People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

The dragon's voice was somewhat suppressed.

Ernst was somewhat surprised to hear this.

If he wasn't mistaken, the dragon was probably referring to the "mobile city of Kazdel".

That's right, it was the old, dilapidated mobile city that Theresis and Theresia built by almost scavenging and stealing.

To be fair, that mobile city couldn't really be called a mobile city. It was different from all other mobile cities. It didn't use modern Originium industry technology at all, but relied entirely on those burning dead souls to drive it.

If I had to describe it, it would be a large, running sorcery altar!

But no matter how wicked the technology it used was, how ugly its appearance was, or how many foreign leaders looked down on it, it was indeed once the Sarkaz people's concrete hope for the word "homeland"!

At that time, it was ruled by the Kazdel Military Council, which was still intact and had an all-star lineup that was thriving.

This is precisely why Ernst was surprised.

It's important to understand that before the Battle of Londinium officially broke out—or rather, before the Victorians actually lost two Grand Dukes on the battlefield—the general attitude of the Terran nations towards the Sarkaz was one of contempt!

This contempt is not only racial, but also based on power.

In the eyes of most Terran leaders, the Military Council, the mobile city of Kazdel, the Carrion Eaters, the Shapeshifters, the Blood Demons, the Chairman and the General, are just a bunch of impoverished villagers playing around with their own game!

They don't care what others do, they're nothing to be afraid of!

This is no joke. When the Duke of Caesar made his solemn promise to Ernst—to flatten Londinium in three months and allow the World Summit to celebrate the New Year in peace—he genuinely agreed with this view.

Didn't Qi suffer enough losses later on?

Lu Keyan Kingdom, a secluded and closed-off country, which is considered "mysterious" by the other nations of Terra, actually realized the threat of the Sarkaz so early on!

Just this prudence and foresight is enough to make people look at them with more respect!

And this isn't even the end of it.

"The country has never been at peace either. Jiangqi is plagued by bandits, and water pirates are entrenched, which the local government cannot control. The demon defense line is in dire need of attention, and the entire Celestial Master's Mansion has been mobilized, suffering heavy casualties. Shangshu has been hit by a massive natural disaster. If it weren't for the intervention of the Year Beast's agent, Ling, there would have been no way that even one of the Three Mountains and Eighteen Peaks would be missing. Our Great Yan would have suffered a national tragedy!"

He slowly turned his head, a divine light flashing in his eyes, and asked earnestly:

"If, at this very moment, the current emperor is unable to cure his illness due to Oripathy, and even repeatedly resorts to tyranny and oppressive policies, imposing exorbitant taxes and acting arbitrarily, Ernst, what do you think Yan will do?"

Yue is a sign of the impending downfall of his kingdom.

F. Ernst commented in his mind.

This is almost no different from the end of a dynasty.

The country faces severe external threats, a turbulent international situation, and is surrounded by powerful adversaries.

The emperor within the group is also ineffective; he can't fight battles, and everyone is in a daze. It would be fine if he didn't manage things, but when he does, he only makes things worse!

Domestically, natural disasters are rampant, and banditry is also on the rise.

Those who know it will say it's the Great Yan Dynasty, but those who don't might think it's a script about the late Ming Dynasty and the Chongzhen Emperor!

Zhenlong didn't really expect Ernst to answer; he continued:

"But if at this very moment, there were a person who was the crown prince, the one everyone hoped for, the one who obeyed the will of Heaven, the one whom the court and the people respected, the one who possessed prestige, character, skill, and a powerful team—he had it all. At this moment, if he wanted to turn the tide and save the collapsing edifice, what should he do?"

Ernst hesitated for a moment, then, looking into the dragon's expectant eyes, he hissed and replied:

"Honor Your Majesty as the Retired Emperor, and then usurp your throne."

To put it simply, it's the same story as Xuanwu Gate, just with less gore.

However, it was Zhenlong who was stunned when Ernst said this.

He glanced at Ernst, then at himself, blinked, and gave an embarrassed look.

Dude, you're ruthless!

I only intended to stage a military coup, but you actually usurped the throne?

Although there wasn't much difference between a military coup and a usurpation, they originally intended for Yanwu to take charge after the coup. However, they would still need to maintain appearances, and the new emperor wouldn't actually become an "Emperor Emeritus." At most, the "Crown Prince would act as regent on behalf of His Majesty."

He coughed lightly, deciding not to dwell on such a small detail, and nodded, saying:

"This is the whole truth behind the Yanwu Palace Coup."

This is indeed a conspiracy.

But it wasn't aimed at him, but at Wei Yanwu. Rather, it was a conspiracy orchestrated by him, Wei Yanwu (Yanwu), the three highest officials of the court (with the Grand Tutor as the main figure), and all the civil and military officials (who tacitly agreed) against the previous emperor.

Ernst finally understood.

But once this issue was resolved, the problems on the other end became even bigger.

Since everyone is targeting the former emperor, and according to what you've said, there's a united front, collusion between the court officials, princes, and guards—not a single one of them is not a traitor—then why is that?

Why did things turn out this way?

Why are you sitting on the throne? Where is your beloved Crown Prince Yanwu? Why did he run off to Longmen?

This plan seems foolproof, doesn't it?

Having said all that, Ernst went straight to asking this crucial question:

"Then why did the Yanwu Palace Coup ultimately end up like this?"

The dragon's face darkened, and he snorted coldly, looking extremely displeased.

But the voice that answered Ernst's question came from behind him.

"Because the plan encountered an unexpected situation."

"Old Zhenlong made a mistake that even you ordinary people would make: he suddenly died!"

"Yanwu chickened out at the last minute; his paranoia got the better of him, and he ran away."

"So, the situation that no one expected just happened."

Ernst turned his head and looked at the figure he had only met once.

Wang chuckled lightly, glancing disdainfully at the exquisitely carved dragon throne placed at the far end of the hall, its gemstones gleaming.

"The chair was just sitting there, but everyone who was entitled to sit in it the first time refused to accept it."

At that moment, it was the dead of night, and all the lights in the hundreds of homes had been extinguished, while the guards of the Forbidden City continued their patrols.

Holding the Dragon-Slaying Sword [Chixiao], Crown Prince Yanwu faced his father, who had collapsed to the ground and was no longer breathing. His fear reached its peak.

A cataclysmic event at Xuanwu Gate in another world erupted in a way that completely defied everyone's plans. This time, it wasn't the brothers who died, but the father. And the chair that symbolized supreme power now stood vacant, beside which lay the body of a true dragon, gradually crystallizing due to Oripathy.

The traditional power and modern disease intertwine to form a bizarre picture, and Yanwu's mind is now in turmoil.

The person who led him to stage a military coup was his younger brother.

His supporters for his military remonstrance were the entire court of officials.

The dead were his father and the reigning emperor.

The person who appeared at the scene wielding the Dragon-Slaying Sword [Crimson Sky] was none other than his Crown Prince Yanwu.

At this moment, the world's greatest opportunity and the greatest danger are simultaneously placed before him.

Sitting in that chair, he lost the right to be "wrong" and became the emperor who rectified the chaos and restored peace to the world, but who carried a lifetime of infamy and an indelible stain on his record.

He wants to clear his name, he wants to kill a lot of people. People won't believe what you say, they only believe what they see, even if he didn't actually do anything.

Therefore, everyone who knows what happened tonight must die!

Grand Tutor, Grand Preceptor, Grand Commandant.

Imperial guards, princes, and attendants.

Historians, officials in charge of public opinion, and ordinary people.

Only when someone tells the truth will the truth truly become the truth!

These people set this trap for themselves, without considering why the emperor is the emperor! How ridiculous it is to try to kill the emperor of the Great Yan Dynasty on his throne! He still has the border troops, the Celestial Master's Mansion, and other loyalists!

Once he sits in this chair, once he's determined to go on a killing spree, and once he's ruthless enough, he can easily find an auspicious day to have his good brother and those ministers "dissolve in water" together!

But at this moment, he has another option.

Run away!

All of this was a carefully planned scheme orchestrated by his jealous younger brother, who was jealous of his older brother!

He can't kill them all! How many officials, princes, and princesses have he bribed? How many others are involved in this scheme? Why did my father suddenly die? And was he involved in it?

Hard to say!

He was already doomed. From the moment he realized his younger brother possessed such abilities, he was already doomed! At this point, it was only a matter of whether he would die sooner or later!

But he wouldn't give up so easily! He was going to run, to run to the farthest place, even if there was only a sliver of a chance. As long as he could survive, with his abilities, his reputation among the people, and the help of his truly loyal subordinates, he might just be able to make a comeback!

Then, there will be a chance to fight it out!

Two completely different paths to survival lay before him. In a flash of thought, he gritted his teeth, turned around, and ran into the night.

It wasn't that he couldn't bring himself to kill. The Crown Prince of Great Yan was a man of unwavering resolve! When the time came to be ruthless, he would show absolutely no mercy!

But he knew perfectly well.

The state of Yan at that time could not withstand another round of turmoil caused by his purges.

He had to admit that his jealous younger brother had won.

Externally, Ursus is watching with predatory intent, and Kazdel is surrounded by demons; internally, the Scourge is merciless, and bandits run rampant.

Despite his immense resentment, he could not gamble with the fate of the Great Yan Kingdom. Otherwise, he would not be the Crown Prince Yanwu, who dared to defy the world and stand before the emperor with a sword drawn to remonstrate!

His name is Yanwu; from now on, he is Wei Yanwu.

The fake Yanwu, using the truth to deceive, is no longer the true prince with great talent and ambition, on whom people place high hopes.

He sacrificed himself for Yanwu, ultimately for the sake of the Great Yan dynasty, and lived up to his title as crown prince.

Chapter 958 I and Ernst are half-brothers!

History is a fascinating, makeshift stage.

At every historical juncture, a single, drastically different choice can lead history in entirely different directions. Yet, as history progresses to the next juncture, each different path will ultimately converge at the next unfamiliar crossroads, leading the era to a predetermined end.

The old dragon was infected with Oripathy, and due to his advanced age and senility, he became autocratic and dictatorial. Therefore, Crown Prince Yanwu staged a military coup against the dragon, plotting to change the world.

At this moment, the history of the Great Yan Dynasty came to a crossroads. After the accident, Crown Prince Yanwu chose to flee, turning the entire grand drama that was originally written with him as the protagonist into a pipe dream.

The Great Yan should have collapsed amidst internal and external troubles at this time, but history has given Yan excessive favor. In this time of crisis, a powerful man has appeared out of nowhere, taking on the responsibility and bearing the pressure.

The true dragon was placed on the throne.

His father died, his elder brother ran away, and the plan that was halfway through was completely ruined in the blink of an eye. It was as if fate had played a cruel joke on him, and he had been put on the supreme throne in a hurry. Helpless, he looked like a complete joke.

No one had ever had any unrealistic expectations of him before, nor had anyone ever taught or nurtured him. But at this moment, everyone looked at him and told him:

"Your brother ran away."

"You have to take the blame for this."

"You have to clean up the mess he left behind."

"Don't say you can't do it, it's your responsibility."

"The nation has made its decision. Now, you will be the true dragon!"

He has no choice.

In the face of danger, only responsibility matters. Even if that responsibility shouldn't have been his.

So in the end, he still stepped up. Even though he didn't understand why Yanwu wanted to run away, even though he had no idea why his father had suddenly died, even though this was not part of his and Wang's plan.

But he still stepped up.

Over the next few decades, he internally launched military campaigns to quell the banditry of Jiang Qi, and dispatched the Earth and Wood Masters to move the devastated Shangshu City, along with the remaining three mountains and seventeen peaks, onto a mobile city. Externally, he strengthened the defenses of the Yumen border, appointing Zuo Xuanliao as the general in charge of the border defense, using a large army to deter the covetous Ursus, and closely monitoring the changes in Kazdel in the west and the evolution of the international situation.

In the imperial court, he halted the purge, sparing the lives of the Grand Tutor, Grand Commandant, and other officials. He ended this utter farce with only the death of the Grand Tutor's family and a brief mention by the historians of "the Grand Tutor ordered Yanwu to murder the emperor." He expanded the power of the Year God's Office, placing close surveillance on all the Year Beast's agents and focusing on tracking down the whereabouts of the second Year God, "Wang."

The charge: [Manipulating the court and deceiving the emperor]

Why is it considered a crime of deceiving the emperor?

the reason is simple.

The sinful beast Wang, with every word he uttered, spoke of strategizing and planning with perfect foresight.

If he foresaw that Yanwu's remonstrance might lead to changes within the palace, resulting in Yanwu's escape and a power vacuum, forcing him to ascend the throne, then he didn't tell himself that this was the crime of manipulating the court and deceiving the emperor!