Chapter 560: Resistance
The enthronement ceremony was successfully completed, and the next step was to take over the power of the empire.
The lords who stayed in the Dark Moon had begun to lead their troops back to their estates. General George and Sicali, who were guarding the capital, had not withdrawn because Shea’s foundation was in the Dark Moon, and only Zola and Chen Rui were by her side. Therefore, they must wait until the capital’s situation is stabilized before they return to their station. Fortunately, the b.l.o.o.d.y Empire was in internal strife. The Iron Fist Estate in the north was the base of the b.l.o.o.d.y Empire’s Second Prince Edmund. It was currently in a stalemate with the Great Prince Aleus at the north of the Iron Fist Estate. It was impossible that they would be so foolish to provoke the Warlock Fortress.
Shea couldn’t afford to rest. She immediately called a meeting, mainly to discuss the issue of position adjustment and estate division. After the death of the second general, Doren, there was still a shortage of 1 position to fill up. Many lords and generals who followed Obsidian had died. The estate had no owner, the army lacked a ruler, and the capital also had many positions that needed to be adjusted.
Shea intended to formally appoint Athena as the lord of the Dark Moon and make her the third general of the empire; the second general of the emperor was succeeded by the third general, Gerant; Sumen would be the lord of the Blue Lava Estate. Sicali and Josh made great contributions and were granted the Duke t.i.tle; The positions of prime ministers on the left and right that had been canceled by Obsidian must be restored. The royal families and the elder families would hold the positions respectively. The elder families must vacate either the financial minister or minister of military affairs position. Some lords, legion generals and important positions must be adjusted. The changes would be discussed by the elder families and the royal families.
This proposal was mainly to reward the meritorious officials. In fact, it had taken good care of the elder families, but it still encountered unimaginable resistance.
Athena’s rewards were the most controversial ones. The words from Mons Family’s Baroco were particularly fierce. He almost completely disagreed with Shea’s proposal: How can a girl in her early 20s be qualified to be the lord of the largest estate of the empire? And she will also be the third general of the empire? Besides, Athena’s father, George, is already the first general. The entire military will be the kingdom of the Wales Family!
Gerant was the original third general who was captured after he followed Obsidian, the empire usurper, and the troops to crusade against the Dark Moon. Why did he get promoted instead? The Blue Lava Estate is also one of the 4 largest estates. Sumen is just the deputy legion commander of the Azure Legion. After the death of Lord t.i.tan and the commander of the Azure Legion, he had no other choice but to take over the military power of Blue Lava Estate. In terms of seniority, he is simply not up to the position of a lord…
Faravit of the Maca Family proposed that the Dark Moon’s lord be handed over to the elder families’ candidates, and Athena could transfer to the capital to serve as the royal guard commander protecting Shea; Sumen of the Blue Lava Estate would become the lord of a medium-sized estate; the prime ministers’ position restoration could be considered, but the positions of the financial minister and minister of military affairs were quite important and should not be simply adjusted.
Shea’s eyes gradually became cold and sharp. In fact, this kind of total denial was not entirely aimed at the proposal itself, but to show an att.i.tude that the capital was not the Dark Moon Estate. Even if she was an empress supported by the royal families, she still needed to give face to the elder families in many aspects. It was so for Obsidian who had been the regent for 300 years, let alone Shea who had just ascended the throne with an unstable foundation.
Before Shea could speak, General George took the lead and stood up abruptly.
“Baroco! My daughter blocked the millions of Obsidian’s army at the Moonlight Fortress and buried 100,000 of your soldiers! Then she defeated hundreds of thousands of Pallor’s soldiers at Town Dico! Gerant, who personally ambushed the Walan Fortress, was caught by her! Such achievements and merits are not qualified to be a lord or general? What were you doing when my daughter was unleas.h.i.+ng her power? You were cowardly defeated by the Dark Moon Army?”
George was now the early stage of the Demon Overlord, his personal strength was inferior to Baroco, but as the first general, he held the army authority for many years. He was the undisputed top person in the military. This time, he occupied the capital and made great contributions. In this kind of meeting, George’s right to speak was definitely higher than Baroco. It was just that George already had the t.i.tle of Duke, and he was the first general, so he was not on the list of awards. Obviously, to balance it out, his merits given to Athena.
Baroco was defeated in the Battle of the Dark Moon, and Athena’s contribution was undisputed. Although he was angry, he couldn’t find words to refute.
Faravit spoke up, “The third general is a symbol of the empire. Even if Athena’s strategy and military merits are outstanding, it is just this battle. Her qualifications are not enough, let alone becoming the lord of the Dark Moon.”
The Lunters of the elder families also said, “If Her Majesty insists on awarding Athena, then I agree with the third general’s proposal, but we must choose another person as the Dark Moon’s lord.”
The Dark Moon Estate could be regarded as the crown of the Demon Realm estates whether in terms of military or economic. It was a benefit that everyone was eyeing. The elder families naturally wanted to gain control and further expand their influence power on the empire.
If it weren’t for the cold mask trained in the Dark Moon, Shea would have been unable to restrain her anger. The Dark Moon was built and developed by her and Chen Rui. It was her most important foundation before completely controlling the entire empire. These elder families actually greedily wanted to take possession of it which was beyond bearable.
The forces led by Sarandi, Vanim, George, and so on expressed their support for the decision of the empress and were in a stalemate dispute with the opponents. Oliver, Old Cowen, Stiller, and others did not say a word and stood in a neutral position.
“Okay! Athena temporarily replaces the lord the Dark Moon. This is a decision made before I came to the capital. You all agreed at the time. As for the rest, we will discuss them later!” Shea interrupted the dispute between both sides. “The most important thing now is that the Dark Shadow Empire has already mobilized soldiers and horses to the west and south of us, and they sent envoys to the Dark Moon to coerce. Although I managed to ascend the throne before this to disrupt Catherine’s plan, we need to guard against the Dark Shadow Empire Army. At present, in the capital coalition army, the lords’ army has begun to return to the base. There are 3 legions and the undead army in the hands of Athena at the Dark Moon Estate. They can support Josh at any time, so there should be nothing to be worried about in the south, but the Tekula Fortress in the west is weak in defense. Gerant and Rometty of the Flying Cloud Legion are using the flying demonic beasts to rush to Tekula Fortress, but they might be late, so we must consider the support of the west. Salgar, how many aerial troops are guarding the capital?”
The legion commander Salgar of the Dragon Rider Legion immediately stood up, “Her Majesty, there are about 1,500 riders in the aerial legion.”
“Approximately how many troops can the elder families dispatch?” This question was addressed to Old Cowen.
“The number of people who can be mobilized is probably about 40,000, of which 10,000 are cavalry.” The silent Old Cowen looked at the members of the elder families and he gave a number.
Shea nodded, “Salgar, set off immediately. Lead the aerial legion to Tekula Fortress to meet Gerant and Rometty. Baroco, gather 10,000 cavalry to reinforce them. Sicali, you mobilize 30,000 infantry from your White Feather Estate Army. Plus the 20,000 infantry of the elder families, it will be the third batch of reinforcements commanded by Sarandi. Set off as soon as possible. Everyone at Tekula Fortress must obey Gerant’s orders. Faravit and Stebil, go south to lead the capital army from the north of the Dark Moon. We must prepare a comprehensive defense.”
Everyone present was slightly surprised. Shea’s first decision was met with strong resistance. She seemed to be completely defeated, but now it seemed more like a test. In the next a.s.signment, Baroco and Faravit, who were opposed the most, were immediately mobilized away. Her means were evident.
Meanwhile, both her supporters, General George and Sicali, who held heavy military authority, stayed in the capital. General George was responsible for the Warlock Fortress in the north. Sicali needed to deal with the affairs of the White Feather Estate at any time, so there were valid reasons not to dispatch him to the west.
This mean was very clever. Neither Baroco nor Faravit raised objections. The Dark Shadow Empire’s invasion was related to the survival of the empire. If the Fallen Angel Empire really collapsed, all elder families and interests would be wiped out, so these people dared not neglect. They received their orders and set off.
As soon as the hall was empty, Shea immediately ordered the guards to retreat. Chen Rui, who had been silent for a while, came to the back of Shea and held her hand.
Shea seemed exhausted as she gently leaned on his body. From last night until now, she had hardly rested for a minute. Especially during the meeting just now, it made her feel very tired.
“Very tired, right?” Chen Rui put his arms around her waist and slowly sat on the chair, letting her lean in his arms.
“It’s more tiring than I expected.” Shea was not only talking about her own fatigue, but also the complexity of the capital’s situation which could be described as toilsome.
“But I have confidence,” Shea’s eyes flashed with determination. She could be gentle and tired in front of Chen Rui, but it was only in front of him. In front of others, she was a composed and ruthless ruler.
Now that she decided to walk on this path, she must persevere till the end. When she was the new lord of the Dark Moon, she didn’t understand anything, and the conditions were more difficult than now, yet she still survived. Now that she had more bargaining chips on hand, and with him by her side, she would definitely be able to solve it.
“I have confidence too.” Chen Rui naturally meant his confidence in Shea. He lifted his mask and kissed her face gently. Shea smiled lightly while leaning on him, and her tense nerves relaxed. Only in his arms could she have this feeling of safety and relaxation.
The current att.i.tude of the royal families was to surrender to the master of the artifact, Shea. At the meeting today, most of them were neutral, only the elder families showed strong resistance. As an empire was really too large, it couldn’t be supported by 1 or 2 people. Furthermore, the influence of the elder families was deeply entrenched, covering the capital and multiple estates. For so many years, they were closely connected. If they were all uprooted with the Blood and Iron Policy, then the middle and upper “units” of the entire empire would be vacant which would be extremely detrimental to the stability of the empire. What’s more, there were still foreign enemies eyeing them. If the internal strife happened again in this situation, then the Fallen Angel Empire would collapse in Shea’s hands.
However, there were also conflicts of interest among the elder families. They were not completely united. A strong fortress always collapses from the inside first. It depended on Shea’s methods.
As the footsteps of the guards sounded, Shea and Chen Rui noticed them almost at the same time. He immediately stood up, put on his mask, and kept their distance. After all, this was not the Dark Moon palace. Obsidian’s personal guards naturally needed to be replaced. Now, these guards were temporarily selected by General George from the army.
“Her Majesty, Sir Cowen of the Toro Family of elder families brought his son and daughter-in-law to plead guilty.”
“Plead guilty?” Shea frowned slightly, then she understood.
Old Cowen’s son Redotan was the patriarch of the Toro Family. His wife was Loray who was Obsidian’s biological daughter.
Chen Rui’s eyes lit up, and he whispered a few words to Shea. The new Her Majesty Empress couldn’t help but nod her head as her purple eyes glowed with brilliance.
TL: What advice is that? Can they gain the trust of the Old Cowen?