In the Shadow of the Evil Magic

When we reflect upon history, we often discover that even the wisest of leaders have moments of muddled judgment amidst the torrential flow of events.

—From the Imperial Chronicles, Volume 35, Entry 7: Reflections on the Roland Era

……

It was a summer afternoon, and the scorching sun hanging in the sky was still radiating heat mercilessly. In order to welcome the upcoming Triumph Ceremony, on the pier, countless Imperial Guards wearing bright red armor have surrounded the port's Pier 1.

And just a hundred steps outside the dock, the battered soldiers of The Imperial Capital Public Security Office had already used all their strength. Many of their clothes were torn, their shiny epaulettes were torn off, their arrogant hats were snatched off, and even their boots were trampled off countless times.

To the frustration of the 1,000 Public Security Office soldiers who were ordered to maintain order outside the port, they faced more than 50,000 enthusiastic citizens of The Imperial Capital who were watching.

The enthusiastic onlookers prepared flowers, cheers, and applause - of course, there were many girls who were even ready to offer their passionate kisses and even their virginity. Under such emotional turmoil, a thousand Public Security Office soldiers felt like a broken ship in the ocean, which could be overturned at any time.

At this moment, they were envious of the Imperial Guard who stood within the cordon of the pier, because they could leisurely line up in formation, showing off the brightest armor and weapons they had just issued, and at the same time, they did not have to worry about being attacked by someone the next second. Enthusiastic citizens scratched their faces.

For this grand triumphal event, under the order of His Majesty the Great Emperor Augustine VI, the section of the Emerald Grand Canal leading to The Imperial Capital was fully doubled! The empire spent half a year's labor of 10,000 river transport workers for this, and the empire's treasury also paid nearly three million gold coins for this.

The purpose of paying these prices is just to allow the flagship "Sea Hawk" of the Empire's "Xth Expedition Fleet" to smoothly pass through Canal and directly to the east gate outer port of The Imperial Capital, and receive the cheers of the people, in order to demonstrate the power of the Empire. of force.

No one cares whether it's worth paying such a price for a situation to show off.

Because the previous finance minister of the empire, who was the first to raise strong objections, had been driven back to his hometown by the angry Emperor to retire. The only choice for the succeeding Chancellor of Finance is to rack his brains to piece together things and squeeze out as much money as possible from the various expenditures of the empire's finances to satisfy the "old man who is so happy with his achievements."

Of course, the title "the old man who is so happy with his achievements" can only be buried deep in the heart of the finance minister, very deep, very deep...

When the afternoon sun shines on the wide Canal river and the first silhouette of a sail begins to appear in the distance, the crowd has begun to cheer uncontrollably.

As the giant battleship on the river, which was two hundred steps long, slowly approached the port, the majestic silhouette of the battleship shocked all the citizens of The Imperial Capital who came to watch.

"Sea Hawk", the flagship of the Empire's Sixth Expeditionary Fleet, is the pride of the Imperial Navy and the largest warship in the history of the Imperial Navy. In order to welcome this grand welcome ceremony, the battleship has been completely painted and renovated, and the hull has been painted a daunting black. Amid waves of cheers, Sea Hawk looks like a giant black monster. Slowly approaching the port, a huge thorn flower flag fluttered in the wind on the mast.

When the anchor was dropped, tens of thousands of citizens on the port were already excited. Countless hats were thrown into the sky, countless people stepped off their shoes, and countless people bruised their legs. And the poor Public Security Office soldiers can only shrink the cordon to the best of their ability, and then shrink it again...

The commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet, Allison Earl, was standing on the bow deck of the ship, looking at the cheering crowd at the port with an expressionless face.

This thirty-nine-year-old first-class general of the empire, the Earl of the Empire, is currently wearing his most solemn attire, with a light armor covering his whole body. The bright red cloak behind him is flapping in the wind, and there are two medals hanging on his chest - —This is what I got when I joined the expedition fleet two times before. And there is no doubt that this triumph will win him his third Imperial Medal.

Lord Earl's eyes were a little distracted, and the focus of his sight did not stay on the cheering crowd at the port. If you look closely, you can see that Lord Earl's brows seemed to be frowning slightly, as if he was a little impatient.

Damn, this armor is so heavy and stupid!

Lord Earl didn't think that as a soldier on the naval fleet, he would need to wear such heavy armor when fighting at sea. That's what the Army only uses. As for wearing these medals, in Earl's mind it was even more stupid. It was as if the nouveau riche were showing off their wealth—something a true aristocrat would disdain to do. He felt that such an act was very demeaning.

Moreover, the cheering crowd below was too noisy. Their cheers were like huge waves in a tsunami, eroding Lord Earl's little patience.

Subconsciously he glanced at the deck beneath his feet.

In order to prepare for today's welcome ceremony, this Sea Hawk had been repainted three days ago, and there were no blood stains on the deck. The decks that were lost in the expeditionary war have been re-laid, and the rams on the ship's bow have also been replaced with new ones... Heck, those guys who like to flatter His Majesty the Emperor actually made the rams on the ship's bow into A statue of His Majesty the Emperor himself, and it is said that this statue was made by a famous sculptor from the empire himself a few days ago.

The Imperial Navy also paid an additional 10,000 gold coins for this purpose.

Mighty is mighty enough. But don’t those idiots know that when encountering a battle at sea, after a battleship collides, the first thing to be destroyed is the collision angle of the bow?

In his opinion, these ten thousand gold coins were really wasted. The work of that master sculptor is not even as effective as just finding a sharp wooden stake.

In fact, on a deeper level, Lord Allison Earl even believed from the bottom of his heart that organizing this so-called Xth Imperial Expedition Fleet was really a ridiculously wrong decision.

Starting decades ago, the empire began to conduct "expeditions" to the South China Sea area again and again.

It is undeniable that there are countless islands in the South Ocean, like scattered pearls scattered over the vast sea. There are strange forests, savage and stupid indigenous tribes who are still in the clan stage, gold, gems, spices, and seafood.

However, Lord Earl does not think that "bringing a dozen huge warships to bully the small canoes of the indigenous people" is an "expedition".

It was a complete robbery, a massacre, a bandit, an invasion, and a naked robbery!

Earl wouldn't see anything wrong with that. The weak have always been bullied by the strong, and the weak need to maintain a posture of surrender to the strong. However, he believed that the mistake of the empire's policy towards Southeast Asia was that these so-called expeditions were conducted too frequently, and the effects seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.

In the two or three early expeditions, the powerful imperial navy was invincible in the South Seas. When whole ships of gold, gems, seafood and spices were transported back, it once caused a sensation in the entire empire.

But after all, no matter how prosperous the granary is, it cannot withstand such frequent harvests. Excessive plunder led to the extinction of the indigenous tribes in the waters slightly closer to the South China Sea. The subsequent expeditionary force had to take its voyage route farther and farther. The extension of the route was a huge test for the fleet's supplies.

After all, Nanyang is not only home to those bully natives, nor is it only those gold and gems, there are also sultry weather, rapidly changing climate, terrifying giant waves, as well as countless reefs, whirlpools, storms...

The excessive harvest caused this fertile field that could have become the empire's granary to quickly become deserted. The subsequent expeditions yielded less and less harvest. But the irony is that Triumph Ceremony is getting grander every time...

Allison Earl himself has led three expeditions in recent years, allowing this Earl to gain a resounding reputation in Southeast Asia. This Imperial Navy General, Lord Earl, has a series of nicknames in Southeast Asia:

robber! Butcher! Executioner! ... His hands are stained with the blood of the indigenous people. He is a notorious invader in the hearts of the indigenous clans and tribes, a demon who burned down their homes and enslaved them.

Lord Earl certainly doesn't care about this, but the only thing that makes him feel a little uneasy is that excessive aggressive wars have abnormally stimulated the development of these Southeast Asian natives in some aspects, especially in terms of force. Even before he came back this time, he had heard that in the far southern sea, some island natives had formed a so-called alliance to fight against the endless plunder of the empire.

Fortunately, he no longer has to think about those troublesome things. Because he knew very well that this was his last expedition. Next, he will stay in The Imperial Capital. If all goes well, he will get a prominent position in the Imperial High Command, and then hang around for ten or eight years. After the current Minister of Military Affairs retires, he will use the influence of his family to , he will become the new Minister of Military Affairs. If he is more lucky, he may be able to enjoy the pleasure of being a prime minister in the last few years of his political career.

As for the expedition, screw it. That is a headache for the next commander of the expeditionary force fleet.

Even if those natives have evolved enough to create Arcane Cannon, that is not a problem that he has to worry about.

Amid cheers like a heat wave, Lord Earl walked off the flagship deck in full view of everyone, and his feet finally stepped on the land of The Imperial Capital! He waved to the cheering crowd... but this action was more like shooing away flies.

First, a civil servant dressed in court service came on board and read His Majesty the Emperor's order of commendation, and announced that Lord Earl would enter the palace early tomorrow morning to meet His Majesty the Emperor and receive the award at the same time.

If you get your wish, your political future will be bright.

But then a servant in gray clothes squeezed up and whispered another news in Lord Earl's ear, and this news made Allison Earl's mood sink to the bottom!

The news came from home.

The expedition lasted for more than three years, and the sea was vast, making it difficult to transmit messages. Allison doesn't know what's going on at home right now.

The most important thing is his wife. When he went to war three years ago, his wife was already close to giving birth, and now, he didn't even know whether he was giving birth to a son or a daughter!

The news at home is: it’s a son.

However, the son he gave birth to seems to be an idiot.

This news almost knocked Lord Earl off the peak of joy.

Just a little bit different!

However, almost every dignitary of The Imperial Capital who came to greet him saw that the victorious commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force had a gloomy face that was on the verge of collapse.