There was a reason why Great Yan's imperial envoy, Prince Lian, had come in such a hurry. He wanted to settle the matter as quickly as possible. What was done could not be undone.
In his opinion, once King Wu had come to a complete compromise, news of Shen Lang's victory would not be able to stir up any more waves.
Once he led the Imperial Envoy Army into King Wu's palace and captured Wu Zhi, then King Wu's authority would be completely destroyed. Whether it was the people of Wu Country or the army, he would no longer be able to establish his authority as a King. That was why Prince Lian of the Empire took such a risk.
"Enter, enter, enter!"
Under Prince Lian's lead, thousands of Great Yan's warriors marched straight into the palace.
They did not encounter any resistance along the way. This was the imperial envoy, and without King Wu's decree, who would dare to resist?
Just like that, the three thousand imperial warriors passed through layers of palace restrictions and arrived at the Great Lofty Hall.
The Great Lofty Hall was the central hall of the Wu Kingdom's palace. Every court meeting was held here. At this time, Prince Lian had received the secret report that King Wu and Wu Zhi were inside.
The Great Lofty Hall had a huge plaza with ninety steps. There were also palace walls and gates outside.
"Break the gates!" Prince Lian shouted.
Immediately, two giant-like imperial warriors stepped forward and broke through the gates. Three thousand Great Yan's warriors surged in like a tidal wave.
However, when they entered, everyone was stunned. Ten thousand Wu Kingdom's Imperial Guards were lined up neatly on the plaza.
A few thousand warriors stood in front with their shields raised. Behind them, thousands of Imperial Guards nocked their bows and aimed at the charging Great Yan's warriors.
Prince Lian's expression changed drastically. He walked over and asked in a low voice, "King Wu, what are you doing? Are you going against the empire's central command? Are you going against His Majesty? Are you going to resist arrest for a mere Wu Zhi? "
King Wu replied coldly, "Prince Lian, do you think I'm going to resist arrest by force? Hahahaha … "
Prince Lian said coldly, "Wu Zhi, Wu Zhi, are you there? Are you going to put King Wu in a disloyal and unfilial position just for your name? What kind of loyal subject are you? "
His meaning was clear. He wanted Wu Zhi to surrender himself or commit suicide in front of everyone. This way, King Wu could avoid a direct confrontation with the Empire.
King Wu said slowly, "Prince Lian, I welcome you as a guest, but it's best if you don't interfere in the internal affairs of my Wu Kingdom. Also, what right does the Great Yan Empire's army have to enter my palace? All Imperial Guards, get ready! "
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh …"
A few command arrows were shot into the sky and exploded.
Then, one army after another surged in like a tidal wave. They surrounded the Great Yan's imperial envoy army from the inside out.
"Prince Lian, please have your troops put down their weapons and surrender. Otherwise, they will be killed without mercy," King Wu said sternly.
Prince Lian of the Great Yan Empire trembled as he said, "King Wu, are you trying to rebel?"
King Wu nodded. "That's right, His Majesty Shen Lang is right. If we don't erupt in silence, we will die in silence."
Prince Lian's expression changed drastically, "You know?"
King Wu sneered, "Paper cannot hide fire. His Majesty Shen Lang won the decisive battle at Skymoon City, and the Sky-sea Pavilion's Blood Soul Army was annihilated."
Prince Lian said, "However, everyone knows that Shen Lang's victory was short-lived. His strength is nothing compared to the Great Yan Empire. Are you really going to be so muddle-headed as to follow him to your own destruction?"
King Wu nodded and said, "It doesn't matter. There's nothing bad about dying with a bang."
King Wu roared, "Great Yan Empire's army, put down your weapons and surrender. Otherwise, they will be killed without mercy, killed without mercy."
"Five, four, three, two, one …"
"Ready, kill!" King Wu roared.
"Stop!" Prince Lian raised his hands and shouted, "Stop! All Imperial Envoy Guards, put down your weapons! Put down your weapons!"
Following Prince Lian's order, the three thousand Imperial Envoy Guards put down their weapons.
"Squat down!"
King Wu ordered.
The three thousand Imperial Envoy Guards squatted on the ground. A moment later, they were all captured.
Prince Lian said, "King Wu, you've shown off your might. Can we negotiate now?"
King Wu glanced at him and said, "Negotiate? I'm sorry, but there's no more negotiations."
Then, King Wu shouted, "All Imperial Guards, move out and head to the Cabinet to quell the rebellion."
Following King Wu's order, more than ten thousand Imperial Guards marched out of the palace and headed for the Cabinet.
Whether it was the Wu Kingdom or the State of Yue, the Secretariat and Cabinet were both located within the palace. After all, it was more convenient to handle official business.
However, last year, Zhang Danfeng led the entire Cabinet out of the palace and moved into Deer Villa, a temporary residence in the west.
This caused a huge uproar at the time. It meant that the Cabinet had broken away from King Wu and formed its own system.
Since then, the core of the Wu Kingdom's internal affairs was located in Deer Villa, not the palace.
Deer Villa was about nineteen li away from the palace. The wide Vermilion Bird Avenue in the middle connected the two core districts of the royal city.
At this moment, King Wu was leading more than ten thousand Imperial Guards toward Deer Villa.
In an instant, everyone was stunned.
Countless people trembled. 'What is the king trying to do?
Is he going to start a war within the royal city? '
The scholars spread the news, feeling as though the world had changed. The ordinary people were shocked, but they were also excited. After all, ordinary people liked to watch a good show.
However, there was another group of people who were excited. This was the Wu Kingdom's army.
For the past two to three years, King Wu had been greatly suppressed, and so had the Wu Kingdom's army.
At first, the Great Yan Empire passed through the Wu Kingdom in the name of eliminating Shen Lang. However, more than a year had passed, and more than a hundred thousand soldiers were stationed within the Wu Kingdom's borders. They only left about half a year ago.
During this period of time, the civil officials continuously extended their hands into the army. The status of the civil officials became higher, while the status of the generals became lower. Now, most of the logistics of the Wu Kingdom's army had been taken away by the Cabinet. The Privy Council still held the power to promote the generals and mobilize the army. However, the distribution of the army's pay and rations was handed over to the Ministry of War, which was completely under the control of the Cabinet.
Remember the time when the Great Yan Empire lent the Wu Kingdom a large amount of rations? It was the time when King Wu planned to use it for the war between the four kingdoms. From then on, the Great Yan Empire began to meddle in the logistics of the Wu Kingdom's army.
Once the civil officials gained power, they would definitely suppress the generals. Just like in the late Ming Dynasty, the generals became the servants of the civil officials. Even a fourth rank general would have to bow in front of a seventh rank civil official.
Moreover, in order to capture Wu Zhi, how many generals had the Cabinet made a move on? More than a hundred generals had been arrested in this case. Although they were all middle and low-ranking generals, it was enough to make the Wu Kingdom's army feel extremely uneasy.
At this moment, King Wu was brimming with killing intent. He led the Imperial Guards and charged towards the Cabinet. Along the way, countless warriors joined in.
"Greetings, Your Majesty."
"I request to join the battle."
Army after army joined in. By the time they reached the halfway point, the army behind King Wu had already exceeded thirty thousand soldiers.
Prince Lian of the Great Yan Empire rode his horse and caught up with King Wu. He said in a trembling voice, "King Wu, think about the consequences. Think about the hundreds of years of your Wu Clan's history."
King Wu did not reply.
Prince Lian said, "How about this? Wu Zhi will not be arrested. Wang Qingan will change his confession. The annexation of land and murder this time has nothing to do with Lord Wu Zhi. "
King Wu remained silent. He charged towards the Cabinet with killing intent and pain.
Prince Lian said in a trembling voice, "King Wu, the Chancellor of the Supreme Court will step down and be publicly beheaded. The Cabinet will publicly admit their mistakes and clear Wu Zhi's name."
King Wu still did not reply.
Soon, the army behind King Wu swelled to fifty thousand soldiers and surrounded Deer Villa where the Cabinet was located.
"Ready!" Wu Zhi shouted.
Prince Lian said, "King Wu, Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng will step down. You will appoint a new Prime Minister. He must first swear loyalty to the Wu Kingdom."
King Wu was stunned. He did not expect the Great Yan Empire to be willing to make such compromises.
"Prince Lian, doesn't the Great Yan Empire want me and the King of Chu to openly oppose the Great Yan Empire? Then, the Great Yan Empire will send a million soldiers to destroy the Wu, Yue, and Chu Kingdoms. Then, they will become the Great Yan Empire's provinces." King Wu sneered.
Prince Lian said, "It would be best if things did not develop to this stage. If it can be resolved through political means, try not to resort to military means. "
King Wu said, "The Great Yan Empire is unwilling to mobilize the transcendent factions' secret army, but the Great Yan Empire's own secret army is not yet fully formed."
Prince Lian sneered, "King Wu, don't speculate too much. I have already given the final order. Zhang Danfeng will step down and the Cabinet will be reorganized. King Wu, the Cabinet is the Wu Kingdom's Cabinet, but it is also subordinate to the Great Yan Empire's Cabinet. Many of its officials were sent by the Flame Capital's Cabinet. Once you attack, there will be no turning back. "
King Wu said, "I have never thought of turning back."
"Attack!" King Wu gave the order.
Tens of thousands of soldiers surged into Deer Villa like a tidal wave.
A moment later, wails and howls could be heard from inside.
The Cabinet had its own soldiers, but they were only a few thousand. Moreover, King Wu had been enduring humiliation all this while. The Cabinet thought that they would be safe with the Great Yan Empire's protection.
They did not expect King Wu to be so decisive as to send an army and wipe out the Cabinet.
In less than two hours, the battle inside was over.
There were thousands of officials and soldiers in the Cabinet, but most of them had been turned into corpses.
Deer Villa's temporary residence was filled with blood and corpses.
A few moments later, hundreds of high-ranking officials were captured.
"Your Majesty, should we lock them up in the Supreme Court Prison or the Blackwater Platform Prison?" Wu You asked.
King Wu shook his head and said, "There's no need. Just send them to the execution ground."
The hundreds of officials trembled when they heard this. They could not believe their ears. Was King Wu crazy? He must be crazy.
… …
A few hours later …
The plaza in front of the Wu Kingdom's palace was crowded. More than a hundred thousand people had come to watch.
This was a shocking turn of events. The King had wiped out the entire Cabinet. The people of the Wu Kingdom were filled with mixed emotions.
The people of the State of Yue were on Shen Lang's side. The people of the Wu Kingdom were more or less on Jiang Li's side because he was too famous.
At the same time, the people of the Wu Kingdom did not resist the Empire of Great Yan. The people of the Wu Kingdom were too close to the Empire of Great Yan. The entire group of officials controlled public opinion and led the people of the Wu Kingdom to side with the Empire of Great Yan.
However, the people of the Wu Kingdom were not completely indifferent to King Wu. After all, they had been loyal to him for hundreds of years.
The Prime Minister of the Wu Kingdom, Zhang Danfeng, was still in a daze. Was this young King Wu crazy? Was he going to walk into a dead end just like that? Without the slightest bit of hesitation?
It was an unspoken rule in every country that one should not punish a doctor. Therefore, even though Zhang Danfeng had always been at odds with King Wu, he never thought that his life would be in danger.
"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, you must not be blinded by passion. The Wu Kingdom's century-old foundation cannot be destroyed in your hands." Zhang Danfeng kowtowed to King Wu and said, "Your Majesty, everything I do is for the safety of the Wu Kingdom and the Wu Kingdom's royal family."
King Wu said plainly, "There's no need to say anything else."
"Kill!"
The young King Wu's shout was not heroic at all. Instead, it was filled with fatigue.
"Swish, swish, swish, swish …"
With a swing of the knife, hundreds of cabinet officials were beheaded.
More than a hundred thousand people felt their hair stand on end. These high and mighty figures were suddenly killed?
"Kill!"
Once again, the saber in his hand fell, and more than a hundred heads fell to the ground.
This time, the officials of the Wu Kingdom's cabinet were so scared that they wet their pants. They kowtowed and shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty, I want to report and expose you, I want to report and expose you!"
The Chancellor of the Supreme Court came out on his knees and shouted, "Wang Qingan seized the mulberry fields and buried Scholar Lin's entire clan alive. This monstrous case is fake, it's fake. The murderer isn't Wang Qingan, and it has nothing to do with Uncle Wu Zhi. Everything was done by the embroidery office. "
The Embroidery Department belonged to the Wu Kingdom's cabinet. It was an intelligence agency that had only been established for a year and a half. It was created to compete with the Black Water Group.
"From burying Scholar Lin's entire clan alive to registering the names in the fields, it was all done by the Embroidery Department. They were directly following the orders of Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng."
"Everything we've done is to slander Imperial Uncle Wu Zhi. Everything was done by Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng."
The crowd was in an uproar when they heard this.
Very few people knew about this secret. The Chancellor of the Supreme Court was a key figure in this case, so he naturally knew about it.
King Wu waved his hand, and the Chancellor of the Supreme Court was immediately brought away from the execution ground. It was as if he did not have to die.
Immediately, more and more officials knelt and kowtowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I also want to report and expose you. I also want to report and expose you."
The entire execution ground was like a dance of demons. It was true that they were loyal to the Great Yan Empire, but now that they could not even keep their lives, what else could they care about?
"Bang, bang, bang, bang …"
Another army entered the execution ground, escorting hundreds of people. All of them were Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng's clansmen.
Following that, more and more people were escorted into the execution ground. The family members of all the officials who were rank four and above were brought to the execution ground.
Thousands of people knelt neatly on the ground.
"Your Majesty, I want to report and expose you. I want to report and expose you …"
However, King Wu still ignored them and gave the order.
"Kill!"
"Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh …"
Hundreds of executioners brandished their swords continuously.
Rows after rows of heads fell to the ground.
Everyone's hair stood on end as they trembled in fear. Had King Wu gone mad? Were they going to kill all the civil officials? Who was going to manage the country's internal affairs?
"Your Majesty, I want to expose you. This is all a conspiracy by the Great Yan Empire."
"The Great Yan Empire ordered us to create these unjust cases. The people from the Blackwater Platform of the Great Yan Empire instructed us to commit these unjust crimes."
"It was the Great Yan Empire who ordered us to annex our lands. The Great Yan Empire bribed our civil officials and generals."
"Wang Qingan was bribed by the Great Yan Empire. As long as he accuses Lord Wu Zhi, his sons will immediately become Jinshi of the Great Yan Empire. Otherwise, his entire family will be wiped out."
What happened next was the real chaos. In order to survive, these people desperately reported and exposed the conspiracies. A small part of them was true, but most of them were just guesses and fantasies.
This group of people was actually very smart. Of course, they knew what King Wu wanted, so they did not hesitate to use their last bit of madness to exchange for their lives.
Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng trembled. He seemed to want to say something, but he could not.
He was not like Zhu Hongzhu. In order to survive and protect his entire family, he wanted to expose them. Even though the Great Yan Empire would attack soon, and those who exposed the Great Yan Empire would die, at least they would not have to die now.
However, he did not dare to do so. His most outstanding sons were all in Yan Capital. Even if he exposed the Great Yan Empire, he would still die. King Wu needed a head to show that he was breaking off relations with the Great Yan Empire.
Zhang Danfeng could not help but look at King Wu. His heart trembled as he said, "Your Majesty, you are indeed a young man. You are truly ruthless …"
"Swoosh!"
Another wave of executioners chopped down. Row after row of officials were beheaded.
Finally, it was Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng's turn. He thought that King Wu would say something, but he did not.
The executioner chopped down.
The executioner chopped down fiercely, and the Cabinet Prime Minister Zhang Danfeng, along with his entire clan, were beheaded without a trace.
The imperial envoy of the Great Yan Empire, Prince Lian, watched the scene. After a moment of shock, he sneered.
"Hahahaha."
"King Wu, did you have a good time killing them?"
King Wu did not answer. Instead, he said plainly, "From today onwards, the Wu Kingdom will no longer obey any orders from the Great Yan Empire. The Wu Kingdom will no longer recognize the Great Yan Empire as the Eastern Orthodoxy! "
"The Emperor of the Great Qian Empire, Shen Lang, has won the decisive battle at Tianyue City. With less than twenty thousand men, he defeated five hundred thousand men. The twenty thousand Blood Soul Army of the Sky-sea Pavilion was completely annihilated."
"Wu You, accept my conferment!"
Black Water Platform's Wu You immediately knelt down.
"I will accept your sister and confer her the title of Princess An You. Please represent me to the Raging Tide City and ask the Emperor of the Great Qian Empire, Shen Lang. I, Wu Qi, wish to serve the Great Qian Empire and serve him as my master. Will he accept me?"
The crowd was in an uproar when they heard this.
So suddenly?
The Wu Kingdom rebelled against the Great Yan Empire and was going to serve Shen Lang's Great Qian Empire? But where was the Great Qian Empire?
Wu You knelt down and kowtowed. "Yes, Your Majesty."
Wu You did not delay at all. She led a few thousand warriors south to the Raging Tide City.
… …
In the Chu Kingdom palace.
The new King of Chu and the Empress Dowager were playing chess.
The King of Chu was in a better position than the King of Wu in the imperial court because he had a better grasp of the imperial court. Even the reorganized cabinet did not completely listen to the Prime Minister. There were many civil officials who were loyal to the King of Chu.
After all, the Chu Kingdom did not share a border with the Great Yan Empire. The two generations of Kings of Chu had great prestige among the officials.
However, the King of Chu was in a more dangerous situation than the King of Wu. He was more outstanding and feared by the Yan Capital.
In the Wu Kingdom, after the cabinet led by Zhang Danfeng seized the power of the internal affairs, they began to encroach on the military. They did not hesitate to cause a major case to oust the Privy Envoy, Wu Zhi.
In the Chu Kingdom, the forces of the Great Yan Empire directly attacked the King of Chu. The crime was simple. He had violated the imperial harem and harmed his mother before the old King's body had even cooled.
Of course, this was a fabricated crime, but it was not completely unfounded. Many people saw a disheveled concubine of the old King of Chu run out of the new King's room. Not long after, she committed suicide by hanging herself.
It was another desperate move. The Stupa Mountain planted more than one woman in the Chu Kingdom palace and detonated them at the critical moment.
Concubine Yan killed the old King of Chu, and this Concubine Lian splashed a basin of dirty water on the new King of Chu.
Following that, the wife of the old King of Chu, the Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom was under great pressure. Because she was the birth mother of the new King of Chu. If she were to step forward and accuse the new King of violating his mother, she would never be able to clear her name.
This Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom had once surrendered to Shen Lang and suffered countless humiliation. Therefore, some people felt that she would definitely compromise.
In the end, she held on. Because of this, most of her clansmen had died, and she herself did not have long to live. The Stupa Mountain and Ying Wuming used their deaths to force her to compromise, forcing her to admit that the new King of Chu had violated his mother.
Either she publicly accused the new King of the Chu Kingdom, or she would die!
At this moment, the mother and son were playing chess.
"Mother, I will go and beg His Majesty Shen Lang right now. He should be able to cure you." The King of Chu was trembling. He was reluctant to place the last chess piece for a long time, because once it was placed, the game would be over.
The Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom shook her head and said, "There is no need. Ning Yuanxian had once knelt down and compromised, but now he has stood up and paid the price of almost his life. So I want to stand up too. My result is good, very good … "
The Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom looked even younger at this moment, and she had a beauty that did not match her age.
"I was once humiliated and had to compromise and surrender to Shen Lang. I was even paraded through the streets. At that time, I should have committed suicide, but I could not do it."
"Now that I am dead, I would rather die than submit to protect my son. I should be able to redeem some of my reputation."
The new King of Chu could not control himself anymore. He knelt on the ground and cried.
"My son, please place the chess piece." The Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom trembled and said, "I really cannot hold on any longer."
Her face became more and more beautiful, and the light in her eyes became more and more strange.
"Roar, roar …" The new King of Chu roared like a wild beast.
"Empire of Great Yan, Stupa Mountain, Ying Guang, Ying Wuming …" He kept repeating these names.
Hatred, deep-rooted hatred.
You killed my father, and now you used despicable means to kill my mother.
Finally, the King of Chu raised his head and placed the last chess piece on the chessboard. The game was over, and he had won.
The Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom said, "My son, go out. The next scene will be ugly and terrible. "
The King of Chu kowtowed to the Empress Dowager with all his might, and said with blood dripping down, "Mother, I swear that I will avenge my father and mother."
"Good, good …" The Empress Dowager waved her hand and said, "Let's go. My time is up."
The King of Chu left and closed the door.
The Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom looked at herself in the mirror. She was becoming more and more beautiful, younger and younger.
In the end, it was impossible to look at her directly. Her eyes were already as beautiful as fire.
The next moment!
Her beautiful body cracked open inch by inch, and then countless insects swarmed out of her body.
Endless pain. Even in death, she had to endure this hellish torture.
The Empress Dowager of the Chu Kingdom did not want to scream, but she could not help it.
"Ah … ah … ah …"
She let out a blood-curdling scream that became more and more shrill and terrifying.
"Bang …"
Her body suddenly exploded, and she died completely.
At the same time.
"Boom, boom, boom, boom …"
The entire palace was burning fiercely.
The Empress Dowager's body and the countless terrifying poisonous worms that had surged out of her body were all burnt to ashes.
The King of Chu looked at the raging fire from outside. He wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, and his expression became cold.
Sad, inconsolable? Come as much as you want, come like a landslide or a tsunami.
But he had to go over as soon as possible.
"The Great Yan Empire, Ying Guang, Ying Wuming, Stupa Mountain …" He kept chanting.
At this moment, the Crown Prince's tutor, Li Xuanqi, walked in and bowed. "Your Majesty, it's over."
The King of Chu asked, "Is it over?"
Li Xuanqi replied, "Yes."
The King of Chu opened his arms, and a few eunuchs immediately came forward and helped him put on a new crown and a new royal robe.
The King of Chu slowly walked out and pushed open the palace doors.
The stench of blood filled the air.
The ground outside was densely covered with corpses. Some were civil officials, some were military generals, and there were even those of his two younger brothers. There were also a few of the late King Chu's concubines. To sum it all up, it was rebellion.
Tens of thousands of rebels had been killed by the King of Chu. The Great Yan Empire's infiltration into the Chu Kingdom had been uprooted.
Corpses were strewn everywhere, and blood flowed like a river.
Tens of thousands of soldiers stood orderly on the plaza, bathed in blood. When they saw the King of Chu walk out of the palace doors, they immediately knelt down in an orderly manner.
"Greetings, Your Majesty! Greetings, Your Majesty!"
The King of Chu came to the palace doors and looked at the flag in front of him. It was the flag of the Great Yan Empire, and it fluttered high above.
The King of Chu drew his sword and slashed it.
The flag of the Great Yan Empire fell.
"Soldiers and officials, from today onwards, the Chu Kingdom is rebelling!"
"The Chu Kingdom is no longer loyal to the Great Yan Empire!"
"The Chu Kingdom is willing to serve the Great Qian Empire as the Eastern Orthodoxy!"
Then, the King of Chu knelt towards the east and kowtowed. "Greetings, Your Majesty Shen Lang. Long live the Great Qian Emperor!"
… …
Note: Double monthly votes. If I don't want to be exposed, help me, brothers! I will continue to write the second chapter.
I recommend "Dungeon Player". This book is super interesting and very entertaining.
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