oice laced with anger. "What use is a main wife When has he ever treated me, his rightful wife, with respect! In this harem, he's so kind to everyone else, but when he comes to me, he's nothing but co..."Good!" The Emperor glanced at the Crown Prince and the ministers. Compared to them, Duke Dingbei seemed loyal indeed.

He immediately issued a secret edict, entrusting it to the Duke of Dingbei to mobilize 3,000 troops from the camp by the river. He authorized the Duke of Dingbei to handle all matters as he saw fit.

The Duke of Dingbei almost went mad with joy. In the end, this one sentence was enough for him to operate and bring all the military power of Jiangbei Camp over!

Even if Marquis Xin Ting defeats the barbarians and returns in triumph, by then, his old lair, the Jiangbei Camp, will have become someone else's territory.

Just thinking about Marquis Xin Ting's face made him want to burst out laughing!

Let these people look down on him, in the end, he didn't lose to them!

With all the pride and anticipation, Dingbeihou led a dozen personal guards, escorting the Grand Eunuch bearing the imperial decree and two young eunuchs, to rush to the wharf camp at breakneck speed.

But often things don't go as planned, the more beautiful the thought, the crueler the reality!

In the military camp at the dock, soldiers were feeding horses, patrolling, and training in an orderly manner.

Suddenly, a message came from the palace. Immediately, a soldier reported it inside.

Li Dayong personally received the news at the gate of the camp. At first glance, he knew that things were not good when he saw Ding Beihou.

As expected, once he entered the main tent, Marquis Dingbei sat down at the head of the table, acting as if he were the master of the house.

Li Dayong's eyes flashed, then he said coldly, "Lord Hou, that's the place for our Lord Hou. Please sit in the guest seat over there."

Ding Beihou was delighted, but upon hearing this, his face turned sour. He replied, "This is my position right now!"

"That was just a moment ago, not now! Lord, please stand up!" Li Dayong was firm and wouldn't back down.

Ding Beihou was so angry he wanted to flip the table, but seeing the imperial decree in the eunuch's hand, he felt it best to hold back and wait until things settled before dealing with Li Dayong.

Then, he got up and left his seat.

The first round was considered a victory for Li Dayong.

Several generals who rushed to the scene upon hearing the news felt a sense of relief, but more importantly, they were filled with worry.

Now even the children in Xin'du probably know, that someone in the palace has fallen out with the Marquis. That person no longer trusts him, and even though the Northern Expeditionary Army drove the barbarians out of the border, they don't even mention it.

Today, this sudden dispatch of Duke Dingbeihou as our opponent clearly doesn't bode well.

As expected, the eunuch unfurled the imperial edict, and everyone knelt to receive it. After hearing a few sentences, their faces changed.

It's not a big deal to mobilize thousands of people to capture bandits, but why are the bandits Li Jia Yi

And what about the saying, "Everything is allowed to be handled according to the convenience of Duke Bei"

Could it be that after the major camp at the docks, everything would just be decided by the Northern Marquis

The Duke of Dingbei saw everyone like this and wished he could laugh his head off.

Let these talented killers flaunt themselves, each one boasting of their military exploits. In the end, they will all fall into his hands!

The eunuch, seeing that Li Dayong wouldn't speak, urged him in a low voice, "General Li, accept the imperial decree!"

Li Dayong still didn't speak. Dingbeihou couldn't hold back any longer and shouted, "Li Dayong, do you want to defy the imperial decree"

Li Dayong slowly got up, but his face remained composed as he replied.

"We refuse this imperial decree!"

"Outrageous!" The eunuch and Duke Dingbei practically shouted in unison.

The eunuch's face was filled with terror as he delivered the imperial decree, but Ding Bei Hou became even more excited.

Li Dayong showed no fear whatsoever, and calmly continued speaking.

"The dockyard camp has always been under the control of Marquis Xinting, we only obey Marquis Xinting's orders! Even if the imperial court issues an order, it should first inform our marquis, and then our marquis will issue an order to mobilize troops."

The eunuch pleaded with Li, "General Li, you know the Marquis is at the border and couldn't possibly have issued an order. Even if he wanted to inform us, it would take at least five or six days for the message to reach back here. But the bandits are already at the docks outside Xin Du! There's simply no time!"

Li Dayong shook his head coldly, "I'm sorry, sir. You've made a wasted trip. We only take orders from the Lord!"

Having said that, he took out half a military talisman from his bosom and placed it on the table, saying, “This talisman, the other half is with the Marquis. Only when the two halves of the talisman are complete can I lead my troops.”

Furthermore, we wouldn't know whether this imperial edict is genuine or not. What if someone secretly altered it and framed us Then they could accuse us of a private military campaign with the intention of rebellion! Where would we even begin to defend ourselves

The eunuch was speechless. After all, this was the first time he had ever been questioned about the authenticity of an imperial decree!

But Ding Beihou refused, Li Dayong was clearly suspecting him of interfering.

He glanced at the military talismans on the table. These were things he had longed for for so many years, so close at hand yet still out of reach.

He couldn't help but feel a bit restless in his heart, and his right hand directly went to his sword.

Li Dayong, seemingly lost in thought, walked to the back of the table and stood sideways, blocking everyone's view. He searched for a while before finally saying, "The lord didn't leave any extra letters, so we can only act according to orders."

Having said that, he actually stepped forward and patted Ding Beihou's shoulder, as if they were very familiar. He persuaded, "Lord Hou, it's not that I look down on you! You've been a turtle hiding its head for half your life, with no skills at all. The soldiers and generals in our camp are all tigers. Even if you go to great lengths to grab the military power, you won't be able to control them."

Finally, not even being mocked by everyone, back to Xindu to be a watchdog!

He was saying it with a laugh, but those words were incredibly hurtful and insulting.

The Marquis of Dingbei's eyes were bloodshot, his molars grinding together with a grating sound. He couldn't help but see the sneering faces of those who had mocked him flashing before his eyes.

He took a deep breath, trying to calm down.

Just when Li Dayong was about to give in again, the military talisman seemed to glow, constantly tempting him...

He acted impulsively, lunging forward and snatching the military talisman from their grasp.

Everyone was taken aback. Before anyone could speak, Li Dayong roared, "Bold General of the Northern Command, to dare seize the military talisman! You're a damned traitor!"

The snow-bright long blade fell almost as soon as the words left his lips.

Clackety clack!

The head of the Marquis Dingbei rolled out instantly, blood spurting from his neck a full two feet, staining the entire table red!

For several breaths, everyone stood frozen in place, as if under a spell.

What happened

How did someone end up beheaded

This is Dingbeihou! Even if he lacks talent or the emperor's favor, he is still a respected marquis!

Is this how it ends

Dead!

The eunuch who delivered the imperial decree was timid, his neck creaking like gears as he moved. He wanted to say something, but no words came out.

Fortunately, Li Dayong was kindhearted. He wiped the blood from the blade on Ding Beihou's clothes, and said with a faint smile.

"Sir, when you return to see the Emperor, please be truthful. The Duke of Dingbei went mad and seized military orders, this is a capital crime! I fear it will cause chaos, so I'll have no choice but to strike him down and eliminate this threat to the country!"

The eunuch's throat made two gurgling sounds, then he rolled his eyes back and fainted!

At this moment, several generals finally came to their senses and shouted loudly.

"General, how can you kill people"

"Should we find a doctor What should we do"

Everyone panicked and didn't know what to do!

And the personal guards of Dingbei Hou outside also heard something was wrong, they peeked at the door and were all in a panic.

"Lord, Lord!"

But faster than them were Li Dayong's personal soldiers, who took down the outsiders in just a few moves, tying them up!

Today's update is here ~~ Mansion carriage to go to the palace with her adoptive father.During the Wan Shou Festival, officials of rank five or higher from Kyoto, as well as women with titles and imperial decrees, all had to...