Realm of Power

Gallic Empire Kyoto

In a spacious golden hall. The warm ceiling chandeliers emit soft yellow light, and the wall lamps on the walls illuminate the entire hall in a magnificent way. Pairs of nobles wearing gold and silver rims and black skirts and dresses interact with each other. companionship,

In the beautiful music of the band in the corner of the hall, the crowd danced gracefully. The soft and soothing sound of the harp and bagpipes was also mixed with the sound of a small triangle.

The soft yellow firelight shone brightly on all the nobles. On one side of the banquet hall, some nobles holding wine glasses mingled with each other and casually talked about some interesting things about the war in the south of the empire. Most of these nobles wore serious military uniforms. feature.

‘Everyone, be quiet, be quiet, please give me a little time in Pestalin’

Under the gaze of everyone, a man in a white dress walked onto the bandstand in front of the band and clapped his hands gently.

On his right chest hung the intertwined golden sword and shield of the Imperial Guard. He stood tall and straight, and as the man's voice sounded, the music in the banquet hall slowly became softer, and the dancing nobles also Stop and look at him with a smile.

‘Pestalin, every time I come to a critical moment, you come out to disrupt the situation! ‘An unhappy male voice came out from the crowd. ‘Don’t forget to make it up to me after the meeting is over! '

"It's easy to talk. After the meeting is over, you can come to my private party. Of course, it would be better if a few noble and beautiful ladies can join me." Pesdalin blinked narrowly.

‘You guy.’ There was an ambiguous chuckle from the crowd.

Pesdarin took out a proclamation from his arms and said with a smile, "You must have heard the news. The empire has made significant progress in countering the rebellion in the northwest region. The famous imperial general Hassen Rimbaud has severely defeated the northwest rebels and defeated them." That "Wikia Falcon" lost many of its troops and suffered countless casualties. Now it has sent envoys to the capital of Gaul to seek peace. What a pity." Pesdalin stopped speaking and shrugged his shoulders. He said helplessly as he spread his arms.

"Originally, I wanted to go to the northwest to meet the Vecian Falcon, who is called the God of War by the barbarians in the northwest. I wanted to put the Jarvan-patterned sword in my hand on the fearful and trembling shoulders of the barbarian king, and tell him what is not allowed. The victorious Lion of Gaul! But now it seems that this wish may not come true!”

"Haha!" There was a burst of laughter from the noble group.

‘Pestalin, just talk nonsense. If you really see that barbarian king, you will probably be the one who wets your pants with fear! 'Someone laughed and said loudly

"How is that possible? I'm an officer of the Gallic Guards. It's the barbarian king who makes me wet my pants in fear!" Pesdalin waved his hand with a reserved smile on his face. "Okay. Now let's get down to business. Bar!"

"Business, what else can you do in Pesdalin?" Questions came from below, and everyone looked at him.

"This... it must be true, after all, I am also an emperor!"

Pesdalin looked embarrassed, and his forehead was slightly sweating after being looked at. He had no choice but to raise the sealed letter in his hand and said loudly, "Two months ago, the 5th and 7th Infantry Regiments of the Imperial Guard left Kyoto and marched to the northwest. My brother . Pacebigail, commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Guards, was fortunate enough to participate in this crusade. This is my brother's letter. I came here before I opened it immediately. I just hope that everyone can read the content of the letter with me. Glory. It should be felt by everyone together.’

"Great, Lord Pacebigail is going to make a triumphant return? Then the other people will come back, right?" The nobles below began to commotion. Many of the guards sent to conquer the northwest were from their circle. people,

"Northwest has surrendered. It should be soon!"

Pesdarin looked proud, paused in his voice, raised his head and said loudly, "Do you want to know the true situation of the Northwest War? Do you want to know how the empire's sword punished those arrogant and greedy Northwesters?"

‘I am extremely happy.’ The young Kyoto noble’s eyes were bright. They all raised their glasses excitedly, ‘For the empire! '

‘For the Empire! For glory! 'Everyone shouted loudly and took a sip of wine. The strong aroma of wine suddenly filled the entire hall. The waiters and maids hurriedly stepped forward to buy wine for the nobles who needed it.

"Everyone, come with me!"

Pesdarin walked towards the spacious balcony on the right side of the hall, followed by other noble officers and ladies. The crowd gathered on the extremely wide marble balcony chatting and laughing. The balcony was built on the third floor of the sky, and the moonlight outside the window was bright. The marble material is wrapped with a layer of dark green vine branches, and there is a hint of vibrant green in the luxury. Pesdalin adjusted his collar, and all the nobles on the balcony were waiting for him to read it out loud.

Under the attention of countless pairs of eyes, he gently opened the letter in his hand with his fingers, and the familiar red handwriting of his brother Pacebigale came into view: "The war in the southwest is unfavorable. The enemy has been trapped in the city for a month, the rations have been exhausted, and his colleagues have starved to death." There are countless wounded, and the reinforcements are not coming, so we can only survive by eating the corpses. I don’t know when we will disappear and become food in others’ stomachs.

'This is! "Pestalin's hand holding the letter trembled. It felt like he was holding a red soldering iron. His smiling expression suddenly froze. A faint smell of blood floated in the night wind, eating the corpse and becoming someone else. There is no food in my belly. . .

"Pestalin, what's wrong with you?" The young nobles below saw Pestalin holding a letter in his hand, his eyes were dull, his face turned pale, and they felt that something was wrong with the atmosphere.

A young nobleman who had a good relationship with Peslinda in the past hurriedly stepped forward and supported Pesdalin, who was in extremely poor condition, with one hand. His eyes inadvertently glanced at the letter in Pesdalin's hand. He was immediately stunned when he saw that the entire letter turned out to be It was written with blood, with bright red dried blood stains still remaining on one corner, and every word was weeping blood. It is a suicide note written in blood. It is the tradition of Gallic warriors to write suicide notes in blood! There is no doubt that this letter is not a report of victory, but a suicide note written in blood by Pacebigail, commander of the 5th Infantry Regiment of the Guards!

"Did the Southwest War fail?" A voice of gratitude suddenly sounded from below.

"Oh my God, it's a blood letter!" A sharp-eyed noble looked at the blood-stained corner of the letter in Pesdalin's hand and shouted in horror.

. . . . . . . .

"Lord Hu Keqili, what do you want to do by doing this?"

Feitanli, who served as the liaison officer, pushed open the door of Hu Keqili's room angrily. This was a manor on the outskirts of Kyoto in Gaul. Bright sunshine shone in through the window, and outside the window was a peaceful scene of an autumn manor.

I saw Fetanli, the liaison officer from Gaul, coming in. Hu Keqili turned back from the window and said angrily

"What do you mean, Master Fetanli? Since I arrived in the capital of Gaul three days ago, you have placed me here on the grounds that there is a celebration in the capital and no foreign affairs are being dealt with for the time being. I also want to ask, Gao The Ministry of Military Affairs of Rwanda is so neglectful of this negotiation. Does it still want to sign an armistice agreement?

"If you don't want to sign, I'll leave immediately! The two armies have opened up. Just fight again. Let's be clear, we are not the ones who are defeated this time! If it weren't for the fact that this war has caused the displacement of millions of civilians, my family His Majesty felt pity and did not want to involve more civilians, so he had already ordered a full-scale attack on Rusty's right wing. When the army comes pouring in, Rusty's right wing will be nothing more than a mantis blocking the car! "

"This!" Feitanli's momentum came when he heard that Hu Keqili wanted to go back. Suddenly, he was like a deflated ball, and said with an embarrassed expression, "The Ministry of Military Affairs has worked very hard to report this matter to His Majesty the Emperor.

But it is indeed during the celebration, and it is impossible for His Majesty to appear openly. Moreover, such an important foreign matter requires His Majesty to convene a royal meeting before it can be decided. The time for the royal meeting is the day after tomorrow, and there will be a reply soon! Even if there is a delay. There is no need for you to distribute the suicide notes of the Imperial Guards who died in the Southwest Battle everywhere! This could easily cause shock throughout Kyoto! "

"Issuing suicide notes is just a matter of keeping a tacit promise between soldiers."

Hu Keqili smiled sarcastically, "Your country's Imperial Guards defended the southwest capital for a full month without any foreign aid or food. No one surrendered until the end of the battle. "Of course, Hu Keqili would not He said that it was not that no one surrendered, but that His Majesty Falcon had a strict order to take no prisoners from the Gallic Guards who massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians in the southwest capital. The only policy was to kill and leave no prisoners!

Fatty needs the blood of tens of thousands of Imperial Guards to give an explanation to the suffering people of the southwest.

But on the face of it, I still have to say that the Gallic Guards are really a tenacious force that has been fighting to the death. A week before the city was broken, the northwest commander Stanlin Spencer, who felt that there was no hope of victory, had already chosen Commit suicide to apologize,

As for Algernon Julia, the core figure, Fatty deliberately neglected her and forgot about it. He had no choice but to hope that this woman would return to Kyoto in Gaul, because this woman was accompanied by an insider named Angelio.

This is an important insider that Fatty has spent a lot of time cultivating. As long as he can stay with this woman, news from the top management of Gaul will continue to come back, and even at a critical moment, it can play a decisive role in turning the situation around.

In this battle for the southwest capital, Angelio followed Fatty's instructions and gave Algernon Julia a way at the last moment before the army broke through the city. "Since the Falcon Army was besieging the Gallic Guards with a Kyoto accent, The army did not say anything about Miss Algernon Julia, which means that the Falcon Army did not know the existence of Miss Algernon Julia. Miss Julia only needed to disguise herself as a civilian in the city and leave the southwest capital in a dignified manner! "

Angelio said solemnly, "I am willing to follow the lady as a cover. A pure northwest man will answer the interrogation. I believe the Falcon Army will not be suspicious!"

"Okay, that's all!" Just like that, Algernon Julia was dressed in tattered linen clothes, with her head lowered, her pretty face smeared with black dust on the wall, and she was walking in the nearly ruined southwest capital with a lonely expression. There were only a few close maids dressed in the same clothes, and Angelio who pretended to be an elder. Behind them was the Falcon Army, which had passed through and controlled three-quarters of the city area.

A huge fireball with a thick black tail traversed the sky and hit the street where the Guards were guarding. With a rumble, rocks mixed with red fireworks scattered. The Gallic Guards holding iron shields were like this. Even before the violent splash, he was not immune.

Several ignited firemen were screaming miserably, billowing black smoke rose from the southwest corner of the city, and the remaining thousands of Imperial Guards were huddled in the last quarter of the area to resist desperately.

In this battle, they had no way out except death. Ever since the Falcon Army took the initiative to attack Rusty and broke the strategic deployment of the Gauls internally and externally, the Southwest Battle had become a hopeless dead end.

"Stop, who are you?" A group of passing Falcons stopped Angelio. No one would pay attention to the women next to him.

"Sir, I am a businessman from Rosende!" Angelio looked humble and quickly bent down to salute a businessman.

"A businessman from Rosende?" The Falcon Infantry Captain was stunned for a moment. Because he had a pure Rosende accent and was very familiar with the customs and customs of Rosende, Angelio didn't need much effort. He passed the cross-examination of the Falcon Infantry Captain naturally.

"Who are these women to you?"

The Falcon infantry captain waved to Angelio and glanced at the women behind Angelio. He was a little dazed. Although he was dressed in linen and his face was smeared with black ash, his graceful figure could not be concealed. , especially the female guard of the Wang family who has been exercising all year round is quite good.

"It's my daughter and her maids!" Angelio's face looked a little unnatural. He was afraid that if the Falcon Infantry Captain went to ask in person. The secret would be exposed immediately, and she quickly said, "Too many people have died recently, and there are corpses everywhere. They are all frightened. So they don't even dare to say anything!"

"Are you too scared to speak? Is this really the case?" The Falcon Infantry Captain glanced over and frowned slightly. He walked over slowly and circled around Algernon Julia. His eyes were filled with sharp light,

"It's really bad!"

Angelio stood there and didn't dare to move, groaning secretly in his heart. He knew where the loopholes were. The face and clothing could be made up, but the arrogance coming from the bones was too obvious in Julia, a woman.

"Your name!" the infantry captain stopped, looked at Algernon Julia who had her head lowered, and suddenly asked sharply with a cold face, and the air suddenly became heavy.

"Damn it!" Algernon Julia lowered her head, clenched her pink fists, and cursed secretly in her heart. She didn't expect that an ordinary infantry captain of the Falcon Army would have such meticulous thoughts. At this moment, 1 wouldn't dare even if he was brave. When he speaks, he speaks with a Kyoto accent!

"Answer me, otherwise, I will order your arrest! The infantry captain raised his hand, and dozens of Falcons behind him quickly surrounded several people. The sharp spears made Angelio's face change.

"Linsta, what are you doing here! Mr. Lassati in front of you is looking for you everywhere!" A young man wearing the uniform of a Falcon Corps squadron leader came over and shouted to the interrogating infantry captain.

"It's Lord Assolon of the Guards!" Seeing this young man, the infantry captain of the Falcon Army quickly turned around and gave a military salute with a sneer on his face.

"Okay, stop dawdling, do you suspect that these women are Gallic Guards?" the Falcon Guards officer named Assolon said half-jokingly

"How is that possible? Everyone knows that the Gallic Guards are all men! But I feel a little strange. I will go to the front immediately." The Falcon Infantry Captain responded repeatedly and waved his hands in panic to the surrounding soldiers. The soldiers quickly withdrew and followed him towards the front.

"How long has it been, and you are still taking a woman around? You are really not afraid of death!"

Watching the Falcon Infantry Captain leave, Assolon waved his hand impatiently to Angelio, who was still in a daze. "It's a bit messy now. If it weren't for the fact that my wife is also a Roxander, I wouldn't be too lazy." It’s none of your business! “Be careful!”

"Yes, thank you!" Angelio looked grateful. In fact, he was so scared that he broke into a cold sweat. He quickly left with Algernon, Julia and several royal maids.

"Finally completed! Your Majesty's mission..." On the southwestern capital's half-collapsed city wall, looking at Angelio and his group leaving in the distance, Assolon leaned against a tree that was burned by the fire. On the burnt black pillar, he took out a sweet leaf grass from the lining of the armor, threw it into his mouth and chewed it. He had been following behind since just now. His mission was to protect Anrio and his party from leaving the southwest capital safely.

The core of this mission is that Angelio must go to the capital of Gaul. This is why the fat man asked Angelio to make suggestions. Algernon Julia, a femme fatale, is extremely meticulous. As long as she wants to escape from the southwestern capital besieged by the army, she must Bringing Angelio, a true northwester, to deal with the interrogation, and Angelio can also rely on this incident to become Algernon Julia's most trusted person. As long as he returns to Kyoto, he will definitely be able to get in touch with the core of Gaul's top management.

"Although we are enemies, we also collect their corpses with awe." In the room, Hu Keqili pretended to be cautious and said. "Anyone who found a suicide note would be careful to collect it, just hoping that these guards would In the end, a trace of soul can return to their hometown, so that their relatives can have something to rely on. If Lord Fetanli thinks that such a move is wrong, then I can only say that the death of these soldiers is not worth it, even their own motherland They don’t want to acknowledge their struggle!”

"Of course that's not what I meant!" Feitanli's mouth turned bitter and his face was a little dark. He lowered his head and did not dare to look into Hu Keqili's eyes. Of course, he could not say that 10,000 Imperial Guards died in the southwest. This news has always been Blocked by the empire, these imperial guards came from the aristocratic class of Kyoto in Gaul. The personal pain they caused to the aristocrats of Kyoto was far more intense than the hundreds of thousands of ordinary troops who died in other areas.

Especially this time, a large number of suicide notes from the Guards appeared. The entire Gallic capital was in chaos. The nobles and wealthy families had blocked the gate of the Gallic Ministry of Military Affairs and questioned the specific situation of the Southwest War.

The Gaul Military Affairs Department is already in a state of panic. The aggressive offensive from the northwest has forced the Gaul military to send out the regional reserve troops some time ago.

The loss of more than 300,000 troops has made the Gaul Military Affairs Department unable to deal with it. Now there is such a thing. According to the news from the inner court, in view of the serious situation, the imperial meeting of His Majesty the Emperor will be held in advance tomorrow. ,

A storm is gathering over the Gaul capital (to be continued...)