248 – Morrince 2,867th
About 10 kilometers opposite of the vast temple complex lied a luxurious and magnificent palace with a 50-meter-tall city wall.
The palace was enchanted with countless blessings from gods and all kinds of powerful, permanent divine spells.
In the palace, poison, magic, or other means of control would be easily purified by the powerful, permanent spells left by the gods.
In the history of the Morrince Empire, there had never been an emperor to be poisoned to death or have their spirit controlled by powerful Wizards.
In some principalities, occasionally, stories of their rulers being controlled by powerful Wizards or darkness life forms would circulate.
Inside the reception hall of the palace.
Wearing a crown and dressed in an imperial robe, a burly, rather handsome old man with slightly puffy eyes sat on the throne and exuded the dignity of a person of authority as well as the aura of decadence. This old man was Morrince 2,867th, the emperor of the Morrince Empire.
The Morrince Empire was a human empire established after the battle of gods. Under the protection of gods of the Zaliah divine system, even though this ancient and vast empire declined and experienced countless rebellions, upheavals, coups, and divisions, but it still persisted until the current era.
So long as the gods of the Zaliah divine system didn’t abandon the Morrince Empire, and so long as they weren’t defeated or suppressed by other powerful beings, the Morrince Empire would never be completely destroyed. In there lied the difference between states with and without the protection of gods.
Without anyone suppressing the gods of the Zaliah divine system, any force threatening the continuation of the Morrince Empire would be eventually destroyed by the gods. Yang Feng, very astutely, quit when he was ahead, and took his troops back to the Miracle City.
An official walked towards the center of the hall and said loudly: “Your Majesty, we received a report from Governor Bousso of Molinson Province!”
Morrince 2,867th’s spirit was slightly stirred and he said in a slightly aged voice: “Read it out loud!”
The official read slowly: “Yes! Your servant Bousso led 2,000 cavalrymen, caught up with the troops of Master Ian in the Red Earth City, and fought a bitter battle. Your subordinate suffered 18 sword wounds and eventually killed over 7,000 people, crushing the troops of Master Ian. The Red Earth City was recaptured in one fell swoop! At last, the territory of the Molinson Province was recovered in its entirety.”
The eyes of the ministers of the Morrince Empire standing on both sides of the hall flickered with a peculiar glint.
The well-informed ministers of the Morrince Empire, via their intelligence networks, long since knew that Bousso fled before Yang Feng’s forces arrived at the Barroman City, leaving the city for Yang Feng to loot.
Subsequently, as if he received help from the gods, Bousso defeated Yang Feng’s troops again and again. This was his 44th report. According to Bousso’s reports, he already killed more than 200,000 people of the Miracle City.
Morrince 2,867th said with a faint smile: “Bousso refuses to give up in the face of adversity. Despite repeated setbacks, he ultimately ambushed Ian’s forces and dealt them a heavy blow by relying on 2,000 cavalrymen. He really is a pillar of the Morrince Empire.”
“As Your Majesty has said, Governor Bousso is a good example to learn from.”
“Governor Bousso, calm in the face of danger, took the initiative to abandon the Barroman City to the arrogant Ian. Then, seized an opportunity to sneak attack the Barroman City and defeat the forces of the Devil Ian, defeating the Devil Ian 44 times in succession. His ability to command troops is unparalleled! He’s indeed a pillar of the Morrince Empire, so Your Majesty has to reward him heavily.”
“…”
As if they witnessed it firsthand, the officials siding with Bousso’s family spoke righteously, loudly praising Bousso’s achievements and distorting the truth deliberately. It was incredible.
In the court, everyone turned a deaf ear, and no one stood out to expose the big lie.
Casimiro, the prime minister of the Morrince Empire, stood in his place like a statue without saying a word.
Morrince 2,867th said faintly: “Good! Bousso did indeed render a great contribution this time. However, he also lost a large chunk of territory before. His merits and demerits offset each other, so let him continue to be the governor of the Molinson Province.”
“Your Majesty is wise!” Said numerous ministers of the court in unison deferentially.
An official stepped out and said respectfully: “Your Majesty, after defeating the Devil Ian in the Red Earth City with great skill, Governor Bousso reasoned with the Devil Ian and finally persuaded him to agree to attach his territory to the Morrince Empire. This is a letter from the Devil Ian, please take a look, Your Majesty.”
Morrince 2,867th’s eyes lit up and he said solemnly: “The Devil Ian is willing to attach his territory! Present the letter!”
The official handed Morrince 2,867th the letter respectfully.
The letter was specially made for Yang Feng by Bousso. It contained a lot of humble words and indicated that the Devil Ian was inspired by the character of the mighty Morrince 2,867th. Finally, he was persuaded by Bousso to choose to join the Morrince Empire as an aristocrat.
Morrince 2,867th’s face looked flushed and he sighed in praise: “Good! Good!! Good!! This Ian is sensible indeed! Ha-ha, the territory of the Morrince Empire was expanded under my rule. With this achievement, I’ve surpassed numerous ancestors of mine. Ha-ha!! Ian and Bousso have both done well. I’m going to reward them handsomely!!!”
Morrince 2,867th had whatever he wanted ever since he succeeded the throne. His only regret was that he wasn’t able to render achievements that surpassed those of his ancestors.
Now that the Miracle City had chosen to be attached, the territory of the Morrince Empire increased by a fraction. Hence forth, Morrince 2,867th would become one of the most accomplished emperors of the over 2,000 emperors of the Morrince Empire, which was enough for him to show off before his ancestors and descendants.
The official continued, proposing: “Your Majesty, Governor Bousso believes that Master Ian has made a great contribution by attaching the Miracle City and should be conferred the title of duke as reward for his contribution. As for the fief, the Red Earth Wasteland can be his fief. Anyway, the Red Earth Wasteland isn’t part of the Morrince Empire. With his Miracle City as a barrier, it could resist the military pressure from the Red Earth Wasteland brought to us by the beastman empire, elven empire, and the Titan Empire.”
If Yang Feng’s embodiment of Ian really was conferred the title of duke in one fell swoop, then Bousso’s family would gain another greater aristocrat political ally in the Morrince Empire, which would be of great benefit to them.
Morrince 2,867th’s face was flushed, and he was ready to promise the nomination: “Good! Good!”
Morrince 2,867th had heard about how barren the Red Earth Wasteland was, so he never cared about it.
The mobilization of the hunting fang corps was pushed in the court by the initiative of some greater aristocrats who coveted the wealth of Yang Feng’s Miracle City. So long as Yang Feng’s Miracle City was captured, those greater aristocrats could collude and swallow it.
Although the Morrince Empire was enormous, but the vast tracts of land already had their masters. The Miracle City, which had no background, was the best target to be swallowed. Even if the greater aristocrats swallowed this fat piece of meat, it wouldn’t cause too much backlash.
“No! Your Majesty, you mustn’t!” Just then, a tall, handsome middle-aged man with a trace of overbearing aura between his eyebrows stepped out, arrived at the the center of the hall, and shouted.
Morrince 2,867th’s face sank slightly and he said frigidly: “Isere, state your reason!”
“Your Majesty, the Devil Ian murdered 100,000 warriors of the hunting fang corps and 50,000 warriors of the silver sword corps. Simultaneous, he entered the Molinson Province, burned, killed, and pillaged, killing hundreds of thousands of people. We cannot let such a fiend join us.”
“According to the reports we got from Governor Bousso, he smashed the Devil Ian’s forces in one fell swoop at the Red Earth City. He is indeed a peerless general of the Morrince Empire. I think that we should have him lead troops to attack and capture the Miracle City in one fell swoop, and offer it to Your Majesty. That’s the best course of action!” Isere sneered at the officials affiliated with Governor Bousso and said.
The complexions of the many officials affiliated with Governor Bousso changed slightly. After all, they knew exactly how Bousso won. If Governor Bousso led troops into the Red Earth Wasteland, he would certainly reach a dead end.
Morrince 2,867th scanned the patriarch of the Orthux Family, of which Bousso was a member, with a glance and asked faintly: “Fabio, what do you think?”
Fabio said indifferently: “Your Majesty, the Red Earth Wasteland is easy to defend but difficult to attack, and it lacks water and food. If our forces attack, the consumption of water and provisions will be astronomical. Besides, the Molinson Province suffered a series of military disasters, so it’s very difficult to come up with the money to attack the Red Earth Wasteland.”
“But if the empire really wants for General Bousso to attack the Miracle City, then I believe that Governor Bousso will give his all to take the Red Earth Wasteland for the empire. Before that, however, I ask the empire to allocate 40 million gold coins for military expenditure. In addition, the empire still needs to allocate equipment for a 2,000-strong army, siege weapons, and a large amount of provisions. Otherwise, the preparations won’t be enough, and rushing into the Red Earth Wasteland would just repeat the defeat of the hunting fang corps.”
Morrince 2,867th frowned slightly and sank into his thoughts: “That’s so much money!”