Realm of Power

In September, the northwest region of Obarro continent ushered in the rainy season.

, huge rain clouds thousands of miles long shrouded the sky, and the heavy rain seemed to cover everything. The slopes on both sides of the road seemed like waterfalls at this moment, and those low places turned into lakes or oceans in the blink of an eye.

The blue flash was like a sharp sword, drawing an earthworm-like curve in the sky.

In the sky, light and darkness coexist, and the clouds cover the sun, making the earth look like an eerie dark night. Heavy rain pours, and raging winds sweep through the roofs of the streets. The rain forms droplets like waterfalls on both sides.

A carriage moved forward in the rain, and the horses' hooves splashed cold water.

The wheels slowly rolled over the puddles, splashing radioactive water. The coachman wore a waterproof hood, trembling and waving his whip from time to time, adjusting the direction of the carriage. The trees on both sides of the road could only bend down low under the weight of the heavy downpour, and they looked overwhelmed. .

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck in the woods. The bright electric light immediately turned into a fire, illuminating the face of the person in the carriage who was reading documents.

Lidakus, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Falcon Empire, closed the document in his hand, leaned on the back chair and took a rest with his eyes closed.

Luarca in the rain and fog is like a comb made of water combing back and forth above the head. This territory near the coast is 300 miles long and wide, but has a population of only 60,000. It is the poorest area on the northwest coast. The economy is mainly based on simple agriculture.

There are no special products. The only famous thing is the pickled saury in the mountainous area in autumn. The villages along the way are all simple thatched houses, surrounded by rolling mountains. Occasionally, when strangers are seen passing by, the children on the roadside will stop and look at them curiously. , and some who are brave will chase after the carriage and laugh.

Such a barren area is almost worthless in the eyes of many countries. It is precisely because of this that the land of Luarca is so rare that no one peeps at it, so it is called the forgotten corner of the northwest.

Lidakus came this time because of Fatty's instructions. Although Lidakus was not a military talent, he figured out the purpose of coming here after some guidance from Fatty. Use diplomacy to capture Luarca. Although Luarca is poor, he possesses a unique treasure;

After preliminary surveys by the Imperial Navy, it was unanimously determined that Luarka has the best military port conditions on the entire northwest coast. First, the coastline here is like the Dorok Mountains, with a huge inland sea curve.

Second, the location of Luarca happens to be in the middle of the entire northwest coast, using it as a base. It can connect to Normandy, connect to the Antoros military port, and go down to the Barrow Sea in Central Europe, overlooking the entire northwest sea in an iron triangle. The mobilization and deployment of naval fleets will be more convenient

The third condition is what makes Fatty determined to win. Crude oil is rarely found in the mountains of Luarca! In fact, I discovered this by accident. A businessman from the Normandy region who happened to be passing by was enthusiastically promoted by the locals on a specialty called "Magic Dragon's Blood."

"Buy some, this is proof of a dragon-slaying warrior! As long as you take this out, no matter how beautiful the girl is, she will turn her attention to you!" Local people who are crazy about poverty often use such gimmicks to deceive young people passing by from other places. people,

Anyway, no one knows what this is. In the eyes of the locals, the smell of this thing is pungent and unpleasant. If you smell it for a long time, you will fall unconscious and fall to the ground. It will burn when exposed to fire and cannot be extinguished by water. In the legend, the magic dragon The flames come from blood, which is completely combined with the blood dripping from the injury of the legendary dragon that ravaged the earth. Such things are often It will be favored by some young nobles. They can use this to please girls. They can ignite the demon blood themselves and then pour it on with water. They can look at the flames that are still burning under the eyes of everyone in shock and horror, and stand proudly. It is a rare fashion performance to hold up your chest and ignite the demon blood to party at the banquet.

This businessman was a trebuchet driver who had retired from the army. In a battle, he was too eager and missed, and his foot was broken by a falling stone. Although the back was connected, he walked with a limp, so he had to retire.

I am very familiar with this thing that the locals mysteriously call "Demon Dragon's Blood". In the Imperial Army's trebuchet troops, crude oil bombs are not a secret.

“What a surprise”

The businessman licked his dry lips excitedly. He knew that he had become angry this time. He suppressed the excitement in his heart. The businessman calmly bought the next barrel.

The Normandy region is offering high prices to encourage businessmen to explore the entire northwest region. Anyone who can bring back products from areas that others have not discovered, or information about minerals, will receive high official rewards.

Last time, he saw with his own eyes a down-and-out businessman who came back from Nista. He was rewarded with a full 10,000 gold coins for reporting a large iron mine that could not be discovered and bringing iron concentrate samples from that mine. , even if you have nothing, even if you draw a map of a new area, you can still get a reward of several hundred gold coins.

With the increase of new immigrants, venturing into new areas and recording valuable things there has become a new profession. Businessmen, mercenaries, and even idle vagrants use various identities to enter new areas.

At home, these people who make their fortune overseas are called adventurers,

They may have nothing, but they have the guts, and more and more people are getting rich with this, so that the new land, Normandy, which was not promising at the beginning, has become a popular destination for many adventurers and people who hope to change their destiny. paradise,

Returning to Normandy, the businessman immediately reported the discovery to his superiors, and a generous bounty made him smile crookedly with joy. On the other hand, the report was delivered to the fat man almost immediately.

Even internal affairs officials like Duo Ze know what this discovery means for the present.

The Falcon Army claims to be invincible. In addition to its bravery and fearlessness in combat, the large-scale use of crude oil incendiary bombs is also an important factor.

Although weapons based on crude oil are already very mature in the Falcon Empire, crude oil is not easy to transport. It is easy to cause combustion due to various unexpected factors, and it cannot be swayed or collided at will.

The wind and waves on the sea are violent and gentle, and even the huge dragon-class battleship has difficulty controlling it. Even the fat man tried several times, and after paying the heavy price of three Dragon Tooth ships being sunk, one Dragon Tooth ship to be severely damaged, and two hundred sailors to be injured or killed, he had to strictly order that all troops were not allowed to carry crude oil bombs on board the navy. Battleships, and therefore the troops in Normandy, were not equipped with such crude oil bombs, and the offensive power of the imperial army was downgraded.

"It's just God helping me!"

The fat man looked at the report for a full minute before taking a deep breath of air-conditioning. Unconcealable excitement shot out of his eyes. He must immediately gain control of Luarca. When the fat man was writing an order to the Admiralty,

Lidakus, the foreign minister of the empire, suddenly asked for a meeting, "Let him come in!" The fat man didn't even raise his head, he continued to focus on what he was writing, and responded to the door. "Your Majesty!" Lidakus walked in with a serious expression, "What are you?" The fat man raised his head and was stunned for a moment. Lidakus was actually wearing a straight black legion commander's uniform today. A rare soldier with a hint of murderous intent. Although Lidakus is a civilian, he is also the person in charge of military logistics and also has the uniform of a legion commander. This can be regarded as a disguised honorary reward for being a veteran of the Samor era. I heard that Lidakus cherished this legion commander's costume very much and rarely wore it once a year. "I'm here to ask your Majesty for a fight!" Lidakus stood up straight with a sullen face, his eyes flashing with hot light. "A fight?" The fat man put down the quill in his hand and looked at him with interest.

In Fatty's image, Lidakus's character is a bit gentle, or it can be said to be weak. He is good at coordination but not good at combat. He is a genius in logistics, but if he goes to the battlefield, it will probably be very bad. On the battlefield, When the two armies meet and fight, every second may be life or death. Lidakus's habit of hesitating and thinking before and after will make it difficult for his subordinates to adapt, and even cause chaos within himself! This is also the reason why the fat man did not send Lidakus to the battlefield. "My subordinates heard that His Majesty is about to use force against the entire northwest!" Lidakus summoned all the courage and said, "Yes, you are right! I do have With such thoughts, "Looking at Lidakus's legion commander's uniform with black base and golden lines, the fat man's eyes narrowed into a line, and he seemed to understand something." Subordinate I also heard that both the Southern Army and the Central Army have received orders from His Majesty to mobilize. I believe there will be a turbulent war in the northwest soon. Fort Julius Ford is seriously ill and the Northwest has no owner. His Majesty is preparing to use this to devour the Northwest. ""Your guess is accurate, but I still need some time." The fat man grinned slightly. Lidakus is his confidant. There is no need to hide it.

"Since there is still some time, I wonder if His Majesty can give his subordinates a chance!"

The fat man smiled and said, "If you came to ask for a battle because of this, it is too early. You are also an old man in the army. You should know that it takes at least close to a month from the issuance of the combat order to the assembly and transportation of the army to Normandy. You If you ask for a fight now, I can't agree to it! "

"My war is not on the battlefield!" Lidakus looked a little nervous,

"Oh? What do you mean..." The fat man stopped, his eyes opened like sharp swords, and the smile on his face became serious.

Lidakus bent down, holding a document in both hands and handed it to the fat man. "This is the intelligence collected by my subordinates from all parties in the past month. I hope that before the war comes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs can take the lead and launch a war." Although a diplomatic offensive and defensive war against the enemy may not necessarily change the situation, it is at least an effort."

"Are you trying to disrupt the enemy through diplomacy?" Fatty took the document and read it. He was silent for a rare moment. The plan was pretty good. Lidakus wanted to open gaps from several areas in the middle. This made Fatty Looking at him with bright eyes, he said in a serious voice

"At present, the war in the central part of the country cannot be stopped! The other side will soon be at war with us. Using diplomacy to divide the other side is a good idea to reduce the frontal pressure, but you have to know that this is not good for you personally. , it can be very dangerous, traveling between enemy countries, you can lose your life at any time!”

"Your Majesty's war has begun, but this is a war that belongs to your subordinates. I have sufficient awareness!"

Lidakus stood up straight and said in a solemn tone, "Since following Your Majesty to this turbulent era and spending your life in silence like this is what makes me feel that life is worse than death, even if I encounter death,

Lidakus's voice paused and he said loudly, "At least I died on my own battlefield, and I won't have any regrets!"

"It seems. You have already made up your mind!"

The fat man took a deep breath and glanced at Lidakus, who had a determined look on his face. He knew that persuasion had no effect, so he picked up the pen on the table and wrote for a while, then folded it and handed it to Lidakus. Si,

Said: "Go, as a monarch, I will not stop a warrior. As a friend, I will give an order to the Navy Department, and they will fully assist you, but the time is limited, not more than a month. I hope you can understand, There is only so much I can do! If the central part is not possible, start from Luarca, which is much less dangerous. I will wait and see for you!”

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Lidakus's body trembled.

Now start from the middle. Let's start from the relatively safer south. Lidakus also thought about it for a long time.

Finally, it was decided to follow Fatty's instructions and choose to open the gap from Luarka. He went to the Imperial Navy Minister Dostronque who was stationed in the port of Ohacha, hoping that the navy could send a warship to carry him to Luarca.

At the port, he learned that Dostelenko was in a meeting. Through the glass of the conference room, he saw the heroic Dostronkai, who was planning the strategy for the entire maritime area in front of a group of fleet admirals. Although he was sitting, the uniform of the Navy Minister, which was mainly black and supplemented by silver, was still smooth. Standing upright and tightly attached to his well-proportioned limbs, he increasingly showed his capable and capable masculinity. The eyes of the subordinates around him were full of reverence.

Lidakus, who also served as the Minister of the Navy, seemed a little emotional. He watched the navy grow stronger at a glance. The rise of Dostronkai has become a legend of the empire. Now, no matter how bright the stars of the imperial army are, There is absolutely no way to cover up his dazzling position. In the navy, he is the first person. From the navy of a small country to the powerful maritime overlord spanning two continents, I dare not say that there is no successor, but he is definitely unprecedented.

This young naval commander, who is less than thirty years old, is making history every step he takes.

And this time, His Majesty’s huge investment in naval strategy will also get its due return. Without the Imperial Navy, there would be no situation today.

At this rate of development, it is self-evident that Dostelenko will become the Marshal of the Empire before the age of forty. The honor of being the first Marshal of the Empire is enough to make him shine for thousands of years and become the admiration of countless future generations. existence

Dostronkai's imperial fleet has built a stable naval base in the Nista region. The fleet departs from Nista and supplies in Ohacha. The naval fleet operation plan has begun to cover the entire northwest region's offshore waters.

The symbol of the imperial navy's force, the dragon's tooth battleship in the shape of a siren, often stopped outside some ports with great power, frightening the coastal ports into chaos and making everyone in danger. Although there was no clear statement of war, Atwood Sea City The lessons learned from the past are enough to make many areas feel the pressure from the sea. As the northern section of the northwest coast, the fall of Nista and Ohacha, the central and northwest regions were also completely exposed, and Luarca, where I was going, was one of them.

His Majesty thrust the sharp sword of the Imperial Navy into his hand. This grace had to move Lidakus inexplicably. With this life-saving talisman, the danger he would encounter would be much less. He waited outside the conference hall for three When I was young, I hesitated to push the door open several times, but I stopped until the door of the conference room was opened from the inside. When I saw the former Minister of the Navy standing outside the door, the admirals stamped their feet and saluted, their eyes burning. "Everyone, this is..."

Under the eyes of everyone, Lidakus looked a little stunned. Most of these admirals were unruly people. In the past, they did not listen to him very much. Now, suddenly such an abnormal appearance has made Lidakus feel suspicious." Your Majesty's order has been received by the Admiralty. Your Majesty's courage is admirable! "Dostelenko walked out of the crowd and said with a serious look, "Just now. Our colleagues at the Navy Department have made a decision. We will go all out for our former minister. This can be regarded as the repayment of the entire Imperial Navy to Your Excellency. Without Your Excellency’s biased care for the Navy in the past, it would never have been possible. There are people from the Imperial Navy today! ""Sir, the Lord's Mansion of Luarca has arrived!" The carriage shook slightly, and the driver's voice came from the front.

Lidakus's thoughts were like the cold raindrops outside, pattering down on the street, splashing with little yellow water splashes, which looked particularly desolate under the dim light. The drizzle accompanied by the cold wind blew on the windows of residents' houses.

After getting off the carriage, an attendant put a rainproof cloak on Lidakus. Lidakus raised his head and looked at the ancient building in front of him.

It is said that the first lord of Luarca was a knight named after the rose. Look at the rose coat of arms on the iron door of the building in front of you. I don’t know why, but a famous poem flashed through Lidakus’ mind: “There is a tiger sniffing the rose in my heart!”

"Will this be his victory battlefield? With a trace of trance, Lidakus stepped on the steps in front of him. He had no confidence in his heart, but since he had taken the first step, he had to go on! (To be continued... …)