Do these fools not know the principle of inner sage and outer king?
How can you appease foreign tribes like the Xiongnu through marriage alliances? Although he didn't understand much history in his previous life, he knew one thing: there is no morality between countries, only might makes right!
And that neighboring vassal state, the Koreans, dared to call themselves Goryeo Giant, so he deliberately changed it to Haerye Giant, to prevent them from harming China in the future.
Hmph, a marriage alliance is out of the question. Haven't you heard the saying, "The emperor guards the country's gates, and the monarch dies for the state"?
Wang Mang was secretly furious.
The most hateful thing is the aristocratic families, who actually prevented him from abolishing the slave system. Don't they know the importance of liberating productive forces?
Although Wang Mang was uneducated, he had heard his history teacher say that the United States initially won the Civil War and established the Union Empire by liberating black slaves.
Without liberating slaves and increasing productivity, how can we destroy the Xiongnu and unify the world?
Emphasis was placed on invention, state-owned enterprises were established, commercial taxes were levied, currency was unified, and land was nationalized, among other measures.
Is there anything wrong with this?
Wang Mang couldn't understand why his subordinates didn't understand him when he was clearly implementing benevolent governance.
"Your Majesty, the army is ready. At your command, I will lead my men to trample Kunyang City and tear the traitors in the city to pieces!"
Before Wang Mang could think further, a middle-aged general wearing a bright red cloak stepped out from the ranks below the command platform and loudly proclaimed in a powerful voice.
This man was eight feet tall, robust and strong, and wore chainmail armor, making it clear at a glance that he was a fierce general.
Upon hearing his general's request, Wang Mang stood up from his throne and laughed heartily, "Haha, with Maozhi's words, I am relieved."
"However, there's no need for Marquis Yande to personally intervene in the small city of Kunyang. We can give the young people some opportunities and let them gain more experience so that they can become pillars of our great Xin Dynasty in the future!"
This general was named Chen Mao. He was granted the title of Marquis of Yande by Wang Mang and held the position of Grand Marshal. He possessed superhuman strength, could tear apart tigers and leopards with his bare hands, and was brave enough to defeat ten thousand men!
Wang Mang valued Chen Mao highly and knew of his abilities.
However, does Kunyang, a city with a population of less than 100,000 and a garrison of less than 10,000, really need a Grand Marshal to personally take action? Isn't that giving those traitors too much credit?
After Wang Mang finished speaking, the many generals below the stage deeply agreed. They shared the same thought as Wang Mang: in front of an army of 400,000, any traitor was nothing but a chicken or a dog, not worth mentioning at all.
"Your Majesty is right. Kunyang City is nothing to us. Why would the Grand Marshal need to personally take action? I am unworthy, but I am willing to be the vanguard. If we cannot capture Kunyang City before sunset, I will offer my head as a reward!"
Immediately, a young general in white robes stepped forward, bowed to Wang Mang, and spoke with great conviction.
Wang Mang looked at the nameless young general and felt that he looked familiar, but he couldn't remember his name for a moment. However, the appearance of this young general made him laugh heartily and say: "Good, young man is indeed energetic!"
"Since you have volunteered, I will appoint you as the vanguard officer. If you can capture Kunyang City before sunset, I will reward you handsomely!"
Wang Mang laughed heartily. He had great confidence in his new army. Compared to the peasants among the rebels who were carrying hoes, his 400,000-strong new army had been trained according to the requirements of military training in later generations, and was far superior to the rebels.
"Thank you, Your Majesty!"
"Please wait a moment, Your Majesty. This humble general will immediately bring the head of the traitor Liu Xiu!"
Upon hearing this, the young general in white robes was overjoyed. He knelt on one knee to express his deep gratitude to the emperor, and then loudly promised.
Upon hearing the words of the young general in white robes, Wang Mang suddenly paused, then pondered and said, "If possible, try to capture that rebel leader Liu Xiu alive. I want to see if Liu Xiu has the guts to rebel against me!"
He wanted to capture him alive if possible, as he also wanted to see what Liu Xiu, who had defeated him in history, looked like.
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Upon hearing this, the young general in white robes bowed and stepped down. He then walked out of the command platform, mustered his troops, and prepared to attack the city.
After the young general in white robes left, Wang Mang waved to a nearby eunuch and asked in a low voice, "I found the young general to be quite extraordinary, comparable to my own Zhao Zilong of Changshan. Do you know his name and what official position he holds?"
The eunuch, who usually served Wang Mang, was immune to his occasional strange remarks. Without asking who Changshan Zhao Zilong was, he immediately replied, "Your Majesty, that young general in white robes is named Wang Xun, and he is currently the commander of the Third New Army Division!"
Division commander? That's right, our time traveler, Comrade Wang Mang, directly created the military officer ranks of later generations, replacing all the previous military ranks.
There are all kinds of ranks, such as squad leader, company commander, battalion commander, regimental commander, division commander, army commander, etc.!
Thinking of this, Wang Mang couldn't help but recall his past life when watching the Three Kingdoms TV series, specifically the scene of Zhao Zilong of Changshan charging in and out of the enemy ranks seven times, single-handedly breaking through thousands of troops.
In his excitement, he waved his hand and said, "Haha, this is my Five Tiger Generals, Zhao Zilong of Changshan! Generals, follow me to the top and watch General Wang Xun break through the enemy army and capture the traitor Liu Xiu alive!"
The generals roared in agreement!
Looking down at the young general in his prime, Wang Mang couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
Time!
It truly is the greatest enemy of all living beings in the world; it turns grapes purple, wood ear mushrooms black, and bananas soft.
Wang Mang, aspiring to bring peace to the world and to become the greatest emperor of all time, spent most of his life striving for this goal.
Unfortunately, his ambitions were not fulfilled and he grew old before he could achieve them!
In the blink of an eye, sixty-eight years have passed since his rebirth, and he has grown old.
Who in this world can escape death?
At sixty-eight years old, Wang Mang had become a true old man. If it weren't for his ambitions, he would probably have passed away long ago. How could he still have the energy to personally lead an expedition?
Of course, it might be a perk that he was a transmigrator, as an invisible force surrounded his body, preventing him from getting too old to walk.
However, even so, aging is an undeniable fact, leading to various complications in the elderly, such as blurred vision, memory decline, insomnia, frequent urination, and urinary urgency.
"Report..."