After subduing Lu Kang and the entire Lu Clan, the following situation was much easier.
While Cheng Hao, Zhuge Liang, and Lu Kang were running around, the Lu, Zhu, Zhang, and Gu Clans of Jiangdong successively chose to pledge their loyalty to Cheng Hao.
As for the other larger clans, they had always followed the lead of the Four Great Clans. Seeing that the Four Great Clans had pledged their allegiance to Cheng Hao, they naturally did not dare to oppose. One by one, they offered generous gifts to express their loyalty.
At this point, even though the Yangzhou Provincial Governor Liu Yao was somewhat unwilling in his heart, there was nothing he could do. The Four Great Clans had pledged their allegiance to Cheng Hao, and his power was directly taken away. In desperation, he could only submit a letter to Cheng Hao to express his loyalty.
Cheng Hao did not make things difficult for Liu Yao, and still let him continue to be the Provincial Governor of Yangzhou. Although it was only nominally the Provincial Governor of Yangzhou, at least the various kinds of treatment were not reduced in the slightest.
.....
Time passed little by little, and after a year of consolidation and conquest, Cheng Hao had eliminated all the disobedient forces in Jiangdong. At this point, there was only one voice left in Jiangdong, and that was the voice of Cheng Hao.
Today, Cheng Hao could be said to have a lot of talents under his command. The civil officials were Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, Lu Kang, Lu Su, Gu Yong, and so on. The military generals were Huang Zhong, Sun Ce, Wei Yan, Gan Ning, Taishi Ci, Huang Gai, Zhou Tai, and so on.
Especially Huang Zhong, who was now in the prime of his life. After Cheng Hao unified Jiangdong, his martial strength had broken through the barrier between Red and Gold Generals and reached the early Gold General stage. He had become Cheng Hao's number one fierce general. It really made Cheng Hao feel like he had picked up a treasure.
Huang Zhong was loyal to Cheng Hao. He had been in the Jiangdong region for many years, but he had always been a nobody and was not valued by his superiors. Now, under Cheng Hao, he was promoted several times and was given the title of East Conquering General. He had made great contributions to pacifying the entire Jiangdong region.
It was the 10th day after the spring festival. Cheng Hao was sitting in the study of Lord Hongnong's palace in Moling City. As he ate the snacks that Tang Yueyao gave him from time to time, he reclined on the bench and read the information in his mind.
[The host has occupied the Jiangdong region and has more than five civil and military officials under his command. The first main mission has been completed! The reward for the mission has already been distributed to your Inner World. "
"Main Mission 2 activated: Host, please ascend to the throne within a year and subdue at least one Golden General and one Sage Realm civil minister!"
After digesting the information in his mind, Cheng Hao could not help but scratch his head. It was not difficult to ascend to the throne within a year. As for a Golden General, he had already met the requirements. However, subduing a Sage Realm civil minister was a bit more difficult.
There were at most a few civil ministers who were half a step away from the Sage Realm in the world. There was no news of a Sage being born. Perhaps the Poisonous Officer Jia Xu was a possibility, but Cheng Hao did not think it was very likely.
"Since I can't recruit others, I can only train them myself." Cheng Hao sighed, his heart full of uncertainty. "Now, the most promising ones are Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, who are half a step away from the Sage Realm."
"If Zhuge Liang wants to step into the Sage Realm, he needs to be in a high position and deal with state affairs. However, no one can say for sure how long it will take for him to step into the Sage Realm!"
"As for Zhou Yu, although he is a civil official and cultivates literary energy, his main focus is to command troops. Every time he wins a battle, his strength will increase a little. As for how many battles he needs to win before he can break through, only the heavens know!"
Cheng Hao felt a little helpless. He hated this kind of uncertainty the most. This kind of feeling where the mission was about to be completed but could fail at any time made him very unhappy.
"No matter what, it is time to ascend to the throne. Otherwise, the chances of these two people advancing will be even lower!"
Zhuge Liang needed to take up the position of Prime Minister and deal with state affairs as soon as possible, while Zhou Yu needed to lead troops and conquer the world as soon as possible. There was a prerequisite for all of this, and that was Cheng Hao had to ascend to the throne. Otherwise, whether it was dealing with state affairs or dealing with those who did not obey, it would be somewhat unjustifiable!
"Yueyao, our Empress Dowager is a little too relaxed now. Go on a trip for me and help me with something!" As he spoke, Cheng Hao got up and whispered a few words into Yueyao's ear. Afterward, Yueyao turned and left with a solemn expression.
Half a year ago, Cheng Hao had brought Empress Dowager He from the He Clan in Nanyang. Now, it was time for her to be of use!
.....
The next morning, in King Hongnong's palace in the center of Moling City, Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, and the other civil and military officials stood in two rows, quietly waiting for Cheng Hao to attend court.
"Lord Zhou, were you summoned by the Empress Dowager yesterday?" Zhuge Liang whispered to Zhou Yu beside him.
"Yes, I'm sure Lord Zhuge was also summoned by the Empress Dowager?" Zhou Yu, who looked less than twenty years old, was currently in a high position, his position only below Zhuge Liang and Lu Kang. He was a favorite of King Hongnong.
Zhuge Liang nodded, then glanced at Lu Kang, Huang Zhong, Wei Yan, and the others with a faint smile. "I'm sure all of you have already met the Empress Dowager. What do you think of the Empress Dowager?"
"What else can we say? His Highness is the Son of Heaven. In less than a year, he has swept through Jiangdong with tens of millions of soldiers and numerous civil and military officials. He should have ascended the throne long ago!" As the first general to submit to Cheng Hao, Wei Yan's position was not low. He immediately voiced his opinion.
"That's right. With His Highness's talent, how can he always be a king? Now that everything is ready, it's time for him to ascend the throne!" Gan Ning's face was also full of smiles. When His Highness ascended the throne, they could be promoted again!
"The Son of Heaven appointed by that traitor Dong goes against the laws of Great Han. We should support His Highness King Hongnong to ascend the throne and use the title of True Emperor," Lu Kang also said.
"In that case, everyone, when the court begins, let's support His Highness to ascend the throne. What do you say?" Zhuge Liang asked as he scanned the court.
"That's how it should be!"
"Lord Zhuge Liang is right. It's time for His Highness to ascend the throne!"
.....
As the civil and military officials whispered, Cheng Hao, followed by Zhong Dahong, slowly walked to the front of the Dragon Throne.
When the Hongnong Palace was first built, it was modeled after the Luoyang Palace. From the very beginning, everyone knew that it was only a matter of time before His Highness ascended the throne.
"My dear officials, do you have any important matters to report today?" Cheng Hao's intention was clear. He wanted the officials to support him as soon as possible.
There was no other way. Cheng Hao was in a hurry. The time to complete the second main task was only one year. If he delayed it by one day, he might fail the task. Therefore, he could only ignore the prestige of the Son of Heaven. He kept glancing at Zhuge Liang and Zhou Yu, signaling them to persuade him.
"Your Highness, I have something to report!"
Zhou Geliang naturally understood what Cheng Hao meant. He immediately stepped out from the crowd and talked about the past and the present, spouting a bunch of great principles. Finally, when Cheng Hao was getting impatient, he slowly bowed and saluted.
"Your Highness, tomorrow is the grand ceremony of the birth of the human race. For the sake of the people, please ascend the throne tomorrow!"
"For the sake of the people, please ascend the throne tomorrow!" The moment Zhuge Liang finished speaking, the officials echoed. Their voices were like thousands of thunder, exploding at the same time and spreading throughout the city.
"Your Highness, please ascend the throne tomorrow!" This time, it was not the officials who echoed. Instead, it was the tens of millions of people and the million Royal Guards in the city who knelt and kowtowed at the same time, begging Cheng Hao to ascend the throne!
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