Black Sun Valley, the side of the Empire.
The king of heaven has given the order, and the Imperial Guard Fleet will carry it out. According to the location shown on the map, the Imperial Guard Fleet put down its ground troops and supplies as soon as they needed, and then lifted off one after another and began to return.
Tens of thousands of imperial soldiers seized all the time to build the fortress. After all, the dark race was close at hand, and no one knew when they would launch an attack.
These newly arrived warriors didn't know what happened just now, nor did they know why the empire suddenly had the ability to build fortresses again. For these ordinary fighters, it doesn't matter how the fortress came about, what is important is that there is a fortress that can be defended. Whether there is a fortress or not, the casualties are completely different.
They don't care about the above-mentioned things, they only care about how long they can live.
Song Zining had already regained consciousness, so he took up the post of commander-in-chief of the Empire's New World Expeditionary Force logically. It's just that his body has not fully recovered after all, and there will be no war in a short period of time, so he obeyed everyone's persuasion and returned to the empire. He took a short rest for three days and accepted the examination of the Imperial Medical College to see if there were any hidden dangers in his body and soul.
After sending him away, several core generals breathed a sigh of relief, and finally they don't have to worry about when this man suddenly loses his mind and rushes to the camp of the dark race.
After returning to the empire, Song Zining found that there was almost no news about the final battle in the Black Sun Valley in the empire. All the newspaper battle reports are propagandizing that the empire will return to the Black Sun Valley and build a base again. But there was no mention of the reason and process, and Qianye's name never appeared.
Even the news that Qianye led the remnant army of the empire, won repeated battles, broke through dozens of blockades, defeated an enemy ten times stronger than himself, and killed all the way to the lonely peak, was deliberately erased, and the relevant battle reports were even more so. All destroyed.
Strangely, the Eternal Night Council was also quiet, as if the heavy losses of so many high-ranking nobles hadn't caused any waves.
Both Lord Narumi and Lord Wenyuan were credited, but the credits did not decrease, there were still so many, but they were changed to other titles.
When Wen Yuangong, who was still in the imperial capital, heard the news, he could only sigh. His previous charges had just been pardoned, and the final settlement was still pending, so there was really nothing to worry about. What's more, besides offending Emperor Hao, his faction is also not well received by King Qingyang's family for some reason, and has been completely transparent in the military department. Not to mention speaking out, they can't even see official documents with a higher secret level.
And Narumi is complaining about illness, and wants to go home to take care of himself. The application has been submitted to the military department, but it has not been approved yet.
However, Liu Chengyun was reinstated as an official. As soon as he was sent back, he asked everywhere, and in the reward record after the war, the military merits were not cut off as Qianye originally said. He is very active, constantly digging, trying to find some new jobs.
Although he didn't participate in the final death assault, he also fought a few battles with Qianye. For those who survived these battles without being seriously injured, their strength has improved to some extent, and Liu Chengyun has also benefited a lot. According to the doctor's calculation, he can live for at least ten years.
Being able to prolong his life, Liu Chengyun's thinking changed. He no longer wanted to do his best for the family, but began to plan for himself.
Liu Chengyun hated Qianye who wanted to deplete his military achievements at that time. Therefore, as soon as he has time, he will immediately connect several memorials and force thousands of nights to accuse him of various crimes. It's a pity that he didn't grasp the pulse of the court at all this time. Some high-ranking people don't want to mention Qianye again, no matter whether it is good or bad.
Liu Chengyun handed over several accusations, but in return he was severely reprimanded, and took back a legion that was supposed to be given to him. After these twists and turns, Liu Chengyun didn't understand why, even a few of his backers shut the door to him, so he didn't dare to mess around again, so he had to keep his hatred in his heart for the time being.
When Song Zining returned to the imperial capital, this was what he saw.
Many people thought that Song Zining would complain about Qianye's injustice and run around calling for it, but they didn't expect Song Zining to leave after reading the battle report for half a day at the military headquarters without any indication.
When he was about to leave the military headquarters, a general stopped Song Zining and said, "If Commander Song is free, the old prince would like to invite you to the palace for a briefing."
Song Zining looked at the time, and said happily, "I've heard about the name of the old prince's private kitchen for a long time, but I haven't had the chance to try it. At this time, I should have a chance to try the cooking skills of the chef of the prince's house, right?"
The general smiled and said: "Naturally, the old prince has already prepared a table of good dishes, just waiting for you to go."
"What are you waiting for?"
A while later, Song Zining walked into the Zhiji Palace, and was ushered into the flower hall by the pool in the side yard. The cups and chopsticks had already been set up in the hall, and the maids were bringing out the appetizers.
Zhiji Wang was sitting by the pool, fishing. Seeing Song Zining coming, he greeted, "Zining is here? The time is just right, let's take a seat. These dishes will not taste good if they are later."
Song Zining didn't refuse, and sat down next to him, drinking three cups with King Zhiji.
After three glasses of wine, Zhiji Wang raised his hand and waved lightly, and all the waiters retreated.
Waiting for no one around, Pointing to the Extreme King said slowly: "Do you have any objection to how the matter of Qianye is handled in this way?"
"Is that what you mean?"
Zhiji Wang said: "Not all of them, but it is true that I nodded too much."
Song Zining was silent for a moment, and said, "If you don't feel dissatisfied in the slightest, then it's impossible. But since you made this decision, there must be a reason. Zining would rather hear about it, so that he can know when he encounters similar things in the future. How to deal with it."
Zhiji Wang said: "I know that this way of handling things is really unfair to Qianye. When I was young, I was just like you, and it was inevitable that I would act on my will. Now that I am getting older, I understand that the root of all things is to deal with everything. It is the four words "family and country first."
Song Zining listened attentively.
King Zhiji suddenly sighed, and said: "You should have heard about those things about me back then. To be honest, for the entire twenty years in between, that breath has always been stuck in my heart, and I have never relieved it. Or one day later, I suddenly understood that there are so many things and so many people in this world, how can everything be fair? Many times, I have to choose the lesser of two evils."
King Zhiji recalled the past again, remained silent for a moment, and then continued: "Actually, Qianye received my inheritance back then, and he is also considered half of my disciple. Over the years, the empire and I have owed him a lot. Do you know why I am like this?" Do?"
Song Zining said: "I understand the matter of Yetong. Although I don't know which important figure she awakened in ancient times, once she really exerts her strength, it will be a serious problem for the empire. The empire is in the period of rejuvenation, and the three supreme beings on the holy mountain are already too many." There must be no fourth one."
"Exactly. Although I feel ashamed, I have to do it. Maybe she has never been hostile to the empire, but once she has, no one can afford such a risk. Even if it is only a matter of ten thousand There is a one-in-one chance, and it must not be allowed to happen. The awakening power of Yetong must be killed before she grows up. Otherwise, the revival of the empire may die prematurely."
Song Zining nodded.
King Zhiji glanced at him and said slowly: "Whether you understand it now or not, you will understand it in ten years' time when you hold great power and your every move will affect the fate of the country."
Before Song Zining could reply, he pointed to King Ji and said, "Do you know that the empire's heart has been kept alive for thousands of years, what is it that relies on it?"
This question stumped Song Zining. Although he had dabbled in historiography, it was not deep enough. After thinking about it, I feel that there are many answers, but none of them are appropriate.
Seeing that he didn't answer, Zhiji Wang said slowly: "In fact, it is not my race, and its heart must be different. These eight characters were determined by Taizu back then."
"This..." Song Zining never thought it would be this answer. Over the years, he has actually become a little disgusted with these eight words, at least he will not accept them all.
King Zhiji smiled and said: "The empire has developed to this day, and the population is tens of billions. It is uneven up and down. With so many people and so many differences, how many people do you think can understand after reading? Most people work hard all day, thinking only of relaxation and indulgence, and it is useless to give them big reasons. The best way to unite is to make an enemy. A powerful, evil, and difficult to defeat enemy, and bloody hatred."
"One hundred years after the founding of the empire, the first foundation was laid. At that time, the first generation of people who had experienced the brutal rule of the dark race passed away one after another. Many people in the newborn human race hoped to live a more stable life. They did not experience it. They also don’t want to experience the despair of being kept in captivity and being eaten by blood at any time. They think that a continent is enough to reproduce and live in, and they take the moment of peace in the truce for granted, and they regard the gray trade under the table as the future they can look forward to.”
"At that time, there was a popular idea among many people that the human race had proved that they were independent and free, and those truces were the proof, so they should pursue an agreement to expand the short-term ceasefire into a permanent peace. They even thought that the people of the Eternal Night The jihad between the two is caused by the contradictions accumulated over thousands of years. The newborn human race does not have such a historical burden, so peaceful coexistence is expected. Until then, the ancestors discovered the great foresight of Taizu, and thought of these eight words Since then, the empire has absolutely no tolerance for alien races, at least in the eyes of ordinary people. Then through various channels to promote the atrocities of the dark race, the hatred has accumulated from generation to generation until today."
Song Zining listened with bated breath.
"With foreign enemies, many political affairs within the empire can be handled easily. Most of the patriarchs of the powerful families understand this truth. Besides, the war in Yongye is nothing more than a competition for resources and living space. The competition between camps, the competition within the camp As the strength of each family continues to grow, the more resources and land they need, they will naturally want more wars. You see, almost every family has war-related industries, no matter the Four Families or the top-ranking family. "
Song Zining nodded. The Song Clan made a lot of money in the arms business in the past, and the Zhao Clan's craftsman's mansion was even more famous throughout the world, able to build floating warships by itself. Others, such as the battle armor of the Bai family and the ammunition of the Yin family, are also large in scale.
"I know that you have seen a lot of incidents in which the empire and Yongye have exchanged information in recent years. Let's think about it, what are the common characteristics of these incidents?"
Song Zining got it right and said, "It's all related to the superior?"
King Zhiji nodded slowly, "You are right. In fact, the imperial family, powerful families, and even the military are very clear about these things. Yongye has the resources we need, and we also have what they want. It is unavoidable. And we take advantage of the contradictions among the four clans of Eternal Night to take advantage of the exchange price. This kind of mutual exchange is actually of great help to the growth of the overall national strength of the empire."
Indeed, the higher Song Zining's position was, the more deals he saw with the dark race. However, after so many years, the empire has not declined, but its national strength has been thriving.
Zhiji Wang said: "This kind of communication must be in the hands of the aristocratic family, so that it can be controlled. Otherwise, if ordinary people know that the dark race also has humanity, reason and dignity, and they can do business with them, then Isn’t the world in chaos? Who is willing to shed blood and sacrifice for the empire, can you still fight those battles in the Black Sun Valley? Is there any army that knows it is dead, but is willing to fight to the death?”
"Most human beings are instinctively afraid of difficulties and want to be at ease, and therefore have unrealistic fantasies. Look at how those provinces and counties in the empire that have not been engaged in war for a long time were crushed and defeated in front of the alien beast army in the new world. And if When the human race sought to join the Eternal Night Council and gained a seat, could it really be done once and for all? Not to mention the disappearing small races, just look at the current situation of the wolf clan, they lost their supremacy, and it took only a thousand years."
"If you want to fight, you will die. If you forget the war, you will be in danger. The blood and bones of Taizu and countless ancestors earned us the dignity of standing side by side with the four clans of Yongye. It is not for us to join their council, abide by their rules, and finally All the clans disappeared, and they disappeared without a sound. Besides, this world belongs to darkness, and we, Dawn, have always been different."