Chapter 96

Among the 108 feudal lords, more than half have already clearly pledged their allegiance to Longteng Hou.

"The remaining half of the feudal lords should still be loyal to me. Even if it's a 40-60 split, I have the Heavenly Capital Army, the City Guard, the Royal Guard, and the palace experts, plus the personal guards of the ministers. Our strength will not be inferior to Longteng Hou's side."

Dongfang Lu was calculating the strength of both sides. As long as the remaining feudal lords remained loyal to him, along with the royal family's hidden cards, why should he fear Longteng Hou?

Of course, Dongfang Lu had not given up on his illusions up to this point, still fantasizing about subduing the enemy without a fight.

However, reality was much more cruel than he had imagined. Of the remaining feudal lords, only two or three dozen rushed to the palace. This meant that another two or three dozen feudal lords had clearly taken a neutral stance. They were not supporting Longteng Hou, but they were also not heeding the royal family's orders.

Neutrality

For Dongfang Lu, the neutrality of these feudal lords was a disaster for the royal family.

These two or three dozen feudal lords who entered the palace were true die-hard supporters of the Dongfang clan, the iron-clad Eastern faction. They knew that if the Dongfang clan fell, they would also be doomed. Once Longteng Hou seized power, he would not let them continue to live freely.

Their interests were already bound together with the royal family. Whether they wanted to or not, they had to fight to the death for the royal family.

If the royal family survived, their wealth and status would remain. If the royal family fell, their families would certainly be destroyed and replaced by other noble families eager to rise to power.

Among the four major feudal lords, Zhuque Hou had already clearly pledged allegiance to Longteng Hou.

While Baihu Hou and Xuanwu Hou had sided with the royal family.

Now, these two dozen or so feudal lords also looked up to Baihu Hou and Xuanwu Hou as leaders. With these two major pillars of support, they still had some confidence.

"Your Majesty, Long Zhaofeng's rebellion is a fait accompli. In my opinion, we should strike first. Mobilize the Heavenly Capital Army, the City Guard, the Royal Guard, and the palace experts to suppress Longteng Hou on the spot. Otherwise, once their army arrives, the capital will be in danger."

"Baihu Hou is right. Suppressing Longteng Hou now, our strength will not be weak, and may even be stronger."

Dongfang Lu was thinking. He sadly realized that this battle seemed truly unavoidable. He could no longer delay, and his plan to wait for the old ancestor to emerge from seclusion seemed impossible.

"Brother, Longteng Hou's guards are causing chaos in the capital, harassing the people. Can you just sit by and do nothing?" Princess Gouyu, who had been anxious for days, rushed in.

"Gouyu, you came just in time. I was just discussing with the feudal lords..."

"Brother, if we keep discussing, the capital will change hands. They are now hunting the Jiang family, but isn't it also a warning to other feudal lords? If the Jiang family is captured, what will the other feudal lords think? Even if they are loyal to the royal family, will they still have the courage to resist in the face of Longteng Hou's overwhelming power?"

Princess Gouyu was angry. She was angry that her brother did not listen to her. In the incident where Long Yinye besieged Jiang Han's residence, her brother actually withdrew the Heavenly Capital Army.

After that wrong move, the balance tipped, and the royal family lost the upper hand and the people's support.

Although these feudal lords still declared their loyalty to the royal family, it was not because they were particularly loyal, but because their interests were too tightly bound with the royal family, making it impossible to separate them.

If they had a way out, would they fight to the death for the royal family?

"Princess, as a minister of the royal family, the Jiang family fled at a critical moment. Such deserters are not worth much attention," some feudal lords advised.

Princess Gouyu glared, "What do you mean by deserters? The Jiang family, standing alone, chose to avoid the sharp edge without the royal family's protection. That was a rational choice."

"Ha, those who eat the king's salary should be loyal to the king's affairs. If Jiang Feng fought to the death for Your Majesty and the kingdom, I would admire him... But fleeing, who can't do that?"

Dongfang Lu nodded, "Gouyu, the Jiang family's actions have disappointed me. My plan to suppress Longteng Hou has nothing to do with the Jiang family."

Gouyu was speechless. Hearing Dongfang Lu's words, her heart sank to the bottom. She knew that she could not persuade her brother.

What did he mean by the Jiang family's actions disappointing him? Had he not considered how his own actions had disappointed the Jiang family?

Gouyu smiled bitterly, her expression bleak, "Brother, if you want me to fight to the death, I will obey your command. As for these political matters, I will not get involved."

The greatest sorrow is the death of the heart. In Dongfang Lu, Princess Gouyu saw the shadow of a fallen king, the shadow of a weak and indecisive loser.

"Gouyu, at this moment, you must stand by me. Don't think too much. Jiang Chen's desertion is not worth worrying about."

Gouyu's mouth was bitter, and she walked out in silence, her heart heavy.

At that moment, a sharp bird cry echoed in the sky, followed by a loud shout, "Dongfang Lu, come out."

It was Jiang Chen.

A glimmer of surprise flashed in Gouyu's almond eyes. Could it be that Jiang Chen had changed his mind and was willing to help her brother suppress Longteng Hou?

"It's Jiang Chen," the feudal lords recognized his voice.

Dongfang Lu's face turned purple. Jiang Chen had called him by his name, completely disregarding the proper respect between ruler and subject.

Clang

A clear metallic sound echoed as something hit the stone steps of the palace.

Everyone looked and saw a jade-inlaid gold token, uniquely shaped, the token of the feudal lords.

"Dongfang Lu, I return this token to you. From now on, my Jiang family will sever all ties with your Dongfang family."

Jiang Chen's voice was cold and distant. Riding his golden-winged sword bird, he looked down from above, his presence awe-inspiring, making Dongfang Lu and the feudal lords feel a sense of inferiority.

"Jiang Chen, you eat the king's salary but desert in a crisis. What about your Jiang family..."

"Dongfang family betrayed my Jiang family first. If you are not blind, you should see that. Don't talk to me about the king's command being absolute. In today's chaotic world, the strong rule. You should think about how to deal with Longteng Hou instead of wasting time with me."

Jiang Chen was about to leave.

"Jiang Chen," Princess Gouyu's heart ached, tears in her eyes, "Is there really no way to save this? I, Gouyu, beg you, help me one more time."

Princess Gouyu, a proud and strong person, born into a prominent family with high cultivation, had never spoken such soft words to anyone.

But at this moment, she was crying and begging Jiang Chen.

"Gouyu, I can help you escape the capital, but I will not help Dongfang Lu, the tyrant."

Dongfang Lu's face burned with shame.

"Jiang Chen, you have a blood feud with Longteng Hou. Even if you don't help my Dongfang clan, you should put aside your differences and fight Longteng Hou together," Princess Gouyu pleaded again.

"Long Zhaofeng? Ha, just a dead skeleton. After this battle, if his family wins, I have my own ways to destroy them. Why should I ally with Dongfang Lu?"

Princess Gouyu felt a mix of emotions. She knew Jiang Chen better than anyone, understanding the many secrets he held.

She had no doubt that Jiang Chen had the strength to deal with Long Zhaofeng. But why would he help the Dongfang clan now?

"Jiang Chen..." Princess Gouyu said bitterly, "Consider it a debt of the Dongfang clan. I have one request: please take Ruo'er away, and if possible, take care of her for life."

"Agreed," Jiang Chen nodded.

Dongfang Lu snorted, "Jiang Chen, why do you need to take care of my daughter? My Dongfang clan has many means to suppress the rebel Long Zhaofeng. How can a country bumpkin like you touch a princess of my royal family?"

"Brother," Princess Gouyu was shocked. Her brother was cutting off their last chance.

Sure enough, Jiang Chen's face darkened, "Gouyu, if you need me to take care of Princess Zhiruo, find a way to contact me. I'm leaving."

Gouyu's body went limp, and she slumped onto the stone steps, her heart dead.

She had completely given up on Dongfang Lu.

Longteng Hou's search and capture operation intensified, and the entire capital fell into chaos. Corpses littered the streets.

When the rules lost their constraints, violence ran rampant, like a beast out of its cage, bringing endless disaster.

People started dying, and many died.

Murders and arson, chaos and screams, continued day and night.

Fortunately, the place arranged by Qiao Baishi was extremely hidden and remote, and for the time being, they were not worried about being found. However, Jiang Chen was concerned about whether the Medicine Hall could hold out.

After some thought, Jiang Chen decided to take control of the situation.

He mobilized a large number of golden-winged and silver-winged sword birds, entering the city at night in several batches, and evacuated all the key personnel from the capital.

Under the cover of night, the aerial forces were highly mobile, and within about an hour, everyone was safely evacuated.

After several unsuccessful search operations, the situation escalated into a rebellion.

That night, the Heavenly Capital Army clashed with Longteng Hou's elite forces.

Then, two commanders of the City Guard declared their allegiance to Longteng Hou, causing a split within the City Guard.

Subsequently, a commander of the Heavenly Capital Army, while on duty in the palace, suddenly rebelled, leading his troops to attack the palace, engaging in a fierce battle with the royal guards.

The capital was in chaos overnight.

Meanwhile, Jiang Chen was outside the conflict, feeling quite relaxed. His forces had evacuated the capital, and the main sword bird forces had arrived.

With a single command, he could attack the capital, regardless of whether it was Longteng Hou or the royal family. Within an hour, he could suppress them all.

However, the battle did not last long. Dongfang Lu never expected that the Heavenly Capital Army and the City Guard, which he thought were solid, had been divided by Longteng Hou.

The split within the Heavenly Capital Army and the City Guard greatly weakened the royal family's fighting strength.

Long Zhaofeng, to seize power, had made many secret preparations, recruiting many experts. Their fighting strength was not inferior to the royal family's palace experts.

With the palace experts restrained, Dongfang Lu lost one of his trump cards.

Three days later.

The outer defenses of the palace were breached. The Dongfang clan and the royal guards were making their last stand at the core of the palace, while the loyal feudal lords' guards were almost completely eliminated.

The feudal lords retreated to the palace, fighting a desperate battle alongside the Dongfang clan.

The palace was surrounded, layer upon layer, inside and out.

The Dongfang clan was in grave danger.