In a castle on a high mountain, Geranen was teaching his two younger brothers the secrets of swordsmanship and fighting in the courtyard, when the housekeeper came over.
"Looking for me?"
Jie Lanen thought about what would happen. He put down the unbladed broad sword in his hand and let his two brothers practice by themselves. Then he took the towel handed by the servant to wipe the sweat and palms of his hands, and asked as he walked.
"I don't know." The butler shook his head, and he followed Gee Lann towards the study where the Duke was.
After turning around the long corridor in the castle and ascending the spiral staircase, with the two white lion knights bowing their heads and saluting, Geranen knocked on the door.
"Is it Jie Lann?" A slightly hoarse voice came from the room.
"It's me."
"Come in."
Jie Lanen opened the door and walked in. The butler poured tea for him, then carefully closed the door and left.
Sitting in front of the coffee table, Jie Lanen looked at his father.
Compared to Jie Lann, the old Duke already has a lot of gray hair, and his body also shows signs of aging.
Jie Lann is only about 30 years old now. In the eyes of the upper echelons of the empire, he is still a young man of the younger generation and not very mature. The old Duke is currently in his 70s.
This age is very old among ordinary people, but the practice of the extraordinary sequence has delayed the effects of aging, allowing the Duke to still maintain a certain amount of energy.
"What are you doing recently?" The old Duke asked about Gee Lann's current situation.
"Practice the Extraordinary Sequence, and in addition, according to your requirements, travel among the territories in the west to get to know and become familiar with the vassals."
"Yes." The old Duke leaned back in his chair, put his hands together, and closed his eyes slightly.
There was silence in the room for a while before the Griffin Duke continued to speak.
"What do you think of the current situation in the Western Region?"
"It looks prosperous on the surface, but people's hearts are wandering." Jie Lanen commented.
"How can I see it?"
"We have gained a certain amount of wealth by relying on the customs, Lanjian River, and other trade routes, which has made the territory much more prosperous than in the past."
"However, various changes are taking place within the empire today."
"After the reform in the central region, although it seems that there are constant disputes and conflicts, in fact, the strength under the water has increased significantly compared to the past."
"A large number of people from the north have moved into the central part, and various workshops and schools in the central part have also become prosperous. This will certainly bring shocks, but if it can slowly stabilize, the central part will still be the most powerful place in the empire.
It has the largest number of great nobles, the largest number of extraordinary beings, and the largest population."
"Looking at our Western Region, although we have gained wealth through trade, this wealth is not practical."
"Very good, very good." The old Duke slowly opened his eyes and looked at his son.
"Do you know why I said it's good?"
"It's not because you see the problems in the Western Territory. In fact, you will gradually realize these things. The real value is that you do not completely regard the empire and us as one."
"This is what I am most gratified about. I thought that an overly upright education in your early years would make you a noble knight obsessed with justice, but fortunately it didn't."
"The relationship between the Empire and us, or in other words, the relationship between the West and the rest of the Empire is very different."
"Other territories were conquered one by one by the empire during its expansion. The Emerald Forest was brought about by marriage. But we were integrated into the empire because of an alliance or agreement."
"For a long time, the mountain people in the Griffin Territory have been known for their bravery. It is close to the Sighing Mountains, there are many magic beasts, and there is little food-producing land in the territory, so there are frequent struggles."
"In some old storage rooms in the family, you may still see some decorations left by ancestors, such as huge deer head ornaments, dragon heads, dark cave lion furs, etc."
"In the past, when our ancestors received guests, they would invite them to view these ferocious and powerful trophies, which represented a kind of honor."
"But this traditional custom has slowly disappeared in the past two hundred years."
"Like the nobles in the central government, we wear gorgeous clothes, study poetry, appreciate art, explore the noble ways of chivalry, etc."
"In fact, I only gradually discovered and became aware of this change in recent years when I looked through the classics recorded at home."
"Although it's not a big deal, it can be seen that we are gradually forgetting many things in the past."
With that said, the old Griffin Duke stood up, moved his body slowly, and then looked out the window at the green mountains and canyons, where the figures of several Griffin knights passed through the distant forest.
"We are now very dependent on trade and obsessed with this kind of prosperity."
"The minerals and Warcraft materials in the mountains can be easily exchanged for food from the Central Region and Crancia. The people do not have to bear many taxes and can have leisure to practice extraordinary sequences or do other things."
"Such a situation is not bad at all, haha." He smiled, but his voice was a little dry.
"If our family is truly loyal to the imperial family, this will be a wonderful era. The new emperor is young and promising, and the empire is gradually getting better."
"But how could a lion who grew up in the wilderness be willing to squat in a low house?"
"The emperor is currently only implementing these new policies in the central part of the country, but as long as he slowly digests the internal conflicts and finds a stable system in the past few years, this system will soon be promoted throughout the empire."
"Isn't this bad?" Jie Lanen seemed puzzled.
"It's good for the empire, but not good for us." The old Duke turned around slowly.
"Where do you think our power comes from, land, population, force."
"When those workshops are slowly established, they will take them away and let us gradually decline."
"Those things are very dynamic and very powerful, but this kind of power makes me uneasy. It will no longer be under our control."
"You know, I'm even a little afraid of such a day coming. It's hard to imagine what kind of role and existence we nobles in the Western Mountains will become in such an era."
"At least it will no longer be an important role, and it will even become a marginal figure."
"It's very disturbing..." He seemed to be sighing, feeling that he was already old and unable to embrace this new world.
"but!"
After finishing his thoughts, the old Griffin Duke suddenly turned around and looked at Jie Lann with a fanatical look.
"We still have a chance, that is, to firmly hold this future chariot in our hands and make ourselves its master, and even everything!"
"Jie Lann, do you realize that our family is now standing at the fork of history."
"If we continue to sit back and watch everything happen, we will be like the necromancers of the Mercury Dynasty. They did nothing in the end and just sat back and watched the magic sequence gradually become stronger. At first, we thought it was a good thing and that there was new power in the dynasty. Until later
, nothing happened without them, and I was shocked to realize that everything was over."
"The weakening of the Necromancer Sequence led to a significant decline in the voice within the dynasty, and the gradually emerging magic sequence extraordinary people began to occupy positions of power, which ultimately led to the separation and disintegration of the dynasty."
Gu Shen
"When people grow up, even if you don't regress, you will gradually become weaker."
"The new emperor is not the friend and wise king that the great nobles think they are. Instead, he is the grave digger for all the nobles."
"Do you understand what I mean, Geralan? If we continue to sit back and watch, then everything about the Griffin family in the past will become an obsolete thing that no one cares about, just like the giant beast's head gathering dust in the storage room."
"So, should we follow the example of the new emperor and implement reforms in the western territory first, and grasp various lifebloods in advance?" Jie Lanen hesitated in his words.
"No, you should understand in your heart that this is not a long-term solution." The old Griffin Duke was dissatisfied that his son still refused to face reality.
Jie Lanen also knew that the mountainous environment in the west and the population were far less than those in the central part, so it would definitely not be able to develop the territory directly under the emperor.
"But, this..."
"No but, child, this may be the best opportunity, and you have also seen the 'revelation', haven't you." The old Griffin Duke's voice was low and full of temptation.
He sat in front of the large chair again, and at this time, a girl in a white dress slowly appeared in the room. She had snow-white hair, snow-white eyebrows, her eyes were slightly closed, and she slowly lowered,
He slowly wrapped his arms around the old Griffin Duke's neck.
"Yes, now is the best opportunity, and the ravens in the north will support us." The girl's voice was childish and ethereal.
Under the blessing of the witch's power, the aging Duke was covered with a faint white light, and the originally wrinkled skin began to become smooth, like smooth marble, making him feel as if he had returned to his youthful and strong days.
Looking at his father receiving the witch's blessing, Jie Lanen could only hold back the turbulent waves in his heart and slowly lowered his head.
"Imitate Her Highness Huaslin."
Blessed by the Holy White Stone, the white griffon flag stretched out again and conveyed its orders to all parts of the Western Territory. Groups of fully armed knights walked out of the mountain castle, and the griffins crossed the rolling mountains.
The flapping wings are noisy.
The army of the Kingdom of Griffin began to gather, and this time, they will once again show how proud and powerful these mountain people, whose ancestors have been brave enough to hunt giant beasts, are.
The third era, 1710, the season of autumn.
A war broke out within the empire again, and this time the leaders were no longer the low-level civilians, but a powerful coalition of nobles.
The Salius family, which had maintained its full strength during the Great Crusade and had a high reputation in the Western Territory, declared the current new emperor illegal in the name of the Duke of Griffin.
"The boy sitting on the throne is just a liar pretending to be of royal blood, and the loyal Griffin family will support the orthodox royal bloodline to ascend the throne in order to eliminate the treacherous ministers and corrupt officials around the king."
"The sacred tradition and glory of the empire cannot be shaken, and must not be allowed to fall into the hands of greedy and untrustworthy traders. This is the evil insect that destroys the empire."
In the name of bringing order to the chaos, Duke Griffon summoned the army from the west, contacted the remnants of the former Emmanck brothers, and many noble forces dissatisfied with the current new deal, and began to launch an expedition against the center of the empire.
The continuous gryphon flags covered the sky and the sun, and nearly 1.2 million troops began to gather, and this was only the strength of the Western Region. As the Raven Duke Trey family guarding the north, they also rarely participated this time, with nearly 60
The flags of Ten Thousand Gray Crows began to gather in the wind and snow.
Although many people in the north were confused or even confused about such an order, they still began to prepare for war under Duke Raven's order and prepared to seize the food-producing lands in the south as soon as possible.
Facing the Griffin Duke who started the war and denied the legality of his rule, the new emperor Elio also responded quickly. He immediately announced that the central provinces were in a state of preparation for war, and began to recruit a large number of soldiers and produce firearms and artillery. Under this, the original nobles and
Conflicts between chambers of commerce were quickly resolved.
Because the new emperor issued an order, the Chamber of Commerce also needs to form a guard to assist in the battle, and will also be rewarded based on merit and be granted a title.
The old nobles have long been accustomed to this method and have no objections. Many of their ancestors started their careers by virtue of their military exploits.
And businessmen with manpower and wealth finally found a way to climb the hierarchy and obtain titles. They also found a way to vent their accumulated complaints. They spontaneously armed themselves and joined the deployment of the empire. Many workshops that had been shut down began to restart.
Recruiting people, the number of homeless people on the streets also decreased rapidly.
Various workshops that produced goods began to rapidly change their uses under the active organization of the Chamber of Commerce. They converted the factories that made alchemy products into the production of armor and muskets, and the spinning factories also quickly manufactured tents, gauze, rainproof cloth, and military uniforms.
, boots, and a series of products.
In order to cope with the financial pressure, the imperial center began to issue war bonds. As long as you buy them, you will be repaid with generous interest and principal a few years later.
While the central region was actively preparing for war, the new emperor's envoy also came to the southern region.
In the huge hall that looks like a garland, members of the "Drywood" in neat clothes sit on ring seats. On the sides of their collars, they all have uniform badges of white flowers, which means that they are members of the "Drywood"
identity.
In the center of the layers of white and green garlands is the smallest semicircle, in which sit six high-ranking members, who will be the leaders of this meeting.
"To sum up, Duke Griffin has now summoned a large army and begun to declare war on the new emperor. His purpose is very obvious, which is to overthrow the rule of the new emperor and support another royal descendant who is easy to control to ascend the throne." During the meeting, one person
A mid-level committee member was making a report.
"What do you think of the new emperor's request for help? I will not express my position for the time being. I will make a decision after detailed thinking and decision-making."
Subsequently, each member of the meeting began to express their own views and opinions. Some of them argued and argued with each other, and analyzed the pros and cons of each other.
"The empire's system is fundamentally different from ours, and we have no reason to maintain such a backward or even unfair system."
"However, if the new emperor is allowed to be overthrown, we will have to face a huge integrated empire in the future, and the pressure can be imagined. Don't forget how the powerful Oz was defeated by the empire.
And it just so happens that the land under our feet once belonged to the land of Oz."
"I agree with the organization's decision to participate in the intervention, but I do not agree to assist the new emperor in the form of support." At this time, a member wearing glasses stood up.
"First of all, our organizational belief is to establish an equal, enlightened, and just country. If we help protect the imperial family, what is the difference between that and betraying our own beliefs? In the end, am I still the same as those nobles who pay attention to interests."
"Help must be conditional, and that is for the new emperor to accept the organization's ideas and systems. Only then can there be a reason to send troops."
"However, it is impossible for the other party to agree to such conditions." Other members also bluntly said that this would simply make the emperor commit suicide.
"Yes, but we have shown our sincerity. If they don't agree, that is their business. Rather than saving a decadent empire, it is better to wipe them out together when they both lose, and present a clean world."
"This is crazy. The South cannot afford such a huge war now."
For a while, there were many different opinions, until the sound of ringing the bell rang, and the conference hall became quiet again.
"Now I would like to invite Mr. Jia Lan to speak." Everyone in the hall focused their attention on the green-haired girl in the center. This girl who looks like 16-17 years old can be said to be the soul of the 'Fairy Wood' organization. An object that members follow and even believe in.
"We will support the emperor in the middle of the empire." Lorraine Hill first expressed his point of view.
"But they will not send troops there, they will only transport the supplies they need. This is based on the friendship between the two countries, because in the early days of the organization, it was indeed because of the new emperor's edict that many bloodshed scenes were avoided."
Lorraine Hill's words were clearly heard in the hall. The voice was sweet and soft, often making people addicted. The clarity of the words made many members nod secretly.
"The reason for not sending troops there is just as the previous members said. We cannot let our soldiers die for such a thing, because it goes against the beliefs of the organization."
…
After Lorraine Hill finished speaking, there was warm applause in the hall, and then the resolution was quickly passed. Many old weapons accumulated in the southern border, such as captured armor of different specifications, muskets, etc., began to be transported to the central part of the empire.
After the "Drywood" gradually improved its armaments and produced unified weapons, these things left over from the past were of little use, and it would not hurt to give them away.
However, for the central part of the empire, which currently needs a large amount of weapons, this is indeed a much-needed material.
After weapons and armaments began to be transported to the central part, some food was gradually loaded onto trucks and transported to the central part of the empire to support the new emperor in resisting the coalition forces of gryphons and ravens.
Because of this civil war, the entire empire began to be divided into three parts. One was the coalition of griffons and ravens, the other was the new emperor and his allies in the middle of the empire, the 'Drairy' organization in the south, and the third was the Emeralds. The elves of the forest and the nobles of the Eastern Region with elven blood.
Among them, the offensive of the Griffin and Raven coalition was in full swing, and various provinces and cities in the central part of the empire began to fall into war. At the same time, the southern border was actively preparing for war, starting to build fortifications, training troops to deal with possible crises, and supporting the empire with materials. middle part.
However, even if such a fierce war broke out, the East Territory and the Emerald Forest remained peaceful and remained neutral.
The Duke of Unicorn and the Landsworth family stated that they would not participate in this war. They recognized that the actions of both parties were reasonable and legal. It seemed that whoever became emperor had nothing to do with them.
Anyway, the empire has abandoned the elves, right? It is no longer a green empire, but a crimson empire.