Empire Calendar, Year 2525, early summer.
The Nur Army was stationed in the small town of Karadach, 10 kilometers away from the city of Brunswick.
Most of the population of this town had entered Brunswick to take refuge, so it had basically become an exclusive camp for the Nur Army. A large number of troops patrolled outside, and a steady stream of supplies from the Nur Empire in the south was transported here.
There was a huge resentment in the town.
After Marshal Rick Helberg returned, he immediately carried out a large-scale reform of the entire Empire's capital. He appointed himself as the Regent of the Empire, and at the same time, he immediately carried out a series of extreme measures to strengthen the capital's defense, including but not limited to the most important ones:
First, all current taxes were doubled, all pensions, pensions, and military pay were stopped, and all surplus food was collected.
Second, he announced a new recruitment of 300,000 soldiers, issued an edict in the name of the Regent, and asked all the provincial troops in the Empire to enter the capital to protect the king. At the same time, he issued an order to protect the king in the city and recruited a large number of new troops.
Third, the city was subject to the strictest curfew and control order, requiring the suspension of almost all commercial activities, the seizure of the warehouses of the major chambers of commerce and many nobles, and any disputes and riots were classified as "treason".
Many gangs in the slums and guilds in the city initially thought that Helberg would not do this. After all, their power was granted by the Empire's law. Therefore, when the poor people in the slums took to the streets to protest against the forced recruitment of new troops, they were ruthlessly suppressed by Helberg. Innocent citizens were killed on the streets, and the nooses were full of people.
At the same time, Helberg ordered that any disputes in the city would be subject to the "highest level of punishment" in an attempt to keep the ordinary citizens silent and accept it.
For example, under Helberg's leadership, there were two people who made a scene in front of the Regent. One was a pear seller, and the other was a pear buyer. The pear buyer thought that the pear seller was selling shoddy goods, and the pear seller thought that the pear seller's coins were not good enough and cut the edges.
Helberg waved his hand. One was beheaded, and the other was hanged.
At the same time, Helberg was also worried that the Nur Army was about to stage a military coup. Marshal Brunswick was highly distrustful of Emmanuelle and Frey Derick. He did not allow the Nur Army to enter the city and only allowed the Duchess of the Empire and her guards to be stationed in a corner of the city. He also sent many people to monitor the situation. At the same time, he sent someone to clearly inform Emmanuelle and Frey Derick that Brunswick did not have enough food and military pay to reward them, so they had to do as they saw fit.
This matter greatly angered the Nur and Emmanuelle. In the eyes of Laing's little maid, what kind of chicken neck did Marshal Rick and Helberg do?
According to the logic of the court of the Imperium and the Kurfürsten, since the Nur army had come to rescue the king, even if they had no money or food, Emmanuel and Frey Derick would understand and be prepared for it.
However, Helberg should have communicated with them diplomatically.
He should have affirmed the Nur Army's loyalty to the Imperium. Also, as one of the few provinces of the Imperium that had successfully defended their homeland, the Nur Army might be the last hope of the Imperium.
What was unexpected, but reasonable, was that the old marshal clearly did not understand the art of diplomacy and the art of speech. He immediately questioned why Emmanuelle had brought so many troops to the capital. (Is she trying to rebel?) Not only that, but he also demanded that the Nur Army be divided and put under the command of the court of the Imperium led by him.
That was not the end of it. When Helberg demanded to "requisition" all the food of the Nur Army and the million gold coins in Emmanuelle's treasury, the entire Nur Army was infuriated.
Laing's little maid had been influenced by Laing and Suria. She proposed in the parliament of the Imperium that the local nobles should be given the power to set up their own armies. They could give the nobles the titles of Citizen Protectors, Border Protectors, and Soldiers as long as the nobles could defend the place. At the same time, she announced that donations would be reopened, allowing the nobles to receive the titles of nobles through donations. This would drag Chaos into the quagmire of war in the Imperium and delay the march of Chaos as much as possible.
At the same time, a uniform rationing system would be implemented in the economy. War loans would be set up, war bonds would be issued, and food would be borrowed from all the nobles in the capital, with an agreement that they would return the money within twenty-five years.
Militarily, a supreme command would be set up like the Brittany. Of course, it would be best if Frey was the leader, or at least had an important seat. Laing's little maid was confident that she could get the majority of the seats.
However, Helberg did not listen to any of it. Not only did he ask the nobles to hand over all their assets, he also asked them to bring out all their private armies. At the same time, he also felt that things like war loans and bonds were too slow and unreliable.
Just issue the military notes!
A military note of the same value was equivalent to one gold mark, and it was mandatory to set the amount of resources that could be exchanged for the notes.
This was also a type of war bond. Emmanuelle told Helberg that in order to control the circulation and stabilize prices, they should first issue 150,000 to 200,000 gold coins to test the market. At the same time, there should be at least 20% of the reserves in the treasury to ensure that the notes could be exchanged for gold coins. This was to give people confidence.
However, Helberg did not understand this, and he did not want to listen to Laing's little maid and the courtiers of the Empire's explanation. When there was not a single gold coin, a single copper coin, or a single bag of food in the treasury to be used as a guarantee for the notes, Marshal Rick immediately ordered the issuance of military notes. The first wave of military notes would be issued with a total of five million gold marks.
Helberg even gave this kind of military note a nice name — gold yuan notes.
Emmanuelle was furious. She had a big argument with Helberg, but it did not help. The old marshal's temper was as hard as a rock. He was certain that the Nur people were up to no good. He did not intend to discuss with the Kurfürsten any further. They could just carry out the order.
Just like that, the Nur army was forced to be stationed in the town of Kadarache outside the city.
Emmanuelle, Emmanuelle of the Empire, had her blood pressure skyrocketed when she recalled Helberg's series of actions.
Helberg might be an excellent commander, but he was an out-and-out political idiot!
Suppressed and controlled by the old marshal through pure violence and intimidation, and looted their wealth, the Kurfürsten and the great nobles of the Rick Region were all resentful, but they held back because of the special situation right now. However, Helberg had already pushed himself to the opposite side of everybody. It was only a matter of time before everybody burst out.
Laing's little maid thought to herself that Helberg was truly unpredictable. What was a commander with only a thousand soldiers doing here at such a moment?
Yes, after Helberg's reorganization and personal deployment, he had rebuilt an army of about seventy thousand soldiers in Brunswick. However, this army was seriously lacking in experienced officers and veterans. Almost all of them were new recruits. Most of the soldiers were poorly equipped, and they lacked food supplies. Countless field elites and experienced veterans were now lying in the north of the empire. The only ones who could be considered as combat power were the one thousand or so standing soldiers in Brunswick and the one thousand or so disabled soldiers that Helberg brought back. These soldiers were firmly in the hands of Marshal Rick, and they were called the "old camp soldiers". There were more than two thousand of them.
The Nur army, on the other hand, had 50000 soldiers, all of whom were field elites who were rich in battle experience, had high morale, and were well-equipped.
There was no sign of compromise at all, and there were no benefits. Right now, among the provinces of the Empire, only the Weissen Region and the Saul Region still had organized field armies. What was Helberg trying to do?
In the opinion of the little maid, the court of the Empire should compromise at this moment and directly appoint her son Frey Derick as the next crown prince. In exchange, the Nur army would certainly fight for the Empire. Both parties should have a tacit understanding.
The more she thought about it, the angrier she became. Emmanuelle felt that she was about to laugh out of anger. She simply lifted her skirt and went to find her son.
"Frey, are you here?" The little maid pushed open the door of her son's room and found that Frey Derick was playing chess with his fiancée, Noelle, on the couch. Seeing his mother come in, Frey stood up. "Mom?"
"Frey!" Laing's little maid said angrily, "You're still playing chess here???"
"Don't worry, mom." Frey immediately understood what his mother was thinking. He smiled. "I know what you want to say, but … it's not the time yet. Besides, you don't want me to be the emperor in the ruins, right?"
"Then we're just going to let that old donkey Helberg do whatever he wants?" Laing's little maid tidied her skirt and sat down on the couch next to her son. A "well" sign popped up above her head. "If you ask me, we should just let the Maybach and the others start the steam tanks and drive into the Empire's palace. Then we can take away Helberg's bird rights and directly appoint him as the 'Great General King'. You will be in charge of all military and political affairs in the Empire. We have soldiers and food in our hands now. If Karl-franz is still alive, directly announcing you as the crown prince is the only thing he would do."
"You can't expect Helberg to have the political skills of Godfather or Dad. Mom, that old man will only screw everything up." Frey Derick said casually while playing chess. "We only need to do two things. First, we don't recognize those gold yuan notes and refuse to let Helberg split up and lead our army. Second, we only need to let everyone see that Helberg doesn't know how to govern at all. When everyone starts to compare, they will naturally know who to choose."
After that, Frey Derick gently moved the "general" chess two squares forward.
"Mother, listen to Frey. There's no need to rush. Right now, the most important thing is how to deal with the coming three armies of Chaos," Noel said warmly. She had always acted like an obedient little wife in front of Emmanuel.
"I just can't stand it." Laing's little maid sighed. "Frey, you've grown up and have your own ideas. In the future, whether it's Nur or the Empire, it will naturally be yours."
"Only if the Empire survives can I have a chance, mother." Frey Derick was quite calm. "Right now, we still need to consider whether or not the Empire can survive. Helberg will be the one who offends them, and we can play the good cop. That's not bad."
Laing's little maid thought for a moment and realized that it did make sense. She did not need Frey Derick to remind her. "Then … they should be here, right?"
"They should be." Frey nodded. Laing's eldest son curled his lips. "I think it's about time."
Hardly had he concluded his sentence when the guards outside reported, "My lady, my baron, Kurfürst Anderson and Kurfürst Gesser are here. They are waiting outside."
They were indeed here! After witnessing Helberg's tyrannical, violent, and cruel reign, the two Kurfürst couldn't hold it anymore and began to lean to Nur's side!
"Ask them to wait for a moment. Tell them that I need to change my clothes and ask Erstein to entertain them first." Emmanuel's eyes lit up. The lady of the Empire asked the guards to wait for a moment before she turned her attention to her son. "Then … Frey, your father …"
"We definitely have to ask for reinforcements from father's side." Frey Derick frowned. "To be honest, mother, I'm not very confident in our ability to defeat the three armies of Chaos. The problem now is that the Sorcerer Academy can no longer send letters. Marlin Castle has been destroyed. Can the messengers successfully pass the message along the dangerous roads and forests to Ubetherick and Bogenhafen? Light the beacon towers? "
"Definitely," Emmanuel said confidently. Emmanuel said confidently. "Your father will definitely come to save us. If Brunswick falls, the old world will be defenseless. Brittany is all plains. How can we resist the armies of Chaos?"
Frey Derick knew that his mother had absolute trust and confidence in his father. The eldest son of the Sun King sighed silently and nodded slowly. "That's for the best. If father can arrive in time, perhaps we still have a chance."
After that, the baron stood up. "Mother, you stay here with Noel. I'll go see Gesser and Anderson."
"Yourself?"
"Mother, your son has grown up." Frey smiled.
"…" The lady of the Empire was silent for a long time before she finally nodded. Emmanuel gently took off the Rune Tooth from her waist. "Take this and go, my son."
"The world is focused on you!"
… I am the section line of the pig farm …
It was obviously difficult for the Empire's request for help to reach the Brittany court quickly, but the Brittany's own news arrived quickly.
Marshal Kalad and General Zhukov brought the latest news. Fort Marlin was asking for help! The Nurgle Plague and corruption had ravaged the entire border of the Kurona Road. The terrible fungus blanket and rotten forest had already spread to the edge of the Kurona Plains.
The Brittany high command immediately called for a meeting to discuss what to do.
Suria, the queen of the Knight King, the Green Knight, Morgiana, Marshal Berchemund, Marshal François, Marshal Kalad, and Marshal Lauren were listening to the former Duke of Marlin and Viscount Casanova describe the defense of Marlin. After the merchants of Marlin described the power of the wizard tower, the coastal defense of Marlin, and the fleet of Marlin, the Brittany high command came to a conclusion. While it was unlikely that Marlin could defeat the Chaos fleet, it should be able to hold on for a month.
As the queen of the Knight King, Suria seemed to be a little hesitant. Marshal Bertrand was inexplicably sick in bed. The strange fungus blanket blocked the way to the border. The situation of the Empire was still unclear. It seemed that everything they did now was wrong.
Then what about Laing? Where was the Knight King and Laing?
Why was the greatest hero of Brittany not present at this time?
In the subspace, the realm of Chaos, the Nursery Garden.
Laing, Aralos, and Veronica formed a three-person team and explored the Nursery Garden along the path opened by Lilith.
Vines full of thorns tore at their limbs, and creeping plants pulled at their feet.
The bright flowers spat out a steaming liquid, and the fungi burst out bursts of green spores.
Maggots wriggled on the wet ground, and swarms of demon flies flew between the trees.
The exposed roots of the tree creaked under their feet, and the crisp bark burst open, releasing a suffocating mucus.
The stream there was seeping, not flowing, and the sticky water was full of the stench of liquefied rotten flesh.
At this time, only the Light of Order and Psionic Fire in Laing's hands were enough to dispel the darkness and roar the light.
The Nursery demons were afraid of Laing's power and hesitated. The mist of the Lake Fairy also covered them, not letting them be discovered by the Nursery demons.
The Lake Fairy told Laing that Nursery had set out from her garden to deal with the human God King Tal. This was the best opportunity to rescue the Goddess of Mercy, so Laing did not hesitate and entered the Nursery Garden with Aralos and Veronica.
Dust strolled, and the bell rang.
The terrible echoes in the subspace and the endless forks in the Nursery Garden made the three lose their direction several times. Only Laing remained calm. His original body could sense that one of his most powerful children was also in the Nursery Garden, seemingly imprisoned. He could only sense that he was still alive, but could not sense his specific location.
Laing and the others kept looking for the Goddess of Mercy, but they met a scholar beside a house under a withered tree.
It was not a Chaos Demon, nor was it a Northerner, but a pure mortal scholar. He looked delicate, had black hair and black eyes, and was tall and thin. He carried a large number of scrolls and source stones on his back, and a giant sword and staff hung at his waist. When he saw the mortals, he was very excited. "You are? Oh my god, I can actually see mortals in the realm of Chaos! Nice to meet you! "
"Who are you? Why are you here? "Laing was very surprised that this mortal could live in the Nursery Garden.
"My name is Sea Cat, Sea Cat – Complex, Egypt's Great Pharaoh. I was sucked into the God Space when I was communicating with the God of Life, Isis, and the God of Desert, Seth, and mysteriously appeared here."
"Sea Cat?"
"Yes, my new name is Sea Cat. I like this name. I have long forgotten my old name." The scholar was so excited that he looked like he wanted to sing. "Nursery seems to want me to record his great achievements, so he told his children not to hurt me. Great, great, I finally meet mortals! I don't know how many springs and autumns have passed, and there is no time in the subspace. Can you count me in? I am very familiar with the Nursery Garden. You must have something to do by venturing in here, right? I can be of use, I promise! "
Alalos and Veronica did not agree with the scholar's participation, but Laing asked, "Have you seen a knight with silver fire in his hands, wearing silver full-body armor, powerful, using a sword and shield, and with the same coat of arms as me?"
"Yes!" Sea Cat immediately nodded. "I know, his name is Kaldo, and he calls himself the Grey Knight! He was knocked unconscious by Nursery's punch and is tied under a plague tree not far from here! "
"Take us to him immediately!"
"No problem!"
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