Chapter 195 The Demise of the Yu Kingdom
The commander of the Imperial Guards frowned and gritted his teeth. "Yes, Your Majesty."
The King of Yu Kingdom said again, "While the 10,000 troops of Xuan Kingdom have not yet stormed the palace, you should quickly drive away the people in the royal city to act as a barrier. As long as you can delay the enemy's advance, it doesn't matter how many die."
Everyone's expression changed drastically.
I thought the king's arrangements were already beyond the bounds of common sense, but I never expected them to go even further...
He doesn't even spare ordinary people!
The commander of the Imperial Guards couldn't help but say, "Your Majesty, using the lives of ordinary people to hold off the enemy will likely incur the scorn of the entire nation. Besides, how can ordinary people possibly withstand the enemy army?"
"Being scorned is better than your king being killed by the enemy!" the King of Yu roared. "If it weren't for me, where would those people come from! It is their honor to sacrifice themselves for me! I don't expect those people to hold off the enemy; I just need to buy them some time. Every little bit helps!"
After the cursing subsided, the commander of the Imperial Guards dared not say anything more.
The entire hall was so quiet it was as if everyone inside had died.
The king of Yu Kingdom softened his expression slightly, revealing a confident demeanor, and continued with unwavering certainty:
"I believe that these 10,000 Xuan Kingdom troops came in a surprise attack. General Yu, with hundreds of thousands of troops, could not possibly be unaware of the situation. He was simply caught off guard and failed to catch up. At this moment, those hundreds of thousands of Dayu troops must already be on their way back to the capital to protect me! So as long as I can hold out until General Yu arrives, I will be absolutely safe and sound!"
The words had barely left his mouth.
A strange buzzing sound came from outside the main hall.
Night had fallen, and the buzzing sound, growing louder as it approached, was particularly noticeable.
The ministers instinctively retreated to the sides of the hall.
The commander of the Imperial Guards drew his sword with a swift motion, stepped forward, and stood in front of the emperor, staring intently at the direction from which the sound came from outside the door.
The main hall was brightly lit inside and out, illuminating the night sky.
A black dot grew larger as the buzzing sound approached.
"What is this thing?!"
The ministers exclaimed in astonishment.
"Where did this strange bird come from!"
"No, it has no head or tail, and four wings... No, no, no, it doesn't seem to have wings, and it doesn't have feathers... This isn't a bird!"
"Wait, what's that round thing hanging below this strange creature...?"
The discussion was noisy.
The king of Yu Kingdom was filled with doubt and uncertainty, sitting on his throne and looking around.
As soon as the strange thing flew into the middle of the hall, the commander of the Imperial Guards rushed forward, brandishing his sword and shouting, "What kind of monster are you! How dare you play tricks here!"
Whoosh!
The long sword slashed down.
But the strange thing dodged it at an incredible angle and speed.
The commander of the Imperial Guards missed his target and nearly tripped.
But at that moment, he also noticed that what was hanging below the strange thing seemed to be... a human head!
In their horror, the strange thing made a crackling sound.
Thump!
The head fell off and rolled to the edge of the steps below the throne, leaving a trail of blood on the ground.
A pair of bulging, lifeless eyes stared blankly at the King of Yu Kingdom.
"General Yu... General Yu?"
The King of Yu Kingdom cried out in shock, "How could this be General Yu's head?!"
The people in the hall saw the head clearly and were instantly stunned, as if struck by lightning.
"Your hundreds of thousands of troops will never return," Duan Wu's voice suddenly rang out in mid-air of the hall. "Your General Yu has also been beheaded by me. Surrender."
The commander of the Imperial Guards hurriedly looked up and discovered that the sound was coming from the strange, suspended object.
At this moment, all the ministers were so frightened that they wet themselves.
The king of Yu Kingdom collapsed onto his throne.
"What are you?!" the Imperial Guard Commander shouted, brandishing his sword.
"This is a drone. Never mind... you wouldn't understand even if I told you," Duan Wu's voice rang out again. "Listen carefully, I am General Duan Wu of Xitun Pass in Daxuan. I am using this device to persuade you to surrender. Those who surrender will walk out of the palace and their lives will be spared! I will be waiting in front of the palace gate. If you do not surrender, I will lead my army in and take your heads!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the drone flew out of the palace gate with a whoosh and hovered in the air outside the gate, watching the situation.
"My 30,000 Imperial Guards... could they... also be gone?!" The King of Yu Kingdom finally realized.
Only after the Imperial Guards were annihilated could the enemy reach the palace gates.
The ministers naturally considered this as well.
Immediately, some people took off running out of the main hall, and then more and more ministers rushed out, not caring even if their hats fell off or their shoes flew away.
Palace maids and eunuchs rushed about in droves.
The entire palace was thrown into chaos in the blink of an eye.
"Your Majesty, I will protect you with my life!" said the commander of the Imperial Guards.
The king of Yu Kingdom watched his ministers' departing figures, feeling utterly desolate. He took a deep breath and said, "Very well, you stay here and guard this place. I will retreat through the secret passage in the palace."
Just as he was dragging his already weak legs and asking his personal eunuch to help him escape for his life.
The eunuch suddenly grabbed him and said, "Trying to run? Where can you run to! The Yu Kingdom's army is gone! The garrison and the imperial guards are finished! The palace has been breached! The Great Yu Kingdom is destroyed! If I capture you and send you out, I can earn some merit!"
Whoosh!
A cold glint flashed.
Before the eunuch could react, one of his heads had already flown into the air.
The throne was stained crimson with blood.
"Your Majesty! Run!" shouted the commander of the Imperial Guards, brandishing his blood-stained sword.
The king of Yu Kingdom scrambled and stumbled as he fled in a sorry state through the side door behind the throne.
The palace gradually quieted down.
The commander of the Imperial Guards, holding a sword, sat on the steps below the throne with his eyes slightly closed.
He only slowly opened his eyes when he heard footsteps outside.
What came into view was the Xuanjia Army, dressed in black armor.
The Xuanjia Army stood outside the main hall. Duan Wu walked in alone, looked around, and asked, "They've all surrendered. Aren't you going to surrender?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards said coldly, "I am not one of them."
Duan Wu added, "But even your king has been beheaded by me."
The commander of the Imperial Guards was stunned for a moment, then roared, "Impossible! His Majesty has already escaped! Once we have rallied our forces, we will slaughter you all without leaving a single survivor!"
Duan Wu raised his hand.
A soldier in black armor walked in carrying the head of the Yu Kingdom's king.
The skull's face still retained the look of fear it had before dying.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty!" The commander of the Imperial Guards broke down, kneeling on the ground and wailing.
Duan Wu said calmly, "He did slip out of the palace, but I spotted him as soon as he showed his face. I chased after him and killed him with one blow. For a foolish king like him who disregards the lives of his people, I have already given him some face."
"Even if he's incompetent, he's still the king of my Great Yu! I'll fight you to the death!" The commander of the Imperial Guards, his eyes red, charged at Duan Wu with his sword drawn.
Duan Wu did not draw his sword, but dodged while advising, "I have long heard that the commander of the Yu Kingdom's Imperial Guard is highly skilled in martial arts, loyal and upright, and a hero. Our Great Xuan King cherishes talent and will certainly not want someone like you to lose your life. Since you know that the Yu Kingdom's king is incompetent, why not choose another wise ruler?"
"Since you know I am loyal, why waste your breath! Draw your sword!" the Imperial Guard Commander roared.
Duan Wu dodged back two zhang in a flash, "The Yu Kingdom is gone. From now on, this place will also be the land of Da Xuan. Everyone here will become the subjects of the Da Xuan Emperor. Everyone will live a thousand times better than before. You don't need to stick to your blind loyalty for a foolish emperor."
The commander of the Imperial Guards stopped answering and launched an even more desperate attack on Duan Wu.
Duan Wu sighed silently.
Just then, the opponent's long sword was about to slash down at him.
He took the crossbow from his waist and pulled the trigger.
call out--
The crossbow bolts flew out like lightning.
An arrow struck the commander of the Imperial Guards squarely between the eyebrows.
The commander-in-chief froze, his eyes widened, and he managed to stand for a moment before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Duan Wu walked over, bent down and closed his wide-open eyes, then instructed his subordinates, "Carry him away and give him a proper burial. Also, kill all members of the Yu Kingdom's royal family without exception; we must eradicate them completely, but do not harm the common people."
"Yes, General!"
A few days later, news of the Xuanjia Army's breach of the Yu Kingdom's capital and the extermination of the Yu Kingdom's royal family reached Linxian City immediately.
Some time has passed.
The news of Yu Kingdom being annexed by Xuan Kingdom spread throughout the Central Plains, shocking all the kingdoms.
From the moment they learned that Yu Kingdom was going to fight Xuan Kingdom, to the moment Yu Kingdom was destroyed, only two or three months had passed.
If we take into account the time it took for messages to travel, the actual time it took for the Xuan Kingdom to destroy the Yu Kingdom would have been even shorter.
The rulers of all sides never expected that the young king of Xuan Kingdom would be so powerful, and that he would destroy a country not long after being crowned and taking power.
From then on, only six of the seven kingdoms in the Central Plains remained.
——
Desolate country, the royal city of Kyoto.
Dozens of soldiers, covered in sand and blood, rode straight to the palace.
Upon arriving at the palace, a eunuch stepped forward and said, "His Majesty has decreed that General Mu Cheng be granted a private audience, and the rest of you shall wait here."
The burly man at the head of the group dismounted and stepped into the palace gate.
The eunuch then said, "General, please remove your weapon."
"Remove your weapon?" Mu Cheng frowned. "His Majesty has always allowed me to bring a sword when I come to court, why not this time?"
The eunuch smiled and said, "This is His Majesty's decree; we hope the General will comply."
"Never mind, business is more important!" Mu Cheng didn't have time to think further. He handed his battle sword to the eunuch and hurriedly headed to the palace.
However, when he arrived at the front gate of the main hall, he was stopped by a eunuch who said that the emperor was discussing matters with several ministers and asked the general to wait a moment.
Mu Cheng couldn't hold back any longer, "Does Your Majesty not know that the situation is urgent?!"
"General, please calm down. Please wait." The eunuch said calmly.
Mu Cheng had no choice. He couldn't lose his temper with a gatekeeper eunuch, nor could he force his way into the main hall. He could only stand there under the scorching sun.
Inside the main hall.
Seated on the throne was the bloated, fleshy king of the desolate kingdom.
Several palace maids took turns feeding him.
He glanced every now and then at the imposing figure standing far outside the main hall, then at the court officials sitting on either side. After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "General Mu was summoned back by me so quickly, without even a chance to catch his breath. Is it inappropriate to leave him standing outside like this?"
“Your Majesty,” a minister with a goatee said slowly, “General Mu is strong, healthy and brave. Even after a long journey, he still has great stamina. If we don’t wear him down a bit, he might go berserk and it could be detrimental to Your Majesty.”
The king of the desolate kingdom wiped his greasy mouth. "Could it be... that General Mu really... betrayed me? I don't think so. Otherwise, why would he be so obedient? I called him back, and he came back immediately?"
The ministers exchanged glances, their faces revealing enigmatic sneers.
The minister with the goatee said, "That's because he doesn't know he's been exposed yet, so he's still putting on an act in front of Your Majesty. Your Majesty, don't be fooled by him."
Several other ministers immediately echoed this sentiment, saying things like the evidence was conclusive and urging the emperor not to be complacent.
Hearing his close ministers say this, the king of the desolate kingdom said no more and continued to have the palace maids feed and drink him.
An hour passed.
Outside the main hall, General Mu Cheng's bronze armor was scorching hot from the sun, and his dark, resolute face was covered in sweat. Even the spot where he stood had a puddle of sweat on the ground.
Although he remained motionless, he grew increasingly anxious.
Just then, the sound of music came from the main hall, and in the distance, one could see palace maids dancing.
Mu Cheng's eyes darkened, and he finally took a step and stepped onto the stairs.
"General!" The eunuch guarding the gate rushed down. "No! The Emperor has not yet summoned you. How can you trespass?"
Mu Cheng grabbed the eunuch by the collar. "Didn't you say the Emperor was in a meeting? Why is there music playing?"
"This...this servant doesn't know," the eunuch said. "Anyway, General, you should continue to wait!"
"I can't wait any longer!" Mu Cheng pushed aside the eunuch, took three steps at a time, and stormed into the main hall.
The king of the desolate kingdom was half-asleep when he suddenly saw the general enter. He immediately shuddered, "That... Mu..."
"Get out of the way!" Mu Cheng shouted at the musicians and dancers.
The musicians and dancers were so frightened that they hurriedly retreated.
Before the king of the desolate kingdom could speak, Mu Cheng, his face full of anger, said earnestly, "Your Majesty, haven't I always advised you not to indulge in pleasure?"
"This...I...I..." The king of the desolate kingdom felt a little guilty and didn't know how to answer for a moment.
"Ha! Mu Cheng, how dare you!" The minister with the goatee slammed his hand on the table. "For years, you have always criticized the emperor. Now that the emperor is over thirty, do you still think of him as a child?"
Mu Cheng frowned, "Who are you!"
The man with the goatee sneered, "I am the newly appointed prime minister by His Majesty."
"You? The Prime Minister?" Mu Cheng looked astonished. "Where is Prime Minister Sun?"
The man with the goatee said, "He has passed away. His Majesty, mindful that the General was busy fighting against Anguo, did not send anyone to inform him."
Mu Cheng found it hard to believe.
He and the former prime minister were close friends; one was a civil official and the other a military leader, both pillars of the Great Wilderness, and they had saved the Great Wilderness from danger on many occasions.
Two months ago, he led his troops on an expedition, and Prime Minister Sun personally saw him off. He was clearly in the prime of his life, so how could he suddenly die of illness?
"He really died of illness?!" Mu Cheng questioned.
"What do you mean?" a minister immediately rebuked. "Don't you even believe the Prime Minister's words?"
Mu Cheng turned his head and found that the person speaking was also a stranger.
Looking around more closely, he was surprised to find that all the ministers present were new faces.
A strong sense of unease welled up inside me.
"Your Majesty!" Mu Cheng's gaze sharpened as he clasped his hands in a fist salute. "Please answer me, Your Majesty: why did Prime Minister Sun suddenly die? And why, in these short two months, have all the major ministers in the court become people I don't recognize?"
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