Realm of Power

Northern coastline of the State of the Order, Port of Tripoli

Pale seagulls hovered in the sky, quiet and full of strange white fog that filled the sea. The dark green hulls of the Imperial Navy fleet sailed out of the vast white sea. The early morning sea breeze was a bit cold and wet everyone's hair. , the bow position of a Dragon Tooth battleship. An Imperial Navy captain stared ahead. Behind the battleship group was a long list of transport ships with wide hulls.

The Port of Tripoli is a medium-sized port city on the northern coast of the Order. It covers an area of ​​about three to four kilometers and has a permanent population of 40,000. Logically speaking, as a port city, it should be lively and full of trade. There are ships and merchants from all over the streets coming and going, the goods in the shops are dazzling, the taverns are full of noisy sailors, and the mountains of goods on the pier are being pulled away by carts, but the port in front of you is obviously not like this.

The Order State is a religious country. On the premise that everything promotes religious belief, the business class who do not hesitate to take risks in order to maximize profits are obviously not welcomed by the Order Temple. As for the priests of the Order State, It is even more impossible to spend a lot of money to build port defenses. Religious countries have always had a tradition of closing the country. This is to maintain the domestic policy of obscuring the people. needs. As a deep-water port on the northern coastline, most of the functions of the Port of Tripoli are only to accept some living supplies shipped from other ports. However, it is precisely because it is only a transshipment port for living supplies. When the Imperial Navy ships When the group suddenly appeared on the sea surface of Tripoli port, the whole boiling Tripoli could barely scrape together a guard force of only 1,100 people.

These include 140 Templars, 560 Skitarii responsible for maintaining security in Tripoli, 200 port guards, and more than 200 noble private troops who were pushed onto the battlefield with fear. They are all servants and servants. As for the nobles, there is no one. At this time, they are all busy moving things and escaping. Who cares about this?

The fat Temple Priest Yehya stood in the port in the cold wind, looking at the approaching Imperial Navy fleet with a pale face. He looked at the Imperial Navy warships, which were almost as high as hills. Landing on the fluttering eagle flag on the top of the naval battleship, my calves were shaking, and I couldn't help but said in a trembling voice, "Knight Commander Dia, the enemy's power far exceeds ours. Instead of fighting them head-on, land the empire." It is obviously more important to bring the news back to the Holy City."

"Lord Yehoya can do this, but as the captain of the Templar Knights, I, Dia, made an oath when I left the Holy Capital. I must ensure that no heretics are allowed to set foot on the land of God, so I have no choice but to stick to it!"

Standing next to him was a burly knight with flaxen hair, a silver-white Templar armor, and a bright red cloak hanging from his shoulders to the ground. His eyes flickered as he looked at the approaching Imperial Navy battleships. , there was no fear on his face, but a look of considerable interest, and he said righteously

Fuck your sister's persistence, are you blind or stupid? You only have so few people here, how can you defend her? Hearing what he said, the chief priest of Jehoya next to him almost foamed at the mouth and convulsed to the ground. When did this happen? The imperial army landed. Judging from the scale in front of them, it was at least ten thousand people. In Look at our own side, a group of already The skitarii who were retreating in fright, the old servant who couldn't even hold his sword steady, that is, the hundreds of Templar knights can be tolerated, but what's the use, even if each Templar knight can one Even if we fight ten, we can't stop the powerful landing of tens of thousands of imperial troops.

"The piety of Knight Commander Dia is really admirable. He is worthy of being a person from the Holy City. As a temple priest with no strength, staying here will only become a burden to Lord Dia. Although I so long to be with Dee Mr. Dia is fighting side by side, but as the person in charge of the Port of Tripoli, I must report this situation to the Holy City immediately, and I will not hold back Mr. Dia here! "Yahya showed an expression of admiration! , but the feet are moving back, Mom Yes, Dia is a lunatic who can't think about it, so don't drag him to death. Dia was originally demoted here from the Holy Capital. He was once a knight captain in the Knights Templar. I don't know who he offended. , was demoted to Tripoli, a small coastal city, to serve as Knight Commander of the Templars. Although they are also at the level of Knight Commander, the difference between the Knight Commander of the Holy City and the Knight Commander of Tripoli is completely different. If replaced by I am afraid that I will be extremely depressed!

"Lord Jehoya, where are you going? As the chief priest of the temple, shouldn't you be more responsible for coexisting with the temple?" Just as Jehoya stepped back, he suddenly felt a suffocating pain. , his feet were lifted off the ground, and Dia's thick fingers suddenly got stuck on his neck. During Yeheya's struggle, he lifted him up like an eagle lifting a chicken, causing Yeheya to suffocate severely. Yayi's eyes bulged.

"Let go, let me go... I can't breathe..." Yeheya struggled with his feet off the ground, and his hands kept grabbing Dia's hand wearing a knight's armguard, but Dia Looking at him calmly, the hand stuck on his neck showed no intention of letting go. There was even a cracking sound coming from Yeheya's neck, and the man's throat was crushed. There must be no way to survive, just like Yeheya now. While violently climbing on his legs, blood mixed with broken pieces kept pouring out of his mouth. The other people around him were stunned. What was going on! At first, everyone thought that Di Mr. Dia just wanted to hold down Chief Priest Jehoya, but in the blink of an eye, Mr. Dia killed Chief Priest Jehoya like an ant!

"Lord Dia has killed Lord Yehoya...Ah" the servant next to him shouted in panic. Before the voice could be fully shouted, the sword in the hands of the Templar knight standing behind the servant had already pierced the servant from behind. body, the bloody sword tip emerged from the servant's chest. The servant's eyes widened, looking at the knight's sword emerging from his chest with disbelief.

"Your master is dead. What's the point of you still living? Kill them all!" Knight Commander Dia let go of his hand. Yeheya's whole face turned purple and his body fell to the ground. Knight Commander Dia His eyes swept over the dozen servants, and he said with a cold expression. The sword light flashed, and a dozen servants of Yeheya were killed in a pool of blood in an instant. It was the Templar Knights who took action. These more than a hundred saints No one among the knights showed surprise at Knight Commander Dia's sudden attack.

The cold sea breeze rushed into his nose with the smell of blood, and the nearby Skitarii finally reacted.

What's going on? Why did it happen like this in the blink of an eye? I don't know what to do anymore. As the Skitarii, their duty is to protect the safety of the temple priests. They are the force directly under the jurisdiction of the chief priest of the temple. They have nothing to do with Di. Dia has no affiliation with the Templars, but according to the regulations of the Temple, in the event of the death of the Temple Chief Priest, the Templar Chief will automatically become the commander of the Skitarii. In other words, Dia is now the Guardian. Commander of the teaching army

"You have all seen that the imperial army is right in front of you. According to the regulations of the temple, if the chief priest is killed, all of the Skitarii need to be executed. Even if you run away, your family members will also be executed. Now what is going on? There are only two ways in front of you, either die or follow me! "Knight Commander Dia glanced over and landed on the two captains in front of the Skitarii.

"Lord Dia, what is going on!" One of the thin captains of the Skitarii had an ugly smile on his face. The Skitarii were all recruited locally, so as Dia said, even if they can run away , all their family members will also be executed. Once the rights of priests are involved, the laws of the Order State are extremely strict. Priests are originally the highest level of the Order State. Even though the person who died was only the chief priest of a small town port, he was also a chief priest. The chief priest was already considered an upper-middle-class cadre in the Order State. In the history of the Order State, because the chief priest level figure There were more than a dozen incidents involving tens of thousands of people being killed. Thinking of the terrible consequences of the religious group's treatment, the captain of the Guard Corps turned pale.

"Lord Dia, although you were treated unfairly in the Holy City and were demoted to us, and Lord Yeheya once insulted you in private, my two brothers have never been sorry for you. What on earth are you trying to do? What are you doing! Even if you want the two of us to follow you, we still need to know what you want to do." The other captain took a deep breath with a serious expression and said in a condensing voice. He suddenly took action against Dia. Killed the priest Jehoah The long look was retaliation for the previous one. Chief Priest Jehoya himself was not a good person. During the past few years when he was in charge of the Port of Tripoli, he also made Tripoli a mess. Since the arrival of Chief Priest Jehoya, The number of missing girls in the Port of Tripoli suddenly increased several times, with up to eight girls missing in a month. The mission of the Skitarii is to protect the temple and maintain law and order. Several cases of missing girls were tracked in Yehoya. The chief priest is blocked here!

As a local, even for the Skitarii, it was very satisfying to see the embarrassment of the evil-doing Knight Commander Yehoyabidia with his hands on his hands, so the two captains just now also deliberately pretended to be confused, but they did not expect that Knight Commander Yeho Yabidea He really strangled Yeheya to death with one hand! By the time you realize that something serious has happened, it's already too late!

"Stupid, do you think I killed Yehoya out of revenge!"

Knight Commander Dia withdrew his gaze from the two of them, with a hint of chill flashing across his face, and said with disdain, "A mere chief priest of Tripoli is nothing in my eyes, and he is worthy of my grudge. I, Dia, have been At the age of nineteen, he was promoted to one of the Twelve Knights of the Knights Templar. His faith in the Temple has never wavered. However, in the Holy City, there is more than just conspiracy and collusion. Foreign country, and also betrayed Pope Potamia, exiled all the Twelve Knight Commanders who were loyal to His Highness the Pope, and secretly ordered the chief priest of the place of exile to find an opportunity to execute us, but Jehoya didn't know, he sent us out I intercepted the reply on the way. The Holy City has been occupied by those sinners of God. Where I am now, I am just adhering to God’s will! "

"Ah, is that so?" The two captains of the Skitarii Army looked at each other. This kind of struggle between the upper echelons of the Order was too far away for them, but the Potamia mentioned by Knight Commander Dia The Pope is a high and mighty His Highness.

"As long as His Highness the Pope returns to the Holy Capital, he will regain power. I can guarantee that you will get much more than you have now. Even if the entire Tripoli is handed over to you, it is not impossible!" Knight Commander Dia With a serious look on his face, Dia snorted, "What are you still hesitating about? This time I secretly welcomed the Imperial Army's landing in Tripoli because Tripoli's geographical location is exactly in the blind spot of the Northern Legion's defense line. After the Imperial Army lands, they will directly attack the Holy City and fight against Her Highness Putamia. The Temple Army is attacking from the north and the south. What can the Holy City do to support it? It will be too late for you to regret it by then! "

Hearing the bright future described by Knight Commander Dia, the two Skitarii captains were shocked. One of the biggest advantages of Tripoli being able to serve as a material transfer port is that it is the mouth of a river flowing southward, like a tree. The tributaries of the rivers spread out like branches, which really pierced the defensive line of the Order Army with holes. If the imperial army marched south from here to the Holy Capital, it would make the Order Army's defense seem to be in vain.

"Okay, we'll do it with you!" The two captains gave a military salute to Dia.

"Then come with me to welcome the imperial army as it arrives in Tripoli."

Knight Commander Dia waved his hands to the two of them, with a cold look in his eyes. He was deliberately delaying time. Although he attacked and killed the unsuspecting Yeheya in one fell swoop, there were only a hundred or so Templar Knights under his command. people, and the troops of the two Skitarii commanders were as many as Five hundred people. If a fight really breaks out, Dia's Templars can certainly defeat the Skitarii, but casualties will inevitably be inevitable. Now that the Imperial Navy warship has arrived at the port, even if the Skitarii fall out, they still have absolute power. Kill them all!

The two captains of the Skitarii looked at each other, and they were furious in their hearts. They were both veterans for many years, and they obviously felt the murderous intention of Knight Commander Dia. They dared to have the slightest intention of resisting, and followed Di honestly. The Knight Commander walked towards the dock behind him. In the direction of the port, three Imperial Dragon Fang battleships were already sailing in as a way to explore the way. Behind the fully opened baffles on the sides of the battleships, there was a door that opened to reveal the black Thor cannon muzzle.

Even if they have never seen Thor, the two Skitarii captains have long heard about the shocking weapon of the Imperial Navy. At this moment, they feel lucky for their decision. What if they don't surrender? They are afraid that they will be blown into pieces. What a scumbag, right?

"Lower the mainsail. Pay attention to your surroundings and don't get off the boat yet!"

The Imperial Navy captain standing at the bow of the ship turned around. Giving orders to the sailors behind him, the sails on the main mast of the battleship were lowered, and the battleship leaned steadily against the dock. The hull slid through the calm sea surface like a mirror, leaving circles of waves waving around, as if A mark suddenly appeared in the still picture. The captain is about thirty years old. He wears an Imperial Navy felt hat on his head and a straight uniform of the Imperial Navy. He has delicate eyebrows and a two-centimeter long scar on his cheek dragging down from the corner of his eye. It is a cruel blood color. The skin left over from the Battle of Silver Bird has turned into a bronze color due to the constant sea breeze.

If it weren't for that scar, this would definitely be Zhang's handsome face that would haunt many aristocratic ladies.

The once graceful upper-class nobles of Salander now have a bit more staunchness that belongs to the military. The experience of being a prisoner of war and a slave has completely erased the arrogance of the past. His name is Bai Osud, the former Duke of Salander. , once occupied by the Normans He was captured as a slave in the Obaro area and watched his companions being slaughtered while on the run. His reputation began to rise during the Battle of the Bloody Silver Sparrow, and then he joined the Salander Expeditionary Force. After the Salander Expeditionary Force was annihilated by the Empire, he Conscripted into service in the Imperial Navy. Life and death, ups and downs. , the once prominent noble status, in this young Salander noble, there is no trace of the heir of the former Salander Grand Duke of the South in this young Salander nobleman. Only the commander of the Third Squadron of the Imperial Navy who conquered the sea is also this person. Commander of the Naval Forward Squadron heading towards Tripoli as the Imperial Army entered