The Wude Bureau in place, fabricating a charge and throwing an official in jail was easy, no single official could resist.
But what if all officials could advance and retreat together as much as possible? Then, even if the royal family executed one or two officials, they wouldn't be able to change the status quo—the decrees would still not be carried out.
On the contrary, the more they killed, the more chaotic the court would become, and the royal family would naturally back down due to the difficulty.
Thus, faced with the threat from the Jin people, the royal family would have to stabilize the internal situation first and grant some leniency to these old ministers.
Therefore, what officials like Zhang Jingbang and Wang Shiyong were thinking at this time was not about seeking death or going against the emperor but merely taking the last possible path to self-preservation.
As for whether it's possible to get all officials to move in unison?