Chapter 527- The Knot in Shi Dakai's Heart
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
In a side courtyard on the west of the king palace, Yang Xiuqing and Shi Dakai sat facing one another.
This side courtyard was usually the office of the various ministers of Taiping Country. However, it was really quiet now. Apart from the two of them, there was no one else in sight.
The death of the king had caused a sort of terrifying and chaotic atmosphere to rise in the palace. The palace guards and eunuchs looked on at the items they had packed without knowing how to react.
If it was not for these two taking charge, the entire Tianjing City would have fallen into total chaos.
After learning that the king had died, Shi Dakai had directly arranged for the troops to patrol the streets. He would administer force over the city to prevent any disturbances.
Logically, Shi Dakai, who had power over the military, could just snatch the position of king.
Unfortunately, with his character, this was something that he would not do. In truth, he had completely no intentions of inheriting the job.
The future of Taiping Country was just a dream in his eyes.
Now, it was like waking up from a dream, and he himself was lost. It was like his life, which he had been rushing at high speeds, suddenly lost a goal and direction.
"Brother Shi, I am sure you know about what happened in history?"
Yang Xiuqing picked up his tea cup, taking a sip as he asked emotionlessly.
"That's right!"
"Then, in your eyes, do you think that the dream of Taiping Country can succeed in the wilderness?"
"...."
Shi Dakai did not know how to reply. Probably even Hong Xiuquan did not think that way.
"This is a chaotic age, so only a mighty Lord with a sharp sword in his hand can conquer the four directions and open up a new age of peace." As he spoke these words, Yang Xiuquan started to grow emotional.
"Mighty Lord?" When Shi Dakai heard these words, his eyes froze, as this was the first time he had a change in expression, "Is that you?"
"No." Yang Xiuqing shook his head and laughed, "I definitely do not have the ability."
"Then who?"
Shi Dakai did not understand, as he had thought that the reason Yang Xiuqing had called him over was to ask him to give up the race for power.
"Let me ask you, in the southwest region, who else is more suitable than that fellow?" Yang Xiuqing smiled slightly, as he slowly revealed his cards.
"It's him?"
Shi Dakai was astonished, and he nearly got up from his seat.
"That's right, it's him!"
Yang Xiuqing stared right into Shi Dakai's eyes and stated resolutely.
"I did not expect that, truly did not expect."
When Yang Xiuqing heard this response, he also had mixed feelings. He was clear about the meaning in Shi Dakai's words.
"So, you had a change of heart long ago?"
Shi Dakai kept his emotions, as his eyes suddenly became sharp. Instantly, a killing intent emanated from his body, an aura that made one focus.
This was a fierce tiger. Usually, he was calm, and he would only bare his fangs when he faced danger. Even Yang Xiuqing, who had been through hundreds of wars, felt shocked.
Shi Dakai, a tiger general of a general, as expected from him.
Yang Xiuqing was clear that if he did not reply carefully, he would die here. Luckily, he was also an exceptional person. The teacup in his hand remained motionless, and the tea did not even waver.
"No!" Yang Xiuqing shook his head, "When I lost, the enemy did come into contact with me. However, I had not decided back then. I only made my choice after the king decided to remove me."
The words of Yang Xiuqing were half real and half fake, so Shi Dakai could not notice any lies from it. Thinking about the conversation yesterday with the king, Shi Dakai led out a long sigh.
At this stage, it was hard to tell who was loyal and who was not.
"So the death of the king has something to do with you?"
The killing aura of Shi Dakai was not kept, as he asked this crucial question.
When they found out that the king had died, the doctor had rushed over and performed an autopsy. They only found that the king and Concubine Chen had both died of an unknown poison. As for others, they did not find anything else.
In the last moments of her life, Concubine Chen had placed the pieces of the pill back into her fake tooth. The only clue had disappeared.
Hence, the only conclusion was that the king was assassinated.
But based on what the palace guards had described, no one suspicious had entered.
This entire case became a mystery.
Of course, some suspected that the guards had purposely spoke as such to avoid punishment.
No matter what, one would not be able to find out the truth in a short time. Moreover, with their current situation, who in the country would pay attention to the truth behind this mystery?
In truth, Yang Xiuqing also did not expect the king to die.
This operation was completely orchestrated by the Black Snake Guards.
"It was not me."
Yang Xiuqing did not know what to say, so he just spoke out those four words.
"Heh!"
Shi Dakai was deep in thought, unable to calm down.
Although Shi Dakai did not have much feelings and emotions toward the king, the magnanimity and trust the king had placed in him had touched him.
Hence, Shi Dakai naturally wanted to take revenge for the king.
Unfortunately, the current him did not have the power. This was because a huge shadow loomed over the skies of Tianjing City, making it hard for one to breathe.
Yang Xiuqing understood Shi Dakai's weakness and said, "Brother Shi, for the people of the country, please do not do anything stupid."
When Shi Dakai heard these words, his expression became more and more complicated.
"To take revenge for the king and drag so many people to die with you, is it worth it?"
Shi Dakai had to face a choice.
Silence, dead silence once more.
The last two pillars of Taiping Country sat opposite one another, filled with emotion.
Compared to Shi Dakai, Yang Xiuqing was calmer. He believed that he would not misjudge someone. When one saw through the character of their opponent, they would never lose.
As expected, Shi Dakai gave out a sigh. He slowly took out the soldier token at his waist and placed it on the table, "Please give them a way out."
The ‘them’ that Shi Dakai referred to were naturally the people that supported him.
Seeing that, Yang Xiuqing was astonished, "Brother Shi, you do not need to do this. As long as we come to a consensus, it does not matter who controls the military."
"No." Shi Dakai shook his head, "I've lost all ambition and have no intentions to lead."
"Brother Shi is still young; this is the best chance to create a future, why be like this?"
When Yang Xiuqing heard Shi Dakai’s response, he frowned. His words contained a hint of fury that Shi Dakai was not fighting. The reason why he felt this was that apart from feeling pained that Shi Dakai was giving up on himself, was because he had a mission.
The Lord behind all this had made it clear that he wanted to keep Shi Dakai.
"So that's it!"
Shi Dakai had no intentions of defending himself, so he stood up to leave.
"Wait!"
Yang Xiuqing followed, "Can I ask, where will you go?"
"The wilderness is vast; I can go anywhere."
Shi Dakai did not turn around; his voice filled with exhaustion. He was really tired, and it was time for him to have a good rest.
"Since Brother Shi has no place to go, why not go to the Army Military Academy in Shanhai City?" Yang Xiuqing said sincerely, "The principal is the War Saint Sun Wu. If you go, you will definitely learn a lot. You can get away from all the conflict and also gain knowledge, so why not? It's better than strolling around aimlessly in the wilderness, right?"
When Shi Dakai heard these words, he stopped in his tracks, but he did not saying anything and just left.
Looking at the back of Shi Dakai, Yang Xiuqing let out a sigh.
He had done what he could.
Even if the Lord scolded him, there was nothing much he could have done better.
The chaos in Tianjing City had quickly come to an end after these two giants arrived at an agreement.
Yang Xiuqing held the soldier token in his hand. Under the support of his close allies, he smoothly took control of the troops in the city. No matter what, his prestige and power in the military was still really high.
Along with all the strategizing by the Military Intelligence Division, everything naturally came into place.
In the hall, seeing that Yang Xiuqing had taken control, the officials that had originally supported Shi Dakai were all terrified. Luckily for them, Yang Xiuqing promised not to kill them and only placed them under house arrest.
As for Shi Dakai, he had disappeared.
After taking control, Yang Xiuqing did not ascend the throne as everyone had expected. His first order was to announce that Taiping Country had ended, and they were now under the rule of Shanhai City.
The moment the news got out, the city was thrown into a state of an uproar.
The loyal believers were unhappy, so they went on the streets to protest.
However, Yang Xiuqing’s attitude was really resolute, and he used blood to suppress them. He was very clear that since he had decided to submit to Shanhai City, he could not leave anything up to chance.
To help the Lord clear out all the obstacles in Tianjing City was his most important mission.
……
Hong Xiuquan dying, Yang Xiuqing taking control, Taiping Country surrendering, all of these events were like a whirlwind that swept through the Chuannan Province and through the entire wilderness.
All of a sudden, the world was shocked.
The players knew that Shanhai City taking out Taiping Country was just a matter of time. What shocked them was that it ended so quickly in such a genius manner.
They were in awe, just how many more trump cards does the Lianzhou Lord hold?
At the same time, along with the surrender of Taiping Country, a shocking fact was placed in front of all the players in China.
Shanhai City Lord, Lianzhou Lord Qiyue Wuyi, had officially taken control of a province.
When 90% and above of Lords had not even upgraded to prefecture, the wide expansion of Shanhai Territory caused one to look on in despair.
Only a king could show such dominance.
The world was shocked; this mighty Lord of a generation was baring his fangs.
In a short time, no one in China could face off against the Lianzhou Lord.
With this influence, Shanhai Alliance had once again gotten in front. The prestige that the Yanhuang Alliance tried so hard to establish had collapsed.
The entire southwest region seemed to be covered in Qiyue Wuyi's shadow.
The Nanjiang Governor-General title seemed to make more and more sense now.