Chapter Ninety-Six, The Longing of the Imperial Queen (Part 2)
Fists, slaps, curses, howls, fights, flying shoes and chairs, as well as Queen Pinna rolling her eyes and looking sad on the throne, all the above-mentioned elements together constitute a painting called "The Decline and Fall of an Empire" "The handed down painting of "", through the physical exchanges between the many characters in the picture, as well as the indescribable gloomy expression on the face of Queen Pinna, clearly shows the chaos, pessimism and disorganization of this declining empire.
"...We must not sit back and watch the despicable Headhunting Rabbit occupy Rendel City. Your Majesty should immediately send out the Knights of the Rose and the Imperial Guard to attack!"
"...It's ridiculous! The biggest crisis facing the country today is the rebellion of the Grasse Peninsula and the Imperial Navy! At this time, you want to instigate His Majesty to transfer the last elite reserve team from the imperial capital. Are you trying to lure a wolf into the house? You How much bribe did you receive from the traitor? ”
"...Shut up! Those are completely different things. When did I say that there is no need to attack the rebels on the Grasse Peninsula? Although the empire's territory is large, no piece of it is redundant. Whether it is orcs, barbarians or traitors, as long as they attempt to Anyone who invades the sacred territory of the empire must be punished in the same way! Moreover, my family has served the emperor for ten generations, and my loyalty to the empire and the royal family is absolutely unquestionable..."
"... Damn it! You old man, stop pretending to be a loyal minister! If you hadn't suggested to the late emperor to activate the time and space gate again to plunder the wealth of another world, the empire would not be in the current disaster. Look at the empire now What has it become? What about 'The empire is huge, but not a single piece is redundant'? It sounds better than it sounds! Why don't you declare war on the aliens in Arnus Hill?"
"...The aliens who illegally occupy the Arnus Hills are naturally the country's enemies and should be deported as soon as possible by declaring war..."
"...Enough! Old thing! Stop talking nonsense at the military meeting of the Senate! General Graf, the empire still has the ability to organize an expeditionary force and a corresponding transport fleet to cross the sea to suppress the invasion of Grasse Peninsula. Rebellion and seek the head of the traitor Gai Bol?”
"...I'm afraid it's very difficult. Before His Majesty ascended the throne, the Empire had already lost most of its excellent military ports, so the Imperial Navy had to park most of its ships in a few shaky enclaves on the Grasse Peninsula. Now, with the rebellion of Himist Lord Gable, the entire Grasse Peninsula has changed hands in an instant, and four-fifths of the Imperial Navy's warships have also rebelled or been captured...
With all due respect, what the Senate needs to discuss right now is how to strengthen coastal security to prevent the rebels on the Grasse Peninsula from using the captured warships to cross the sea to attack the imperial capital, instead of trying to recapture the Grasse Peninsula, because this is simply impossible. to things. The land route is no longer feasible, and if we take the sea route, the fleet carrying the expeditionary force will not be able to see the coastline at all, and will be sunk into the sea by enemy ships halfway! ”
"... Damn it, that traitor Gai Bol, who was originally just the owner of a territory like Himister, how could he sweep across the entire Grasse Peninsula in just ten days, leaving the empire with no time to react? Even the fleet We captured it before we even had time to go to sea!"
"...Gebol himself certainly doesn't have that ability, but who allowed him to give birth to a good son like a saint, Mr. Alpine? The local people simply worshiped the young man as if he were a god. How many freedoms did he have? The city-states elected Alpine as the supreme consul through referendum! Moreover, Gaipor had long planned and prepared for this rebellion, but the empire was beyond the reach of the Grasse Peninsula..."
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(For the original setting of "Fantasy Self-Defense Forces", for Alpine's reputation and image, please refer to Sakyamuni and Mito Huangmon.)
"...If you say that, the empire is destined to lose the Grasse Peninsula and cannot punish the traitor Gaibor? How disgusting!"
"...That's why I insisted on attacking the Headhunting Rabbit barbarians in Rendel City! We have already lost the Grasse Peninsula and most of the Imperial Navy. No matter what, we must win the battle quickly and save some face, otherwise the Empire will The princes from all directions are about to attack!”
"...Stupid! Even if you want to find someone to establish your authority and save face, you can't find a Headhunter Rabbit who has a close relationship with people from other worlds!"
"...Gods! Rather than dealing with the rebels and barbarians, the top priority is to save the collapsed finances as soon as possible! The last bit of reserves in the national treasury has bottomed out, and I don’t know where the military pay for next month will be! If you can’t If we get the money as soon as possible, even the remaining troops will mutiny!”
……
——The Imperial Senate under the rule of Queen Pinna is still in the same wonderful group fight as usual today...
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Seeing the imperial elders in front of her who were scolding and fighting each other and showing no grace at all, Queen Pinna couldn't help but feel dizzy.
——It seems that only five years have passed since the empire unified the continent and became invincible within the universe. Why did it suddenly turn into such a bad situation?
Suddenly, I recalled five years ago, when I was appointed as the Princess Regent by my father who was on a tour for the first time. I was sitting on this throne holding the scepter. The empire that had just unified the entire Falmat continent and had an unprecedented reputation was How dazzling and magnificent!
At that time, the barbarians were huddled in the wilderness as obediently as in the past, the farmers were cultivating the fields as usual, and the vassal states in all directions also fearfully declared themselves vassals and paid tribute. In the imperial capital, there was singing and dancing every day. The feasting continued... But today, everything has changed. All the prosperity and mighty hegemony of the past seemed like a dream that had long since disappeared without a trace.
Thinking of this, Queen Pinna's heart couldn't help but be filled with melancholy and anger. When the supreme imperial power was handed over to her hands, the empire was left with only a crumbling hollow skeleton, endless rebellions, and financial bankruptcy. The collapse of border defenses and the ruin of the economy , the shrinking territory, and a lot of idiots vying for power, are destroying the country step by step - she knows very well that at least a quarter of the elders are secretly colluding with foreign forces, and are always trying to connect her with them. The imperial throne sold for a good price. There are also some powerful senators and generals who are eager to peek at the throne themselves, or want to replace a more weak and incompetent member of the distant branch of the royal family to sit on the throne as a puppet.
Obviously, they are all sinners who deserve to be burned to death, but Queen Pinna has nothing to do about it. If she doesn't want to become a sinner, she must hold her nose and endure it, continue to deal with these heinous sinners, and watch them... They pull each other's hair, pull their beards, spit, smash chairs in front of them, and hypocritically give themselves all kinds of unbelievable "unheard advice" - otherwise the empire may fall apart in an instant!
Whenever she thought of all this, the luxurious throne inlaid with gold and silver under her butt made her feel extremely cold and extremely helpless.
Back to the topic, Her Majesty the Queen knew very well before the Senate’s military meeting that the Grasse Peninsula was destined to be lost. As early as when she first proclaimed herself emperor, the empire's power had only a few besieged port strongholds on the Grasse Peninsula. The land access to the hinterland of the empire was completely cut off, and there were people with ulterior motives all around. Princes and rebels. Even if the Imperial Navy is still in hand, organizing a sea-crossing expedition is still a military adventure with a low probability of success, not to mention that now even the main force of the fleet has been lost?
As for the Headhunting Rabbit tribe entrenched in Rendel City, they naturally had no choice but to let it go. Anyway, the imperial court had already lost control of the city before this, so it would be easy to change the owner now. Since the Rabbit Queen is still willing to request royal canonization, the imperial court should agree immediately, so that both parties can still save some face. Otherwise, if you tear your face regardless, on the one hand you verbally criticize and arouse the other party's anger; on the other hand, you are unable to mobilize troops to attack, then it is simply equivalent to seeking death on your own initiative to find enemies, and only making people laugh at the world.
Anyway, Queen Pinna had already made up her mind. No matter how much she was scolded, she could no longer use the only army she had. When she first ascended the throne, the empire's regular army had been almost completely destroyed. To this day, she is only the emperor The country's standing military force has returned to a scale of about 80,000 people, of which 50,000 are private soldiers of noble lords from various places or militia guards of autonomous cities. Food rations, military pay and equipment are basically all raised by local governments, and combat effectiveness I can only barely bully the people. More than 20,000 relatively combat-effective regular troops were organized into three field legions and several independent brigades. The remaining ones include a corps of guards and the Knights of the Rose as the royal guards, and there are also two naval fleets. This is All the troops under Queen Pinna's command were gone. And with the rebellion on the Grasse Peninsula, not only was the empire's territory already shrinking significantly, but it also lost another piece. Even the available soldiers under Queen Pinna will once again experience a significant wave of attrition.
Therefore, this small army is already her fundamental bargaining chip to maintain the survival of the empire and her own throne, and there is absolutely no room for any unnecessary losses. Even if you want to go into battle, you can't put it in a place where defeat is inevitable, or on a useless battlefield without oil and water.
Of course, preserving the army is very important, and maintaining reputation is also very important. Although Queen Pinna has done a lot of things like abandoning the country without fighting, she still hopes that a few loyal ministers will stand up and offer to give up. It is suggested that the country that fell into the country should bear some of the blame for her, otherwise it will become worse day by day. The added infamy and pressure still made her feel a little bit too much - unfortunately, the elders here did not seem to have much of this kind of consciousness of "not willing to defame you and share your worries", no matter how much Queen Pinna imposed It implies that they all turned a blind eye...
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All in all, after an extremely long and tedious discussion, as well as all kinds of sensational performances of crying, fighting, punching and kicking, the Imperial Senate finally came to basically the same conclusion regarding the major events discussed today. Then That is: put it on hold for now and discuss it later.
——Well, the so-called reconsideration basically means discussing again, studying again, discussing again, weighing again, comparing again, considering again, observing again, looking again, thinking again, and again. Wait... wait, wait, etc...
To put it in the simplest and most straightforward way, it means that no feasible countermeasures have been proposed, and we can only postpone them for now.
Looking at these so-called "loyal ministers" who refused to share any responsibility and reputation for themselves, Queen Pinna suddenly felt "tired".
Alas, it seems that they can no longer count on them for national affairs. Whether it is border defense or financial problems, they can only find ways to solve them themselves.
However, no matter how tired she was, she still had to move on to the next item on her schedule today: that was to receive the tour group from Earth.
——As the capital of the empire, although the city of Ula Bianca is quite dilapidated now, it was once the center of civilization on the entire continent. Even with repeated wars, the streets and alleys are still dotted with countless cultural monuments: temples, squares, triumphal arches, monuments, libraries, public baths, celebrity tombs... countless exquisite sculptures and murals, hidden among the lush green trees. , can be called an excellent cultural tourist attraction.
The Imperial Palace located on the Satile Hill, like the Forbidden City in Beijing, Buckingham Palace in London, the Palace of Versailles in Paris and the Kremlin in Moscow, has also become the starting point for various travel agencies on the earth that provide "fantasy and otherworldly tours". One of the important selling points is that almost every group of earth tourists who come to the imperial city of Urabianka must visit the palace on the Satile Hill.
Of course, even the earth tour groups that visit other worlds are divided into three, six or nine levels. Most ordinary earth tourists are only allowed to walk a few times along the stone road in the palace under the supervision of guards and palace maids, take a look at the few open unused palaces, and then rush to close the palace doors in the evening. leave. But occasionally there are platinum-level VIP luxury tour groups with extraordinary value. Not only can they be personally received and guided by Queen Pinna, but they can also have an alien version of a palace feast with the red-haired Queen in the palace. Finally, they can also enjoy Stay one night as a VIP...
——Of course, this extraordinary courtesy requires payment. For the sake of her own coffers being filled up, the Queen is so easy to talk to.
At this moment, Queen Pinna had just finished the Senate meeting when she saw a large number of tourists from Earth crowding outside the palace door. Among them were men and women, old and young, all wearing earthly clothes and uniform yellow peaked caps. Mr. Li Wenchang, the Chinese diplomatic consul resident in the imperial capital, held a small red flag in his hand and stood in front of the tourist queue, introducing something to them. The tourists had already raised their smartphones and cameras, and came to the awkward-looking guards and maids to take pictures.
At this moment, even if they saw the distinguished imperial elders coming out of the meeting, these earthly civilians without titles had no intention of giving way to the elders, let alone kneeling down to salute the elders. The several elders who were proud of their status were so angry that they puffed up their beards and glared, but they were helpless.
To be honest, Queen Pinna was not in a very happy mood when facing these Earthlings who were ignorant of etiquette. However, these wealthy visitors from Earth have been making outstanding contributions to filling the royal coffers. Moreover, Li Wenchang also claimed in previous secret talks that if these distinguished guests can return satisfied, the emergency loan interest rate begged by Queen Pingna can enjoy a discount - this is the only way for Queen Pingna to make up for the financial deficit in the short term... …So, in After a brief hesitation, the red-haired knight queen adjusted her mood as quickly as possible, put a perfect ceremonial smile on her face, opened her arms enthusiastically, and greeted these people who were said to be of extraordinary wealth. Earth Guest:
"...Dear guests from another world! Welcome to my palace..."
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The lanterns were lit at the beginning, the moon was bright and the stars were few, the evening breeze was blowing, and everything was silent.
The long table, which was littered with cups and plates just now, has now been cleaned up by the maids. The palace entertainers who performed music and acrobatics also took their rewards and dispersed. The two heavy bronze doors made a clicking sound and slammed shut bit by bit under the combined efforts of the female knights.
The royal dinner for the earth tour group had come to an end at this time. The satiated earth tourists, led by the lantern maid, went to the guest rooms of the palace to stay and rest. After a busy day, Queen Pinna finally reached the moment of rest.
——Yan Yan’s graceful demeanor and laughter in the banquet hall, as well as the exchange of money and verbal exchanges in communication, cannot hide the fatigue and melancholy that fills her heart. When she accompanied this tour group to visit the palace, she signed a trade with her by the way. Mr. Li Wenchang, the Chinese diplomatic consul of the agreement, bowed to her with a smile. After the last one left the banquet hall, his true emotions gradually returned to the young queen.
After taking off the heavy golden crown and purple robe, Queen Pinna, who had been busy for a day, could no longer care about her grace and manners. She collapsed directly on the soft bed and let the maids pull out her hairpin and hairpin in a daze. issue card, He let go of her long flaming red hair, and then helped her change into soft slippers and loose nightgown. Finally, she was supported by two powerful maids, and almost staggered into the bathroom. inside.
It wasn't until she soaked her tired body in hot water sprinkled with flower petals that the Queen, who had been stressed out for a day, truly felt relaxed physically and mentally.
On the inner wall of the bathroom, there is a mosaic of the portrait of her father, Emperor Morte: the strong muscles, the lips that always smile evilly, and the firm and deep eyes made Queen Pinna look a little dazed: her father Although Emperor Molt was ruthless and had an unfair position, he also spent his whole life fighting in the army, fighting in the north and south, pushing the empire's hegemony to the highest peak in history. He is worthy of being one of the greatest monarchs in the history of the empire. However, after her father died suddenly, her two brothers almost completely destroyed the empire in just over a year like idiots.
Time has passed, and the outcome is irreversible. The elusive and unpredictable fate finally made Princess Pinna, who was born in the side room, the winner of the battle for the throne, and also put the extremely heavy hope of reviving the empire in her heart. On her shoulders, she was exhausted and exhausted.
Despite this, she persevered in the end. Even though she was in dire straits for a while, and even though she was surrounded by dangers, she still persisted until now.
Moreover, according to some news that Princess Pinna heard, the bad luck that has lasted so far seems to be coming to an end, and the moment to change destiny is coming!
"...Father! Although I don't have your lofty ideals, your bravery, and your tactics and skills, I will still do my best to protect myself and try to keep everything you left behind. The empire will survive, and so will I..."
Looking at the mosaic of her father on the wall, Queen Pinna murmured to herself, "...I found out from the church of Handi, the god of the underworld, that from now on, it will be as short as two years or as long as three." In four years, the space-time gate on the Arnus Hill will close and disappear, and those tough and powerful aliens will The people of the world will also leave the Falmat continent forever. The beautiful cities and countless legacies they left behind will become the possessions of the empire. Once they get this huge wealth, the empire can easily get rid of it. Today's predicament has won the capital for another revival..."
Having said this, Queen Pinna couldn't help but stick out her tongue and lick her lips, her eyes shining brightly, "...At that time, I will move the imperial capital to the other world on Mount Arnus. If you go to the city, there is no city in the entire Falmat continent that is more beautiful than it..."
However, just as Queen Pinna was stretching her jade body, lying half in the steamy marble bath, looking forward to peacefully taking over the city of Arnus in the near future. Little did he know that at the same time, there was another ambitious woman who was also paying attention to the "heritage of aliens"...
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PS: After reading "The Rise of the Lord God" by Your Excellency Wenzhao Gong, I found that Xianxia novels can also play unlimited streams, and the results are quite good. So after repeated consideration, Lao Lao Wang changed his plan again. The new book "Attack on the Cats" will still be written as an unlimited stream, but a copy of Xianxia will be added. In this way, multiple ideas can be taken into account. By the way, you can imagine how the cultivators fight swords in a weightless spaceship, how to plant a paradise on an asteroid without an atmosphere, etc. - Imagine the weightless monks while The scene of dogs pawing in space and hitting each other on the head must be very fun.
Then, because in order to clearly introduce the ending of each character, the ending of "The Age of Time" became longer and longer. The promise of ending the book last week had to be postponed. I ask for your understanding, readers. After all, when I write a novel, I always want it to start well and end well. Being forced to be a eunuch once was painful enough. Please continue to support Lao Laowang and finish writing the book "The Great Time Travel Era", thank you. Finally, I would like to recommend Brother Half Frog’s new book "The Fruity Flavor of the God", which is also an imaginative and infinite flow story.