Realm of Power

The wind and snow cover Northwest Daidaicheng, and the sky and the earth are pure white. Since it was designated as the new capital of the empire, the prosperity of Northwest Daidaicheng has reached a new level. People and materials are gathering here. There are hundreds of thousands of people and tens of thousands of merchants. Daily consumption is a huge business opportunity. There is an endless stream of fleets on the sea, and the city gate is almost never closed.

Although it is still early in the morning, there are already many people on the street. The businessmen who are opening their stores to prepare for business are diligently pushing open the door panels. The workers who have worked at the port all night have tired faces. The tavern is open all night, and there are also establishments established by the Navy Department. , a rest stop specially set up for merchants arriving at the port at night, and others such as Qing Dynasty Sweepers clearing the snow from the streets, businessmen rushing out of the city in carriages loaded with goods, kerosene lamps hanging on the eaves of the carriages swayed back and forth in the fog, and the wheels made a squeaking sound on the stone pavement. The sound came from the opposite direction, and before they knew it, a noisy city appeared in front of outsiders.

A black military carriage was traveling from the direction of the port toward the Ministry of Military Affairs. The mark on the carriage indicated that it belonged to the naval port. The passenger inside was a solemn-looking middle-aged man wearing imperial uniform. A little pale, looking at this building curiously The empire's new capital, the northwest sea city, has a strategic geographical advantage. It can be said that it stretches across the sea and land. To the south along the land is the most prosperous southwest area of ​​the empire. It has developed transportation. To the south along the coast, it is the northern region of Congo and Africa that the empire has just expanded. and Putao area, to the east is the inland sea,

I have been on a sea ship for several days in a row. Although the navy's warships are more resistant to wind and waves than merchant ships, for a middle-aged army officer, this journey is definitely not comfortable. After getting off the battleship, the officer felt worried when facing such a huge city. Fortunately, it was for the convenience of officers traveling by sea. The Navy Department has a special pick-up carriage at the military port, but it requires at least a squadron leader or above to be qualified. The middle-aged man showed his identity at the carriage stop, and then asked the carriage to take him to the Imperial Ministry of Affairs, otherwise for the first For officers who come to Dahai City for the first time, it will be a very troublesome problem to find the location of the Military Affairs Department conveniently.

The carriage passed through several streets and finally stopped in front of a building with Imperial Guards at the door half an hour later. "The Imperial Affairs Department is here, my lord!" I heard the voice of the driver in front. The middle-aged officer tidied his clothes, picked up the suitcase at his feet and got off the carriage. He raised his head and looked at the tall building in front of him, his face hesitating.

"Thank you for leading the way. Here is your fare!" The middle-aged officer flicked an imperial silver coin to the driver.

"You are a generous adult! If you have a chance, you can still find me. My name is Dora. Just say my name. Everyone in the port knows it!" The driver's face turned pale by the cold wind. Shang smiled, took the silver coin with his hand unceremoniously, took off his hat, saluted the middle-aged officer, and left.

Although the Admiralty was set up so conveniently. It doesn't mean it's free. The carriage belongs to the Admiralty, but the driver is a retired Navy sailor. The midnight and all-night shift is a hard job. The price is clearly marked, one silver coin for ten miles, if you want to reach a specific place. You can negotiate it before you get in the car.

"Dura? Interesting name!" The middle-aged officer smiled, turned around, glanced at the golden font of the Imperial Affairs Department at the door, raised his feet and walked up the steps in front of him, walked in and walked out. The officer on duty at the Ministry of Military Affairs handed over the document representing his identity. "I am the deputy commander Lasal from the Northern Army of Congo. I have urgent military matters that need to be reported to the Ministry of Military Affairs!"

The officer on duty perked up, looked at Rashal's identity document, and glanced at the suitcase Rashal was holding in his hand. He hesitated and replied apologetically, "Deputy Rashal, I'm sorry. Now It’s still five o’clock in the morning, and the adults won’t come until eight o’clock in the morning. I suggest you take a rest first!”

The officer on duty gestured to a sentry on guard and said, "Take this gentleman down to rest. The Military Ministry has a specific rest room where there is fire, food, and a comfortable enough bed."

"Um... no need, I'll just sit here!!" The middle-aged officer looked troubled and felt that he came a little early. Although it was an urgent military matter, he had no right to ask the adults of the Ministry of Military Affairs to receive him at such a time. Himself, but this military situation involves the life and death of tens of thousands of people in the northern Congolese Army, so he must He went to rest, but he couldn't close his eyes. He rubbed his frozen hands with difficulty and said that he would just wait in the hall. The officer on duty dutifully asked the sentry to find a pot of fire. Rashal expressed his gratitude, and the warmth of the brazier chased away the early morning chill, and Rashal fell asleep before he knew it!

It's eight o'clock,

A group of imperial cavalry in black armor escorted a carriage and stopped in front of the Ministry of Military Affairs building. Hu Keqili, wearing a straight uniform of the imperial regiment leader, got off the carriage, and the adjutant took the big red cloak from him. Hu Keqili straightened his collar and walked up the steps of the building with great satisfaction. The Imperial Affairs Department is in charge of imperial affairs. In the Falcon Empire, which is founded on soldiers, it is definitely the leading department, but it is not Not a department focused on combat,

The Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs is mainly responsible for peacetime defense and logistics work, so various documents are exchanged very frequently. The actual person responsible for operations is the combat base camp set up by the Empire. The Empire started with war. In order to cope with the uniformity of war dispatch, it has always adopted It is a military and political system that combines the combat base camp and the logistics and military affairs department.

During combat, all authority over the units and areas involved was unified and vested in the frontline base camp. After the war, the base camp was abolished, military and political power returned to their respective positions, military power returned to the Ministry of Military Affairs, and government affairs returned to the governors of various regions and the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs. Hu Keqi Li is now the legitimate minister of imperial affairs.

Currently, among the imperial governors, three are the commanders of the five major armies of the empire. Caesar Sauron was specially appointed by the fat man as the governor of Zhivadin to guard the mainland of the empire when he established the capital in Xinjing. He is responsible for the military affairs of the empire. The governor of the south, Ste. Thunk guarded the capital of Gaul and was responsible for suppressing the mountains of eastern Gaul. The Northwest Army Statunko is stationed in central Gaul and is responsible for the stability of the occupied areas of Gaul. Salon is the governor of the southwest region, guarding the southwest region, the most prosperous and important area of ​​the empire. The first four people are all real power factions. Only Hu Keqili has been following the fat man in hundreds of battles, although he has outstanding military exploits. Although he was actually a legion commander, there was still a slight gap between the military power of the four legion commanders and the regional governor. Fatty expanded thousands of miles beyond the long wall this time. When he returned to New Kyoto, in order to make up for Hu Keqili's Loyalty and long-term service, Hu Keqili, the central general, was officially appointed as the Imperial Ministry of Affairs. Hu Keqili was not dissatisfied with this decision, although he was not as fat as the outside party. But the glory of being the first person in the imperial side is more suitable for the taste of soldiers.

The guard at the door stood straight and saluted. Hu Keqili walked to the duty desk and asked if there was any emergency last night. He saw Rashal who was sleeping in a coma.

"Well, are you from the Northern Congolese Legion?"

Hu Keqili glanced at the shield and rose logo on the shoulders and arms of Rashal's uniform with some surprise.

"Sir Rashal, Minister Hukoqili is here!" The officer on duty quickly woke up Rashal.

Rashal quickly stood up and saluted Hu Keqili, "I'm sorry. I'm so rude!"

"Nothing, why are you here this time?" Hu Keqili waved his hand indifferently. The Northern Legion of Gangfei is the latest imperial regiment established, because its commander is the female knight Berlant Bonnie, who is highly valued by His Majesty. Therefore, even the legion armbands were modified and decided by His Majesty himself. The combination of the gold-rimmed knight's shield and the red rose once impressed Hu Keqili.

"My subordinate is Rashal, the deputy commander of the Northern Army of Congo. There is a top-secret document that needs to be submitted to your Excellency in person!"

Rashal said quickly, he opened the suitcase in his hand, and very carefully took out a document and handed it to Hu Keqili. "The content above was issued by the Corps Headquarters five days ago. At that time, his subordinate happened to be in the Putao area, So I rushed to Kyoto immediately! It can be delivered to the Ministry of Military Affairs as soon as possible! Since the declaration of war between the Istan people and the Feishan people, the situation in the north of Congo has become serious, especially the central European Barrow forces dominated by the Kingdom of Rila. They are increasingly eyeing the northern part of Congo."

Rashal paused and continued, "This document was provided by an insider from the Kingdom of Rila at the risk of death! He was a former military officer of the Congo Empire and is now the foreign affairs officer of the Kingdom of Congo in the Kingdom of Rila. I hope I can use this document in exchange for protection of my family during the war and early eviction! "

"War? You mean Gang Fei and Ruila..." Hu Keqili's face suddenly became serious, and the hand holding the report trembled slightly.

Although the Gangfei Empire no longer has the title of emperor, and most of its land has fallen into the hands of the Falcon Empire, it still maintains the land of six provinces, and its military strength is controlled at 15,000 standing troops. But similarly, Gangfei Empire The six provinces controlled by the empire were not affected by the war. The total population of the populous provinces affected by the dispute is still about 10 million. Once it really joins forces with the Kingdom of Rilla again, the 15,000 standing army can be turned into 100,000 troops. However, the empire has only six troops in the entire northern Congo. Thousands of people, including 50,000 troops garrisoned at Varisien in the Ptau region,

Even pure defense is a very difficult task. At this point, Hu Keqili once strongly advocated transferring part of the troops from the Southwest District to the northern part of Congo, but Fatty refused. According to Fatty, The almost white land in the north of Gangfei cannot support a large army of more than 100,000 people.

"The truth may indeed be worse!" Rashal hesitated for a moment, nodded and said, "The foreign affairs officer from Gangfei said that the Kingdom of Rila has begun full mobilization! This foreign affairs officer originally wanted to pass this information back Gang Fei was from the country, but he found that Gang Fei's intelligence system had been cut off by an unknown force, and he was also under surveillance by the Rila people. Therefore, as a last resort, the foreign service officer could only choose to protect himself. I hope Exchange this information for protection in the war!"

"Thank you very much for your timely delivery. If we had delivered it according to the normal delivery schedule, I'm afraid it would have been delayed for more than ten days! I will go to see His Majesty immediately. If the situation is true, it will be troublesome!" Hu Keqili frowned and held up his hands. Li turned around with the intelligence and said to Rashal at the same time, "I'm afraid it's too late for you to rush back now. Now that you're here, tell me about the situation in northern Gangfei on the way. The things in the reports are always false." , I need a more concrete report!”

"Yes, sir!" Rashal left with Hu Keqili, and the two of them stepped onto a carriage. The cavalry escorts were guarding on both sides. The carriage shuddered slightly and began to move forward slowly.

"Has Commander Berlant Bonnie arrived already?" Hu Keqili turned over the report in his hand, and the rising morning sun shone in from outside.

"Yes, Ms. Bertrand Bonnie has arrived!" Rashal replied respectfully from the opposite side.

"What does Captain Berlant Bonnie think of this matter? After all, she is the one most likely to face the alliance between Rilla and Gang Fei! Do you need reinforcements from the Southwest District? If there is such a request, His Majesty will probably agree."

Hu Keqili's eyes flickered, he took a deep breath, put down the report in his hand, and after reading it, he could basically confirm the authenticity of what the foreign affairs officer said. According to the insider report arranged by the empire in the Congo region, it was indeed a month ago. , that is, when the empire's military focus was still on the Slavic wilderness in the north, envoys from the Kingdom of Rila arrived in Ganfei with some gifts.

Nominally, it was to celebrate the eighth birthday of the little emperor of Gangfei, but in fact, he frequently contacted the generals of Gangfei who had retired due to defeat and reduction of military strength.

However, news came back from insiders that the young Emperor Gangfei was not interested in Rilla's behavior and seemed to be unwilling to involve Gangfei in the cruel war anymore, so His Majesty Falcon didn't care about it, but the situation is different now. Well, at that time, there was a powerful alliance between the Falcon Empire and the Istantian Iron Shield. It was normal for Gang Fei not to dare to make the slightest move. But now, the Istani people are restrained by the Feishan War, the Falcon Empire's troops in northern Congo are seriously insufficient, and the Barrow forces in Central Europe are already showing signs of a comprehensive reshuffle due to this maelstrom. It's hard to say that Gangfei won't have the courage to fight to the death!

"For some unknown reason, Commander Berlant Bonnie Regiment refused to ask for help from the Southwest District!" Rashal shook his head with an ugly face, and said with a wry smile, "Deputy Regiment Commander Riposti and several flag regiment commanders said... This is also incomprehensible, so Reposti specifically asked me to go. Just like Pu Tao, since we can't get reinforcements from the Southwest District, we can only ask Lord Varisien! Then there is this urgent news! The subordinates feel that Gangfei may have been shaken, otherwise this Gangfei station in Ruila. The kingdom’s foreign affairs officer definitely said that war would break out!”

The carriage drove onto the long bridge across the river, and a huge red palace came into view in the distance. Even in the snowy winter, the red palace spire was still like a flame, representing the Falcon Empire's ambition to dominate the world. , the golden falcon flag is flying in the wind In the middle of the bridge, at the bridge entrance is a whole team of sentries wearing the uniforms of the Imperial Guards, black and straight uniforms, helmets with the latest design of heroic red tassels, heavy infantry with full body armor and crossbowmen in light armor, anyone Anyone who tries to forcefully break through the bridge will be killed immediately.

Seeing the carriage approaching on the bridge, the guard recognized it as the carriage of Military Affairs Minister Hu Keqili. A Guards officer stepped forward and said, "Lord Hu Keqili, Your Majesty is going to the Military Academy!"

With the development of the empire to the present, the Guards originally affiliated to Governor Samour have expanded into the Guards Corps, with three Guards flag regiments, sixty-four Guards squadrons, and a full strength of 60,000 people. They are under the personal command of the emperor. Directly affiliated troops, of which 5,000 are stationed in the Imperial Red Palace, 20,000 are stationed in the four military camps in the northwest, east, west, north and south of Dahai City, and other troops are stationed in various cities in the northwest region. The defense of the northwest region is entirely responsible for the Imperial Guards Corps.

Although Fatty believes that like the Gallic Guards, the practice of being stationed in Kyoto will inevitably lead to the Guards' combat effectiveness declining over time, but he has to admit that in the later stages of the Gallic Empire War, it was the Gallic Guards that supported The setting sun of the Gallic Empire was over. If it were not for improper command and internal problems, the empire would have wanted to break into the Gallic Empire within a year. It is still very difficult for the Guards to control Gallic Kyoto, and the area where the Gallic Guards are stationed also shows another advantage, that is, in addition to forming an extremely stable regional situation, it can also maintain the centripetal force of the entire region towards Kyoto. , forming a large logistics base that can support a tragic war like Kyoto in Gaul.

"Did your Majesty go to the institute? Could it be that since the breakthrough in production, there has been a breakthrough in the range of the Army's Thor?" Hu Keqili's eyes lit up, and he quickly spoke up to turn the carriage in the direction of the Imperial Military Institute. ,

"Sir, are you saying that the Army Thor has been improved again?" Rashal, who was sitting opposite, asked curiously

"It should be, otherwise His Majesty would not go!" Hu Keqili explained to Rashal, "You also know that the empire sells Thors in the Putao area. Of course, they are mainly old-fashioned and heavy ones, but who There is no guarantee that our army will not have to face the God of Thunder one day, so Your Majesty will never After coming back from the north, they asked the Military Research Institute to do their best to improve the existing Army Thor. The most important improvement is the range. After millions of gold coins are thrown down, it should always show something! "Hu Keqi Li's eyesight! Looking at the snow-covered scene on the roadside, he said to himself

At the Imperial Military Research Institute, Fatty was looking at the new sample in front of him with some astonishment. It was an Army Thor that had undergone final improvements. The bulky gun body had become much slender, and the muzzle had been reduced by one-third.

According to the introduction of the technician next to him, because the muzzle has been reduced and the process used in the Thor barrel has been changed, the power is obviously not as good as before, but in exchange the weight, accuracy and shooting speed have been greatly improved.

The most important thing is that the Army Thor in front of him is very close to the Thor in Fatty's mind that is suitable for mobile combat. Because of the reduced weight, only four horses are needed to pull it away, and even complex mountainous terrain can be easily passed, which means The time has come when the Imperial Thors are truly commissioned to the squadron level. (To be continued, please search Piaotian Literature. The novels will be better and updated faster!