Chapitre 400: Dancing in the palm of their hand
"The Imperial Council's plan was simple, but effective," Elizabeth explained. "They abandoned the Yunyun Stronghold and gave us full control over the Maelstrom Gulf early in the war, which allowed us to transport our armies over to the empire. We clashed with the Li Family, and pushed them out of the Samfeng Province, while increasing our logistical burden. Once we overextended our supply network, the Imperial Council planned to destroy our supplies and starve us to death. They wanted us to cause our own downfall."
"Weakening the Alzar Kingdom and the Li Family with a borrowed knife… I guess that explains why they did nothing until now," Freon remarked. "They waited for us to fall into their trap."
"The Imperial Council is still at full strength too. Once our forces are starved enough, they'll sweep in and annihilate us with one strike. Prime Minister Pon-Wai and the Imperial Council really are fearsome opponents!" Benedict sighed.
"Do they not care about their own people?" Shirley frowned. "How could they do this?"
"I guess they don't care what happens as long as they win in the end," Freon replied.
"How detestable!"
"Then what about our supplies? Didn't the Imperial Council succeed?" Benedict asked Elizabeth.
"Not exactly. Even before the Battle of Liguang, we knew that the easiest way to strike us down would be to hit our supply networks. General Dennis and I came up with various countermeasures to mitigate the risks involved, which General Petra later succeeded. Our warehouses were vacated and replaced with dummies long ago."
"That's why we let them do as they pleased. There was never any risk to begin with," Freon noted.
Elizabeth nodded. "There was no other way to lure them out. If we didn't do this, then they would have waited for another opportunity to strike. In that case, it was better to set our own terms."
"Then where are our supplies now?" Shirley asked.
"Do you remember the cove that we first arrived at when we came to the Xingyuu Empire? They're being safeguarded there for the time being. Once the trouble here has been settled, then they will be transported back to the Yunyun Stronghold."
"But what are the chances that the Imperial Council have more people lying in wait? They'll notice that our supplies haven't been destroyed, and our trick will only work once. If they decide to strike a second time, then they'll succeed for real," Freon added.
"Yes, that is a major problem," Elizabeth grew grave. "That's why we wanted to capture everyone alive, to interrogate them and see how many collaborators they have. It's our only way of striking back."
"In the end, it's still a gamble… Let's hope that the Imperial Council is not that thorough."
"That's incredible though, Elizabeth. I never would have thought up any of this," Benedict complimented.
"I can't take the credit for this because many people were involved in the planning and execution stages, such as General Dennis and General Petra. I only had a minor role in everything. Also, the plan for using the fact I was alive to entrap them was hers." She pointed to someone else seated in the room.
"Thank you for considering my feedback, Your Highness."
"No, we should be thanking you instead. I didn't expect they would be bold enough to infiltrate our headquarters at the same time. It was thanks to your foresight that we could prevent anything unexpected. Furthermore, we're both princesses, so why the need for the extra formality?" Elizabeth smiled wryly. Unexpectedly, it was Princess Ming Tzu, one of the Twin Imperial Princesses!
Ming shook her head. "This is my due diligence as an Imperial Princess, and it would be rude to overstep my bounds. As long as Your Highness upholds your end of the agreement, I shall uphold mine."
"It looks like the fires are settling down," Shirley observed from the tall window.
"The fires were a distraction. Aside from the warehouse fires, they were never meant to last long nor do any permanent damage. The kingdom is not that incompetent," Freon said.
"The riots are the real problem," Benedict remarked.
"We had enough time to prepare, so there's no need to worry. I believe they should be starting momentarily," Elizabeth redirected everyone's attention back outside.
"One of our conditions for cooperation was that force must be used within moderation with regards to the Xingyuu Empire's citizens. Has that been relayed properly?" Ming emphasized worriedly. She knew that a certain degree of force was required, no matter what. If one of the Alzar Kingdom's people was killed, then the culprit should be met with appropriate punishment. That was natural. However, any unnecessary slaughtering of her people could not be tolerated. She would not allow a bloodbath to occur under her watch!
"Our actions will speak louder than our words. You can see for yourself."
In the city square, the riots were initially quite fierce, owing to a burst of indignance towards the Alzar Kingdom for killing someone. People rallied together and attacked the kingdom's soldiers without a care for the consequences. This was the accumulation of months of pent-up anger! However, the kingdom was well prepared, having received notice that a riot might be happening more than a week in advance. Against a well-trained army that outmatched the citizens in both quantity and quality, it was easy to see the outcome. The officers coordinated and the soldiers advanced, raising a shield wall and lowering a spear wall. They blocked off all streets and buildings, effectively enclosing the city square, and boxed everyone in. No one could escape! People only fought when they saw hope, but they could do nothing against the soldiers. They could neither attack, defend, nor escape! Once the harsh reality began to set in, their reckless courage turned into bottomless despair. No one wanted to fight anymore!
As the soldiers advanced on all sides, the citizens were squeezed into the center of the city square like cornered rats. Room quickly ran out, forcing people to brawl over who should face the spear wall head-on. Everyone wanted to enjoy the safety of the crowd. Yet, for those at the very center, they suffered too. With everyone pushing towards them, they were being squished and trampled to death! It was chaos! Heaven knows what would have happened if the soldiers continued advancing, but thankfully they eventually stopped. That gave the citizens just enough space to catch their breath though they had yet to fully settle down. That was when the Arcanists made their move. Squadrons of Arcanists casted spells in unison, erecting a gigantic ring of fire that divided the soldiers and the citizens. It was so sudden and startling that everyone jumped back out of fear.
A loud voice then projected over the city square using Arcania. "I come bearing a message from General Petra Tourelle, the current acting general over the Yunyun Stronghold and the northern theatre. Cease your hostilities or else we will be forced to take drastic action."
Upon saying so, over a thousand boulders manifested above the city square using Arcania, each one rivalling a small carriage in size! It looked like the sky was populated in a myriad of meteors and the mere sight sent chills down everyone's spines. It was hard to imagine the sheer destructive force that every boulder possessed. By simply dropping one, it could flatten more than ten people at once! And that was with one boulder. With over a thousand boulders, their collective might was terrifying to imagine! It would be an unbridled slaughter! Everyone was made painfully aware of the chasmic difference between the Alzar Kingdom's army and them. They were dancing in the kingdom's palm from the very beginning. They never stood a chance!
The voice continued, "However, your pleas have been heard, and we will take them into due consideration. We will announce a reasonable compromise to the public at a later time. For now, all festivities are cancelled, and all citizens are to return home until investigations have been completed. That is all!"
The soldiers released the encirclement and allowed the people to leave without punishment. People shuffled out of the city square weakly, half-fearful from the kingdom's display, and half-optimistic from the kingdom's promises, which created a powerful sense of obedience inside them. Little did they know, everything went according to General Petra's plan. This was the kingdom's governing philosophy: reward and punishment. By rewarding those who do good deeds and punishing those who do bad deeds, it forced people to act in a specific manner. It tamed them. Repeated enough, and this would turn into habit, and later personality! Although Rat and the others used the riot as a steppingstone for their own plans, General Petra also used it as a steppingstone for consolidating her authority over the people. The only ones unaware were the poor people stuck in-between. They were pawns without knowing it!
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
DivineFifteen
DivineFifteen We've finally reached 400 chapters! What a massive accomplishment, and we still have plenty of plot left to go. A bit sick at the moment, so apologies for any delay. The story will start to pick up in a big way very soon, so stay tuned! As always, thank you for reading.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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