The Villain Princess survived the Imperial Riot

Knowing Domis's Blade Master's characteristics, Hestia naturally didn't want her maid to come into contact with the rebels again.

After all, she still vividly remembered the historical events in which the Apostles of Radiance and the Free Will conquered the Divine Capital.

"That's right, Canary." Hestia gave a sly smile.

"what?"

"It's okay. After the patrol, come with me to find someone else." Hestia said, "We should get something."

Volume 114: Bird in a Cage: . Is this also what the emperor asked for?

The purpose of inspecting the military district on behalf of the emperor was to reduce the influence of the Tingsen family.

In order to solve the huge financial pressure, the empire used the military district system. The Iron Army was composed of lords with hereditary military service and land, but this inevitably led to the groupization and warlordization of military districts.

Fortunately, half of the Yunling Military District still relies on imperial funding, and the main financial and judicial powers are also controlled by imperial bureaucrats. This allows Shendu to maintain a certain degree of control and appoint generals to the military district.

Therefore, Freeman Ant was able to hold on to this position following the transfer order.

Hestia judged that if she really wanted to expel Tinson from Cloud Ridge, the emperor would probably acquiesce.

Previously, the Iron Army sergeants only appreciated the princess's righteousness in terms of their newly enriched salaries, and did not have much awareness of "loyalty", but now, Hestia wanted these soldiers to regain their attitude of gratitude.

"The Yunling Military Region has a history of ninety-two years and has achieved remarkable military success. It has repeatedly thwarted the Tailan elves' ambitions to invade the empire's borders, and has saved the empire from the dangers of rebellion and division countless times..."

Facing thousands of soldiers, the princess stood on a high platform in the training ground and spoke eloquently.

The Empire's primary combat arm is the armored knights, comprised of high knights and mystically reforged cryptic servants. Each suit of armor is meticulously forged by dwarves, and typically stands three to five meters tall. Secondary to this are the sergeants, who comprise the Iron Army's artillery and infantry regiments. They wield every available tool of war, including but not limited to artillery, arcane magic, and armed servitors. Even cryptic cultivators would not personally confront these well-trained mortals.

If we go back another two hundred years, the Iron Army's enemies weren't just the easily defeated rebels, but the arcane colossi of the Furnace Dwarves, the warcraft legions of the Russ Herdsmen, the vast undead of the Dark Elves, and the terrifying and unpredictable demons north of the North. Even the mortals were blessed by the mystic arts and armed to the teeth.

However, myths no longer appear in the material world, and the Yunling Military District does not need to face those great enemies. A hundred years is not enough to completely corrupt the empire's military district system. Therefore, Yunling's 100,000 iron troops are still a rare combat force, and every soldier has the qualities to face a comprehensive and extraordinary war.

This kind of combat capability is what the Southern Council lacks the most. If the Yunling Military Region is allowed to fall apart under the rebel offensive due to financial problems, it would be a huge loss.

Hestia even hopes to expand the Yunling Iron Army, on the condition that they are loyal to the wise and benevolent ruler to whom they should be loyal.

"However, over the past ten years, I have witnessed nothing but the decline and decay of the military," Hestia sighed, changing the subject. "Advances have been scarce, the rebellion cannot be suppressed, the Empire's power is shrinking, and successive natural and man-made disasters have even made it difficult for the soldiers to afford food and clothing. I am deeply saddened by the suffering everyone has endured!"

Thousands of soldiers looked at each other in confusion.

Are they having a hard time? It seems to be much harder than it was twenty years ago.

Years of harsh winters had reduced the yield of the land, and a lord who could support ten serfs could now only afford five. He used to be able to send his second son to a good military academy to learn artillery and mechanics, and his daughter to a church university or the Official Academy for further studies, but now he was struggling financially and had to find opportunities to seize more towns to make up for his expenses.

But after the Iron Army had robbed for decades, wool production had dropped sharply. In addition, the military region itself was short of money, so the big profits had to be distributed among the noble lords who served as officers.

In this regard, even the junior sergeant who has the most decent life among the lower-level sergeants can't help but sigh that the empire is going from bad to worse when he thinks of the empire's shrinking salaries and benefits.

How miserable are we all! His Highness is indeed considerate of us all! If it were not for the Bank of Lorraine, we would have to give one less party every month!

"Your Highness, isn't this a bit exaggerated?" Below, a major knight raised his hand. He was the battalion commander of this infantry regiment, and his tail was affixed with the Tinson label. "The Empire is shrinking its strength and handing over large tracts of territory to the rebels. Isn't this an order from the general? How can this be called decadence and decline?"

Less than two days had passed, and the news of the death of the two deputy generals had not yet spread. When some garrison officers heard that the two heroes of Tingsen had been promoted to deputy generals and were in charge of all suppression matters, they even raised their glasses to celebrate, thinking that the bad days of being suppressed by Ant were about to end.

Tingsen was powerful and everyone submitted to him.

The officer was openly questioning Freeman Ant, but in reality he was making indirect accusations. He certainly didn't have the courage to lecture the Celestial Dragons to their faces, but he did have the nerve to be sarcastic.

"Then, the military district's increasingly difficult finances and the soldiers' increasingly difficult lives are also General Ant's problems?" Hestia asked in return.

"These... these issues are extremely complex and naturally cannot be generalized." The officer was speechless. "Besides, the Iron Army has the support of the Empire. When have the soldiers ever suffered from food and clothing shortages?"

"I heard that the soldiers of Yunling were struggling, so I petitioned the Emperor to reward them for their service. I never imagined it was a rumor." Hestia shook her head. "I was reckless."

In an instant, countless hateful eyes were cast at the battalion commander.

Even when peeping into the secret realm, the battalion commander felt a sharp pain as if thousands of arrows were piercing his heart, and as if there were thorns in his back.

"Your Highness, it's not a rumor! We are flattered that Your Highness can appreciate our difficult lives. As for rewards, Major Andre is the son of an imperial baron. He naturally lives a rich life with no worries about food and clothing. Of course, he doesn't need it!" A lower-level officer immediately shouted.

The nobility of the Empire was also divided into different classes, and by region. The most prominent were naturally the native nobles before the Great Expedition of the Divine Emperor, followed by the lords of the Southern Empire who were led by Lorraine to surrender, and finally the new nobles who were granted titles after conquering the land.

To hold a high position in the military, one would most likely be a native military aristocrat. For example, the new nobles born in the past two hundred years, unless they were truly gifted, would have a clear ceiling in the military.

Therefore, even though they were all nobles, the lower-level officers were still filled with genuine hatred towards the battalion commander.

"Colonel Andre, the soldiers' lives are so difficult, how can you bear to live a life of luxury?" Hestia's eyes sternly demanded. "I've always heard that there are serious corruption and smuggling problems within the military district. Under the manipulation of a few individuals, the interests of the vast majority of the Iron Army soldiers are being exploited. This has led to the military district's financial difficulties. General Ant wanted to suppress the rebellion, but in the end he had no money to collect!"

"I'm not unaware of this, Princess..." Andrei suddenly tensed. He said "I'm not aware," rather than immediately denying the existence of corruption. It was a cover-up, only adding to the soldiers' resentment.

The hatred was almost solidified, and Hestia felt that with just a little stimulation, she could bewitch them to rush forward.

Most of the soldiers are mortals, and they are full of awe for the Celestial Dragons. Even if they have an indomitable will and are not afraid of death, it is still easy for the princess to manipulate them.

"Major Utana, please read it." Hestia looked at the tall knight who was accompanying her.

The latter opened a document and read from it.

The content is very simple, roughly about how many manors, castles, lands, and serfs Major Andre's family has.

The amount is so huge that it would make an ordinary earl dumbfounded.

This is also the reason why the Iron Army is keen on "suppression".

How can you make money by farming honestly as by robbing?

But the soldiers certainly didn't think that this was stolen by Colonel Andre. Even if he did, he was stealing everyone's military merit and embezzling everyone's credit!

"He can't possibly have so much wealth," another battalion commander cried out in disbelief, "Andre, how dare you embezzle so much?"

"He is eating everyone's military pay! This criminal should be court-martialed!" A voice popped out from somewhere.

"Embezzler, hang him!"

"Hang him! Hang him!"

The sentiment is indignant.

This place is not like Bee-Bing Pass. In public, Hestia naturally cannot hang a high knight, and she has no solid evidence to execute a major.

Moreover, the princess is not the emperor, and Yunling is not Lorraine, so she does not have actual power.

But it has developed to this point enough.

"I didn't, I didn't!" No matter how Major Andre defended himself, he could not gain any trust.

"He's a traitor to the army. Tie him up and let the princess decide his fate!" Several fully armored Iron Throne Knights suddenly felt a surge of passion and rushed to the front row, pressing Andre to the ground.

But the latter is also a high knight. Even if he doesn't have any equipment, how can an apprentice deal with him?

"Are you planning a mutiny?" Andre shouted angrily, and pushed back the burly black-armored man who was over three meters tall. However, two more knights rushed forward.

At the princess's side, the infantry commander looked at the scene with a bitter look on his face and said, "Your Highness, is it time to end this?"

He had never expected that such a thing could happen in the Iron Army with its clear hierarchy and strict military discipline. He could only attribute the cause to the princess.

With the princess's support, these wolf cubs really dare.

He was still terrified. Fortunately, his family held some status, allowing them to maintain a neutral stance. Otherwise, he might have been the one pinned to the ground today. In terms of strength, he wasn't necessarily superior to Andre. If he were to face a dozen fully armored Iron Throne Knights, he wouldn't necessarily lose, but his dignity would certainly plummet.

Moreover, if Andrei could suck the blood of his soldiers, how could he, as the commander of a regiment, suck less? If the people didn't contribute generously to the master, what kind of nobleman would he be?

"You are the leader." Hestia said respectfully.

The infantry commander sighed and shouted, "Everyone stop!"

The sound was like a tide, spreading throughout the venue in an instant.

"Captain, this is mutiny!"

"Colonel Andre, if you are innocent, you should have the Knight Commander take you into custody instead of resisting like you are now. It's disgraceful," the infantry commander said. "I will ask the military court to investigate. If you are innocent, I will definitely clear your name."

"Your mother is innocent." Colonel Andrei wanted to curse out loud, but his face was pale and he could not utter a word.

After the anger dissipated, the first few Iron Throne Knights who took action stood there in a daze. They looked at the princess and the captain in horror, hoping that there would not be a real "mutiny".

"The Yunling Eleventh Infantry Regiment still has a sense of justice," Hestia said. "It is thanks to these warriors, who are so righteous and brave, that the Empire State has been able to maintain its stability to this day. They should be commended."

"A commendation?"

"General Ant intends to expand the military district. Their brothers and children must also need their own land and their own military positions."

"Ah?" The infantry commander was stunned, and immediately realized that this was what the princess meant.

Still expanding? You think the deficit is not enough, right?

But on second thought, the Lorraine family is rich enough to rival a country, so it seems easy to support two more legions of 50,000 people.

But what do you want?

"The Emperor has granted me the power to sell the land of Fengyunling. Since I'm from the Iron Army, how could I possibly neglect my family?" Hestia said. "Over the past two months, the rebels have grown increasingly powerful, even to the point of invading the city and claiming the throne. This has also led some cities to join the rebels and completely spurn the Empire's favor. It's truly heartbreaking..."

Some soldiers were still in a daze, while others had already curled up their lips.

In the past, the Iron Army worked tirelessly to help suppress the rebels. Not only were the local dignitaries ungrateful, they were also very stingy when it came to reimbursing military expenses. However, they had legitimate identities, so the Iron Army had to be secretive when asking for their wages.

But now it's different. The rebels have been rebellious for months and have already established a foothold. Those towns have naturally fallen into enemy territory. What local dignitaries? They are all enemies of the empire. Once the rebels are eliminated, the rich farms will all be unowned!

Now if anyone spreads rumors that the princess is mediocre and cowardly and afraid of fighting the rebels, they will explode with that person on the spot.

As they expected, the princess' next words were also closely related to the military and land: "General Ant plans to expand the army and reclaim the lost lands from the empire. But as you all know, the empire is not only short of manpower and unable to control every inch of territory, but also financially constrained. Therefore..."

The princess calmly recounted General Ant's series of decisions.

The new sergeants will be incorporated into the reserve corps, their salaries will be halved, and they will have to pay for their own equipment. However, as long as the new sergeants participate in the "recovery of lost territory" operation, they will be able to own their own land and serfs.

The Yunling Iron Army has 100,000 soldiers, but this is the maximum that the military region can afford. There are still a large number of imperial jurisdictions and autonomous territories whose potential has not been realized.

The Iron Army master has received military training for generations, and is proficient in both civil and military matters; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to operate artillery and other complex machinery. However, the master has more than one child, and those who don't inherit the land either help manage the family estate or leave their hometown to seek a living as mercenaries or adventurers.

Therefore, behind the military district are hundreds of thousands of elite soldiers who can be recruited and have received military training. In addition, there are dozens of rat clans, hundreds of rat tribes and millions of reserve military rats.

And now, the power to divide the land lies in the hands of the princess.

No matter how much combat power the Yunling Iron Army has left after a few generations, at least in the next one or two generations, every household will have to shout the glory of the princess and rush to the front line.

Hestia specifically stated that if a father made a contribution, his military achievements could also be recorded by his children. Upon hearing this news, some of the older and more prosperous Knights of the Iron Throne were moved to tears.

Pay for your own equipment? No problem, just suck more blood from the "rebels"!

Tinson family influence? Nonexistent.

When a large number of junior officers were promoted, the Iron Cross could only recruit members from among them. With Freeman Ant's support, it would not be impossible to turn the Yunling Iron Army into Lorraine's private army.

Even if the free will one day occupies Yunling and wants to go deeper into the mountains, they will find that it is easy to switch offense and defense, and these mountains are so difficult to chew.