Realm of Power

At the end of the red-carpeted corridor of the Gallic emperor's chamber, the light of the candlestick caught a slender figure. Algernon Julia watched the attendants hurriedly bring the unconscious emperor in, and then turned around with an angry look on her face. body, looking like ice cubes behind her. Several trembling Imperial Guard officers said in a cold voice, "Is this how you protect His Majesty the Emperor? They clearly know that the military ministers in the Ministry of Military Affairs want to take this opportunity to persuade His Majesty to mobilize the Northern Army to go south, and then completely wipe out the empty Kyoto area in one fell swoop. The control is in the hands of the Ministry of Military Affairs, and you just stand by and watch?"

"Miss, your subordinates also have some last resort difficulties! His Highness is banned outside the city, and reports of the Northern Army's successes are spreading frequently. The deputy ministers of the Ministry of Military Affairs took the opportunity to demand greater power from His Majesty! A Guards officer looked sad. , hurriedly knelt down on one knee and complained bitterly to Algernon Julia.

"His Majesty was so excited that he had long forgotten the late emperor's order and almost always responded to the requests of the Ministry of Military Affairs."

"Some time ago, because Lord Vlassis, the deputy commander-in-chief of the Guards, refused the collection order issued by Londa, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, the Ministry of Military Affairs forcibly took Lord Vlassis away from the office of the Guards. Because we were holding His Majesty’s clear orders in our hands, we could only watch with helpless eyes as Lord Francis was taken away.

The next day, the palace servant in charge of fetching water found the bloody body of Lord Francis in the smelly ditch outside the palace. It was really chilling to think of that kind of tragedy. We jointly pledged to His Majesty the Emperor that Francis , the result obtained is. The emperor has identified Vlassis as the spy in the west and said. If they are spies, they must be killed. For this reason, His Majesty the Emperor reprimanded us all, saying that we did not know right from wrong and did not even notice the spies who had sneaked into the Emperor's side. This made the Imperial Guards lose face and all of us. Fifty lashes from duty,

"If it weren't for the fact that the Imperial Guards have always been under the jurisdiction of the young lady, His Majesty the Emperor might have even handed over the Imperial Guards to the ministers of the Ministry of Military Affairs! An officer of the Imperial Guards looked sad and knelt down quickly, feeling bitter and resentful. Complaints to Algernon Julia

"The main thing is the battle with Rusty, which stimulated His Majesty too much. Coupled with some rumors that are not good for Your Majesty, His Majesty's trust in Your Majesty is also shaken when it is impossible to tell! But the subordinates still believe it. "

"Forget it before, from now on, the Guards will take over the defense of Kyoto!" Algernon Julia snorted from the corner of her pretty mouth, waved decisively to several Guards officers, and secretly said, "It's dangerous." ,

"Let's make arrangements immediately. Control the city gates and towers, seal the streets and all external passages, and within 20 hours from now, the entire capital will be on combat alert. It must be guaranteed. During this period, even a mouse We can’t be released from Kyoto City either,” Algernon Julia said as she walked with a serious look on her face.

"Yes. I understand!" The Guards officers behind him felt that the situation was serious. They nodded one by one, and hurriedly turned away in their spiked riding boots, marking out the expensive red carpet in the corridor. There are traces of hair removal, but no one pays attention to this. Now is not the time to pay attention to etiquette. Tonight's incident will definitely arouse strong dissatisfaction from the military. If you are not careful, the army will attack the palace!

"Miss, what should we do with the ministers of the Ministry of Military Affairs? If we are detained for too long, unpredictable situations may occur!" A guard officer who came to report asked cautiously. "Unless we have enough evidence, otherwise, Once the 24 hours are over, we must release him! "

"24 hours is enough. Bring Intelligence Minister Harun to see me immediately!"

Algernon Julia pushed open the door at the end of the corridor, which was her office in the palace. Heavy dust covered the tabletop, and there was a thick layer of dust on the floor, desk and chairs. It was obvious that no one had cleaned it for a long time. The curtains were tightly covered, leaving only a trace of light The threads could not be seen through, and there were several pages of messy documents and draft papers scattered on the ground. They were dark and obscure, with an unpleasant smell of staleness and dust. When someone pushed the door open, a mouse jumped down from the table in panic. Then he squeaked and hid under the cabinet.

Algernon Julia walked to the table with a solemn expression and blew away a thick layer of dust. There was a brown-red frame under the thick folder.

She picked it up casually and wiped it. It was a family painting. In the frame, a middle-aged couple hugged a cute little girl. The background was the majestic grand square of Kyoto, the imperial capital. Anyone who knew her would notice it. , the man with flaxen hair in the photo is the former emperor who passed away five years ago, silently looking at the happy family in the photo, Algernon Julia's slender figure standing there, her pretty eyes moist and translucent. Paintings that are too withered and yellow,

She saw a diligent, rigorous, and hearty figure, who called herself affectionately with a bright smile, "Julia, you must help your brother protect this country!" The whispers from the past seemed to still be echoing, except for the Imperial Guards' Among the few confidants, few knew that Julia, the eldest daughter of the Algernon family, was actually the illegitimate daughter of the former emperor. She had always been fostered in the Algernon family in the name of the daughter of the Algernon family.

After a while, Intelligence Minister Harlan was brought to this office by the Guards. Algernon Julia opened a dusty document on the table, with a flash of murderous intent in her eyes, and asked coldly "Tell me, is that information true? Or is it a false information that you made up temporarily because you knew I would take action tonight!"

"That is definitely a piece of true information!" Harun knelt on the ground and said with a pale face. "As for the plan of Her Royal Highness the Princess, my subordinates have no idea at all!"

"That's right, I miss an idiot like you! How could I possibly see something unusual tonight!" The murderous intent on Algernon Julia's pretty face dissipated a little. When she received the information, she almost stopped tonight in fear. action, she didn’t know whether the intelligence sent was a bait or an opportunity given by God. In the end, she finally considered the importance of tonight’s imperial meeting and temporarily adjusted the plan to imprison Figueros in the secret prison. Find out.

Things went smoothly than she expected, and she gained experience from the Southwest Incident. Algernon Julia’s arrangement this time was even more watertight.

She knew that the young emperor had been suppressed for too long and could not see the undercurrent surging under the military action. The capital of Gaul was now the weakest in hundreds of years. By then, the main force of the Imperial Guard would be split into the New North Army and the Of the two parts of the New West Army, the number of Imperial Guards left in Kyoto was less than 5,000. However, the Ministry of Military Affairs had just given a transfer order to Tie Lan, who was planning to build a new army, without telling the emperor, in the name of arresting spies from the northwest within Kyoto. The 60,000 new troops of Tielan Army were transferred to Kyoto. This is a dangerous signal.

After several consecutive years of national policy mistakes, His Majesty the Emperor's prestige has fallen to a cruel freezing point. He has lost cities and territories continuously. The dissatisfaction of all forces with the Emperor is about to explode, and the local princes are eyeing the central region. His Majesty the Emperor only saw the superficial cheers and financial gains, but did not think about it. Because of a thorough investigation of the incident, the military had made a real determination. Algernon Julia had a full understanding of Tielan.

This is a guy full of ambition, and he will do whatever it takes to achieve his goals.

Rusty was captured by the Falcon Army in the first battle, but escaped through some unknown means, most likely. This guy is a chess piece deliberately put back by the Falcon of Wikiia to capture spies. This guy is the biggest spy,

The arrival of the Tielan Legion finally made the military's desires begin to stir. The emperor's vision had been obscured by the successive victories in the Northern Campaign, and he was able to see the situation clearly. In addition, under the encouragement of these military ministers who were eager to seize power, If it hadn't been for the sudden attack tonight, the fate waiting for me tomorrow might be very bad.

Being imprisoned or exiled is considered a good thing, but secret execution is the most likely. In the battle for imperial power, there are only two outcomes: life and death. Whether it is for the empire or for yourself, tonight is the last chance. Although She was in a manor outside the city, but in the previous month, Algernon Julia had secretly weakened the defense force of the Guards in the palace to a minimum, and many Guardsmen were sent to patrol the city. , those who stay are all Algernon Julia’s die-hard fans,

The military is waiting for an opportunity. The emperor is waiting for the outcome of the Northern War. The military is also waiting. No matter what kind of report reaches Kyoto, the military will take this opportunity to launch a coup. The plan is implemented smoothly. Several All the important officials in the military have been rounded up. What we need to do now is to accuse these guys of enough crimes to make these very annoying guys disappear. This kind of thing certainly requires an expert.

"Tell me, what's the quickest way to kill someone like Ronda?"

Algernon Julia put down the document in her hand, a cloud of dust rose up on the table, and looked at Intelligence Minister Harlan. This dull-looking guy is the root of the empire's slow and stupid foreign intelligence, but when it comes to the crime of snares, this guy is definitely a criminal. A true expert

"Miss Algernon, I don't understand what you mean?" Harlan raised his head, his eyes full of confusion, but his heart was shaking to death. He didn't expect that Algernon Zhu Yali would be so cruel, and she wanted to kill someone directly. An important minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs!

"Don't act stupid for me! I know you understand!"

Algernon Julia snorted with great dissatisfaction, "To tell you the truth, tomorrow I will behead all Ronda and several deputy ministers of the Ministry of Military Affairs. If I can't find a way before dawn, I will behead you first, and then behead them." ! They are all going to die anyway. With the intelligence minister of the empire as a backup, they are worthy of death!"

"If you don't want to die, just tell me how to do it." Algernon Julia was very dissatisfied and interrupted the poor man's wailing. She looked at Harlan and said coldly, "Aren't you thoroughly investigating the spies in the northwest? Then what? Not easy? Add their names."

"I have some reports on ministers embezzling military resources, but just accusing them of being spies from the northwest is not enough..." Harlan's face turned pale with fright, he shrank his head and hesitated. said

"Military embezzlement? Do you really think that such a crime is enough to kill the deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs?" Algernon Julia said with cold eyes and strong murderous intent, "You still have three hours between now and dawn. I give you five hundred guardsmen and full power to deal with it. I don’t care what method you use. , is it to search the house or dig three feet into the ground? Before dawn, I want to see enough evidence to kill them. I believe you can do it. Isn't that what the intelligence department does, when the master needs it? Something satisfying! Otherwise, you stupid guy will be buried with them!"

"Yes, I understand, and I will definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!" Harlan breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this condition, nodded his head palely, and said in a trembling voice, "Since you have given me such power, things will change." It's easy to handle. In addition to natural evidence, there is another kind called forgery. The Intelligence Department has many experts in this field. The other party is a spy from the northwest, so there must be a lot of correspondence and there is also corruption in military supplies. A large number of ledgers, three hours is enough!”

"Then hurry up, I don't have time to waste time with you!"

Algernon Julia waved to him impatiently, and Intelligence Minister Harlan rolled out of the room. As the intelligence minister, he actually knew more secrets than others, such as the outside world's knowledge of the beautiful emperor's affairs. The official has many guesses. But none of them guessed correctly. Only a few close ministers of the former emperor guessed more or less.

The emperor's illegitimate daughter and the de facto eldest princess of the empire. Such an identity is enough to scare many people to death!

The former emperor personally promoted him to the position of Emperor's Affairs Officer before his death, and was in charge of the 100,000 elite Imperial Guards. Like a huge shadow hanging over the imperial Kyoto, like an iron curtain, cutting off the eyes of all ambitious people and shielding the succession of the new emperor!

This is a cruel and ruthless woman. If she were not a woman, she might have been chosen as the heir by the former emperor.

But the royal inheritance is so cruel. Women cannot become the Emperor of Gaul. The new emperor's character is indecisive and extremely suspicious. In the handling of many major events, he lacks the decisiveness and ability to cut off all obstacles that an emperor should have. So cruel,

The most serious thing is that in the face of the persecution and pressure from the two empires, the new emperor's endurance is obviously close to the edge of collapse.

"Why, I tried my best to avoid it, but I still got involved!" Harlan was so angry that he quickly mobilized everyone in the Intelligence Department to forge thousands of so-called secret liaison letters between the undersecretaries of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the Northwest. As for the account books, they were originally There are ready-made ones. The Imperial Guard ransacked the houses of several ministers of military affairs. Those hidden compartments, secret rooms, etc., in the eyes of professionals from the Intelligence Department, were simply uncovered. A stack of ledgers were all checked. out

In the imperial meeting hall, several under-secretaries of the Ministry of Military Affairs did not know that the fire had burned down the courtyard.

"Asshole, an idiot woman who knows nothing, how dare you be so rude to us! Are you going to remain silent like this?" Ronda, the deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs, seemed to feel something. He walked towards the door and was greeted by a faceless face again. The Imperial Guard with an expression on his face blocked him back, and he was so angry that he punched the table with his fist. On the top, his eyes swept over the other dozen people detained. They were all the real important ministers of the empire, the dozen deputy ministers of the Ministry of Finance, Internal Affairs, and Military Affairs. This meeting involved a major strategic adjustment to order the Northern Army to be transferred back. , almost none of the ministers participating in the meeting escaped, and they were all caught in one fell swoop.

Ronda yelled, "Who does she think she is? The master of this country? She is the one who has been threatening His Majesty all this time. Don't forget, it is us soldiers who are resisting the enemy's invasion with our flesh and blood and protecting this country with our blood." What did she do to open up the country and expand its territory? She went to the northwest, was defeated in the northwest, fought in the southwest, Southwest is lost, Supervisor Rusty, Rusty is finished, the empire's hundreds of thousands of troops were lost because of her random command, so what if she might be the eldest princess? The honorable illegitimate daughter! If she had stained the late emperor like this before, she should have been eradicated when the late emperor passed away! "

"Hush, Master Ronda, you can just say this in your heart, but if you say it now, you will lose your head!" Finance Minister Bi Yahua's face changed after hearing this, and he stopped him quickly. He turned his eyes to the guard outside. The Imperial Guard took one look and then said cautiously: "

"I'm a soldier. I've killed enough people on the battlefield. Even if I die, it's worth it!" Ronda shook his white hair angrily, like an angry lion. As soon as he finished speaking, he heard A cold female voice said

"Since Lord Ronda despises death so much, it wouldn't be very disappointing if she is not satisfied!" Algernon Julia walked in from the hall door with an indifferent expression, holding a bag in her hand, and a pair of pretty eyes full of murderous intent. The eyes were like ice cubes, causing the air in the entire room to drop several degrees.

"What's the point of talking empty words? If you have the ability, order me to be killed!"

Ronda stood up straight with contempt on her face, her hands behind her back, looking at Algernon Julia with bloodshot eyes, and said, "Don't think that you can do whatever you want if you control the Imperial Guards. The Imperial Guards in Kyoto are not just the Imperial Guards." , as well as Tielan’s New Ninth Legion, which was just transferred back,

Ronda pretended to be a joke and said, "I heard that in Rusty, although they are all Kyoto factions, your attitude towards Tielan is very bad. I believe that after the army commander discovers the changes in Kyoto, he will mercilessly treat him with peace." Attacking Kyoto in the name of rebellion!

You also know that guy's ambition. As long as there is an opportunity, he will attack. The Imperial Guards in Kyoto currently have less than 5,000 people. Facing the New Ninth Army with more than 60,000 people, you have no possibility of victory!

Moreover, if the news spreads that you secretly detained the imperial ministers who participated in the imperial meeting, all the wealthy families in Kyoto will abandon you mercilessly! "

"Really? I'm afraid you will be disappointed! Because the person abandoned by everyone will be you!" There was no trace of panic on Algernon Julia's face. Instead, she showed a proud smile and dropped the bag in her hand on the ground.

A stack of pale yellow account books came out of the bag.

Algernon Julia glanced at Ronda, whose face changed drastically, and said coldly, "Secretary Ronda, I never thought that as the deputy minister in charge of military logistics in the empire, you actually embezzled millions of military rations. If this news spreads, even if you don't die, you will be infamous! I believe that at that moment, all the wealthy families in Kyoto will stand on my side, because as long as these things are in my hands, they will bite my enemies to death like vicious dogs obeying orders!"

"And you are the first example!" Algernon Julia sneered cruelly.