On January 17, 1226, in Calgary, the Duchess of Caterina? Xia Noxi? Sanskrit? The city of Herring, which had been held out for almost five months by the main forces of Dimahia's "rebels", finally fell. The Marquis de Beauchmond, known as the "Wall of Césaire", was killed in battle, and the remaining 20,000 defenders surrendered to the "rebels".

This means that half of the entire Oakley Empire has been built, and the nearly 10 million stone grain in Herrin City has completely fallen into the control of the "rebels". To the north of the glorious capital of Serokhia, there is no longer any natural danger that can stop the advance of the "rebels". If the current "emperor" of Iken, who is sitting on the throne of Qingyao, still wants to continue to meet his niece and daughter, then he must honestly have a life-and-death contest with the other party on the fertile soil of the endless plains of the two river basins.

Of course, when the news of Herring's fall reached the imperial capital, it was already late January. Emperor Iken, who was holding a meeting of the "Privy Council" and an "emergency enlarged military council" in the Pallas Hall of the Eichen Palace, stood for half a minute on the spot. Although he already knew that there would be such a result, but now in the face of the cruel truth, he still can't accept it.

"What about Bochmond? How is he? He questioned his scout loudly, his voice rumbling like thunder.

“…… Your Majesty, Your Majesty, Beau, Your Excellency the Marquis of Bochmond, has died in battle, Your Majesty. Iken's aggressive and eager voice clearly shocked the poor herald, and a palpable fear flashed across his face, and it took him a long time to utter a complete sentence. Then he crawled on the ground and tried to disguise himself as a dog. He knew the relationship between the "emperor" and the marquis. Although he is a monarch and a minister, he is also a friend of life and death. Right now. The Marquis is dead, and His Majesty the Emperor cannot help but be furious. He was just an ordinary scout captain, the lowest ranking among the people present, and if the emperor needed to vent his anger, he was the only one.

In all fairness, although Emperor Iken was certainly not a wise and martial Gaidai Holy Monarch, otherwise he would not have been beaten to the ground by his "rebellious" niece. Of course, he is also not a drunken king, and a cruel tyrant. If it is purely by nature, he really hopes to continue the glorious era of the Oakland Empire.

Judging from his appearance, he inherited the angular and healthy appearance of the Sun King in his prime, but unfortunately he had already lost his head at a young age. He always likes to be accompanied by a face, looking resolute and majestic, and there are several momentum between Gu Pan, but naturally it is a pity that he does not have the depth of the Sun King, and his eyes always lack some layering. He likes to speak in a strong and powerful voice. Many people feel that it is like thunder, which is terrifying, and it is enough to scare ordinary people. But in the eyes of the high-ranking officials and dignitaries who are really familiar with the Sun King, this approach really seems a bit deliberate. It has its form, but it has not its god.

In general, the second son of the Sun King and Queen Estelle is such a tragic figure. He always wanted to learn from his father, who was so great that people looked up to him. But I always can't learn. He always wanted to be on a par with his great father, but he was always stubborn about his father's political ideas.

"The lords and nobles, with their thousand-year-old traditions, were not satisfied. The soldiers with outstanding military exploits are not satisfied, when you are there. Naturally, they didn't dare to say anything, but when you were away, you almost offended the Shengquan royal family, which was the foundation of the country, how could you still sit on the throne? Just relying on these civilian-born nerds, opportunistic petty traders, and mercenaries with war wild dogs, why should they confront these wealthy families with a long history? "Iken is so calculating.

In all fairness, in a sense, what he said is not wrong, you know, without the support of the elite, the imperial power naturally cannot be called imperial power, and it is not even qualified to be framed and used as a mascot. Having grown up in his own Césaire fiefdom since he was a child, he did not understand that the reason why his grandparents reorganized the Knights of Saint Laurent and the Knights of the Aurora Gauntlets with the concept of a military school, and at the same time established the Auckland National Central University, as well as the more specialized law and accounting schools, modeled on the model of the Ocean University, was to create a new elite class.

In fact, the greatest political achievement of the Sun King couple's life was by no means the restoration of the homeland, nor the restoration of the Holy Springs royal family, but the fact that these new elites thrived under their wings.

Karin understands this, her father, Crown Prince Dirios, and so does the team of important ministers left to his daughter. However, Iken did not understand that the most important forces supporting him were perhaps some wise people among the traditional gate lords...... It is a pity that if the limitations of class are so easily overcome, how can there be so many wars and restorations in a period of civilizational change?

"My most loyal minister and best friend died at the hands of my niece?" The Emperor said in a calm and unwavering tone, as if he were asking the scout a question, as if to confirm the cruel truth.

"Yes, Your Majesty......" the scout's voice trembled with fear, and he even pressed his forehead to the ground, trying his best to show his humility and weakness.

His Majesty's ministers and generals all hung their heads silently, and in the lavishly decorated Pallas Hall of the Goddess of Wisdom in the Yongchen Palace, only the fire in the fireplace made a "crackling" sound.

Pallas Hall is a medium-sized side hall in the Yongchen Palace that can accommodate about twenty or thirty people at the same time, and has the functions of both the emperor's imperial study and conference room. The décor is sober and warm, full of understated restrained luxury. When the Sun King was alive, he was fond of meeting important guests in this hall or convening important ministers.

Although His Majesty did not agree with his father's political ideas, he always liked to learn from his father in detail. As soon as he "ascended the throne", he quickly moved his office here. The only difference is that when the Sun King was alive, the wall on the right hung the most detailed map of the world of the first officer. Iken hesitated for a moment, and finally switched to a plain map of Auckland's country.

If you go outside, you must first settle inside. This is probably a problem that every ruler has to face.

"How is this possible? The Marquis de Bochmond had said he would hold out for at least ten more days. "Hardar? Duke Celeras seems to be even more broken than his own emperor: "He still has 20,000 soldiers in his hands, and the city of Herring itself is a historical city that cannot be attacked. After his long-term operation, it is even more impregnable, how can it be that he has only been defended for two days and then fallen? ”

“…… I don't know much about this, but I just heard about the temple...... Oh no, the leader of the traitors sent an envoy into Herrim, and then the rebels sent people to sing around Herin, and the Lion's Wing Castle suddenly collapsed. Then came the news of Marquis Bochmond's violent death, and his men opened the gates of the city to let the rebels into the city. ”

"All vile traitors! They should owe allegiance to the rightful Destiny Lord of Oakland, even if the commander is killed. And keep fighting, until the last man! Derke, Marquis of Minonas, gritted his teeth, as if he was really in a rage over the actions of these "betrayers": "The families of these betrayers should be found out, and all of them should be crucified and stood outside the imperial capital, so that everyone can see how the despicable villains who have deviated from honor and loyalty will be punished!" ”

If he hates betrayers who have deviated from honor and loyalty, he must be a knight with a great sense of honor, right? But in fact, in the previous battle of Herring. The flank troops of 20,000 under his command were almost completely dispersed by the 5,000 cavalry of Earl Daeron, directly exposing the lord's own formation to the pressure of the other party, and making a "great contribution" for the defeat of his own army. Judu can be regarded as the most deep-sea temperament pig teammate on this side.

For this reason, the Emperor Iken, who had a "mean and unkind" evaluation, also cut off a quarter of his territory as punishment. It also retains its status in the "Privy Council". If the same crime were to fall into the hands of Karin, who has always been a generous rewarder, she would not hesitate to deprive her of most of her territory and property, and when the time was right, she might even abolish the historic nobleman outright. So. In this world, most of the time, everyone has been unable to understand it.

Another member of the Privy Council was the Marquis of Caroya, Gerbat. He looked at his colleague Marquis Delke, who was talking nonsense, with disdain, and then said slowly in a soft and heavy tone: "Anyway. The city of Herring has been lost. Your Majesty, you must make a decision. ”

He said the only word in the meeting, but it was still useless nonsense.

You must know that once Herin City falls, there will be no danger to defend north of the imperial capital, and the "rebels" may be outside the city within five days at the earliest. Time was running out for the Emperor and these Privy Council Ministers. Of course, now gathered in the imperial capital, in addition to the five forbidden army legions sitting on the mountain and watching the tiger fight, there should be more than 100,000 people in the reliable army. If the emperor really gritted his teeth and went out of the city to meet the "rebels", it was not without the strength to fight.

However, the countless experiences of being defeated by the "rebels" in the past have made these people lose the spirit of continuing the war early. What's more, at this time, their own troops are already at a disadvantage, and there are still 80,000 or 90,000 central forbidden troops stationed near the city with an unclear attitude.

"There are still 12 million gold baht and 50 million silver dir in the treasury, which is a lot of money. If we recruit mercenaries from Neosfia or even Sosnes, we will be able to muster a capable army. Those war wild dogs naturally have no sense of honor, but at least they are very strong, and they are by no means ...... Uh, what the rebels can fight against. "Chubby Harrier? Viscount Hollens said cautiously. His status is not high, and he is certainly not a member of the emperor's "Privy Council", but because he is said to be very good at managing money, he was directly appointed by the emperor as the minister of finance.

Of course, this resignation was said to have been opposed by the Duke of Tyrion, the Prime Minister of the Empire. It is said that the wise and keen, but due to physical reasons, he was still a bitter and mean old indignant young man in middle age, and said sarcastically: "He is just a small merchant who calculates every copper by himself, and at most he can be a qualified tax collector and accountant. ”

"To the capital of the seven seas or even across the sea to the Southern Continent to recruit troops? Not to mention whether they will sit on the ground and start the price, how much time do you think it will take? Marquis Gerbat sneered.

"This ...... Otherwise, we can recruit an army among the refugees, anyway, there are now more than two million refugees gathered near the imperial capital, and it should not be a problem to recruit 100,000 young adults......"

"All in all, it's not like we're not without a fight, but it's going to take time. I have received the news that the main forces of the armies of the Duke of Tyrion and the Grand Duke of Dilisa have been mobilized. The Emperor interrupted the other party's words, perhaps because he didn't want the Chancellor of the Exchequer to continue to lose face: "Of course, whether it is waiting for the troops of the Duke of Lancaster and the Grand Duke of Dragoncastle to meet, or recruiting and reorganizing a new army, it will take time. However, as long as Duke Euffric raised troops in the east, attacked the rebels' flanks, supply lines, and even directly attacked their lair in the north, it was enough to hold them back for a long time. ”

The bigwigs present looked at each other...... Then they all fixed their eyes on Count Brax, who was in charge of contacting the lords and allies. This is an extremely handsome and elegant middle-aged nobleman, with elegant hobbies and skills such as art appreciation, wine tasting, dancing, fox hunting and fencing, and is very knowledgeable, eloquent, and writes good poetry. In the social circle of the upper class of the entire Oakland Empire, he is a well-known star, and it is said that he is extremely popular.

However, this "social star" who can also boast in front of the Sun King is sweating profusely, his face is pale, and he can't wait to hang his head on his chest. He said glutinously: "Your Majesty, Your Majesty...... Eagle Helm City has indeed raised its troops. However, Duke Ufrik did not attack the rebels' flanks, and imprisoned the messengers I had sent to contact him. The Stormkod family has shamefully betrayed the glorious Empire. ”

The entire hall of the goddess of wisdom fell into an unspeakable dead silence again. Many people only saw their "emperor" who looked like a stubborn stone, and put down the pen in their hands with a slight tremble. He didn't say a word, and his expression didn't change much, but his whole person was haunted by the breathless low pressure.

“…… The adults of the Privy Council stay, let the rest go out. After a long moment, the Emperor spoke in a trembling voice.

Everyone looked at each other, but did not dare to disobey the order of the Supreme, and rose to leave their seats, and when the last officer left the Pallas Hall and closed the door, a roar like a storm broke out through the crack in the door. (To be continued.) )

PS: It's more than 8,000 words for two more, so continue to ask for votes