Realm of Power

On the sea surface of the port, a fleet consisting of 20 Dragon Tooth warships and 20 transport ships slowly drove out of the inward bend of the port.

The fleet formed a straight line for marching, with the fighting Dragon Tooth warships at the forefront. The long hull broke the sea surface, dragging out neat white water marks. The distance between warships was 20 meters. Above, it forms a straight line sloping to the right, like a group of ferocious sea monsters suddenly appearing on the sea. Behind it is a fat and fat transport ship, forming a square shape. The entire fleet is like a knife with a handle. .

There was exciting music coming from the direction of the port, which seemed to be for the fleet to leave the port, and on a cliff three miles away from the port

Carefully recording the position and number of each warship in the fleet on the sea with the black charcoal in his hand on the leather paper, Besmer, a senior spy of the Southwest Intelligence Department, cautiously started from the top of a cliff near the coast. Crawling up among the weeds, the trees on the sea in the distance The fleet confirmed the authenticity of the third piece of information obtained the day before. "On November 22, the main force of the Falcon Fleet left the port, targeting Ruawangka. The combat mission: cruise. It is expected that more than 20 warships and 16 transport ships will participate. Ship, cruise arrival time on the morning of the 24th "

"Sir, it seems that this information is true and correct!"

Next to Besmer was the deputy who had just returned, a young man with a delicate face, wearing a simple gray hunting suit. He patted the withered grass and stains on his body, and while talking, he walked towards a stone next to him, with a Two bows, daggers and In order to hide the quiver, the two of them brought ten days of dry food and water in the name of wild hunting, as well as daggers and bows for self-defense. With the coming of winter, more and more people went out to hunt. Generally speaking, Next, the army won’t pay too much attention

I have been here for two days and two nights. The two finally saw the scene just now on the morning of the 22nd.

"Have you noted the time?"

Bemes withdrew his gaze from a distance and looked up at the indifferent sunshine in the sky. The winter land was full of desolation. The morning and night frost on the ground formed a white fog belt, and there were a few sounds coming from the distant woods. lonely bird song

"Of course, at eight o'clock in the morning on the 22nd!" the young deputy responded with a stern expression and a bit of pride. "This is the time when the Falcon Navy fleet leaves the military port. In two days, they will appear in Luawangka On the sea! To be honest, if possible, I really hope that time will pass faster! Young people should learn to be patient! Now that it has been confirmed, let’s set off and return immediately! In terms of speed, we should arrive half a day faster than them!” Beimei smiled and patted his assistant on the shoulder. The sketch was stuffed into the animal skin bag used to carry sundries, and the two of them packed it up. Walking towards the woods not far away, there were two horses that had been prepared. When they came out this time, they had no intention of returning to the port. Once the Falcon Navy is attacked, the other side's navy will definitely suspect that the cruise route has been revealed and will conduct a large-scale manhunt at the military port.

Both are outsiders. His accent also has a certain southwest accent. Going back to the port is like throwing himself into a trap, but as a senior spy. Bemmes still had a choice. He spent a lot of money to book a room in the hotel and asked the boss to clean it from time to time. In this way, if the other party really started searching, he would soon notice this weird room. In this way, you will not immediately think of the fact that you have left. When the other party reacts, you will arrive at the base camp safely. Drinking this winter's ale leisurely, with a somewhat proud attitude, the two of them climbed on the prepared horses and disappeared. In the distant woods

Southwest General Headquarters

This is a large independent building, surrounded by some large and small buildings.

Directly in front is a huge fountain, with twelve water columns spraying water in turns according to time. On both sides of the road are natural and man-made forest belts, rose gardens, marble sculptures, beautiful flower beds, pavilions, and huge green lawns, etc. In the daylight, the whole building is shrouded in a faint silver light and looks quite comfortable.

Although there are some buildings nearby, they are not high-rise buildings. In addition to soldiers, there are more than a thousand personnel of various types in the base camp. They are responsible for cleaning, cleaning, hospitality, garden management, deer herds and other tasks every day, and they are all luxurious.

The southwest is different from the northwest. As the barrier of the Gallic Empire against the Confederate Empire in the south, the Imperial Military Affairs Ministry allocates various military expenditures of 8 million gold coins every year, and deploys more than 100,000 heavy troops.

Under the vigorous cultivation of the Gallic Empire, the number of cities and total population in the southwest region is nearly twice that of the northwest region. This is not only because of the importance of the southwest region, but also because of the particularity of the southwest region. In the Gallic Empire 3 In the history of a hundred years, five of the seven Gaul emperors had the experience of concurrently serving as military and political governors of the southwest region when they served as princes. This is not surprising. Not only because of the important strategic location of the southwest, but also because in a sense, the southwest is like a smaller version of the Gallic Empire economically and militarily. It not only has strong economic and military strength, but also has to face threats from several countries at all times. Peeping at the dangers from all sides, Gangfei in the south, barbarians in the northwest, and Mesobicia in the east, backed by the big tree of the empire, there are enemies in front, but also opportunities!

The emperors just want to see what kind of person their chosen prince is and how he will deal with these problems.

Brave, cowardly, aggressive, conservative, cautious, reckless,

Everyone's character can be seen at a glance in the southwest. Naturally, those who are qualified to be the person in charge of the southwest and assist the crown prince must also be the most trusted confidant of His Majesty the Emperor. This is the touchstone of the Gallic Emperor, and The current Emperor of Gaul has no experience in serving in the southwest region. His predecessor passed away suddenly due to an asthma attack. This emperor was just on his fortieth day as crown prince. He was suddenly recalled while on his way to the southwest to take up his post. The ministers put him on the emperor's throne. "Your Majesty, the commanders of all armies have been summoned and are now waiting in the conference hall!"

The adjutant gently opened the door of the room and saw Algernon Katja, the southwestern commander of the Gallic Empire, sitting on an armchair, talking eagerly to a middle-aged man in a navy uniform opposite him. He was wearing a blue senior navy general's uniform. , he used gold thread to embroider the navy admiral's collar button, and fastened it to the top of his neck meticulously. His somewhat abrupt aquiline nose filled his eyes with a sense of aggression.

Information about this middle-aged man naturally flashed through the adjutant's mind. Marquis Angus Willie, Commander of the Empire's Second Fleet, in order to cope with the sudden movement of the Confederate Empire's navy to the north, he stationed himself at the Chilos Naval Port in the southwest.

Algernon Katja in front of him seemed a little impatient and walked back and forth, while Commander Angus Willie sat opposite. He said with a somewhat ugly expression, "Lord Commander, the combat mission in the northwest should not be within the scope of my responsibilities!"

"This is an order from the Southwest Consul General's Office! In order to ensure the security of the southwest, the northwest must be completely controlled. Controlling the southwest garrison is the responsibility and power granted to me by His Majesty the Emperor. If you have any questions, you can directly ask His Majesty the Emperor!" Alger Nongkajia stood up from his seat He said in a very serious tone, he knew that although he was the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest, his control over the navy was extremely limited, and relying solely on the Commander-in-Chief of the Southwest's own naval fleet was completely unable to suppress the arrogance of the Northwest, so He did not hesitate to use the name of the emperor,

Angus Willie is certainly not over this. He dared to question His Majesty the Emperor. If he reported it to the Admiralty in accordance with the procedures, the war here would be over, as long as he could win. Faced with the strength of the Army, even the Navy had nothing to say.

"However, mobilizing the fleet without authorization from the Admiralty..." Angus Willie frowned. I can only choose to stick to my own principles and never dispatch the fleet without an order from the Navy Ministry.

Algernonkaja could only say in a different tone, "This battle. It is related to His Majesty the Emperor's major plan for Confederation. As you must know, the Atwood Naval Port on the northwest coast has been used as the base for this battle." Reserve Military Port "Yes, I understand this!" Angus Willie nodded, not knowing what Algernonkaja meant. "Once the war with Gangfei breaks out, Atwood will become The Navy's second line of defense, but , Just some time ago, Atwood was attacked!" Algernonkaja's voice stopped, "Do you want to wait until His Majesty the Emperor personally marches to the southwest, and then face the embarrassment of a similar report?" ..." Angus Willy's expression changed. Algernon's words hit his weak point. As the Imperial Navy, he was indifferent to Atwood's attack. If such a situation really happened, the Navy Department would probably not hesitate. Make yourself the scapegoat!

In fact, everyone knows very well that Admiral Melundi, who is in charge of the northwest waters, was imprisoned for unknown crimes some time ago.

The northwest sea area is now completely blank. Since it is not within the scope of their own responsibility, the admirals of other fleets have no intention of meddling. Everyone knows about the chaos in the northwest. Atwood Sea City is involved in it, so it is inevitable to be attacked. , not occupied and destroyed,

The Navy Ministry expressed indifference to this, because once it expresses concern, it will inevitably mobilize the fleet to the north. Mobilizing the fleet costs money. Who will pay for this money? The Admiralty is still waiting for Atwood to send money! Who dares to take the initiative to join in when they are full? "I'm just taking action now to help His Majesty avoid this kind of worry."

Algernon Katya looked at him and seemed to notice something. He paused in his voice and deliberately pretended to be contemptuous, saying, "The other party is just a small fleet of barbarians. Is it possible that a dignified regular navy of the empire like you? Would you still be afraid of a small fleet of local barbarians?

If this spreads out, it will damage not only your reputation, but also the reputation of the Imperial Navy! I am afraid that there will be fluctuations in the heart of His Majesty the Emperor. Could it be that you also saw the scene in the Declaration of Almeria a hundred years ago, and it will happen again? "

"The Declaration of Almeria a hundred years ago!"

Angus Willy's face turned a little pale and he was silent. His eyes were filled with a stinging feeling. He knew that the other party was not being alarmist. The previous heads of the Southwest Region were the emperor's confidants, and the Algernon family was almost the emperor. spokesperson,

One hundred years ago, it was the era of the fourth emperor of the Gallic Empire. This was an emperor who liked the army but despised the navy. During the thirty years of his rule, the empire expelled the Slavs from the northwest through continuous foreign wars. In the cold land of the north, Jerusalem was captured from Bakith in the region of Central Abia;

The glory of the Imperial Army completely suppressed the Navy, which had only a few small sea ports at the time. Moreover, the Navy's successive defeats in the Barro Sea in Central Europe made it even worse. The battleships suffered serious losses, and several military operations in conjunction with the Army also failed completely.

Within the empire, an unfavorable argument against the navy gradually emerged.

An army can open up territory for an empire. Most of the Navy's responsibilities are inconsequential small tasks such as cruises, and such small tasks cost one-fifth of the empire's military expenditure. According to the Army's more popular statement,

This is a typical example of "raising a bunch of trash that is a waste of money and food"

There were even several emperor's meetings in which the army requested that the naval establishment be directly abolished and that the military expenditures for the construction and maintenance of naval warships be used to purchase army armaments. Almeria, the undersecretary of military affairs in charge of the army at the time, once held a ten years. The Navy's bill for building warships said directly, "This is an extremely abominable waste. Building these meaningless behemoths is no different from throwing huge military expenditures into the sea. The Navy, a group of incompetent worms, has been We cannot expand the territory for His Majesty, and we cannot obtain wealth for Your Majesty. Third, even transporting slaves is not faster and more convenient than using horse-drawn carriages." Every time I see the sails of the warships built by the navy with huge sums of money rising. rise. I feel that such a moth has no value at all! "Military Undersecretary Almería raised his head, with tears in his eyes, and his fanatical voice revealed the grief and indignation of a warrior. He said slowly, "If His Majesty can invest this money into the Army, the Army will add at least 20 regular legions ( Legion, the Gallic Empire's establishment, with a full strength of 6,000 people, mainly infantry) equipment! Our soldiers will be equipped with heavy armor, and we will completely capture Seattle, the core of Central Asia, and let the imperial flag fly in the beautiful pale yellow sunset of Seattle! Not because of lack of troops. We can only retreat helplessly! "

It was an iconic declaration, and the words of Almeria, the Undersecretary of Military Affairs, moved everyone at the meeting. It was also the beginning of the darkest era of the Gallic Navy. The fourth emperor, who attached great importance to the army, listened to it. This opinion

The Gallic Navy's strength of more than 30,000 people was reduced in just six months, leaving only a handful of 1,500 men. The main task was to guard the docks. Because there was no funds, the brand-new warships were left in the simple docks to be exposed to the weather. It became riddled with holes. The tattered canvas had not been replaced in twenty years. It was full of holes gnawed by rats. The deck was covered with moss that made it impossible to stand.

The fleet completely lost its combat capability,

Most of the sailors also secretly sell accessories on the warships to make a living. If it weren't for the emperor to feel that he still had a navy in his hands to satisfy his little vanity, if it weren't for the newly rising Confederate Empire and the Gallic Empire in the south, The expansion violently collided with everything, and the navy of the Gangfei Empire penetrated into the imperial waters several times, causing panic in the internal areas of the Gallic Empire and tingling the nerves of His Majesty the Emperor. Maybe even these would be eaten alive by the army. ,

This miserable scene did not end until the fifth emperor came to power, that is, the previous emperor who had just passed away came to the throne.

In order to deal with the aggressive naval power of the Congo and Fe Empire, this relatively wise emperor once again increased support for the navy. After more than 20 years of construction, he regained the strength to fight against the Congo and Fe Navy. The Army has always been critical of this, believing that the Gallic Empire's final defeat in the Seattle area, its disheartening evacuation with more than 100,000 casualties, and finally the situation of ceding territory and suing for peace, was all because the previous emperor failed to continue the execution of his predecessor. Army-based policy,

Now that the new emperor has come to power, his attitude is unclear. No one knows what attitude he will take regarding the balance between the navy and the army. However, one thing is clear, that is, the current emperor is really unhappy with the northwest, especially with Zhu Some mature and prudent ministers of the Leers family are worried that the new emperor's willful behavior is shaking the foundation of the empire's 300-year rule, which is the principle that the monarch will never interfere in the grievances of local wealthy families. "If you still have concerns, how about joining in to assist the Southwest Navy in combat!" Algernonkaja looked at Angus Willie, who was a little shaken, and decided to throw out his trump card. "As long as this battle is won, the Northwest will be stable." , His Majesty the Emperor will definitely be deeply satisfied with your performance. It has been one year since Marquis Bonifacio died in the Battle of Gibraltar, and the position of Undersecretary of the Navy has been vacant for a long time. If your Excellency is interested, our Algernon family is willing to Full support!”

Angus Willie's eyes were bright. If he could get the support of the Algernon family, known as the "Royal Spokesperson", it would be a sure thing to ascend to the position of Undersecretary of the Navy. Before that, he had ascended to the position of Undersecretary of the Navy. The one with the highest voice is Admiral Melundi of the Northwest Sea who has been imprisoned. There is also a saying within the Navy that the reason why Melundi was suddenly imprisoned is entirely because of the persecution of the Julius family who supported him. There was pressure from His Majesty the Emperor, so he was implicated. "Okay, I agree to obey the Lord Commander's arrangements! I will participate in the battle as an assistant to the fleet!" Angus finally nodded with great force. His position of power is so touching! Just think about Melundi's fate in prison and you will know what will happen if he offends the Algernon family. "Great, then we are the coalition now!"

Algernonkaja said with a joyful smile on his face, and walked into the combat conference room side by side with Angus Power. The 20-meter long table was already filled with more than 20 people, all of whom belonged to the more than 100,000 troops in the southwest region. Legion commanders,

Seeing Algernon Katya walking in, everyone stood up neatly and shouted "Master General!" (To be continued...)