Law of the Devil

When we look back at history afterwards, we often find that under the torrent of history, even the most wise leaders will inevitably lose their minds sometimes.

——Imperial Chronicles, Chapter 35, Chapter 7 - Retrospect and Reflection on Roland's Era One and Two

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It was a summer afternoon, and the scorching sun hanging in the sky was still relentlessly radiating heat. In order to welcome the upcoming triumphal ceremony, on the pier, countless guards wearing bright red armor have surrounded the front of the first pier of the port.

And just a hundred steps away from the pier, the soldiers of the imperial security station who were in a state of distress had already exhausted their strength. The clothes of many of them were torn, the original shiny epaulets were torn off, the proud hats were grabbed off, and even countless boots were trampled off.

What made the 1,000 soldiers of the public security station who were ordered to maintain order outside the port helpless was that they faced more than 50,000 enthusiastic onlookers from the imperial capital.

The enthusiastic onlookers watched the flowers prepared by the citizens, cheered, and applauded—of course, many girls were even ready to give their kisses and even their chastity. Under such emotional turmoil, a thousand soldiers of the public security station felt like a wrecked ship in the ocean, which might be capsized at any time.

At this moment, they are very envious of those guards standing within the cordon of the pier, because they can leisurely line up in square formations, showing off the brightest armor and weapons they have just issued, and at the same time, they don't have to worry about being attacked by someone in the next second. A fanatical townsman scratched his face.

For this grand triumphant event, under the order of His Majesty the great Emperor Augustine VI, the section of the Lancang Grand Canal leading to the imperial capital was fully doubled! The empire paid half a year's labor of 10,000 river transport workers, and the empire's finances also paid nearly three million gold coins for this.

The purpose of paying these prices is only to allow the flagship Dandong of the empire's xth Expeditionary Fleet to pass through the canal and reach the port outside the east gate of the imperial capital, and to receive the cheers of all people, so as to demonstrate the powerful force of the empire .

No one cares if it's worth paying that price for a situational display.

Because the former Minister of Finance of the empire who was the first to raise strong objections has been directly driven back to his hometown by the angry emperor to retire. And the only option for the succeeding Chancellor of the Exchequer is to rack his brains and try to squeeze out as much money as possible from the various expenditures of the empire's finances to satisfy that very happy old man.

Of course, the title of a very happy old man can only be buried deep in the heart of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, very deep, very deep...

When the afternoon sun shone on the wide surface of the canal, and the first shadow of the sail in the distance began to reveal its outline, the crowd had begun to cheer uncontrollably.

As the two-hundred-foot-long giant battleship slowly approached the port on the river, the majestic and mighty silhouette of the battleship shocked all the citizens of the imperial capital who came to watch.

The flagship of the Empire's Sixth Expeditionary Fleet Dandon, the pride of the Imperial Navy, the largest warship in the history of the Imperial Navy. In order to meet 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, Dandong 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 in the port were already boiling. Countless hats were thrown into the sky, countless people stepped on their shoes, and countless people injured their legs. And the poor soldiers of the public security station can only shrink the cordon as much as they can, and shrink again...

Earl Raymond, commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet, was standing on the bow deck hill at the moment, looking expressionlessly at the cheering crowd in the port.

The thirty-nine-year-old first-class general of the empire, the Earl of the Empire, was wearing his most solemn attire at the moment, with a light armor covering his whole body, a bright red cloak fluttering in the wind behind him, and two medals hung on his chest—— — This is obtained when participating in the expedition fleet for the first two times. And there is no doubt that this triumph will win him a third Imperial Medal.

The earl's eyes were a little distracted, and his focus did not stay on the cheering crowd at the port. If you look closely, you can find that the earl's brows seem to be faintly frowned, as if a little impatient.

Hell, this armor is too heavy and stupid! .

The Earl didn't think that as a soldier on a naval fleet, he would need to wear such heavy armor when fighting at sea. That's something the Army only uses. As for wearing these medals, it was even more stupid in the earl's mind. It was as if the nouveau riche were flaunting their wealth - something the real aristocrats disdain to do. He felt that such a move was very prestigious.

Moreover, the cheering crowd below was really too noisy. Their cheering sounds were like huge waves in a tsunami, wave after wave eroding the earl's little patience.

Subconsciously glanced at the deck under his feet.

In order to meet today's welcome ceremony, the Dandong had been repainted three days ago, and there was no blood on the deck. The deck worn out in the expeditionary war has already been re-laid, and the ram of the bow has been replaced with a new one... Hell, those guys who like to flatter His Majesty actually made the ram of the bow The statue of His Majesty the Emperor himself, and it is said that this statue was made by a famous master sculptor of the empire a few days ago.

For this reason, the Imperial Navy paid an additional 10,000 gold coins.

Mighty is mighty enough. But don't those idiots know that when encountering battles at sea, after the battleships collide, the first thing to be destroyed is the ram of the bow?

In his opinion, the ten thousand gold coins were spent unjustly. The work of that master sculptor is not even as effective as finding a sharp wooden stake.

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

Since decades ago, the empire has started to conduct expeditions to the South China Sea area one after another.

It is undeniable that there are countless islands in the South Seas, like scattered pearls scattered on the vast sea, where there are strange forests, barbaric and stupid indigenous tribes who are still at the clan stage, gold, gems, spices, and seafood.

However, the Earl does not think that the act of bringing a dozen huge warships to bully those small native canoes is an expedition.

It was a plunder, a massacre, a robber, an invasion, and a **** robbery!

The Earl would not think there was anything wrong with that. The weak have always been bullied by the strong, and the weak need to maintain a posture of submission to the strong. However, he believes that the mistake of the empire's policy against Nanyang lies in: the number of such so-called expeditions is too frequent, and the effect seems to be getting weaker and weaker.

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

But after all, no matter how rich the granary is, it cannot withstand such frequent harvests. Excessive plundering caused the extinction of the indigenous tribes in the nearer waters of the South China Sea, and the subsequent expeditionary forces had to travel farther and farther. The extension of the route was a huge test for the supply of the fleet.

After all, Nanyang not only has those bully natives, but also not only those golden gems, but also the sultry weather, the ever-changing climate, terrible huge waves, and countless hidden reefs, whirlpools, and storms...

The excessive harvest made this fertile field that could have become the empire's granary quickly go barren. Subsequent expeditions yielded less and less each time. But it is ironic that the triumphal ceremony is getting bigger and bigger every time...

Earl Raymond himself led three expeditions in recent years, which made the earl famous in Nanyang. The Imperial Navy Admiral, Lord Earl has a series of nicknames in Nanyang:

robber! Butcher! Executioner! ... His hands are stained with the blood of the natives. He is a notorious invader in the hearts of the native clans and tribes, a demon who burns down their homes and enslaves them.

Of course, the Earl doesn't care about these, but the only thing that makes him feel a little uneasy is that the excessive aggressive war has abnormally stimulated the development of these Nanyang natives in some aspects, especially in terms of force. Even before he came back this time, he had heard that in the far southernmost sea area, some natives of the island country had formed a so-called alliance to fight against the endless plunder of the empire.

Fortunately, he didn't have to think about those troublesome things anymore. 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 spend ten or eight years in the mix. After the current Minister of Military Affairs retires, with the influence of his family, he will He will become the new Minister of Military Affairs. If he is a little bit lucky, he may be able to enjoy being a prime minister in the last few years of his political career. .

As for the expedition, fuck it. That is a headache for the next expeditionary fleet commander.

Even if those natives have evolved to be able to create magic cannons, that's not a problem for me to worry about.

Amid the cheers like a heat wave, the Earl stepped down from the flagship deck in full view of everyone, and finally stepped on the land of the imperial capital! He waved to the cheering crowd... It's just that this action was more like trying to repel flies.

First of all, a civil servant dressed as a court servant boarded the ship and read out His Majesty's award order, and announced that the Earl would enter the palace tomorrow morning to meet His Majesty the Emperor and receive the honor at the same time.

As one wishes, the political future is bright.

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

The news is from home.

The expedition went out for more than three years, the sea was vast, and it was inconvenient to transmit information. Raymond didn't know what was going on at home now.

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

The news at home is: it is a son.

However, the son who gave birth seemed to be an idiot.

This news almost knocked down the earl from the peak of joy.

It's just that close!

However, almost every dignitary of the imperial capital who came to greet him could see that the triumphant expedition commander's face was gloomy to the point of collapse.

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