Of the one hundred and eight vassal lords, more than half had already clearly defected to Marquis Longteng.
"The remaining half should still be loyal to me. Even at a forty-sixty split, I have the Capital Army, the City Guard, the Royal Guard, and the inner palace experts! Adding the private armies of the court officials, our strength won't lose to Marquis Longteng's faction."
Dongfang Lu was calculating the strength of both sides. As long as the remaining lords were loyal to him, along with the royal family's hidden trumps, what was there to fear from Marquis Longteng?
Of course, Dongfang Lu still hadn't given up his illusion of subduing the enemy without a fight.
Reality, however, was far crueler than he imagined. Of the remaining lords who had come to the palace, there were only twenty or thirty families.
In other words, the neutrality of another twenty or thirty lords was already clear. They wouldn't defect to Marquis Longteng, but they weren't taking orders from the royal family anymore either.
Neutrality!
For Dongfang Lu, the neutrality of these lords was a disaster for the royal family!
As for the twenty or thirty lords who entered the palace, they were the truly staunch supporters of the Dongfang clan, the diehard Dongfang faction. They knew that if the Dongfang clan fell, they would fall too. Once Marquis Longteng seized power, he would never let them continue their comfortable lives.
Their interests and the royal family's had long been bound together. Whether they liked it or not, they had to fight to the death for the royal family.
If the royal family survived, their wealth and glory would last forever.
If the royal family didn't survive, their own families would inevitably be destroyed, replaced by the other great clans eyeing their positions.
Among the four great lords, the Vermillion Bird Marquis had already clearly aligned with Marquis Longteng.
As for the White Tiger Marquis and the Black Tortoise Marquis, they had pledged their loyalty to the royal family.
Now, these twenty-plus lords looked to the White Tiger Marquis and the Black Tortoise Marquis as their leaders. With these two pillars of support, they still had a shred of confidence.
"Your Majesty, Long Zhaofeng's rebellion is a fait accompli. In my humble opinion, we should seize the initiative, deploy the Capital Army, the City Guard, the Royal Guard, and the inner palace experts, and suppress Marquis Longteng right here and now. Otherwise, once their main army arrives, the Royal Capital is in danger."
"The White Tiger Marquis speaks sense. Suppressing Marquis Longteng now, our forces are not weak; we might even be superior!"
Dongfang Lu thought about this, and he discovered with sorrow that this battle truly seemed unavoidable. He couldn't stall any longer. His plan to delay until the Old Ancestor emerged from seclusion seemed impossible now.
"Brother, Marquis Longteng's personal guards are running amok in the Royal Capital, harassing the people. How can you just stand by and do nothing?" Princess Gouyu, who had been anxious and irritable these past few days, rushed in hastily.
"Gouyu, just the person I wanted to see. I was just discussing with the lords..."
"Brother, if we keep discussing, the Royal Capital will be lost. They are hunting the Jiang family now, but isn't that just a threat to the other lords? If the Jiang family is captured by them, what will the other lords think? Even if they have the will to be loyal to the royal family, will they still have the courage to resist faced with Marquis Longteng's overwhelming power?"
Gouyu was angry. She was angry that her brother didn't listen to her. In the previous incident where Long Yinye besieged the Marquis Jianghan's mansion, her brother had actually withdrawn the Capital Army!
After that wrong move, the balance tipped, and the royal family had lost all advantage, losing the people's hearts!
Although these lords still declared their loyalty to the royal family, it wasn't because they were deeply loyal, but because their interests were too tightly bound to the royal family's.
If they had a way out, would they fight to the death for the royal family?
"Princess, the Jiang family, as royal subjects, disappeared and fled at a critical moment. There's no need to worry too much about such deserters, right?" some lords advised.
Princess Gouyu's phoenix eyes glared. "What do you mean, deserting? The Jiang family was alone and couldn't hold out. Without the protection of the royal family, choosing to avoid the enemy's spearhead is a rational choice."
"Heh, one must be loyal to their liege for the salary they draw. If Jiang Feng had fought to the death against Marquis Longteng for Your Majesty and the kingdom's greater plan, I would admire him... But running away? Anyone can do that."
Dongfang Lu also nodded. "Gouyu, the Jiang family's actions have disappointed me. My plan to suppress Marquis Longteng has nothing to do with the Jiang family."
Gouyu was speechless. Hearing these words, her heart sank to the bottom. She knew her brother could not be persuaded after all.
What did he mean by the Jiang family's actions disappointing him? Didn't he realize how much his previous actions had disappointed the Jiang family?
Gouyu gave a bitter smile, her expression bleak. "Brother, if you want me to fight to the very end, I am at your command. But I will meddle no more in these matters of state."
There is no greater sorrow than a dead heart. Princess Gouyu saw in Dongfang Lu the shadow of a monarch presiding over the fall of his kingdom, the shadow of an indecisive loser.
"Gouyu, at this moment, you must stand by my side. Stop thinking wildly. That Jiang Chen ran away from the battle, you don't need to think about him anymore."
Gouyu's mouth was filled with bitterness. She remained silent and bleakly walked out.
Just then, a sharp bird cry came from the sky, followed by a thunderous shout: "Dongfang Lu, come out!"
It was Jiang Chen!
A hint of pleasant surprise flashed in Gouyu's almond eyes. Could it be that Jiang Chen had finally changed his mind and was willing to come and help her brother suppress Marquis Longteng?
"It's Jiang Chen!" The various lords recognized his voice.
Dongfang Lu's face turned purple. This Jiang Chen was calling him by his name directly, disregarding all formalities between sovereign and subject.
Clang!
A crisp sound of metal hitting the stone steps of the palace echoed.
Everyone looked over, and saw a unique plaque of gold inlaid with jade. It was the Vassal Token.
"Dongfang Lu, I return this Vassal Token to you. From this day forth, the Jiang family severs all ties with your Dongfang family! We are done!"
Jiang Chen's voice was cold. Riding the Golden-Winged Sword Bird, looking down from above, his divine might was so imposing that Dongfang Lu and all the lords felt an inexplicable sense of inadequacy.