Chapter 1722: Chapter 1720: The Expedition (I Just Want to Be an Orange Cat)

In the days following, various events occurred, and Henrietta had to deal with these troubles.

Firstly, there was the marriage arrangement with the King of Germania. Since Albion’s army had been defeated, the marriage with the King of Germania was no longer necessary. Although the King of Germania was unhappy, he didn’t have the courage to complain, especially since the protection of the Divine Dragon had become widely known, coupled with the appearance of the legendary Void Inheritor. Germania no longer had the strength to flaunt itself before Tolisstin.

"See, I told you so."

Red Ponytail clapped her hands over the letter from the King of Germania.

"Having the biggest fist is what really counts. Does that king dare to even fart now? Would he dare?"

"Indeed..."

Henrietta looked at the letter in Red Ponytail’s hand with a complex expression. She had originally thought the King of Germania would be furious, sending her angry accusations or threats to cancel the military alliance. However, the letter from the King of Germania was unexpectedly calm, not showing any signs of blame, but rather exhibited unprecedented magnanimity, even suggesting that the military alliance could continue despite the marriage being off the table.

Simply put, Tolisstin, which had once begged Germania for alliance, now found the roles reversed, with Germania seeking Tolisstin’s favor.

There was only one reason for this reversal.

"Master Divine Envoy, the army is ready to set off."

"Mm, everything is prepared?"

"Yes."

"Then, I leave the rear to you... You know what to do."

"Of course, Master Divine Envoy."

Upon hearing this, the Minister of Military Affairs showed a sinister smile.

"I understand."

The two exchanged smiles and nodded to each other.

The expedition against Albion was announced to the citizens a few days earlier. The rationale was straightforward; Albion had torn up the non-aggression pact and attacked Tolisstin, so counterattacks from Tolisstin were only natural. Under the influence of Red Ponytail’s Power of Time, the warships of Tolisstin’s fleet destroyed by Albion and the warships of Albion destroyed by Louise’s Void Magic were revived, joining Tolisstin’s Royal Fleet, which suddenly increased Tolisstin’s military strength several times over.

Following Red Ponytail’s advice, the Minister of Military Affairs also filled many personnel slots. Although Red Ponytail’s Power of Time could repair warships, it couldn’t resurrect the dead. The deceased members of the Royal Fleet needed to be replaced, so the Minister of Military Affairs selected many loyal members to the Royal Family from lower nobility and common soldiers, thereby erasing the influence of the upper nobility and ensuring Tolisstin’s strongest ace remained firmly under the Royal Family’s control.

Moreover, this war was also a major cleansing for the two.

Those who had objections to systemic reforms and things affecting their personal interests would be sent to the front lines, given a nearly impossible task to complete. If they couldn’t complete it, there’d be an excuse to directly dismiss them. If they refused to accept, they could be removed during the chaos. If they completed it—well, talents capable of completing such missions should be kept rather than wasted.

As the front-line expedition progressed, changes would begin in the rear as well. The Minister of Military Affairs would dispatch officials under the Royal Family to various territories to control local troops and provisions. Of course, publicly, they would use the "war-time emergency regulations" as an excuse, making the Lords think this was temporary. However, when the war with Albion concludes...

Heh, what I’ve taken back, you think you can have it back? Never happening.

In fact, the Minister of Military Affairs had already dispatched many people to various Lords’ territories under the pretense of assisting the upcoming offensive against Albion, and the Lords hadn’t suspected a thing. After all, even if beaten to death, they couldn’t imagine the Royal Family intending to abolish the feudal system. Instead, the Lords focused on what achievements and benefits they could gain from the impending war against Albion!

They completely couldn’t imagine their old homes would be ransacked.

"Honestly, your approach seems really sly..."

Louise couldn’t help but sigh at the two exchanging smiles, and Henrietta nodded as well.

"Naive, this is politics. We’ve already chosen the mildest approach. Otherwise, there’s an even simpler one, do you want to hear it?"

"What method?"

"Let me just order it out, saying that so-and-so, so-and-so, and so-so-so, the Deity takes a dislike to you all, so you better scram, or die! How about that?"

"Uh..."

Louise and Henrietta were both dumbfounded by this.

"Could it work?"

"Of course, those who follow me prosper and those who oppose me perish. I’m a Divine Envoy after all; whatever I say carries weight. If you think that’s underhanded, I’ll just slaughter my way through. Anyone who dares resist will be killed, simple as that, right?"

"Forget it, forget it... Master Divine Envoy..."

At this, the Minister of Military Affairs was terrified. Heaven knows, he was genuinely afraid Red Ponytail would do such a thing!

After all, she really could!

"So don’t let the Holy Mother’s heart overflow."

Red Ponytail snorted softly and rolled her eyes at Henrietta.

"You made a request, I responded to it, and you have to pay the price. This isn’t a fairy tale where a single sentence wraps everything up. To strengthen the nation, you must do what others dare not, or cannot do. Otherwise, you might as well forget everything and marry into another country as someone’s little wife."

"Could we not talk about this topic... Master Divine Envoy..."

Henrietta was deeply exhausted; this political marriage topic had been seized upon by Red Ponytail and never let go. It was constantly used to mock her, and even more ironically, she was speechless about it...

"Let’s leave it at that. Louise, Her Royal Highness is in your hands. After all, this situation can be trivial or serious, but if mishandled, the opposite side may seize the chance to assassinate the Princess... Oh, wait, you are the Queen now. Anyway, the same applies, how’s your power doing?"

"Recovered some, but still not enough to use Explosion again."

Sure enough, I still can’t compare to Megumin.

Hearing Louise’s response, Red Ponytail shook her head. Although Megumin can only release one shot a day, at least it’s one shot per day. But Louise is different; after releasing one Explosion, she needs a week to half a month to recover...and the power of both is about the same, so in this regard, Louise is still not as good as Megumin.

But fortunately, Louise and Megumin are still different.

"Then use Void Ethereal Energy, call me if needed."

Red Ponytail waved to Louise and then turned around to leave. Watching her retreating figure, Louise sighed helplessly and once again turned to look at Henrietta beside her.

"Your Royal Highness..."

"It’s okay, Louise."

Hearing Louise’s worried voice, Henrietta composed herself and smiled at her.

"As the Divine Envoy said, since I’ve made a choice, I must bear the consequences...I hope this country becomes strong, and for that...I’m willing to sacrifice everything, whether it’s life or reputation."

"Yes......"

Looking at Henrietta’s expression, Louise couldn’t say anything and eventually lowered her head. But at this moment, she was thinking about something else.

She had heard from SABER about the reasons and effects of abolishing the enfeoffment system, but Louise never dared to ask SABER one question.

What about...her own family?

What will happen to the Valyriel family?

Her father is certainly loyal to the Royal Family, but if the Royal Family wants to weaken his power and take away his military command, will her father accept it?

But SABER also said that the power to lead troops should never be in the hands of the lords; the lords should only govern their territories, and military command would be handled by generals dispatched by central institutions.

Louise doesn’t exactly understand these overly complex political matters. It’s just that Red Ponytail always took her along when discussing institutional reforms with the Minister of Military Affairs, so she somewhat understood.

But because of this, Louise was deeply confused and uneasy.

Since she was a child, she always believed that it was only right and natural for a lord to have their own army. Her father is a great lord, he leads the army, protects the people in his territory, and is loyal to the King. Louise never thought there was anything wrong with this, but SABER said it’s the fuse for the country’s demise, which made it almost unimaginable for Louise.

Is her father a bad person? Does the Royal Family see the Valyriel family as dangerous rebels?

Louise wanted more than once to discuss this issue with Red Ponytail, but she was afraid of getting a definitive answer from her.

At this moment, Louise was extremely conflicted.

Red Ponytail didn’t know what Louise was thinking; at this moment, she had already arrived on the new Royal Fleet command ship. This time, for the expedition to Albion, Tolisstin mobilized forty thousand soldiers. Frankly speaking, in terms of manpower, it’s not enough. After all, Albion’s own army has fifty thousand, and it’s completely impossible to win by relying on just forty thousand soldiers.

Originally, Germania wanted to join and form an allied army, but Red Ponytail rejected them.

Hehehe, can’t accomplish much when it’s truly needed, but they want to join in now for some credit? In your dreams.

As Red Ponytail entered the noisy combat command room, the originally intense discussion immediately ceased, and everyone respectfully looked at this little girl.

"Yo, how are you all?"

"Hello, Divine Envoy."

"Alright, let’s skip the small talk."

Red Ponytail walked to the table, then flipped around to stand on the chair—damn, this form’s height is truly a problem.

"I think you all know I’ve been appointed as the overall Commander for this operation, so what I want to say is this... Remember, whether to fight or not is my decision, and how to fight is up to you, understood?"

"Yes!"

"So, is there any more questions now? Speak up."

"Divine Envoy."

Hearing Red Ponytail’s inquiry, a general immediately stepped forward.

"Please forgive me for being rude, although we currently have forty thousand soldiers and such a large fleet, those joining the fleet are mostly new recruits. Even with the veterans, it’s still not enough to control these warships effectively. Although Albion has lost their most powerful warships, they still have over forty warships, and they are more experienced in operation than we are... I am worried..."

"Yes, they are all rookies, which is why I’m here."

Red Ponytail of course knew what the other party wanted to say.

"It’s normal for rookies to wipe out in an instance, but it’s different with an experienced hand covering them. Should any trouble arise, I’ll personally take action. Until then, consider it as training. Don’t worry, it’ll be fine."

"It’s the best if the Divine Envoy is willing to act personally."

Upon hearing this, the generals also breathed a sigh of relief. They had all seen that Red Dragon before and naturally wouldn’t doubt the words of Red Ponytail.

"Is there anything else? Then..."

As she spoke, Red Ponytail suddenly waved her hand.

"Set out!"