In the early morning, the morning sun rose slowly, and the sun was as red as fire and blood.
It is said that last night's banquet in the palace ended in the middle of the night, and the guests returned happily. This feast, which has not been held for a long time since the war, has become the most focused topic of discussion among the nobles.
Which nobleman wears the most beautiful dress, which lady wears the most expensive jewelry, which marquis has recently gained power, which minister seems to be marginalized recently...
All of this has become the subject of discussion. And the assassination thing that most concerned Xia Ya and Ruhl, finally did not break out any news.
Apparently, Daphne concealed the news of the assassination. And the mysterious person in the palace did not seem to publicize the fact that Xi Ya visited the palace at night. On the one hand, it is due to the consideration of Xia Ya's strength: after all, for a strong man, even if the world wants him to be wanted, I am afraid it will only make people laugh, anger a strong man, and the consequences will only be A headache for the royal family. On the other hand, it was probably because of the misidentification of Char's identity.
Odin royal family to visit Osgilia? If this news is released, I'm afraid it will cause a big mess.
Therefore, in the daytime, the imperial capital is business as usual, and even the guards in the palace have not increased the number of guards, and the patrolling security teams in the city are still the same, and nothing seems to have changed.
It seems that the only news that has changed is that in the morning, Duke Minas finally entered the palace to meet His Majesty Emperor Garcia and discuss military affairs with His Majesty.
This is the first time the old duke has discussed national affairs with the emperor in many years. This conversation is said to have been carried out from morning to noon. His majesty the emperor even left Duke Minas to have lunch with him. There is no doubt that this is obviously a A good sign. Obviously, the effect of the conversation between the two was very good.
Having lunch together is the best way to demonstrate the closeness of the relationship between the monarch and his ministers.
Just when it was heard from the palace that Duke Minas was left for lunch by the emperor, and the monarch and his ministers staged a harmonious fish and water situation together.
Another big man in the army, General Adrick, spent this noon in the barracks outside the city. He inspected the barracks and ate the army's set lunch with the soldiers, a bowl of noodle soup and a plate of boiled food. Beans, two pieces of bacon, filled the stomach indiscriminately.
Another important minister of the empire, the Prime Minister Sarum Bonelli, went to visit the envoys of the Landis Kingdom who stayed in the imperial capital at noon. The two sides discussed for a long time in a friendly atmosphere and had lunch together. After that, Landis' embassy personally sent the prime minister out of the embassy.
Everything seems to be in harmony.
But in the afternoon, Duke Minas finally came to the military headquarters, and then he issued an order approved by His Majesty the Emperor.
Appoint him to directly take over the pickets of the Imperial Gendarmerie.
The gendarmerie picket department has always been a special department in the military. In the secular view, the gendarmerie picket is specially responsible for the illegal behavior of the military, which is commonly known as the military law department.
In fact, it's not much different.
Letting the Duke of Minas take charge of the Military Justice Department is equivalent to putting a shackle on Adric's neck, and this shackle is still reasonable and legal.
Under the prestige of the old duke, taking over the military justice department went very smoothly, and the military justice chief appointed by Adric before handed over power without any resistance.
Also handed over, there is a military police picket force of 1,000 in the imperial capital.
In the afternoon, the old duke was sitting in the military department, in the office of the deputy minister of military affairs in the military department.
From the afternoon to the evening, there was an endless stream of officers and generals in the army who went to see the old boss. It is said that the old duke never rested for a moment from the afternoon to the evening, and kept seeing the old subordinates who came to visit.
This news was quickly spread to the military camp outside the imperial city, and the ear of General Adric who was inspecting.
After hearing this, Adric frowned, and said coldly to the person who came to announce the news: "Do your business well, what do you do with the news! The Duke is back in charge of the military, and naturally he wants to summon the officers. , why are you deliberately spreading these words here!"
Immediately, Adrick ended his inspection of the barracks ahead of schedule and immediately set off for the imperial capital.
But when he returned to the military headquarters, he did not see Duke Minas. It is said that the old duke had finished his first day of work and went back to his home.
This move, even though Adrick didn't show much other expression as usual, but the several die-hard subordinates around him all looked angry.
Whether it is in officialdom or in the military, the new adjutant has to meet with the chief officer on the first day of his appointment. It is just a gesture and a necessary process. Moreover, generally speaking, even if they start to work and issue orders, they will not start exercising their powers until after meeting with the chief official.
Even though the Duke of Minas is of outstanding prestige, after all, the position he took up this time is the Deputy Minister of Military Affairs! Although there is one more title of marshal, the deputy minister is the "deputy" minister! Adrick is still the nominal chief officer.
On the first day he took office, Duke Minas seemed to ignore all the conventions. When he took office, he never met with Adrick, the official Minister of Military Affairs, and immediately began to issue orders.
In the end, Adrick had rushed back to the military headquarters to meet with him in advance. Originally, it was a break from the routine that the supervisor took the initiative to come to see the adjutant, and Adrick had given enough face to the old duke. But I didn't expect that this old Duke of Minas actually shattered even the last bit of decency! If you don't see it, just come and walk away!
On the first day he took office, he directly left Adrick, the Minister of Military Affairs, here.
Adrick stood on the spot, but his face didn't change much, he just smiled suddenly, Wen Yan said to the people around him: "Go to prepare the car, go to the Duke's Mansion."
As soon as these words came out, all the confidants around him changed color, and some people immediately lost their voices: "Sir!!"
Seeing that Adric was indifferent, someone beside him hurriedly dissuaded him: "Sir, this is inappropriate! You are the chief officer of the military! The old duke is an adjutant! Being an adjutant and disrespecting the chief officer is his fault! If you still want to Come to visit him, don't you think..."
"Okay, don't talk about it." Adrick took a deep breath: "I know it."
Immediately, he looked back at a few lieutenants around him and smiled: "There are many things in the army, and unity is the first priority. The Duke is very prestigious in the army. If we can get his support, then we will The army building plan will be able to... Sigh, now is not the time to care about personal gains and losses, besides, he is my teacher, and the disciples visit the teacher, and it is not a loss of identity."
Everyone was still talking, but saw a stern flash in Adric's eyes, so they had to shut up.
Adrick took his entourage out of the army to the Duke of Minas' mansion, and when he was outside the Duke's mansion, he sent someone to announce it.
The steward of Duke Minas' mansion saw that the Minister of Military Affairs was coming, and politely asked Adric and others to wait a moment, and then went in to report.
After a while, the steward came out, but the words he said made the people around Adrick suddenly change color, and almost exploded his lungs with anger!
"Lord General, Lord Duke of my family said that he has a teacher-student friendship with Lord General, and now he is in the military department. In the same department, the chief officer and the adjutant are not too close in private, so as not to spread it out and cause People say it is unfair. Therefore, it is inconvenient to meet with the adults in private. If you have official business, please discuss with the military tomorrow."
This time, even though Adric was extremely strict on weekdays, his subordinates suddenly became furious!
Some people shouted and shouted on the spot. If it weren't for the prestige of Duke Minas on weekdays, I'm afraid they would be yelling on the spot!
No matter what, Adrick is also the Minister of Military Affairs, the Chief of the Military Department! On the first day when you, the deputy minister, took office, if you didn’t meet the chief official, you would issue orders when the chief official came back to see you, and you deliberately put on airs and went home! Now that Adrick came to meet him on his own initiative, as the chief officer, it is already a strange story! This old guy is so arrogant, he can't see you behind closed doors? !
Everyone in his subordinates was indignant, shouting and shouting, Adric's face was ashen, and he took a deep breath.
"Shut up!"
The general's cold voice fell into the ears of the entourage, and everyone was shocked. From Adric's cold voice, one could hear the level of anger in the general's heart at this moment.
Suddenly, the audience fell silent.
Adrick took a deep breath and glanced coldly at the steward of the Duke of Minas' mansion. His sharp eyes suddenly made the steward tremble.
Immediately, Adric exhaled a long breath, his expression softened, and he said lightly: "In this case, I will not disturb the Duke."
He seemed to smile, waved his hand, turned around and took the people on his horse to leave.
Just on the way back, another small episode happened.
Walking out of the palace of Duke Minas and walking down a street, he encountered a team head on, but it was the new general of the Imperial Guards, Sir Roddy, who returned home in the evening after taking office on the first day.
Encountering the son of Duke Minas, Adric's many entourages, who had just had a closed door at the gate of the Duke's mansion, all looked indignant, and naturally everyone made no secret of it when facing this little duke. Show hostility.
On the other hand, Adrick himself seemed to stop the team very politely, and had a casual conversation with Rody on the side of the road. His words were very gentle, but he just greeted Rody a few words at random, and urged Rody to do a good job in the guards. etc.
After a few words of greeting, he took people away again.
Roddy looked embarrassed, with a faintly ashamed look on his face. He had already heard about what happened in the military department today, and knew his father's actions on his first day in office today, so he hurriedly went home early, trying to persuade his father well, but he didn't expect to meet Adrick halfway.
Although Adrick didn't say that he was rejected by Duke Minas behind closed doors, but seeing the resentful expressions of everyone around Adrick's entourage, how could Rhodey not guess
Roddy was also ashamed and angry that his father did things like this. In front of Adrick, he felt that he couldn't even lift his head.
Adrick is a disciple of Duke Minas, and is actually the same generation as Roddy, but he is much older than Roddy. He has always been like a brother to Rhodey. Even if he met him today, he didn't seem to mind at all, and his speech and behavior were the same as before.
Roddy didn't even know how to face Adrick. After Adrick left, he sighed.
It was too much for my father to do this.
※※※
Duke Minas took office on his first day, which naturally attracted the attention of the entire imperial capital. What happened on this day immediately plunged the imperial capital into a wonderful atmosphere.
Even though everyone knows that the resurrection of the Duke of Minas is a means for the royal family to check and balance Adric - to put it bluntly, the Duke of Minas entered the army to fight Adric in the ring.
However, no one expected that the old duke had done so thoroughly and simply! On the first day of taking office, he directly tore his face, showed his horses and horses, and drew a clear line with Adric!
There is no room for manoeuvre at all!
I'm afraid, the next step is to trigger a line-up choice.
This night, in the imperial capital, I don't know how many people will be unable to sleep.
※※※
The setting sun is like fire and blood.
Standing on the terrace, looking at the sunset, Daphne suddenly sighed. The sunset stained her cheeks crimson, and the sigh drifted away in the evening breeze.
"Xia Ya, look at the imagination of the sunset and the rising sun. It's a pity... one symbolizes hope, and the other symbolizes... "
Behind him, a pair of strong arms gently wrapped around Daphne's weak body. Charya lowered her head and sniffed the hair of the woman in her arms, and said softly, "You're thinking too negatively. With me here, it's fine."
Daphne was in Xiaya's arms, her heart was a little confused, and then her eyes finally became clear, she turned around, and looked up at Xiaya's eyes.
"You... let's go."
"Huh?" Xia Ya narrowed her eyes.
"Let's go and go back to the north." Daphne bit his lip and whispered: "You are someone who does big things, how can you stay here and spend time with me all the time. You have your responsibility, if it is for the sake of If I continue to be fettered here, it means that I hurt you!"
Xiaya stared into Daphne's eyes with complicated eyes.
Seeing that Xia Ya was about to say something, Daphne suddenly raised her soft little hand, covered Xia Ya's mouth, and whispered, "You don't need to say it, I understand, I understand. I understand what you mean. , I understand everything."
Xia Ya sighed softly, slowly held the little hand that was covering his mouth, and then slowly moved away.
His eyes gradually became serious: "The person who assassinated you last night was Ruhl, he was a last resort, don't blame him. Don't worry, he won't do anything. He has promised me, in the Imperial City Try your best to protect you. If you encounter something important in the imperial capital, you can trust this fat man."
"Um."
"Promise me, don't be so negative. I don't want to see that desperate look in your eyes again. Promise me, live well and live hard!"
"Um."
"Your father made a clear line with Adric today. Although he did it in a hurry, it is good for you. If the old man does this, Garcia will only rely on him more and more, so he will not harm you for the time being. "
"Um."
When Xia Ya said a word, the woman in her arms responded softly, and her soft appearance made Xia Ya's heart tremble slightly.
Holding Daphne's hand with both hands, Xiaya took a deep breath and looked up at the sunset that had gradually disappeared.
"Give me a little time... It won't be long, I promise it won't be long! I will bring thousands of troops to the imperial capital! Then, I will rescue you from this cage! Trust me, that day won't be long!"
※※※
Also on this night.
The far north, the northern frontier of the empire, Knowles County.
In the dark of night, Ruoda's military camp was silent.
Only the black flag roared in the wind.
The black flag army's camp was full of chills inside and outside, only the elite soldiers patrolling at night, swept around with sharp eyes in the night.
On the road leading to the gate of the military camp, a figure came slowly at an unknown time.
In the darkness of the night, this figure walked slowly and unhurriedly, with a calm pace, and even had a taste of leisurely strolling.
But outside this chilling barracks, such a figure looks extremely strange!
Soon, the patrolling elite soldiers immediately greeted them, and the sharp blades flashed coldly in the night.
"who!!"
The soldiers of the Black Flag Army surrounded the people on this road vigilantly! What shocked everyone was that it was not far from the military camp! How did this strange person get all the way here
Could it be that the patrol checkpoint in front didn't stop this guy
Under the long robe, the figure finally took off the cloak with both hands and looked at the sturdy and elite Odin warriors in front of him.
He laughed.
He didn't look at the guards who were waiting in front of him, but his eyes had already crossed them, looking at the large camp not far away.
"Obstinence." His voice was so gentle, but his voice was so cold: "Obsession is a shackle, Hastings... You don't understand, you never understand."
As if talking to himself, he continued to walk towards the barracks.
The Odin warriors surrounding him seemed to suddenly collapse without a sound.
In the darkness of the night, this figure walked slowly, and the soldiers lying on the ground on the road behind them seemed to form a strange background...
※※※
That night, something that shocked the mainland also happened in the north of the empire, and the news of this incident, after spreading, will be even more shocking than the news of Duke Minas taking office in the imperial capital!
It was night, in the northern Byzantine Nords County, the black flag army camp.
The world-famous Hasting, known as Odin's Valkyrie, was attacked by unknown masters in his invincible Black Flag army camp and in his heavily guarded coach's tent. Camp Wounded! !
It is said that that night, a mysterious master entered the battalion to assassinate Hastings. Outside the commander's tent, the most elite 300 elite guards in the Black Flag Army were all killed on the spot. Hasting, who has always been known as Odin's god of war, could not stop the mysterious master's attack! Inside and outside the head coach's tent, apart from Hastings, the three hundred elite guards have no one alive!
By the time the lieutenant generals arrived, the assassin had already drifted away, leaving only Hasting lying in a pool of blood, dying.