Chapter 195: The Collapse of Yu Guo

The Imperial Guard commander furrowed his brow, clenched his back teeth, "Yes, His Majesty."

The Yu Guo King added, "While Xuan Guo's ten thousand troops have not yet struck the palace, you must quickly drive out the common folk in the Royal City to use them as a barrier. As long as you can delay the enemy's advance, it doesn't matter how many die."

The faces of the assembled people changed dramatically.

We thought the King's earlier order had already broken the bounds of reason, but it turned out it could be even harsher…

He wouldn't even spare the common folk!

The Imperial Guard commander couldn't help but say, "His Majesty, using the lives of the common folk as a shield will surely draw the scorn of the world. Moreover, ordinary civilians… how could they possibly hold back the enemy?"

"Being scorned is better than your king being slain by the enemy!" the Yu Guo King shouted angrily. "If it weren't for me, where would those common folk come from! Being able to sacrifice for me is their honor! I don't expect to rely on those folk to block the enemy; as long as we can buy time, that's enough. If we can delay for a while, that's a while!"

When the tirade ended, the Imperial Guard commander dared not say anything further.

The entire hall fell so silent it seemed everyone had become dead.

The Yu Guo King softened his expression slightly, showed a confident look, and solemnly continued:

"I believe these ten thousand Xuan Guo troops are a surprise attack; General Yu, leading hundreds of thousands, could not be unaware of the situation, but was caught off guard and couldn't catch up. At this moment, that hundreds‑thousands‑strong Da Yu army must already be on its way back to the Royal City to protect the carriage! Therefore, as long as we can hold out until General Yu arrives, I will be perfectly safe!"

His words just fell.

A strange buzzing sound rose from outside the hall's doors.

Night had already fallen, and the buzzing, growing louder as it approached, became especially noticeable.

The ministers instinctively stepped back toward the two sides of the hall.

With a swish, the Imperial Guard commander drew his side‑blade, strode to stand before the King, and stared straight at the direction the sound came from.

Lights inside and outside the hall shone brightly against the night sky.

A dark spot grew larger as the buzzing drew nearer.

"What is that thing?!"

The ministers gasped in astonishment.

"What kind of strange bird is that!"

"No, it has no head or tail, four limbs… no, no, no, it seems not even wings, and no feathers… this isn't a bird!"

"Wait, hanging beneath that weird thing is a round object… what is it?"

The discussion grew noisy.

The Yu Guo King, uncertain and startled, looked left and right while seated on the throne.

When that odd thing swooped into the center of the hall, the Imperial Guard commander lunged forward in a single stride, brandishing his blade, "What demon is this! How dare you masquerade as a spirit here!"

Swish!

The long blade came down.

But the odd thing dodged at an impossible angle and speed.

The Imperial Guard commander struck at empty air, nearly falling.

However, at that moment he also saw that hanging beneath the odd thing seemed to be… a human head!

Startled, the odd thing emitted a click.

Thud!

The head fell, rolled with a gurgle onto the steps beneath the throne, leaving a trail of blood on the floor.

A pair of bulging dead eyes stared straight at the Yu Guo King.

"General Yu… General Yu?"

The Yu Guo King shrieked, "How could this be General Yu's head?!"

Everyone in the hall saw the head's appearance and was instantly stunned, as if struck by lightning.

"Your hundreds of thousands of troops will never return," Duan Wu's voice suddenly echoed from mid‑air in the hall, "Your General Yu has also been beheaded by me. Surrender."

The Imperial Guard commander hurriedly looked up and realized the voice came from that hovering odd thing.

At that moment the ministers were so terrified they wet themselves.

The Yu Guo King collapsed, his whole body limp on the throne.

"What on earth are you!" the Imperial Guard commander shouted, brandishing his blade.

"It's a Drone, never mind… you wouldn't understand even if I told you," Duan Wu's voice sounded again, "Listen carefully, I am General Duan Wu of Daxuan Xi Tun Pass. I use this device to broadcast a call for surrender; those who surrender may exit the palace and keep their lives! I am waiting at the palace gate; if you do not surrender, I will lead my troops to storm in and take your heads!"

When the words ended, the Drone whooshed out of the hall's doors, hovered in the air outside, watching the scene.

"My thirty‑thousand Imperial Guard… could it be… all gone?!" The Yu Guo King only then realized.

The Imperial Guard must have been annihilated for the enemy to reach the palace gate.

The ministers naturally thought the same.

Immediately someone bolted out of the hall, and more and more ministers rushed ahead, fleeing so recklessly that hats fell off and shoes flew away.

Palace maids, eunuchs and the like swarmed in a chaotic rush.

The entire palace turned into utter chaos in the blink of an eye.

"His Majesty, I will protect you to the death!" the Imperial Guard commander said.

The Yu Guo King watched the departing ministers, feeling a deep sorrow, inhaled deeply and said, "Fine, you hold this place, I will retreat from the palace via the Secret Passage."

Just as he, his legs already weak, asked a close‑by eunuch to help him flee,

the eunuch suddenly pressed him down, "You want to run? Where could you go! Yu Guo's main army is gone! The garrison and Imperial Guard are also finished! The palace is ruined! Da Yu is extinct! I will capture you and hand you over, and still earn merit!"

Swish!

A cold flash of light flashed.

Before the eunuch could react, a head was already soaring into the air.

Blinding blood stained the throne red.

"His Majesty! Hurry!" the Imperial Guard commander shouted, brandishing his blood‑stained warblade.

The Yu Guo king scrambled and crawled away in disgrace through the side door behind the throne.

The palace gradually grew quiet.

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard held a battle sword, eyes half-closed, sitting on the steps below the throne.

Only when he heard footsteps outside did he slowly open his eyes.

What came into view was a Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army clad entirely in black armor.

The Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army stood outside the main hall doors; Duan Wu entered alone, looked around, and said, "They have all surrendered—will you not surrender?"

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard coldly replied, "I am not like them."

Duan Wu added, "But even your king has already been beheaded by me."

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard stared, then shouted angrily, "Impossible! His Majesty escaped long ago; once we rally, we will slaughter you all down to the last man!"

Duan Wu raised his hand.

A Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor soldier then walked in holding the head of the Yu Guo king.

The face on the head still bore the terrified expression from before death.

"His Majesty… His Majesty!" the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard broke down, dropping to his knees and wailing loudly.

Duan Wu calmly said, "He did indeed slip out of the palace, but I spotted him right away, gave chase, and killed him with one blow. For such a foolish king who disregards the lives of his people, I have already granted him a dignified end."

"Even if he is foolish, he is still the king of my Da Yu! I will fight you to the death!" the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard snarled, eyes red, brandishing his sword and charging at Duan Wu.

Duan Wu did not draw his sword, dodging while advising, "I have heard that the Supreme Commander of the Yu Guo Imperial Guard is highly skilled and utterly loyal, a true hero. Our Daxuan sovereign values talent and would surely not wish someone like you to die. Since you know the Yu Guo king is foolish, why not choose a wiser lord?"

"Since you know I am loyal, why waste words? Draw your blade!" the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard roared.

Duan Wu flashed back two zhang, saying, "Yu Guo is dead; from now on this land belongs to Daxuan. Everyone here will become subjects of the Daxuan sovereign, living far better than before. You need not cling to foolish loyalty for a foolish king."

The Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard gave no reply and launched an even more desperate assault on Duan Wu.

Duan Wu silently sighed.

He saw the opponent's long blade about to slash straight at him.

He drew a crossbow from his waist and pulled the trigger.

Whoosh—

The bolt flew forth like lightning.

One arrow struck squarely in the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Guard's brow.

The Commander stiffened, eyes bulging, struggled to stay upright for a moment, then collapsed with a crash.

Duan Wu walked over, lowered his lids to close the Commander's wide-open eyes, then ordered his subordinates, "Take him away and give him a proper burial. Moreover, all members of the Yu Guo royal family are to be slaughtered without exception—root and stem must be eradicated—but take care not to harm the common folk."

"Yes, General!"

A few days later, the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army captured the Yu Guo royal city and wiped out the Yu Guo royal family; the news was rushed back to Lin Xian Cheng.

After a while longer.

News of Yu Guo's annexation by Xuan Guo spread throughout the various states of Zhong Yuan, leaving every nation's court and populace shocked.

From learning that Yu Guo would go to war with Xuan Guo to Yu Guo's fall, only a short two or three months had passed.

Factoring in the time for news to travel, the actual time Xuan Guo took to destroy Yu Guo was even shorter.

No ruler imagined that the young sovereign of Xuan Guo could be so formidable; having barely begun his personal rule after coronation, he directly destroyed an entire nation.

Henceforth, of the seven states of Zhong Yuan, only six remained.

——

Wasteland Nation, Capital Royal City.

Dozens of soldiers, their bodies covered in dust and blood, rode hard for the palace.

Upon reaching the palace gates, a eunuch stepped forward and said, "His Majesty has issued an edict: General Mu Cheng is to be granted a private audience; the rest of you wait here."

The burly leader dismounted and strode toward the palace gate.

The eunuch again said, "General, please relinquish your weapons."

"Relinquish my weapons?" Mu Cheng frowned, "His Majesty has always allowed me to bear my blade into audience; why not this time?"

The eunuch smiled, "This is His Majesty's oral command; please obey, General."

"Never mind, business is urgent!" Mu Cheng had no time to ponder, handed his sidearm to the eunuch, and hurried inside.

Yet when he arrived at the hall's front doors, another eunuch barred his way, saying His Majesty was in conference with several ministers and asked the general to wait a moment.

Mu Cheng could hardly contain himself, "Does His Majesty not realize how dire the situation is?!"

"General, please stay calm and wait," the eunuch said in an even tone.

Mu Cheng had no recourse—he could not yell at the gatekeeper eunuch, nor force his way into the hall, so he stood where he was under the blazing sun.

Inside the main hall.

On the throne sat the corpulent, jowly king of the Wasteland Nation.

Beside him, palace maids took turns feeding him.

He occasionally glanced at the burly figure standing far outside the hall, then at the civil officials seated to either side, hesitated, and asked, "You summoned General Mu Cheng back just like that, gave him no rest, and have him standing outside—surely that's not proper?"

"Your Majesty," a goat-bearded minister drawled, "General Mu Cheng is strong and brave; even after a long journey he remains formidable. If we don't wear him down a bit, should he go berserk later, it would be disadvantageous to Your Majesty."

The Wasteland king wiped his greasy lips, "Could it be… that General Mu Cheng has truly betrayed me? I don't see it—otherwise, why would he obey my summons and come back when called?"

Several ministers exchanged glances, their faces showing an inscrutable cold smile.

The goat-bearded minister said, "This is naturally because he does not yet know his treason has been exposed, so he continues to put on an act before Your Majesty; Your Majesty must not be deceived."

The other ministers chimed in with remarks like "the evidence is solid," urging Your Majesty never to let down his guard.

Hearing these close ministers speak thus, the Wasteland king said no more and continued letting the palace maids feed him food and drink.

An hour passed.

Outside the hall, General Mu Cheng's bronze armor heated up in the sun, his dark, resolute face beaded with sweat, and even the ground where he stood was damp with perspiration.

Although he remained perfectly still, his mind grew increasingly restless.

At that moment, music rose from the main hall, and from afar he could see court maids dancing.

Mu Cheng's gaze darkened, and he finally stepped forward onto the steps.

"Grand General!" the gate‑keeping eunuch rushed down, "You may not! His Majesty has not summoned you; how dare you intrude?"

Mu Cheng seized the eunuch's collar, "Didn't you say His Majesty was in council? Then why is there music?"

"I… the servant does not know," the eunuch replied, "In any case, Grand General, you should continue waiting!"

"I can't wait any longer!" Mu Cheng pushed the eunuch aside, took two steps at a time up the steps, and stormed into the main hall with a fierce aura.

The Wasteland Nation's monarch was half‑squinting, drowsy, and when he suddenly saw the Grand General enter, he flinched and stammered, "Um… Mu…"

"Everyone, step back!" Mu Cheng shouted at the musicians and dancers.

The musicians and dancers, frightened, hurriedly withdrew.

Without waiting for the monarch to speak, Mu Cheng's face flushed with anger, and he said gravely, "His Majesty, haven't I always been urging you not to indulge in revelry?"

"Um… I… I…" the monarch muttered, feeling a bit guilty and at a loss for a reply.

"Ha! Mu Cheng, what audacity!" Minister Goatbeard slapped the table, "For years you've constantly berated His Majesty; now that His Majesty is past his thirties, do you still treat Him like a child?"

Mu Cheng frowned, "Who are you!"

Minister Goatbeard sneered, "I am His Majesty's newly appointed Prime Minister."

"You? Prime Minister?" Mu Cheng looked stunned, "What about Prime Minister Sun?"

Minister Goatbeard said, "He died of illness; His Majesty, considering the Grand General busy fighting the An Nation, did not send anyone to inform you."

Mu Cheng could hardly believe it.

He and the former Prime Minister were close friends, both civil and martial pillars of the Great Wilderness, having rescued the Great Wilderness from peril many times.

Two months ago he led an army on campaign, and Prime Minister Sun personally saw him off; he was in the prime of his life—how could he suddenly die of illness?

"He really died of illness?!" Mu Cheng demanded.

"What do you mean?" a minister beside him immediately accused, "Do you not even trust the Prime Minister's words?"

Mu Cheng turned his head and saw that the speaker was also unfamiliar.

Looking around more carefully, he suddenly realized that all the ministers present were new faces.

A strong feeling of unease rose in his heart.

"His Majesty!" Mu Cheng's gaze was sharp as he clasped his fists and said, "Please answer me, why did Prime Minister Sun suddenly die of illness? Why, within these short two months, have all the main ministers in the court become people I do not know?"