Deposed Crown Prince: After three years of service on the frontier, the entire court knelt and begge

Just as Xiao Ce was having some concerns, Zion Capo also quickly received the news on the other side...

When Atie sent a messenger whose boots reeked of blood, he rushed into the palace.

Zion Capo was reviewing lengthy documents behind the gold-inlaid and jade-embroidered long table when he heard the old man quietly enter beside him.

When Sion Capo saw the butler beside him, he asked, "What's wrong?"

The old butler respectfully reported to Zion Capo, "Your Majesty, it's a messenger from the front lines..."

Upon hearing the old butler's words, Zion Capo's weary eyes suddenly lit up with a bright light...

"Where is he? Is it good news or bad news?"

The old butler shook his head: "That messenger reeked of blood. I asked him, but he wouldn't answer me... He said he had to come see you in person..."

Upon hearing the old butler's words, Zion Capo excitedly exclaimed, "Quick, go and invite them here!"

The old butler naturally nodded in agreement.

A moment later, a weary messenger entered, knelt deeply, his forehead almost touching the cold marble floor, his voice hoarse and broken from the long journey:

"Your Majesty...Frostwolf Fortress...Seacliff Territory...is pacified! General Atie...has won a great victory!"

Zion Capo's heart felt like it was being squeezed in his chest.

A cold hand clenched and then abruptly released!

It's here! The thunderous sound he's been waiting for!

"Victory?"

The messenger nodded and then said, "Under General Atie's leadership, we not only won, but won a great victory!"

The messenger then delivered the war chronicles.

With the old butler entrusting it to him, Zion Capo began to read it carefully...

Then, the last line of the report caught Zion Kapoor's eye: "Mission accomplished. Light Army suffered minor losses. Troops, carrying spoils and prisoners of war, are returning to the capital at full speed."

"Good! Good! Good!"

Sion suddenly stood up, and the three "good"s grew louder and louder with each utterance, like a long-suppressed volcano erupting.

His facial muscles contorted slightly with extreme excitement, his eyes flashing with a terrifying light. He slammed his hands heavily on the table, causing the ink bottle to jump and black ink to splatter onto the gilded tablecloth, blooming into several ominous patterns.

"The Illuminati's divine might! General Atie's unparalleled prowess! This is the might of the Illuminati's order, the will of the Alliance City! The cancer of Britain has finally been eradicated!"

His ecstasy was not a mere pretense.

Horton and Moros, these two thorns deeply embedded in the heart of the Empire, hindering his control of real power and potentially revealing his deep connection with Boudica, have been uprooted!

The sword illuminated by light cuts through the thorns that bind him.

He needed this shock, this authority forged in blood, like a desert thirsting for rain.

He strode around the desk, grabbed the messenger who was still kneeling on the ground, and lifted him up with such force that he almost lifted him up: "Well done! Convey my decree!"

The old butler stepped forward respectfully...

Sion Capor said, "Send someone to let the messenger rest well...and then spread this good news throughout the entire British Empire..."

The news was instigated by the old butler.

Like a raven with wings of plague, it instantly tore through the cold air of the British Empire.

"His Majesty Sien proclaims this to the entire nation!"

"Frostwolf Castle has fallen! Duke Horton has been beheaded!"

"The lighthouse at Sea Cliff has been extinguished! Marquis Moros has been beheaded!"

"Illuminati Iron Guard, Atie, whose divine might is invincible!"

The royal messenger's booming voice rang out in the square in front of the palace. Following the pre-arranged route, messengers on horseback surged like a flood towards every city, every fortress, and every noble's territory in the empire.

Notices were posted like snowflakes on every square, city gate, tavern, and church bulletin board.

The text above, written in the simplest yet most brutal language, proclaims the demise of two of the most illustrious and stubborn resisters and their families.

The entire empire fell into a deathly silence, followed by a tsunami of fear.

Moreover, under their arrangement, some storytellers spread their tales of attacking Frostwolf Keep and Seacliff stronghold among the common people...

In the capital, the hustle and bustle of the city instantly froze.

The sounds of haggling in the market disappeared, and the drunkards in the taverns awoke from their daze. Only suppressed, rapid breathing and whispered discussions remained on the streets and alleys.

In the deep corners of the slums, where there had once been glimpses of hope for Boudica, only utter despair and a chilling cold remained. They knew all too well that, faced with the Illuminati's powerful entry, the Empress Boudica who had been thinking of them was unlikely to be a match.

Those well-dressed citizens who had just been struggling to make a living or seeking pleasure now had only one expression on their faces: a bewilderment mixed with a deep-seated fear.

They had all actually seen it: the iron man's figure crushing the throats of orators in the square, instantly overlapping with the description of "divine might" on the notice, turning into a real nightmare.

Some people were secretly making unknown prayer gestures on their chests, while others huddled in corners, trembling. They knew that the hope they had thought Boudica had brought them, seemingly on the verge of a resurgence, had failed once again...

The contempt and disdain he once held for Zion were replaced by a pure fear, as if he were facing a primordial beast.

The nobles had actually received this news long before Zion Capord delivered it to them...

They didn't believe it at first, but later they had no choice but to believe it...

They were shocked, but even more so, they were filled with despair...

Just as fear reached its peak and panic gripped the people, the second royal decree fell like a cold guillotine, striking with pinpoint accuracy.

"By the will of the Empire and in the glory of the Illuminati, His Majesty Sion Capor, Plenipotentiary Envoy of the Alliance City to Britain, hereby issues this decree to the entire nation!"

"The traitors Horton Wolfgang, Moros, and their collaborators are guilty beyond redemption; their names should be tarnished and their families punished! However, His Majesty is merciful, and the grace of the Illuminati extends far and wide. Apart from the ringleaders and their core followers, all the rest are given a path to redemption!"

"The imperial edict is as follows!"

"All nobles of earl rank and above, important vassals and lords and their heirs throughout the Empire, who have not been accepted by the Illuminati, must depart for the capital within three days of receiving this order! No excuses or delays are permitted! Those who disobey will be considered accomplices in treason, their entire clan will be exterminated, and their territories will be confiscated!"

"Each lord must carry a pledge of allegiance, swearing by their family seal and bloodline to His Majesty King Zion Capor, to the order of the Alliance City, and to the glory of the Illuminati! The oath will be inscribed on a stone tablet and erected before the royal palace, proclaiming it to the world!"

"All the lords have gathered in the capital to welcome one man! The Iron Guard of the Illuminati, His Majesty's personally appointed Vanguard of the British Rebellion, Chief of the Guard of the Alliance City Envoy, and Conqueror of Frostwolf Keep and Seacliff Territory, General Atie! And his invincible army of the Illuminati has returned in triumph!"

"On the day of victory, a state banquet will be held in the capital for the whole nation to celebrate! His Majesty will drink the wine of victory with all his ministers and bask in the grace of the Order of the Illuminati!"

Every word was like a heavy hammer blow, striking the hearts of all the nobles who received the order.

Three-day deadline! For earls and above! No delays allowed! Violators will have their entire family executed!

This is not an invitation at all; it's a blatant threat and blackmail...

But even if these people know that this is a threat and blackmail, what can they do?

In fact, this tactic was something Zion Capord learned from the Illuminati. He would then appoint his heirs to important positions here, seemingly as a sign of favor, but in reality, as a threat...

As Zion Cabo's second royal decree spread throughout every inch of the British Empire with the hoofbeats of his swift messengers, the noble lords who held sway over their territories were experiencing a fear far more chilling than the fear of facing the wolves of the North.

The atmosphere in the British Empire changed completely after the second royal decree was issued.

It was as if the pot had been overturned among all the nobles.

...

In the Byron Manor in the south, gilded candlelight flickered on exquisite silver candlesticks, but it couldn't illuminate the Count Byron's sallow face.

He gripped the edict bearing the seal of Zion Cabo and the emblem of the Alliance city, his knuckles turning white from the pressure, the edges of the paper wrinkled from his sweaty fingertips.

“Three days…we must reach the capital within three days…” Earl Byron’s voice was hoarse!

"Horton and Moros's heads haven't even cooled down yet, and they're already rolling in the net..."

The eldest son, Viscount Philip, who had just turned twenty, still had a youthful face, but he also sensed the heavy atmosphere: "Father, should we...go? Duke Horton was so strong, but he was still killed by Atie. If we go, what if..."

"Not going?" Count Byron looked up abruptly, his eyes bloodshot.

"The edict clearly states, 'Those who disobey will be considered accomplices to treason, their entire clan will be executed, and their territory will be confiscated!' Do you think we have any choice?"

He walked to the window, his voice tinged with despair.

“We’ve traded with Moros before, and that shrewd Sion Capo certainly knows that. He’s using Atie’s influence to keep all of us ‘unstable elements’ in the capital. We either have to obey him or become the next Horton!”

Philip clenched his fists: "So we're going to take our private army and rebel? What if..."

"Private army?" Count Byron sneered!

"Have you forgotten what the messenger said? The Guangzhao Army that A'Tie brought back is decimated! With our meager equipment, we're no different from firewood in front of the Guangzhao Army. Moreover, the royal decree didn't say we could bring private soldiers, only heirs... This is clearly to prevent us from causing trouble, and they're using your life as a bargaining chip!"

Philip's face turned deathly pale, and then he said to Earl Byron, "Then Father... is it not me who matters?"

Upon hearing Philip's words, Earl Byron gave a bitter smile; he naturally understood the unspoken meaning behind Philip's words...

Earl Byron took a deep breath, patted his son on the shoulder, and said in a heavy tone!

"Pack your things! It's not just us; that Zion Capo knows all about our families... No matter how high a position he held before... No matter how much we looked down on him... He's now aligned with the Illuminati, and we have no other choice... Just submit..."