The video takes us to ancient times; Li Er transforms into the Tongtian Emperor of Shu Han.

Chapter 519 The fall of one group of aristocratic families often means the rise of another group of meritorious families. This occurred when Chen Tai and others led their troops away from the capital to their respective defense lines.

An imperial edict of pardon was also quietly sent out from the capital.

The edict detailed the rebellious acts of various aristocratic families, including records from Jia Yan and others, as well as testimonies from Zheng Chong and his clansmen.

In addition, the border troops who were deceived by the aristocratic families, as well as the people in the capital, can all serve as witnesses.

The news of the purge of the aristocratic families and the emperor's edict of pardon arrived in the major prefectures and counties almost simultaneously.

The sons of the former top aristocratic families in the capital rose up one after another, but in contrast, the once insignificant clans that were not even worthy of being included in the capital's inner circle began to have some ulterior motives.

The fall of one aristocratic family often signifies the rise of another meritorious family; this is an unchanging truth.

Everything that happened in the various prefectures and counties afterward unfolded exactly as Liu Bang had predicted.

The aristocratic families were not without rivals.

However, their opponents dared not bare their teeth at them on ordinary days when they held absolute power.

Once someone forces them onto the same starting line and removes the biggest reliance of the former top clans, the hungry wolves around them will seize the opportunity to strike.

Just as the gentry from various parts of Youzhou had just emerged and cried out that the emperor was being misled by treacherous officials, before they could even raise an army to purge the court of corrupt officials, the local powerful families led their troops in a surprise attack overnight, beheading many people and sending their heads to the capital to claim credit.

Even when the Sima family was in power, on the surface, the world still belonged to the Cao family.

When the emperor's title is confined to the palace, true power can only be held by a few.

As long as this title leaves the inner palace, it will still be recognized by the vast majority of people!

As the first batch of hotheads' heads were sent to the capital, Liu Bang generously bestowed upon them more than ten thousand-household commanders and numerous hundred-household commanders.

When the bestowal of titles and honors is announced to the world, the power gathered under the name of the emperor grows ever stronger!

"What did you say? The gentry in most places have been suppressed? The local strongmen have sent their heads to the capital to claim credit?"

"Are you kidding me? Those peasants, what makes them think they can do that?! How dare they?!"

Upon learning the intelligence brought back by his scouts, Sima Zhao nearly went mad.

Originally, after learning of the upheaval in the capital and the massacre of the direct descendants of the top aristocratic families by the young emperor, he felt that his chance to retaliate had arrived.

After all, the aristocratic sons who had more or less controlled the military power of various states would certainly not let the matter rest easily when they went out to gain experience.

As long as the Great Wei falls into chaos again, he will have the opportunity to lead the Sima family back to the capital!

At that time, he would definitely make that little emperor pay the price, kill him with his own hands, and avenge his brother!

But the news that the scouts brought back next was truly beyond his expectations and beyond his comprehension.

Those so-called powerful figures mentioned in this intelligence report used to be someone who couldn't even hope to see Sima Zhao once!

However, these very people he looked down upon have now become the biggest stumbling blocks!

"My lord, all of this is probably within the Emperor's expectations. There is no way to break the deadlock now. Chen Tai has also been stationed in Chang'an. For now, we only have Jiangdong as our option."

Zhong Hui offered some advice from the side.

Although he felt shocked and disappointed, he was able to calm down.

Unfortunately, Sima Zhao could not be like him.

"This...this was all part of that young emperor's scheme?"

"Shiji, are you trying to tell me that from beginning to end, my brother and I were completely manipulated by that immature little emperor?"

"Are you kidding me?"

He always felt that the upheaval in the capital and the downfall of the Sima family were the work of aristocratic families, including Wang Xiang.

Even when news of the massacre of the gentry in the capital not long ago spread, he also felt that it was an internal strife among the gentry, and that the survivors, such as the Chen and Jia families, were the winners.

But Zhong Hui's words just now shattered his pitiful self-esteem.

He treated the young emperor as a puppet from beginning to end, little did he know that in the young emperor's eyes, he was the fool!

"My lord, acknowledging the emperor's abilities is also a way of respecting the general. If I am not mistaken, the general's downfall is also related to the emperor."

"After all, the arrival of the Han army at that time was too coincidental."

"Before we figure out the emperor's true strength, the best option is to avoid his sharp edge!"

Zhong Hui said in a deep voice.

He's a smart man; smart men always know how to make choices that are more advantageous to themselves.

To be honest, if he weren't seen by everyone as a staunch Sima Party member, he would probably be thinking about how to pledge allegiance to the emperor at this point.

Unfortunately, the faction of Sima family members directly cut off this path, leaving him with only the option of persuading Sima Zhao to go to Jiangdong.

At least for now, he doesn't want to go against that emperor who can be described as a monster.

From beginning to end, he only saw four words in that young emperor.

A flawless plan!

He was unaware of Zhang Liang's existence.

Of course, even knowing this wouldn't change his decision.

Whether it's one person or two, he doesn't want to become their opponent in the short term.

He preferred to bully the weak Eastern Wu rather than confront the emperor.

"But how do we get to Eastern Wu?"

"Don't be fooled by the fact that I still have tens of thousands of troops. The northern soldiers are not good at naval warfare. If we really force our way into Jiangdong, the fate of Emperor Taizu is already very clear."

A full-scale attack on Eastern Wu?

Let alone tens of thousands, even Cao Cao's mighty army of 800,000 failed to conquer Eastern Wu!

He only has this many men, with no naval commanders and soldiers who have never experienced naval warfare. What's the difference between a forced attack and suicide?

He preferred the North to the Eastern Wu.

Following the direction of Sima Zhao's gaze, Zhong Hui instantly understood his thoughts.

For a moment, only one thought remained in his mind.

Could this be the legendary tiger father and dog son?

What kind of outstanding person is the General? Why would he have such a younger brother?

The northern regions where the Wuhuan and Xianbei were located were certainly easier to attack than Eastern Wu, and they might not even encounter much resistance.

However, none of the gentry in the Central Plains looked down on the small nomadic country beyond the Great Wall!

This is tantamount to completely giving up any hope of conquering the Central Plains!

At this moment, he really wanted to point his finger at Sima Zhao and curse him, "This brat is not worth discussing anything with!"

After a deep sigh, Zhong Hui felt his emotions gradually calm down.

"My lord, going north is certainly easy, but it cuts off the way back south. Going to Eastern Wu is indeed difficult, but as long as we can take it down, we can still retain the opportunity to contend for the world!"

"Moreover, with the Great Wei in turmoil, we don't necessarily have to launch a full-scale attack; we can also... feign surrender!"

After analyzing the pros and cons, he offered his own suggestions.

At this moment, Zhong Hui had already made up his mind.

If Sima Zhao is truly incompetent, he will seek employment elsewhere!