Realm of Power

932

Baozi sincerely thanks: Jin Gangzhu voted for 1 monthly vote; ff Final Fantasy voted for 2 monthly votes;

In a dark corner of Nord Kyoto, the monsoon blowing across the southern region in July is a sign before the heavy rainy season. There are already small raindrops, slapping on the bluestone slab at the top of the corner. This is a small two-story building. In the small building, the raindrops hit the windowsill and splashed in all directions, like clusters of white water splashes.

This seemingly ordinary courtyard is actually heavily guarded. Standing at the gate are ten heavily armored axemen, and two patrol teams of 30 soldiers patrolling back and forth almost 24 hours a day.

Walking into the gate of the small courtyard, two teams of Nord heavy-armored soldiers holding long-handled axes stood solemnly at the door of the second floor. The black and ferocious metal heavy armor on their bodies looked out of place with the green flowers and plants around them, which made people feel uncomfortable. A suffocating Xiaoxiao,

In the white drizzle, a carriage with the logo of the Nord Military Department stopped in front of this small courtyard, its wheels making a squeaking sound in the small puddle on the roadside.

"Please show me your identification!" A serious-looking Nord officer walked over from the shed next to the gate. When he saw the middle-aged man getting off the carriage, he couldn't help but look stunned.

"Lord Harley!"

The Nord officer saluted respectfully. The middle-aged man who came down from above was the person in charge of this prison, the Marquis of Halley, the head of the Supervision Department of the Ministry of Military Affairs. Behind the Marquis of Halley, there was a man wearing a golden gorgeous clothes,

This is a young man with a somewhat pale face, who seems to rarely be exposed to the sun. His bloodshot eyes impatiently scanned the overgrown but well-guarded courtyard in front of him, and his two delicate eyebrows frowned slightly. ,

"Master Harley, can we go in?" the young man asked impatiently. His pale chin with light blue veins was slightly raised, and there was a sense of disdain and arrogance in his bones. It seemed that he was being treated by such a low-level person. It is very shameful for an officer to block the outside.

Harley next to him looked respectful and waved to the officer in front of him and shouted, "Quickly, let them open the door. This is His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince!" The officer was startled and quickly turned around to let others know. Pushing open the door, the young man glanced displeasedly at the muddy path behind the door. Harley opened the car door behind him at the right time. Under the gaze of the soldiers, the carriage continued to move forward, slowly driving into the other side of the road. Such a mysterious courtyard,

There was a chill in the cold autumn rain. Looking at the carriage disappearing around the corner not far away, Officer Luo De shivered subconsciously. His Highness the Crown Prince was too delicate! He had to ride a carriage even for such a journey. Go in?

Few people know that this seemingly inconspicuous courtyard is actually a secret cell of the Nord royal family. The guards are unwilling to cause trouble for themselves. No one knows whether these prisoners will suddenly change. The boss who becomes your immediate boss is someone you can't afford to mess with anyway.

But if you want to go out, it is not that simple. You must have three things: a consent letter issued by the Ministry of Military Affairs, a consent letter issued by the Ministry of Interior, and finally a handwritten letter signed by His Majesty the King himself.

The door slowly opened with a creaking sound. The rain drifts in,

At the end of the dark corridor was a heavy iron door. Five strong men with the mark of a senior warrior were standing there chatting. When they saw Marquis Halley walking in, they quickly stood up straight.

"Sir," the leading officer quickly stood up and saluted, "Open the door!" Harley waved, and the soldiers hurriedly opened the heavy iron door behind them, revealing a dark tunnel that smelled of mold.

"Salton lives in a place like this? Can people live in a place like this?"

The young Crown Prince of Nord, who was following Harley, craned his neck to look at the dark tunnel that seemed to be able to swallow the soul, his eyes were bulging with horror.

"Your Highness, there is nothing we can do about it. After all, this is also a prison!" Harley took a torch from the officer next to him with an embarrassed expression and explained as he walked, "Your Highness, you can rest assured that this place is not as notorious as the outside." Prisons for dead people and prisoners are different. They are held here. The prisoners still have a certain status and dignity, and can enjoy good treatment and food. As long as they do not leave here, it is no problem even if they ask the guard at the gate to find a woman. After all, the people who can be imprisoned here are all highly valued by His Majesty the King. Man, we don’t want to cause trouble!

Therefore, the people imprisoned here in the past dynasties were the most valued important officials. Some were imprisoned for a year or several years, and some were imprisoned on the same day and released on the same day. However, there were also some who were imprisoned for a lifetime and were not released in the end. No one can guess the monarch's heart, but now only one person is imprisoned here, the former deputy minister of the Ministry of Military Affairs and the former governor of Suluo region, Salton

Looking at the steps extending underground like a netherworld in front of him, even though it seemed very difficult, but thinking of this mission, the young crown prince could only boldly follow Harley down.

The echo of footsteps came from the cold steps. The wall was wet, probably from the rainwater above. There was a biting cold air in the entire underground prison. At the end of the tunnel, there was a row of empty iron railings. appeared before the crown prince's eyes,

The ground is cold and damp, covered with leather carpets that have not been replaced for who knows how many years. The dark color is like countless ants crawling on it. The iron fence is full of red rust spots, and you can still see it between the corners of the bricks on the ground. There was a large area of ​​dried blood. I don’t know who left it or what era it was.

Thinking of the various terrible legends of the palace maids about this black hell, the prince felt a chill all over his body. A chill wind suddenly blew over him, like a horrified scream that resounded through the cell, as if the ghost inside was still lingering.

"Who? Who's there?" Salton's hoarse voice came from the defense line at the end of the corridor. In the second to last cell at the end of the corridor, the prince finally saw Salton, who had been imprisoned for a month.

"Lord Harley? His Royal Highness Prince Agrolida? Why are you two here?" Seeing the two The stranger who appeared in front of the prison door, who was looking up at the rain in the cell, seemed very surprised.

The former Nord minister looked generally good, and he had obviously not been abused mentally or physically. Except for a little swelling, there was really no major problem. However, there were two large iron balls weighing dozens of kilograms connected to the back of the fetters. One end of the extended iron chain was embedded in the rock of the wall, and there was a section of the chain that was only long enough to move within the cell. He looked a little embarrassed.

"Lord Salton, please pay attention to your address. His Highness Agrolida is now He is now His Royal Highness the Crown Prince! "Harley stepped forward and loudly corrected Salton's wrong address. Salton was surprised for a moment, then he hesitated and said intermittently, "His Royal Highness Aglolida has become His Royal Highness the Crown Prince? This is really an unexpected surprise!" "Okay, Lord Harley, you go down first!" Aglolida waved coldly at Harley, who looked like a servant, "His Majesty asked me to say a few words, and I need to ask Lord Salton in person." Seeing that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince did not appreciate his kindness, the prison guard Harley curled his lips slightly, He bowed to Agrolida, then reluctantly left, closing the main gate of the prison from the outside, but still put his ear against the iron gate, hoping to hear a possible sound, but he was disappointed, he could not hear anything, it seemed that the two of them were completely silent. "Congratulations, Your Highness, you finally got what you wanted!" Salton stared at the only light-transmitting stone window above his head, his gray eyes full of complicated expressions, "This is also your honor, your student may become the king of Nord," Agrolida responded respectfully. , no trace of fluctuation can be seen on his face

"You really make me proud!" Salton stared at Agrolida, and after a long while, he slowly said with a deep look, "As your teacher, I have to be proud of a student like you, but your means are too shameful!

You know very well that I can't be a traitor to Nord, but under your insistence on investigation, His Majesty still deprived me of the position of Governor of Suruo on the charge of my secret communication with the Falcon Dynasty, and announced that the Suruo region was directly under the royal jurisdiction, and all the regional wealth belonged to the royal family."

"This is the decision of my father, I just stated a fact. You were indeed in Aire at the time, weren't you?" Agrolida said coldly, "The content of the investigation is also very clear. The person who met with you was not a businessman, but our biggest Enemy, Vikia Falcon! I don't know if you are a traitor, but you are indeed a big suspect!"

"Nonsense!" Salton stared at him angrily and said loudly, "In fact, you and I know very well that depriving me of my position and taking back Suruo is entirely because of your majesty, who urgently needs Suruo's wealth to restore the country's strength.

And the person who made this suggestion is you. I think your majesty's appointment of you as the crown prince should be the greatest recognition of your sharp thinking. You do have the qualities that a monarch should have! Have you ever thought about how much turmoil will be caused in the Suruo region by forcibly collecting the wealth of the Suruo region in this way of killing the chicken to get the eggs?

Salton said with a look of grief, "After all, the Suruo region has been annexed for too short a time, and the Suruo people are a very exclusive ethnic group. If I follow my Strategy, within ten years, Su Ruo can be completely part of Nord! But now, you are too impatient!" "To win, there must be sacrifices!" I still remember that this was the first sentence the teacher taught us on the first day of class in the academy! "Agrolida interrupted Salton's words with a firm face. The originally weak breath showed a bit of steel-like hard bones at this moment. He said sternly, "Teacher, have you ever thought about it. The Falcon Dynasty is pressing on the northern border. The army on the front line is in urgent need of military pay, food, and weapons. The Kugits are finished, the Dongting people are finished, and the Rieldians are finished. The next one is us. We don’t have that much time. We must do everything possible to restore our strength in the shortest time. Otherwise, in less than five years, our Nord will no longer exist. !If the Nords are gone, why should Suruo be left!"

"As for the rebellion, you can rest assured, teacher."

Rolida's cold expression eased slightly, and he said in a condensed voice

"Father has already dispatched 40,000 troops to Suruo. Even if there is any turmoil or situation that is unfavorable to the kingdom, the army will immediately execute orders and forcibly suppress anyone who dares to resist!

In front of the sharp battle axe, I think those Suruo people will know how to choose!"

"Killing again! Killing all the Suruo people will not benefit us at all! Instead, we will lose an important source of income," Thordon looked at the Nord Crown Prince angrily and said in a pleading tone

"Can't we use a gentler way? For example, increase taxes or compile several more taxes"

"Gentleness is not the style of us Nords!"

Yaglolida answered him categorically, "Don't forget, it was the battle ax and blood that allowed the entire Nord nation to stand in the south of the continent. Without sacrifice, there is no victory. This is what you told me at the beginning, so what you did, I can’t agree with that!”

"You!" Salton's eyes were bulging. He had nothing to say in front of Jaglolida. He could only sigh and his face was gray. He didn't know how to question the other party. This is the current national situation of Nord. As one kingdom after another was wiped out by the Falcon Dynasty in the north, the Nord Kingdom, which suffered defeat from the south, is now like a hungry press.

I wish I could gather all the wealth that can be squeezed out in my own hands and turn it into military power to fight against the Falcon Dynasty in the north. This crazy idea has now become the dominant idea in the Nordic military circles.

Those Nord generals are like chicken blood, eager to turn all Nord young people into combat-ready soldiers. It is said that the expropriation bill has just been passed at the Royal Council, and all shops in Nord have been closed. Increase war tax by 20%

The two of them looked at each other in silence for a while, and Yagollida said, "Okay, just now it was a question between the student and the teacher, now it's time to get down to business! Father, I have a few questions to ask you."

"Tell me, no matter what, you really impressed me!" Salton's energetic face seemed to be much older. He simply sat cross-legged on the damp ground of the cell.

"Have you committed treason?" Jaglolida asked in a very formal manner.

"No," Salton replied without hesitation.

"Is it your idea to take the initiative to redeem the 40,000 treasonous soldiers who are full of hatred for His Majesty the King?"

"They are not treasonous, they are abandoned warriors!" Speaking of this, Salton looked a little excited.

Jaglolida seemed to have been prepared. He took out a secret report from his arms, threw it in front of Sulton, and said, "You should read this first, and then insist on your opinion."

"This is?" Salton quickly picked up the secret letter on the ground and recognized that it was top-secret information sent by the Ministry of Intelligence from other countries.

Yagrolida said in a slow voice, "As far as we know, these 40,000 captured soldiers are full of resentment towards the royal family and His Majesty the King. Five thousand of them even joined the Falcon Dynasty's army. Do you still think that Are they still loyal Nord warriors? Once we have a main battle with the Falcon Dynasty army, these 40,000 resentful soldiers suddenly mutiny, have you ever thought about the consequences! For the safety of Nord, they must be abandoned !”

"This..." Salton's face was already ashen, and the hand holding the secret report was trembling slightly.

"One last question!" Jaglolida's voice sounded a little cold as he said, "We have received reports from the northern border. In the Anjod area, the center of defense, there have been signs of a large-scale gathering of Falcon troops recently. According to conservative estimates, The number of the Falcon Army has exceeded 60,000, including the Western Army, the Varisian Army, and the Central Army. We also found the royal flag of the Vecian Falcon in their main camp. We want to know about the Falcon Dynasty Army. How likely is it to attack Anruode head-on!"

"The Falcon army attacked Anruod head-on?" Salton took a breath of air when he heard it, shook his head and said, "How is it possible? This is absolutely impossible, unless the Falcon of Vecia has been arrogant to the point of ignorance.

The Anruode area has always been the focus of our army's defense. The number of troops stationed has never been lower than 40,000. In the past 40 years, eight defense lines have been built, not to mention 60,000, even 100,000. , and it is absolutely impossible to attack Anruode head-on!"

"But that's what the intelligence said!" Yaglolida said with a helpless expression, "Because 40,000 people were dispatched to Susuo, our troop strength on the northern border has been reduced from the original 120,000 to 80,000.

In other words, if the defense factor is excluded, the opponent's military strength is not inferior to ours. Moreover, the Falcon Army has always been famous for its elite attack. I heard that this time it is also planning to adopt a powerful tactic.

Prepare to use hundreds of Thors to forcefully blast through Anruode's defense line! Then launch an all-out attack with infantry groups, preventing our army from concentrating its forces on one point.

As long as a gap is opened, the entire defense line will be torn apart!"

"A full-scale assault is a very dangerous method. If the attack is unfavorable, the morale of the entire army will be low!" Salton touched his chin and said hesitantly.

"But the Vekia Falcon has always been different from ordinary people. If others don't dare, it's really hard to say with him.

Coupled with the fierceness of the Thunder God and the powerful offensive capabilities of the Falcon Infantry, it is not impossible to say that An Ruode can tear through the eight lines of defense, but the loss is by no means small.

Our army can completely consume its energy first and then launch a counterattack!"

"The teacher's opinion almost coincides with that of the Ministry of Military Affairs." Yaglolida nodded and said, "But I don't know why, the students still feel a little worried. The Falcon Army has always been cunning, and suddenly it appeared at one end of my northern border. There is such a huge formation, but the Tiheberg Fort on the other side is calm. Don't you think it's too strange, teacher?"

"Are you saying that the Falcon Army is putting on a false show in the Anrod area, and that the real target is Fort Tichberg?" Salton frowned. This possibility is not impossible. In the form of a surprise attack, The tactic of breaking the breakthrough point in the battle and then annihilating the opponent in one fell swoop is really in line with the consistent style of the Vekia Falcon.

"Please ask the teacher to personally take charge of Tichberg Castle! This way, the students can go to Anruode to preside over the war with peace of mind." Agrolida bowed respectfully,

"Okay!" Salton stood up. After all, Agrolida is now the crown prince. No matter what grievances the two have, they are united in the interests of the country

!d @t