Chapter Zero: The Earl's Son

  When we look back on history after the event, we often find that even the most brilliant leaders are not immune to moments of mental confusion under the torrent of historical events.

  "Imperial Chronicle Volume 35, Record 7: Reflections on the Roland Era Part 1 and 2"

  It was a summer afternoon, the scorching sun still radiating heat mercilessly. To welcome the upcoming triumphal ceremony, countless guards wearing scarlet armor had surrounded the No. 1 dock of the harbor, making it impossible to get through.

  Just a hundred steps outside the dock, the soldiers of the Imperial Capital's Security Department were already exhausted. Many of their clothes had been torn apart, their shiny shoulder badges had been ripped off, their proud hats had been grabbed away, and even their boots had been trampled by countless feet.

  The 1,000 riot police deployed to maintain order outside the harbor were no match for the more than 50,000 enthusiastic urban residents who had gathered to watch.

  Passionate onlookers prepared flowers, cheers and applause - of course, many girls even prepared to offer their passionate kisses or even their chastity. Under such emotional circumstances, a thousand security guards felt like a broken boat in the ocean, likely to be capsized at any moment.

  At this moment, they envied those guards standing inside the dock's warning line, who could leisurely form their ranks, showing off their newly issued brightest armor and weapons, while not having to worry about being grabbed by some frenzied citizen in the next second.

  For this grand triumphal event, under the command of the great Emperor Augustin VI of the Empire, the section of the Lancang Grand Canal leading to the Imperial Capital was widened by a full double! And the empire paid for it with half a year's labor of 10,000 river workers, and the imperial treasury also paid nearly three million gold coins.

  And the cost of all this was merely to allow the flagship "Danton" of the Empire's "Xth Expeditionary Fleet" to pass smoothly through the canal to the East Gate Port of the Imperial Capital, where it would be greeted by the cheers of the people, in order to demonstrate the Empire's mighty military power.

  No one would care whether it's worth paying such a price for the sake of superficial vanity.

  Because the previous Minister of Finance of the Empire, who first strongly opposed, has been directly sent back to his hometown by the angry Emperor to retire. The only choice for the new Minister of Finance is how to rack his brains and scrape together as much money as possible from various expenditures in the imperial finance to satisfy that "big and auspicious old man".

  Of course, the title "big-hearted old man" can only be deeply buried in the Minister of Finance's heart, very deep, very deep...

  When the afternoon sunlight shines on the wide river surface of the canal, and the first sailboat appears in outline from a distance, the crowd can't help but burst into cheers.

  As the giant warship, over two hundred paces long, slowly approached the harbor, its majestic and powerful outline shocked all the citizens of the imperial city who had come to watch.

  The flagship of the Imperial Sixth Expeditionary Fleet, "Tantou", the pride of the Imperial Navy, the largest warship in the history of the Imperial Navy. To welcome this grand welcoming ceremony, the warship had undergone a thorough painting and renovation, with its hull painted a daunting black color. Amidst wave after wave of cheers, the Tantou seemed like a giant black monster slowly approaching the harbor, with a large thorny flower flag fluttering in the wind on the mast.

  When the ship's anchor was dropped, tens of thousands of citizens at the port were already boiling over, countless hats flew into the sky, countless people threw away their shoes, and countless people trampled on each other's legs. The poor soldiers from the Public Security Bureau could only narrow down the police line to the extent that they could, again and again...

  Count Raymond, commander of the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet, stood on the quarterdeck at this moment, expressionlessly gazing at the cheering crowds in the harbor.

  This thirty-nine-year-old Imperial First-Class General and Earl of the Empire was dressed in his most formal attire, with a suit of light armor covering his entire body. A bright red cloak fluttered behind him in the wind, and on his chest he wore two medals - souvenirs from his previous two expeditions. And undoubtedly, this triumph would earn him a third Imperial Medal.

  The Earl's gaze was somewhat scattered, his line of sight did not stay on the cheering crowd at the port, and if you looked closely, you could see that the Earl's eyebrows seemed to be slightly furrowed, as if he was a bit impatient.

  Damn it, this armor is too heavy and stupid!

  The Earl did not think that as a naval officer, he would need to wear such heavy armor in battle at sea. That was something the army used. As for wearing these medals, it was even more foolish in the Earl's mind. It was like a nouveau riche showing off his wealth - real nobles didn't do that sort of thing. He felt that such behavior was beneath him.

  Moreover, the cheering crowd below was too noisy, their cheers sounded like giant waves in a tsunami, wave after wave eroding what little patience the Earl had left.

  Subconsciously glanced at the deck under his feet.

  The Tantō had been repainted three days prior to today's welcoming ceremony, and the bloodstains on its deck had already been washed away. The deck that was damaged during the expeditionary war had also been replaced, and a new ramming horn had been installed at the bow... damn it, those bootlickers who loved to flatter His Imperial Majesty had actually turned the ramming horn into a statue of the Emperor himself, and rumor had it that this statue was personally crafted by a renowned sculptor of the Empire just the other day.

  For this, the Imperial Navy also paid an additional 10,000 gold coins.

  It's mighty enough. But those fools don't know that when encountering a battle at sea, after the warships collide, the first to be destroyed is the bow of the ship, right?

  In his opinion, the ten thousand gold coins were spent in vain. The work of that carving master was not even as effective as finding a sharp wooden stake at random.

  In fact, deeper down, Count Raymond even thought from the bottom of his heart that organizing this so-called Xth Imperial Expeditionary Fleet was a ridiculous and absurd mistake.

  The empire has been conducting expedition after expedition in the South China Sea region since decades ago.

  It is undeniable that Nanyang has countless islands, like scattered pearls scattered across the vast ocean, where there are strange forests, savage and ignorant indigenous tribes still in the tribal stage, gold, gems, spices, and seafood.

  However, Earl-sama doesn't think that "taking a dozen or so large warships to bully the native's small canoes" is what you'd call an "expedition".

  That was a complete robbery, massacre, banditry, invasion and an outright plunder!

  The Earl did not think there was anything wrong with this. The weak have always been bullied by the strong, and the weak need to maintain a submissive attitude towards the strong. However, he believed that the mistake of the Empire's policy towards Nanyang lay in: such so-called expeditions, which were conducted too frequently, and the effects seemed to be getting weaker and weaker.

  In the early two or three expeditions, the powerful imperial navy swept across the South Ocean, and when ship after ship of gold, jewels, seafood, and spices were brought back, it caused a sensation throughout the empire.

  But even the richest granary cannot withstand such frequent harvesting. Excessive plundering has led to the extinction of indigenous tribes in the southern ocean, and subsequent expeditions have had to extend their routes further and further, which is a huge test for the fleet's supplies.

  After all, Nanyang is not just those easy-to-bully aborigines, nor is it just gold and gems. There's also the sweltering weather, the ever-changing climate, the terrifying giant waves, and countless hidden reefs, whirlpools, storms...

  The transitional harvest made the fertile land that could have become an imperial granary rapidly wither away. The subsequent expeditions yielded less and less each time. However, it is ironic that the triumphal ceremonies became more and more grand...

  The Earl of Raymond himself led the three expeditions in recent years, earning him a loud reputation in the South Seas. This Imperial Navy general has a string of nicknames in the South Seas:

  Bandit! Butcher! Executioner!... His hands were stained with the blood of the natives, he was a notorious invader in the hearts of the native tribes, a demon who burned their homes and enslaved them.

  The Earl, of course, would not care about these things, but the only thing that made him feel a little uneasy was that the excessive aggressive war had already abnormally stimulated the development of these indigenous people in the South Seas, especially in terms of military power. Even before he returned this time, he had heard that some island nations in the farthest southern sea had formed an alliance to counter the Empire's endless looting.

  Fortunately, those annoying things no longer need to be considered by him. Because he was very clear that this was his last expedition. Next, he would stay in the Imperial Capital, and if everything went smoothly, he would get a prestigious position in the Imperial General Staff, then mix for ten or eight years, after the current Minister of Military Affairs retired, with the influence of his family, he would become the new Minister of Military Affairs, and if luck was a little better, maybe he could even indulge in being Prime Minister in the last few years of his political career.

  As for the expedition, go to hell with it. That's a problem for the next commander of the expeditionary fleet.

  Even if those natives have evolved to the point where they can build magical cannons, that's no longer a concern of mine.

  In the midst of cheers like a heat wave, Earl-sama stepped down from the flagship's deck under the watchful eyes of everyone. His feet finally touched the soil of the Imperial Capital! He waved his hand at the cheering crowd...... but this action looked more like he was shooing away flies.

  A civil official wearing court attire boarded the ship and read out an imperial commendation, announcing that Count would have an audience with His Imperial Majesty at dawn the next day to receive his honors.

  As wished, his political future is bright and promising.

  However, a grey-clad servant squeezed forward and brought another message to the earl's ears in a low voice, which made Count Raymond's mood sink to the bottom!

  The news is from home.

  Having been away from home for more than three years, with the vast ocean in between, it was inconvenient to send messages. Raymond had no idea what was going on at home now.

  The most important thing is his own wife. Three years ago when he went to war, his wife was already close to giving birth, and now, he doesn't even know if the child is a boy or a girl!

  The news at home is: it's a son.

  However, his son seems like an idiot.

  This news almost knocked the Earl off the peak of his joy.

  So close!

  However, almost every imperial noble who came to greet him noticed that the face of this triumphant expeditionary commander was gloomy to the point of collapse.