Of course, the Empire couldn't just stay silent after the army they sent out failed again. The young noble officers in the military library lost face, and the old-school figures who truly held real power in the military came out. The undercurrent under the Empire's surface was now truly surging.
Originally, they had the idea of training the young people and letting them do whatever they wanted to the enemy who wasn't even worth mentioning. But the two mistakes and the value that the enemy had shown were finally qualified to enter their eyes. Only then did someone raise their eyes and look at the intelligence on the Demon King.
It didn't matter if they didn't look at it, but after looking at it, they found many problems and contradictions.
With the traditional intelligence power in the mysterious land, it was usually possible to gather intelligence on "a certain person" without too many conflicts or contradictions. More often than not, they had to judge the truth from the falsehood of the information. For example, being able to slay a dragon at three, destroy a country at five, compose poems at seven, and reform demons at nine were obviously false information.
But in the intelligence presented by the Ministry of Military Affairs, the old generals were just as confused as the Mage Saint Baruch Abnahan about the contradictions of the information on the Demon King.
In the end, they unanimously threw the intelligence from the Ministry of Military Affairs into the fireplace and burned it. The spring night in the Empire was still a little chilly, and these old men who truly had the power to speak were still used to a warmer environment.
Soon, they gathered in the Emperor's library. The Empire had two major intelligence systems. One was under the Ministry of Military Affairs and mainly dealt with external forces, magical beasts, and targets that ordinary soldiers couldn't deal with. The other was directly under the Emperor and dealt with both internal and external forces. But to see the intelligence collected by the latter, that person had to agree.
The library in the palace was also quite warm. Inside, one didn't need to wear heavy clothes to feel a little warm. After dinner, the old Emperor was struggling to read the news brought by his trusted aide with his blurry eyes. A few old generals arrived one after another. When they saw such a scene, they didn't complain loudly. Instead, they tacitly found a place and sat down quietly.
The one closest to the Emperor was the minister of military affairs who came directly from the Ministry of Military Affairs. His face was full of helplessness, but there was also a trace of determination. The other old generals guessed that he was probably going to dismiss a minister again, but the Emperor still wouldn't allow it.
Although everyone was passionate about power, everyone knew that the closer one was to the Emperor, the harder it was to do so. Who asked the person sitting on the throne to be so skilled in both political and martial arts that he was not an ordinary person?
It was as difficult as ascending to the heavens to find something he didn't understand and then manipulate it to gain some benefits. Even if someone really did something sneaky, it was with the emperor's tacit approval. And one day in the future, he would definitely spit out an even greater price. Therefore, no matter how fierce these old generals were in front of their subordinates, they were all obedient in front of the Emperor.
"Solcutus." The Emperor called out the name of the Minister of Military Affairs. At the same time, he handed the documents in his hand to the attendant beside him. The young knight was familiar with the habits of the Emperor, and also knew the purpose of the generals' visit. He passed the information to the generals for them to read. The old Emperor, however, did not look at the others. Instead, he stared at his old friend who had fought alongside him since his youth. "I am very disappointed."
"That is why this lowly official said that the job should be given to someone more suitable. Out of all the people here, who isn't better than me? They are all very suitable candidates for the position. "
The moment the Minister of Military Affairs said this, all of the generals had a bad feeling. Had they come to the wrong place today? Some of them hadn't seen the information yet, but their eyes were already darting around, thinking of reasons to run away.
However, the old Emperor bared his teeth in dissatisfaction. "Are you mocking me for not being able to retire, and that the Emperor can only serve until death?"
"Your Majesty is ultimately different from us subjects. The position of Emperor is a mandate of heaven and a great responsibility. In the end, we are only tools in Your Majesty's hands. When we are no longer suitable and old, isn't it normal to replace us with more suitable ones? "the Minister of Military Affairs replied conveniently.
"The problem is that you can't raise a decent successor. Who will clean up the mess after you leave? Back then, you had both the enemy's and our own movements in the palm of your hand. No one could escape your strategy. Using the least amount of damage, the easiest way to defeat every enemy. This wisdom was not properly passed on to your successors. Look at them, they've missed twice already. "
"This humble official is terrified," the Minister of Military Affairs replied in a bureaucratic tone.
"Do you know what those youngsters in the library did just now? They actually came to ask me to lend them the Ironguard. For no reason at all, they said they wanted to borrow the Emperor's direct army. Aminnula, you're still looking outside, they're talking about your little brats! The youngsters in the library are all like this. How dare you run away, Solute? Can you still run away? "
"Your Majesty, those youngsters' request was not wrong. If it were me, I would also ask you to do the same if I wanted to proceed with the plan. As for those who are better than me and better at raising the younger generation, aren't they all here? "
The others could no longer sit still and wanted to find an excuse to get up and leave. However, the old Emperor harshly reprimanded the old generals. "They're no good. If they could, why didn't they become the Minister of Military Affairs instead of you? Besides, they're not good at producing sons. They're all born with eyes at the bottom of their heads and hands at the bottom of their feet. "
"Your Majesty, my son passed away early from illness. What kind of ability is that? You're mocking this humble official, aren't you? I understand, I have self-awareness. I'll resign tomorrow. No, not tomorrow, I'll resign now. "
"I'm talking about your granddaughter. She's not bad. She's even better than those little brats. Are you planning to make her an imperial concubine? "
"Your Majesty can tame that wild horse, I have no objections." The Minister of Military Affairs thought of the granddaughter he was supposed to dote on … What a joke. She was too gentle and easy to bully. Neither was she too strong and hard to marry. The old man was vexed again.
Thinking of the valiant one-eyed female magic knight, the old Emperor was just saying it casually. If he were to take it seriously, he would also have a headache. The only condition for choosing a son-in-law was to defeat her. The problem was that both the warrior and mage instructors had said that she was a talent with the potential to reach the Transcendent realm. There were no ordinary people who could win against that little girl.
Forgetting his casual banter, the old Emperor asked, "You just said that you'll have to borrow my Ironguard for the follow-up. Why? Tell me. "
There were three guards directly under the Emperor. The Personal Guard was responsible for the safety of the Emperor, the royal family, and the palace. The Praetorian Guard supervised the army, the palace, and many non-human clans. They were called the Eyes. The Ironguard, on the other hand, was directly under the Emperor's command. They were called the Fists. As for the fourth legion, it didn't exist in the open and was never discussed in public.
The Minister of Military Affairs, Saukut, explained his thoughts. "The legions in the capital, the Second and Third Legions, and the Personal Guard are all responsible for defending important places and can't be moved easily. The First Legion lacks the First and Tenth Legions. The other legions are all specialized units and can't fight alone, let alone challenge such a combination. Maybe the Second Legion can, but if that legion is damaged because of a small matter, it will lead to troublesome political problems. After all, in addition to the experts of various clans, there are also important hostages of various clans. The Praetorian Guard can't fight a tough battle. In the end, only Your Majesty's Ironguard can be mobilized. "
"Is there a chance of winning?" The old Emperor asked bluntly. This was because the legions directly under the Emperor's command were different from the ten legions under the Ministry of Military Affairs. The Emperor was responsible for the pay, food, and clothing of the soldiers. If any of them were damaged, the Emperor would naturally feel the pinch and his deterrence to the nobles would decrease. Thus, he had no choice but to ask more clearly.
The Minister of Military Affairs answered the Emperor's question carefully, "As for the true level of the target's combat strength, we can only make inferences. We can't be sure. Against such an enemy, either we don't fight or we do our best. Considering the enemy's numbers, one legion is already the most we can fight against them. If we want to continue to improve, we can only think in terms of quality and not quantity. Thus, from the beginning, I agreed to send the First Magician Brigade, followed by the Tenth Experimental Brigade. After the two brigades are emptied, only Your Majesty's Ironguard is suitable for battle. If none of these three armies can do it, we'll have to reconsider our stance and stance. "
The Emperor and the generals present were stunned by this assessment. They looked at the serious Saukut in astonishment. "Are you serious? The Empire will lose? "
"If the female Magician in the intelligence report is the Lich, and the Demon King Tikal from a thousand years ago, we have no way of judging her strength. In the known historical records, the most descriptions are only about the Dark Army under the Demon King's command. There's not a shred of information about the Demon King's own combat strength. Even if the Demon King was defeated by four heroes in the end, there's still no reliable historical record of the process. And that's only one of them. The other male Magician's abilities and tactics have been exposed at this stage. Has anyone thought about how to counter it? If he disregards everything and wants to escape, have you thought about the consequences of making an enemy out of such a Magician? "
"Hmm, are you referring to the incident in the Tenth Legion's barracks where the Grand Magician cast Dimensional Anchor and still couldn't stop the other party from teleporting? Wasn't this what that brat, Javier Poole, had said in order to get away with his crime? Do you believe that such a thing can happen? It's impossible no matter how you think about it. This doesn't make any sense in magic. Who's ever heard of such a thing? "one of the old generals asked.
"Do you think it's possible to close the Gates of the Abyss with a Magic Tower? Do you think it's possible to have a spell that allows you to sit at home and instantly know the news of any place in the Lost Land? Do you think it's possible for an airship to travel hundreds of kilometers in a day? Common sense can't be used to judge this group of people. The young people in the military library have suffered enough in this regard these past few days. Do you all only want to believe what you want to believe? "
"Your suggestion?" the emperor asked succinctly.
"Your Majesty, if you still intend to fight, please use the Iron Guard and wait by the teleportation magic array. After confirming the target's location, teleport. No longer blindly guessing where the opponent might appear and looking forward to the outcome of the battle after the exhausted enemy. Once you attack, go all out. The opponent is not someone who will easily submit to the emperor's might. "
As for the situation of "not intending to fight," the minister of military affairs didn't say anything. That wasn't his responsibility. The emperor had to consider it himself.
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