Realm of Power

At dawn, the military meeting had just ended, and the 200,000-strong Northwest Army entrenched on the northwest border moved southward.

Taking advantage of the night, countless flying falcon flags entered the southwest along the horizon like mercury pouring down the ground. The 200,000-strong army was divided into three groups. The first group of 80,000-strong Central Army was led by Fatty himself, who was responsible for the recruitment of more than 100,000-strong Southwest Army. Advancing along the main line to the southwest capital, sheltering defeated troops along the way, taking over the command of the southwest army, suddenly adding hundreds of thousands of troops, providing them with basic necessities, food, housing and transportation. We have to beware of their riots. Fatty is also very busy, so his speed is very slow.

The second line is Salon's 50,000 men, advancing towards the southwest capital as quickly as possible. As a large army, they advance directly into the back of Mephiobuen and the Gallic Guards who are entangled in the southwestern capital, cutting off Mephio The possibility of Boone suddenly returning to the army,

The third line is led by the temporarily transferred Duozhu. This group has the largest number of troops, reaching 100,000. They are mainly second-line troops advancing along the northwest coast. They are responsible for fully taking over the territory of the Southwest Army along the coastline. Weapons and personnel, after completing the takeover of the coastline, outflank the southwest capital.

On June 22, the news of the northwest army's large-scale invasion of the southwest and its aggressive killings reached the capital of the southwest.

The two armies that were still facing each other in the southwest capital reacted quickly. In the battle of the southwest capital, both sides suffered casualties, but the real casualties were civilians. Murphy's army could not fight for a long time. As a last resort, Murphy O'Brien ordered the army to withdraw to the southwest of the capital Bibia is the second largest city in the southwest after Xun and the capital. It has a wide terrain and is a famous grain-producing area in the southwest with a population of 220,000. Murphy O'Brien is centered on it and is entrenched in the southern part of the southwest. Recruiting southwest infantry, the strength has increased to 4.

The Imperial Guards were even more exaggerated. After learning that the northwest army had crossed the border,

Stanley Spencer was indeed an experienced veteran. He adopted iron-fisted measures and used the large amount of supplies and wealth that Murphy O'Brien had hoarded in the capital to seize the opportunity for Murphy's army to withdraw from the periphery when half of the capital was burned. , expanded outwards on a large scale, successively occupied four peripheral cities including Osatu, and recruited young and middle-aged people from the southwest in several cities. The so-called volunteer guard force was formed, and the number of troops increased instead of decreasing, exceeding 50,000. If he were not very afraid of the field combat capabilities of Murphy's Dragon Armored Cavalry, and did not want Northwest to take a big advantage, Stanley Spencer might have chosen it long ago. Take the initiative to defeat the threat of Murphy's army in the southwest.

On July 5, the main force of the 80,000-strong Central Army led by Fatty arrived at Oshan, an important area in the central part of the southwest. This is the last mountain range in the northern part of the southwest, and further on. It is the central southwest region with relatively flat terrain.

The slowly advancing Falcon Army stopped here and began to set up a defensive line, despite the surrender of more than 100,000 troops from the southwest. The land that the Falcon Army can occupy in a short period of time is only the northern part of the southwest region. The central part is firmly controlled by the Guards, and the south direction is licking its wounds. Murphy O'Brien may launch a counterattack at any time. Although Murphy's army is getting late, its main heavy cavalry still reaches 15,000. Moreover, they are all heavy cavalry units that are good at fighting. Once they enter the flat terrain, their combat power cannot be underestimated. Because of this, Fatty immediately sent out the warrior Salon to threaten the possible appearance of Murphy's dragon armor cavalry heading north.

At the same time that the Falcon Army arrived, the base camp in Okuyama also welcomed a special guest. A round-faced officer came directly to the Falcon Army base camp and asked the guards to see His Majesty the Falcon.

In the past few days, the guards have long been accustomed to people from cities across the southwest coming to see them. 200,000 northwest troops have entered the southwest. Although they are somewhat unwilling to do so, the southwest people also believe that they can save the southwest from the two wars. Yes, there is only one person named Vekia Falcon, and the northwest is in charge. The southwest is the general trend. In several wars, the southwest has lost troops and generals. The cities in the southwest feel frightened when they hear the name of the Vecia Falcon. Since the army entered the southwest, the cities in the southwest have almost collectively turned away. Similar to this, the southwest came to ask for help. There is an endless stream of nobles

Because they had received the order not to be embarrassed, the guards did not dare to neglect this round-faced officer. "May I ask your name, please, so that we can inform His Majesty."

"I don't dare to take it. This official is Lord Murphy O'Brien's attendant. I once met His Majesty in Danfeng Town. As for now..." The young officer smiled shyly and handed over a document. "This official is just a person." Just a messenger."

"Messenger of the Murphy Army!" Considering the identity of the other party, the guard immediately made a report. In less than five minutes, he hurried back and said respectfully, "Your Excellency, Your Majesty. Your Majesty agrees to receive you. Please come with me."

"Thank you." The young officer nodded and followed the guard into a large courtyard. This was originally the official residence of the mayor of the local city. Since arriving at the base camp, it has become Fatty's temporary residence. At the door of the study room decorated with blue flower floors, the officer saw Vecilia Falcon in casual clothes reviewing documents.

"You are Burroughs, the messenger of Murphy's Army!" The fat man raised his head and glanced at the officer of Murphy's Army who was similar in size to himself.

"Yes, Your Majesty!" the young officer said respectfully.

"Come sit down and talk." The fat man stretched out his hand and made a gesture of asking him to sit down.

"I don't dare, I'll just stand and say it!" Burroughs said bravely, "Your Majesty's hundreds of thousands of troops have entered the southwest. It is only a matter of time before they occupy the southwest. My lord specially sent me to make a deal with your Majesty!"

"Deal? Tell me!" The fat man looked calm and tapped the table lightly with his hand.

"My lord is willing to submit to Your Majesty, but there is one condition!" Burroughs took a deep breath and paused in his voice. "My lord will become His Majesty's first Southwest Commander-in-Chief!"

"General Governor of the Southwest? Sorry, I don't have the position of General Governor here! And I have already appointed the Governor of the Southwest Region, so he doesn't have such an opportunity." The fat man smiled nonchalantly and said, "Mephio This guy Boone still refuses to give up."

The fat man's voice stopped, and he continued to talk about injuries. "My army stopped in the important place of Oshan, just to give him the last chance. In the turmoil in the southwest, Murphy Lins, who was the arm of Murphy O'Buen, was killed, and with the painstaking efforts, The capital of the southwest has changed hands. The ambitious man who hopes to make a difference in the southwest has been completely cut off. Now Murphy O'Burn is entrenched in the southwestern region, seemingly waiting for an opportunity to expand his strength. In fact, I believe that Murphy O'Burn is very aware that after losing Murphy Lins and his right-hand men who died in the Southwest Rebellion, he is now. There is no way to save him. There are only two ways before him, either to surrender to me or to be completely destroyed by my army! "

"Your Majesty's answer is a bit too decisive! After all, we were once collaborators." The round-faced Silas did not expect that the Vecia Falcon would be so decisive. He was choked by the fat man's words and his face turned red. He was embarrassed. He coughed dryly, "Actually, my lord is not in a desperate situation as His Majesty said. If Your Majesty does not take you in, I believe that the Gangfei Empire will be happy to agree to take you in!"

"Gangfei? Murphy O'Brien really thinks so?"

The fat man frowned slightly. The words of the other party were beyond his expectation. Murphy O'Brien is now a lost dog. After his refusal, the possibility of joining Gang Fei is very high. The southwest and south are important border defense areas. Gaul It took people hundreds of years to build the southern defense line, and Murphy O'Brien invested in Confederacy. The border defense line will be completely opened. Once the Congo Empire intervenes in the southwest again, the southwest will inevitably become a place of chaos. My idea of ​​relying on the southwest as a logistics base for the army to march into Gaul has completely failed.

Murphy O'Brien really hit his own weakness this time! The fat man hesitated for a moment, then said with a stern expression, "Well, for the sake of being an ally, I can't give him the Southwest Commander. But I can give him other positions, such as the Commander-in-Chief of the Slavic Region! There is a need there. A person with ability can Where to take people. I can't guarantee that it will be as prosperous as the southwest, but it will be better than Murphy O'Brien's current situation! There are no strong enemies like the southwest. The most important thing is that the Slavs have entered the hinterland of Gaul. A land of thousands of miles of fertile land without an owner.”

"General Commander of the Slavic Region!" Silas was a little confused when he heard this word, and his face became strange. It is undeniable that the Slavic Region cannot be compared with the Southwest Region, but the development prospects of the Slavic Region are definitely better than that of the Southwest Region. In the land of the Fourth War, Silas did not know that the Dongting people had entered the Slavic area, thinking that the news was blocked. There were very few people who knew that the Dongting people had entered the Slavic area, let alone those thousands of miles away. To the southwest, under the influence of Burroughs, the Slavic region is still a barbaric land.

"If Murphy O'Brien is still not satisfied, I can add the heads of all the guards in the southwest capital! If that still doesn't work, then he can go to Ganfei!" The fat man had a cold face, just like the stability of the southwest. It is his own weakness, the Imperial Guards in the southwestern capital. This is Murphy O'Burn's weakness. Otherwise, Murphy O'Burn would not have retreated in a hurry, even abandoning the hundreds of thousands of southwestern troops. They were going to fight anyway, so why not just sell Murphy O'Burn a favor? Otherwise, this guy is entrenched in the south and will always be a big threat.

"I will take these words back to my lord! In fact, I personally think that there is no need for the two armies to fight!" Burroughs bowed respectfully.

The last faint ray of the setting sun fell on the green ivy and grape trellis hanging on the garden entrance. Lamp holders were hung on the newly erected white pillars, and several guards were gently refueling the oil lamps. The newly built garden is far smaller than the original size. It is only dotted with some rare flowers, a few rockeries, and a small pond.

Under the pavilion covered with ivy in front of the pond, Murphy O'Brien was sitting peacefully, looking at the red fire clouds in the western sky in trance. The sunset reflected on him, and his back looked so lonely, so lonely, rarely Some people think that this ruthless figure who ordered the burning of the southwest capital during the Southwest Rebellion is so calm at the moment.

The attendant stopped, smiled at Burroughs, and whispered, "Master Attendant, you can go there by yourself." Facing Murphy O'Brien's back, Burroughs hesitated before walking over. Before he could reach it, Behind him, Murphy O'Brien suddenly said, "Is it Burroughs?"

Burroughs was slightly startled and quickly responded, "It's me, sir. I didn't expect to disturb your contemplation."

"Are you meditating? Haha, I don't even know what I'm thinking about!" Murphy O'Brien turned his head with a wry smile, the bright red light shone on his face, and his tone was a little bleak, "How was the negotiation going? It must have been rejected." Murphy O'Brien's voice stopped, and there was too much emotion in his tone. The vicissitudes of life are all in it. "Although you suggested this, I know that the Vecchia Falcon will never let me be the commander-in-chief of the southwest. As for investing in Gang Feiren, after thinking about it, I think it is better to avoid it. As a soldier, you can't rely on things like this! It's just death, and that's all.

"Your Excellency, you are too worried." Burroughs suddenly showed a smug smile and said softly, "Although His Majesty Falcon rejected the proposal, he still doesn't understand your Excellency after all. I just proposed to join Gang Fei. , he changed his mind. He could not become the general of the Southwest, but he became the general of the Slavic region, although he did not meet expectations! Target, but your Excellency at least still retains the last strength. Although the Slavic region is barren, it is a fertile wilderness unlike the southwest, where the sky is high and the emperor is far away. Given time, your Excellency may not be able to become an independent land. Earth! Moreover, the Vekia Falcon also agreed to use the heads of all the Imperial Guards currently in the southwest capital as bargaining chips."

"Are you telling the truth?" Murphy O'Brien seemed to be refreshed and stood up. The melancholy on his face was swept away, and the joy of surviving a desperate situation filled his face.

"It should be true, at least for now. The reputation of Vekia Falcon is very good, and there is no record of going back on it!" Burroughs said with a solemn expression, "I have asked people to prepare the documents, and as soon as both parties sign it, everyone can set off." "

"Yes, it's time for everyone to leave. After all, this place doesn't belong to us!"

Murphy O'Brien sighed deeply, his tone heavy. His eyes swept across a wide hall across the pond, where the tokens of all Murphy's Dragon Armored Cavalry who died in the Battle of the Southwest were hung there, covering the entire four walls. In just one day, 18,000 people were lost in battle. This was an unprecedented defeat for the Murphy Dragon Armored Cavalry. It's no wonder that Murphy O'Brien was so depressed. The Southwest Rebellion made him experience from peak to trough, from everyone's admiration to everyone's betrayal and separation, from an important minister to a traitor to the empire. In just ten days, everything was like a dream.

On July 11, the 100,000 troops led by Doze completed a roundabout and approached the southwest capital from the side. At the same time, Murphy's Army and the Falcon Army signed a surrender agreement. Murphy O'Brien handed over the southern defense to Doze, leading only Fifteen thousand Murphy's Dragoons went north and embarked on a journey to the far northern Slavic region.

On July 14, the main force of the army led by Fatty himself arrived at the southwest capital and faced off with the Imperial Guards in the city. Since there was no resistance in the southwest, the Falcon Army arrived at the outskirts without any bloodshed, and its military was extremely prosperous. With 130,000 infantry and 30,000 cavalry, the army was divided into three camps on the left, center and right, surrounding the capital area. The Gallic Intelligence Department received reports from the southwest, and from the northwest province, a long convoy loaded with grain, grass and baggage A steady stream of water is flowing into the southwest day and night,

News from the southwest was cut off, and the Gallic garrison judges and tax collectors were expelled from various parts of the southwest. All ties with Gaul were severed, and the Southwest rebelled. It was a big difference whether it was made clear or not. Previously, everyone could cover their eyes and pretend not to see the chaos in the Southwest. After all, everyone knew that the person standing behind that woman was His Majesty the Emperor of Gaul. But now, contact with the Southwest has been completely cut off, which means that because of the Emperor His Majesty's private behavior has forced an important region to secede from the empire. This has shaken the entire Gaul, like an invisible earthquake, spreading from the capital of Gaul where the news was spread to all parts of Gaul.

The first anniversary celebration of His Majesty the Emperor began in an awkward atmosphere. In order to cover up the crisis within the empire, the celebration was extremely grand. Flowers, ribbons and gorgeous large-scale float performances constituted the opening ceremony of the entire celebration. Above the steps Those high-ranking officials, nobles, and ladies The eldest ladies are not interested in this. This kind of performance is quite suitable for the common people, but they don't like it. However, in line with the principle of having fun with the people, they still have to stand on the steps and follow His Majesty the Emperor to enjoy this kind of performance for them. It's not a fun celebration at all.

In order to reflect the bravery and enterprising spirit of His Majesty the new Emperor, the Sixth Army and the Eighth Army were specially transferred back from the eastern battlefield, with a total of 200,000 troops. Among them, 50,000 troops were dispatched and five hundred thousand-man troops were neatly lined up in front of His Majesty the Emperor. As we walked by, the cheers of the people all around us were heard.

"Long live His Majesty the Emperor, long live Gaul!"

After the joy in Kyoto, there were huge expenses that far exceeded the statistics of the imperial financial department, including 200,000 military logistics expenses and 50,000 elite military parade rewards. His Majesty the Emperor just waved his hand, and millions of gold coins were spent. He went out, but the Imperial Ministry of Affairs had a different view on the matter.

The Sixth Army and the Eighth Army, which were mobilized by His Majesty the Emperor in the eastern battlefield of the empire, are the elites of the eastern battlefield.

After the celebration, there was no order to return

Undoubtedly, this tranquility feels like the calm before an unprecedented storm. The air is filled with the unique atmosphere before the war, which is so rich and suffocating.

"Emergency report, Falcon Empire invades" Dusk. Under the blood-red sunset, a sweaty messenger of the Gallic cavalry rushed into the east gate of the Gaul capital like a whirlwind, and shouted loudly and crisply while galloping, "The Falcon Empire has sent troops to the southwest, with more than 100,000 troops!"

"What is the Falcon Empire?"

The Gauls on the street were at a loss, and the windows on the street were pushed open, and countless eyes lined up to watch. The news spread throughout the city like lightning. At this time, under the capital of the southwest, the army was like a cloud, and the black armor was overwhelming. In the dust, a golden falcon flag was striking.

In July of the sixth year of the Imperial Calendar, July of the 1203rd year of the Obaro Calendar, the Falcon Emperor, who was later called the Demon Army Invasion, officially stepped into the western region of the Obaro Continent (To be continued...)