Imperial Crown.

Chapter 361: The Thief Who Stole the Country
Gatugen, the prime minister in his prime, showed an unconcealable fatigue and old age.

Wanda, Fowler, and Frank are all young nobles from the Gatugen faction.

But now they died one after another at the hands of Raven.

If Wanda's death was worthy and Fowler's death was valuable, then Frank's death was meaningless.

No, it's even more humiliating.

Gatugen knew what kind of person Frank was, so when Frank was charged with "treason" and presented with evidence, he rarely disregarded the face of Grand Duke Eivor VIII and argued with him.

But seeing the cabinet ministers who were cowering like frightened groundhogs, and thinking of the precarious situation of the principality, Gatugan had to endure it all and looked up at Eivor VIII:
"Your Highness, whether Frank betrayed you is not the point."

"The point is, how do we deal with Raven!"

Eivor VIII asked in return: "What do you think, Prime Minister?"

Seeing a hint of frivolity in Eivor VIII's eyes, Gatugan suppressed his anger:

"Your Highness, as the ruler of a country, you must have a long-term vision."

Eivor VIII's face turned cold.

He certainly knew what Gatugen was talking about.

In war we cannot only consider victory, we also have to consider failure.

In fact, they had already made a plan in case Bolan City fell.

This plan has more room to play after receiving a new round of information.

There are two main pieces of news.

The first one was sent by the Kingdom of Fitun, hoping that Eivor would grit his teeth and hold on to Raven. As long as the Blue Castle was not lost, the Kingdom of Fitun would continue to exert diplomatic pressure on Keynes in the name of the Federation, forcing them to withdraw their troops.

The second is Insa's outstanding performance on the battlefield. He directly marched to the province directly under the jurisdiction of the Keynes Empire, and his sword was approaching the heart of the Keynes Empire.

Combining these two points, the response measures become very clear.

By mobilizing the national military and stationing them in Blue Castle, as long as they can hold out for more than a year, the Keynesian Empire will not be able to withstand the bleeding on two fronts and will surrender diplomatically sooner or later.

Raven's army will retreat without a fight.

"So, Your Highness, in my opinion, why don't we start from two sides?" Gatugen said calmly: "First, contact Raven for peace talks. Give him some insignificant benefits to hold him back, and then talk slowly."

"On the other hand, we can follow the existing plan and mobilize the national army to gather in Blue Castle. On the one hand, this will put more pressure on Raven in diplomacy. On the other hand, we can also use this time to integrate and train the army to avoid the tragedy in Bolan City from happening again."

Da da da.

Eivor VIII tapped his long nails on the armrest of the high-backed chair, his face as tight as a drum: "Okay, very good, Prime Minister."

"But I have a question."

"How many years has the Principality of Eivor been established?"

Without hesitation, Gatugen replied: "573 years."

"573 years... that's nearly 600 years!" Eivor VIII's voice was heavier than ever before: "A principality with 600 years of history is negotiating with a mere baron. It's simply laughable!"

"Haven't you seen Raven's arrogant attitude?"

"Talk? What to talk about with him?"

"You want me to give up half of the principality?!"

"Are you afraid that this thief who stole the country is not arrogant enough?!"

Gatugan wanted to say something else, but Eivor VIII didn't give him a chance:
"If we mobilize the entire nation's army, what will happen to the local territories? What's the point of doing this, other than letting Raven and Fitton see our weakness!?"

"Open your eyes and take a look, Gatugen. You have governed the principality for 20 years, but now it has fallen to this state!"

"If you still cling to the same old ideas, you should stop being the Prime Minister!"

“The strategy was re-formulated with the focus on post-war economic recovery.”

"Raven, I'll figure it out myself!"

After saying this, Eivor VIII stood up and strode out of the hall.

The whole hall was silent.

"Alas..." Gatugen sighed, as if he had aged ten years in an instant.

And Eivor VIII's steps are particularly brisk.

This was the first time that he had the advantage in a cabinet meeting to criticize Gatugen from a superior position.

Thanks to Quentin, Frank, the traitor, was found out and the anger in his heart was relieved.

cool!

Moreover, Eivor VIII knew very well that even though Gatugen was scolded by him, given his temper, he still had to do his job and had no intention of giving up.

In such a good mood, Eivor VIII felt as light as a swallow and drank two cups of Angel's Tears in a row.

After getting drunk, he had sex with a fair-skinned court eunuch, but still not satisfied, he went all the way to the bedroom of Grand Duchess Cuiqi.

This shocked the maid who was guarding the door.

His Royal Highness the Grand Duke seldom comes here.

But before he could go in and report, Eivor VIII simply broke open the door.

Cui Qi changed her previous style of wearing heavy makeup and looking like a street dancer.

She was wearing a plain, even somewhat dull gray and white dress, with her hair casually draped over her shoulders. She was quietly reading a book.

Seeing Eivor VIII coming, Cui Qi was shocked and even forgot to hide the expression on her face.

But she doesn't need to hide it.

Eivor VIII didn't care about Twilight's expression at all, his attention was all attracted by her clothes.

This was the first time that Eivor VIII began to waver in his own aesthetic taste.

Because he found that even without wearing the clothes he had carefully designed, Cuiqi was still so bright and charming.

It was as if they had returned to the scene 20 years ago when they first met in their youth.

Cui Qi seems to have not changed at all compared to that time.

"Ho..."

A mixed sound came out of his throat, and Eivor VIII walked up to Tracy and reached his hand into her clothes.

However, Cui Qi, who had never refused him, suddenly stood up, dodged his clutches, and asked casually:

"Your Highness, I heard that you had an argument with the Prime Minister?"

If it were in the past, Eivor VIII would definitely be very angry at Twilight's attempt to "interfere in political affairs", but now he was in a good mood, so he naturally ignored it and sat in Twilight's previous position:

"Yeah, I scolded that old guy severely, and it felt really good!"

"Oh, there's one thing I almost forgot."

"Do you still have the contact information for the teacher you mentioned before, Quilly?"

Cui Qi didn't understand why Eivor VIII suddenly mentioned her. She was a little nervous, so she was ambiguous: "Because you said that I am not allowed to contact you privately..."

"So you destroyed the contact information!?" Eivor VIII was shocked.

"No, I stayed on my own initiative..." Twilight looked at Eivor VIII's expression.

Eivor VIII breathed a sigh of relief: "Great, I remember, she is a fifth-level magician, right?"

"Yes."

"Contact her immediately." Aivor VIII said:
"Let her name her price. No matter how much, I'll give it to her as long as she can see Raven's head!"

In the court of Eivor VIII, there is also a fifth-level strongman supported. If the assassination is carried out, there is a chance to take off Raven's head.

But Eivor VIII was not prepared to do so.

During war, sending extraordinary people to assassinate the enemy generals is not a good idea, as it is likely to lead to equal retaliation.

Even if they didn't use the 6th and 7th level warriors, just the number of 5th level warriors would make Eivor completely unable to compete with the Keynes Empire.

Queley's teacher was different.

She was from the Mage Guild, not among the many human forces. Even if she was discovered, she would have something to say—

Raven killed Quarry, and the 5th-level mage was avenging his apprentice. What does it have to do with us, Eivor?

Looking at Eivor VIII, who was slumped in his chair and dreaming, Twilight asked:
"Your Highness, should we ask her to come to the Posuo Palace once before killing Raven?"

"Well... don't force it." Eivor VIII didn't seem to care: "But it's better to come over."

A trace of hatred and contempt flashed in Cui Qi's eyes, and she said:
"Yes, Your Highness."

……

Time flies, and in a blink of an eye it is early February 1200. It is exactly one month after Raven took over Bolan City.

Earl Jonah led his 5000 cavalry and arrived at the city of Boland in a dusty manner.

This nobleman, who was born in the snowy plateau, still had a blush on his cheeks even when he came to the plains.

Looking at the Bolan City in front of him, he couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart:

"That's great, Baron Raven!"

In fact, although he had received a secret order from His Majesty the King to assist Raven in the battle, Count Jonah was actually very reluctant to carry out the order.

After all, he was a count, but he had to be controlled by a baron.

Just a few years ago, the baron had to wait for him respectfully at the gate of his own castle.

He saw all the battle reports, but subconsciously felt that Raven was exaggerating.

The battle damage ratio is really exaggerated.

动不动1比7、80，乃至100、200、300。

Let alone conquering a country, even if we were to fight horse bandits, the losses wouldn't be that small, right?
However, as they moved deeper into the Principality of Eivor, Earl Jonah gradually changed his opinion of Raven.

The first thing is to sigh at the high walls.

He stayed under the Wall of Sighs for a long time, but was unable to recover.

The 8-meter-high, mirror-smooth wall almost makes people despair at first sight.

Count Jonah is not as rough as he looks. In fact, he is very well versed in the history of the empire, and therefore he is more aware of the significance of the Wall of Sighs to the empire.

It was a cliff that blocked the empire's progress for 400 years. Countless talented people failed before this wall.

It was such a fortress that had never fallen, but now its gates were completely open to him!
And this is all thanks to Raven.

If the situation were reversed, even with the Wind King's troops at his disposal, Jonah would not be sure that he could take down the Wall of Sighs in one battle.

"Is the defender of the Principality of Eivor too weak?"

But soon, this speculation was rejected by Jonah himself.

Because he saw the battlefield of the "Battle of Iron Birch".

This battle was Raven's third battle after entering the Principality of Eivor. With more than 3 soldiers, he faced Earl Palmer and Marquis Faraday's 1 legions and more than 14 soldiers.

Still a win in a day.

Even though several months have passed, various traces can still be seen on the battlefield.

The deep crater left by the meteorite was extremely conspicuous, and where the horses' hooves trampled and kicked up the snow, one could see the blood-soaked soil.

There were even many serfs from the surrounding areas who came to hang out on the battlefield on their own accord.

After capturing the two tongues and questioning them, Count Jonah learned that they were there to "scrap" on the battlefield.

In order to prevent Jonah from not believing them, they also took out the things they had picked up from their linen bags.

There were rusty arrowheads, broken weapons, shattered armor, dirty, blood-soaked belts, and even bits of frozen flesh on them.

These evidences cannot be falsified and are more reliable than any battle reports.

The cruelty and brutality of that war can be seen from this.

After a brief resupply at the Sigh Wall, Count Jonah set off again without stopping.

Then we saw the ruins of the Battle of Thorn Ridge and the huge tomb.

Also read the epitaph above.

"As long as Eivor has warriors like him, he won't be destroyed so easily."

Count Jonah said so.

There was a hint of envy and even jealousy in his tone.

The performance of Fowler's army in the Battle of Thorn Ridge is truly unforgettable. Any future book about the war will probably be unable to avoid this battle.

And Raven's name will become immortal along with this battle.

Then comes now.

Earl Jonah finally arrived outside the city of Bolan. He could hardly imagine how Raven had captured the city despite being at an absolute disadvantage in terms of military strength.

Even though he knew that Raven had used a trick, even though Frank was really an accomplice.

Link had been waiting at the city gate for a long time, and he immediately came forward when he saw Jonah:

"Count Jonah!"

There was a flash of displeasure in Jonah's eyes.

He no longer cared that Raven had surpassed him in the war, and was ready to hand over the command.

For the sake of the empire's overall interests, he even left behind the infantry and brought only a legion of elite cavalry, rushing to support without stopping.

But Raven was so arrogant that he only sent a mere knight to greet the gate.

So Jonah just snorted coldly, ordered his men to set up camp outside the city first, and he rode towards the city.

As he walked, his brows couldn't help but frown, and his unhappiness was replaced by doubt.

Link saw his confusion and asked, "My Lord Earl, is there any problem?"

Jonah said, "I heard that the city of Bolan has been under siege for more than a month. The price of grain in the city has collapsed, and the nobles headed by Quentin are unwilling to release grain. Many people have starved to death, but..."

But not only were the streets clean and tidy, even cleaner than Jonah's territory, there were also quite a few pedestrians on the street, all of them full of energy, and there was no sign that they had ever been hungry.

In particular, a market was formed in the small square not far away. It was crowded with people and noisy. Many people were holding up their money bags and bidding, but no one knew what they were buying or selling.

There are also many small vendors selling various food and gadgets.

It’s so prosperous that it’s unbelievable!

"Oh, what you said did happen." Link explained, "But after we entered the city, the Baron released a batch of food, and after the city gates were opened, many local and surrounding merchants also came."

"The Baron also sold the captured serfs publicly, so a good market has been formed."

"You're still a little late. If you were earlier, it would be really lively!"

This was beyond Count Jonah's common sense.

He had heard of war profits and understood that the more you fight, the richer you get.

But it was a little bit incomprehensible to him that an occupied city could be revitalized in a short period of time.

Such active commercial activities actually appeared in the occupied area!
"With so many people here, aren't you afraid of any trouble?"

You have to know that this is in the territory of Eivor after all. There are so many people gathered here, and it's hard to screen them all out. Once something goes wrong, there will be chaos.

Link smiled slightly, "They wouldn't dare."

As he spoke, he pointed towards the north of the city.

Jonah was stunned for a moment, then asked, "You mean... Jingguan?"

There were two Jingguans outside the Wall of Sighs; there was one in the misty wilderness in the southern part of the Bolan region; and now there is another one in the north of Bolan City.

When Jonah first saw it, it was indeed shocking enough, but he didn't think much about it.

Only now have we discovered the true purpose of this Jingguan.

That was not to desecrate the corpse, but to shock the living.

Combined with the Eagle Army's execution ability, every Eivor who sees Jingguan will never touch Raven's reverse scale as long as he is still afraid of death.

In this way, even if there are spies from the Eivor people, they will not be able to cause any trouble.

Even out of fear, local residents would tie people up themselves!
"So, this is a real war?" It was the first time for Count Jonah to set foot on a real battlefield. Seeing everything before his eyes, he admired Raven even more.

All the way to the castle, Link arranged a sumptuous banquet.

Count Jonah, however, had no intention of enjoying the meal and complained loudly:

“No matter how busy Baron Raven is, he is still a noble of the empire, right?
Am I not worthy of being seen by him?"

This is already an extremely angry expression.

Link quickly apologized with a smile: "Lord Earl, please calm down. It's not that my baron is being rude, it's just that you came at an inopportune time."

"Six days ago, the Baron had already set out with his army!"

"what?!"

……

(End of this chapter)