The lamentation music at the Wei King's mausoleum sounded again, its deep, sonorous tones echoing throughout Xudu City.
These sounds... were an extreme torment for Cao Pi.
Lu Yu's appearance had shattered all his plans and nearly annihilated his hopes of ascending the throne.
However...
"Young Master, we have not lost yet. The majority of the Dragon Treading Battalion is still outside the city. There are only three hundred Dragon Treading Cavalry at the Wei King's palace. A desperate gamble... our five thousand elite troops may yet capture Lu Yu! If Lu Yu is captured, then with the imperial seal and the former King's remains, the position of Crown Prince will still be yours!"
Wu Zhi persuaded him earnestly...
As if feeling his words were not forceful enough, Wu Zhi quickly added, "This is Xudu City, not Luoyang. Many Han officials eagerly anticipate your becoming the King of Wei. They will also... support you!"
Cao Pi's expression was emotionless, a faint, inscrutable self-mockery appearing at the corner of his lips. His tightly clenched hand, due to the immense force, caused his slightly sharp fingernails to dig deeply into his palm, bringing waves of piercing pain.
"To do... or not to do?"
"That is the question!"
His gaze flickered, his heart pounding in his throat... Go all out?
Or... play it safe?
No... how could he entertain the thought of playing it safe?
Matters had come to this. One step forward would make him the ruler of this world, the pinnacle of power.
"Power!"
"This is supreme power! It's so tempting..."
Even Cao Pi, at this moment, was blinded by it!
Finally, a light ignited in Cao Pi's eyes. He softly commanded, "Set fire to the entire Wei King's palace. All elite troops are to guard all palace gates. Anyone within the Wei King's palace, show no mercy, including Lu Ziyu and all officials and generals!"
Without ruthlessness, one cannot stand firm!
*Hoo...*
Cao Pi's words made Wu Zhi gasp.
The Wei King's palace now housed more than just a few hundred people. Were they truly to... to kill them all?
Just then.
"Report..."
A trusted subordinate swiftly burst into the pavilion, "Reporting to the Young Master and Military Advisor... Ding Yi's privately raised elite troops are now heading towards the Wei King's palace." Hmm...
This voice startled Cao Pi, and then.
Haha... he burst into hearty laughter. "Heaven aids me! Cao Ziwen and the Marquis of Southern Hunt are battling at the Wei King's palace, the Wei King's palace is engulfed in flames, and everyone will perish within..."
Wu Zhi immediately understood Cao Pi's intention.
"Our elite troops, by going to the Wei King's mausoleum to remove him, will be both killing and putting out the fire!"
...
...
Within the Wei King's palace, before the mausoleum of "Cao Cao."
Lu Yu ceded the main seat to Xiahou Dun, and he sat to Xiahou Dun's side.
Xiahou Dun, however, signaled for everyone that all troops were now under Lu Yu's command and dispatch.
Because it was the Wei King's palace and to reassure all the assembled officials, the guard presence was not large, only a few hundred men.
At this moment, Lu Yu stood up, raising his hand and saying, "Many of you here are elders to me, Lu Yu. There is no need to salute me. Please rise quickly..."
Just then...
Some armored soldiers from the Dragon Treading Battalion brought Ding Yi forward, "Reporting to the Commander, Ding Yi's two hundred privately raised prefectural troops have been suppressed, and Ding Yi himself has been brought here, awaiting the Marquis of Southern Hunt's judgment."
Just now... there was a small interlude.
Ding Yi had actually raised over two hundred elite troops in Xudu City. Their sudden appearance had indeed startled all the officials and generals, but... how could a mere two hundred men be a match for the Dragon Treading Battalion?
In just a moment... they were suppressed.
As for Ding Yi, even with an arrow in one hand and his hands bound behind his back, he still walked forward with an arrogant demeanor. Upon seeing Cao Zhi, he even smiled coldly.
Lu Yu said, "I did not expect, Young Master Ding, that you could still laugh."
Ding Yi let out a sharp, mournful laugh towards the sky, "I, Ding Yi, know that I cannot escape death. Why should I bow and beg for mercy from people like you? While the former King's body lies in state, you, Lu Ziyu, feigned death to plot for this place. Heh heh, Lu Ziyu... do you have no selfish motives? You are to Great Wei what Wang Mang was to the Han Dynasty! This foundation of Great Wei will sooner or later be usurped by you!"
Upon hearing this, Xiahou Dun, as Lu Yu's good elder brother, could not tolerate it...
He immediately roared, "You! Bullshit!"
Lu Yu reached out to signal Xiahou Dun to remain silent. He then said gently, "Ding Yi, Ding Yi, you know you are going to die. Now you are merely indulging in verbal abuse, ultimately you are a person who talks loftily and seeks fame. You plot to split Great Wei into pieces to satisfy your ambitions. I will not spare you. Your death sentence is unavoidable. Guards..."
Lu Yu shouted...
"Marquis." Dian Wei cupped his hands...
Lu Yu commanded, "Tear Ding Yi apart by five horses!"
Only... torn apart by five horses?
A group of officials exchanged glances, feeling that the punishment was too lenient. After all... for such a grave crime of rebellion, Ding Yi's offense warranted the extermination of nine generations of his clan!
But... soon.
These officials suddenly realized, nine generations... Could Ding Yi afford to have his nine generations exterminated?
Not to mention anything else, Ding Yi was the nephew of the former King's legitimate consort, Lady Ding. The Wei King's mother was from the Ding family, and the Wei King's legitimate wife was also a daughter of the Ding family... If his nine generations were to be exterminated, it was feared that the Cao clan itself would be implicated. *Hoo...*
Letting out a long sigh, all the dukes and marquises looked at Lu Yu with immense admiration.
They mused that at such a time... he could still be so considerate of all aspects.
"Lu Yu, Lu Yu... who in the world doesn't envy you? Who in the world doesn't want to be a second you?" Ding Yi shook his head helplessly, "So be it... so be it..."
The victor becomes king, the loser becomes a bandit, as has always been the case!
Ding Yi wanted to be the "Lu Ziyu" for "Cao Zhi" and "Cao Ang"... but... this vision was now difficult to realize.
Knowing that pleading would be useless, Ding Yi, instead, bravely accepted his fate and died. Soon, Ding Yi was dragged away...
After this, it was time to deal with Cao Zhang, and also Cao Zhi...
All the court officials knew that despite Cao Zhi's merits, his position was delicate. He was located in Xudu City and would affect Lu Yu's support for the new king's succession.
Unexpectedly... just then.
"Report... Report..." A soldier from the Dragon Treading Battalion rushed in, "There are more... more troops claiming to be Ding Yi's prefectural soldiers... They... there are as many as five thousand of them who have appeared from somewhere and have immediately marched towards the Wei King's palace... There are spies at the palace gates. Now... these people will soon... will soon reach here."
"They say... they say they want to purge the corrupt officials and are not rebelling against Great Wei, only against the Marquis... against you!"
Ah...
This sudden turn of events startled everyone.
Xiahou Dun slammed the table and stood up, "Did Ding Yi privately raise so many elite troops? What exactly was he trying to do..."
Cao Zhi and Cao Zhang exchanged glances.
Ding Yi... they were familiar with him. If he privately raised a small group of prefectural soldiers, it would have been understandable, but... five thousand men? Such a large contingent of troops, they certainly should not have been unaware of it.
For a moment, the entire assembly erupted in chaos...
Clearly, all the officials were worried that the recently stabilized situation would once again be filled with bloody slaughter. Of course...
Besides this emotion, many officials also harbored some apprehension...
What Ding Yi mentioned earlier, they also deeply feared. Would Lu Yu become the second Wang Mang?
Would Great Wei follow the same path as the Han?
At this moment, all the officials' feelings were complex... Only Lu Yu... he remained calm and collected, murmuring to himself...
"How could Ding Yi have so many people? In this situation, is that young master still going to pretend?"
Thinking of this... Lu Yu shook his head.
Xiahou Dun quickly said, "Ziyu, you don't understand martial arts. You retreat into the inner palace. We will handle the outside!"
Lu Yu was cautious... to the point of being timid, as all the court officials knew. Xiahou Dun was not surprised either... But this time...
Uncharacteristically, Lu Yu did not instruct the Dragon Treading Battalion beside him to protect him at all times. Instead, he immediately ordered Dian Wei to open the gate.
"Open... open the gate?"
Dian Wei was momentarily stunned.
"Open this palace gate wide!"
Lu Yu said with resolute certainty...
With a "boom," the gate swung open... Outside, a group of officials stood trembling, these included officials of Great Wei.
"Marquis of Southern Hunt, this place is dangerous, leave it to us!"
It was Zhang He who spoke.
"With us here, these villains shall not step an inch beyond this threshold!"
Le Jin also stated his position.
At this time, unlike the myriad schemes of the literati...
Any military man could see that after the former King's departure, the backbone of Great Wei... the pillar of Great Wei was not some young master, but he, Lu Ziyu!
The hardships and difficulties of so many years of founding the empire...
Made all the generals... cherish this hard-won situation exceptionally. Great Wei could not be shaken! Great Wei could not be divided!
"Stomp... stomp!"
Lu Yu walked step by step towards the outside... his voice becoming solemn.
"Listen to me, the Wei King left behind two succession edicts. One was behind the plaque of the Wei King's palace, and it was burned to ashes by fire. The second is in the hands of Lord Xun of the Ministry of Personnel. Besides myself and Lord Xun, no third person knows about this matter... Lord Xun has been in seclusion recently precisely to protect this edict!"
Reaching this point, Lu Yu paused.
"The future Crown Prince of Great Wei was established by the Wei King. I, Lu Yu, am merely fulfilling the Wei King's wishes, to help Great Wei continue perpetually. I will neither become Huo Guang nor Wang Mang... Today, I make a solemn vow: on the day the new ruler ascends the throne, I, Lu Yu, will immediately hand over the Dragon Treading Battalion and the School Office, and from then on, I will live in seclusion and no longer involve myself in worldly affairs..."
"Regarding the succession of Great Wei's Crown Prince, in the eyes of some young masters, no matter who I, Lu Yu, support as the Wei King, they will rebel, they will revolt. These are all expected. Everyone should firmly believe that the Great Wei we painstakingly created is a kingdom forged of bronze and iron. As long as the ruler and ministers of Great Wei are of one heart, and the soldiers are brave, no matter how many enemies attack from openly or secretly, they will only be insignificant clowns, ants trying to shake a tree!"
The atmosphere had been built up.
Lu Yu's expression became even more solemn. Under countless gazes, he shouted four words—"Great Wei Eternal Forged!"
"Great Wei Eternal Forged!"
"Great Wei Eternal Forged!"
"..."
"Great Wei Eternal Forged!"
At this moment...
From the Wei King's mausoleum, cries of "Great Wei Eternal Forged!" rose to the heavens, shaking the earth...
The shouts of hundreds of soldiers, the shouts of thousands of soldiers, the shouts of tens of thousands of soldiers...
These voices merged into thunderous roars...
Continuously "exploding" in the air, leaving the petty schemers dumbfounded.
...
...
Wei King's Palace... Past Simamen, ahead is Zhuque Gate! Cao Pi was stunned;
Wu Zhi was also stunned;
Shi A was stunned... The five thousand or so elite troops, they were all stunned!
Now, they had already passed "Simamen." Past the walkway ahead was the palace where the Wei King's mausoleum was placed within the Wei King's palace.
It could be said...
They were only one step away from that supreme power.
But...
This sound?
Something is wrong!
The Wei King's palace only had a few hundred people?
What was this tens of thousands of shouts about?
Cao Pi, Wu Zhi, Shi A... all the elite troops could not determine the origin of these thunderous sounds, but they knew clearly... this sound had already surrounded them!
Besieged on all sides?
No...
The surrounding shouts were hundreds of times more shocking and destructive than the "Besieged on All Sides" during the decisive battle between Han and Chu in the past!
Even the usually resolute Shi A's legs were starting to tremble!
"What's going on?"
"What's going on?"
Cao Pi shouted frantically, asking. He felt that he had been surrounded.
Wrong...
It wasn't a feeling, in fact, he had been surrounded.
"Da da da..." Just then, the gate of Canglong Gate opposite them opened... countless cavalry who had been poised for a long time galloped forward.
The person at the front wore a "Silver Lion Helmet" characteristic of Xiliang... The soaring eagle feathers struck awe into people.
"Dare to plot against my brother-in-law? Have you eaten the heart of a leopard? Hmph, brothers... the enemy formation is in disarray, follow me and kill!"
Jin Ma Chao!
Besides the Xiliang Jin Ma Chao, who else could it be?
Over two thousand of the elite Xiliang Iron Cavalry emerged mightily from within Zhuque Gate... like a storm from beyond the frontier, sweeping forward.
Their gazes... were extremely indifferent, their killing intent chilling.
"Ambush?"
Cao Pi suddenly realized... but as soon as his voice fell, the White Tiger Gate of the Wei King's palace also opened...
A troop of red-robed infantry emerged from the Imperial Garden behind the White Tiger Gate, shouting...
"Brother Lu, how can we allow rats like you to desecrate him!" The speaker was Lu Xun...
Three thousand Lu Family troops had rushed from afar to reinforce their elder brother. This was the first time the Lu Family Army's swords and sabers had galloped across the central plains. Among them, however...
A troop of female soldiers was particularly restrained and noteworthy.
"All of you, get out of my way... You villains, this young lady's sword is specifically for killing villains!"
It was Sun Shangxiang who spoke...
And in her formation, Zhou Yu, Zhou Tai, Gan Ning, Wen Pin, and Jiang Qin were all present. Even Sun Quan was there... Sun Quan had already compromised. With a brother-in-law like Lu Ziyu, the Sun clan of Jiangdong would be safe for generations. Those unrealistic fantasies should all be extinguished!
"Slay the villains!"
As if in earnest, the imposing aura of the Jiangdong infantry was no less than that of the Xiliang cavalry!
...
"Young Master, do not panic!"
Facing this sudden change, Wu Zhi reacted immediately. "Young Master, we have an inside informant. The archers on Canglong Gate are our people!"
As his voice fell, Cao Pi subconsciously looked up. He gazed towards the archer contingent on the city wall.
These were archers assembled by the Han officials who supported him... Who would have thought that they would now become Cao Pi's last straw?
"Clang..."
"Ah..."
Who would have thought that at this moment.
Piercing battle cries sounded from the city ramparts. Countless archers were pushed off the city wall, accompanied by "thudding" sounds. These corpses fell to the ground, creating a grim scene.
Cao Pi and Wu Zhi stared in astonishment at the city wall... not knowing what had happened over there.
In just a moment, Cao Pi saw a... a halberd light up on the city wall...
To be precise, it was a Heaven-Shattering Halberd.
One should know that throughout the world... there are not many people who can wield such an extremely complex weapon.
"A dignified seven-foot man, with sword-like eyebrows and tiger-like eyes, more handsome than Pan An."
"A three-pronged hair binding, a purple-gold crown, a red cotton hundred-flower robe from Xichuan, beast-faced swallowing-head linked armor, and a delicate lion-maned belt..." Da Feng Novel Network.
The face that appeared on the city wall... accompanied by this familiar attire, besides that man, who else could it be?
"A futile struggle, an ant shaking a tree, a self-overestimating fool!"
"Consider your head, you rat, as Lingqi's dowry!"
...
…
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Chapter Six Hundred and Seventy-Nine Great Wei Eternal Forged!