Realm of Power

In the meeting room of the Gangfei Military Affairs Department, the generals sitting side by side in a row straightened their backs, not daring to look sideways, like two rows of statues. A war report from the southern coast was placed at the end of the long table. The face of the Imperial Marshal and Minister of Military Affairs Marcos was as white as paper, and his crossed hands on the report were trembling slightly.

"What do you think of this war?" Marcos asked in a deep voice, his eyes were cold and sharp, and the whole meeting room was silent. No one dared to say anything. The only sound was the wind blowing through the hall. At this time, who dared to show up? The generals of Gangfei were really frightened this time.

The core of the southern war, the Babuni Fortress, where 60,000 elite troops were stationed, ended with such a ridiculous ending. They were still discussing how to make the invincible Falcon Emperor lose face on the road to the southern coast, but they turned around and received the tragic battle report from the south.

The 60,000-strong army was defeated by the emperor with only 10,000 troops. The southern barrier Babuni Fortress was lost, and Boai Kasa, known as the master of defense, died in the battle.

"How is it possible? How did they do it?"

The generals were completely confused by this military report, and all kinds of questions and confusion filled their minds.

In order to stop the Falcon Empire from advancing south, the empire invested all its reserve troops, a full army of 60,000 people, to defend the solid fortress, waiting for the enemy to tire themselves out, and fighting to the death. Even a hundred thousand Falcon troops might not be able to break through so quickly, but the bright red battle report clearly stated that the 60,000 troops with a large fortress were defeated by 10,000 Falcon troops within one day. . . . . . . If this kind of thing was not from a rigorous battle report, the generals would think that someone was joking. Who would believe such a thing! Who could imagine it! Each of these is irritating the nerves of the soldiers.

"Ahem. Don't you have any solution at all?"

Marcos looked around and saw the generals lowering their heads. He groaned with dissatisfaction, and slapped the battle report heavily with his old hand full of blue veins. "The war in the south is related to the future of the empire. Although we lost the Bawuni Fortress, it is not completely irreversible. As long as our army speeds up the invasion of Pute, we can completely turn the tide before the Falcon Empire controls the entire southern coast. But we can't just sit back and watch the Falcon Army smoothly advance south!"

"Sir, we still have 20,000 troops on the southern coast. The commander is Lord Andia. I think it would be better to ask Lord Andia to take over the battle later! In addition, the local troops of several nearby provinces will be temporarily organized. As a reserve force to fight! "A general Gangfei hesitated for a moment and said cautiously, "If it is difficult to defeat the Falcon Army heading south, but it only needs to be delayed, the role that the local troops can play may be greater than that of the regular army!" "Yes, the other army is good at guerrilla warfare, and Lord Andia is also very experienced in combat. If the two can cooperate together, they will definitely not disappoint the empire's hopes," said another general in a consistent voice. It seems a bit weird. "Mobilize the local army and let Andia fight against the Falcon Army with 20,000 troops?" Marcos raised his eyebrows and tapped the table lightly. He knew that Andia was re-appointed as the commander-in-chief of the southern coast. Many generals were dissatisfied, but these generals did not forget to stab Andia deeply from the back at this time, which was a bit unexpected for him. He was silent for a while. Marcos raised his head and said in a serious tone, "This method is good, but the combat effectiveness of the local army is worrying... Over-reliance. Will it be counterproductive?"

Before Marcos's voice fell, a general Gangfei stood up and said in a righteous tone, "Sir, I request to adjust my position and command the local army! When the empire is in trouble, it is the time for our soldiers to fight. I can't stand staying in the rear and doing nothing."

"Yes, I also request to be transferred to the local army!" Another middle-aged general stood up and said in a vigorous voice, "Even if I die in battle, I would rather die here!"

"Sir, please transfer the test to the local army." The generals sitting side by side kept standing up, their eyes eager

"You all want to go to the local army?' Marcos narrowed his eyes and a thin line appeared. There are so many! Then who else? Want to go Please stand up! Swish, more people stood up.

Marcos was not surprised by this situation. The blood of soldiers should be so hot!

After the fall of the North, many generals became commanders in name only. The southern army of the empire, which had its own system and generals, would not accept the intervention of these northern generals for the time being. For a time, these generals of the northern faction almost became the heartache of the empire.

The lessons of the 1.12 incident were there. If the resentment of the soldiers was not handled properly, it would turn into a bloody conflict.

The blood of soldiers was hot and could burn the enemy as well as their own people. Finally, Marcos proposed to His Majesty the Emperor that in order to make these generals feel that they were not neglected by the empire, he proposed to use these generals to form a general operations room, which was responsible for the arrangement and planning of various battles. The emperor agreed.

"Okay, I have to go to His Majesty to report this matter. I will submit all your fervent requests to Your Majesty one by one!" Marcos stood up from the conference bench with a satisfied expression, his eyes turning from almost an entire He glanced at the standing generals in a row, and his voice carried a Silk Trills "I don't have anything else to say. I just hope that when the empire is in crisis, you can put aside your past grudges and fight for the empire with all your strength! It is your own request to be transferred to the local army, and the empire can give you positions, but for other things, It’s up to you! “

"Yes!" the generals answered in unison, their voices shaking the ceiling of the hall. Their bodies were as straight as sharp swords. It would be great if they could be given positions. Most of the generals came from wealthy backgrounds. They were evacuated from Xinjing in the north and were taken away. Gold coins were piled up on more than a dozen carriages. They were not short of money, what they were short of was the opportunity to spend money.

Coming out of the conference room, Marcos took a deep breath and looked up at the gray-white sky. The rainy season was coming, and there was a chill in the wind.

"I hope this is not a wrong decision." Marcos shook his head, hurriedly walked down the steps at the door, and stepped onto the waiting carriage outside. The news of the defeat of the South had reached the emperor's ears. The emperor needed an explanation, and the empire needed an explanation. Explain that the biggest difficulty facing the empire now is the lack of troops.

Although the Southern Army has 200,000 soldiers, it is actually not enough. The empire needs more troops, but forcibly recruiting Southern soldiers is afraid of causing dissatisfaction among the Southern Army factions. The collapse of the 60,000-strong army just gave this opportunity. At this time, let These northern generals went to develop local armies, The Southern Army could not make any suggestions, and the empire's military strength on the southern coast now only had Andia's 20,000 troops that could be used. Facing the Falcon Emperor who was pressing in from both sea and land directions, Andy, who has only 20,000 troops, is useless even if he is possessed by the God of War. What's more, his opponent is a true god of war.

If the empire can use the local army to keep the Falcon Emperor trapped in the southern war situation, it will be a victory in itself. It will be a booster for the empire's military morale, which has dropped to the freezing point. In front of the little emperor Gang Fei , Marcos described the plan again

"You mean to ask the generals to go down and expand the local army to make up for the lack of imperial troops? Is this good? The empire should not have enough financial resources to equip these troops." The little emperor Gang Fei timidly played with the emperor's seal in his hand and blinked. Blinking, he asked with some uncertainty,

The Minister of Finance complains about poverty every day and says he has no money. No money, crying children have heart problems

Now the empire is about to counterattack Pu Tao again. Tens of thousands of troops have already set out, and less than half of the required military rations have been collected.

The nobles who fled the empire were busy bringing gold, silver and jewelry with them. Car after cart, they took away almost half of the empire's financial resources, but no one thought that there would be no food. It’s no use having a lot of money;

Winter has just passed, and there are not many residual grains on the market. The nobles who had already noticed that something was wrong were swept away. There was no food on the market. The food trade in Puntao was also stopped because of the war. Now it is miserable. The price of food rises several times a day, and it is still hoarded in the hands of the powerful wealthy families. The army Why fight a war without food? The Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs has issued an order to collect it on the spot, which means robbing it naked.

"This is something that the generals need to consider. The empire gives the generals power, and the generals give the emperor troops, it's that simple," Marcos said with his usual expression. He knew that as long as this request was approved, he would not be able to express his incompetence in recent times. The rumors can be stopped.

Because he will have the full support of the military, and the military will involve wealthy families from all sides, his position will only become more stable.

"Army? How many troops?" The little emperor licked his chapped lips with his excited tongue. He was a little nervous and his eyes were green. The recent stressful situation has made the little emperor fully feel the pain of insomnia, even though the war has taken a toll on his little mind. For a child who grew up in a deep palace, the numbers on the battle report and the definition of victory and defeat are far less touching than seeing the flowers blooming in the spring breeze.

But I still have a lot of feelings about the word army. In just one year, the empire has withered like this. Isn't it because of the lack of troops? If the empire had enough troops, would the Falcon Empire dare to fight itself? If they had enough troops, would the Istani dare to fight themselves? if. . . . . . This poor child, who was hailed as a born king by Rubinsack, now only has an interest in the army and gold coins. If Rubinsack knew that the little emperor had been so polluted, he would probably be able to find out from the grave. Jump out.

"The total population of the Gangfei Empire is more than 40 million. Excluding the northern area where the population is concentrated, the total population of the south is also more than 17 million. With such a population base, it should not be a problem to draw up a reserve force of one million people. Anyway, it is all It has reached such a point, no matter how hard it is to fight," Marcos made a very certain prediction, deliberately exaggerating a bit,

"An army of millions!"

Sure enough, the little emperor's eyes suddenly lit up in a frightening way, and his small mouth became an O-shape. There was no hesitation anymore. What are you waiting for! The little emperor felt that he was energetic again. The Falcon Empire, the Istan Empire, these bastards who gave him toothache all day long, tremble in front of the empire's millions of troops. The little emperor just picked up his trembling hand. The seal was stamped heavily on the request,

Marcos carefully took the report into his hands and left quickly. The generals were still waiting.

"The empire's millions of troops... Haha!" The little emperor laughed imaginatively in his study. Faced with this request, his little mind did not realize what it meant and allowed the generals to develop. The local army, and the emperor as the central force lacked the power to control,

The main is weak but the branches are strong!

If Rubinsack was still here, he would definitely throw this report to the ground and angrily denounced, "This is chaos. It is inciting separatism!" This is the difference between the two most representative figures in power at the end of the Congolese Empire. Binsac was an outstanding soldier and a politician with outstanding vision. His eyes were always focused on the future of the empire.

Marcos was a soldier, a pure soldier. Even if he occasionally performed, he still did not get rid of his soldier nature. The starting point for considering the problem was to deal with the current predicament of the empire. Lacking the foresight of a statesman for the future of the empire, like a carriage driver speeding on a difficult mountain road, Marcos finally let go of the centralization of the empire that Rubinsack had been working hard for and was determined not to let go. The power began to break like the reins of a carriage being broken, it accelerated and could no longer control its speed on the rugged mountain road. . . . . . .

In the southern part of Gangfei, the Ba'enwu Fortress is where the Falcon Empire's southward marching army, which defeated 60,000 of Gangfei's elite in one battle, gathered here. The vast square covered with corpses in front of the fortress has been cleared, and the corpses have been buried. The blood-stained land still shows an unnatural cruelty. As for the trenches set on fire. The corpses inside were burned to ashes, and the dry black ditch surface seemed to be stained with a layer of frost. Hearing the sound of horse hooves, the fat man stopped his horse in front of the fortress's suspension bridge. A black-armored scout cavalry was galloping in the distance. He reined in his horse twenty meters away from the fat man and jumped off the horse. He ran over with a battle report.

"Your Majesty, an urgent report on Pu Tao!" the scout cavalry said loudly, and a guard went over to take the battle report and handed it to the fat man.

"Have you started yet?" The fat man took the report calmly, spread it out and took a look.

"Your Majesty, is it..." Hu Keqili asked curiously from the side.

"You will know after you see it for yourself!" The fat man handed the battle report in his hand to Hu Keqili next to him, and curled his lips slightly.

Hu Keqili took the battle report, glanced over it, and took a deep breath in surprise, "No way, the Congolese African Army just broke into the northern part of Puntau and massacred more than 17,000 civilians in Brent City. Rachel killed 5,700 civilians... even if they knew they would take tough measures."

"According to the intelligence, the Gangfei Empire's troops that broke into Putuo this time were 60,000, and the rations they carried were less than half of what they needed! Don't worry, they are going to starve!" The fat man waved his hand. He rode on horseback and stepped onto the fortress's suspension bridge, and said to the messenger behind him, "Order the entire army to rest and prepare to march north."

"Moving north? Your Majesty, aren't we marching south?" Hu Keqili raised his head and said. "Your Majesty has taken down the southward barrier in one fell swoop. The Gangfei Empire has only 20,000 troops left on the southern coast. At this time, it is time to take down the barrier in one fell swoop." Opportunities down the south coast."

"Haha, that's because the attack on the southern coast was a scam!" The fat man grinned, raised his whip and pointed at the rolling hills in the distance, and said coldly, "The Imperial Navy defeated the Strand Navy, and the Strant people In a sign of compromise, the southern coast of Africa is already within the empire's possession.

If we need to occupy it, we can easily do it by transporting troops directly from Puntao with the fleet. There is no need for me to personally direct the battle to the south and force the Confederates to assemble the army to stop it. It was so vigorous that everyone thought we were the target of the sword. The southern coast of Gangfei, in fact, all this is to deceive the people of Gangfei."

"Your Majesty is saying that our target is not the southern coast at all!" Hu Keqili was shocked, where is that? Even the general of the empire was confused, let alone just inhuman.

"Not bad!" The fat man paused, glanced at the thoughtful Hu Keqili next to him, and said, "Have you ever thought about it, when our army marched south, the Gangfei people immediately sent out troops and almost all the reserve troops were deployed. In Pu Tao, it was because the people in Gangfei thought that our army was going out with all its strength, Pu Tao The Tao area is empty and defenseless, but Gang Feiren has forgotten that sending troops to Pu Tao also overwhelmed all their forces. Now what is in front of my 40,000-strong army is a defenseless land. At this time, there is no way to advance northward. The inhumane court is so disrespectful to the name of our army marching southward! "

Gangfei's court was completely in a state of disarray this time. Gangfei's generals were all silent, and the ministers were running around anxiously.

They had just received news that 30,000 Falcon Empire's infantrymen were behind, and 10,000 Falcon Empire's most elite Guards Cavalry forwards were rushing forward like an arrow, aiming directly at Besuca, where the Gangfei Court was located.

The Falcon Army occupied the southern fortress of Bawoni in one fell swoop and defeated the 60,000 blocking troops with only a handful of troops. The news of the defeat in the interception battle had just come. This explosive news once again shocked the entire court. The Falcon Army's southward marching legion transformed into Northward marching corps , the distance from Bawuni Fortress in the south to Besuka is five hundred miles. Even if the fastest report is sent to the Gangfei court, the iron hooves of the Falcon Empire Guards Cavalry have already passed through like a storm. The Alawi Mountains are less than 150 miles away from Besuka City. The opponent's advancement can simply be described as rapid.

"How many troops do we have in Besuka now?" the little emperor asked the military in panic.

"Your Majesty has 3,000 guards and 5,000 garrisons." Marcos, the Imperial Marshal and Minister of Military Affairs, looked extremely unhappy and said in a deep voice, "Given the current situation, Your Majesty, please be prepared to move again as a last resort!"

"Move again..." The little emperor's face was full of resentment (To be continued...)