I just reached the maximum level, and you want me to be a puppet emperor?

Chapter 714 Two Old Foxes Devise a Plan! Li Chen's Trouble! (Please Subscribe, Please Vote for Monthly Tickets)

Li Chen has been staying in Maple Leaf Territory for quite some time.

It must be said that Olga, this beautiful woman who is innocent on the outside, kind on the inside, and has been completely won over by him, is simply a natural genius in spreading faith!
Her pure, innocent, and compassionate nature perfectly aligns with the teachings of the Witch Ancestor, which emphasize protecting all beings and guiding the lost, allowing her to naturally radiate a convincing "saintly" aura.

Thanks to her tireless efforts and preaching, the belief in the ancestral witch not only quickly took root among the refugees and commoners of Maple Leaf Territory, but also spread like wildfire to seven or eight surrounding cities.

Simple shrines to the ancestral shamans were built one after another, and the number of believers expanded rapidly from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands, and the scale continued to expand at an astonishing rate.

Wherever Olga went, almost no one could resist her sincere appeal and her beautiful descriptions of "the protection of the ancestral sorcerer".

The news eventually reached the ears of the former emperor Ivan, who was "resting quietly" in his villa but was still closely monitoring the movements of all parties.

Ivan held the secret report, his fingers turning slightly white from the pressure, his face filled with shock and unease.

He abruptly picked up the secret report and said urgently to the old patriarch Romanov beside him, "Patriarch! Look! That sorcerer has actually started preaching in the core area of ​​our Great Luo Dynasty! And the momentum is so fierce! This is definitely not a good thing!"

He paced back and forth, his tone growing increasingly agitated: "If we let him continue like this, it won't be long before his church becomes a sprawling, intricate entity with believers everywhere, deeply rooted in the soil of my Great Luo! At that point, if we want to touch him, we'll be hesitant and it might even cause a huge upheaval! We must stop him immediately!"

Ivan felt that this was even more serious than the witch's defilement of his harem; it was shaking the very foundation of his Romanov family's rule!
However, after reading the secret report, Romanov frowned, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes, but his tone remained relatively calm:

"Stop him? How could I not know I should stop him? But what is the situation right now? The Southern Tian Ce army's offensive has not slowed down, pressing forward step by step! In the court, that little brat Sergei is taking advantage of the new emperor's weakness to frantically seize power and profit, causing unrest in the court!"

We still need to rely on the power and influence of the Witch Ancestor to stabilize the internal situation, balance Sergei, and even hope that the wizards under his command can play a role on the front lines! To break ties with him now would be unwise!

A surge of anger welled up inside Ivan, and he almost blurted out: "Stabilize, stabilize, all you ever think about is stabilizing! That sorcerer has insulted my harem, trampled on imperial power, and now he wants to steal the very foundation of my faith! And you expect me to tolerate this?!"
But looking into Romanov's deep and dignified gaze, he ultimately didn't dare to say those words. His face turned ashen, and his chest heaved violently.

Seeing his demeanor, Romanov was also displeased and said coldly, "Fan'er, put away your personal pride! If you hadn't been so stubborn and tacitly approved or even indulged Tuoba Zhen's provocations on the border, giving Tian Ce the perfect excuse to launch a war, how could our Great Luo have fallen into such a predicament, beset by internal and external troubles? Isn't the root of all this the evil you sowed?"

These words struck like a thunderbolt, reopening Ivan's deepest wounds, leaving him speechless. His face turned from pale to ashen, and he slumped into his chair. After a long silence, Ivan, as if grasping at a straw, raised his head, a glint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes: "Since it's difficult to act internally, Ancestor, could we seek external help? For example, the opposing forces of Tian Ce?"

Romanov shook his head, categorically denying it: "I have already considered this matter. Today, all the small countries surrounding Tian Ce have either submitted or been crippled. The only one that can rival it, the Yong Zhou Empire, is not only far away from Tian Ce, but also separated by many small countries and dangerous terrains, making it difficult for a large army to pass through."

Moreover, according to reliable intelligence, the Eternal Day Empire is embroiled in fierce internal power struggles between the imperial and divine authorities, its instability precarious, and it has no reason to undertake a distant expedition to aid us. This path is blocked!

"Then what should we do? Are we just going to watch the power of the Witch Ancestor grow so strong that it becomes uncontrollable?" Ivan's voice carried a hint of despair.

Romanov's eyes flashed, and he slowly revealed his long-considered plan: "The best course of action now is not to openly stop him from preaching, as that would only force him to rebel immediately. We must force him to leave the secure rear and go to the front lines himself!"

"Force him to go to the front lines?" Ivan was taken aback.

Romanov's lips curled into a shrewd smile: "That's right! We can make demands of him—the Witch Ancestor wants to openly preach in the Great Luo Dynasty, fine!"
But he must demonstrate 'value' and 'sincerity' commensurate with his reputation! He must personally go to the front lines to oversee the battle and assist our army in achieving a respectable victory! That's our bottom line! As long as he agrees to go to the perilous front lines.”

Romanov didn't finish his sentence, but Ivan already understood the vicious scheme. His eyes lit up, and he excitedly replied, "Brilliant! Ancestor! The front lines are ruthless, and the situation changes in an instant! As long as he sets foot there, we have plenty of ways to make him 'accidentally' perish! Then, his death can be completely pinned on Tian Ce!"
His incited wizards and followers, their pent-up anger naturally turning towards Tian Ce, will become another sharp weapon in our fight against them! And we, in doing so, can both eliminate a major threat and use this opportunity to unite our hearts and minds! A double win!

"That's exactly right!" Romanov stroked his beard and nodded, quite pleased with his insidious plan.

Ivan then thought of another problem: "But that ancestor is cowardly and cunning! Last time, he even made excuses to meet with you, the ancestor, and dared not show his true form. How can we force him to submit and make him willingly go to the front line?"

At this point, Romanov's lips curled up. The last time he met Li Chen, Li Chen was just afraid of being exposed, but Romanov thought he was scared and went around bragging about it when he got back.

Romanov's face hardened with an air of absolute confidence, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.
"It is precisely because he showed weakness last time that we can easily control him! We will use 'legitimacy for missionary work' as our bargaining chip! If he wants to spread his faith legitimately and without hindrance within the territory of Daluo, he must exchange military merits for this 'permit'!"
Otherwise, the imperial court could order his existing church to be designated as an "evil society" and banned and suppressed! I'm certain that he's painstakingly cultivated these hundreds of thousands of believers and would never be willing to give them up! For the sake of his "missionary cause," even if he's unwilling, he'll most likely grit his teeth and go to the front lines!

Just as these two old foxes were devising their plans, some problems also arose on Li Chen's side.

(End of this chapter)