novelraw #218 - Section 218
#218 - Section 218
The Naga of the Eternal Night World are not a native race, but a group of elves who studied fallen magic.
Because of their audacity, they caused great damage to the Elven Empire, and were eventually punished by the God of Nature and driven into the sea. In order to survive, they sought the protection of the Sea God and gradually adapted to the marine environment, becoming what they are now.
In terms of time span, the speed of this appearance change is very un-Darwinian.
Slender and graceful pointed-ear elves are quite different from the Naga, who have huge snake tails, strong bodies, and often have aberrant multiple limbs.
However, in terms of appearance and figure alone, the Naga still have many handsome men and beautiful women, and they also inherited the tradition of the matrilineal clan. The highest leader of the race is the Empress, and the highest leader of the church is the Saintess.
The rise of the Naga Empire is inseparable from the wise and ambitious Empresses of each generation. They have never forgotten the hatred of being driven into the ocean, and they want to occupy the four seas and then take revenge on the surface elves.
Well, with the same thoughts, the dark elves of the Underdark also have them. They are one of the most core sources of believers of the Goddess of War, and they directly to pluck/pull out took the wool from the God of Nature back then.
This is also why Or瑟雅 and 泰贝拉 hold grudges, every time the wool is taken from themselves, and they are anxious to be taken...
Therefore, Nicole received the oracle of the Sea God to seize a brand new landing point, which is also the Naga Empress's long-cherished wish, and gave the greatest support.
The first wave of equipment in the Terra Kingdom was a mutual assistance agreement between the Sea God and the Goddess of War, and the second wave was purchased by the Naga Empress with heavy money.
As a result, the front was a series of victories, and suddenly news of a disastrous defeat came. Marshal Cromwell was forced to commit suicide. The main force of the expeditionary army retreated two hundred miles. The Naga Empress directly published at the court meeting.
The battle report was written by Nicole, who now actually controls the supreme command of the expeditionary army. She clearly pointed out that the first reason for this failure was the sudden participation of the Blue Vine Empire, and the second was inseparable from the arrogance and slackness of the military.
Faced with such accusations, the military had nothing to defend themselves. The Crown Prince of the Sea Country, known for his cowardice, suddenly led the army. The commander should never take it for granted, but should be keenly aware of every detail and never let go of any enemy's unusual movements.
Cromwell committed suicide by poisoning himself, not to be subjected to Sea Country humiliated, but also because he was ashamed of the Naga Empress's trust, and his life's reputation was ruined.
After the battle report, Nicole proposed to actively prepare for the next round of offensive, and the demand for the rear was naturally - to want soldiers and money.
"My dear ministers, you can start discussing the needs of Her Saintess," the Naga Empress said after venting her anger, irritably pinching her fingers, letting her trusted civil and military generals begin to discuss the next round of offensive.
As mentioned earlier, the Naga Empire's territory, population, and real national power are far inferior to those of the Mermaid Sea Country.
It's just that the mermaid territory has been enfeoffed out for too long, and there are countless affiliated races. Over the years, their loyalty to the Sea Emperor's lineage has been almost worn away.
The Naga Empire has repeatedly invaded, and the support those territories and affiliated races have given to the royal family has been quite limited. Except for a few families that have been won over by marriage and blood, the others have symbolically taken out some money and food, and are too lazy to care.
Most of them have a mentality similar to that of the previous Shark.
Anyway, the Sea Country has a big family and a big business, and the war will not burn on their own heads. As long as they fight casually and don't let the Naga attack their own faces, only fools will spend money and effort!
The days at the bottom of the sea are too comfortable. The sea people can easily eat their fill, and there is no shortage of various species. When the nobles lose their aggressive and enterprising hearts, that posture is really quite hateful.
In contrast, the Naga Empire is much more vigorous. They don't have the dream of returning to land. Every battle is with the determination to bite off a piece of the Sea Country's meat. In the past few hundred years, talents have emerged in large numbers, which has achieved a suppression on the Sea Country's situation.
But in fact, years of war, although there is feedback from the Sea God Church, and Saintess Nicole is also working hard to develop new cities, the side effects of the Naga Empire's internal militarism are:
The population of the main ethnic group has hardly increased, taxes are too heavy, the people are actually quite resentful, and the source of soldiers replenishment is quite difficult...
The dividends of harvesting those territories actually requires population to fill.
However, the Naga are evolved from long-lived species like elves, and the side effect is that their reproduction ability is low and their growth cycle is quite long.
If it weren't for the fact that both men and women of the Naga clan produce warriors and mages, there would have been a gender imbalance problem.
The newly occupied population is actually filled with affiliated races, and in order to reassure those races, the Naga are not good at collecting too high tax burden. In fact, the main ethnic group has been losing out these years, and many voices against the war have been born internally.
This time, the expedition, the Naga Empress has already spared no expense, and cooperated with the church to overcome doubts to organize such a force.
If a permanent landing point can be opened, the Empress also promised them to prepare to pause the pace of the war and start recuperating.
In addition, with the equipment supported and purchased by the Terra Kingdom, the combat power of the army has been greatly improved, and the expeditionary force was finally formed.
As a result, before the final strategic goal was achieved, such a serious defeat suddenly occurred. Many officials who were already anti-war stood up at this time to criticize Her Majesty.
At this moment, the only ones who truly insist on carrying out the battle to the end are the military and the church.
The military big shots have too many comrades-in-arms of Cromwell, and they want to avenge Cromwell; the church naturally wants to complete the oracle of the Sea God.
The pro-war and anti-war factions quarreled endlessly, and the Naga Empress also took this time to sort out her thoughts, patting the Dragon Throne to let them quiet down.
" I, the emperor hope to persist in fighting. Seizing the landing point is our dream for who knows how many years. But the power of the Blue Vine Empire cannot be ignored. Who can give I, the emperor a clear number of how many troops need to be supplemented to ensure victory in this battle?"
Her sharp gaze swept over everyone present, hoping that they could give her a definite answer, with no deception.
But whether it was civil officials or military generals, they all lowered their heads under her gaze.
Who would dare to give a definite answer to this question? This is to take responsibility.
A strange silence was presented in the hall, but the Naga Empress did not show an unexpected expression, but instead showed a relieved smile.
Dreams are dreams after all, and the Naga Empire must continue. Although it is a pity to fail at the last moment, they have also bitten off enough territory from the Sea Country. Next, they will operate well, and next time they can launch a more powerful expeditionary force.
"If all ministers cannot answer, then I, the emperor think that this expedition should end here. Next, defend the land that has already been occupied to prevent the counterattack of the Sea Country..."
At this moment, the guard outside the hall knelt down in front of the Naga Empress and said loudly: "Report! Her Saintess requests an audience, saying that there is urgent military intelligence to discuss with Your Majesty."
As Nicole entered the hall, she explained the power of the two new equipment, Hydrangea Mushroom and Tyrant Mushroom, and persuaded that this is certain victory that can be bought with money. The Naga's pro-war faction boiled.
The Naga Empress, who had just taken control of the situation, found that she had completely lost control of the situation. The vast majority of officials were fanatically requesting a battle.
"All ministers, we simply cannot pay the quotation for these equipment," the Naga Empress roared to stop everyone.
"The Terra Kingdom can provide low-interest loans," Nicole said with a smile.
"Your Majesty, let's fight. As long as we win, we can own the ocean!"
The civil officials and military generals all knelt down, and the voice of the peace faction had been completely drowned out. Even the Empress could not violate the wishes of her supporters.
Stimulated by the powerful equipment, the Naga Empire finally decided to stake everything.
Rather loan, but also bet to fight for honor.
Anyway, as long as you win, you can recoup the costs... right?
Chapter 195: Little Joey's Growth
City of Arcana, Hall of Stars.
It is also the headquarters of the Night Watch.
The part of this wonder-class building above the volcano is bound by the Altar of the Oath of Honor. The empire's confer of new nobles must take an oath here and leave a soul imprint.
Now the empire's nobles only have honorary titles, and the difficulty of obtaining them is actually much lower than in the past.
At present, developing more new nobles is an effective means of increasing the empire's cohesion, and of winning over a progressive and loyal elite class.
Regardless of origin, administrative officials, researchers, and business managers who have made sufficient contributions may be awarded noble titles.
Of course, there are also 3% of those who are qualified who are unwilling to accept this soul-level contract and voluntarily give up.
In more than a year, after the first batch of thousands of nobles who took the Oath of Honor, the number of new nobles conferred in the Hall of Stars has increased, and the total number has exceeded 30,000.
Among them, the largest proportion is research and development personnel who provide key technologies for the empire's industrial revolution, followed by administrative officials of the empire's government, and then military generals.
The Oath of Honor helps the empire's government the most. Whether they are of commoner origin or from the past noble class, they are gradually becoming the backbone of planning the future of this empire.
Self-moral restraint is created with Angelina as the prototype, and there are no restrictions on private life during rest time.
But all decisions at work are based on the empire's interests first.
Such subtle and gradually deepening influence brings the empire's overall historically clear and honest degree to the highest in history, and illegal behavior by officials under the supervision of the Night Watch is becoming less and less, and the overall administrative execution efficiency is also gradually improving.
In any era, the management of a vast empire is extremely complex. The life and work, birth, old age, sickness and death of hundreds of millions of people, and the establishment of a better life involve the distribution of interests that cannot be balanced.
As territory and population increase, management costs will also rise sharply.
People's joys and sorrows are not the same, and as more and more things are encountered, it is impossible to be completely fair in every allocation, and over time, group together, factions, cliques, and various isms will be generated.
The combat effectiveness of a hundred people added together is usually far less than the sum of their combat effectiveness. This is internal friction and wrangling.
Such disagreements will be even more serious because of the interests of a hundred officials.
However, under the influence of the Oath of Honor, everyone will still have disagreements on specific issues, but the fundamental purpose is to build a stronger and better country that benefits the vast majority of the empire.
Therefore, these disagreements have a limit. The starting point is not for private gain, and it does not rise to the level of life and death. In the end, a balanced result can always be collided out.
With the help of magic, most of the empire's officials have reached a kind of subconscious unity. The staff in this system will feel deeply happy because the country is getting better.
Ordinary common people are also re-recognizing the empire's current officials. With the improvement of living standards, the reputation of the new nobles is constantly rising.
People and nobles are no longer two irreconcilable classes.
The empire's people have developed obedience over the past ten thousand years. In fact, they only need a slightly better life than in the past, and when light shines into their lives and they can see a glimmer of hope, they will be grateful.
The current nobles, merchants, magicians, and the emerging bourgeoisie will still have a living environment far beyond that of ordinary people.
However, their demands from the bottom layer is ultimately caged, and the social operation of the entire empire is draped in the 외衣(외衣: cloak) of civilization and the rule of law.
Or it can be said that because the empire's development speed is too fast, there are countless fields that can be developed, and the total value of industrial and agricultural production is growing crazily. It is easier to establish a new industry than to steal food from the people.
Under the management of the Empress, the people can also enjoy this benefit and feel the improvement in the quality of life.
Her Majesty did not shout slogans aimlessly, but is truly practicing the initial advocated policy.
In this environment, some people contribute more and enjoy better, and ordinary people can accept it.
Because bloodline is no longer a restriction, ordinary people also have the opportunity to become new nobles through their own efforts, and education is being popularized to every corner of the empire.
Compared with the traditional landed gentry who used to oppress the people, the current empire's nobles and officials are as kind as the heroes who used to only appear in the mouths of bards.
The people take a step back, the nobles take a step back, and after the empire abolished the enfeoffment system, the kind of chaos expected by the great powers has never appeared.
The new nobles and officials have also gradually felt the convenience brought to them by the Oath of Honor.
This oath is a restraint, but it also makes the Empress believe in their loyalty.
The administrative officials and generals who are new nobles, the empire government can rest assured that they will serve in a key position for a long time, which is conducive to the continuity of policies and the long-term planning of new provinces and new cities.
In this way, it can avoid obsession with performance and build the empire's cities in a stereotyped manner according to the "most utilitarian plan".
Instead, there are officials who truly understand the situation of a place, explore its potential, and carefully make a ten-year or hundred-year development strategy to avoid short-sighted situations.
Ordinary regimes usually avoid this situation where administrative officials govern a place for a long time, because the resulting entrenched superior-subordinate relationships can be terrible.
Lightly, corruption is serious, and heavily, it is warlord separatism, the decline of central power, the emergence of the crisis of military commissioners in some dynasties, or the central power that was hard-won, and gradually degenerates back to the state within a state of the enfeoffment era...
But now the Oath of Honor has reduced this possibility to the lowest level. Aodu also has the Eternal Night Empress, a strategic-level weapon, sitting in town. Anyone who dares to have dissent in the current empire must be very foolish.
The underground part of the Hall of Stars volcano is the residence of the Night Watch. The deeper down, the more core and important the department.
On the forty-ninth floor underground, opposite the commander's office is the office of the deputy commander, Little Joey Barton. Every day, Gold Sleeves and Silver Sleeves are busy running around, requesting instructions on the specific operation of the Night Watch.
As Little Joey gave up his work at Drinking Ice Manor and wholeheartedly managed the Night Watch, he became more and more familiar with the overall business line here, and was able to independently handle all the daily business.
Roger hadn't been to the Night Watch's headquarters for three months. He now only controlled the Night Watch's overall policy, while the specific operations, training, and development were handled flawlessly by Little Joey.
As the largest intelligence agency within the Empire, the Night Watch guarded against spies from the great powers infiltrating the Empire, assessed administrative officials, and managed the conferment of new and old nobles.
Although the work was extensive and fragmented, the responsibilities were basically fixed, and the gold sleeves of each business line had grown up, Little Joey's workload became less and less.
The internal situation of the Empire was good, still in a stage of recuperation. The Night Watch was a special agency only responsible for supervision and not for specific development responsibilities, so their most important task at present was to improve their business capabilities, train and select new members.
In other words, there was really nothing else to do, and the funds were too much to spend, so they could only try to spend them all.
Improve combat effectiveness, expand the team, support some idlers, so that they won't be caught off guard when the war starts again...?
Maybe?
Little Joey sometimes felt that she was too relaxed as the deputy commander.
But looking at a certain more relaxed commander, she would immediately forgive herself.
Slacking off can only show that the empire is thriving, isn't it?
The only drawback was that there was more boring time, the days were very difficult, and the longing and attachment to her lover would always quietly emerge.
However, Roger obviously had much more work than her, and the things he had to think about and plan exceeded the scope of her understanding.
At this time, Little Joey's choice could only be to improve herself and train her combat skills.
If there's any trouble that a stimulating round of 'Dimensional Survival' can't solve, then have another round!
Of course, Little Joey was not playing the civilian version in the Fearless Space. The Night Watch and the military were logging into the internal version.
The engine was basically the Endless Tower set designed by the Eternal Night Empress, modeling characters with personal real data, equipment and combat experience as realistic as possible, and 100% pain.
The combat mode was not only the classic battle royale, but also could customize the battlefield and restore many classic battles of the Empire.
You can go to be a commander of 'how do we win without the Empress', or you can think about 'how do we turn over when the opposite side has the Empress'.
Well, after playing too many series of classic battles of the Empire, it is habitual to regard whether there is an Eternal Night Empress as two game difficulties...
In addition, there was also a battle mode. The Night Watch and the City Defense Army often made appointments here, or played cat and mouse games with sparrows.
In general, this was a combat exercise space where everything was the same as the real world except that death could be resurrected.