Realm of Power

capital of the Gallic Empire,

Preparations for a celebration of the new emperor's twenty-seventh birthday are in full swing. The early morning fog is still filling the streets. The city guard riding a black carriage is already holding a three-meter-long iron fork in his hand. Strips of colorful ribbons were hung on the tree crowns on the roadside. Brand-new lanterns were hung on the shops on both sides of the street. The antique brass bases were polished with rags.

A carriage with a family crest appeared in the morning mist. The wheels rolled over the flat stones of the avenue. Many cities who were busy decorating their cities heard the sound of the wheels. The guards turned their heads and looked at Zhu Li on the door. The emblem of the Les family, many people's eyes flashed with a trace of imperceptible surprise.

Julius Ford came back this time specifically to participate in the birthday celebration of His Majesty the Emperor ten days later. Because it was the first year of the new emperor's reign, it was particularly grand. Last autumn, the Ministry of Government and Internal Affairs, who were good at flattering people, It is said that the ministry immediately arranged manpower and material resources to speed up the restoration of the old palace in the imperial capital. However, the report submitted was not approved by His Majesty the new emperor.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs wrote a new report and increased the financial investment by one-third. I originally thought that I could win the favor of the new emperor, but half a month later, nothing happened. The time was approaching day by day. Don’t look at it. There are still a few months to go, but the scale of this celebration is huge. The entire imperial capital has a population of millions, covers an area of ​​more than 150 miles, has as many as 73 palaces, and a hunting palace for resting during hunting. 31 There are 11 palaces for cultivating and enjoying the scenery, and the others are palaces inside the palace.

These all have to be decorated on the day of the celebration, the walls have to be painted, the potholes in the streets have to be filled, even the trees have to be covered with colorful decorations, and the person in charge of such chores has to be there. It was the Ministry of Internal Affairs. The time was delayed until November last year. The Ministry of Internal Affairs finally got the answer through certain connections.

It's not that His Majesty the Emperor didn't approve it, but that His Majesty the Emperor had already thrown the Ministry of Internal Affairs report into the trash can in anger.

"How can such a lifeless palace represent the new emperor's aura that dominates the world? It has been going on for hundreds of years. The empire needs a palace of kings that is more spectacular and magnificent than all previous palaces to show the majesty of the Gallic Empire." What the new emperor meant . Finally, it came out through the mouth of the attendant.

"His Majesty the Emperor needs a symbol that can represent himself. It is not just a lifeless statue of the new emperor, but a huge landscape that can still be praised by future generations after thousands of years. In order to show the powerful atmosphere of the empire, , the Ministry of Internal Affairs should provide for the construction of a huge palace According to the plan of the palace, the name of this new palace was even determined to be "Boalamy Palace". Boalamy was the God of War in Gallic mythology, and the new palace was named after the God of War. His Majesty the Emperor's inner thoughts. You should know it!" The person who came to deliver the message smiled mysteriously.

The officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs suddenly realized this and quickly made a new report requesting the construction of a new temple because the old temple was obsolete.

The report was approved by His Majesty the new Emperor the day after it was submitted. Officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs did not dare to delay and immediately organized manpower and material resources. However, because the project is huge and the requirements are very high, the Ministry of Internal Affairs is already doing its best to serve as slaves. Six months have passed since this palace started in November last year, and only one-third of the palace has been completed. There are too many reasons for this. For the Gallic Empire, both last year and this year It showed bad signs. First of all, the Gallic Empire invaded the western part of Central Asia. The defeat of Yatu resulted in the loss of more than 100,000 elite members of the empire's eastern legion. It marked the complete failure of the empire's eastward expansion policy that had been vigorously pursued for hundreds of years. The turmoil began. The new emperor came to power and gave up the empire's centuries-old policy. The strategy of advancing eastward shifted the empire's military policy to the west.

Then came the chaos in the northwest of the empire. Although the scope of this turmoil did not spread to the interior of the empire, the turmoil caused within the empire can be described as an invisible earthquake.

The struggle between the Alger family and the Julius family is only superficial. Everyone can see that this time is actually the result of His Majesty the Emperor's manipulation behind the scenes. Originally, His Majesty the Emperor might not have made such an order if he had been openly and openly targeting the northwest. All forces in the empire were shaken,

However, His Majesty the Emperor's overly biased attitude, his direct dismissal of Julius Fort's Slavic District Consul, and Alger's sensitive status as a farmer, undoubtedly made one hand weigh heavily on a scale, and the other On the other hand, Julius took away the few chips. The family is dead, and the dignitaries in Kyoto all believe that the Julius family is not dead this time, and will face a situation of being suppressed to the end. But the magic is here, the sudden appearance of the northwest coast makes this self-inflicted war started by His Majesty the Emperor. The farce directed and performed by the director suddenly took a comedic twist.

Julius Fort's carriage passed by the road next to the construction of the new palace. His eyes swept across the huge palace inside the stone wall and up to the sky. Julius Fort's eyes were fixed on it unconsciously. It is undeniable that even if it is separated, People who look at the surrounding wall and see this huge building can also feel the intimidating feeling coming from this huge red-roofed palace.

He has heard that because the construction of the new palace will be completed soon and the old palace is under repair, the number of people attending the recent imperial meetings has been greatly reduced.

Things that usually required group discussions and debates were now decided privately by His Majesty the Emperor and a few core ministers. In the past, His Majesty the Emperor would proactively seek the opinions of ministers from various ministries, but now, at some point, for each ministry, The suggestions were ignored and orders were issued directly

"The fighting is tense in the front, but there is a lot of singing and dancing in the rear. It's really...'

Julius Fuburg, who had just returned to Kyoto, put down the curtain in his hand with a solemn expression. He didn't want to look any further. The carriage was very dark without any light. Julius Fuburg was deeply tired. He also arrived to fight with the Slavs. After entering the front line, we discovered that the situation was already so serious. Although the Slavs were getting stronger and stronger, they even tended to oppress the entire northern part of the empire. According to the latest intelligence, in the north where the Slavs were raging, some poorly equipped Slavs is assuming garrison duties in the occupied areas,

This is not good news. The appearance of these defensive troops means that the Slavs no longer just grab a handful and leave like in previous years, but have plans to stay for a long time.

However, the Ministry of Military Affairs refused to provide reinforcements and could not come up with effective measures to stop it. This left Julius Fort at a loss. He was originally in a vacant position. Although he nominally held the title of commander-in-chief of the war against the Slavs, the troops under his command were doing their own thing. The 80,000 troops who were mobilized to go north were In the army, the number of troops actually controlled by Julius Fort is less than 15,000. This is because these troops have a good relationship with the Julius family.

At three o'clock in the morning, when Julius Fort was sleeping most soundly, a group of Royal Guards Cavalry wearing royal emblem armor came to the Julius family's mansion. "Open the door, we are His Majesty the Emperor's guards!" A guard officer slapped the iron door heavily with his hand, and the guard was woken up in a daze.

"I have something to see Mr. Julius Ford!" The Imperial Guard officer walked in with a dignified tone, with a hint of respect in his tone. No matter what His Majesty the Emperor wanted, the Imperial Guard officer knew very well that if His Majesty the Emperor hadn't removed Zhu without permission, With Liersforburg, the Slav, in power, there would be no such troublesome situation in the north of the empire. Facing a family that has been guarding the borders of the empire for decades, and the unfair treatment this family has recently encountered, has caused the entire imperial capital to change. There are no first-line wealthy families similar to the Julius family's situation and status. few. No one dares to say that one day His Majesty the Emperor will not treat him the same way he treats the Julius family. This kind of invisible alliance has given the Julius family a lot of secret supporters. Otherwise, Julius Ford would have become a real bare-bones general.

"What do you need to do?" Julius Ford came to the living room wearing only a thick fur coat, and the guard officer saluted him. He said, "His Majesty the Emperor has just decided to invite Mr. Fu Bao to attend the imperial meeting held in the palace this morning.

"Let me attend the imperial meeting!" Julius Ford looked at the order book in his hand with some confusion, and his face became very strange.

It is not surprising that His Majesty the Emperor knows that he has returned. As the Gallic Empire that has stood in the northern land for more than three hundred years, it naturally has its own intelligence network. Julius Fortress can definitely guess that as soon as he leaves the military camp, He is already under the watchful eyes of His Majesty the Emperor. Even in the military camp, every move he makes will be reported to His Majesty the Emperor every day. Otherwise, how could His Majesty the Emperor sleep!

"Okay, I'll put on some clothes and go with you," Julius Forbaugh said, and then turned to his room to look for clothes.

"I miss you so much!"

Julius Fordburg picked up the clothes on the hanger, and couldn't help but think of the days he spent on the northwest coast. Although he was also facing crises, at least he was free there and would not be monitored, and there was also the fat man. The wonderful son-in-law can always bring staggering surprises at critical moments. There is no need to be like now, trembling and exhausted every day. Even if you want to find someone to say a word, you will feel the eyes of being watched. From the military camp to the mansion, the emperor's eyes are everywhere. Even if you know it, these people will do it. Very bold, because they know that there is nothing they can do against them,

Julius Fort walked onto the carriage waiting at the door. The guards officer led 20 Royal Guards cavalry to guard the two wings. The carriage rolled on the stone road, making a rhythmic creaking sound.

The road was still dark in the early morning, and stars could still be seen in the sky. The starlight shone on the armor of the Guards Cavalry outside the carriage. Two curved battle flags like huge wings were on the north side of the Guards Cavalry Armor. The battle flags were covered with white The metal pieces are like the wings of the legendary God of War Boalami, making the Guards Cavalry look more majestic. The iron pieces swaying in the wind are like stars twinkling.

"Haha, iron wings are facing the wind!"

Julius Ford withdrew his gaze and grinned. When he was on the front line, he heard that His Majesty the Emperor had just redesigned the Guards armor and requested that the Guards cavalry look more in line with the nature of the Empire's first cavalry. I don’t know which flattering guy designed this The so-called "Iron Wings Facing the Wind" armor of the Imperial Guards does look good. In addition, most of the young men of the Imperial Guard Cavalry are from Kyoto. They have good looks. With the Iron Wings Facing the Wind armor, each of them looks like the reincarnation of the God of War. , just in line with His Majesty’s taste for exaggeration,

The celebration of His Majesty the Emperor is coming soon, and the reports sent back from the frontline generals also begin to praise His Majesty the Emperor. It seems that the army is under the command of His Majesty the Emperor. The Slavs were defeated in a rout, with millions of corpses lying on the ground. The battle report has already stated The Slavs were defeated, and the Slavs were fleeing. The Slavs threw away their armor and took off their armor. The Slavs had reached the point where they would flee when they saw the imperial army. Such words are almost full of the article, and the only one here who is still reporting truthfully is Julius Forborg. Anyway, he is just a bare-bones person, so Julius Forborg doesn’t matter.

Julius Fort took a deep breath and sighed. Although the war ahead had improved, it was because Slavs were busy consolidating the occupied areas and temporarily stopped their offensive. And it's not because of the emperor's counterattack. His Majesty the Emperor is really used to being arrogant behind closed doors. Don't you know that these extra wings are like twenty kilograms more weight in vain? Putting on such armor, besides looking good It's useless, but it's just for inlaying the extra wings. The bolts under the arms were fastened, which greatly restricted the cavalry's flexibility in wielding weapons.

In recent times, the Slavs have been too busy. Julius Fort received reports that refugees from the north also began to appear on the outskirts of the imperial capital, numbering about 70,000 to 80,000 people, according to the character of those officials. I'm afraid I won't report it! Just as he was thinking this, the carriage stopped and the Gallic Palace arrived.

Julius Ford got off the carriage, the icy cold moon hung high in the sky, and the dark sky was filled with twinkling stars.

Raising his head, Julius Fort's eyes filled with countless thoughts were once again fixed on this huge building that condensed the destiny of the empire for three hundred years. The former glory, the former glory of the Gallic Empire, and its former pride in the world. Seeing a black reflection under the starry sky, for some reason, Julius Ford suddenly thought of the fat man on the northwest coast.

They are two ambitious young men. One is deeply involved in the imperial palace. They are used to being deceived and seeking great success. They are unwilling to face up to the growing rifts within the empire and pursue their own arrogant dream of becoming the "God of War". , and the other one is expanding its territory in the barren land of the northwest, seemingly like a breeze. Although they are weak, they can turn the world upside down with a raise of their hands. The gap between the two has exceeded the gap in talent. At this moment, the Gallic Empire is like the desolation before the heavy rain and storm. Will the prosperous towns with tens of millions of people be like this? The starry sky will eventually rise with the sun and disappear without a trace.

Before arriving at the venue of the imperial meeting, Julius Fort had already seen more than a dozen imperial ministers standing in the corridor of the palace in front of him, clusters to the east and clusters to the west. When they saw him approaching, they unexpectedly looked over in a rare order. , the speaking voice also stopped, the feeling was like real The moment of silence when a clown appeared on the stage, the first thing that caught my eye was the newly promoted Minister of State, Duke Miles. This fat-bellied bald nobleman was standing on the right side in front of the conference door, and the other ten Several ministers are usually close to him and are popular.

The two people whispering to his left were the skinny Financial Secretary Dispin, a sharp-faced guy who looked like a hawker in the vegetable market, his eyes would light up when he saw anything beneficial, and the other one was It turned out to be Bobitov, who was the financial manager of the palace.

The whole of Kyoto knew that he and the thin Finance Minister had the same hobby, which was to keep beautiful slaves.

Legend has it that their favorite position is the 2-on-1 position. From the obscene chuckles they occasionally made when they were chatting happily, we knew that these two guys had probably just gotten married from a beautiful slave. The person who was called up looked quite energetic. Any man can understand this kind of abnormal excitement.

"Lord Fuburg! The subordinate is Murphy O'Brien from the Southwest District." A handsome young military attache with purple hair walked up to say hello. His upright posture brought an intimidating momentum. Although the two of them They are both in charge of the Southwest District, but this is the first time we have actually met.

"Mr. Murphy O'Brien, I didn't expect you to come back too!"

Julius Fordburg looked surprised, and suddenly felt that this imperial meeting was not simple. Murphy O'Brien became famous in the Eastern battlefield, and after being transferred to the Southwest District, he also defeated the Confederate Empire in one fell swoop and retreated completely. The boundary line of the Southwest District was withdrawn, and the reputation of Murphy O'Brien, a famous general in the East, was also in the West. The Confederate Army was at its peak. Julius Fordburg had a certain fondness for this young man who was capable and could deliberately maintain neutrality. He was able to refuse the temptation of marriage with the Algernon family, known as the royal family. This willpower and the determination not to wade into such muddy waters are both very admirable.

Julius Fordburg also heard about the bet between the Southwest and the Northwest. In front of him, it didn't matter who lost or won. What was important was that both sides maintained restraint and used the least cost to use fair knights. This method has solved the long-standing conflict between the Southwest and the Northwest. Regardless of winning or losing, it is worthy of respect.

On the surface, it seems that the northwest coast has taken a lot of advantage, but Julius Forbaugh, who is in the imperial system, confirmed that the winner of this bet is actually Murphy O'Brien.

A bet not only blocked the provocation from Kyoto, but also resolved the threat from the northwest.

In the shortest possible time, I was able to securely assume the position of person in charge of the Southwest District without any worries.

Killing three birds with one stone, who dares to say that the loser is Southwest!

"I wonder if Lord Foburg has heard about it!" Murphy O'Burne stopped in front of Julius Foburg, ignoring the gazes from all directions, and said in a serious tone, "Your Majesty will discuss the selection of the Northwest General at this imperial meeting!"

"What..." Julius Foburg's face changed, and even his body shook slightly. It's too much! No wonder those guys look so weird!

I wanted to write about expanding to the Slavic region (now Russia), but it seems that everyone is not optimistic, so I decided to continue to attack Gaul (to be continued, please search Piaotian Literature, the novel is better and updated faster!