"Then follow me to the Imperial City!"
I jumped onto the G.o.d Dragon Horse and smiled, "Maybe the times of the Royal Army camping outside of the city are going to end if His Majesty is willing to give Fan Shu City to us."
Han Yuan jumped onto the horse and laughed out loud, "General, you are His Majesty"s teacher. There is no need to worry. His Majesty is so wise and wouldn"t object."
"Alright, all majors, follow me."
"Yes!"
In the next moment, a total of 9 majors got on their horses. The lowest level was a lvl 157 [Divine Tier] BOSS. Han Yuan, Xia Ye, Long Xing, and Xiao Lie were all terrifying level 160 [Demon Harvest Tier] BOSSes. If they faced [Deity] and [G.o.d Tier] NPCs they might get instantly killed, but if they faced players, then they were totally fine.
The bunch of us crossed the forest and headed straight for the Imperial City.
After the system maintainence, the map of Tian Ling City expanded by roughly 30%, and the city walls also expanded by the same amount. There were now two super main cities under Tian Ling City and its expanding scale was to be expected. The outer walls were silver but on a closer look it wasn"t quicksilver or silver as it was too expensive and impractical.
"What is that?" I asked.
Xiao Lie said, "White iron, a strong white iron that smiths found at the depths of the Demon Dragon Mountain. After melting it at high temperatures, it was poured onto the walls. This white iron is really strong and tough and can even defend against the direct hits of the Dragon Crystal Cannons. The current Tian Ling City is a city bathed in iron; its defenses are even much stronger than Fire Elephant City."
I nodded my head in satisfaction, "This idea is not bad. Who came up with it?"
Xiao Lie smiled, "It was His Majesty Lochlan. Three days ago, he personally led the guards to dig white iron up from the Demon Dragon Valley. He also used white iron to cover all the city walls. Sir, our new emperor is much smarter than our previous ones."
"Alright, let"s go!"
……
The bunch of us entered Tian Ling City and it was already filled with players, especially after the country war the maps refreshed. There were many new maps and mobs that appeared, so naturally there would be more pets, cards, mounts, equipment, and much more. It was a great chance for players to show off their skills. Everyone wanted to strengthen themselves before the next country war. Only then could one become battle-famous.
Outside of the palace, a bunch of bright-armored guard troops were out there for Lochlan’s safety. When we came over, the guard captain knelt down on one knee, "Commander in Chief, you are here!"
I nodded, "I am going to meet His Majesty, there is something important I have to discuss with him."
"Commander in Chief, please proceed!"
He didn"t make things difficult for us. The Guard General Situ Xin should be a very outright and valiant person. After he took control of the Tian Ling City defenses, nothing big happened and he didn"t clash with any people.
I stepped into the hall. From afar, Lochlan was having a discussion with a bunch of generals and civil servants. A huge sandboard was placed in the middle. Lochlan was dressed in armor and he walked down from his throne with a sword in his hand. He stood beside the board and said, "The defenses in the south and the west must be done well. Moon City and Swirling Abyss City are staring at us aggressively. We have to send empire elites there to defend."
Marquis Louis said, "The Fire Axe Army is willing!"
Lochlan shook his head and smiled, "Marquis is really valiant. However, the Flaming G.o.d Mountain Range is a complicated place. There are many various bandits and mercenaries there sweeping the place out. Our Fan Shu City has also turned to ruins.
Safety and order there aren"t stable. The Fire Axe Army only has fifty thousand troops and sixty percent of them are new, unable to defend against them. Why don’t we send others?"
Louis was shocked and said, "Your Majesty, please trust me at least once!"
At the side, Les crossed his arms, the red ribbon on it floating as he smiled, "Marquis, His Majesty is feeling heart pain for you. Why not remain in Tian Ling City and enjoy your final years?! The Flaming G.o.d Mountain Range has many new beasts and monsters. Mercenaries and bandits sweep the area and the life of the people there are terrible. Your Fire Axe Army are all newbies and you should cherish their lives. Why not let my Violent Thunder Army army go over? After rebuilding, we have 70 thousand troops and half of them are experienced ones that went through the Flaming Cloud City and Waterfront City battles!"
As he said that, he cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, please let us head over to Flaming G.o.d Mountain. As long as the Violent Thunder Army is there, we will ensure that the Moon City and Swirling Abyss City people won"t step a single foot into Flaming G.o.d Mountain!"
Lochlan"s brows were locked tight as he said, "General Les" words make sense. You are indeed a huge power for the Empire, but... Flaming G.o.d Mountain is facing the attacks of two empires and bandits. It is also south of the Sea of No Return, facing the attacks of the Hybrid Demon Army. Although the Violent Thunder Army is strong, you still can"t defend alone."
"Ugh..." Lochlan sighed and said, "It would be good if Duke Fan were still alive. With him guarding Fan Shu City, no one dared to attack the place after dozens of years. Now, there are fewer and fewer reliable officials..."
Les was a little anxious and said, "Your Majesty, when the South Protecting King left, he told me to support you. Now Flaming G.o.d Mountain is empty and it is time for you to trust people. Please don"t doubt us and let me lead the Violent Thunder Army over!"
At this moment, General Situ Xin laughed and said, "General Les is so eager to head over. Is it because of the Dragon Crystal mines and gold mines there?"
"What Dragon Crystal mines?" Les" face turned ashen white and anxiousness flashed across his eyes, "Situ Xin, what are you trying to say? You are saying that I, a Commander in Chief, would be greedy for some mines?"
Situ Xin"s face turned cold as he said, "Once General Les moves in, you have to dig out the Dragon Crystals and gold and send them all back to Tian Ling City. Are you willing to do so?"
Les" face was filled with uncertainty, "This..."
Situ Xin laughed coldly, "This Commander in Chief is only just so-so!"
It was obvious that Les wasn"t willing to face the threat of the bandits and mercenaries while also having to hand over all the items from the mine to Tian Ling City. However, I was really interested in that Dragon Crystal mine. Everyone knew those Dragon Crystals were used to create the ammo for Dragon Crystal Cannons. During the last country war, the strength of the Dragon Crystal Cannons shook the world. However, ammunition was really expensive and a normal cannon would shoot 10 to 20 times before it would run out of ammo. It was easy to make Dragon Crystal Cannons, but it was tough to get the Dragon Crystals. If there really was a Dragon Crystal mine, then at least it would be enough to defend it.
Thinking about that, I walked up and cupped my fists, "Your Majesty, since you can"t make a decision, why not let the Royal Army defend Flaming G.o.d Mountain?"
Lochlan was stunned and smiled, "Does Teacher Li really want to guard it? However, the Flaming G.o.d Mountain lacks resources and I am afraid the Royal Army would lose men there. The Royal Army is the top army of the Empire and we can"t easily lose them..."
I was delighted. Lochlan wanted to ensure the Royal Army"s top position in Tian Ling City. Therefore, my power in the Empire would be much stronger too.
At the side, Fire Dragon Army General Long Zhong cupped his fists and said, "Your Majesty, thw Royal Army is good at fighting but should be used to defend the Imperial City to take up the responsibility along with the Imperial Guards!"
Lochlan nodded, "Right, General Long Zhong"s words make sense."
I quickly glanced toward Imperial Guards General Situ Xin and he cupped his fists, "Your Majesty, I don"t think there is such a need. The Imperial Guards reached 70 thousand troops after it was formed and is enough to defend the Imperial City. The Royal Army is better at fighting and General Li is great at the art of war. I think the Royal Army is the sword of the Empire and not the shield. If the Royal Army doesn"t attack, which general can ensure your army can face the Hybrid Demons alone?"
Lochlan immediately smiled and said, "General Situ"s words are exactly what I have been thinking. So it is decided — Master Li"s Royal Army will be sent to defend Flaming G.o.d Mountain. Duke Suiding will personally defend and I guess those bandits and mercenaries will be worried."
Les was helpless and said, "Your Majesty, the South Protecting King said to let Violent Thunder Army and Fire Dragon Army be in charge of attacking..."
I smiled, killing intent not seeping out as I said, "General Les, the Emperor is Lochlan, not the South Protecting King. You need to be clear about that. Lochlan is the Emperor of the dynasty and it is definitely not Luo Xun."
Les was shocked and gritted his teeth, "General Li is correct, I understand."
……
I cupped my fists and said, "Your Majesty, I not only want to be in charge of the defenses there, but I hope that Your Majesty can allow the Royal Army to rebuild the ruins of Fan Shu City. The Royal Army will use Fan Shu City as a base to defend the southwest gate of Tian Ling City such that Moon City and Swirling Abyss City won"t dare to enter!"
Lochlan was delighted and smiled, "Great! Make Duke Suiding the Master of Fan Shu City to rebuild it. Tian Ling City will provide all the required resources."
I nodded and said, "I have one more request."
"Master Li please speak." Lochlan"s trust in me made all the generals jealous. I felt like their piercing, blade-like stares wanting to kill me.
I cupped my fist and said, "Your Majesty, please let the Royal Army dig the Dragon Crystal mines and gold mines. We will hand 50% over to Tian Ling City, and the rest of the Dragon Crystals will be made into Dragon Crystal Cannons. As for the other half of the gold, please allow me to use to rebuild Fan Shu City to reduce the burden on Tian Ling City."
Lochlan clapped, "Yes, I approve!"
At this point, a new symbol appeared on my arm. It was the symbol of a majestic city, beside it was a line of golden words---
"Fan Shu City Lord Li Xiao Yao!"
The line of words was just too amazing, much more than whatever was second in Tian Ling City!
The quest was already complete so the Ministry of Personnel gave me many doc.u.ments and allowed me to allocate resources on my own. Of course, gold was the most important. With that, one could trade with any merchant and deal with all the resources that Fan Shu City needed. Han Yuan then went to bring civilian workers, a total of 200 thousand of them. Along with the power of the Royal Army, the rebuilding of Fan Shu City was something to look forward to!