Your Majesty, the Spectacle Has Missed the Country!

On the Almis ridge, the silver-covered mountain forests are still tall and tall, and the tall spruce trees have withstood the washing and erosion of the cold wind with their vigorous and powerful branches.

Perhaps due to the high altitude, the fallen snow on the treetops has still not melted. Whenever a cold wind blows, the snowflakes originally leaning on the treetops will move with the wind, raising a light mist like feathers.

Stranglethorn Vale Customs is guarded on the only way through the Armis Mountains. It lies between the valleys formed by the mountains on both sides. It is the most important pass in the Idar Empire.

It has been quite some time since the first heavy snowfall of the new year.

The warm winter sun shines through the mist in the mountains, bringing a rare warmth to the snow-covered land.

The ground near Stranglethorn Vale Customs has been hardened with cement, and the melting ice and snow flows along the ditches on both sides, gurgling into the stream not far away.

only……

On both sides of the road west of Stranglethorn Vale Customs, on the land that does not belong to the Idar people, the melted water from the ice and snow mixes with the soil on the ground, making the ground muddy and wet.

Fortunately, the Idar people had already built a cement main road connecting Moore Manor and Stranglethorn Valley Customs, which ensured smooth and convenient transportation between the two places.

"clang"

At seven o'clock in the morning, this is the time for the customs staff of Stranglethorn Valley to start a new day of work.

At the moment when the bell of the customs building rang, the entire Stranglethorn Valley Customs seemed to be boiling in an instant.

The civilians gathered on the west side of the customs had already consciously lined up in long lines, carrying their shriveled and worn luggage, clutching the few copper coins left in their pockets, and waiting expectantly for the arrival of a new life.

Most of them are refugees who fled from the interior of the empire. Years of war have left the interior of the empire in dilapidated condition. Even though the Church of Light has basically completed its control of the inland land, the devastation caused by the war still exists.

Many families lost their prime-age labor force, and the continuation of the war made the originally fertile land desolate and inhabited.

Plus tithes, indulgences...

These heavy taxes of various names have made the already difficult life of the common people even worse.

So... even though the inland is no longer full of war, there are still countless refugees fleeing to the eastern part of the continent.

They had no money at all to pay taxes, but the church's exploitation of the common people was no more restrained than the previous Norman nobles.

then,

Continue to flee, continue to migrate...

The ranks of the refugees continued to expand during the migration process, some heading west to the Kingdom of Cecil, and some heading east, and eventually brought more and more civilians with them to the foot of Stranglethorn Valley Customs.

During the journey to the eastern part of the continent, more and more refugees heard various rumors about the Idar people.

Perhaps it was the slim hope contained in these rumors that allowed these refugees, who lacked food and clothing, to reach this land in the eastern part of the mainland after going through many hardships.

However, on this day, the customs clearance entrance of Stranglethorn Valley did not open on time as before.

Amidst the whispers of the refugees, the steel gate located in the center of the customs was slowly pushed open with the click of gears running.

A group of Idar military police filed out and lined up on both sides of the road, clearing the civilians who had gathered on the road to all sides of the road.

Seeing this, although the refugees were a little surprised, they still very skillfully held their family members and carefully stood on both sides of the road to look around.

According to the refugees' life experience in the interior of the empire, this is nothing more than another showmanship put on by the powerful when they leave the city.

The only thing that surprised them was that due to the chaos and raging wars in the interior, Stranglethorn Valley Customs was basically in a one-way state of traffic from west to east for a long time.

They really couldn't think of any powerful person or wealthy businessman who would be so unthinkable as to head inland.

After all...it's not just the refugees who are fleeing towards the east and west sides of the mainland now!

The Norman Palace in the imperial capital of St. Lawrence was burned down by the church, which was enough to be regarded as a break between the Church of Light and the imperial nobility.

As the Church of Light's persecution of neutral nobles intensified, countless nobles dragged their families and fled for their lives in a hurry, because compared to the church, even the Idar monarch who safeguarded the interests of the common people seemed to have become kind-hearted.

but……

As bursts of rumbling sounds reached their ears, the doubts in the hearts of the civilians were soon answered.

What drove out of the Stranglethorn Fortress was a steel creation that they had never seen before.

They have round hubs at the bottom, and the light brown deck has sharp edges and looks as hard as shield armor.

The unique noise of the rotation of mechanical gears and the interaction of lever springs makes these steel monsters more intimidating in this backward era.

When have the refugees present seen such a scene?

In their eyes, the Norman soldiers holding weapons were as fierce as wolves, and how powerful were these Idar soldiers riding steel monsters in front of them?

In almost just a moment, the civilians outside Stranglethorn Vale Customs felt their knees weakened and fell to their knees.

For a long time, Idar's army has been pursuing a defensive strategy of not taking the initiative to attack. Therefore, it is extremely rare to leave Stranglethorn Valley in the west.

Even the Idar military police and Stranglethorn Valley customs staff standing guard on the roadside were slightly moved at this moment.

Not to mention how deeply such a scene would leave a deep mark on the hearts of these inland refugees who had never heard of magic vehicles.

The refugees almost subconsciously crouched their bodies tightly on the ground, timidly scanning the steel behemoths passing by on the road with the corner of their eyes, and the uneasiness in their hearts was palpable.

Even though Idar's army had passed through the Stranglethorn Vale customs and rumbled towards the land west of the pass, the refugees wandering outside the Stranglethorn Vale still felt lingering fear about it and looked at each other in confusion.

…

Of course, the Idar army heading west was not looking for trouble and fighting. After all... Bruno has always been a peace-loving monarch, and the Idar army has always liked to convince people with reason.

Well, at least most of the time.

The only purpose of this army's trip is to peacefully liberate the civilians living in the Moore River Valley and make the Moore River Valley the tenth province under the jurisdiction of the Idar Empire!

Viscount Conte is not an ignorant aristocratic fool. As the situation on the mainland becomes increasingly clear, his good relationship with the Stuart family also makes joining the new Idar Empire the best choice in Viscount Conte's mind. .

Even as early as the beginning of the Idar Independence Celebration on January 1, Viscount Conte had already mentioned to Bruno his intention to merge into the Idar Empire.

so……

The Viscount of Conte had heard the news early in the morning that Idar's army would take over the Conte territory today. When Idar's army finally appeared on the horizon not far away, he was already alone on the wall of the Moorish city, which was not very tall and strong. Standing for a long time.

The troops defending the city have been assembled by Viscount Conte at the city gate. This is not for resistance, but to welcome Idar's army into the city.

As a friendly neighbor of the Idar Empire, Viscount Conte witnessed the rise of the Stuart family with his own eyes, but even so, he still felt incredible when he recalled it.

After all, there was a time when the Idar Territory under the Stuart family had to rely on the help of the Conte Territory to defend the sovereignty of the Glen Highlands.

But how long has it been?

Two years? Three years? Or... four years?

Viscount Conte could not remember the specific time clearly.

But no matter how many years it takes, it is still a short-lived number that is jaw-dropping.

The youngest daughter of Viscount Conte, Isabel, teaches at the Idar Public University, so... through this relationship, Viscount Conte understands this sudden rise in such a short period of time better than any other nobleman outside the Idar Empire. regime.

He really studied the political system and legal provisions of the Idar Empire, and also saw with his own eyes the changes that took place in Idar during this time.

Viscount Conte even tried to promote changes in Conte!

But he can't do it!

Because with the help of the wonder construction system, every change experienced by the Idar people is closely related.

Magical industrialization, the serf emancipation system, and the labor points system complement each other, and the confiscation of noble land and corresponding commercial economic compensation complement each other...

And with the changes bit by bit, Bruno even brought the lowest common people to the stage of participating in politics!

Under Bruno's guidance, the weak contractual relationship between the king and the nobles was changed, and the power of the royal family was strengthened.

Government Administration Council, House of Lords and House of Representatives, Ministry of Defense...

The participation of civilian officials made the Stuart family, the rulers of the empire, the sole owners of that vast land!

In the past, this was something that even the nobles could not imagine!

But the young man from the Stuart family really did it, and he did it very well!

So much so that what can determine the current situation on the mainland has actually become a competition between the Idar people and the Church of Light.

After an unknown amount of time, the sound of wheels running over puddles became insignificant amid the roar of the machine.

When Viscount Conte raised his head again, the leading troops of the Idars had already crossed the Moore River and were slowly heading towards the city gate.

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"How many years have you been following me?"

Very unexpected,

Viscount Conte suddenly turned around and asked the old butler who had been waiting by his side.

The old housekeeper was stunned for a moment, and his eyes seemed to be covered with a layer of mist:

"Our family has been working for the Conte family since our father's generation. As for me... I have probably been with the Viscount for nearly twenty years..."

After a while, Viscount Conte suddenly chuckled and said: "Then you will be much more relaxed in the future!"

"Lord Viscount..." The old butler looked a little worried.

"It doesn't matter." Viscount Conte shook his head: "After it is merged into the Principality of Idar, the affairs in the territory will no longer be under our control, but it is rare for us to have leisure. Besides... I heard that there is a kind of thing in the Merlin District. With something called the stock market, you can make huge profits in just a few days. It might be interesting to take a look at it then."

"I'm going to learn about the stock market tomorrow and try to earn a fortune for the Viscount!" the old housekeeper hurriedly patted his chest and promised.

Hearing this, Viscount Conte couldn't help but smile heartily: "It's time to go! Follow me to meet our Idar army!"

Viscount Conte touched the battlements in front of him for the last time, then turned around without any nostalgia and walked down the city wall accompanied by the old housekeeper.

He knew very well that everything must be looked forward to...

…

"Minister, the gates of Moorish City have been opened."

When Sarah Colen looked at the Moorish City not far away with a telescope, news from the vanguard had already reached his ears.

"Viscount Conte is indeed a smart man who can see the situation clearly. Your Majesty will naturally not treat him badly."

On the military jeep, Defense Minister Sarah Coren nodded with satisfaction, and then changed the topic: "It's just... other people may not have this kind of awareness."

Hearing this, a young officer sitting next to Sarah Coren couldn't help but said eagerly: "Then just kill the others. UUReading www.uukaｎshu.net "

"Major General Grant Doyle, you are too reckless."

Sarah Coren paused and continued: "But... I like your approach when facing those rookies!"

Of course, Viscount Conte is not the only nobleman living in the Moore River Valley.

As the longest river on the continent, the Moor Valley located in the upper reaches of the Moor River has a total area equivalent to the entire Solenburg Province.

In addition to the Earl of Conte, who is based in Moor City, there are also a lot of Norman nobles living here such as the Marquis of Serre, Viscount Aubie, Earl of Locke, etc. There are six or seven nobles of various sizes.

Not only does it have fertile soil and the best grapes in the continent, it is also the land in the Norman Empire that was least affected by the war.

There is no other reason. This place is too close to the former Principality of Idar and the current Idar Empire.

When the war was raging in the interior, the illustrious reputation established by the Idar people allowed the Moore Valley to survive the chaos of several forces, and now... it was time for the Idar people to collect their rewards.

Of course, Bruno must take this barely intact land into his pocket and arrange defensive fortifications in advance. Otherwise, if the Church of Light takes the initiative to attack, then this barely intact land will probably be ruined.

Regarding this, Bruno still has confidence in the Church of Light.

so……

With Major General Grant Doyle of the Royal Guards as the commander-in-chief, and Defense Minister Sarah Coren personally coming to the front line to take charge, the Idar army must make the Moore River Valley the tenth country under the rule of the Idar people in the shortest possible time. Province!

"Leave a group of people to take over the city, and the rest of the army...the target is the Marquis of Serre!" Major General Grant issued the order.