It was when the war between the Imperial Strait United Fleet and the corporations in the Celestial Plane was in full swing, Linton City, now the capital of the United Empire.
No. 19 Shenghui Avenue, this is the residence of Reginald Roberts, the "Grand Duke of Kiriyama".
The Roberts family used to be one of the six great councilors of the Lu-British Empire, and now Grand Duke Roberts is the Minister of Military Affairs of the United Empire.
Half a month ago, the Imperial Intelligence Organization received top-secret information that magicians from the plane of gods had a secret plan to cross the sea. The Imperial Command immediately made a decision to let "Thunder Tiger" Meredith Ben Moses and
The combined fleet led by the two marshals, Admiral Rostov, set sail secretly, and while the enemy's fleet was still being formed, they made a surprise attack on their ports.
Once the surprise attack is successful, it will not only greatly delay the invasion of Lu Ying by those from the plane of gods, but also give a great boost to the sluggish morale.
Although the risk is not small, you must give it a try.
However, I didn't expect that just last night, the bad news came.
Before the combined fleet reached the scheduled sea area, contact was suddenly lost.
Everyone speculated that maybe there was a storm or a special magnetic field and the connection was temporarily lost.
However, as one of the decision-makers of the entire surprise attack, Archduke Roberts had an increasingly bad premonition that the fleet might have encountered an ambush.
Needless to say, the only people who can make a well-equipped fleet of more than 200,000 people lose contact are those enemies in the plane of gods.
But even Lu Ying didn't know much about such a top-secret plan, and it was still exposed in advance. This is very strange.
And this situation also means that there may be a big problem among some of their top brass.
At noon, the sun is very bright.
In the garden of the manor, Justice Roberts, who had a gray mustache, was drinking coffee and looking at the sea chart that he had been studying all night, the sadness in his eyebrows never dissipated.
At this time, a handsome young man in a straight military uniform walked into the garden from a distance and said with concern: "Father, you haven't rested all night. I think you should get some sleep instead of drinking a few more drinks."
coffee."
This is Alex, the eldest son of the Roberts family.
Archduke Roberts looked at his son with a smile on his face.
He did not respond to the coffee question, but instead asked: "Alex, when do you and Karma plan to hold your wedding?"
The father and son seemed to have a tacit understanding. Alex did not answer the question, but said something else: "Father, I am here to say goodbye to you this time. I am going to join the reinforcement fleet to go to the empire.
Strait, we will set sail tonight."
Hearing this, Archduke Roberts was not too surprised.
He had watched his son grow up since he was a child, and he didn't know what he was thinking. He just said: "What your mother means is"
Before he finished speaking, Alex thought his father wanted to persuade him, so he interrupted: "No, Father, I have made up my mind. I am a soldier of the empire, and our Roberts family is also a part of the alchemical civilization. Those of us who once
The great nobles have the best resources and the best equipment. This kind of civilizational disaster, no matter what, I shouldn’t be at the back. I should be at the forefront of the battlefield now!”
The words are sonorous and powerful, and have a strong impact.
Hearing this, Grand Duke Roberts looked at his son with eyes filled with relief: "He is indeed the eldest son of our Roberts family. But I am not trying to persuade you."
After a pause, he added: "What I mean is, before you go to the front line, it's best to hold the wedding.
Such a good girl, you can't let her down."
After listening to his father's words, Alex had a strange look on his face and said, "I asked Kama what he meant. Now that the empire is in crisis, she said that everything should be kept simple. And I also gave her the matter of going to the front line.
Having said that, she is very supportive of my decision."
"Um."
Archduke Roberts didn't say anything more, "Then be careful."
If the building collapses, no one will survive alone.
What's more, as the Minister of Military and Aircraft
As the eldest son, we cannot back down from this sensitive moment.
Alex nodded: "I understand, Father."
The father and son were chatting in the garden, but at this moment, a light and shadow flashed in the yard, and a figure suddenly appeared.
Being able to avoid the guards of the manor, it is obvious that this is an assassin professional who is very good at stealth.
Archduke Roberts' eyes narrowed slightly, as if he was not surprised, and his expression remained calm.
Alex on the side frowned, looked at this uninvited guest, and asked in a cold voice: "Who are you?!"
The visitor did not lift his hood, giving the impression of being as cold and mysterious as a poisonous snake.
He looked at the father and son and said coldly: "It doesn't matter who I am. But the important thing is that I can now bring a piece of news to His Excellency the Grand Duke that you may be very interested in."
When Archduke Roberts heard this, his expression changed for a moment, as if he had guessed the identity of the visitor, and he said calmly: "Oh? Tell me."
Seeing that the other party was interested in listening, the mysterious man seemed to laugh and said: "I can responsibly tell you a piece of information. This time the combined fleet is destined to not come back. I heard that your young master is going to reinforce the front line. I also
Let me give you a reminder."
Upon hearing this, before Archduke Roberts could speak, Alex's expression suddenly changed.
If this guy dares to say this, it means he is sure...the fleet is under attack!
Sure enough, there was a spy within them, and someone leaked the fleet surprise attack plan to the people in the plane of gods.
And the guy in front of me is one of the moles!
He originally wanted to summon the manor guards to arrest this guy for interrogation, but out of the corner of his eye he glanced at his father beside him, and suppressed his anger and stood there.
Archduke Roberts still looked calm as he listened.
He thought for a moment and simply asked: "Your Excellency, are you from the Tianmu Sect?"
The mysterious man seemed to smile and said: "My Lord Duke, it doesn't matter who I am. What matters is that I can give you some advice."
Archduke Roberts glanced at him, looking interested.
The mysterious man spoke again: "If the Duke is willing to cooperate, someone will come to discuss some details with you. Of course, you should have guessed that I am just a small role, and behind me there is a power that no one can resist. So.
I can guarantee that once you agree to cooperate, you and your Roberts family will be protected at any time."
Archduke Roberts listened and listened, already knowing but could not find out any useful information.
But he smiled and said: "Tsk, tsk. I'm curious. I'm a traitor to the alchemy civilization and surrendered as a slave. To you people, are you really not ashamed at all?"
Upon hearing this, the mysterious man's tone became murderous: "Did your Excellency refuse?"
Grand Duke Roberts was not afraid at all and had already guessed the identity of the visitor. Instead, he sneered: "The former "Top Ten Legendary Bounty Hunters" and the "King of Thieves" Carlo Merdis turned out to be a slave of the Outer God Sect. It's ridiculous."
ridiculous."
As he said that, he added: "If I were you, I would run away quickly. Maybe I can survive for a few more days. Gee, a seventh-level assassin really thinks that Ling Dun can go anywhere because of you?"
As soon as these words came out, the mysterious man seemed to have noticed something, and his expression under the hood suddenly changed.
He didn't dare to stop, and his figure gradually became transparent.
However, before leaving, he did not forget to threaten: "Huh, you don't know the current affairs! You and your family will regret your decision today!"
Archduke Roberts did not stop the other party from escaping. His expression was still cold, but his eyes were a little more thoughtful.
Luying and Mafa now formed a United Empire. After Catherine came to the throne, she carried out a series of drastic reforms.
It can be said that the overall national strength of the United Empire today is much stronger than it was during the Bona royal period.
And the Imperial Strait is a natural chasm. Even if those guys from the plane of gods want to disintegrate the alchemy civilization, it will be impossible in a short time.
So it was not surprising that Archduke Roberts would be visited.
As the Minister of Military and Aircraft, he has the intelligence and resources that can be said to be the lifeblood of half of the empire. Naturally, the enemy will not give up his breakthrough.
Watching the enemy escape, Alex asked: "Father, aren't we going to chase him?"
But Grand Duke Roberts shook his head, as if everything was under control: "He can't escape. Your Majesty has already guessed that someone will definitely come to your door at this juncture, and he has been prepared for it. "
Alex: "Your Majesty?"
"That's right. Your Majesty has the Military Intelligence Department, the largest intelligence organization, in his hands. How could he not know about the situation in Linton?"
As Archduke Roberts spoke, a strange color appeared in his eyes.
Although Yekaterina once had to call herself uncle, he had to admit that this was a convincing emperor.
He couldn't help but sigh: "Her Majesty Catherine is the most talented king I have ever seen, a hundred times better than Queen Charlotte. If she reigns, it won't be long before the alchemical civilization will continue to develop for thousands of years.
It’s a prosperous age that has never been seen before. It’s a pity that the plane invasion came too suddenly, and this situation is difficult to deal with..."
Alex's expression was complicated for a moment as he listened.
All in all, Ekaterina was still better than his fellow students in the first class, and she never expected to be an emperor with such great talents and strategies.
However, His Majesty's skill and courage are obvious to all, and this is the most important reason why the empire can still be stable in times of crisis.
Obviously this was not the time to lament this. Alex pondered for a moment and then asked: "Father, are you saying that the guy just now is a member of the "Tianmu Sect"?"
He is just a bounty hunter, even if he is one of the famous "Top Ten Legends", it is not a big deal in front of the Roberts family.
In comparison, the power behind him is crucial.
"It must be."
Archduke Roberts said with a rather complicated expression: "Queen Charlotte's "Freedom of Belief Act" not only led to the invasion of the gods' plane, but also left some believers of the alien gods behind. They were not eradicated at the beginning, and now the hidden dangers are revealed.
What's worse is that if they can come to you, they will naturally come to others. At present, it seems that some high-level officials in the empire have become "surrenderers" and have fallen to the plane of heaven."
When talking about this topic, both father and son looked solemn.
Alex frowned and said: "Are we going to report the situation to Her Majesty the Queen? Now it seems that the United Fleet may have been betrayed by an insider, and the chances are very high. The enemy may even be encircling the point for reinforcements, hoping to encroach on more
A lot of imperial fleets.”
"late."
Archduke Roberts shook his head.
This is also the reason why he didn't sleep all night.
Because he had guessed this possibility a long time ago. Now he only confirmed the worst case scenario from other people's mouths.
He added: "Since the other party dares to say it, he must be sure that the matter is a foregone conclusion. In the face of absolute strength, all strategies are vain. The combined fleet is probably in danger."
It's this feeling of knowing the enemy's conspiracy, but no matter what you do, it seems to be wrong, which makes people feel like there is a big stone pressing on their heart.
Alex asked slightly anxiously: "But, are we just going to do nothing? Then should the fleet go for reinforcements now? If not, what if Marshals Meredith and Rostov need rescue, and we
Didn’t go again”
Upon hearing this, Archduke Roberts suddenly looked towards the sky, his eyes gradually becoming deeper.
He seemed to be full of doubts.
After pondering for a moment, he said: "I sent a letter to Your Majesty last night, and she responded to me by saying, "Even in the darkest night, there will be stars in the sky."
Alex looked puzzled as he listened.
At this moment, the sound of fighting suddenly broke out in the street in the distance.
The battle was so fierce that even the manor could feel the shock.
Archduke Roberts knew that the assassin who had gone out before was blocked by people from the Military Intelligence Agency.
From the beginning, this assassin was destined for this ending.
Thinking of last night's communication, Roberts felt a little more at ease.
He glanced at his son again and said, "Alex, you know, even yesterday, His Majesty had already guessed that the one who came to the door would be the "King of Thieves" Carlo Merdis, so he asked me to be more careful."
Alex was obviously also surprised. No wonder his father didn't panic at all. It turned out that he had been prepared for it: "The intelligence of the Military Intelligence Agency is already so powerful?"
Grand Duke Roberts shook his head: "No, it's more than that. Few people know that Your Majesty is an unfathomable astrologer. So she may not be unaware of what is happening now and what is about to happen in the future. His Majesty's foresight,
It’s something you and I can’t even imagine.”
Alex's eyes looked complicated as he heard this, and he turned around and said, "But... we should do something, right?"
Archduke Roberts obviously couldn't figure it out either. He shook his head and said, "I don't know either. His Majesty didn't make any statement, leaving it to the parliament to make decisions. I guess this time, she seems to want those who are hiding in the gutter in Linton."
Rats appear under the sun. As for the United Fleet, I feel that she seems to have other confidences that things will turn around."
Alex said: "Ah... But how can a powerful enemy like the one in the God's Plane reverse the situation without a large force of the Imperial Fleet to rescue it?"
Grand Duke Roberts was also puzzled and shook his head: "Let's do whatever we have to do, as long as we can have a clear conscience within our capabilities. Those guys on the plane of gods will never retain the alchemical civilization. Even if they are
Some people choose to live as slaves, but our Roberts family will never abandon our family glory or alchemy civilization! If the United Fleet is really ambushed, it will take half a month for the nearest reinforcements to reach the sea area where the incident occurred, so there is no rush.
In the past two days, I feel that something big will happen to this matter."
Alex listened and solemnly performed a military salute and said, "Yes, Father!"
At this time, the sound of fighting outside the street suddenly disappeared.
It broke out suddenly and ended quickly.
However, even when someone visited the Roberts family estate, some mysterious people also went to other ministers' mansions.
Now almost all the senior officials in Lingdun knew the news that the United Fleet might have been destroyed. For a while, the imperial capital was filled with gloom and gloom.
For those in the "Tianmu Sect", it is a carnival on the eve of victory.
Once the combined fleet is destroyed, the attack on Lu Ying's homeland will be just around the corner.
In this atmosphere where the building is about to collapse, there are those in the United Empire who, like the Roberts family, firmly choose to coexist and die with the alchemical civilization, while there are also some people who choose to join the "capitulation faction" and choose to betray civilization and their compatriots.
For a time, various turbulent forces emerged in Linton.
However, most of this scene was under the surveillance of the Military Intelligence Agency.
As Archduke Roberts guessed, the man in the palace also planned to take this opportunity to target the rats hiding in the gutter.
In the evening, Frederick's Palace.
In the solemn palace, what was originally an emergency meeting turned into a fierce quarrel among the ministers.
Now that the United Fleet has lost contact, it has basically been determined that it was attacked.
Conservative and rescue ministers are fighting over whether to require large-scale rescue.
"The enemy has cut off the signal. This is obviously a tactic of "surrounding the point for reinforcements. We must not send troops there to die! The best choice now is to hold on to the position! The enemy does not have large ships, so holding on to the position is the best choice."
"Even if the combined fleet does encounter misfortune, I believe that the two experienced marshals Meredith and Rostov will never leave a good warship to the enemy. We still have the advantage in naval warfare. If we attack rashly,
If we lose a few more fleets, our advantage will be completely gone!"
"The defensive tactics are correct, but if we don't go to the rescue, we will lose two generals and more than 200,000 elite soldiers. This is not only a loss of equipment and personnel, but also a loss of morale! If we don't go
Rescue, what do you think of the front line?
How disappointed should the soldiers be?"
"Yes! General Tosv is right. Besides, the enemy's layout on the west coast of Marfa is still very crude. Now is the best opportunity for a surprise attack. If we don't take action and wait for them to establish a defense line, we will have no chance.
I agree to continue supporting surprise attacks!"
"I agree too!"
"."
Everyone knows that sending a fleet for reinforcements is extremely risky, but it would also be wrong not to send reinforcements.
This is a debate destined to be fruitless.
On the throne, Ekaterina, who was wearing a gilded imperial robe, watched silently. Her purple hair had stood up high, and she had the majesty of an emperor in her cold beauty.
She remained silent, stroking the two meteorites in her hands, silently watching everything in front of her.
The ministers were also puzzled as to why Her Majesty, the Empress, who always acted vigorously and resolutely in the past, remained silent today and allowed the ministers to quarrel.
But judging from the situation in Linton City today where the chaos was suppressed even before it arose, it is clear that His Majesty the Emperor has precise judgment and control over the situation.
No one knew what Ekaterina was thinking.
At this time, suddenly, an old voice suddenly spoke: "Your Majesty, I think it is pointless to continue arguing like this. What do you think?"
The one who spoke was Merlin Gregory, a man wearing a gray robe.
He is the current chief worship master of the palace, and is currently the only ninth-level professional in Lingdun.
Merlin was once an eighth-level worshiper of Prince Carnap of a certain Bona royal family. Later, due to the opening of the plane channel, the upper limit of the laws of heaven and earth was raised, and the threshold for advancement was also greatly lowered.
No one thought that the prince actually treasured a piece of cosmic essence, which also allowed Merlin to successfully advance to the ninth level.
But this Merlin is also a typical "old school".
This faction is all old-fashioned nobles, supports the hereditary rights of the old-fashioned nobles, and secretly opposes the New Deal.
Now that Catherine has ascended the throne, a series of new policies have abolished the royal family and abolished the hereditary fiefdom rights of the nobility.
These "old factions" are now both a source of help and a major hindrance to the empire.
After all, he is a ninth-level alchemist. This is a critical moment for the outside world, and no one can do anything to him. Merlin also has a strong voice in the court, and he even has some signs of using his power to gain power.
When Yekaterina heard the inquiry, she said calmly: "The parliament can just vote on the resolution."
Master Merlin was a little dissatisfied and said: "Your Majesty, I think we should send heavy troops to rescue. This is the best strategy."
Yekaterina listened with the same look on her face and said calmly: "Yes."
Hearing this, Master Merlin's eyes flashed with an imperceptible smile of success, "Okay, in that case, I think we should send a fleet for reinforcements immediately!"
All the ministers listened and said nothing.
Although Catherine came to the throne not long ago, everyone realized that she was a talented and strategic emperor. In this situation, no one could do better than her.
The ministers also thought that she needed the support of the "old school" and made the necessary compromises.
Naturally, no one could say anything else.
However, just when everyone thought the meeting had a result.
Suddenly a messenger guard burst in and shouted excitedly: "Urgent information! Urgent information!"
Usually, any urgent information must be transmitted through a specialized intelligence department, even confidentially.
Instead of rushing into the palace with such fanfare.
But there is one exception.
That is the victory of the war!
The ministers looked at the intruding messenger guard with great confusion.
Ever since the war with the invaders from the plane of gods began, they had been losing consecutive battles. Even if they had a small victory, it would be a miserable victory. Where did the good news come from?
However, no one noticed that Catherine on the throne murmured in a voice that she could only hear: "Is it finally here?"
The messenger's face flushed with excitement, and he quickly reported: "Your Majesty, a great victory.
!Great victory! Urgent news came from the United Fleet. From three to five o'clock today, our fleet completely annihilated eight thousand magic groups in the plane of the gods near the Larman Islands in the Imperial Strait! "
The sound was like a loud bell, resounding throughout the entire palace hall.
But all the hundreds of ministers in the palace were stunned as they listened, as if they couldn't believe what they heard.
The ministers, who thought they were old, even rubbed their eyes and ears, thinking they were hallucinating.
For a moment, the huge palace was silent, except for the sound of increasingly thick breathing.
Yekaterina's clear purple eyes trembled as she heard this. Although she used astrology to predict some favorable results, she never expected such a great victory.
She said with dignity: "Report in detail."
The messenger guard opened the file in his hand and reported again to Langxue: "I just got the information. The Imperial Combined Fleet was supported by the Dawn Regiment. The two sides joined forces to completely annihilate the eight thousand-person corps in the plane of the gods. Killing
There were more than 80,000 enemies, and more than 500 enemy warships were destroyed. Our army only damaged one warship, killed 32 people, and injured 700 people."
Everyone in the palace heard this clearly.
However, just because I heard it clearly, it became even more unbelievable.
What!
Totally annihilated a corps of 80,000 people and still suffered such little damage?
If the combined fleet paid a heavy price and repelled the enemy, they would already consider it a great victory.
After all, no one knows the combat power of the square human corps in the plane of gods better than them.
However, the fleet actually "annihilated" 80,000 people with extremely low battle losses?
how could it be possible!
Is this a false alarm?
But everyone secretly expected this to be true.
Even if it's just a dream, don't wake up.
At this time, Ekaterina on the throne was suddenly enlightened when she heard "Dawn Group", and murmured in her heart: "So that's how it is."
After more and more detailed battle reports came in, and all the ministers rushed to read them, they dared to believe that it was the truth.
In an instant, all the ministers in the palace were bursting into tears, and there was a joyful carnival!
Not long after, news of the "Victory at the Imperial Straits" spread throughout Rington through newspaper extras, and then quickly spread throughout the entire empire.
This great victory gave everyone in the Alchemy Plane a shot in the arm and boosted their military morale.
At the same time, the "Dawn Group" also broke into everyone's field of vision.