Chapter 8: Military Authority
A finger-thick rubber rod was placed over a candle to heat. Under the flame's scorching, the tip of the rubber rod softened, blackened, and was finally pressed onto a document. The high temperature caused the area around the imprint to turn slightly yellow. A pure gold ring was pressed into the softened rubber, leaving a distinct three-dimensional seal.
Elder Bloomer put the ring back on his finger and took one last look at the document on the table. This was the military transfer document he had signed with Princess Pedara.
This document held no official significance whatsoever. Bloomer had no authority to transfer those 260,000 troops. But in reality, with this document and Bloomer's personal endorsement, those 260,000 troops would be transferred to Princess Pedara's name, and thus into Su Xiao's hands. Given the current chaos in the empire, Bloomer's document was more effective than any official decree. The latter was already an empty shell, holding nominal command authority but no real power.
Pedara sat upright at the desk. It was clear she was nervous, her hands clasped together.
Bloomer glanced at Princess Pedara, then picked up the document from the table. Just as Princess Pedara reached out to take it, Bloomer raised his hand, his gaze shifting to Su Xiao. The meaning was obvious: he, Bloomer, could lose one round, but not to this little white rabbit.
Su Xiao reached out to take the document. This time, Bloomer extended his arm forward.
"Of these soldiers, 240,000 are stationed at the Western Frontier Fortress. Andoha may fall one day, but the empire cannot perish. No matter what happens, absolutely do not conscript those 240,000 soldiers. Let them remain at the Western Frontier Fortress. Blue Lion Stretch is overstepping his authority in commanding those 240,000 troops, but that doesn't matter. Without him and those 240,000 soldiers, the barbarians from the west would have already breached the empire's borders."
Bloomer gripped the document tightly, waiting for Su Xiao's response. Clearly, this Elder hadn't had his mind corroded by royal power. He understood that internal strife within the empire was acceptable, but foreign invasion was not.
"Agreed."
Su Xiao naturally had no intention of mobilizing those 240,000 soldiers. It would be of little use in seizing power. If he could claim the throne through sheer force alone, he wouldn't have come to the Elder Council openly. He would have infiltrated and assassinated Bloomer instead.
Upon receiving Su Xiao's reply, Bloomer released his grip on the document, closed his eyes, and leaned back in his wolfskin chair.
"The disturbance with the Sea Clan... I'll give you an answer by five o'clock at the latest. However..."
Bloomer slightly opened one eye. Some things could never be said outright, or it would be a fight to the death.
Su Xiao folded the document and tucked it into his bosom, signaling Pedara that it was time to leave. Pedara, who had just been ignored, was a bit annoyed, but at most, she could only pout her lips, not daring to say anything to Bloomer.
When Su Xiao led Pedara out of the Elder's mansion, the Old Divine Stick, Bubu Wang, and the King with the Straw Hair were already waiting at the entrance.
"Went smoothly?"
The Old Divine Stick still wore that benevolent expression.
"Very smoothly. Before five o'clock this evening, the Moon Queen will be delivered. As for her current condition, don't get your hopes up. If that old fox Bloomer was willing to hand her over, it means the Moon Queen has no value left."
Hearing this, the Old Divine Stick sighed, his expression unchanged. He wasn't actually trying to ensure the Moon Queen's safety. It was out of loyalty to the Black King. He didn't want the Moon Queen to be imprisoned like a pet. The most likely thing he would do was send the Moon Queen to meet the Black King.
"What's the next step?"
Having secured military authority, the Old Divine Stick was convinced that Su Xiao was reliable, so he began to seek his advice.
"These 260,000 soldiers—how many Legion Commanders govern them?"
Su Xiao first needed to stabilize the military authority he had gained, but he had no intention of managing it deeply. That would be too time-consuming. Stabilizing it was enough.
"To be precise, there are a total of 560,000 soldiers. The 260,000 is just the number of regular troops under the empire's establishment. With the constant civil wars within the empire's borders and the barbarians from the west repeatedly breaching the fortress, the number of soldiers in each legion has severely exceeded its quota. Of the 560,000 soldiers, 240,000 are at the Western Frontier Fortress. Those 240,000 must not be touched. Of the remaining 320,000, 100,000 are at the Southern Fortress, responsible for defending against possible Sea Clan incursions. The final 220,000 are at the Iron Sun Camp outside the Holy City. They are all reserve soldiers and need at least three more months of training before they can be sent to the Southern or Northern Borders."
The Old Divine Stick was very familiar with the distribution of these 560,000 soldiers, even marking them clearly on the empire's map.
"These are all frontier fortress troops? Who holds command over the Holy City's garrison?"
Su Xiao slowed his pace as he studied the map in his hand.
"The command of the Holy City Guard is in the hands of Princess Shaye Tuo. She is... a woman more manly than men."
The Old Divine Stick glanced at Pedara as he spoke. Just hearing the name Shaye Tuo made Pedara shrink her neck in fear. To her, this was practically a childhood trauma. Because of her weak and timid personality, Princess Shaye Tuo felt she was disgracing the royal family, so she had her sent to the military camp for a few days of training. Pedara nearly died there. It was precisely because of Shaye Tuo that Pedara had developed such a soft and timid personality.
Su Xiao began to organize the intelligence he had gathered so far. Besides his own faction, there were four other parties vying for the throne: two dukes he had never met, Princess Shaye Tuo, and Elder Bloomer.
The last one, that old fox, Su Xiao had already dealt with. He was difficult to handle. Although Su Xiao had wrested military authority from him, Bloomer's power was deeply entrenched in the Holy City. Losing military authority would only pain him for a few days, not cripple him.
"So, that means nearly one-fifth of the border defense forces are now nominally under our control?"
"Correct. Although, due to the empire's situation, most of the troops cannot be mobilized, military authority is still an indispensable asset for us."
The Old Divine Stick pointed to the southwestern corner of the map, indicating the Western Frontier Fortress.
"Summon the Legion Commanders of these legions. They should all be in the Holy City, right?"
"Four are in the Holy City. Blue Lion Stretch has spent his entire life at the Western Frontier Fortress. It's unlikely he'll return."
"Then summon those four."
What Su Xiao planned to do next was simple: directly intervene in the struggle for the throne and search for the Violator among the participating factions.
...
At seven o'clock that evening, in a manor south of the Holy City. This was the Old Divine Stick's property, a gift from the Black King. Unfortunately, the Old Divine Stick had no children and didn't value wealth. He had once pursued personal strength, but after the Black King's death, he abandoned his lifelong pursuit and settled in a small church. The specific reason was unknown.
Although the Old Divine Stick didn't live in the manor, as a gift from the Black King, it had been kept in good order over the years. Servants came regularly to clean it, and a dozen hunting dogs were kept in the courtyard.
Inside the courtyard stood a domed residence, so large that one could easily get lost. On the second floor, in the meeting hall, five people sat around a long table, each with two or three guards standing behind them.
Among these five, four were Legion Commanders of the empire, and one was a Commander-in-Chief. This Commander-in-Chief was the highest military authority over those 560,000 soldiers, named Wu Fu. Above him were the Elder Council and the royal system.
The four Legion Commanders were all somewhat anxious. They had received news that the Elder Council had placed them under the command of Princess Pedara. They all knew how terrifying Elder Bloomer was, and the fact that Princess Pedara had wrested military authority from him made them equate her with a female demon in their minds.
At first, these Legion Commanders were completely baffled. They had heard of Princess Pedara, but when they learned she was taking over military command, their reaction was that it must be false news. However, their Commander-in-Chief, Wu Fu, later confirmed the news.
Just as the Legion Commanders were filled with anxiety, the door was pushed open. A man they had never seen before took the seat at the head of the table. Behind him followed an old man and a blonde girl. As for Princess Pedara, she didn't even show her face.
"Everyone, please, have a seat."
Su Xiao surveyed the people in the meeting hall. Their auras were not weak. Although the empire was in civil strife, there were basically no "connections" in the military. After all, the Black King had passed away less than twenty years ago. The great tree of the empire wouldn't rot down to its trunk so quickly.
The Legion Commanders exchanged glances but didn't sit down. However, Commander-in-Chief Wu Fu took a seat. He was a short, wiry man wearing chainmail and a red cape draped over his back.
"Lord Kukulin, I am Wu Fu."
"Mm. I've heard of you."
"It is my honor."
This simple exchange made the four Legion Commanders obediently sit down, their backs straight. If their top superior was so deferential to this man, they naturally wouldn't dare to act presumptuously. People who had climbed to such positions were no simple characters.
"Tell me, how do you and the Elder Council divide the military funds allocated by the empire?"
Su Xiao's gaze fell on Wu Fu. Wu Fu looked a bit embarrassed. He hadn't expected Su Xiao to bring the matter up so directly. This made his heart skip a beat.
"An eighty-twenty split."
Wu Fu appeared calm, but he was actually struggling to control his racing heartbeat. An eighty-twenty split didn't mean the military got eighty percent and the Elder Council twenty. It was the opposite. The military could only get twenty percent of the total military funds. To make matters worse, Wu Fu was lying for the sake of the frontier garrison. The real split was ninety percent for the Elder Council and ten percent for the military. Of that ten percent, seventy percent was sent to the frontier. That area couldn't afford any problems.
For the sake of the military, Wu Fu was going all out. The moment he saw Su Xiao, he knew Su Xiao was a ruthless killer who wouldn't blink an eye. Yet, he still chose to deceive Su Xiao for the sake of the frontier troops.