Part 3: The Fatal Strike
Night was the best cover for military action, but for the Dragon Fang Lord's residence, which was supposed to be defended like an iron fortress, it was useless.
Because the duty officer tonight was a man from Daelian's system. This turned the defensive fortifications, which should have blocked external enemies, into an open road, allowing Daelian to stride into the residence unchallenged.
The Dragon Fang Lord, Ao Qingcang, was sixty-one years old. Although past sixty, which was old age in this era, he was still full of vigorous energy.
As the current head of the Grand-Heir faction at the Elector's Council in the capital, Ao Qingcang had mobilized nearly eight thousand elite troops into his residence. The ferocity of the Dragon Fang Army was universally acknowledged as the best among the six Duchies. With these eight thousand elite troops in defense, plus over thirty thousand reinforcements outside the city ready to enter at any moment, the Dragon Fang Lord had no fear of the Dipper Aureus Duke, who controlled the Imperial Guards.
The worst-case scenario was an all-out war right here in Prime Lake City!
He had received some intelligence regarding the instability of Daelian, the most powerful vanguard general of the Dragon Fang Army. However, based on DeWeian's assurance and guarantee, Ao Qingcang had not moved against Daelian.
After all, this was a time when he needed all the talent he could get. Moreover, this was a transparent attempt at sowing discord. If he killed his strongest general based on mere rumors, he would be branded as a foolish ruler by posterity.
Therefore, he merely found an excuse to put Daelian on "leave." This action, however, inversely drove Daelian to decide on rebellion earlier.
Daelian's interpretation of Ao Qingcang's move was that he was no longer trusted by his liege and might even be a target for future liquidation. It was after this incident that Daelian demanded the Dragon Fang Lordship from the Dipper Aureus Duke, and the Duke's swift affirmation thoroughly ignited the ambition in his heart.
He might not dare to dream of sitting on the Emperor's throne, but could he not strive for a Lordship? He had the strength and the ambition; it was time to let the old man know that times had changed.
The person who, from start to finish, had manipulated the situation to force Daelian into an inescapable rebellion was Yue Zhengxi, the one who had deployed the tactic of sowing discord. One could say that Daelian was led step by step down the path of treason by him.
The candlelight in the war room of the residence cast Ao Qingcang's tall shadow upon the giant military map hanging on the wall. He was staring intently at the defensive points in Prime Lake City, a cup of long-cold strong tea beside him.
Despite DeWeian's repeated assurances, the flicker of instinct belonging to an old politician never faded from his heart. It was too quiet, unnaturally quiet.
Suddenly, a clamor was heard outside, different from the measured steps of the Imperial Guard patrols—it was the heavy, urgent sound of metal boots clattering over jade steps, interspersed with a few short, violently suppressed shouts.
Ao Qingcang spun around, his eyes blazing with sharp light. He didn't need a guard to sound the alarm; the unconcealed, murderous intent drawing closer said it all.
"CLANG!"
The two heavy hall doors were violently smashed open from the outside. Daelian's hulking figure, like a giant bear, blocked the entrance. The great axe in his hand was dripping blood—the blood of the loyal guards outside. The crimson stain on his armor looked particularly glaring in the candlelight. Behind him stood Yue Zhengxi, the Dipper Aureus Duke's shadow-double, and a group of personal guards with wild eyes and palpable killing intent.
Ao Qingcang's gaze immediately bypassed Daelian and fell upon Yue Zhengxi. He understood everything. What sowing discord? What instability in Daelian? The true viper had always been the Dipper Aureus Duke.
"Daelian!" Ao Qingcang's voice was still steady, carrying an undeniable majesty. He didn't even look at the dripping great axe, only staring into Daelian's eyes.
"I have treated you well, given you military command, and allowed you honor. Is this the reward you give me? Leading an external enemy to take your liege's head?"
Daelian paused slightly under that gaze, but the thought of Yue Zhengxi's words, the thought of the achievable Lordship, made the beast in his heart roar again.
"Old man! Times have changed! You've held onto the position for too long!"
"Fool!" Ao Qingcang roared, his voice shaking the roof tiles. "Do you think Dipper Aureus will sincerely let you be the Lord? You are nothing but a broken axe to be discarded when he is done! Kill me, and the first to be liquidated by the Dragon Fang Duchy will be you, the traitor!"
The words were like ice water, chilling Daelian to the core.
Part 4: The Final Act
Just then, Yue Zhengxi moved. He gave Daelian no more time to think, merely waving his hand as if directing a rehearsed play.
"General Daelian, what are you waiting for? The thirty thousand Dragon Fang troops outside the city won't wait for us."
This sentence thoroughly ignited Daelian's final madness. He let out a maniacal roar and spoke no more, charging toward Ao Qingcang like a berserk rhinoceros, dragging his great axe and sending a streak of dazzling sparks across the golden brick floor.
Though Ao Qingcang was over sixty, his heroic spirit remained.
He roared, "Traitor!"
He violently flipped the heavy desk in front of him. The wooden desk hurtled toward Daelian with a whooshing sound, temporarily blocking him for an instant.
At the same time, he lightning-fast drew a decorative Ceremonial Sword from the wall—the only weapon left in the hall.
"CLANG!"
The great axe and the Ceremonial Sword clashed violently! The ornamental steel sword snapped under the terrifying force of the war axe! Ao Qingcang stumbled backward, his hand split open, blood instantly soaking the hilt.
He glanced at the broken sword in his hand, then at the frenzied Daelian, and at Yue Zhengxi by the door, who remained as cold as ice.
He knew the end was set, the calamity unavoidable.
Since the enemy had made their move, the Dipper Aureus Duke certainly had countermeasures. Even if he could escape now, he would likely not evade the Duke's subsequent manhunt.
But the instinct for survival would not allow him, as a Lord, to surrender easily. Maintaining his dignity until the last moment was the final honor of a National Lord.
A smile, a mix of mockery, sorrow, and endless arrogance, crept onto his lips.
"I, Ao Qingcang, have ruled Dragon Fang for over forty years, conquering the world without a single defeat."
He threw away the broken sword and straightened his spine, as if still standing on his review platform, facing a thousand armies.
"I never imagined I would die in the jaws of a dog I raised myself!"
He stopped looking at Daelian and stared straight at Yue Zhengxi.
"Tell Dipper Aureus this: if he wants to be Emperor, don't be soft-handed! Kill when you must. And, never use a traitor! Ambition knows no bounds, and a dog never knows it can only be a dog, yet still deludes itself into dreaming of being a master."
This statement was his final pride.
And it was a remark intended to strike at the heart.
Yet, it would not be long before this Dragon Fang Lord's political wisdom was proven utterly correct.
Daelian, completely enraged by this dismissal, howled and surged forward. The great axe, screaming as it tore through the air, swung violently in a horizontal slash!
Blood splattered high.
The gray-haired head, which had intimidated countless enemies, spun into the air. The sharp eyes remained wide open until death, carrying endless contempt, and finally slammed onto the floor, rolling to Yue Zhengxi's feet.
The Dragon Fang Lord, Ao Qingcang, age sixty-one, was dead.
The hall instantly fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the tap-tap sound of blood dripping from the axe blade and the severed neck.
Daelian was panting, looking at the fallen, headless corpse, momentarily stunned.
Yue Zhengxi slowly stepped forward, his face expressionless. He bent down and picked up the head, his actions as calm as if he were picking up a dropped item. He tore down an expensive silk curtain nearby and carefully wrapped the head, securing it to his waist.
Then, he finally looked up at Daelian, a cold curve forming at the corner of his mouth.
"Congratulations, Daelian… Lord." His voice betrayed no joy, only the calm of a mission accomplished. "Now, it is time to take over your domain and your army."
"No." Daelian had calmed down. He knew there was a more important matter at hand. "We must go see the Dipper Aureus Duke immediately, and pledge our allegiance right away."
This move by Daelian proved that he was not just a fierce general but also a political genius who understood the moment.
The Dragon Fang Army was now leaderless. The Dragon Fang territory was too far to immediately control. What Daelian needed most now was the Dipper Aureus Duke to formally honor his promise and transfer the National Seal of the Dragon Fang Lord from the hands of the "future Emperor" to the "newly appointed Dragon Fang Lord."
So, carrying the National Seal and the severed head of the Dragon Fang Lord, Daelian strode in the direction of the Imperial Palace.
Outside the hall, the night was thick as ink. The heart of Prime Lake City had been utterly cleaved open by this axe blow. One era, with the death of Ao Qingcang, officially concluded.
A new era was unveiled in blood.
The death of one Lord was merely the first actor to exit the stage tonight.