesty's decrees, delaying them whenever possible."

"Nearly 30% of the officials in the capital have not started their work, seemingly as a way to give the court a warning."

Cao Zhengchun spoke in a lower and lower voice, afraid of provoking Xia Taige's rage.

On the contrary, Xia Taige did not show much emotion upon hearing this, and simply listened quietly.

Xia Taige had long anticipated the resistance from the powerful clans; it was inevitable.

Given the system of recommendation and selection in the Great Xia Dynasty, these officials must have been acting under the instructions of certain powerful families and cliques.

As for local resistance, it will certainly be considerable. Every place has its own local strongmen, so it's normal to not take sides and observe the situation carefully for the time being.

It would be suspicious if local authorities actively cooperated with the imperial court after the policy was issued.

Back then, it took the combined efforts of three emperors to implement the land tax reform, and it took another fifty years before the policy was finally implemented nationwide.

The obstacles involved are considerable, and it is not something that can be accomplished overnight.

Xia Taige was also prepared for a long period of chaos in the Great Xia Dynasty.