Realm of Power

Salander, on the outskirts of Kyoto, Starlight Hall,

The summer ocean currents in June bring a warm climate, and the Salander Peninsula is particularly green and vibrant at this time. In the midsummer season, the mountains around the palace are covered with lush acacia trees, and the atmosphere is full of richness. The emerald green is occasionally dotted with a little bit of red, which is the blooming bud.

The light mist in the morning shrouded the surroundings of the Starlight Palace and lingered for a long time. The morning light shone through the mist, with a hazy meaning, making this palace located in the southwest of the outskirts of Salander Kyoto look like a fairyland. As an auxiliary hall exclusively used by members of the royal family of the former Salander dynasty, the Starlight Hall is entirely made of smooth and bright marble, which is solid and full of holiness. In the vast white mist, looking from the bottom of the mountain, the Starlight Hall located halfway up the mountain can only be seen The white marble stone walls and the deep round-arched door are like an altar in the clouds.

The sun emerged from the clouds, and its afterglow shone on the tall spires of the four corner towers of the sacrificial hall. The roofs of the central buildings were also illuminated golden. The bright yellow sunlight passed through the lattice glass on the roof and fell diagonally on the lower part of the room. On the wall, colorful patterns are like in an empty theater, playing silent light and shadow in the darkness,

This is one of the largest sky sacrificial halls in the outskirts of Salander Kyoto. On the steps of the temple on the top of the mountain, several white pigeons with spread wings fluttered up from the steps and rushed through the open space and buildings in front of the sacrificial hall. , or fall on the exquisite sculptures on the wall pillars, or fall on the edge of the fountain, making a cooing sound, and pacing back and forth leisurely. The entire sacrificial temple seems to be immersed in a different plane from the mortal world, and time passes slowly.

At this time, on both sides of the gate of this long-silent temple, stood black-armored guards in full military uniforms. The one-kilometer area around the temple was under martial law, and no one else could be seen. Only occasionally one or two carriages came quietly and followed the surrounding mountain road to the entrance of the Starlight Palace. The carriages stopped and the people on them hurriedly got off. He handed his documents to the guards for inspection, and then quickly disappeared into the deep round arch. Not long after, he hurried out again and left in a carriage.

Fatty temporarily moved his office to the Starlight Palace

The midsummer of June is very hot on the mainland of Ikadiva. Salande Island is a peninsula structure, facing the sea on three sides. On the contrary, it can bring a bit of coolness from the sea breeze in such a mid-summer season. Moreover, in terms of location, the Salander Peninsula is located between the Ikadiva continent and the Obarro continent. In terms of distance, it is necessary to be able to handle the waves coming from both sides in a timely manner. It is a good choice for fat people who want information about a continent. If it weren't for the grassland people insisting that the marriage of great significance must be held on the grassland, or the fat man would directly order that this celebration, which has more political significance than love, be moved to Saland Island.

In the Starlight Palace, the first person to arrive was naturally the Grand Duchess Nile from the north of Salander. Seeing the beautiful Duchess who had been away for a long time, the fat man felt a little guilty. He owed too much to this Grand Duchess. Salander The dynasty was defeated by himself. Tens of thousands of the Salander expeditionary force were declared traitors. When most Salanders criticized the empire, Nilai, who was born in Salander, always stood by her side unconditionally.

In this ever-changing era, everyone is faced with a variety of choices. Among their women, some are based on love, but more of them are based on interests. The only woman who truly makes judgments almost entirely based on emotion like Nilai is Nilai.

After Nilai, they arrived at Moona Qinghe and others who all started from the mainland of Wikiya. The feeling of meeting each other moved Fatty, especially in this romantic temple named after Starlight. The emotion of meeting lovers is indescribable to outsiders, as is Mao Monaqing's distraught expression. Make the fat man feel even more ashamed,

"Come on! Let daddy hug you!"

The fat man was happily playing with his several-month-old son. Unfortunately, the little boy couldn't speak yet, so he only stretched out his little hands and screamed indiscriminately. He kept kicking his legs at the fat man. The side of the little mouth was full of saliva. In the eyes of a group of beautiful maids nearby, the fat man found that this little guy had completely taken his place. Everyone took turns holding the little guy and playing with him, as if he was the real owner here. The motherly nature of women is undoubtedly reflected here.

After Mao Monaqing gave birth to a child, she became more and more like a hostess. This marriage with Congxi Royal Court was successful to a large extent because of the wishes of the Balance faction represented by Mao Monaqing. , because she returned to the grassland to prepare for the marriage of her god-sister Felandunya, Princess Scelis of the western grassland did not Later, Dylan Skis from the Dylans family who likes quietness may be Fatty's biggest surprise. This beautiful girl who seemed a bit naive at first has now shown a kind of elegance unique to the women of the Dylans coast. The charm, supported by a plain white sand skirt, is like a budding holy orchid in the sea.

The fat man felt a little sad in his heart. Most of the way he and these women came together were typical combinations of political interests. However, as time passed a few years ago, they had unconsciously become somewhat concerned about each other. Although he It has never been clearly discovered. But this little sister in his eyes has grown up after all, and is becoming more and more feminine. Xiaobie is newly married. After dinner, the fat man didn't care about Dylanski's shyness, and couldn't wait to pull her hair out in the evening. Mona Qing and Ni Lai were sleeping together.

June in the empire is unusually calm, but no one knows that something extremely important to the empire is spreading to every corner of the empire in such a hot wind.

The news of His Majesty Falcon's return has spread to every corner of the empire through various channels. This is His Majesty Falcon's first real return to the country after two years of fighting in Oparo. Because of this, all forces have also I started to get a little excited, especially when I saw the empire expanding its territory in the Obaro region and occupying a large number of fertile areas. The convenient maritime trade made the northwest and southwest regions occupied by the empire the areas that attracted the most attention from domestic forces.

The empire is advancing vigorously in the Obaro region. Three-quarters of the empire's army is stationed in the Obaro region. The Ikadiva continent, which used to be full of wars, now presents a prosperous age of peace, convenient transportation, and prosperous commerce and trade.

After five years of brutal unification war, in which millions of people died, the barriers between the various ethnic groups have been completely crushed by the iron hooves of the Vecian Falcon. Very few people among the Vekians, Reedians, Doroks, and Nords cared about each other's race. Many areas of the continent were razed to the ground when the empire was rebuilt. It is built completely in accordance with the standards of commercial cities, using the veins formed by rivers to build a dense transportation network and a convenient road network that connects cities with each other.

The rise of merchants comes from two parties. On the one hand, there are a large number of nobles who lost their status and privileges in the war. With wealth and the desire to save themselves, they independently transformed into business nobles. They turned the wealth they had accumulated over generations into merchant ships that sailed to sea. Carriages for transporting goods and various raw material processing workshops attracted and digested a large number of refugees who lost their land during the war, and injected a strong flow of capital into the economic recovery.

On the other hand, the fat man is adding fuel to the fire. The establishment of business alliances, the extension of the war context into the business network, the unique policy tilt, and the relatively stable peaceful environment also attracted a large number of nobles from war-torn areas. Those who chose to escape with their families because of the war during the unification war Nobles from various continental countries, armed with a large amount of wealth obtained from selling their properties and full of longing for life, swarmed into the empire's market.

All of this has become a resistance to the rise of merchant power. Merchants are becoming the decline of aristocratic power. Compared with the emerging forces that replaced the old power structure, another more powerful force still exists, that is, the military. The Falcon Empire was founded by force. After the establishment of the empire, it also adopted a dictatorial military-state system. , the power of the military is at its peak in the Falcon Empire. In the empire's political system, the most powerful regional governors were all soldiers.

When I woke up, it was already noon, the sun was filling the sky outside the window, and the room was quiet. The fat man was the only one left on the big bed. The scent of the women seemed to be lingering on his nose and fingertips. The fat man stretched his waist lazily. It was probably the calmest morning in the past few months. There was no hustle and bustle of armed men, and there was no adjutant waiting at the door with a thick stack of documents. There are no solemn-faced imperial generals,

Looking up and staring at the dome of the temple that casts sunlight, Fatty felt a rare peace in his heart. There were no wars, conspiracies, bloodshed, conflicts, people's hearts and other troubles. There was only this pure sunshine like countless lights, and outside the window. A burst of laughter from the maid, as clear and fresh as a bird,

"Be gentle. Is Your Majesty still resting?" Mao Mo Naqing's somewhat charming voice came. The door opened a little, and as the sunlight drifted in, there was a very touching voice saying.

"Your Majesty must be exhausted, last night was too...!" The fat man recognized the voice of Dylan Skis. He played a little crazy last night, and this little girl's voice had a hint of hoarseness. He thought The scene last night, this hoarseness made me feel more and more seductive.

The last thing that reached my ears was the little guy’s babbling sound.

The fat man finally knew that he could not stay in bed anymore. He got up from the bed and put on a thin and soft toga. This was one of the most common home clothes for Salander people. It was made of a linen thread that is special to Salander Island. Woven, the texture is soft and comfortable, but the one worn by the fat man is not made of linen. It is a kind of material called "Tan Si" from the distant Central Asian Empire. It is as white as snow, as thin as sand, and somewhat similar to silk. It seems that the Oubaluo continental trade route has been closely related to the Central Asian region. Connected together, among the goods coming from the hinterland of Obarro, more and more products from the Zhongbia Empire appear.

Coming out of the room, I saw the girls bending over to tease the little guy who was still screaming in the cradle and stroller. Mao Monaqing was standing alone in a light green dress, with her long hair draped on her round and attractive shoulders. , saw the fat man coming out, took out a letter from his sleeve, walked over gently and said, "This was just sent by the Hulun tribe's messenger."

"The Hurun tribe?"

The fat man blinked his eyes in surprise. Ever since Ai Lei said goodbye, the Hu Lun tribe's attitude toward the empire seemed to have changed.

"Why don't you take a look, maybe it's some kind of unexpected surprise!" Mao Monaqing looked at the stupid man and chuckled. She seemed to know some of the content that might be involved in the letter, and said slowly, "The current residence of the Hulun people has been broke away from the original island and began to move to a piece of coastal land specially designated by the empire.

Although the relationship with the empire is extraordinary, in front of the big tree of the empire, the vine of the Hulun people is born with inherent deficiencies. Like the sea Dylans, the weak population base and the complicated conflicts within the tribe are all constraints. It reflects the development level of these two families in the empire. Compared with the dominant Maomo family in the northwest, the eastern and western courts in the northern grassland, and the spiritual pillars of the royal families of various countries, the Hulen and Dillens are more like the kind of people who just want to be alone in the tide of the times, the leaders of the two forces. They are both women. In terms of ambition, these two forces may be the weakest! "

"Even if there are some accidents, they are understandable!"

Mao Monaqing's expression was calm, and her meaning seemed a little unclear. The fat man opened the letter in confusion, his eyes froze for a moment, and the hand holding the letter trembled slightly. He glanced at Mao Monaqing deeply. undecided

"I heard that Hu Lun Feilin gave birth to a beautiful daughter last year. Unfortunately, they didn't dare to reveal the news at all. I only found out about it in January!"

Mao Mona said with a green smile, "I heard that Hu Lun Feilin is the next generation of Hu Lun tribe chief. Women have always been the Hu Lun tribe chiefs. It seems that a little chief was born. Such a noble person is not as good as It’s up to His Majesty to give him the name!”

"What the hell are you and the Hulen doing!"

The fat man gently brushed Mao Mona's waterfall-like green hair with his hand, and said with some annoyance and humor, "Don't think I don't know, the Hulun tribe helped you this time. I heard that Ruitang Tingna went to the Hulun tribe for help." , but was rejected. The Dylans family also had the same attitude. This is what Ruitang Tingna thought. Is this the condition offered by the Hu Lun Feilin? As for Dylan Schis, taking her with you in person is undoubtedly a sign of disapproval. Don’t mind competing for favor! What are the conditions offered to you by the Dylans family?”

"Your Majesty has thought too much. In any case, this is His Majesty's daughter. However, Hu Lun Feilin is the next generation patriarch and must not marry His Majesty openly in order to avoid the leakage of Your Majesty's blood. If you want this girl to have a formal Identity always needs a name!" Mao Monaqing showed a rare look of seriousness. It seems that the concept of orthodox bloodline is deeply rooted in this ice and snow beauty, although she still didn't know about Mao Monaqing and Dylan. The contents of the Si family’s transactions. The fat man no longer had the intention to investigate.

Because a person who Fatty had to take seriously came to Salander, that is, Fatty was still in the empire and was responsible for the heavy military operations of the empire. In order to supply the huge combat needs of the front line, Fatty came to Salander at the beginning of the year. At that time, he followed Plais's suggestion and carried out a comprehensive reform of the empire's internal and military affairs. In the controlled areas of the empire, he took advantage of the rare opportunity of local peace to rectify the internal affairs, reorganize the army, and straighten out relations.

The political reorganization is mainly divided into two parts. One is the readjustment of administrative regions, the abolition of some departments previously established specifically for the imperial unification war, the replacement and appointment of officials to new positions, and the establishment of local and central institutions; the other is the reorganization of administrative regions. One is to improve the setup of the agencies under the jurisdiction of the regional governor, establish simple and efficient military operation agencies, and form an effective and efficient operation system so that after receiving combat orders, troops can be quickly mobilized for combat needs!

The main content of the administrative regional adjustment is to weaken the original regional separation between countries. No matter which kingdom these areas were before, after reorganization, the traces of the original kingdom's existence were completely eliminated regionally, and a provincial system was adopted. Redian was divided into three northern provinces and six Palawan provinces. and three southern provinces, Nord was divided into six southern mountain provinces, except for the Dorok Mountains, which were built It established a relatively loose management model. The urban system adopted in other regions divided the region according to the city. The city management officials had administrative power, but the appointment power was in the hands of the Imperial Ministry of the Interior. City officials could be recommended by the local area. Mainly Responsible for the implementation of various policies and regulations promulgated by the Imperial Ministry of the Interior,

This move inevitably caused some resistance. Under deliberate provocation, some unpleasant things happened in Ruidian and Nord. Some people even rushed to the streets to demonstrate and protest, but they were quickly suppressed by the local garrison. Under the empire's series of coercion and inducements, the reforms of these two countries have been carried out smoothly. Of course, it is inevitable to have a completely smooth sailing. There will definitely be various twists and turns in the process.

However, under the unyielding style of Lieutenant-General Plais, who once shocked the entire continent, the changes within the empire were finally on track. However, the stubborn rock that needed to be shaken for real reform was the army, known as the backbone of the empire. ,

"The imperial army has nearly 300,000 main battle troops, 400,000 local garrisons, and 80,000 border guards. The total is nearly 800,000. For the peaceful empire, stationing more than half of the empire's troops is really too heavy, and the empire The existence of legion jurisdictions also makes it impossible for the empire’s decrees to be followed in many places!”

When Plais said this, the fat man felt a little awkward and stood up. He knew very well that the empire was founded on the army. To shake the army is to shake the foundation of the country, but Plais is right about one thing. There are indeed a lot of troops retained in the empire, and the legion jurisdiction system that was initially established to encourage the legions to fight bravely has no effect on the current formation. For the unified interior of the empire, its obstructive nature is obvious.

Just like political orders conveyed from within, they have no effect at all within the jurisdiction of the legion. Several military bosses dare not even fart in front of them, but when faced with the orders of the so-called Ministry of Internal Affairs, they can casually Just throw it away,

If it weren't for the fact that the Minister of the Interior, Plais, also serves as the Deputy Chief of Military Affairs. The backstage of the Ministry of Internal Affairs is Mao Monaqing, who may become the empress of the empire. Several military bosses will never buy into the Ministry of Internal Affairs. We have heard complaints from the Ministry of Internal Affairs several times.

"The problem of the army is very complicated and difficult to change, but it can be changed in other ways!" After walking back and forth a few times, the fat man said to Plais in a deep voice. "Currently, three-quarters of the empire's army is in Obaro." Combat, this is a good opportunity. I will try to persuade the army commanders to hand over the existing army jurisdictions. In exchange, the army commanders can find new jurisdictions in the areas occupied by Obaro! "

"If this is the case, will the commanders of each army respond?" Plais nodded, still unsure and asked, "They are all the pillars of the empire, and each of them has a large number of troops. If it is because of this reform, Shaking the morale of the military will have a significant impact on His Majesty’s war in the Obaro region.”

"In other words, I know those guys better than you! As long as the benefits are sufficient, they will have no objection! After all, they know it very well. The area under the jurisdiction of the legion cannot be inherited. At worst, I will divide the northwest region for them. A city serves as a fiefdom,

"These fiefs only have the right to tax but not to recruit soldiers, and I can allow them to divide the fiefs among all their children as they wish!"

The fat man touched the bridge of his nose, smiled slightly, and thought of the reforms made by a whimsical woman on the grassland. He said slowly, "If we divide it like this, after a few generations, the area of ​​​​the fiefdom will probably not be much larger than a farm."

"There is still such a way!"

Plais was stunned for a while, with unconcealable astonishment on his face. He was a little puzzled at first, and then as he listened, he heard his body trembling slightly, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead. His Majesty's move It's really poisonous. Who doesn't want their children to get a piece of inheritance? But if there are too many children, no matter how big the land is, it won't be enough to divide it. If you follow the method your Majesty said, a city can be divided into pieces in less than fifty years. Every rural area! "He is also a nobleman. The nobleman adopts the inheritance system of one son.

In other words, no matter how many sons there are, only one son can continue the noble fiefdom and title, and the other children can only find their own way out.

Because of this, bloodshed cases often occur within aristocratic families in order to inherit titles and fiefs. Plaice has always regarded this one-word inheritance system as a shame for the aristocratic system, but now it seems that he has discovered that because it is one-word inheritance, Inheritance is the reason why a wealthy family can rise, and the reason why His Majesty Falcon's move is so poisonous is that the possibility of enlargement of such a fiefdom has been put aside in the system.

The fat man didn't seem to take the shock on Plais's face into consideration, but became more and more excited as he spoke. "What needs attention is the local garrison. They have the closest connection with the local area. There is no war in the interior now, with a number of 400,000." It’s really a bit much.”

The fat man turned around, knocked on the table in front of him, looked at the beautiful mountain scenery outside the temple window, and said in a deep voice, "You come up with a plan. The local garrison can be reduced. In fact, I think the local garrison can be reduced." It is enough to reach 200,000, and 10,000 to 30,000 will be stationed in key provinces for training. Troops, it is enough to station one to three thousand ordinary soldiers in non-key areas. This kind of troop arrangement is more conducive to the training of combat troops! These areas where heavy troops are stationed are renamed military regions. This can not only eliminate the influence of legion jurisdictions, It can also enhance the efficiency of military organization and assembly! "

"The cut local troops can be allowed to voluntarily return to the local area or be transferred to the navy. The Imperial Navy will make big moves in Obarro. There is an urgent demand for the army's strength. I was still hesitating from which empire to mobilize troops. Now it seems , these are the local troops."

"What about the border guards, Your Majesty, you seem to have forgotten to mention them!"

Plais asked with a serious expression and a fair face. The fat man looked at him, his eyes flickering, and he had the urge to slap him in the face. The border guards were his own little "qingren" Berlant Bonnie's troops. , it is precisely using his resentment towards the grassland people to The fat man handed her the sharp sword that hung over the heads of the grassland people. If there was anyone who would collude with the grassland to harm the interests of the empire, Bertrand Bonnie was the least likely one. So this time Ruitang Tingna ran into obstacles everywhere. I would never dare to go to Bertrand Bonnie's place.

"I think the border guards not only cannot move, but also need to increase, from the existing 70,000 to 100,000," the fat man said with a serious look.

"That's not good. Your Majesty has weakened the legion and reduced the local army, but he wants to increase the strength of the border guards. I'm afraid the news will spread..." The look on Prais's face looked very ugly, a bit... Shocked, and even a little bit disdainful, who doesn’t know what the damn fat man thinks about that Bertrand Bonnie, who is called master and apprentice, but is actually a pair of adulterers and adulterers!

"The border guard is a sharp sword in my hand, and its function is to intimidate the northern border of the empire!" The fat man pretended to be sophisticated and squinted his eyes for a while, and found that Plais was still looking at him, as if he saw the growth on his face. An extremely brilliant flower appeared,

Really, what's your expression like, you bastard?

The fat man took a deep breath in displeasure and said in a dissatisfied voice, "The army in the interior of the empire has been greatly reduced. The grassland people may not be impatient. They don't think that just by marrying a princess from the grassland, the grassland can be restored." People have completely surrendered, right? You have also fought with the grassland people. You should know very well that for the benefit and strength of the tribe, the grassland people dare to sacrifice and take risks. Do you still want to see the scene of blood flowing in the city again? "

Hearing the fat man's words, even with Plais' tenacity, he shuddered in his heart.

When the grassland people invaded the northern part of Ruidian, the land was bloody. More than two million Ruidian people were massacred, and the entire northern land became a battlefield. If Ruidian had not been completely wounded in that war, Wiki Even if Ya Falcon is really the reincarnation of the God of War, it is impossible for him to destroy Rui Erdian, the most powerful country in the mainland, in less than a year!

Huh. . . One breath, seven thousand words