Realm of Power

Feize King's Capital

With a soft sound, two six-meter-high arched relief wooden doors were pushed open by guards standing on both sides.

King Lauryn II of Fezer strode into the room, which was empty and well-lit. The sunlight shines through the tall windows and reflects several squares of gold on the snow-white walls. A whole piece of Casmal cashmere carpet with red background and white stripes covers the entire conference room with an area of ​​30 square meters.

"His Majesty"

Seeing him walking in, a dozen Generals Fezer who were talking to each other inside immediately stopped talking. They all knelt on one knee with solemn expressions, and the general's cloak behind them was dragged to the ground. Among these generals, the oldest one was nearly sixty years old. Years old, some in their thirties or forties, everyone lowered their heads, these generals The epaulettes have a gorgeous border of night flowers representing the royal family of Fezer, indicating that they are generals belonging to the legion directly under King Fezer. For them, King Laurian II is not only the king, but also the patriarch. The lord of the entire royal army, so they are not performing military salutes, but the etiquette towards their lord.

"Everyone, get up. I believe everyone should understand the purpose of calling you here! What do you think of the armistice agreement?" Laurian VI waved his hand to everyone with a kind expression and smiled. There is no pressure from the king, everyone here is our own people , there is no king here, only tribesmen, so he behaves more like the old man next door, but his old and deep eyes occasionally flash a cold light that is not at all like an old man's, but a cold light that makes people feel stressed. , like a sharp sword, making people feel a little palpitated

"That agreement..."

"How should I change it? It's really too much!"

"Yes, just sending the entire coastal area out is simply forcing the military to rebel?"

After hearing what Lauryn II said, the generals looked at each other, the meaning in their eyes was so clear that everyone did not agree with the agreement, but the armistice agreement was established by the king. As generals of the legion directly under the royal family, most of them have royal status. They are like grasshoppers on the same rope as His Majesty the King, and they can be said to be prosperous and prosperous. It's not a good idea to directly oppose your master's decision.

"We naturally fully support His Majesty's decision," General Fezer, who looked to be the most famous and had some gray hair, said inside.

"Lu Muaiqing, do you really think so?"

Lauryn II was not so easy to fool. He looked at General Fezer, who was about the same age as him, with a half-smile expression on his lips. Lu Muai was the oldest general in the directly affiliated legion, and he always dealt with things diplomatically. General Fezer is famous for being the best at messing around. According to Fezer's regulations, a general can retire from the army when he reaches sixty years old and return to his family to take care of himself. But this Lu Muai was unwilling to retire until he was sixty years old, because he controlled the logistics of the entire direct-affiliated legion, which was a very fat position. There were rumors that every grain of food consumed by the direct-affiliated legion every day, Half of it went to Lu Muai

Under the attention of His Majesty the King, the logistics general was full of embarrassment. He hesitated and said, "I just don't understand. We will cede the entire coastline belonging to the military to the Falcon Empire, seventeen ports and more than three million people." Population. It can be said that the military has been completely sold out. Once the military mobilizes troops to kill them, the consequences..." Lu Muai hesitated, although he did not continue. But the meaning is very clear, and the consequences are very serious. The Fezer royal family and the military have been in confrontation for more than a hundred years, and they know each other quite well. Now is not the time to fall out with the military.

"Consequences? What consequences?" Lauryn II's eyes narrowed into a straight line, with an unchanging smile on his lips.

"Your Majesty. There are some things that shouldn't be said, but since His Majesty has made a decision, I have no choice but to risk my life and say it." The gray-haired Lu Muai paused in his voice. Under the eyes of His Majesty the King, he gritted his teeth. Said, "It is no longer sixty years ago, when the Fezer royal family and the military The comparison of Fang's military power is five to five. The military is still wary of the royal family. The current military strength is definitely stronger than that of the royal family. In addition, the imperial guard has left Beijing. Once the military turns its back, there may be no need for the border guards to return. It is nearby The local garrison in the area is enough to put the royal capital into trouble."

"It is precisely because I know it is not sixty years ago that I have to make such a decision." Lauryn II's face was dark and unclear, and he said slowly, "I, Feize, fought with Myria who occupied the coastal area sixty years ago. In the battle for hegemony between the Si people, the military defeated Fezer's century-old enemy Myas people who occupied the coastal area in one fell swoop, and gained thousands of miles of fertile west coast area. After grabbing huge amounts of wealth on the west coast, coupled with decades of smuggling and trading slaves, their power has far surpassed ours. Sixty years ago, the balance of power between the royal family and the military has been five to five since the founding of the country. Then Now, Lu Muai, tell me, how much is it? ""Did our royal family break the balance regardless of the rules, or has the military already reneged on the original agreement?"

"This!" The gray-haired Lu Muai's expression changed. As an auxiliary logistics worker, he felt particularly affected by this change. Moreover, at his age, he had just experienced the era of the decline of the royal family. The royal family and the military were each half and half. It was decided when the country was founded, but sixty years ago, after the military occupied the coastal areas, Financial and material resources have increased tremendously, and the total area of ​​the fiefdom exceeds that of the royal family. Basically, the agreement has lost its binding force. In a sense, it was the military that reneged on the agreement. Ten years ago, Labor King Ryan II has ascended the throne, and the contrast between military power and royal power is already a shocking seven to three.

In other words, among the current standing military strength of 500,000 Feize, the military controls more than 300,000 combat troops, while the Feize royal family only controls 200,000. Among the 200,000 troops under its control, there are only 200,000 troops that can actually fight. Yes, there are only 100,000 people directly under the legion, and the rest are up to 100,000 praetorian guards.

But what is the Imperial Guard? They are a group of pig-belly troops that have not left the royal capital for hundreds of years and cannot go into battle. There is such a huge disparity in military strength that the royal family’s prestige has no effect on the military, and everyone is reducing it. If you want to join the military, who will remember the Fezer royal family? Even Lu Muai spent a lot of money to get his nephew into the military system. As a royal family, he also needs to say good things to some middle- and lower-level officers in the military. It is definitely not something worth remembering. Experience, when thinking of this, Lu Muai couldn't help but show a bit of helplessness on his face.

The era of the royal family has passed, now it is completely dominated by the military

I saw that the generals were silent. Lauryn II looked at the ceiling of the hall and took a deep breath. "Everyone is our own people. I won't hide some words. The situation of the royal family is like sitting in a tower without knowing." On the crater of the volcano that will erupt at any time, you may be swept into the air at any time, Feize Economy The sources are mainly war prisoners and conquered areas. Just look at the current situation of the royal corps. It has not absorbed fresh blood from the outside world for thirty years. Although it still holds combat responsibilities, look at the current generals. and officers, without exception, all came from Wang The royal family is extremely loyal, but when it comes to having the ambition and spirit of a soldier, that's nonsense. "Everyone is here to hang out. The only difference is that the Imperial Guard can only hang out in the capital, while the direct legion can." They just went to the royal territory to hang out. They said they were field troops. In fact, the most recent one The war was ten years ago, and the soldiers had changed two or three batches. Who dares to say that an army without a war can still be effective on the battlefield? "Your Majesty, it is our incompetence that has caused His Majesty such humiliation." More than a dozen soldiers directly under the corps The generals all knelt in front of Lauryn II with embarrassed expressions, but it was just as Laurian said. Many people are just messing around, some even start smuggling, and a few want to hone their skills.

There is no way around this.

The Royal Army has always been stationed in the north, and the Imperial Guards cannot leave Kyoto. The Double-Headed Eagle Merchant Group is a claw of the royal family and is notorious for its slave trade. It can also be regarded as a big source of wealth for the Direct Army, but most people don't know it. Within the Double-Headed Eagle Merchant Group, the royal family accounts for less than one-third. The military forces that control the coastal areas account for two-thirds of the Double-Headed Eagle Merchant Group. Compared with the royal family's control, As for that part of the army, all forces in the military are still squeezing it with all their strength, and what the directly-affiliated legions can get is very little.

Therefore, when the Double-Headed Eagle Merchant Group suffered a disaster, the legion directly under the royal family did not hesitate to kick out this slave who had betrayed his master long ago. On the contrary, due to the heavy losses, the military forces used Feize's military in the imperial meeting. A crusade was issued in the name of the emperor, but because the royal family had not expressed its stance, it did not dare to do it too blatantly, so the number of troops sent to participate in the southern coalition was only 10,000 or 20,000.

While the directly-affiliated legions outside are like this, the Imperial Guards in the royal capital are even more miserable. They are just eating, drinking and having fun, a bunch of useless troops. Because their financial resources are withering, the Feize royal family has downsized nearly 100,000 Imperial Guards in the first half of the year due to lack of funds. With the current number of 50,000 people, we have the situation that we had when the Imperial Guards left the royal capital later, with strong people and mostly young adults, because those who are old and disabled have been eliminated in the previous downsizing.

It is a helpless move for the imperial guards to leave the capital. If they cannot leave the capital now, and the financial resources continue to wither, the 50,000 imperial guards will also be withdrawn. At that time, the royal family will only have 100,000 troops under its control. People, facing a military with more than 300,000 people, whether the direct-affiliated legion can guarantee the status of the royal family is a question. This is still under the condition that the combat power of the directly-affiliated legion is regarded as a first-class field force, and the combat power of the directly-affiliated legion is, He is no longer the first-class main force in field battles.

"In the Battle of Paput, the military forces broke through the capital of Paput, and there are countless trophies to be brought back. If the royal family does not take action, there will no longer be a chance. By then, both financial resources and prestige will be reached. The various military forces that have become aware of the situation will inevitably ask the royal family to give way. Since our power is no longer able to restrain the military's demands, let's find a force that can restrain the military. Looking at the entire Obarro, besides the Northern Falcon Empire, are there any other forces that can suppress the military? Are you confused about that agreement?"

"No, Your Majesty," the generals replied in unison. They were all children of the royal family. They still understood the principle of intact eggs under the overthrow of the nest, but they were still a little uncomfortable with the sudden change of their master.

In the outside world, the reputation of the Lord of Feize is very average, and he has almost become a laughing stock in the southern countries. They all say that fortunately the crown prince who is now a grandfather is in good health, otherwise if the king of Feize continues to delay In the past few years, the 50-year-old crown prince might have taken a step ahead of the late king. , and in the ten years since Lauryn II inherited the throne, he has done almost nothing. Just like his age, it feels like it has reached the sunset, and he completely lacks the vigor and ambition of a new king. It seems It's like they just hope to be stable for a few years and then pass the throne to the next generation.

Even the directly affiliated legion thinks that King Fezer is the most useless king among all the kings in history. He is usually chaotic and chaotic. No one would have thought that this man looks like he is just waiting to die and waiting to be passed down. The cowardly king would actually use lightning-quick means at such a juncture He directed and staged an incident in the south. In the name of suppressing the rebellion in the south, before the military could react, he justifiably dispatched 50,000 Fezer Guards to Kyoto, breaking the rule that the Fezer Guards were not allowed to leave the capital. The royal family and the military have completely broken up with the century-old rules.

"Then immediately transfer the direct legion to the royal capital and control the military personnel first." Lauryn II's deep voice revealed a smell of blood, and his eyes swept over the royal generals kneeling in front of them, and finally The golden arabesque coat of arms of the Fezer family that hangs on the wall of the royal hall and has been hanging there since the time of the first king

Laurie said in a cold voice, "Now the military can't take action, so it seems that it is patient. Once the military really launches, everything will be over! The life and death of the royal family rests on your shoulders!" Laurie En II is the fourth generation king of the Feize Kingdom. Don't look at the old man who is already sixty years old. In fact, this king only succeeded to the throne at the age of fifty. He has truly experienced ups and downs and watched the royal family join the army step by step. The two sides gradually declined in the confrontation. The ten years of forbearance were just to wait for an opportunity to counterattack the military.

Laurian II actually did not dare to trust too much in the combat power of the 100,000-strong direct legion. After all, it was an army that had not been on the battlefield for a long time. If it really wanted to face the main force of the military, it would probably be defeated in a single battle, so he simply Just take back all the royal capital. This is the royal capital, where the royal family is. Here are their relatives, children, and tribesmen. Once the royal capital falls, everything will be over. Only in this way can these 100,000 legions directly under the royal family display their full potential. Confronting the fighting will of the military elite (To be continued.)