Realm of Power

The long rain fell from the sky, turning into a misty white mist. In the distance, the rolling hills and plains of the south could be seen. In late June, the fat man arrived in Kyoto, the capital of the former Salander dynasty.

At this time, Salander has calmed down from the turmoil two years ago. About 300,000 Salanders have returned to their hometown through various channels, and about 70,000 Salanders have returned to their hometown forever. Stayed in Salander,

As the empire's dominance has strengthened and the Salanders' sense of identity with the empire has increased, some small-scale conflicts have gradually calmed down.

No matter what kind of psychology the Salanders have, they must accept the fact that the Falcon Empire has become the master of this continent. Even the temple began to change after the Saintess Ceremony. I have become much more at ease. The temple that was once aloof and regarded as the spiritual sustenance of the Salander people has been It has become a vine attached to the big tree of the empire. Even if the temple priests are full of worries, they can only bury them deeply in their hearts and never dare to make them a topic of discussion after dinner, because the rule of the empire has already Deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, the first saint born among common people has proved that secular royal power is superior to divine power.

By the light of the wind lantern in the carriage, the fat man lowered his head and flipped through the documents he had received in the past few days. Sure enough, as that piece of information fell into the Gallic Intelligence Department, the entire Gallic capital was in chaos. No one would believe any nonsense about rest. , but the Falcon Army's advance slowed down, which seemed to prove this possibility. The Emperor of Gaul held a royal meeting. Although he was not sure why the Falcon Army slowed down its attack, he still made a decision to concentrate all forces and quickly recover. The decision to lose territory in the north,

At the imperial meeting of the Gallic emperor, Arde, the greatest contributor to the Northern Campaign, was undoubtedly the most eye-catching. The nobles of Kyoto all boasted that he was a peerless hero who saved the empire from crisis. When he returned to Kyoto from the front line, for the first time, the seventeen wealthy families of Kyoto all sent representatives to personally greet him outside the gate of Kyoto.

Even the Emperor of Gaul sent a team of praetorian guards to escort him into the city gate. Behind the majestic praetorian cavalry, the people of Kyoto saw the impact in their minds, and the people suddenly rejoiced, and countless flowers were thrown from both sides of the street. It was like a rain of petals falling towards this famous Gallic general. Ard, who was wearing a general's armor, looked a little embarrassed. It was said that the guards following behind could fill ten carriages just by picking up these flowers.

This is undoubtedly a very honorable thing for a general. But Yard undoubtedly doesn’t think so,

At the imperial meeting during the Battle of the Northern Expedition, he was calm and composed, and was the only one to express objections to His Majesty the Emperor's proposal.

Under the eyes of everyone, he pointed to the battle map on the conference table and said, "The northward advance is smooth, but it does not mean that the Slavs are vulnerable. In fact, according to my findings, most of the areas now recovered were deliberately abandoned by the Slavs." In this way, the other party has gathered forces from all over the region. I have a hunch that the Slavs’ counterattack will soon come!”

"Lord Yarde is so filtered! As more and more areas are recovered, our strength will only become stronger and stronger. In that case, we will be even less afraid of the Slavs' counterattack." Hearing Yarde's words. A Gallic general who attended the meeting stood up, gave a military salute to the emperor on the main seat, and said loudly:

"Your Excellency seems to have forgotten"

Yalder stood up straight and looked at the general. He recognized it as Harun, the Gallic Minister of Intelligence, and couldn't help but frowning slightly. As the head of the intelligence department, this guy's ability is not that bad, and now he says such stupid things!

He explained, "Since April, the northern part of the empire has been shrouded in continuous rain! The ground is muddy, and marching is not easy. The most frightening thing is that the large-scale destruction caused by the Slavs in the northern region has caused the once prosperous northern region to be destroyed. In such rainy days, widespread diseases appeared, and many areas showed signs of failure. The areas where the Slavs voluntarily gave up were precisely the areas where these refugees were increasingly erupting. The enemy commander was obviously planning something. ""

"Refugees! This is really a thorny issue." The faces of the Gallic generals present began to look ugly. Once things like refugees spread unscrupulously, it would have a serious impact on the morale of the army, and it would seriously affect the morale of the army. to the army’s logistics line,

"Do the brave and fearless soldiers of our empire still need to be afraid of refugees?" Someone from the civilian officials opposite the general said, "If the refugees are allowed to form a large scale, it will have very serious consequences in the domestic region! Therefore, the army must eliminate these hidden dangers before they form a large scale." The one who could say such a thing was Sigurd, the Imperial Minister of Internal Affairs who was the leading civil servant in the empire.

This is a high-ranking aristocrat who is over fifty years old and can still be called elegant. He has slightly gray hair and thin cheeks. His face is flashing with a blush that is not known to be excitement or the weather. He once served as Former Imperial Internal Affairs First Dispatch Officer, Undersecretary of the Interior,

Three months ago, due to the former Minister of the Interior's embezzlement of rations for the Melasti army, the Ministry of Internal Affairs suffered a major purge. The battle in Rusti was in a tense situation, and the imperial army needed to be coordinated. His Majesty the Emperor personally helped the remaining few who were relatively innocent. Among the deputy ministers, an additional one was selected to be promoted to the imperial minister of the interior. That lucky person was the oldest Sigurt.

"This is not a matter of fear, but rather a matter of fear, but even the most heroic troops will feel guilty and uneasy in their hearts when they raise their butcher's knives against their compatriots on the battlefield."

Yalder's expression was serious, and the other generals had a look of acquiescence. Killing their own compatriots would bring more shame than glory. In this matter, the generals asked the Ministry of Internal Affairs to clean up the refugees in the local area as quickly as possible to clear the way for the northward march. obstacle,

The answer from the Ministry of Internal Affairs was, "This is simply impossible. To appease so many refugees, it will inevitably consume a large amount of food from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. At present, the empire has lost grain-producing areas such as Southwest and Rusty, and the food supply is already very tight. It is already the limit to ensure the use of frontline operations, and there is no extra power to take care of those civilians who are like ants."

Sigurt's cold voice echoed in the hall, and the meeting fell silent.

Everyone found themselves standing in front of a strange circle. The problem of refugees needed to be solved when moving north, and food was needed to solve the problem of refugees. The Ministry of the Interior did not have food to provide to the refugees. Therefore, the strategy of advancing north cannot be implemented. In the final analysis, it means no money! This battle cannot be fought!

"There are so many wealthy families in Kyoto who have a lot of financial resources, and there are also powerful regional governors on the border. It would be great if they could all donate a little to the country!" Silence. Someone murmured, and it was like a drop of water thrown into a frying pan! There was a lively discussion, and in the end the emperor himself set an example and took out 1 million gold coins from the palace's private treasury. Seeing His Majesty the emperor's stance, the other wealthy nobles of Kyoto who attended the meeting all lowered their heads. You had 50,000 yuan and he had 100,000 yuan. It took several days to piece together and finally collect the large amount of funds needed to appease the refugees. But where to buy so much food?

In the streets of Salander City, the Fat Man put down his report on the Gallic Council. With a smile on his lips, he gently opened the curtain of the carriage and looked out the window. He saw the bustling crowd, children running and playing in the park, and young lovers hugging each other under the crimson trees. The peaceful scene made people unable to help but Feeling deeply about mankind's ability to forget the damage caused by war. Of course, the current Salanders have all turned to the Falcon Empire without a doubt.

After the Falcon Empire stated that it would support the Sky Temple as the state religion. Those sky temples that had attacked the empire had undergone a 360-year change and became people who tried their best to praise the achievements of the imperial army. Although the personality and behavior of these temple priests who acted according to the circumstances were despicable, the empire did not interfere. In the social and political changes, this is just the most common phenomenon. The empire also needs such praise. To expand one's influence among the people and to stabilize people's hearts. Although some of the praises make fat people feel a little numb.

Those voices that once opposed the empire are gradually disappearing, and some underground resistance activities are gradually disintegrating. In northern Salander, Nile's Salander Dominion has given the Salander people a kind of spiritual sustenance and shown a gentle attitude. The empire's administrative agencies have fully taken over Salander's administrative affairs and restored the daily operations of the controlled area. At present, in addition to normal military mobilization, the empire's southern army's main energy is devoted to stabilizing order in various regions. superior,

The Southern Governor Statunko, following the fat man's instructions, gradually implemented reforms and other work in Salander. In order to prevent major fluctuations in the northern Salander lords, after research, the empire acquiesced to the autonomy of these areas, but The premise is that these areas must be attached to Nilai's Northern Dominion and fall under the jurisdiction of the Northern Dominion. Such areas account for about one-half of the northern half of Salander. Most of these areas are mountainous and seaside.

The carriage entered the Heroes' Square in the center of Salander Kyoto. It should have been very lively at night, but tonight there were no traces of ordinary civilians in the square. There were only a dozen officers in black uniforms holding hands under the dim lights. The tools in their hands were measuring something unknown. When they saw the carriage arriving, they all hurriedly stood at attention and saluted.

The fat man got off the carriage and looked at the huge square in front of him. His eyes flickered. In order to boost the morale of the empire's soldiers and civilians and at the same time show the glorious results of the empire's march on Obarro, the fat man decided to rush to the grassland on July 18th. Before the completion of the wedding celebration, a grand military parade ceremony was held in the Heroes' Square in Kyoto, Salander. The troops participating in the military parade were all elite troops who had withdrawn from the front line for rest.

"Your Majesty, it takes exactly forty-five steps to walk from one end of the Heroes' Square to the other. It takes eighty steps per minute. We have repeatedly measured it. According to this standard, the time it takes for the twenty-five square formations to pass can be controlled within two hours. Within." The officer responsible for organizing the military parade. Cautiously reported to the fat man. The fat man tilted his head and looked towards the end of the Heroes' Square. There was a group of palaces. It was the palace of the former Salander dynasty. Since the surrender of Salander Kyoto, the palace had been used as a falcon. His Majesty's private property has been alienated

The fat man narrowed his eyes slightly. He had already seen many palaces, such as the Vekia Palace that was burned down in the fire, the majestic Reedian Palace, and the Rode Palace that was full of the simple spirit of the Nords. It is undeniable that he is romantic by nature. The Salanders, who are highly artistic, The architecture is not inferior to that of other ethnic groups. The Salander Palace at the end of the square is very large, occupying almost one-fifth of the city. It is definitely huge. It claims to have three thousand houses. Although that is a lie, it is nothing but light. It's the number of rooms. There are indeed more than a thousand.

The fat man slowly crossed the Heroes Square and came to the Sarande Palace. He paused at the door of the palace. It was his first time to enter the Sarande Palace, so he naturally had to look at it curiously. From a distance, the Sarande Palace had various shapes and unique patterns. It was majestic, spectacular, and magnificent, but when you really got close, you didn't feel anything special. The crimson palace walls looked solemn, solemn, and heavy from a distance, but when you got close to them, you could see the paint peeling, cracking, and even sunken places, which looked a bit old. To be honest, this Sarande Palace has a history of 300 years. Even if it has been renovated many times, it can't take into account so many details. It is inevitable that it is dilapidated.

With a heavy and thick sense of historical vicissitudes, although the appearance looks very gorgeous and beautiful, it can't give people a pleasant and joyful feeling in the bones. It seems that there is always something lingering in the heart, and it can't breathe comfortably. Maybe. People living in this palace are burdened with a lot of pressure and scruples, which have been condensed in the brick walls and palace lanterns and can never be dissipated.

"Where is the prince of Sarande, Fubailou, now?"

The fat man stopped and asked the follower behind him. He walked around in the Sarande power supply for more than ten or twenty minutes, and felt that things had changed. As soon as he walked in, the long winding road was basically covered with spider webs and dust. Walking here, there was dead silence everywhere. The breath left by hundreds of years of dynasties was washed away in just two years.

"Fubailou has left Sarande Kyoto, and the follower official answered carefully, "A servant once reported that Prince Fubailou changed his name, went to the mainland, and became a businessman"

"Prince became a businessman? "The fat man smiled after hearing this, his face looked a little regretful. In his impression of Salander, only Prince Fubailou was a good person. The political structure of the empire has stabilized, and now the empire needs a large number of capable talents to fill the administrative agencies of the empire.

No, I am too tired recently. I run between the hospital and home. I have to work during the day and write at night. I fell asleep several times while writing...