When we look back on history afterwards, we will often discover that under the surging torrent of history, even the wisest of leaders will inevitably have times when they become muddle-headed.
— — Imperial Chronicles, Chapter 35, Book 7 — — Reflections on the Roland Era.
# 8226;
It was a summer afternoon, the scorching sun hanging in the sky was still mercilessly radiating heat. In order to welcome the upcoming triumphant ceremony, on the docks, countless soldiers wearing bright red armor had already surrounded the first pier of the port.
And just a hundred steps away from the pier, the battered and battered soldiers of the imperial capital had already used up all of their strength. Many of their clothes were torn, their originally shining epaulets were ripped off, their impressive hats were grabbed off, even their boots were trampled off countless times.
What made the thousand soldiers who were ordered to maintain order on the outskirts of the port helpless was that they were faced with more than fifty thousand enthusiastic citizens of the imperial capital.
The enthusiastic onlookers had prepared flowers, cheers, applause — — of course, there were also many young girls who were prepared to offer their own hot kisses and even their chastity. Under this kind of emotional turmoil, the thousand soldiers felt like they were a broken boat in the middle of the ocean, with the possibility of capsizing at any time.
At this moment, they were very envious of the soldiers who were standing within the cordon of the pier, because they could leisurely line up in a square formation, showing off their newly issued armor and weapons, while at the same time not having to worry about their faces being scratched by some fanatical citizen in the next second.
For this grand triumphant ceremony, under the command of the imperial great emperor Augustine the 6th, the section of the Lancang Grand Canal leading to the imperial capital was widened by a full fold! And for this, the empire had to pay ten thousand river workers for half a year's worth of labor, and the imperial treasury had to pay close to three million gold coins for this.
And paying this price, the purpose was only to allow the imperial "Xth Expedition Fleet" flagship "Dandong" to smoothly pass through the canal and directly reach the eastern gate of the imperial capital, receiving the cheers of tens of thousands of citizens, thus demonstrating the imperial military strength.
No one would care if paying this price for a show off was worth it or not.
Because the first person to raise a strong objection, the previous finance minister of the empire had already been driven back to his hometown by the furious emperor to retire. And the succeeding finance minister's only choice was to rack his brains to scrape together as much money as possible from the various expenditures of the imperial treasury, to satisfy the "grandiose old man".
Of course, the title "grandiose old man" could only be buried deep in the finance minister's heart, very deep, very deep … …
When the afternoon sun shone on the broad surface of the canal, when the first shadow of a sail began to appear in the distance, the crowd already couldn't restrain themselves from letting out cheers.
On the river surface, the two hundred paces of giant warship slowly approached the harbor, the magnificent and mighty outline of the warship, shocked all the citizens of the imperial capital who came to watch.
The 6th Expedition fleet's Dandong is the "Dandong" is "Dandong", the pride of the imperial navy's history. In order to welcome this grand welcoming ceremony, the warship had already been thoroughly repainted and renovated, the hull was painted a daunting black. In the midst of wave after wave of cheers, the Dandong was like a giant black monster slowly approaching the harbor, a large thorned flower flag fluttering in the wind on the mast.
When the anchor was dropped, the tens of thousands of citizens at the harbor were already boiling, countless hats were thrown into the air, countless people stepped on shoes, countless people injured their legs. And the pitiful security soldiers could only do their best to shrink the cordon, and shrink it even more … …
The imperial expeditionary fleet's commander, Earl Raymond, was currently standing on the deck of the ship, expressionlessly looking at the jubilant crowd at the harbor.
The thirty-nine-year-old First Class General of the Empire and Count of the Empire was wearing his grandest attire. Light armor covered his entire body, and the bright red cape behind him fluttered in the wind. There were also two medals hanging on his chest — he had received them when he joined the expeditionary fleet in the past two times. And without a doubt, this time's triumphant return will bring him a third imperial medal.
The count's gaze was somewhat lax, his line of sight didn't stop at the cheering crowd at the harbor, and if you look closely, you can see that the count's brow seemed to be faintly wrinkled, as if he was somewhat impatient.
Hell, this armor is too heavy, and very stupid!
The count didn't think that a soldier of the naval fleet would need to wear such heavy armor when fighting at sea. That's something only the army uses. As for wearing these medals, in the count's mind, it was a stupid thing to do. It was like a nouveau riche showing off his wealth – a real aristocrat disdained to do so. He felt that this kind of action was very shitty.
Moreover, the cheering crowd below was really too noisy, their cheers were like a tsunami wave, eroding the count's little remaining patience wave after wave.
He subconsciously glanced at the deck below his feet.
In order to cope with today's welcoming ceremony, the Dandon had already been painted three days ago, and the deck was already devoid of bloodstains. The deck damaged during the expedition had already been repaved, and the ship's ram had also been replaced … … Hell, those fellows who like to flatter His Majesty the Emperor, actually turned the ship's ram into a statue of His Majesty the Emperor himself, and it is said that this statue was personally made by a famous imperial sculptor a few days ago.
For this, the imperial navy also paid an extra ten thousand gold coins.
Mighty enough, mighty enough. But don't those idiots know, when encountering a battle at sea, after a warship collides, the first thing to be destroyed is the ship's ram?
In his view, these ten thousand gold coins were really spent unjustly. The work of that master sculptor was even less effective than randomly finding a sharp wooden stake.
In fact, on a deeper level, Count Raymond even thought from the depths of his heart that organizing this so-called 'X imperial expedition fleet' was really a laughable and absurd mistake.
Since a few decades ago, the empire had begun to carry out one "expedition" after another to the South Sea region.
It was undeniable that there were countless islands in Southeast Asia. They were like pearls scattered across the vast sea. There were strange forests, barbaric and stupid indigenous tribes that were still at the clan level. There were gold, gems, spices, and seafood.
But the count does not think that "taking a dozen huge warships to bully those indigenous small canoes" is some kind of "expedition".
That is completely plundering, a massacre, a bandit, an invasion, a naked robbery!
The count does not think there is anything wrong with this. The weak have always been bullied by the strong, and the weak need to maintain a subservient attitude towards the strong. But he thinks that the imperial policy's mistake towards the South Sea is: These so-called expeditions are carried out too frequently, and the results seem to be getting weaker and weaker.
In the early two or three expeditions, the powerful imperial navy was invincible in the South Sea, when ships full of gold, gems, and spices were shipped back, it once caused a sensation in the entire empire.
But after all, no matter how rich the granary is, it can't withstand such a frequent harvest. Excessive plundering caused the indigenous tribes near the South Sea to be wiped out one after another. Afterwards, the expeditionary army had no choice but to travel further and further. The extension of the route is a huge test for the fleet's supplies.
After all, the South Sea does not only have those easily bullied natives, nor does it have gold and gems, there is also the sultry weather, the ever-changing climate, the terrifying waves, and countless reefs, whirlpools, storms … …
The excessive harvesting caused this fertile land that could have become the empire's granary to quickly become barren. After that, the harvest of the expeditions became less and less. But ironically, the triumphant return ceremony became grander and grander each time … …
Count Raymond personally commanded the three expeditions in the last few years, allowing this count to gain a resounding reputation in the South Sea. This imperial navy general, the count has a series of nicknames in the South Sea:
Bandit! Butcher! Executioner! … … His hands are stained with the blood of the natives, he is the infamous invader in the hearts of the indigenous tribes, the devil who burned their homes and enslaved them.
Of course, the count doesn't care about these things, but the only thing that makes him feel a little uneasy is that the excessive invasion of the South Sea has in some ways abnormally stimulated the development of these natives, especially in the military aspect. Even before he came back this time, he already heard that in the far south of the sea, some of the natives have formed a so-called alliance to resist the empire's endless plundering.
Fortunately, he doesn't need to worry about those annoying things anymore. Because he is very clear that this is already his last expedition. Next, he will stay in the imperial capital, if everything goes well, he will get a prominent position in the Imperial High Command, and then mix around for eight to ten years. After the current minister of military affairs retires, with his family's influence, he will become the new minister of military affairs. If his luck is a little bit better, he may even be able to enjoy being the prime minister in the last few years of his political career.
As for the expedition, screw it. That is the headache of the next commander of the expeditionary fleet.
Even if those natives have already evolved to the point where they can make magic cannons, that is not a problem for him to worry about.
In the midst of the heatwave of cheers, the count walked down the deck of the flagship under the watchful eyes of the public. His feet finally stepped on the soil of the imperial capital! He waved at the cheering crowd … … But this action is more like driving away flies.
First, a civil official wearing court attire came on board to read out His Majesty the Emperor's order of commendation, and announced that the count will go to the imperial palace tomorrow morning to have an audience with His Majesty the Emperor, and at the same time receive the award.
His wish is fulfilled, his political future is bright.
But then a servant wearing gray clothes squeezed in and whispered another piece of news into the count's ear. And this news made Count Raymond's mood sink to the bottom!
The news came from home.
The expedition has been out for more than three years, the sea is vast, and the transmission of news is inconvenient. Raymond doesn't know the current situation at home.
The most important thing is his wife. Three years ago, when he left, his wife was close to giving birth, and now, he doesn't even know if it is a son or a daughter!
The news from home is: It is a son.
But, the son seems to be an idiot.
This news almost knocked the count down from the peak of his joy.
Just a little bit more!
But almost every dignitary of the imperial capital who came to greet him can see that the triumphant expeditionary commander's face is gloomy to the point of collapse.
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