Gilmans's estimate was quite accurate; the conflict occurred even earlier than he had anticipated. On the fourth day of the Eastern Governor's Enforcement Team's patrols, the event that many had been secretly hoping for broke out.
At the time of the incident, the leisurely person involved was, as usual, strolling around the Governor's Palace before heading to a small shop in Serena Vale for a drink.
But before he could even settle in, a fast horse galloped from the alleyway. The rider, drenched in sweat, tumbled off his horse from a distance and rushed over, shouting urgently, "Sir, something's happened!"
Aurelian Dragon's eyelids twitched, and she jumped to her feet, asking, "What exactly happened?"
"Our brother has been detained by the Sword Hall in the South of the City!" The knight who delivered the news had an expression of anger and worry on his face.
Those in the know in Esnia understand that the true backer of the South City Sword Hall is Marco Polo, the Governor of the South, who is also a trusted general of Prince Elnario. Therefore, swordsmen hailing from the South City Sword Hall naturally feel superior and are incredibly prestigious. Many young men who are not destined to become knights become his apprentices, making the sword hall a powerful force in Esnia.
Unable to ascertain the true nature of the Eastern Governor's Enforcement Team, the swordsmen of the South City Sword Pavilion restrained themselves for a while. However, two days later, several swordsmen reverted to their old ways, galloping through the streets on horseback. Accustomed to their arrogance, they believed that no one would bother them on their own turf, and indeed, nothing had happened there for many years.
Unfortunately, they encountered the Eastern Governor's Enforcement Team patrolling the streets, who immediately dismounted them and took them to the Eastern Governor's Palace for processing.
Upon receiving the report from Ross, the local strongman of the southern city, the people in the sword-fighting academy were furious. The city guards had never dared to interfere in their affairs before, because they had the backing of the Southern Governor, Marco Buffett. Now, the Eastern Governor's enforcement team dared to arrest the swordsmen in the academy—this was outrageous!
Enraged, the innkeeper, Yusuf, immediately led a group of men, taking a shortcut to the front of the Eastern Governor's enforcement team. Catching them off guard, they launched a surprise attack. The highly skilled swordsman Yusuf not only rescued the captured swordsman but also detained the entire Eastern Governor's enforcement team, declaring that unless the Eastern Governor's office apologized, they would not be allowed to return the men.
"General Lucian Swiftfire has already led his men there. General Shi told me to come find you quickly, sir, otherwise a major conflict is bound to break out." The messenger knight briefly described the incident, then urged, "Sir, you should hurry. General Lucian Swiftfire will be at a great disadvantage against the Southern Governor."
Hearing this, Aurelian Dragon was already burning with rage. He turned to Obsidia Shade and the others, saying, "Let's go!" With that, he leaped onto his warhorse and galloped out of the alley. Obsidia Shade, Cynthia, and the others quickly followed.
When Aurelian Dragon and his men arrived at the scene, the area in front of the South City Sword Hall was already bustling with noise. In addition to a large number of city guards, there were also many onlookers who wanted to see how this would end. This was a rare occurrence in recent years, with the two admirals about to have a direct confrontation.
"Lord Ye has arrived!"
"The new Governor-General of the East has arrived!"
Upon seeing Aurelian Dragon and his entourage approaching, the crowd immediately parted to make way for Aurelian Dragon and his eighteen female guards. Some people were seeing this highly regarded Governor for the first time, and seeing that he was indeed accompanied by a group of beautiful female guards, they couldn't help but secretly shake their heads.
On the field, Lucian Swiftfire and the Governor of the South, Marco Bwe, were locked in a stalemate, with soldiers from both sides clashing with swords and spears, creating a very tense atmosphere.
"You dare to harbor criminals who attacked the law enforcement team? Are you perhaps planning a rebellion?"
Lucian Swiftfire said through gritted teeth, but Marco Bwe in front of him remained unmoved.
"Don't give me that nonsense. Your enforcement team has abused their power and incited public outrage. The people from the sword-fighting club were only acting in self-defense. Arresting people without evidence is unacceptable. As the Southern Governor of Esnia, I will never allow such a thing to happen!"
Shi Yixin, who arrived earlier than Aurelien Dragon, immediately pulled Aurelien Dragon aside upon seeing him and said, "Sir, please stop Lucian Swiftfire. If we have no real evidence and clash with Marco Bwe's men like this, we will suffer a great loss."
Aurelian Dragon glanced around and saw that Garrick Stonewall and some other generals also had angry expressions on their faces, so he asked, "Aren't there witnesses at the scene?"
Garrick Stonewall shook his head angrily and said, "My lord, you don't know this, those guys were terrified when they saw that the Southern Governor's men were involved. How could they dare to come forward as witnesses?"
Shi Yixin also sighed, "No one has come forward to prove that they broke the law first. Now it has become a case of each side sticking to their own story, and if this gets out of hand, it will be very detrimental to our Eastern Governor's Office."
Suo Chong interjected, "It's obvious they're trying to tarnish the reputation of our Eastern Governor's Office. Unfortunately, the military will definitely side with them now, which is very unfavorable for us."
Aurelian Dragon knew they were right, but if she showed weakness on the spot, wouldn't that be a huge loss of face for the Eastern Governor's Office? What kind of solution should she come up with?
At this point, Lucian Swiftfire and Marco Bwe on the field became increasingly tense, and their voices grew louder and louder.
"Since you won't move aside, then we'll have no choice but to be impolite!"
Lucian Swiftfire brandished a long gun he carried with him. The soldiers of the Eastern Governor's Enforcement Team behind him were already impatient. Their comrade had been detained by the other side, so why waste words? They immediately raised their weapons.
Marco Bwe sneered and said, "Good heavens, if you can't win an argument, you have to resort to violence? We, the Southern Governor's Mansion, are not afraid of that." He and his soldiers also raised their weapons, the gleaming blades reflecting the sunlight and exuding a terrifying aura.
The soldiers on both sides slowly approached, a hint of murderous intent on their faces. The soldiers of the Eastern Governor's Office, who should have been the most prestigious, had become, for various reasons, the least respected group among the four governorships of the capital. Watching the other governorships enjoy boundless glory in Esnia, while they could only grovel and keep their tails between their legs, their anger was immense.
They had finally found a governor who kept his word, and their days of triumph had barely begun when someone dared to challenge their authority. Naturally, the soldiers of the Governor's Office were furious.
As for the people of the Southern Governor's Office, they were extremely displeased that their opponents, who were usually intimidated and would back down, had become so tough today. They thought to themselves, if they didn't give them a taste of their own medicine, who would know who was in charge?
The onlookers began to retreat far away, fearing that the conflict between the two sides would implicate them, creating a considerable gap in the scene.
Lucian Swiftfire's spear emitted a soft hum, its shaft turning crimson. This change was noticed by Marco Bwe, who recognized it as a special spear with unique abilities. He had long heard of this dissolute nobleman's family heirloom, the "Crimson Flame Spear," renowned for its incredible power; this must be the spear before him.
Not daring to be careless, Marco Bülow tightened his grip on his sword, assuming a diagonal cross stance. Those seeing Marco Bülow's weapons for the first time would be quite surprised, for his left hand held a longsword while his right hand wielded a fine dagger, appearing somewhat incongruous and rather strange. Yet, he wielded these two weapons, which shouldn't be used together, with remarkable skill; those unfamiliar with his techniques would certainly suffer greatly.
Lucian Swiftfire thrust his Crimson Flame Spear forward, the fiery red tip twitching in the air like a beautiful flower. A faint heat surged from the bowl-sized flame, startling Marco Bwe. It turned out that this guy's kung fu was indeed as amazing as the rumors suggested.
He dared not be negligent. He swung his longsword in his left hand and held his precious saber horizontally in front of him. A strange vortex of energy rapidly formed and flowed through the blades, causing the force field between them to change strangely. The scorching energy emitted by Lucian Swiftfire's Crimson Flame Spear was as if it had sunk into the sea as soon as it reached him.
The soldiers from both sides were already at point of armed confrontation, and the atmosphere was on the verge of exploding. Just as a conflict was about to erupt, a loud shout suddenly rang out: "Stop it, all of you!"
With this shout, a javelin carrying the sound of wind and thunder flew past the crowd. Its long shaft was a dazzling silver light, with wisps of dazzling electricity wrapped around it. It crackled from time to time as it flew, and its momentum was extremely astonishing.
Cynthia's all-out lightning javelin attack astonished everyone present, and the crowd watching from afar erupted in thunderous cheers. Such divine power was no wonder they admired her so deeply. Among the onlookers were quite a few astute individuals who, seeing the beautiful and voluptuous woman unleash such power, felt a chill run down their spines.
With a deafening boom, the lightning javelin struck Lucian Swiftfire and Marco Bwe squarely between them. Dust billowed, energy surged, and even the ground beneath their feet trembled slightly. The two men, who were focused on their attack, involuntarily took a step back, and the soldiers who were about to clash with their swords were even more frightened and retreated several steps.
Watching Aurelian Dragon stride forward, Marco Bwe thought to himself, "Good lad, you've finally come out!"
He had actually seen Aurelian Dragon as soon as he arrived at the scene, but seeing that Aurelian Dragon did not react immediately, he pretended not to see it and wanted to provoke Lucian Swiftfire into a fight to make the scene more chaotic.
"My lord!" Lucian Swiftfire shouted angrily at Aurelian Dragon, "These bastards dare to openly defy our law enforcement!"
"Put your weapons away!" Aurelian Dragon patted Lucian Swiftfire on the shoulder and turned to his men.
"Sir, this…" Lucian Swiftfire cried out hurriedly, "Our brothers are still being held captive by them!"
Aurelian Dragon whispered, "Leave this to me!" Then she turned to Marco Bwe and said, "The Southern Governor is truly swift in his actions and has arrived just in time!"
Hearing the implication in Aurelian Dragon's words, Marco Bwe chuckled dryly and said in a serious tone, "Lord Ye, although we are good friends, the laws of the country cannot be ignored. The people from your Eastern Governor's Office have caused far too much trouble. Now they even want to forcibly enter people's homes, so I have no choice but to offend them."
"Oh, really?" Aurelian Dragon responded noncommittally, glancing at the tightly closed gate of the sword club behind Marco Bwe. "Call out the people from the South City Sword Club and release our people first."
Marco Bwe shook his head and replied, "Lord Ye, that won't do. Your enforcement team is abusing their power, and Yusuf is planning to take it to the military. How can we hand them over?"
"I see," Aurelian Dragon nodded, casually stopping Lucian Swiftfire who was about to reprimand her, "This should indeed be investigated properly, but shouldn't you be at least not bringing your weapons on?"
Marco Bwe was secretly pleased to see that Aurelian Dragon was so easy to talk to. He then retorted, "Lord Ye, we wouldn't have used our weapons if your men hadn't attacked first."
Aurelian Dragon's expression suddenly hardened, and he abruptly addressed the soldiers behind Marco Bwe in a deep voice: "You dare to still hold weapons when you see me, do you intend to rebel?"
The soldiers of the Southern Governor's Office were momentarily confused about Aurelian Dragon's intentions. Should they put away their weapons or keep them? Unsure of what to do, they all looked at their superior. Marco Bwe forced a smile and was about to speak when Aurelian Dragon roared, "How dare you disobey orders! Put away your weapons! Hmph, you've got some nerve! You don't even bow to me, the Governor! You have no respect for your superiors!"
Marco Bwe was taken aback. Remembering Aurelian Dragon's status as the Eastern Governor, he realized he was indeed qualified to say such things. He quickly turned and shouted, "Put away your weapons immediately!" Then, forcing a smile, he said to Aurelian Dragon, "Please forgive me, Lord Ye, these uncouth men are ungrateful..."
Aurelian Dragon shouted, "Since you're to abide by the laws of the Empire, you too must first pay your respects to me before you can speak!"
"Oh no, this guy has found our weakness!"
Marco Bwe's expression changed drastically. He suddenly remembered that the Eastern Governor's status was one rank higher than the other three Admirals, but this had never been truly followed. Now, in such a public setting, Aurelian Dragon's question, while reasonable, was a huge blow to his pride.
Standing at a distance, Shi Yixin stroked his stubble and shook his head inwardly. He had originally reminded Aurelian Dragon that according to the laws of the Fast Empire, he could use his position as the Eastern Governor to suppress Marco Bwe and thus rescue the detained law enforcement officers. However, Aurelian Dragon used this as an excuse to make a big fuss and clearly wanted to give Marco Bwe and his men a hard time.
However, Shi Yixin, who first thought of this law, did not expect that his superior was not a man who would be satisfied with this. What happened next surprised him even more.
The crowd felt a slight tremor beneath their feet, followed by the rhythmic clatter of horses' hooves on the cobblestones and the sharp clang of armor and swords clashing. Looking up, they couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
A large number of fierce, armored cavalrymen, led by a giant general, galloped swiftly and surrounded the area with practiced skill. The chilling aura emanating from their eyes, visible through their face shields, made the atmosphere tense.
The Aurelian Dragon actually deployed armored cavalry from the citadel?
Shi Yixin couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly. This was really a big deal. Even the armored cavalry, which could only be mobilized in an emergency, had been deployed. What exactly was his superior trying to do?
He still wanted to think about it, but for Marco Bwe, it was a considerable dilemma. He had originally wanted to put up a fight and reason with Aurelian Dragon. Now it seemed that Aurelian Dragon wasn't giving him a chance at all, leaving him with only two choices: one was to resist to the end, but could his men be a match for these armored cavalry? Besides, even those wearing light armor wouldn't dare to truly engage powerful armored cavalry. The other was to obediently admit defeat and acknowledge in front of everyone that he was a rank below Aurelian Dragon—what face would he have left then?
Marco Bülow hesitated, while his soldiers secretly groaned. Only now did they remember that, according to imperial law, the Eastern Governor's Office was one rank higher than their Southern Governor's Office. They had been so arrogant that they had never considered this detail. The situation was now quite clear: if they didn't submit, they would likely lose their heads.
Aurelian Dragon sneered inwardly, knowing he needed to put more pressure on them. He gave Garrick Stonewall a wink, and the latter, understanding, slowly drew his Giant Sword. This group of armored cavalrymen were all people who had followed Aurelian Dragon to Yuzhou before. They were already very familiar with Garrick Stonewall, and upon seeing his gesture, they immediately gave a low shout and raised their longswords.
The specially crafted longsword, gleaming with a cold light, emitted a chilling glint in the afternoon sun, seemingly causing the surrounding temperature to drop sharply. The light reflected from the blade shone on the faces of the soldiers of the Southern Governor's Mansion, bringing them an unspoken pressure. For the first time, they realized that their opponent was such a formidable figure; perhaps relying on the Southern Governor's power had been a mistake.
Marco Bwe weighed the pros and cons in his mind. He knew that the guy in front of him was a competitive man. Back in the day, Aurelian Dragon had acted like a thug, so there was a good chance that he would really be buried here, provided that he did not obey orders.
So, could he fight his way out using his skills? If he could, he could naturally complain to the Third Prince and demand Aurelian Dragon's death. But if he couldn't, it would be a huge loss. Most importantly, he saw Cynthia approaching him from both sides with several women wielding javelins and silver shields. The powerful aura of these goddess warriors made him realize how difficult it would be to escape from them. Just from Cynthia's earlier attack, Marco Beverly knew that if they engaged in combat, his chances of survival were slim.
After much deliberation, Marco Bwe decided that a wise man doesn't fight a losing battle. He gritted his teeth, bowed down, and paid homage to the Aurelian Dragon according to proper etiquette.
As soon as he began, all the soldiers of the Southern Governor's Office behind him knelt down, and a chorus of kneeling sounds immediately filled the arena. Seeing this scene, the soldiers of the Eastern Governor's Office couldn't help but feel a surge of pride; after all these years, they finally had a moment to hold their heads high.
Aurelian Dragon gave a cold laugh and said to Marco Bwe, who had stood up, "Call Yusuf out now, and I'll give him a chance to explain. Otherwise, I'll raze this sword club to the ground!"
Marco Bwe sensed the ominous sign in Aurelian Dragon's words. Knowing he couldn't stop it now, he glared at Aurelian Dragon and waved for his men to clear the way.
Yusuf, who was hiding in the sword hall, saw everything. He knew this was not the time to be reckless. He ordered the hall doors to be opened, walked out with his head held high, and stood in front of Aurelian Dragon.
Garrick Stonewall roared, "How dare you not pay your respects to my master!"
Yusuf merely clasped his hands in a salute and said proudly, "I am not Lord Ye's direct subordinate, and I am also a specially appointed swordsmanship instructor of the military. Why should I pay my respects to Lord Ye?"
Garrick Stonewall was momentarily speechless. Aurelian Dragon nodded and said, "Not bad, very bold! But you've detained my men, which makes things difficult."
Yusuf shouted, "That's because they abused their power and injured several innocent swordsmen of our establishment, which is why we detained them. We're just about to take them to the military headquarters to file a complaint!"
Aurelian Dragon's face darkened, and she said, "You can appeal to the military headquarters, but first you must release my men. At least let me hear their side of the story; this is within the authority of my Eastern Governor's Office!"
Yusuf glanced at Marco Bwe, who nodded helplessly. He knew Aurelian Dragon was right, and judging from the situation, if they didn't release the law enforcement soldiers, Aurelian Dragon might order an attack.
Since we're going to appeal to the military headquarters anyway, it doesn't matter if we hand the man over to Aurelian Dragon first. With that in mind, Yusuf put on a very magnanimous act and said loudly, "Alright, for Lord Ye's sake, I'll release your man, but we'll go to the military headquarters immediately to settle this matter."
Aurelian Dragon nodded, readily agreeing. Shi Yixin sighed inwardly. This situation was getting out of hand. If they went to the military headquarters like this, putting aside everything else, Aurelian Dragon's unauthorized mobilization of armored cavalry to besiege the Southern Governor's Mansion in broad daylight would be a serious offense if caught by the military officials who already disliked them.
Furthermore, given the current lack of evidence and the conflicting accounts from both sides, Prince Elnario will undoubtedly side with them. Alas, how could the Aurelian Dragon be so unwise?