When we look back on history afterwards, we often find that under the torrent of history, even the wisest leaders will inevitably become dizzy sometimes.
——"Imperial Chronicles Chapter 35 Chapter 7——Review and Reflection on Roland's Era 1 or 2"
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It is a summer afternoon, and the scorching sun in the sky is still radiating heat mercilessly. In order to welcome the upcoming triumphal ceremony, on the pier, countless guardsmen wearing bright red armor have surrounded the port's Pier 1.
And just a hundred steps outside the pier, the battered soldiers from the Imperial City Public Security Bureau had already used all their strength. Many of their clothes were torn, and their original shiny epaulettes were torn off.
, the proud hat was taken off, and even the boots were trampled off countless times.
To the frustration of a thousand soldiers from the public security station who were ordered to maintain order outside the port, they faced more than 50,000 enthusiastic citizens of the Imperial City who were watching.
The enthusiastic onlookers prepared flowers, cheers, and applause - of course, there were many girls who were even ready to give up their passionate kisses and even their virginity. Under such emotional turmoil, a thousand police station soldiers felt
He is like a broken ship in the ocean, and may be capsized at any time.
At this moment, they were envious of the Guardsmen standing within the cordon of the pier, because they could leisurely line up in formation, showing off the brightest armor and weapons they had just issued, and at the same time, they did not have to worry about being attacked by someone the next second.
A fanatical citizen scratched his face.
For this grand triumphal event, under the order of the great emperor Augustine VI, the section of the Lancang Grand Canal leading to the imperial capital was fully doubled! And the empire paid 10,000 river transport workers for this
It took half a year of labor and cost the imperial treasury nearly three million gold coins.
The purpose of paying these prices is just to allow the flagship "Dandong" of the empire's "Xth Expeditionary Fleet" to smoothly pass through the canal to the port outside the east gate of the imperial capital, and receive the cheers of the people, in order to demonstrate the empire's powerful force.
.
No one cares whether it's worth paying such a price for a situation to show off.
Because the previous Minister of Finance of the Empire, who was the first to voice strong objections, had been driven back to his hometown by the angry Emperor to retire. The only choice for the Minister of Finance who took over was to rack his brains to put things together and try his best to make the empire as prosperous as possible.
This money was squeezed out of various fiscal expenditures to satisfy the "old man who is so happy with his success."
Of course, the title "the old man who is so happy with his achievements" can only be buried deep in the heart of the finance minister, very deep, very deep...
When the afternoon sun shone on the wide surface of the canal and the first silhouette of a sail began to appear in the distance, the crowd began to cheer uncontrollably.
As the giant battleship on the river, which was two hundred steps long, slowly approached the port, the majestic silhouette of the battleship shocked all the citizens of the Imperial City who came to watch.
The flagship of the Empire's Sixth Expeditionary Fleet "Dandong" is the pride of the Imperial Navy and the largest warship in the history of the Imperial Navy. In order to welcome this grand welcome ceremony, the warship has been completely repainted and renovated, and the hull has been painted
It turned into a daunting black color. Amid waves of cheers, the Dandong slowly approached the port like a giant black monster, with a huge thorn flower flag on the mast fluttering in the wind.
When the anchor dropped, tens of thousands of citizens in the port were already boiling. Countless hats were thrown into the sky, countless people stepped off their shoes, and countless people bruised their legs. But the poor police station soldiers could only do what they could.
Reduce the cordon within certain limits, and then narrow it again...
Count Raymond, commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet, was standing on the bow deck of the ship, looking at the cheering crowd at the port with an expressionless face.
The thirty-nine-year-old first-class imperial general and imperial earl was currently wearing his most solemn attire, with a light armor covering his whole body. The bright red cloak behind him was flapping in the wind, and there were two medals hanging on his chest -
—This was obtained when he participated in the two previous expedition fleets. And there is no doubt that this triumph will win him the third Imperial Medal.
The earl's eyes were a little distracted, and the focus of his sight did not stay on the cheering crowd at the port. If you look closely, you can see that the earl's brows seemed to be frowning slightly, as if he was a little impatient.
Damn, this armor is too heavy and stupid!
The Earl didn't think that as a soldier on the naval fleet, he would need to wear such heavy armor when fighting at sea. That was only used by the army. As for wearing these medals, in the Earl's mind, it was even more stupid.
.It was as if the nouveau riche were showing off their wealth - a real aristocrat would not bother to do this. He felt that such a move was very prestigious.
Moreover, the cheering crowd below was too noisy. Their cheers were like huge waves in a tsunami, eroding the Earl's little patience.
Subconsciously he glanced at the deck beneath his feet.
In order to prepare for today's welcome ceremony, the Dandong had been repainted three days ago, and there were no blood stains on the deck. The decks that were lost during the expedition war had already been re-paved, and the collision angle of the ship's bow
It was also replaced with a new one... Heck, those guys who like to flatter His Majesty the Emperor actually made the ram of the ship's bow into a statue of His Majesty the Emperor himself, and it is said that this statue was made by a famous emperor a few days ago.
The master sculptor made it by hand.
The Imperial Navy also paid an additional 10,000 gold coins for this purpose.
Might is powerful enough. But don't those idiots know that when encountering a battle at sea, after a battleship collides, the first thing to be destroyed is the collision angle of the bow?
In his opinion, these ten thousand gold coins were really wasted. The work of the master sculptor was not even as effective as a random sharp wooden stake.
In fact, on a deeper level, Lord Raymond even believed from the bottom of his heart that organizing this so-called Xth Imperial Expedition Fleet was a ridiculously wrong decision.
Starting decades ago, the empire began to conduct "expeditions" to the South China Sea area again and again.
It is undeniable that there are countless islands in the Southeast Asia, like scattered pearls scattered over the vast sea. There are strange forests, savage and stupid indigenous tribes who are still in the clan stage, and there are gold, gems, spices, and seafood.
However, the Earl does not think that "taking a dozen huge warships to bully the small canoes of the indigenous people" is an "expedition".
It was completely a robbery, a massacre, a bandit, an invasion, and a naked robbery!
The Earl doesn't think there is anything wrong with this. The weak have always been bullied by the strong, and the weak need to maintain a surrender attitude to the strong. However, he believes that the mistake in the empire's policy towards Nanyang is that this so-called expedition was carried out
The times were too frequent, and the effect seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.
In the two or three early expeditions, the powerful imperial navy was invincible in the South Seas. When whole ships of gold, gems, seafood and spices were transported back, it once caused a sensation in the entire empire.
But after all, no matter how rich the granary is, it cannot withstand such frequent harvests. Excessive plundering has caused the indigenous tribes in the waters near the Southeast Asia to become extinct. The subsequent expeditionary forces had to move their voyages farther and farther.
The extension will be a huge test for the fleet's supply.
After all, Nanyang has not only those bully natives, nor only those gold and gems, but also sultry weather, rapidly changing climate, terrifying giant waves, as well as countless reefs, whirlpools, storms...
The excessive harvest caused this fertile field that could have become the empire's granary to quickly become barren. The harvests of subsequent expeditions became less and less. However, it is ironic that the triumphal ceremony became grander each time...
Earl Raymond himself has led three expeditions in recent years, which has earned this Earl a resounding reputation in Southeast Asia. This Imperial Navy General and Earl has a series of nicknames in Southeast Asia:
Robber! Butcher! Executioner!... His hands are stained with the blood of the indigenous people. He is a notorious invader in the hearts of the indigenous clans and tribes, a demon who burned down their homes and enslaved them.
Of course the Earl doesn't care about this, but the only thing that makes him feel a little uneasy is that the excessive war of aggression has abnormally stimulated the development of these Southeast Asian natives in some aspects, especially in terms of force. Even before he came back this time,
I heard that in the far southern seas, some indigenous island nations have formed a so-called alliance to fight against the endless plundering of the empire.
Fortunately, he no longer needs to think about those troublesome things, because he knows very well that this is his last expedition. Next, he will stay in the imperial capital. If everything goes well, he will get a prominent position in the imperial headquarters.
position, and then hang around for ten or eight years. After the current Minister of Military Affairs retires, with the influence of his family, he will become the new Minister of Military Affairs. If he is more lucky, he may be able to do it at the end of his political career.
After a few years, I got over the addiction of being a prime minister.
As for the expedition, screw it. That is a headache for the next commander of the expedition fleet.
Even if those natives have evolved to the point where they can create magic cannons, that is not a problem that they have to worry about.
Amid cheers like a heat wave, the Earl walked off the flagship deck in full view of everyone. His feet finally touched the land of the imperial capital! He waved to the cheering crowd... but this action was more like shooing away flies.
First, a civil servant dressed in court service came on board the ship and read His Majesty the Emperor's order of commendation, and announced that the Earl would enter the palace early tomorrow morning to meet His Majesty the Emperor and receive the award at the same time.
If you get your wish, your political future will be bright.
But then a servant in gray clothes squeezed up and whispered another news in the Earl's ear, and this news made Earl Raymond's mood sink to the bottom!
The news came from home.
The expedition has been out for more than three years, and the sea is vast and the transmission of news is inconvenient. Raymond does not know what the situation at home is like now.
The most important thing is his wife. When he went to war three years ago, his wife was close to giving birth, and now, he doesn't even know whether the child is a son or a daughter!
The news from home is: it’s a son.
However, the son he gave birth to seems to be an idiot.
This news almost knocked the Earl off the peak of his joy.
Just a little bit different!
However, almost every dignitary in the imperial capital who came to greet him saw that the victorious commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force had a gloomy face that was on the verge of collapse.