The fiefdom increases by 1 soldier in 1 second, and the empress kneels down and begs not to rebel

"Medical officer! Where is the medical officer?! Call him over quickly!!!"

After the bombardment intensified again, in the Black Powder Fleet, whose losses had exceeded two-thirds, soldiers on the main ship were dragging a man covered in blood towards the cabin.

"Let go...let me go..." The man, who was hit by the explosion and had several shrapnel piercing his body, coughed up blood and waved his arms weakly, trying to get the soldiers to let him go.

"Sir, you need to stop the bleeding immediately!" The soldier said to him anxiously, his face covered in sweat and not even bothering to wipe the blood off his face.

"It's...it's no use." The man drooped his eyelids, knowing that his injuries were so serious that there was no possibility of recovery.

The soldiers couldn't call a medical officer, so they could only take off their uniforms on the spot and tear off the sleeves of their shirts to bandage the man's thigh, which was the most seriously injured.

"They...they finally couldn't hold on anymore...and retreated, right?" the man asked weakly.

The rumbling sound of artillery fire rang out outside the cabin, and the ship would shake violently from time to time. The soldiers looked at each other and realized that the enemy had not really withdrawn. They were just conducting a tactical retreat, keeping a distance from the dock to avoid the shells.

A few minutes ago, the density of their artillery fire increased again, and now many enemy ships were firing at a safe distance, so their hit rate also increased a lot, as can be seen from the rapid sinking of their own warships.

"What...what happened?" The man couldn't hear the soldiers' answer, so he asked again.

"Martin!"

A soldier was about to speak when a man suddenly ran in from the cabin aisle. He rushed into the crowd while shouting, and immediately knelt down in front of the dying man. He hurriedly snatched the shirt from the soldier who was bandaging him carelessly, and bandaged the man's thigh with a more professional technique.

The person who came was none other than Sebastian who had been hiding in the cabin corridor.

When Adjutant Martin was dragged into the cabin corridor by the soldiers, Sebastian could no longer sit on the ground and wait to die alone.

This is the adjutant who has worked with him for many years. Martin is not very smart and has a weak character. He is also cunning and always asks for his opinions with an undecided look. In fact, he is afraid to take responsibility, so he usually cannot stand out. It is for this reason that he can only be an adjutant.

But at least, he has been following him for many years and is a "barely qualified" deputy.

Sebastian came hurriedly and saw Martin's serious injuries. His heart, which had already been dead, still felt a strong pain when he saw the blood on the ground and the half-charred face.

No one can calmly accept the death of a familiar person in front of them, even if they will die afterwards.

Now that you have seen it, you can't pretend you didn't see it.

"Sir...the enemy has withdrawn, right?" Martin was still asking while spitting out blood intermittently.

The shirt was tied around the thigh where the bleeding was most severe, but the bleeding could not be stopped and in the blink of an eye the shirt was dyed red.

"Well, let's withdraw." Sebastian couldn't help but say as he looked at the blood on his hands.

He didn't react when he said this, but he thought that maybe because Martin was about to die, he subconsciously gave him the answer he wanted.

What's wrong with fulfilling a dying person's wishes?

"Have you withdrawn?" Martin still asked.

"They've withdrawn, Lieutenant Colonel." The soldiers around him also gave the same answer. They all agreed without any prior agreement and decided to send Martin off with a lie.

"I...why can't I hear your voices?" Martin was no longer vomiting blood, and his voice became weaker and weaker.

Sebastian immediately crawled beside Martin's head and shouted into Martin's ears that had been deafened by the explosion:

"The Yan people can't resist anymore!"

"We dealt them a heavy blow! They retreated in disgrace!"

"This defensive battle! It ended with our victory!"

Martin seemed to have really heard it. A smile gradually appeared on his bloodstained face. He turned his tearful eyes with difficulty and looked at Sebastian's face which also had a faint smile. He said:

"Sir."

"Please take my body back to my hometown. You and I went to the small town of Bolden. Do you remember it?"

Hearing this prayer, some of the soldiers around him lowered their heads, some quietly turned around, tears falling uncontrollably. Explosions sounded above their heads, the collapsed mast was burning in flames, the flames gradually burned through the deck, and clusters of flames were falling down.

Everyone understood that no one could survive this battle, and even if they died, their bodies would remain forever on the seabed less than one kilometer away from the country.

Sebastian continued to yell into Martin's ear: "Remember!!! I will take you back!!"

There was a loud "clang" sound.

The black hole formed by the damaged hull of the warship was continuously pouring in seawater. The warship was slowly tilting, and all the soldiers fell to the ground. The fire above was getting bigger and bigger, and thick smoke had already rushed into the aisle. The soldiers were coughing loudly.

The tears stopped flowing and the smile disappeared. Martin's eyes gradually became dull and his pupils slowly dilated. He looked at the deck above his head which was gradually turning black due to the flames. He gasped for breath with all his might, but he could no longer breathe in a breath.

But even so, a last weak sound came out from the throat that was gradually losing its function.

"Thank you, this is....my New Year's wish."

He stopped panting.

The fake smile on Sebastian's face disappeared in an instant. He looked at the dead Martin with a stiff expression, then slowly reached out his hand and closed his eyes that had lost focus.

Thick smoke filled the aisle, and the burning decks above their heads kept falling down. Some soldiers had already been choked to death in the thick smoke.

Sebastian fell to the ground with a thud, his face flushed red from the thick smoke. He coughed violently at first, but soon calmed down.

He once chose to escape out of fear, and he once cried, became hysterical, collapsed, and despaired because he could not return to the port.

But at this moment, Sebastian had accepted everything calmly.

War is supposed to be this cruel.

Pierced by bullets, shattered by shells, burned by flames, submerged by the sea, the homeland that was so close is out of reach, the bodies left behind have no one to take back, the brave people, the cowardly people, those who hold on, those who give up, the warships, the people, everything, will not all be engulfed by the flames of war and completely destroyed?

In the last moments of his life, Sebastian turned his head to look at Martin and murmured:

"I'm sorry, I can't do that, Martin."

"This damn war has left none of us immune. From the day we launched the expedition, we have been caught in the vortex of war. We are all..."

The pure white snowflakes were stained with gray and slowly fell. The shells were still flying through the air, but Sebastian's groaning had stopped abruptly, and a warm tear slowly slid down his gray cheek.

-

"Boom!"

Twelve seconds before midnight, the West Light Clock rang its first tone accurately.

The loud bells echoed in the silent Saint-Marie Square. The lights illuminated the place brightly. The Wester Clock Tower stood on the ground bathed in light. The four hands were slowly turning. Thousands of people gathered in and outside the square. At this moment, they all closed their eyes, rested their foreheads on their clasped hands, and made pious New Year wishes in their hearts.

The scene is grand and spectacular, quiet and sacred.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

When the sixth note was played, Gustav was still hesitating whether to make the wish of "becoming the commander-in-chief of the navy and the left hand of the emperor". This wish seemed a little difficult to achieve. Although Muller had died, there were still two admirals, Edelman and Chick, in the navy. It would be quite difficult to surpass these two and win the position of the navy marshal.

'How about being pragmatic? ' Gustav thought.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

At the eleventh time, Gustav finally gave up and chose a wish that was more likely to come true.

'Lord, please help me find my lost medal.'

"This is much more practical." Gustav made a wish with satisfaction.

Unlike Gustav's indecision, before the New Year's bell rang, von Paalen, standing in the center of the square, had already closed his eyes devoutly and made a firm wish in his heart.

"In the new twelve years, let me conquer Yan Country and make it the empire's first overseas colony!"

"After that, I will gain control of the Feni Continent! If the countries on the Leon Continent, led by the Isari Kingdom, dare to stop me, then that will be a good opportunity for me to conquer them!"

"I will lead the empire to trample all other countries under my feet! Let us Goths become the most superior nation in the world! All lands shall be planted with the flag of the empire!"

In silent prayer -

"Boom!"

The Wester Bright Bell struck its final note.

The moment the sound came, a salute exploded, and the night sky was suddenly filled with splendor. This was a New Year's salute prepared for the brilliant achievements made by the empire in its twelve-year journey.

People all opened their eyes and looked up at the magnificent scene in the sky. This was far better than the scene of the cannons exploding on Blue Hibiscus Street before, and it also far exceeded the beautiful scenery presented in previous New Years.

Brilliant and beautiful fireworks bloom in the night sky and gradually disappear in the initial golden light. However, the falling fireworks are the most beautiful moment. Long golden beams streak across the night sky and snowflakes flutter. The combination of the two presents this rare and charming scene.

The usually serious von Palen quietly wiped his red eyes and said with emotion:

"This is definitely the best era for our empire."

No one else could express the same emotion as von Palen, because in this dreamlike scene, people were so moved that they could not control themselves and their bodies were shaking with excitement.

Even tears welled up in my eyes.