Realm of Power

In August in Kyoto, Gaul, the night was full of coolness. With the curfew, there were almost no people in the empty streets. Several Gallic Guardsmen wearing the red cloaks of the Guards followed a carriage slowly, with the door open. There is an imperial ministry Mark, the sound of neat footsteps came from the far corner. In the reflected light of the silver armor, a patrolling guard walked past the carriage. The lonely sound of the carriage's wheels touched the stones, filling the air. With a depressing coldness,

Harlan, the Minister of Intelligence of Gaul, stared at the busiest street in Kyoto through the car window, clutching a report he had just received in his hand. His face looked very ugly, and his pale green eyes were glaring. In the past few days, he had been asking about information about the north every day. He looked anxious and excited, just like a stray dog ​​that had just been kicked.

"Sir, is this information accurate?" Opposite him, the young adjutant of the Imperial Intelligence Department, Elvis, had a face full of disbelief.

"I also hope it's fake, but..."

Harlan's face almost wrinkled up in misery. He smiled bitterly and said, "Didn't you see the majestic look on His Majesty's face when he learned a few days ago that the Northern Army had begun to encircle the Slavic base camp Naguld? He also said with a wry smile every day these days." Inquiring about the outcome of the Battle of the North,

"What a rare spirit!" Harun's eyes flickered and he murmured in a low voice, "Do you want me to tell His Majesty that the Imperial Northern Army's attack on the Slavic base camp Naguld failed, and the legion commander Yald was injured. 7 Officers above the rank of regimental commander were killed, 14 generals were injured, and more than 60,000 soldiers were killed. How do you think His Majesty would handle this matter in a rage? "

"Your Majesty will directly kill the person who sent this report!" Elvis said decisively and calmly.

"Who says it's not? What an achievement! The duck that reached its beak flew away like this..." Harun shook his head angrily. This was the most disastrous failure since the empire's northern advance. , even Harun, who was scolded as a fool by the entire imperial world The people also want to ask the famous Imperial General Ard, the leader of the Northern Army of the Empire, "Are you sleepwalking? A 200,000-strong army besieged Naguld with only 70,000 troops. It turned out to be like this!" Even if you send a mediocre person, the result will be much better than this."

"Will the War in the North suffer a setback because of this?" Adjutant Elvis asked curiously, indicating that the young blood in his body was still there.

"Probably not. In the northern battle, our army has taken the initiative, but after this defeat, it will take at least more than a month to recover!"

Although Marquis Harlan was scolded as a deadbeat, he had handled a lot of information and his judgment of the situation was still very accurate. He shook his head. He said, "A month is not long or short, but I'm afraid there won't be such a chance! The Falcon Empire army in the west is ready to move, and I'm afraid they will launch an attack in August. No one can say about the battle in the north at that time. I don’t know how it will develop! But today’s imperial meeting is to discuss the deployment of the Northern Army to resist the Falcon Army! Think about the expressions of His Majesty and the generals when they heard this news. "Harlan held back a dark circle, looking like he wanted to be direct. Looking for a place to crash to death,

"Since we can't report it directly to His Majesty, why not report it to the Emperor's Affairs Officer first?" Elvis hesitated for a moment, looked at his boss's bitter face, and cautiously suggested,

"You mean that woman?" Marquis Harlan's face was stunned for a moment. Then he shook his head like a rattle and said decisively, "Absolutely not. It is to prevent this woman from returning to Beijing that the Ministry of Military Affairs launched this thorough investigation. The purpose is to keep that woman out of Kyoto. If the Ministry of Military Affairs Knowing that we gave this information to that woman, it is undoubtedly a sign to everyone that the intelligence department under the Ministry of Military Affairs has surrendered to that woman? Then do I still have to live? "

"Although it can't be handed over to that woman directly, it can be resold through other people!"

Adjutant Elvis blinked with a weird look on his face, and sneered slyly, "My lord, don't forget, isn't there a special department within the Intelligence Department? As long as there is a little bit of wind, I believe this information will be delivered as quickly as possible." In the hands of that woman!"

"You mean Philep! Yes, how could I have forgotten this unpleasant guy?" Harlan's eyes widened when he heard this, and a smile appeared on his sad face, and then he frowned slightly, "That's That woman was a loyal dog placed in the intelligence department and was removed for the last branch! That guy has been stuck in office for half a month about the missing incident, but who should be sent to reveal the news? Once such important news is spread, it will definitely shock Kyoto. People who are worried really dare not send it. Don’t worry. I have a bad relationship with that guy...

"I'll go!" Adjutant Elvis could not hear the thoughts of this cunning boss, so he nodded decisively, "I have only been in the Intelligence Department for two months, and I have no conflict with Philip, and my subordinates think this is the case." , which can help ease the tense relationship between your Excellency and Philip. In any case, whether it is the superior officer of the Military Affairs Department or that woman, our Intelligence Department is not easy to mess with! "

"That's good!"

Intelligence Minister Harlan took a deep breath, looked out the window at the cold street with mixed eyes of relief, and sighed, "I know many people hate me. If possible, who would be willing to take such an unflattering position? Pass on No one remembers the good news about himself, but the bad news is always blamed on himself, the person who brought the ominous news.

In fact, this has nothing to do with me. The generals themselves fought the defeat. However, in the face of the generals who led the troops on the front line, the big bosses of the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs did not dare to pursue the responsibility at will, and faced the soft persimmon-like intelligence. Ministry, the big guys from the Ministry of Military Affairs have no scruples at all."

While the two were talking, the carriage entered the palace. There were guards along the way. The carriage stopped in front of the steps. A guard opened the door of the carriage and said, "Mr. Minister"

"Go and do the work! I will suppress this information for the time being, so hurry up!"

Harlan stood up, whispered to his adjutant Elvis, got off the carriage, raised his eyes and glanced at the brightly lit hall at the end of the steps, straightened his collar, stopped his head full of random thoughts, and walked Walking into the meeting hall along the gorgeous red carpet,

He noticed that today there were much fewer guards in the palace than usual. In the past, the entire corridor would have been guarded by Guardsmen armed with sharp weapons. It is said that this was because His Majesty the Emperor always thought that someone in the palace wanted to kill him.

But today there is a lot less, which shows that His Majesty the Emperor is full of confidence in the outcome of the Northern War!

The front is brightly lit. Harlan felt a little cold,

What kind of fate will be waiting for you there! There are undercurrents surging in the capital of Gaul now. If you are not careful, you will be involved and even the scum will be left behind. Because Latis lost the battle, the Imperial Affairs Department and the Emperor's Affairs Officer Algernon Julia had no idea about this. The blame for the failure of the war is passed on to each other.

Algernon Julia accused the Ministry of Military Affairs of improper scheduling, and the rear supply officials took the opportunity to sell ordnance supplies that should have been shipped to the front line, which ultimately led to the breakdown of the Rusty Line of Defense.

The Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs accused Algernon Julia of being the supervisor of the army, but she had repeatedly unreasonably interfered with the deployment of the generals at the front. Moreover, when the Rusty defense line was breached, the person who had full command was none other than the supervisor. Algernon Julia of the Army,

"When the army was fighting to the death, as the supervisor of the army, he deserted before the battle, causing the army to collapse and he was captured by the enemy in the barren mountains. This is a typical dereliction of duty and should be beheaded according to the imperial regulations!"

This is the attitude expressed by the Ministry of Military Affairs. The Ministry of Military Affairs believes that the solid defense line stationed by 200,000 troops was easily broken by the Falcon Emperor in half a day. It directly led to the overall fall of the western region of the empire, and the responsibility of the supervisor Algernon Julia cannot be shied away from.

What makes the Ministry of Military Affairs most confident is that Algernon Julia was captured by the Falcon Army.

This cannot explain the problem of avoiding the past. In particular, it is hinted in the report that Algernon Julia herself was a stunning beauty who fell into the hands of the Vecian Falcon, known as the devil of lust, for a month. This was enough to make Algernon Julia, a smart and calm woman, lose the chance to defend herself.

Who is the Vekia Falcon? In various aspects of Gaul's publicity, the emperor of an enemy country who defeated Gaul and threw away his armor is simply a breeding pig sitting high on the throne of bones and bones. As long as he has no love for women, If you are a female, you will be interested, and it is said that even men are not spared.

During the period when Algernon Julia was captured, there were already various rumors circulating in the capital of Gaul, saying that Algernon Julia had been conquered by the Vecian Falcon. Some of these rumors were simply uncontrollable. There are many kinds of rumors about these. Malicious conjecture, Algernon and Julia, who returned to Gaul, were unable to explain themselves.

Even the relied-upon young emperor of Gaul seemed to be angered by such news. He directly rejected his request to return to the palace, and instead ordered him to confine himself to the manor outside Kyoto for reflection. Algernon Julia proposed without any sign of weakness. It is necessary to thoroughly investigate the people within the army who have ties to the northwest, because these people are the main culprits for the failure of the Battle of Rusty.

This is also what gives Harlan, the intelligence minister, a headache.

Whether it is rumors or Algernon Julia's self-identification, a thorough investigation into the reselling of military supplies, the person who can make the final determination is precisely the Ministry of Intelligence, which is caught between two huge forces. The first two requirements can still be implemented, but the second The three officers thoroughly investigating those who sold supplies and had liaisons with the Falcon Army were a difficult task that they did not even dare to touch.

Without the support of several big families, which military officer would dare to plunder military supplies in a situation of national crisis?

In fact, a large amount of military supplies were resold during Rusty's most stressful period. It was not unusual for the Intelligence Department. Harlan even had the names of these officers in his hands, and he knew how powerful the backgrounds behind these officers were.

"You are simply making an enemy of the entire empire!" Harun subconsciously shuddered, twisted some random things he wrote into a ball and threw them into the trash can, fearing that he would actually submit a report. The sky will be torn into pieces by the enraged bosses from all sides. Assassination in the street is considered a light thing. Joining forces to wipe out the whole family is simply a piece of cake when His Majesty the Emperor is in and out of consciousness. thing.

To show that the Ministry of Intelligence was executing, Harlan found a workaround

He ordered the intelligence branches in each province that a group of spies from the Falcon Empire were selling war supplies. The branches did not dare to neglect and acted quickly. The effect was remarkable. The people of Gaul first felt that the atmosphere was inexplicably tense.

At key locations such as city gates, arterial roads, and bridges, city guards were conducting checks day and night, especially on passers-by with southwest and northwest accents. They inspected passers-by very harshly, and businesses operating hotels, hostels, and restaurants were also baffled.

In these days, inspections are very frequent in various places, three or four times a day. And the usual inspection is to look at the passenger registration book and leave. But it doesn't work anymore. Every time I check, I have to open the room to check the number of people and look at the faces. Especially for people coming from the northwest, the city guards' inspections are particularly harsh. They not only have to check the goods, but also ask questions one by one. And the checks are not limited to ordinary hostels and hotels, even those high-end hotels are no exception.

The whole of Gaul was nervous, although most civilians couldn't tell the reason. But the military had already received the news in advance.

Those soldiers who were really reselling supplies stopped overnight.

The Ministry of Intelligence's thorough investigation was belatedly launched, and the scope went directly beyond these people and fell on people related to the northwest. Some nobles who fled from the northwest and came to the hinterland of Gaul were in trouble. In order to avoid the aggressive people in the northwest, war,

These were once the rise of the Falcon Empire. The nobles who fled from the northwest countries sold their fields, manors, and treasures. All were exchanged for portable Gallic gold coins. This time, they were all confiscated as stolen goods by the Gallic army. The family and family were arrested and imprisoned by the army as spies from the northwest. Within a few days. He was declared a spy, dragged to the square in the center of the city, and beheaded. Below were the screams of the Gallic civilians who had heard countless times how cruel the Northwesterners were.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

On the guillotine above are prisoners awaiting execution. There were men, women, old and young, and there was a miserable howl.

Indeed, when the guillotine was erected, it had the ability to dazzle people. The whole city was in jubilation. In the eyes of the Gauls, the Northwesterners on the stage were not old or young, only the label of the enemy. See A head popped out of the body, and bright red blood flowed from it like a fountain. Headless chests spurted out, and the enthusiasm of the Gauls was aroused. It seemed that there was a war in front of them, and the victors were the Gauls. They piled up the decapitated heads to express their contempt for the enemy country that rose in the northwest. , but completely ignored that many of these people are enemies of the northwest

This month, the morale of the Gauls has been greatly improved. According to the Ministry of Intelligence, this thorough investigation has yielded great results. The soldiers and civilians have been inspired. Countless people have praised His Majesty as a great hero. It is true that you will not know until you investigate. Once you investigate, you will be frightened. Suddenly, it turns out that the Falcon Empire has so many spies lurking in Gaul. In the past, it was because of these spies that the empire lost the war!

Seeing the heads of the Falcon Empire's spies rolling around, and hearing some random hymns of praise, the Gallic emperor was very excited. He saw that his own people were not able to move even a hair in this catastrophe. The Ministry of Military Affairs responded to the results reported by the Intelligence Department. First time expressing appreciation,

Algernon Julia, the emperor's affairs officer, expressed satisfaction with the large amount of stolen goods and stolen money collected. The empire's financial deficit can be eliminated for a period of time, and the emptied supplies and ordnance can also be replaced. As for the death, it is not real. Spies, who cares! This is a happy ending, but it is a catastrophe for the northwest people. To be precise, it is a huge disaster for the aristocrats in the northwest who oppose the Falcon Empire.

More than 4,000 nobles from the northwest were arrested, as well as the families and servants involved with these nobles, as many as 20,000 people. From mid-July to mid-August, every province in Gaul was arrested. Killings, heads rolling, but Algernon Julia has a lot to say about the Intelligence Department in the military world There are still some opinions on the thorough investigation, and the results are very few. They only arrest some janitor soldiers, drunkards and the like. This result is not the ability of the Intelligence Department. In the end, in order to show that the Intelligence Department is not a freeloader, Harlan decided to arrest a big one. Yu came to quell the dissatisfaction of the emperor's affairs officer

"Is he this person? The main culprit that caused the empire's defeat!"

Because of the success of the Northern War, the imperial meeting was held for the first time in a lively atmosphere. The young Gaul emperor sat on the main seat in the middle, with a rosy face and a pair of bright and scary eyes. If you look carefully, You will find that the emperor's eyeballs are intensely red, as if blood is flowing inside, a sign of madness.

"Your Majesty, this is this person. He is simply a cancer that has sneaked into our imperial army!" Harlan looked respectful, and then described this person's evil deeds.

This guy is in the perfect position! There was no problem with his identity at all. The three undersecretaries of the Ministry of Military Affairs who attended the meeting looked at each other calmly and reached a tacit and private consensus. Harlan did a good job. Since that woman stood up to the military community at a glance , then just give her a result,

The overall situation in the battle in the north of the empire has been stabilized. One less general and one more general named Figueros is really meaningless.

The most notorious Norman from the west, he showed his contempt for the Gallic soldiers in private.

In the Battle of the North, this guy defeated half of the Slavic army in one fell swoop, and in the end he even tried to get his hands on the great feat of capturing Naguld, the Slavic stronghold!

What a heinous guy. Doesn't he know that it is a blessing for a northwester to sit in the position of general, and yet he dares to taint Nagold's monstrous achievements!

"What are you doing with such a person? Execute him immediately! No, bring him to Beijing. I want to personally see the head of such a villain fall to the ground."

The Gaul Emperor's voice was full of murderous rage, and his blood-red eyes wanted to kill people. He didn't expect that there were such heinous people in his army. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature for better updates. Faster!