Dragon's Origin

## Chapter 394: Annihilation of a Kingdom (Part 1)

While the three families were overjoyed, they couldn't help but laugh at the representatives of the other five families. Young and impetuous, they didn't even bother to listen to the Emperor before disregarding his authority. Now, they've missed out on a huge opportunity. It's hard to imagine how those families could send such blockheads to be their liaisons with the Emperor.

Fortunately, those five families adopted such an attitude, or how could this enormous benefit have fallen into the laps of the three families? After this war of annihilation is complete, it's hard to imagine how those five families will punish these hotheads.

All parties began to mobilize troops and deploy experts, sharpening their swords, waiting for the three families to reach an agreement before launching a full-scale attack. However, before that, the three families, for the sake of insurance, specifically visited the Emperor again to obtain the imperial decree he had promised.

The Emperor seemed to have been waiting impatiently. Upon hearing the request for the decree, he didn't hesitate. Chief Li brought out a blank imperial edict, which was written on the spot for the three representatives. After allowing the three parties to review it and confirm there were no issues, he had three copies transcribed in front of the representatives, all stamped with the Emperor's seal, and then handed them to the representatives of the three families.

The content written on the imperial decree was no different from what the Emperor had promised before, only specifying the benefits the Emperor wanted. He requested one-third of the revenue for ten years, totaling one billion gold coins, one hundred million per year. With the territory of the Triumph Kingdom, which was a thousand miles in radius, the annual revenue would certainly exceed three hundred million. The Emperor only wanted one hundred million of it, which could be considered giving the three parties ample face, a win-win situation for everyone.

In addition, the Emperor also had nine more edicts prepared on the spot, three for each family. One was an edict conferring the title of King or Duke to the heads of the three families. The other two were edicts conferring the title of Earl and Viscount, respectively. The names and fiefs on these two edicts were blank, waiting for the heads of the three families to fill them in themselves, all stamped with the Emperor's seal.

"When the gold coins are delivered after the Triumph Kingdom is destroyed, these edicts will be given to you all," the Emperor generously allowed the representatives of the three parties to review the edicts, sealed them on the spot, and then made a promise: "I am the Emperor, my words are golden. The edicts are here, waiting for you to claim them."

At this point, what else could the three families say? They were given the legitimacy they needed, the reasons they needed, and promised many benefits after taking action. How could the three families not put their full effort into it?

"Please, Your Majesty, await our good news. Your humble servants take their leave!" The three men once again respectfully bowed to the Emperor before cautiously backing out of the court and then swiftly contacting their respective family heads to prepare for war.

After dispatching the enforcement disciples, Triumph Palace had been waiting for news. Wang Sheng was barely considered a local snake in the capital and was not so easy to deal with. It was said that even the World Honored One from the Divine Prison had failed to capture him back then. Triumph Palace didn't expect the six enforcement disciples to succeed so quickly, so they waited patiently.

For seven or eight days, there was no news from the capital. The information sent back by their agents in the capital indicated that everything was normal, without any major disturbances. In particular, Wang Sheng and the Changsheng Marquis Manor, which they had been closely monitoring, were as calm as if nothing had happened.

The Palace Master of Triumph Palace assumed that the enforcement disciples were looking for an opportunity and didn't think otherwise. The Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall personally led the team, and the loyalty of these disciples was absolutely reliable. No one would betray them. Therefore, such tranquility could only mean that the opportunity was not easy to find and required more patience.

However, the Tang, Xia, and Feng families had already mobilized more than three thousand experts. To avoid leaking information, they didn't pass through the territory of other countries. The experts from the Xia and Feng families traveled directly through the Thousand Absolutes Land and lurked near the Triumph Kingdom. The Xia family had also secretly mobilized troops and laid an ambush on the border, waiting for the agreed-upon time to launch a large-scale invasion directly into the capital of the Triumph Kingdom.

The three families had also engaged in some competition, as the territory of the Triumph Kingdom couldn't be divided so evenly. This required each family to fight for their share. However, these were minor matters. The important thing was to take control of the Triumph Kingdom first, lest the disputes delay the time and allow the Triumph Kingdom to prepare, resulting in them losing the chicken instead of gaining the rice.

When the agreed-upon time arrived, the experts from the three parties poured into the Triumph Kingdom like a tide. At the same time, the joint representatives of the three parties began to send letters to the other vassal states, informing them of the cause and effect of the three parties' actions and warning them not to act rashly, otherwise, they would be jointly attacked by the three kingdoms.

The letter also included a rubbing of the Emperor's edict, stating that the three kingdoms' actions were approved by the Emperor and were acting under the Emperor's holy command to suppress the rebellious, a righteous and just punitive expedition. The implication was that anyone who dared to disobey was rebellious, and there was an example right in front of them. The consequence of being rebellious was being attacked and divided by everyone.

If there wasn't the Triumph Kingdom as an example, other countries, especially the Gan Kingdom, which was adjacent to the Triumph Kingdom, might have attacked to seize territory and population. However, with this ready-made example, it was different.

No one wanted to become the next Triumph Kingdom, the next rebellious country to be punished and divided. They could only watch and drool honestly.

The letters from the three families also made it clear that the Emperor had gathered representatives from all parties to discuss this matter, but the representatives of the five vassal states had left early and ignored him, indicating that they had given up this opportunity themselves. They couldn't blame the Emperor for favoring one over another. He had given them a chance and earnestly discussed it with all parties. It was their own representatives who didn't take the Emperor seriously, so they shouldn't seek revenge if they missed the opportunity. They should first question their representatives.

It should be known that when the Emperor first spoke, he said that he had been wronged and that anyone who helped would be granted the title of Duke. The Song family was the first to leave, followed by the other four families. No one forced them, and no one schemed against them. If they left on their own, they couldn't blame others for not giving them a chance.

Last time, everyone tacitly destroyed that secret sect with the Creation Pill formula. The dozen or so families divided the spoils, and the benefits were mouthwatering! But that was just a small secret sect, not even a country, and couldn't compare to this time.

A war to destroy a country! And it was a righteous and just war to destroy a country. After destroying Triumph Palace, they could rightfully take the territory of Triumph Palace into their possession. The tangible and intangible benefits were enough to make the eight major vassal states envious!

This opportunity was originally placed right in front of the eight major vassal states, waiting for them to take a bite! But because their own representatives didn't take the Emperor seriously, they left disdainfully after hearing only the beginning?

This was unbearable! The first order of the five vassal state lords who didn't get the opportunity was to immediately summon back the good-for-nothing in the capital and replace him with a mature and prudent one.

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