341: Summon troops from all over the world and point your sword at the Wanchu Dynasty!

Chapter 339: Rally the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces, Pointing the Sword at the Wan Chu Dynasty!

The next day, at Chen Shi, the golden tiles in the Yuji Hall reflected the cold.

Below the imperial steps, the entire court of civil and military officials prostrated themselves, their pale faces reflected in the gilded floor tiles.

Some ministers' necks trembled slightly, their eyes filled with panic as they stole glances at the Qianxi Emperor on the dragon throne.

The Qianxi Emperor was slumped on the dragon throne, the formerly heroic and decisive monarch with eyes like bright stars now utterly devoid of spirit.

His gaze was stagnant like ancient jade covered in dust, and he sat with his head bowed, looking dazed, like a Puppet from which the soul had been drawn.

Even the nine-dragon crown, symbolizing imperial power, was askew, its pearl tassels clinking with a hollow sound.

"By His Majesty's decree, all officials kneel and welcome!" A eunuch's sharp voice announcing the decree suddenly pierced the deathly silence in the hall.

The voice of the eunuch proclaiming the decree echoed through the hall, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

"By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We have suddenly contracted a severe illness, and Our mind is clouded... We fear delaying state affairs."

"......Effective immediately, We hereby specially grant Our esteemed teacher, Grand Tutor Lu, the title of Minister Overseeing the State and Governing Politics, to assist Crown Prince Qianyuan in jointly managing the crucial military and political affairs of Great Qian."

"From imperial relatives, court officials, down to commoners in the marketplace, those who see the Grand Tutor shall be as if they see Us in person, and must perform the ritual of three bows and nine kowtows!"

The hall was as silent as an abyss until the unfamiliar eunuch's sharp voice abruptly ceased.

The ministers of the court, like startled birds, cautiously raised their heads.

When their eyes met, their gazes were filled with utter shock and disbelief.

Gasps that rose in their throats were forcefully swallowed back, and their jade tablets clinked softly as they trembled.

What had they just heard?

That decree was like a bolt of lightning from the heavens splitting the clear sky—this so-called "Minister Overseeing the State and Governing Politics" clearly completely hollowed out the Emperor's power!

Grand Tutor Lu, under the guise of a teacher, was committing acts of usurpation, playing the Son of Heaven in the palm of his hand.

How was this different from having the yellow robe added?

It was merely using the Crown Prince's name to conceal his ambition, just one step away from putting on the dragon robe!

"Absurd!"

Censor-in-Chief Zhang Chang suddenly straightened up, his gray beard bristling like halberds, and his purple official robe rose and fell with his heaving chest.

"His Majesty is in the prime of his life, and yesterday he was still reviewing memorials in the Huawen Hall, so how could he—"

Before he could finish, Wang Sukke, the Junior Supervisor of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, strode forward, his jade belt hook clinking.

He pointed directly at the eunuch proclaiming the decree, his fingertip nearly touching the other's pale face: "Eunuch dog!"

"You dare to disrupt the government with wicked words, fabricate imperial decrees, and deceive the people of the Heaven."

Every word exploded like thunder, startling the bronze crane palace lanterns in the corners of the hall to tremble slightly.

"All you eunuchs should be executed according to the law for the grave crime of exterminating nine generations!"

With these two taking the lead, the civil and military officials below the steps also began to stir.

Then, Li Gong, the white-haired Minister of Rites, stumbled out of the court ranks.

The old man's withered five fingers extended forward like eagle claws, and his official boots echoed erratically on the coiled dragon gold bricks.

"This old subject... this old subject doesn't believe it, I want to see the imperial decree, I want to feel His Majesty's pulse!"

Li Gong's hoarse roar mixed with bloody spittle from his throat, shaking the dust from the ceiling.

He suddenly lunged towards the dragon throne, his plain gold belt hook snapping with a "crack," and his aged body heavily struck the imperial steps.

Minister Li Gong looked up at the dragon throne, only to see beneath the nine-tassel crown.

The Qianxi Emperor's mouth was slowly curving upwards—that smile was so precise it was chilling, as if he were an idiot with no intelligence.

"Pfft!"

A black short sword suddenly emerged from the old minister's back.

Lu Chang had appeared in the shadow of the hall pillar at some point, his basalt heavy armor unstained by blood.

"Pfft!"

A Xuan Iron short sword suddenly pierced through the back of Minister Li Gong's heart, and the blood dripping from the sword tip bloomed into a bizarre dark plum blossom on the imperial steps.

"Audacious rebel, how dare you desecrate the imperial decree."

Lu Chang slowly withdrew the short sword, and Minister Li Gong's body slumped to the ground like a broken sack.

These damned old things can't even see the current situation clearly, so keeping them is useless.

Otherwise, they might cause some unnecessary trouble later.

"This rebellious traitor has been executed."

Lu Chang gently retracted the short sword, his tone as bland as discussing the day's breakfast.

"Esteemed Prefects, do you have any further objections?"

Just then, neat footsteps suddenly sounded from outside the hall—three thousand Tiger Howl Guard had surrounded the Yuji Hall, making it impenetrable.

Sunlight streamed through the large doors of the Yuji Hall, casting shadow bars on the ground, as if this golden hall... had long become a cage.

At this moment, the vermilion-painted palace doors burst open, and a biting coldness, mixed with chilling killing intent, swept in.

Against the light, the figures of Lu Jinyun and his two brothers appeared, their dark brocade robes rustling in the wind.

As they slowly ascended the white jade steps, each step Lu Jinyun and his two brothers took seemed to land on the hearts of the officials.

Seeing this, the entire court of civil and military officials held their breath, even the air seemed to freeze.

When Lu Jinyun finally stood before the dragon throne, even the foolish Qianxi Emperor instinctively recoiled and curled back.

"Esteemed Ministers!"

Lu Jinyun's lips curved into a half-smile, his voice soft yet carrying an undeniable authority, each word like an ice pick piercing into everyone's bones.

"Currently, Grand Tutor has entered secluded cultivation. He has specially ordered me, Lu Jinyun, in the capacity of the Lu Family head, to assist His Highness the Crown Prince and take overall charge of the Great Qian's court affairs."

As his voice fell, the hall was deathly silent.

Lu Jinyun slowly raised his hand and took out a gilded token from his Pregnant. The nine-dragon pattern flowed in the light and shadow, it was the tiger tally symbolizing the Grand Marshal of the Armed Forces.

A cold glint flashed, and the token landed steadily on the imperial desk with a heavy thud—

From this moment on, inside and outside Qianning City, from the palace walls to the streets and alleys, everything became the Lu Family's possession.

"Your subject respectfully requests the Lu Family head to oversee the state!"

This cry was like a death knell, and the entire court of officials in their vermilion and purple robes immediately fell prostrate like cut wheat.

Official hats and jade belts clinked softly before the imperial steps.

Amidst the officials' flattery, Lu Jinyun's fingertips gently stroked the tiger pattern on the gilded token.

He turned his head and exchanged glances with his three brothers.

On their four faces, a knowing smile simultaneously appeared—

Just then, the evening drum of Qianning City sounded, its waves penetrating the nine layers of the palace.

On the streets of Qianning City, a troop of Xuan Iron armored cavalry was silently taking over the city gates.

This silent coup finally came to an end in the most dignified manner.

Outside Qianning City, in a post station along the official road, five figures in Xuan Iron heavy armor gleamed with a faint blue cold light under the daylight.

The burly man at the head suddenly raised his foot and kicked the granite bench apart with a "boom."

"What a Qianxi Emperor!"

Veins bulged on his forehead, and the Wan Chu beast pattern etched on his armor faintly glowed with blood light.

"Three days ago, he vowed to cede the six northern commanderies, and now he won't even spare a eunuch slave to deliver a message?"

"Does that young Qianxi Emperor truly think our Wan Chu iron cavalry is child's play?"

"Lu Xuan is absolutely right, the documents for the six commanderies that should have been handed over three days ago are still nowhere to be seen!"

The muscular man on the left clenched the gilded beast-head ring on his waist, and moisture seeping from the gaps in his armor dripped down his tiger-shaped wrist guard.

"Grandmaster has already agreed to make a move for his Dog Emperor once, and now he actually wants to go back on his word?"

With that, the muscular man spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, which spread into a sinister dark red stain on the blue bricks.

The one-eyed man beside him suddenly let out a sinister chuckle, his gold-inlaid canine teeth flashing with cold light.

"Why waste words with that Dog Emperor!"

A flash of knife light appeared, and the Xuan Iron cloth strip wrapped around the broken blade was lifted by the wind, revealing the mottled blood rust within.

"We are carrying His Majesty's secret order, we will go directly to the Great Qian Imperial Palace and confront that Dog Emperor."

"If that young Emperor dares to violate his promise, then we..."

Before he could finish, the other five simultaneously drew their weapons from their waists, the cold light weaving into a net, startling the cold crows in the treetops.

"We will let him see the power of the Wan Chu Dynasty!"

"Clang—"

A bright long saber suddenly unsheathed, its blade reflecting the ferocious faces of the group.

The burly man at the head pointed the tip of his saber directly towards the Imperial Palace: "Very good."

"Today, the territory of these six northern commanderies must be swallowed by our Wan Chu Dynasty, even if the boundary markers are drawn with the blood of the Great Qian imperial family!"

As the five armored afterimages swept along the official road, carrying the smell of iron, the rolling yellow dust rising from the ground vaguely revealed the towering palace walls of Qianning City in the distance.

Inside the Imperial Palace, in a spacious side hall, the sunlight cast the shadows of Lu Jinyun and his three brothers onto the coiled dragon pillars.

Over twenty trusted generals of the Huwei Army stood around with their swords drawn, the clinking of armor mixed with heavy breathing, creating ripples of unease in the deathly silence.

"So Father had a plan long ago."

Lu Jinyun's fingertips caressed the gilded tiger tally on the desk.

"Keeping the Dog Emperor's life is worth more than a hundred thousand elite soldiers."

Before he could finish, a suppressed low laugh echoed in the tent, as cold and sinister as a viper's hiss.

Lu Jinhua, the third son of the Lu Family, clapped his hands and laughed: "Second Brother."

"Now we are borrowing the Emperor's decree to mobilize the Heaven's grain and fodder."

"Using the Qianxi Emperor's order to conscript soldiers, by the time we point our swords at the Heaven—"

He deliberately drew out the end of his sentence, his gaze sweeping over everyone.

"The responsibility for defeat will be blamed on that Tyrant, and the credit for victory will all fall into our Lu Family's hands."

"Excellent plan!" The generals in the tent applauded, their scabbards clanging against the blue bricks.

"Once the Qianxi Emperor loses all popular support, we only need to raise our arms and call out—"

His voice stopped abruptly, but no one was unaware of the unspoken words—at that time, the one on the dragon throne would naturally change.

"Second Brother, which Dynasty should we attack first!"

Hearing this, Lu Jinyun's brows furrowed, his fingertips tapping the sandalwood desk, the rhythm sometimes urgent and sometimes slow, as if beating a war drum.

"The Qing Tian Dynasty has the deepest foundation, rashly starting a war might lead to a quagmire."

"The Zhu Huo Dynasty guards a vital thoroughfare and has the assistance of many allies behind it."

Then, Lu Jinyun's gaze was like a torch, sweeping over everyone, "As for Tai Yu, Ji Jing, Wan Chu..."

"These three..."

Before he could finish, whispering had already begun in the tent.

Lu Jinyun raised his hand to signal for quiet and continued: "The Wan Chu Dynasty is arrogant and its forces are very dispersed."

"The Tai Yu Dynasty values civil matters over military ones, and its military preparations are lax."

"The Ji Jing Dynasty is located on the border, and reinforcements are difficult to reach."

"These three are our Breakthroughs."

Saying this, Lu Jinyun pulled out a rolled-up yellowed map, spread it heavily on the desk, and his fingertip traced the border areas of the three dynasties.

"If we can take one first, we can establish our might and also encroach upon neighboring states, strengthening our army's momentum."

The generals in the tent gathered around, looking at the areas circled in red on the map, their eyes burning with fervent Battle Intent.

A great war that could rewrite the pattern of the Heaven seemed to have quietly begun in this small side hall.

Before he could finish, the sound of metal clashing suddenly came from outside the side hall.

Lu Jinyun abruptly pressed the sword at his waist, the candlelight flickering with a cold gleam in his eyes.

"Get out of here, all of you!"

"You useless things from the Great Qian Dynasty!"

"Die!"

"Remember this great one's name, I am the Great General of the Wan Chu Dynasty, General Wei Feng!"

Accompanied by several rampant roars, the gilded beast-head door knocker exploded, and Xuan Iron heavy boots crushed wood chips all over the floor.

Five extremely burly figures, reeking of blood, crashed into the hall.

The leader was clad in nine-swallowing linked armor, his scarlet cloak stained with blood, and the half-section of a guard's silver spear was impaled on his halberd, blood still dripping from the spearhead.

"Young Qianxi!"

"How dare you go back on your word and play tricks on us!"

The leader, General Wei Feng, slammed his halberd heavily onto the blue bricks, and cracks spread like a spiderweb.

"This General is here on the orders of the Wan Chu Emperor to demand the documents for the six commanderies!"

Then, General Wei Feng scanned the people in the hall, his gaze suddenly fixing on the gilded tiger tally at Lu Jinyun's waist, his pupils constricting sharply.

"Who are you!"

"Where is the Qianxi Emperor? This General wants to see him!"

Seeing no response, General Wei Feng suddenly took a step forward, the clinking of his armor making the air in the hall tremble: "This General asks again—where is the young Qianxi Emperor!"

However, this time, what answered him was the sudden burst of mocking laughter from the entire hall.

Lu Jinyun raised his hand and stroked the tiger tally, a meaningful curve appearing on his lips.

"So it's guests from the Wan Chu Dynasty!"

"General Wei, you've come a long way. It's quite a coincidence, but His Majesty is ill and not fit to receive guests."

Before he could finish, over a dozen trusted generals had silently surrounded them, their swords drawn three inches from their scabbards, the cold light making General Wei Feng and his four companions suddenly tense up.

"You... what do you want to do?"

"We are people of the Wan Chu Dynasty, you are seeking death!"

General Wei Feng tightened his grip on his halberd, his peripheral vision catching sight of countless dark figures flashing outside the hall.

They seemed to be completely surrounded by a large army!

Lu Jinyun slowly stood up: "General Wei has come at just the right time—our Great Qian iron cavalry was just looking for a reason to punish the guilty."

Five Grandmaster Realm experts!

Especially the leader, General Wei Feng, who was a peak Grandmaster Realm existence.

At some point, Lu Jinyun had quietly taken out the golden saber bestowed upon him by Lu Xuan.

As the golden saber appeared, an endless majesty instantly filled the side hall.

General Wei Feng's eyes widened, his face filled with terror, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead.

Lu Jinyun's lips curved into a cruel arc, his eyes as cold as frost. "Just your Wan Chu Dynasty?"

"Now that you have stepped into this hall today, don't even think about returning to the Wan Chu Dynasty alive."

Accompanied by a deafening tiger roar, the golden light in the void illuminated the entire side hall.

A golden giant tiger phantom, five meters tall, opened its bloody mouth, its sharp claws flashing with cold light, and pounced fiercely towards General Wei Feng and his four companions.

The pressure emanating from the golden giant tiger made General Wei Feng and the others unable to move, as if restrained by an invisible force.

"Ah—"

A muscular man beside General Wei Feng screamed, was swatted away by the giant tiger's claw, and crashed heavily into a hall pillar, spitting blood, his breath weak like a dragon's.

"You Great Qian dare to offend our Wan Chu Dynasty, you will definitely pay a heavy price."

"Really?"

"Take him down for severe interrogation, make him spill all the intelligence on the Wan Chu Dynasty!"