Realm of Power

Province of Feppe, Gallic Empire

As the rear province next to the Rusty region, the Fipli Province in April is undergoing the largest recruitment work. The war on the front line makes the Fipli Province in the rear feel nervous all the time. This land is fertile and rich in products. area, in the history of the Gallic Empire, here It once provided sufficient military food and supplies for the Gallic army to sweep through the northwest. No external war could threaten this area in the hinterland of the empire, neither the former enemy Gangfei nor the current enemy the Falcon Empire. The opportunity will burn the flames of war directly here.

Although tense, it is also comfortable. This peaceful and comfortable environment is what the local Governor Hackard is most satisfied with. Materials to support the front line must pass here, and caravans heading to the northwest region must also pass here. The Rusty region The 500,000 Gallic troops on the defense line make people believe that the war will not spread to the province of Felipe.

Harald was an alcoholic by nature, 1.8 meters tall, with red eyes that made people dare not look directly, and a face covered with a beard like a sword. The first impression left on most people was that this person He is naturally generous. In fact, Governor Harald has a pretty good reputation in the Fipley area. Although he is a bit greedy, he is also very concerned about imperial affairs. For example, he came from Kyoto and asked to send Fipley to support the frontline war. In response to the decision to increase provincial taxes by 30%, he immediately summoned provincial officials for discussions overnight.

The night is dark and the streets are deserted. The war storm in the Rusty area has not yet reached here. Although soldiers are recruited everywhere to form local garrison, the war is still a war after all. Before it really comes, the local people still feel far away. This It is a peaceful land, and a large amount of materials shipped from Kyoto are also forcibly stored here, especially strategic materials such as grain and fodder. The streets are relatively deserted, as most shops are closed due to restrictions on the purchase of supplies and trade restrictions in the northwest region. It was forced to close because there were no sources and no customers.

There are more and more supplies, but the prices are rising higher and higher. There are more and more rumors about the great victory on the front line. According to the notice issued by the Fipley Province, the imperial army has been severely defeated in areas such as Lasi. The incoming Falcon Empire army advanced with great vigor. It seems that the southern Rusti area and the southwest area lost before the occupation are just around the corner, but there are also lists of casualties and missing persons posted on the stone wall in front of the city center, and each time there are thousands of people posted The names are densely packed and stretch into one piece.

The deserted streets and cold lists cannot cover up the excitement in some secret residences. In these precarious war years, the nobles firmly believe that carpe diem is the most practical thing. As a result, various bars and brothels have become the best nightlife venues.

As long as you have money, anyone can experience the state of drunkenness, dreams and death. So as to forget the cruel side of the world. War has distorted the hearts of many people, as if they were like demons. You can only release your inner desires in a state of drunkenness and extravagance

In Fipley's Governor's Mansion, the smell of red wine and women's perfume blended together, intertwining into an alluring smell in the night. Bright lights seeped out from the gaps in the sealed window paper, and in the early summer night breeze Slowly drifting away. Standing at the door were military soldiers guarding the door, wearing straight military uniforms and armor, their eyes full of solemnity.

Soldier's eyes. Occasionally, I would look at the brightly lit hall, full of envy, the feasting lights shining through the windows, and the faintly charming smile of a woman. There, it was the scene of the discussion meeting among the officials of the Governor's Mansion.

Governor Harald is a very easy-going man who comes from a wealthy family in Kyoto and has served as governor of the Fipley region for more than five years. It is a profound metaphor for the fact that if you want to be comfortable, you must get along with the local nobles. This is just a place, not an army. It's not the front line. The kind of rigorous meetings that make people feel sore in the neck are not popular in the local area. The local aristocrats pursue hedonism and pragmatism. Although it is a meeting in name, the situation of turning the meeting into a banquet is even worse. It can be recognized by the local nobles, not to mention that this is an increase in taxes that may arouse the resentment of most nobles.

In the spacious banquet hall of the Governor's Palace, low and plaintive dance music echoed softly, but no one was dancing on the dance floor. Only a few beautiful girls from the Lily Valley in the east danced on the stage next to the dance floor. They were elegant figure, colorful costumes , charming posture, and just the right display, all the nobles attending the banquet felt that the money was well spent. At least in the eyes of the local nobles, these dancers with good figures were better than those so-called female dancers who came specially for big scenes in Kyoto. Treble can give people more visual enjoyment

Next to the dance floor, there are only six small round tables, and there are only four carved mahogany armchairs next to each small round table. Even with such a small number of seats, the guests did not sit outside. Although they were nominally invited to banquets, they were received in advance. The local nobles who have been rumored are still absent For more than half of the year, in such troubled times, no one would think that they have enough money to cope with Kyoto's greedy demands. Last year, in order to pay for the military rations in the Rusty area, the local nobles had already tightened their belts. Now Kyoto is still thinking about it. It's a hateful decision to raise taxes.

"If it were me, facing Kyoto's excessive demands, I wouldn't give even a single copper! I don't believe that because of the lack of that little money, the imperial army in the areas such as Lasi will fail! Don't forget, the Falcon Army is already here It stopped there for a whole winter. Since it can't be broken through for a whole winter, what reason do we have to believe that the Falcon Army will attack here?"

In a corner of the banquet, Duke Habise of Nangur City and his confidant Chuka Guardsman, as well as the guard officer of the Governor's Palace Pechea, were talking about the blood relationship between the three local nobles. Distant relatives, although they may be separated by several generations, but things like blood still have a strong sense of local identity. Although Fipley Province is not yet the front line, it is not far from Rusty after all. It can be said that it is on the front line. under the nose

Therefore, Kyoto has set up a garrison observation team here. Its role is to supervise the transportation of supplies from the rear and ensure that all of these supplies can be used on the frontline troops. It was the Emperor of Gaul who proposed the establishment of this organization. The person in charge of this matter is Algernon Julia's confidant. According to rumors, Angelio from the northwest region is a very cold and ruthless guy who doesn't recognize his emotions and deserves to be raped. Drive out Germany! The local nobles all thought so, facing mountains of supplies. But being unable to reach out and make a fortune is a very painful thing no matter how you look at it. It’s like putting a plate of fragrant fish on a cat’s plate but not letting the cat eat it. The itchy feeling really makes the locals The noble's heart was broken.

It is not that there are no bold people at all, but in front of the Praetorian Guards brought by Inspector Angelio. Such daring people often end up miserable. Regardless of the severity, as long as they are found, the cold Inspector Angelio will order his head to be chopped off without even needing evidence, so in the Philip area. As long as the name of Angelio is mentioned, even children will immediately stop crying.

In order to avoid attracting the attention of the inspection team, he may even bring himself an unfortunate fate. The number of invited local dignitaries has been greatly reduced

"This banquet is already very simple." According to Governor Hallard, "This is already a very embarrassing and shameful banquet. However, I also think that in such a difficult situation, it is not appropriate to have such a banquet." The extravagance and waste have seriously hurt the feelings of the majority of frontline soldiers and are intolerable.

Of course, everyone knows the real reason. That is to show the inspector's attitude that everyone really has no money and is extremely poor!

The person who was talking to Governor Anrad was Duke Salan, the administrator of another city in Picardy. He looked thin, but his body was very strong, his spirit was very strong, and his eyes were bright in his deep-set eyes. He is a true soldier and has been on the battlefield many times for ten years. His body is riddled with scars and countless scars. Perhaps because he killed too many people, or because he was influenced by the puritanical ideology pursued by the Eastern Zhongbia Empire, this retired general lived the life of an ascetic with a simple diet, and was not as indulgent as the local nobles, so although he was older than Anrad The governor was ten years older. But his face looked rosier and more energetic than Anrad's.

"This tax increase. What do you think? In addition to drinking, it is inevitable to talk about the most critical issue.

"If I can win the victory over the Falcon Empire, I can even donate all my property and manor. But obviously, even if I do this, the front line cannot do this!" Duke Salan, who was a soldier, said Heavy, because I came from a military background, so We can often get real news from the Rusty battlefield, so naturally we won’t believe those so-called nonsense reports posted on bulletin boards. The more real they are, the more pessimistic they become. A month ago, the 100,000-strong Eastern Front Army was defeated, and half of it was defeated. A few months ago, more than ten cities in the middle line changed hands

Rusty was only holding on to the western front, fighting hard, like a taut thread that could break at any time.

Saran seemed very pessimistic during the conversation. He couldn't understand why the powerful empire that once conquered the north of Obarro had become like this in just a few years. The Gallic army that once dominated the north was defeated again and again, with countless casualties. Facts forced him to believe that the glorious era of the empire had passed, or that the style had ceased to exist on the day the previous generation of emperors passed away. What the empire now faced was the most fundamental problem of survival. Of course, their biggest concern will not be the survival of the empire, but their own survival.

It is no longer a secret that some wealthy families in Kyoto have used the profits of the war to make a lot of money.

Just like the supplies shipped to the Philip area, except for a strong and ruthless inspector who guarded some of them, the other supplies had long existed in name only, or were transported to other areas in disguise to be sold, or disappeared silently.

Saran, an upright soldier, had no other choice but to scold the wealthy families in Kyoto for their greed, shamelessness and aggressiveness. He stayed alone in his manor in depression. Since he had no ability to stop the Falcon Army, at least he could He also had to do something. He fought with During the war in the Central Asian Empire, he submitted a letter to the Imperial Military Affairs Ministry requesting to resume his military position, even if he was just the captain of a local garrison. However, his petition was sent at the beginning of the year, and in April, there was still no news. At this point, he no longer has any hope!

"Sir!" A communications officer hurriedly came in and handed Governor Anrad an order. Anrad looked at it, his face suddenly became unnatural, and his eyes were as gray as the statue at the door. After hesitating for a moment, Pianrad handed this order to Saran across from him. It was the appointment letter from the Imperial Military Affairs Department, "Appointing Duke Saran as the commander of the 31st Regional Guard Regiment of the Empire." Saran's His face suddenly became excited, but his eyes took in all the contents After reading it, I suddenly felt a sense of despair, because the last line of the envelope said, "In view of the current difficulties in the empire, Commander Salan is also asked to prepare weapons, soldiers, and all preparations needed for combat until the empire's difficulties are lifted. Fully compensated by the Imperial Military Affairs Department!”

"This is an empty appointment letter!" Governor Anrad opposite looked at the order coldly, frowned, and his breathing became heavier and heavier. He picked up the wine glass on the table and took a sip. "Those guys in the Ministry of Military Affairs must be crazy. . The regional garrison was deployed to the Rusty battlefield at the beginning of the year, and the weapons and equipment in the Governor's Mansion were almost exhausted. The weapons and armors now are strictly controlled materials. Even if they are self-financed, there is no place for them. Buy it”

"If there are still these things there now, I think there is only one place!" Anrad's voice stopped. He looked at Saran across from him solemnly. In this area, Saran was one of the few people whose integrity he admired.

"Are you talking about that Angelio?" Saran clearly understood what he meant, nodded and said, "That's right, in addition to the supplies sold by Kyoto, the only person who can now come up with so many supplies is ruthless. Infinite Angelio. At least according to what I know, that guy has at least three thousand sets of armor and weapons, and enough food to supply ten thousand people for three months. After hearing your mention, I feel a little bit confused. Thank you so much for this guy!”

"Thank him? The question is how do you get these things? Pay for them? That guy will throw gold coins directly into your face!" Governor Anrad curled his lips with disdain. "In the Philip region, who doesn't know about this cold guy?" It’s so bad, everyone is just turning around when they see him!”

"He won't ignore the national crisis, right?"

Duke Salan hesitated for a moment, "And this order was personally issued by the Ministry of Military Affairs. It requires me to prepare a local garrison on my own, go to the Rusty area, and accept the dispatch of frontline commander Hassan Rimbaud. At the same time, the order also requires that all localities The supervisor must mobilize all resources and forces in the entire region and be responsible for supporting operations on the front line, including the replenishment of personnel and the supply of logistics.”

Governor Andrade looked at him. His face looked unnatural, and he frowned at the adjutant next to him and said, "Go and find out if the inspection team has received such an order."

The adjutant went out and came back soon. He said obscurely, "The messenger station said that there were two identical orders, one sent to the inspection team and one sent here. Except for the name and location, all other contents were the same. In other words, the inspection team We also received an order to build a local garrison over there."

"What! The inspection team also wants to form a local garrison force!" Anrad's face looked a little shocked. Duke Salan was silent for a while. What is going on? Is the Ministry of Military Affairs crazy? It seems that as long as the people and organizations that can prepare the garrison have received such an order, this situation basically means that the Fipley area will soon become a battlefield. The regular imperial army is very busy, so just take care of yourself!

"Come here, send someone to the Rusty area immediately!" Governor Anrad suddenly stood up from the table, stared at the order on the table, and finally simply rolled it into a ball and threw it aside. trash can. But after a while, I remembered something, and reached out to take it out from the trash can, smoothed it again, with a look of confusion on his face, and muttered, "Damn it, it can't be like this, it's impossible! Lars!" Isn’t there an imperial army in the Ti area, and isn’t the front line singing triumphant songs all the time? What time is it now? We still need to mobilize the garrison to fight on our own!”

"I hope we are just worrying too much!" Duke Salan is worthy of being a man who has experienced ten years of brutal war. His reaction was not as big as that of Governor Andrade. He seemed to be still worrying about something. After thinking painfully for a while, he finally got a little worried. He said hesitantly, "No matter what, I am an imperial soldier after all. I will go find Angelio right away. Even if it is a robbery, I have to grab some weapons."

"That guy Angelio is disowned by his relatives! If you really dare to rob him, he will really dare to kill you!" Anrad said worriedly

"It doesn't matter! Life and death are just a thought." Saran's face relaxed. He looked at Governor Anrad, hesitated, and suddenly asked, "If the Falcon Army really enters the Fipli Province, as the provincial governor, I want to know what you will do!"

"I..." Anrad was stunned for a moment, and his face turned gloomy. He wanted to say that I would surrender, because without an army, I can't let more innocent people die, but he Looking at Duke Salan's emaciated figure, he really couldn't say such words.

"Will you surrender? I understand!" Duke Salan looked at him and smiled. "This will reassure me. Fighting is the duty of a soldier. I will not give up, but in a crisis where the situation cannot be reversed, avoid The death of more people is also a duty of the governor, isn’t it!”