I, Folyago, am the most devoted lover in Runeterra.

Swain also responded, saying he knew he had acted impulsively earlier.

"Humph!"

Darkwell snorted coldly, a glint of cold light flashing in his eyes.

"But even so."

"Using force against Ionia is absolutely out of the question."

Swain spoke again, his words still expressing his firm opposition to Darkwell.

"I second the motion."

"I also agree."

Has and the populist general beside him spoke up in support of Swain.

"The Empire is still at war with Demacia and the northern barbarians."

... ........ ...

"Reopening the war with Ionia would mean fighting on three fronts simultaneously."

"The Empire absolutely cannot afford such a war."

Swain went on to say that what he was saying was the most basic thing, and something everyone knew.

The Empire was already stretched thin in dealing with the war launched by Demacia.

Not to mention that now they are opening up a third front.

Swain's words were directed at Darkwell, and he was waiting for Darkwell's reply.

With the situation now clear, Swain felt he should be able to gain the support of the three generals from the noble camp.

Even if you don't support it, you should at least remain silent.

But what happened next plunged Swain's heart into despair.

"What? Is this a sign of distrust towards the Empire, Swain?"

"Ionia, a mere mortal, will be crushed in an instant under the iron heel of the Empire!"

A general from the noble faction suddenly opened fire on Swain, refuting his words.

This made Swain's heart sink deeply.

This person's words basically represented the attitude of the entire imperial aristocratic power. It is unknown when Darkwell reached an agreement with the aristocratic faction.

"Yes."

“I already knew that Ionia was just a loose tribal alliance.”

"How can we fight against the Empire's army?"

"As long as the Empire's army can land in Ionia, won't they be able to flatten Ionia in an instant!"

Another general from the aristocratic faction echoed this sentiment.

Like the aristocratic general who spoke earlier, this person was also filled with the aura of the Black Rose.

Chapter 161, Who Can Play Chess with Me?

Foygo watched the situation on the field, remaining outwardly silent, but inwardly he was filled with mixed emotions.

It seems that Noxus's invasion of Ionia was a predetermined outcome, and it was not something that anyone could change on their own.

As Noxus's iron hooves began to trample into Ionia, the entire Runeterra was thrown into turmoil.

The next decade will see endless disputes.

This marks the beginning of an era of great strife.

Military affairs are always just an extension of politics.

Even in Noxus, this is still the case.

While generals wield considerable power, they are unlikely to achieve much without the support of nobles.

..........

As generals from the aristocratic faction began to support Darkwell, the commoners, including Haas, gradually fell silent.

Haas, who used to occasionally voice his support for Swain, has now fallen silent.

Haas and other civilian generals chose to protect themselves wisely, but in reality, if they had been more rational, they would have opted for the "383" strategy.

It was already clear that the current situation was very bad, and this was an inevitable trend.

Even so, Swain showed no intention of backing down.

Because he knew that Darkwill's chosen path was leading Noxus into the abyss.

"Ionia is separated from Noxus by a sea."

"And the Empire's navy has always been weak."

"If the Empire encounters fierce resistance at sea, then perhaps..."

Seeing that the strategic situation was unshakeable, Swain could only begin to analyze the difficulties of invading Ionia from a tactical perspective.

However, as soon as Svey said this, one of the noble generals at the table immediately changed his expression.

"Nonsense!"

"The Imperial Navy is powerful and well-equipped!"

"I don't know what General Swain meant by 'weakness'!"

This noble general was the commander of the navy, and Swain's words were undoubtedly exposing his secrets, which he naturally could not tolerate.

However, Swain was not wrong.

The Imperial Navy's combat capabilities are indeed worrying.

There's a saying among the people of Noxus: "I'd rather be a squad leader in the city's defense forces than a fleet captain in the navy."

The reason is also very simple.

Firstly, the Nokhi people are generally afraid of water; on average, not even one in a hundred can swim.

Secondly, the Imperial Navy has always been the private domain of the nobles, and has long been corrupted by the纨绔 (spoiled brats) in the noble families.

Furthermore, the empire's basic policy is to expand on land, so since the establishment of its navy, it has never even fought a decent naval battle.

At most, they could fight pirates, and even then, they often couldn't win.

The general was right about one thing: as a navy filled with noble sons, its equipment was naturally top-notch.

Whether it's ships, weapons, or armor, the equipment is quite good.

What's lacking is combat skills and personnel capabilities.

.........

Seeing one crisis after another, the more rational generals knew that the situation was hopeless.

With the support of the aristocratic factions, Darkwell was fully capable of launching a war of aggression.

Even though they knew the chances of winning the war were slim, the generals, who still retained their rationality, knew that it was all beyond their control.

"Hehehehehehehe..."

Suddenly, Darkwell laughed, a laugh that sounded like the cawing of a crow at dusk, extremely unpleasant.

But his laughter gradually calmed down the ongoing arguments at the table.

After everything returned to silence, Darkwell spoke again slowly, his dim old eyes gleaming with a chaotic light.

“Tsk tsk tsk…”

"How about this, to avoid people saying I'm a dictator?"

"Let's do it the old way, let's vote."

Darkwell spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of barely perceptible mockery.

He looked at Swain as if he were looking at a trapped beast.

Seeing this, one of the onlookers, Folyago, knew that this discussion, which would determine the fate of the empire, was about to come to an end.

Because Swain is destined to lose.

Darkwell had been waiting for him here from the beginning.

Fóyego knew nothing about the vote beforehand.

This only proves one thing: even without his vote, Darkwell was confident of securing a majority of votes at the meeting.

Swain wasn't stupid; he had obviously thought of that too.

His gaze began to sweep over the people around him, his eyes filled with disappointment.

"Vote! I support the General."

As Darkwell's top henchman, Mars was naturally the first to stand up and cheer for Darkwell.