Realm of Power

In April in the Holy Capital of the Holy Capital, the cold wind has completely disappeared from the Great Wetland of the Holy Capital, and the climate has become pleasant. Standing on the streets of the Holy Capital, the temperature is just right, neither cold nor hot. The warm spring breeze brought the fragrance of vanilla, and the trees on both sides of the street began to sprout a large number of green leaves, decorating the city with vitality. With the large number of imperial merchants As they poured in, the shops on both sides of the streets of the Holy City were also covered with various advertisements unique to the Empire Stores. Various long and colorful flags fluttered in the wind, decorating the entire Holy City like a huge barrier with thousands of flags flying. According to statistics from the Imperial Ministry of Internal Affairs, in February and March alone, the number of imperial merchants entering the Order State more than quintupled.

You must know that although the Empire originally had an alliance with the Order State, the Order State was quite resistant to business, and the Templar Army was also hostile to the Empire. They regarded the Imperial merchants as spies for the Empire to infiltrate the Order State, so the Empire was allowed to enter. There are actually only seventeen chambers of commerce in the Kingdom of the Order, and the imperial merchants’ The scope is also limited by the Temple Army to the surroundings of the Holy Capital. If you want to continue to the south, you will be regarded as espionage by the Temple Army. With the end of the Holy Capital War, almost all areas south of the Holy Capital of the Order have All suffered varying degrees of damage, and then the Templar Army raised its flag to move south, severely damaging the country's already severely weakened national power.

As a result, before the Templar Army left the Holy City area, they were successfully counterattacked by the remnant army of Martin Liya, who had been deemed unable to fight anymore. Not only did they rob the last bit of national power they had finally raised, but even the Grand Knight of the Templar Army was killed. Chang Hushad was killed by the Martin Liya people on their way back to the Holy Capital. The hope that the Temple Army might have been able to compete with the Empire was wiped out in one fell swoop.

The Temple Army took away more than 80% of the supplies in the Holy City, but lost all of them. It also caused a total of more than 80,000 casualties. The entire Holy City was filled with mourning.

In the end, Pope Potamia personally came forward to reorganize the Templar Army. At the same time, he signed a full trade agreement with the Imperial Emperor to fully open the trade routes of the Order State to the whole country, and exempted the Imperial Chamber of Commerce from all matters for three years. At the cost of taxation, the Imperial Chamber of Commerce came into the Order State in large numbers. Imperial merchants were already extremely concerned about opening up the Order State's business lines. Now they finally had the opportunity. As the frozen inland sea thawed, Imperial merchant ships came in droves. ,ever The people of the Order Country, which had been closed to the country and integrated politics and religion, also tasted the sweetness of commercial prosperity for the first time. These imperial chambers of commerce brought a large number of job opportunities. In order to open up the trade route of the Order Country, the imperial merchants moved along the route. The position has attracted a large number of workers of the Order State, which has greatly solved the biggest problem of the Order State, the problem of working and feeding more than 100,000 refugees. After the initial adjustment, the hearts of ordinary people in the Order State have been connected with the imperial merchants. 's more closely.

The Holy Capital of the Order, a holy land that was once completely shrouded in a religious atmosphere, has now become a prosperous place of commerce. The major chambers of commerce in the empire have regarded this ancient city as their base camp, and carefully built their own buildings in the city. Choosing a location, he began to establish his own headquarters, and moved all the key personnel to the Holy Capital of the Order State. As an empire in the Barrow region of southern Europe, its true meaning The geographical location of the Holy Capital of the Holy Capital of the Order can be said to be extraordinary. It is located in the center of a flat land of more than a hundred miles. To the west, there is the Feize area where the empire has just established its dominance. To the east, It is the northern part of the Erault, which was once known as the most fertile plain of the southern European Barro. To the south, there is the central area of ​​the southern European Barro, which the imperial merchants only dreamed of selling their goods.

You must know that although the empire's trade lines have extended from Barro in northern Europe to central and southern Barro in southern Europe, they are only very few chambers of commerce. The so-called scarce resources themselves are wealth. Those few who can travel from central Barro in southern Europe Chamber of Commerce, ordinary goods that may have been brought back from the central Barrow region of southern Europe were sold in the market of the Barrow region of Northern Europe. The prices are astronomical on the market. For example, the golden antelope horns on the Martinliya Prairie have always been regarded as a symbol of good luck by the Nordic Barrow nobles. Occasionally, a pair appears, and they are even more expensive. Even the main hall of the former Gallic royal family , hanging in the most conspicuous position is a pair of golden antelope horns one and a half meters long, to show that the Gallic royal family is blessed by God.

There is also a white tree in the further south, which has been regarded as the most sacred plant species known so far. It is said that a dying person can get rid of the fear of death as long as he takes the leaves of this white tree in his mouth, and can be safe and sound. Sleepless and gradually stop breathing without the need to experience the pain before death. In fact, these things are not uncommon in the central part of South Europe. Although there are not many golden antelope horns, some are often stored in the fortress of Lord Martin's Tooth. The white leaves are 100% some kind of paralyzing plant. They are also used as props by indigenous mages locally. However, the price of these things in the Nordic Barrow Market of the Empire may be dozens of times higher, and the profits are huge. Even Salton, who was once responsible for garrisoning the west coast, was tempted by it and once sent an adventure team to test it south. Unfortunately, due to the unfamiliar terrain and the blockade of the locals, little results were obtained.

At noon, there are already many people coming and going on the streets, and they are rubbing shoulders with each other. As the smoke of war goes away, the tragedy that once broke out is just a module in people's memory, and pedestrians are enjoying themselves freely. Under the bright spring sunshine. In order to obtain a loan from the Imperial Bank, Putamia mortgaged almost all of the most important main roads in the Holy City. The Imperial Bank rented both sides of the main roads to major chambers of commerce in the empire. The central thoroughfare of Domi has spawned a large number of shops. Most of these shops are operated by the Imperial Chamber of Commerce. In order to quickly open up the market, they have adopted a low-price sales strategy.

For a time, the streets were filled with brightly colored flags and beautiful girls in bloom, attracting customers. For the first time in front of the entire southern European Barrow, the empire showed what prosperity and a commercial district are. It is not a festival, but a comparison. The festival is even more lively. The Empire’s project to help the Order State to rebuild is so huge. The Empire It is impossible for merchants to transport all their supplies from the far north of the inland sea, so the most direct and convenient way is to purchase them from the Barrow countries in southern Europe. Moreover, the imperial merchants built four large exchanges in one go in the holy capital of the Order. , also attracted countless merchants and nobles from the Barro region of southern Europe to come to the Holy Capital.

An exquisite carriage crossed the street and came to the side of this main road, where there was a hotel. The sky-blue high roof and the temple inscriptions engraved on the doorposts make this place seem incompatible with the surrounding commercial atmosphere, but this does not affect the existence of this hotel. It is like a place suddenly seen in the bustling world. Quietly, everyone who passes by here will feel a sense of piety in their hearts.

Before it became a hotel, it was a temple.

For the purpose of mortgage, Putamia even mortgaged eight temples that were not commonly used in the Holy City. However, no one from the religious order scolded her. On the contrary, many people were impressed by His Highness the Pope's great sacrifice. You know, among the eight temples, one of them is the residence of His Highness Potamia. In order to obtain food from the empire, As a high-ranking pope, Potamia did not hesitate to bargain with the imperial merchants who were full of copper odor. Not only did he sell the temple, but he also sold out all the treasures accumulated in the temple for many years. However, because His Highness the Pope With all our efforts, this winter in this huge Holy City, in addition to dozens of people dying due to the cold, few people did not starve to death.

This is completely unimaginable for the Holy City, which is almost empty of supplies. This is a holy sign. God has not given up on the Order Country. In this winter, the people of the Order Country in the Holy City have truly felt the presence of the Pope and what he has done. for holy light

Already forty years of history. The golden name of the temple on the door has become somewhat dim over the years. The residence of His Majesty the Pope is like a royal palace in other countries, and the businessman who bought it has maximized the layout inside. The hotel is so large that only twenty rooms are open to the public, which means that the business here is indeed extremely hot, and it even requires reservations in advance.

At this moment, a very young woman was standing by the window looking out, twirling her hanging hair with her fingers, and holding a delivered report in her other hand. She was wearing men's clothing and had a slim body. Her figure, smooth skin and the light yellow scarf exposed at the neckline make people think she is a handsome young man at first glance. At this moment, her eyes are falling on the carriage stopped in front of the hotel.

"Siglin, how likely do you think the emperor is to agree to release our prisoners?"

Sam Tamara's slim and beautiful figure turned around from the window and looked at a middle-aged man who opened the door and walked in. She was just promoted to the Blue Chamber of Commerce, an S-class chamber of commerce in the empire in January. The person in charge is naturally the person qualified to book a room in this special hotel, but if her true identity is exposed, I am afraid that the entire The whole holy city will be shocked. She is Sam Tamara, the young master of the Sam tribe. I am afraid that the entire continent will not think that just when the battle between the empire and Martin Liya for hegemony has just subsided, five hundred thousand Martin Liya The army was defeated miserably, and more than 200,000 people died in the Holy Capital. As one of the three major clans of Martin Liya, the young master of the Sam clan came to the Holy Capital in person.

"It's hard to tell if it's someone else, but under normal circumstances the empire doesn't have a practice of killing prisoners." This new mainland general who shined brilliantly in leading Martin Liya's remnant army back to Martin Liya sighed slightly, "But you have to The empire just let go of the Martin Liya people. If they don't pay a sufficient price, it can't be done. Even if the empire The country and we already have a secret alliance, but this relationship is often the most untrustworthy. Even if any emperor has our surrender letter, it does not mean that he will help us unconditionally to stabilize the situation. Don't forget , the current embarrassing situation that I, Martin Liya, am in is caused by His Majesty the Emperor."

"The price?" Sam Tamara's figure is obviously thinner than before, but more beautiful. It can be seen that in more than a month since the war, the young leader of the Sam Group has been under great pressure. Among the three major clans, His Royal Highness is the only one who has not yet failed. He is also the candidate for the crown prince after the Sam clan settles in the royal family next year. During this period, he is naturally responsible for all kinds of domestic arrangements. More than 200,000 remnant troops have returned to the country, one by one. They are all the same as beggars, although there are saints The material support of the imperial army only reduced the number of people who starved to death. In the end, more than 20,000 people died on the way home. The eight central countries captured two more provinces on the western front in one breath. The report requesting reinforcements was like It was like a snowflake flying in. Fortunately, Sam Tamara's military ability was average, but after all, he was also the person who single-handedly held the Blue Chamber of Commerce. He was very good at all kinds of transfers. By recruiting volunteers, he transferred the newly returned troops to the west. , only then can we stabilize the situation

But everyone knows that the person who really determines the future life and death of the Martinliya Kingdom is actually the emperor who is watching the romance in the Holy Capital.

"What more price should be paid? Two hundred thousand people died in battle, more than 60,000 people were captured, and more than 40,000 people are missing. I, Martin Liya, have lost more than half of the lords of the three major clans, and the country is close to collapse. Isn't this price enough?" "Now The country urgently needs these captives. The eight central kingdoms are raging in the west of the kingdom. There are Otto people in the south who are ready to move. Other surrounding areas are also watching with eager eyes. There are more or less signs of crossing the border, and Silver Fox still wants to Ignoring the fact that there is a shortage of troops in the country, leaving half of the troops on the Harvey Plateau and planning a joint attack with the Ikar people on the Harvey Kingdom is really a joke. Even if the Harvey Kingdom is captured, what will happen? If the empire refuses to release the prisoners, then we and the The secret agreement of the empire is meaningless, because the Kingdom of Martin Liya no longer exists." There was a hint of anger on the corner of Sam Tamara's mouth. After these two months, it can be seen that there have been great changes.

Originally, she was a delicate flower raised in the greenhouse, and the Sam clan allowed her to do whatever she wanted. But now, when the burden of the kingdom is suddenly lifted, the young prince of the Sam clan has faintly revealed a bit of a true crown prince. The breath came, and Si Green sighed slightly when he saw this scene. In the battle of the Holy Capital, with his desperate mediation, he finally brought half of the Martin Liya people back to the kingdom.

However, the current situation of the Kingdom of Martinliga is no longer as simple as being weakened. The western front has been covered by war for most of it, causing the Kingdom of Martinliga to lose its national power rapidly. More than a hundred refugees have fled from the west to other areas. Five hundred thousand, eleven of the seventeen provinces in the west of the kingdom have been lost, and the remaining six are struggling to hold on.

As for the central part of the kingdom, which is the core of the kingdom, it is currently unable to deploy many troops, because the troops in the Holy Capital War have almost exhausted the core area of ​​​​Martin Liya. Although the remnants of the army have returned to the country, less than half of the troops can actually fight. The 100,000 people who were transferred to the Western Front were barely compared with the more than 500,000 people that were crazily expanded from the eight central countries. Qiang Pingping, the only one who can mobilize troops back is the 80,000 Martin Li Ya Army still in the Harvey area, but Silver Fox does not know how to use it, and has firmly grasped the control of the 80,000 Martin Li Ya Army. , Silver Fox completely ignored the Kingdom’s call for recruitment, and instead launched an offensive on the Harvey Plateau.

The current Martinliya Kingdom is like a ship with leaks everywhere. Although it will not sink immediately, if it is not blocked, it is really hard to say whether it can persist until the Sam tribe comes to power next year. And in fact , because the main force of the Il tribe was lost in the Battle of the River, the Il tribe, as a royal family, is no longer able to suppress the forces of other lords. In addition, the general leader of the Sam tribe, Si Green, is In the later stages of the Battle of the Holy Capital, they turned the tide and saved the remnant army of 200,000 Martins. The Sam tribe actually took over the royal power in advance. However, due to the rotation system, the royal family is still the Il tribe, and the Il tribe has also spoken out. , as long as the Sam tribe can let the empire release the prisoners of war, the Yi tribe will not only hand over the royal family in advance, but also promise to give up the position of the royal family to the Sam tribe in six years.

There is already a huge quarrel within the Sam tribe about this matter. Some Sam tribe lords said that this is completely a conspiracy of the Yi tribe. The Yi tribe has unshirkable responsibility for the defeat of the Holy City. Now seeing the power of the Sam tribe, Da, just put forward this vicious condition. How can it be so simple to get the empire to release the prisoners? When the negotiations fail, the Il tribe can completely force the empire to The responsibility for releasing the captives falls on the Sam clan. You must know that among the captives are not only Spike, the crown prince of the Il clan, but also dozens of lords from the other three clans. Now because of the failure of the Sam clan negotiations, the captives cannot When they return, the families of these captives will definitely make trouble against the Sam clan. When the time comes, the Yi clan will clearly be responsible for the defeat, but it is the Sam clan who will be scolded.

Others believe that although it is very unreliable, the opportunity is also great. It can even be said to be the biggest opportunity for the Sam people in more than a hundred years. If successful, the Sam people can get a six-year ruling period. According to At present, the Sam tribe is rapidly surpassing the other two tribes. If there is another six years of power, the Sam tribe is very likely to end the rotation system of the three tribes. This opportunity may not come once in a hundred years. If you miss it next time, you will be in danger. I don’t know when it was

"I think this risk is worth taking." Samtamara stood up at the meeting, saying that he still knew the empire and its strategy for treating prisoners of war, and expressed his willingness to go to the Holy Capital to discuss the matter in person.

The eyes of the others all had a strange look at this moment, and they all looked at the current patriarch of the Sam tribe and the woman with a big belly next to the patriarch. There were whispers in the conference hall. Sam Tamara, as Sam Your Highness, the Young Master, it would be best if you could go in person, but this time is another matter. This woman The production period will not exceed one month. Once it lands, it may be a strong competitor for the Young Highness. Doesn’t Her Highness Tamara know that at this moment, she absolutely cannot leave, let alone go to the Holy Capital? , the people of the Order already hate the Martin Liya people to the core. As long as a little bit of news leaks out, the result will be irreversible.

"His Royal Highness has a distinguished status. How can he personally do this kind of thing? It's better to let his subordinates do it."

Si Green stood up with a serious face and categorically interrupted Sam Tamara to continue speaking. Si Green led the 200,000 remnant troops back to the country, and his reputation was unparalleled for a while, but he thought it was because he had not been alone together in the past few days. Siglin did not immediately reveal the secret agreement with the emperor. This kind of thing was absolutely We can't let other people know. Unfortunately, because the Sam tribe chief was busy seizing power from the Ir tribe in advance, he just let Si Green rest for a while, but he had no intention of meeting him. Even now, the Sam tribe chief doesn't know. Si Green had a secret agreement with the empire, and Si Green also vaguely noticed something was wrong.

"How about you two go together?" The words of the leader of the Sam tribe made the entire conference hall fall into silence.