Realm of Power

In the Imperial Sea City, the climate at the end of March has lost the coldness of winter. The warm spring breeze blowing in from the window is obviously carrying the smell of the warm sea current. In a villa, Prince Gawain Howard, the special envoy of the Kingdom of Rila, looks stunned. He looked at Lockha, the special envoy of the Kingdom of Ruila stationed in the Imperial Capital who reported to him.

Since the empire formed an alliance with the Kingdom of Rila two years ago and after the Hungarian Rebellion, the Kingdom of Rila has sent its permanent envoy Lockha, a diplomat known for his stability. Du Shi was frightened, but after receiving the order, he immediately came to the Empire's Ocean City. In the past two years, Lockha has learned a lot about the empire, and reported the empire's trends to King Ruila every quarter.

Two years have passed since the Hungarian Rebellion. The Kingdom of Rila, whose capital was once conquered by the Huns, has recovered some of its vitality after two full years.

This time, the Ruila royal family scrapped together one million imperial gold, and wanted to take advantage of the annual meeting to buy a batch of food back. The leader was a prince, Prince Gawain Howard, and Lockha was very interested in Ruila. The Kingdom of La was a little worried about arranging for the former coach of the Kingdom's White Steel Legion to lead the team to the Imperial Capital. You must know that the White Steel Legion was destroyed by the Empire in the Battle of Barro in Central Europe. , and this Prince Gawain Howard is also a high-ranking member of the kingdom who is extremely hostile to the empire at home. I don’t know what the reason was this time. King Rilla sent this person to the imperial capital. It would be best if it can be done smoothly. , but when Lockha went to discuss it, he was told that all the food in the Imperial Capital had been ordered by the Southern Alliance business group!

"Are you saying that all the food in the Imperial Capital has been ordered by others? Are you sure you are not mistaken, all the food in the Imperial Capital..." Prince Gawain Howard asked again in a gloomy and aggravated tone. On his way to the Imperial Capital, he His face didn't look better. He was the younger brother of King Ruila and he was very devoted to the empire. Hatred, King Ruila sent him to the Imperial Capital to observe the imperial annual meeting, which meant that only the two brothers knew about it. Everyone along the way was trembling with fear, hoping that this person would not cause trouble in the Imperial Capital. Fortunately, I would have returned home as soon as I arrived at the Imperial Capital, but now I have a problem buying food.

This is really shocking. The empire can be founded on commerce. The Imperial Capital Sea City is the largest sea trade center in the north of the empire. It is a large grain-producing area in the north of the empire. In addition, it is an important location in the imperial capital. Even if it is a conservative estimate, If you want to buy all the food in the imperial capital market, you don’t have more than 10 million imperial gold. Impossible, ten million imperial gold, except for the empire, is definitely a huge amount of money for any country on the continent. Who has such financial resources, and also in the empire to the entire continent During the annual meeting to show one's strength, this is no longer an order, this is a naked slap in the face of the empire.

Looking at the Oparo continent, who would dare to do this? The attendants who heard the conversation between the two felt a chill in their backs.

"Your Highness, the Chamber of Commerce said it was the Alliance of the Four Southern Countries!" Lockha said with a sure look, "We also visited more than a dozen chambers of commerce, and we all got the same answer. They all said that the Four Southern Countries Business Group had ordered the food in advance. When will the next batch of food arrive? "It will take twenty days." "The Alliance of the Four Southern Nations...these guys have bad intentions. When did the four southern nations become so wealthy? All tens of millions of funds were exchanged for food. What does this mean? Lockha, you have been in the Imperial Capital for two years." Year, tell me Tell me what's going on here. "Using your brain is not Prince Gawain Howard's strong point. He touched his chin. His long military career has made Prince Rilla develop a straightforward nature. He He looked sharply at Luo, who had a solemn face. Keha, his eyes flickering, said to himself. Suddenly he stopped, his eyes suddenly narrowed into a line, and his eyes flashed. With his keen intuition, he had vaguely guessed the purpose of the four southern countries. "I think His Highness should also have guessed that the other party was obviously He just came here to cause trouble, just this matter. Do we need to inform the empire about this?" Lockha smiled bitterly. He didn't believe that Prince Gawain Howard couldn't see the key. He looked at Gawain Howard. Like a prince, he continued, "The four southern Although the country's move was disgraceful, it struck at the weak point of the overwhelming empire. He clearly knew that he would never use force against them before the end of the empire's annual meeting, and deliberately came to the Imperial Capital to act rogue. , just now fighting to the death with the Four Kingdoms in the Holy Capital. , turned around, and the imperial merchants sold all the food in the imperial capital to the four southern countries. However, the empire could only watch and could not take action. If the four southern countries were really allowed to succeed, it would not only be a strategy for the imperial merchants to build a country. The heavy ridicule, even more from the most To a large extent, the image of being invincible in the world that the empire had built up after years of fighting in the north and south and destroying countless countries has been completely trampled to pieces! "And I don't believe that no other country can see this except us! Yes, but did anyone say anything? No, why, because the empire is too powerful and aggressive. In recent years, it has become even more invincible. Even now, there are private rumors that the battle that led to the death of Emperor Eero in the northern part of the Eero Empire two months ago was actually It was the result of the Emperor's plan behind the scenes. Otherwise, with the strength of the Order State, how could it be possible to continuously defeat the 300,000-strong Kingdom's main force of the Ero Empire with only a hundred thousand troops, and also kill the Emperor Eero, who had been a great leader for a generation, and ultimately lead to The Hérault royal family moved south, existing in name only! ""So, everyone is waiting to see the Empire's joke? "

Prince Gawain Howard came to the window and looked at the traffic on the bustling Imperial Avenue and the noisy shops on the street. He took a deep breath and was silent for a moment. "There is no denying that, as His Majesty said, if I don't If you come to the Imperial Capital in person, you won’t know how powerful and wealthy our real enemy is, and why I, Ruila, need to cultivate for twenty, thirty, or even forty years before I can face it. this enemy

"I heard that in the final stage of the Empire's annual meeting, they will renegotiate the previous agreement with me, Rilla?" Prince Gawain Howard turned from the window with a resolute face, his eyes flashing with anger. The Empire is really bullying. He's so generous, can he change the assistance he promised at the beginning? That's what Rilla paid for over a hundred years of taxation, but she's still not satisfied! "Yes, the letter sent by the Imperial Ministry of the Interior said that the original agreement may need to be revised. After all, it was a wartime agreement, and there is no war in Central Europe Barrow, so it is a bit outdated to still apply the wartime alliance agreement. , so we need to discuss it again. "Lokha's face was cold and he smiled bitterly. "You should have received a letter from His Majesty, right?" "Yes"

Lockha nodded and said in a solemn voice, "It was the Empire that really hit Rilla hard, not Hungary. This sentence is enough to prove that His Majesty has never given up the idea that the Empire is the enemy. Of course, this sentence can only be said here and put outside." , Your Majesty will never admit it. Now the empire is so powerful that even though the Barrow countries in Central Europe have no vassal In fact, the name is already a vassal. At this New Year's Eve, news came out that the agreement was to be re-established. According to the empire's habit of eating people without spitting out their bones, His Majesty bluntly said that if he does not send a strong backbone, in the New Year's Eve In the final stage of the meeting with other countries, he was afraid that if he could not withstand the pressure from the empire, he would sell out all of Ruila's national interests.

"Am I the tough one?"

When Prince Gawain Howard heard what Lockhar said in the letter, he laughed at himself. His White Steel Army was the first legion to be wiped out in the battle between the Empire and the Central European Barrow. Therefore, it was also used by other Central European Barrows. The shameful name the country calls the "torn white paper army" has always weighed on him like a stone. heart, so anyone might be intimidated by the empire, but he would not, because his heart was full of hatred and hostility, and what he saw and heard along the way really made him see the power of the powerful empire in front of him. The tip of the iceberg, after all, all I knew about the Empire before was based on the powerful combat power of the Imperial Army.

But this time, he really saw the prosperity of the empire's commerce, the convenient transportation network throughout the empire, the wheat fields irrigated by water networks that could not be seen at a glance, and the large tracts of various specialties grown in the empire. These are the things that the empire has grown in recent years. It was built while expanding externally. These are the capital that support the empire to sweep the world.

"I think so, Your Highness." Lockhar's face was extremely serious for the first time. "And I believe that His Highness will always remember in his heart who interrupted Rila's national destiny with one punch, and who fought in the battle between the China-Europe Barrow Alliance in the wilderness. , severely damaging 200,000 Central European Barro The coalition forces led to the fact that the most elite troops of Barro in Central Europe did not die in the Hungarian Rebellion, but were completely annihilated in the wilderness of the empire. If it were not for the loss of all the elite troops of Barro in Central Europe, dozens of them would have been trapped by cage tactics. How can the Hungarian cavalry be so young? If we have the opportunity to rise up and attack, how can we attack the city and destroy the country all the way to the Kingdom of Ruila? It is even more impossible for us to be defeated by the Hungarian bandits of Yaosun. The royal capital caused great damage to the national destiny, and finally Later, the Hungarian army ravaged the south, causing millions of civilian losses and almost reaching the edge of annihilation. In the final analysis, everything was because of the empire. If it hadn't been for the heavy losses of the empire, Ruila might not be in the situation she is now. Busy situation!”

"You!" Prince Gawain Howard's eyes narrowed into a thin line, and his eyes flashed. Under his influence, Lokhar has always been a good and obedient man, so when he sent Lokhar to stay in the Imperial Capital, he still strongly opposed it. "I didn't expect that Lokhar would have such a strong side." Just like when we set out, His Majesty told me that this journey is a good opportunity to see the true heritage of the empire and the powerful secrets of the empire. If I If you still insist that the Kingdom of Rila should go to war with the Empire again, then you can just submit the declaration of war directly during the negotiations in Imperial Capital City! Do you think I should submit the declaration of war? "Prince Gavin Howard's eyes were as cold as a knife, and the corner of his mouth was cold. Sneered, "Your Highness, you must not do this!" Sweat broke out on Lokhar's forehead, and he quickly said, "What I said just now is a moment of urgency, and it cannot be counted. Besides, Your Highness, doesn't he describe himself as a hard bone? Since he is a hard bone, how can he be soft?"

"Lokha, I'm kidding you. How could His Majesty give me the power to start a war? I know why His Majesty would go against all odds and send you to stay in the Imperial Capital. It's because you are too honest. Honestly, I know why. If you lie, others will take it as the truth." Prince Gawain Howard grinned slightly, showing a self-deprecating smile, and looked at Lokhar "You sent me here because I don't need to be responsible for what I say. Since you can't start a war, just go ahead and admit defeat. It's not shameful. Now I know why your Majesty didn't send anyone else, but sent me to the Imperial Capital. Because I once Having been defeated by the Empire, if any embarrassing agreement is concluded in the Imperial Capital, it probably won't matter. "It's surprising. Don't tell me you don't think so," His Highness joked. "Lockawi wiped his forehead with his hand. "Tell this to the empire. Even if it is to gain a good impression before negotiating," Prince Gawain Howard Taking a deep breath, he came to the window with blurred eyes. When he left, what King Rila said was true. Rila had already He was unable to fight anymore, and he would perish if he continued to fight. The fate of the kingdom depended on him alone. When he left, his heart was high in fighting spirit. He thought that if he had another chance to fight, he might not lose. When he arrived at the Imperial Capital, his heart was cold, and his face was cold. For such an empire, facing such a powerful national power, and with just some signs of recovery in the country, what can Ruila do to compete with the empire? Ruila's current total national power is probably not comparable to even the imperial capital of the empire! And this is just a city in the empire, but it's not completely boring now. At least I can watch a good show, right? My reputation is already like this anyway, and I don't care about being called another lackey of the empire! "

On the eighth day of the Empire's annual meeting, Lockha, the resident foreign affairs officer of the Kingdom of Rila, suddenly revealed at the meeting that the Four Southern Nations Alliance had shorted the Imperial Capital's grain. The Southern Four Nations Alliance immediately stated in a high-profile manner that they were indeed responsible for short-selling the Imperial Capital's grain. Moreover, the Four Kingdoms Alliance also said with a contemptuous look that the food in the imperial capital was so unpurchased that it was completely sold out inadvertently! If they had known that the food in the Imperial Capital only had this little food, they wouldn't have needed to bring so much money. The countries were shocked, "Haha, this time the empire has been humiliated at its doorstep. Although the Rila people interrupted our plan in advance, The result is not much different. Now everyone knows that the empire is actually a paper tiger. It looks scary with its claws and fangs, and it can be penetrated by just one poke! "In the villa hall of the four alliances, the special envoy of the Kingdom of Harvey laughed loudly, holding a wine glass in his hand!

"But we have ordered so much food. What if those merchants catch up? We don't have such a lot of funds at all." The special envoy of the Ikar Kingdom looked a little cautious. "What are you afraid of? The New Year's Eve party is not over yet, we don't need to pay." Full payment, as soon as the news from the south arrives and we achieve the effect, we will cancel those orders and transfer them back to the south immediately. "Martin's special envoy from the Tooth Kingdom will not He curled his lips in concern. "Speaking of which, the empire shot itself in the foot this time. It actually believed in any business contract and made such self-deceptive rules. Otherwise, we might not be able to do this. "How long will it take for the news to arrive?" The three kingdoms envoys all looked at one person, Special Envoy Karisu, who was wearing a dark red dress. He was a middle-aged man of medium height.

"It should be in the next few days. Although it is thousands of miles from the south to here, we have sent people to stay at the Imperial Chamber of Commerce Liaison Office on the west coast of the empire. There are carrier pigeons from the empire there. As soon as there is news, they will immediately pass through the empire's liaison office. The communication channel came from the Imperial Capital," Special Envoy Calisu said with a firm expression. , the first step has been basically completed. Not only has the entire continent turned its attention from the Empire's annual meeting to the four southern countries, but also the grain purchase incident has shocked the countries. Even the Empire is probably struggling to restore the impact at this moment. But what can the empire do in full view of the public?

No one would have thought that the real bombshell news actually came from the south. Once it reached the Imperial Capital, it would be like an earthquake. At that moment, it would be the first time that the Kalisu Kingdom announced to the entire continent that it had truly become an independent country. a kingdom rather than a vassal!

"Sir, there are many people from the Chamber of Commerce outside." At this moment, a servant ran in with a hurried look.