The Knight's Journey to the Empire

Kingdom of Essex, the conference room wing next to the Essex Royal Court meeting hall.

Today is the day when the royal court of Essex holds its regular court meeting every tenth of each month.

But after the routine court meeting, His Majesty the King of Essex, Chris VI, dismissed all the attendants and servants around him, then came to the side hall meeting room alone and sat quietly.

At this moment, the entire conference room was empty, without any movement at all!

Chris VI sat quietly at the head of the long conference table, his eyes closed and his breathing smooth, as if he was resting!

However, not much time had passed before a faint light suddenly flashed in the dark shadow in the corner of the conference room, and the light was slightly distorted.

Then, a slender figure covered in a black robe walked out of the darkness silently like a ghost in the dark night.

This person is one of the most trusted and important ministers of Chris VI!

What is the name of this trusted and important minister? Perhaps no one knows except Chris VI!

What was circulated in the Essex court was that he had only a code name called "Shadow".

Shadow's identity is very special, because he is in full control of the most elite intelligence and spy agency of the Kingdom of Essex. He can be said to be an invisible black hand of Chris VI.

As the king of a country, Chris VI naturally had many shady things to do.

So when it is inconvenient for him to do it himself, his shadow will do the work on his behalf.

The shadow came to within five meters of Chris VI, then knelt down on one knee without hesitation, but did not speak.

After several minutes, Chris VI slowly opened his eyes and stared at the loyal and trusted minister in front of him with a sharp gaze.

Then the corners of Chris VI's mouth rose slightly, revealing a faint smile!

He whispered, "Shadow! Why didn't you say anything when you came?"

A hoarse and deep voice sounded, and Shadow responded respectfully: "I dare not disturb your majesty's rest!"

"You and I, the king and his subjects, should work together. Why should we care about these red tape?" Chris VI said angrily, then smiled and ignored him, waving his hand and saying, "You stand up first!"

Shadow stood up as ordered and stood quietly to one side, guarding Chris VI like a loyal guard.

After a moment of silence, Chris VI asked, "How is the matter I asked you to do going? Is there any progress?"

Shadow thought about it carefully and replied respectfully:

"Your Majesty, our people have thoroughly searched the entire Free City of Ancordina, but still haven't found any trace of the Saint!"

"For this reason, we even organized three assassination operations against the governor of the Free City of Ancordina at all costs, trying to use this method to force the Saint out."

"But in the end, even though the three assassination attempts all ended in failure, the Free City of Ancortina was helpless and powerless and could only condemn us through diplomatic channels!"

Finally, Shadow concluded word by word with a heavy tone: "So, after careful and rational analysis by our intelligence department, the conclusion is that the Saint has returned to the embrace of the Goddess!"

Hearing this, Chris VI frowned and asked, "Is this just a conclusion drawn through analysis? Is there no solid evidence to support it?"

Shadow felt a little ashamed, so he bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "I'm sorry, Your Majesty, we haven't found any solid evidence to prove it, so this is the result we came up with through analyzing various clues! I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

Chris VI sighed helplessly, then said in a comforting voice: "Well! I believe you have tried your best! So you don't have to blame yourself too much!"

"You all in the intelligence department have worked hard! Especially those heroes who sacrificed their lives for the country. The kingdom will remember their contributions!"

When Shadow heard this, he felt even more guilty and uneasy!

The kingdom's most elite intelligence department wasted so many resources and all kinds of outstanding talents, but still failed to get any accurate information!

This is simply a serious dereliction of duty on the part of the intelligence chief!

So Shadow knelt on one knee again and said in a heavy voice: "I beg Your Majesty to punish me!"

But Chris VI felt somewhat helpless: Shadow was not only powerful and had a high status, but also had important responsibilities and played an outstanding role. He could not be punished at will!

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Chris VI can’t control the shadow!

Instead, you need to give your subordinates some opportunities to make mistakes, or show a certain amount of respect and courtesy!

So in the end, Chris VI could only speak with a hint of anger: "Okay! Then I will punish you to lead the intelligence department and fully cooperate with the kingdom's army in the next military operation!"

"As you wish, Your Majesty!" Shadow responded, unable to hide his excitement.

How can this be considered a punishment?

Because His Majesty the King mentioned military operations and troop attacks, Shadow naturally knew the deep meaning behind them!

To restore the glorious and powerful empire of the past is the common wish of every citizen of the Kingdom of Essex, and Shadow is no exception!

And now, this long-awaited "battle to suppress rebellion and restore the country" is about to begin!

So how could Shadow not be excited and ecstatic!

"Go! Shadow, call in all the ministers outside the door!" Chris VI ordered calmly.

But his eyes were shining with determination and decisiveness!

"Yes, Your Majesty!" Shadow answered without hesitation, then quickly turned and walked towards the door.

After a while, Shadow returned to the conference hall, and following closely behind him were five important officials of the Essex court with serious expressions and gorgeous clothes!

The five important officials of the royal court entered the conference hall one after another. Each of them exuded a unique aura of authority:

First up was the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Essex, Hein Calliot, who had a kind and wise face, gray hair but dignified and neat, and eyes that revealed deep wisdom and mastery of state affairs;

The second was the military minister of the Kingdom of Essex, Duke Balhamus Reginald. He was broad and sturdy, with a resolute and courageous temperament on his resolute face, and the armor on his body shone with an intimidating cold light;

Next came the Chancellor of the Exchequer of the Kingdom of Essex, Earl Coldens Logpit, who had a smiling face, a kind yet shrewd and capable look, holding a thick account book in his hand, and seemed ready to deal with various economic issues at any time;

Then there is Trumpston, the chamberlain of His Majesty the King. He is tall and straight, graceful in manners, restrained in movements, yet dignified. He is always highly alert, paying close attention to the movements of His Majesty the King, and ready to respond to any needs of His Majesty the King at any time.

Finally, there is the commander of His Majesty the King's Royal Guard, General Obamanas. He is tall and mighty, with steady and powerful steps. His hands are always tightly gripping the hilt of the sword, and his eyes are always looking around, as if he is ready to fight at any time to protect the safety of His Majesty the King.

Everyone entered the conference hall in an orderly manner, and then bowed and greeted His Majesty the King one by one!

Even though they had just met at the kingdom's regular court meeting not long ago!

Then, everyone followed the instructions of His Majesty the King and took their seats.

This also includes Trumpston and Obamanas, two of His Majesty's eunuchs!

At this point, the core members of the highest power in the entire Kingdom of Essex gathered together.

They will represent millions of people in this country, discuss an issue related to national stability and social prosperity, and then make a decision that may affect the situation in the entire Knight Continent!

................................................

"My dear ministers, in my opinion, the time is ripe. We can launch a just 'war to suppress rebellion and restore the country' against those rebels in the empire! What do you think?" Chris VI asked directly as everyone sat down.

Obamanas suddenly turned his head and looked meaningfully at the shadow sitting next to him!

The shadow gave him a stiff but polite smile!

Then Obamanas stood up first and asked, "Your Majesty, could it be that the intelligence department has found out the exact information about the Saint?"

"Let Shadow answer this question for you!" Chris VI turned his gaze to Shadow.

Then everyone turned their eyes to the shadow, their eyes full of curiosity!

Because they all knew that there was a person named Shadow beside Chris VI, and they also knew what responsibilities and missions he shouldered!

Even some of his own shameful secrets were reported to His Majesty the King by this shadow!

But despite this, it was still the first time for them to participate in a meeting discussion with Shadow!

Shadow remained calm in the face of danger, and there was not even a ripple on his expression!

He stood up calmly, and then in a calm tone, he repeated to everyone the news he had just reported to His Majesty the King!

Then, he calmly sat back in his original position, closed his lips, and didn't say another word!

After hearing this, everyone present fell into deep thought!

But after a while, Duke Balhams was the first to stand up!

His face was filled with excitement, and he said in an excited tone: "Yes, Your Majesty! I also think that now is the best time to fight against rebellion! The historical moment of restoring the glory of the empire has arrived!"

"Over the past year, our kingdom's army has continued to recruit soldiers while continuously strengthening military training and honing the will of soldiers."

"Now, the size of the kingdom's army has exceeded 500,000 troops, and morale is at its highest point, with combat effectiveness reaching an unprecedented level!"

"So at this moment, they urgently need a great victory to temper themselves, so as to achieve the ultimate tempering and sublimation and become a true elite force!"

Chris VI nodded slightly, fully agreeing with Duke Balhams's point of view!

Then he turned around, looked at Prime Minister Hein, and asked softly: "My dear, what do you think about this?"

Prime Minister Haiyin had already prepared a plan for this, so after thinking for a moment, he spoke solemnly:

"Yes, Your Majesty, I also believe that the critical historical moment to restore the glory of the Essex Empire has arrived!"

"In the past five years, the Kingdom of Essex has enjoyed good weather, peace and prosperity, and farmland across the country has had a bumper harvest! So at this moment, the kingdom's grain reserves are already abundant!"

"Not only that, we have been secretly preparing for war since last year! Military workshops in various places have been operating day and night, continuously producing large quantities of sophisticated weapons and equipment!"

"So today, the kingdom's strength has been significantly improved: the foundation is more solid, and the foundation is more solid! And these sufficient accumulations are enough to support us in launching a great 'war to suppress rebellion and restore the country'!"

Having said this, Prime Minister Hein paused, pondered for a moment, and then continued:

"In addition, in the South Carolina Plains region in the south of the kingdom, we have fostered several principalities or city-states and made them serve as our puppets."

"At that time, as long as the kingdom launches the 'War to Reverse the Rebellion and Restore the Nation', they will stir up trouble in the South Carolina Plains and muddy the situation in that area. So with our support behind the scenes, the Ross Kingdom in the south will not be able to pose a threat to us!"

"Also, the envoys to the Federal Republic of Melville have also sent back news! If we launch the "War to Suppress Rebellion and Restore the Nation", the Federal Republic of Melville will assist us and divert the attention of the Chaos Empire so that it cannot be distracted from the battlefield in the east!"

"But the Melville Federal Republic also put forward a condition: that is, after we win and restore the empire, we need to sign an offensive and defensive mutual assistance alliance contract with the Melville Federal Republic, forming an offensive and defensive mutual assistance alliance, and the two sides will jointly curb the development of the Chaos Empire."

Upon hearing this, Chris VI waved his hand without hesitation, showing extraordinary courage.

He said in a very firm tone: "It's okay, agree to them!"

"Right now, our primary goal is to ensure victory in the 'Battle to Suppress the Rebellion and Restore the Nation'. We don't have to dwell on these minor details!"

"Besides, our Kingdom of Essex is not adjacent to the Melville Federal Republic, and forming an alliance with them will not cause any harm to our own interests!"