After spending a few days in Xiqiu, Roddy and his party got back on the road. Five days later, at noon, we finally arrived at the Imperial Capital.
From a distance, I saw the majestic city gate of the imperial capital, and the flaming thorn flower flag flying high on the city wall, symbolizing the majesty of the empire. The warrior in golden armor stood motionless on the city wall, and the sharp battle ax in his hand glowed coldly under the sun, making him even more majestic and majestic. The hundred-meter-high Tower of Light in the city is illuminated by the midday sun, and the huge magic crystal on the top of the tower reflects a dazzling white halo in the sunlight.
"We're home!" Sigurd sat on the horse and sighed in his heart. He looked back at the long team behind him. Every soldier looked tired, but looked very excited.
The main gate of the Imperial Capital was wide open. In the morning, countless citizens learned about the triumphant return of Duke Tulip. A large number of citizens happily flocked outside the city to greet them. On this day, the flowers in the Imperial Capital were once again sold out. It can be seen that Among the excited citizens of the imperial capital, only the soldiers at the security station were smiling bitterly. Thinking of the grand occasion when the army went out that day, they, with their rich experience, were fully prepared in advance. Even the commander-in-chief of the public security station put on a helmet for fear of being scratched by those enthusiastic girls again.
Rody had already received a report from the Royal Guards, and His Majesty the Emperor would personally greet him outside the city. Sure enough, from a distance, we saw soldiers from the public security station on both sides of the road outside the city gate, keeping the onlookers at bay. On the road, a group of Royal Guards soldiers with bright armor stood solemnly on both sides. The road was already covered with flowers. From a distance, I saw a huge eight-wheeled carriage with golden walls and a brilliant shape parked outside the city gate. Even the horses pulling the carriage were carefully selected white royal horses of the highest quality.
Rody, along with two commanders, Sieg and Gordon, quickly dismounted from their horses a hundred steps away and walked forward. All the soldiers behind him immediately dismounted and walked.
The emperor of the empire, Abbas XI, wore the most solemn attire and stood on the carriage with his head held high.
The team marched neatly and slowly in front of the carriage. Roddy waved his hand and the whole army stopped. Then Roddy, Gordon, and three others knelt down on one knee and said in unison: "I have lived up to your majesty's high expectations and have repulsed the foreign enemy." !" The three of them talked together, and Zig and Gordon naturally shouted as loud as they could. It's just that Rody really didn't like this emperor very much, he just lowered his head and casually moved his lips to deal with it.
Abbas XI showed an expression of satisfaction and excitement on his face. He waved his hand and walked down from the carriage. He walked slowly to the three people's meeting place. He pulled the three people up and hugged them with the most solemn hug etiquette in the empire. The three soldiers who returned victoriously were welcomed.
As the royal guard of honor blew the grand and joyful trumpet, the surrounding crowd shouted:
"Long live the Tulip Duke!"
"Long live Thunder God's Whip!"
"Long live the Empire!"
"Long live His Majesty the Emperor!"
Flowers fall into the rain, and colorful ribbons fly. Amid the cheers, the army slowly entered the city.
Abbas XI deliberately held Rody's hand and walked in front. He even left his royal carriage and asked someone to find a horse. He rode side by side with Rody and enjoyed the ride along the way. With the cheers of the people in the city, Abbas XI's face was also full of smiles, and his originally slightly pale face became a little flushed.
Rody looked cautious and respectful on his face, but he felt very unhappy in his heart.
First of all, in the final analysis, the empire actually lost the battle in the northwest. Large tracts of land were occupied, and several military fortresses fell into the hands of others. In the end, he had to bring reinforcements and narrowly saved Watt Fortress. It’s just that I didn’t lose all the time.
Furthermore, according to the empire's practice, as the Duke of Tulip (although he is a fake), he led the Northwest Army to defeat Reuenthal in the northwest. According to the past historical management of the empire, he should be allowed to take over as the commander of the Northwest Army. The position of commanding the northwest military affairs. But the emperor did not do this. As soon as the battle was over, he immediately ordered himself back. Obviously he is worried about letting himself control the 100,000-strong army in the northwest!
Also, seeing that the emperor originally sent himself to the northwest to die, I am afraid that what he hopes for most is to have Reuenthar chop him to death in the northwest, so that the Tulip family, which poses the greatest threat to his imperial power, will have no heirs. . But he didn't expect that he would launch a surprise attack into the hinterland of the Dayue Kingdom and actually force the opponent into chaos. Reuenthar had no choice but to retreat and go back to fight for power. Although the northwest was saved, the thorn in his side was not eliminated. I'm afraid the emperor is more disappointed than happy!
Not only did the Wolf Fang Army return directly to the camp of the Central Cavalry Corps, Rody and Sieggordon followed the emperor back to the palace and accepted their rewards in the main hall.
All the high-level military and political officials in the imperial capital had already gathered in the palace hall. Rody strode into the hall with Abbas XI and received the attention of all the imperial ministers. Some of them were envious and some were happy. , some are jealous, some are jealous.
After Abbas XI slowly sat on the imperial throne at the top, he slowly looked at the people below and said slowly: "Duke Tulip returned triumphantly from the northwest this time and defeated Luo Yan. Tal, you have made a great contribution to the empire. Let us cheer for the glory of the empire, the Tulip Duke!"
There was thunderous applause, and all the nobles and ministers cheered enthusiastically. Among them, the military personnel cheered vigorously. Looking at the spiritual leader of the military, their hearts were filled with joy.
Just after the cheers ended, a skinny old man wearing a black robe slowly walked to the middle, with a calm face, and said slowly: "Your Majesty, I have something to say!"
"Marquis Caroline, you are the Minister of Imperial Affairs! This time Duke Rudolf returns in triumph, you are in charge of the Imperial Affairs, and you also have merit!" Abbas XI smiled slightly.
Marquis Caroline raised his head and said solemnly: "Your Majesty! Duke Tulip has made such great contributions to the empire and must not be unrewarded!"
After hearing this, Rody felt a chill in his heart. He knew very well that this Caroline Minister of War was not a good person. The Lionheart family wanted to overpower the Tulip family. Last time at a banquet, he had a conflict with his nephew Milo, who was the commander of the Northern Army. This time this old guy took the initiative to ask the emperor to reward him, he must not have anything nice to say!
Abbas XI nodded and immediately said: "Of course, it's just that the Duke has made great contributions. You are the Minister of Military Affairs. How do you think you should be rewarded?"
Before Marquis Caroline could speak, a middle-aged man wearing an army general's uniform immediately walked to the middle and shouted: "Your Majesty! According to the imperial tradition! Duke Tulip will serve as the commander of the Central Cavalry Corps in every generation! Duke Rudolf has now established Great work! It’s just the right time for him to take over the Thunder God’s Whip!”
As soon as he said this, he immediately received responses from many other military generals.
Rody sighed in his heart. He knew that these people took extra care of him and wanted to help him because of the old duke's sake. It's just that the generals of these armies were too simple-minded, and the emperor refused to even hand over the 100,000-strong Northwest Army to him. What's more, a full 200,000 "Thunder God's Whips" who are known as the most elite army in the empire? Not to mention, controlling the Thunder God's Whip is equivalent to controlling the military power of the Imperial Capital! There are 250,000 troops in the imperial capital, including 200,000 Thunder God's Whips guarding the imperial capital and 50,000 Royal Guards guarding the palace. How could the emperor, who was so suspicious of the Tulip family, hand over the largest army in the imperial capital to his command
Sure enough, Abbas XI just nodded but did not speak. Rody noticed that the emperor glanced at Marquis Caroline, and then Marquis Caroline coughed slightly and said loudly: "What you generals said is feasible! But..." Hearing this, Rody sneered in his heart. Just waiting for your ‘but’!”
"... But the Duke of Tulip is still young after all! The Thunder God's Whip is the most elite legion in the empire, and it is also responsible for the important task of guarding the imperial capital! The Duke is less than twenty years old this year and has assumed such an important task. I am worried that the Duke may not be able to Competent!" After saying these words, Marquis Caroline bowed respectfully to the emperor.
"Nonsense!" A grumpy general retorted loudly: "Although the Duke is young, in the history of the empire, there are few examples of young Tulip Dukes serving as commanders of an army! The fourth generation Duke, the seventh generation Duke, no Have they all served as commanders of the Central Cavalry Corps in their twenties?”
Marquis Caroline glanced at the general and said, neither humble nor arrogant: "Some people in their twenties serve as commanders of an army, but after all, the Duke is not yet twenty years old now! He has only been on the battlefield once!"
"Hmph!" Another general couldn't help but said: "Isn't it enough to be able to defeat Reuenthar in one battlefield? If you don't believe it! Let your nephew go and fight!"
Caroline did not get angry and said calmly: "In foreign wars, it is His Majesty's decision who leads the troops."
"You keep saying that the Duke is young, so your nephew is not very old, and he also commands the Northern Army!"
Marquis Caroline said tepidly: "Although Milo is young, he is still nearly thirty years old after all. Moreover, he did not become the commander of the Northern Army all at once, but also gained experience step by step from the commander's level."
Seeing that all the important military generals were speaking out one after another, the old Marquis Caroline was talking eloquently, his words were neither hasty nor impatient, and his expression was calm and impeccable. How could the eloquence of these generals compare to his
"Watch the boy!" Andy whispered in his mind: "This old guy is not simple! He can't express his emotions and anger!"
Rody nodded secretly. He stood aside and observed what was happening. He already knew in his heart that what he said today was actually the result of collusion between the emperor and the Minister of Military Affairs. They would not allow him to control the military power at any cost.
Thinking of this, he already understood the emperor's intentions. Now that he had made up his mind, these generals' good intentions to help him fight would not lead to anything, but they would offend the emperor in vain. Rody cleared his throat and said loudly: "No need to argue!"
When the generals saw him speaking, they all closed their mouths and looked at the young duke, waiting for him to speak.
Rody bowed and said: "Your Majesty, I also think that I am too young to be the commander of a legion! Frankly speaking, in this northwest battle, I only relied on a little luck to force Reuenthal Retreat! It’s hard to say that we won a battle! As Lord Caroline said just now, the Thunder God’s Whip is the most elite army in the empire, and it is responsible for guarding the imperial capital. I can’t afford this burden!”
Hearing these words, all the military personnel frowned and sighed secretly in their hearts. A hint of recognition flashed in Abbas XI's eyes, and he said gently on the surface: "Duke Rudolf is too humble! The empire will not erase your contribution! But since you are unwilling to serve as the commander of the Central Cavalry Corps, then you What do you think?"
These words were so high-sounding that Roddy cursed in his heart: "What I don't want to do is simply because you don't want to!" On the surface, he said sternly: "I went to the northwest to lead the army, and then I realized that I was really inexperienced. Thanks to With the help of two commanders, Sieg and Gordon, I managed to complete your majesty’s mission! I ask your majesty to reward the two commanders, Sieg and Gordon!”
Abbas XI smiled slightly: "This is natural! I heard that Commander Sieg is the old commander of Thunder God's Whip, and I am going to give him the title of Viscount! As for Commander Gordon, I decided to promote him to the Royal Guards Deputy Head."
Rody thought in his mind: "This is a bargain. You won't give me military power, but you will always give me two assistants. It's still fair." Of course he said, "Your Majesty is wise."
Since Rody himself stated that he had no idea about the commanding position of the Central Cavalry Corps, this reward would be difficult. After all, although he now has the title of Duke, he actually does not hold any official position. There was originally a special envoy for the Northwest Military Affairs, but now that the Northwest War is over, naturally the title of this special envoy is gone. As for what kind of commander... What a joke, how can a majestic Duke continue to be a small commander
Everyone had different opinions, but couldn't make up their mind. Rody sighed in his heart, remembering Nicole's words: "The higher the Tulip family's contribution, the higher their status, but in the end. It has occupied all the glory and halo, making the emperor already There is no reward, no seal!"
It was Marquis Caroline who coughed hard twice, and then spoke slowly, his unique unhurried tone gently sounded in the hall: "Your Majesty, I think the Duke of Tulip is the pillar of the empire, and the Tulip flag is more It is the pride of the empire. Although the Duke is still young now, he only needs a few years of experience... "
Rody's heart moved, and he said secretly: "Humph, here comes the truth. The first part of this is all nonsense, mainly the words 'several years of experience'."
I only heard Marquis Caroline say slowly: "Although the situation in the south is relatively stable now, the barbarian tribes in the southern hills are also making troubles from time to time. They hide in the mountains and cause chaos from time to time, and contain a large number of the empire's military and financial resources! This time the northwest and the Great If the Moon Kingdom went to war, if it weren't for the restraints of those mountain barbarians in the south, the southern army would have been able to support them. I think now that the war in the northwest has stopped, the first priority is to solve the problem in the south first! Please ask Duke Tulip to go to the south. The prestige of the Tulip Flag will surely deter those mountain barbarians! First of all, Duke Tulip does not have an official title now. Your Majesty can appoint him as the southeast envoy and governor of the southeast to control the military and administration of the three provinces in the southeast. , Cooperate with Commander Camus of the Southern Army to solve the problem of the mountain tribes. Secondly, Lord Camus, the commander of the Southern Army, is a veteran of the Imperial Army and has rich experience. The Duke can just spend two or three years practicing in the south! "
As soon as Old Caroline finished speaking, Roddy heard Andy shouting loudly in his mind: "Poison! Poison! It's really poisonous! This old guy is so powerful! What a bullshit southeast envoy! Just like the northwest envoy, listen It is a majestic official position, but it is temporary! There is no control over the three southeastern provinces. Each of the southeastern provinces has a local governor. If you go there, it will be nothing more than an empty showpiece! The troops of the Southern Army will not be given to you to command. You're 'learning' from the commander of the Southern Army. It sounds like I'm giving you a very prestigious job, but it's actually like sending you to the south to open a mountain!"
Before the military generals could react, Abbas XI immediately smiled with satisfaction in his eyes and said repeatedly: "Okay! That's a good idea! The Minister of Military Affairs is mature and prudent. This is a way to get the best of both worlds. "
Rody cursed in his heart, but the emperor said these words, which was like a nail in the wall. He couldn't help but a flash of anger flashed in his eyes, but then he tried his best to hold back his dissatisfaction and bowed solemnly: "Your Majesty, I am willing to go south to learn from General Camus!"
How could the generals in the military have so many tricks in their stomachs? Seeing that the Duke had already been given a high official position, and was also the Governor-General of the Southeast Special Envoy, but he was in charge of three provinces, which was naturally quite big, they immediately stopped doing it. Sounded.
The emperor smiled slightly and said: "Okay, it's settled! Duke Rudolf! You have made great contributions in the northwest! I now appoint you as the special envoy to the southeast! Military Governor, who can control the military and political power of the three southeastern provinces. I hope you will Assist the Southern Legion of Commander Camus to put an end to the troubles in the mountains as soon as possible!”
Roddy sighed and knelt down on one knee. After thinking for a while, he said: "Your Majesty, I am going to the northwest this time, thanks to the assistance of Sir Siege's Central Cavalry Corps, the Wolf Fang Army. Now I am going to the southeast. I only ask for your permission to transfer the Wolf Fang Army to me."
The emperor was in a good mood at the moment, thinking that with a mere Wolf Fang Army, less than 20,000 people, I'm sorry you can't make it through the sky. And today's goal has been achieved. Now, after the slap, it's time to give the other person a candy, and he agreed immediately.
Abbas XI thought for a while, and suddenly spoke again: "Duke Rudolf, you must also know that envoys from the Dayue Kingdom have been in the imperial capital for many days, and they are discussing the peace talks of the northwest war. You When you come back from the northwest and are familiar with things in the northwest, I will appoint you as the deputy envoy to discuss the peace talks! I hope you will not insult the majesty of the empire! Don't rush to the south until the peace talks are resolved. Bar!"
Rody was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that the emperor would give him such an errand. For a moment, he didn't understand what it meant. He couldn't help but look at the old Caroline. His face was calm, but there was a flash of light in his eyes. A proud look.
"Idiot, you don't understand this?" Andy sighed in his mind: "What results can the empire get from negotiating with the Dayue Kingdom? Now the land is occupied by others, the military fortress has also been taken away by others, and the Northwest Army has been beaten to nothing. Less than half of the people are left... Needless to say, if you lose your power, you will not come back. His Majesty, His Majesty, will be disgraced by asking you to serve as a negotiating envoy. You have to bear the taunts from all over the world! Oh, how cruel, it seems that this is the old guy’s idea from the Minister of Military Affairs!”
Rody gritted his teeth and just nodded. I looked at the military generals next to me, and they all looked unhappy.
In fact, Andy was right. Abbas XI asked Rody to negotiate with the other party. Of course, he listened to the old Caroline's idea and asked Tulip to take the blame for signing the humiliating peace treaty. At the same time, old Caroline also had his own ideas...
Over the past few days, the Imperial Capital has been quarreling over the issue of the northwest, whether to fight or make peace with the Dayue Kingdom. The military personnel were naturally the main war faction, but Old Caroline gathered a group of officials and nobles who tried their best to persuade Abbas XI to negotiate for peace.
Old Caroline had his own ideas in mind... Northwest Military Affairs Bureau, this time the Northwest had a small war, many problems were exposed. He was too involved with the Northwest. If the two countries went to full-scale war, then the Northwest All the problems are bound to be exposed... At that time, I'm afraid he himself will be doomed! So under the current circumstances, there must be no chaos in the northwest! can not fight! As long as there is no fighting for a day, those problems will not be exposed! As for the solution, we can only buy time slowly and cover it up slowly.
The conversation should have ended here. There would be a feast to celebrate the victory in the evening, but before that, Roddy naturally wanted to go home and have a look.
Everyone in the main hall dispersed. Rody exchanged a few words with the military officers. Most of those old guys in the military were subordinates or friends of the old Duke. Naturally, they were looking towards him in their hearts and really encouraged Rody. It's just that these military generals are allowed to fight, but when it comes to such intrigues, they are absolutely no match for people like the old Marquis Caroline.
Seeing old Caroline striding away, Rody sighed in his heart: This old guy is too powerful. If you want to fight against this old guy, you can't rely on these military generals who only know how to use swords! I need to find some smart helpers.
Then he changed his mind and couldn't help but laugh at himself: After so many days, he really thought he was some kind of Duke! After being away from the imperial capital for so many days, maybe Nicole has found the whereabouts of that playboy. Anyway, he was a temporary imposter when he became the Duke. The battle in the northwest is over, so that’s probably it! After finding that playboy, he didn't dare to give up his choice. According to Nicole, wouldn't it be more comfortable to just insert himself into any army and become an officer? No matter how powerful this old guy is, it's still the playboy who has a headache, why can't he get his turn, right? If I had known this, why did I need to ask the emperor for help from the Wolf Fang Army just now? What kind of special envoy to the southeast, huh... let that playboy go and eat the dirt by himself!
Thinking of this, thinking of seeing Nicole immediately, I felt excited. I left the palace and led the people to rush towards the Tulip Duke's Palace...