As the guests invited to watch the ceremony arrived one after another, before Edward could exchange too many greetings with them, the Imperial Army general in charge of the entire bombardment operation walked firmly to the emperor's side and solemnly informed everyone present.
The time has come for all the guns to fire.
However, in the opinion of Yang Tianyi, an insider, using ten thousand artillery pieces to describe the scale of this bombardment is obviously a bit exaggerated. Even though Edward deliberately mobilized enough artillery for more than 100,000 conventional troops to demonstrate his force to the greatest extent, the number still did not exceed a thousand.
Counting some auxiliary small-caliber artillery, the final number of artillery involved in bombarding the castle should be around eight or nine hundred. Most of them are large-caliber howitzers, which are also the absolute main force of this shelling operation.
Since each of their shells is powerful enough to cover half the size of a football field, Yang Tianyi sighed inwardly when he learned that the Imperial Army had prepared two base shells for each heavy artillery piece, knowing that the castle far away in the horizon might be able to It is very rare to leave even a few bricks and tiles behind after the bombardment is over.
He was not sighing for the enemy who was still entrenched in the castle and would rather die than surrender, but he felt a little pain because a large amount of wealth with artistic and humanistic value in the castle could not fall into the hands of himself and the group.
After all, these are incompatible with the interstellar age. Many of the details can be called cultural relics with different styles. They can be packaged at will and become specialties from primitive civilizations. They are sought after by many collectors in the galaxy and sold in the never-ending black market transactions. The price is high, and it would be too much of a waste to let it be destroyed in the storm of fire and metal now.
But that’s all. Instead of dwelling on things that are destined to disappear in the long river of history, it’s better to look to the future and witness the rebirth and prosperity of an empire with Edward.
When the order to start the bombardment was sent by radio to the officers of each artillery position, and when the first high-explosive artillery shell produced by the Imperial Royal Arsenal was loaded by the artillery, there was no longer any force that could stop the Hughes Empire, which controlled the planet. Destroy her last enemy by destroying almost all the population, land, and resources in existence.
The continuous roar of artillery lasted for a full two hours. The artillerymen, who were not in a hurry to use up all the shells, leisurely loaded and fired the ammunition assigned to them by the army command at a rate of one round per minute. Cardinality. Thanks to thousands of z1 robots acting as temporary loaders, this efficiency remains very balanced and has not decreased over time.
As the last 155 mm caliber howitzer shell left the barrel, it drew a beautiful arc and landed on the head of the target nearly 20 kilometers away. The castle spire that could still be seen on the horizon had completely disappeared. Along with it disappeared the entire castle and the towering walls surrounding its exterior.
Perhaps the enemies of the empire never thought until their death that they, who came from all over the world and should have never interacted with each other, could meet in this magnificent fortress originally used for border defense. After all, there were many rulers and former powerful people among them. The monstrous nobility.
If these so-called natural nobles were told that they had fallen into a carefully woven network from the beginning, and were forcibly driven together by the Imperial Army from all directions for the purpose of annihilating them in one fell swoop, there might be a lot of trouble. Few people have a nervous breakdown and give up resistance, right?
Unfortunately, there are no ifs or possibilities in history. There is only the difference between winners and losers.
In Edward's view, nearly a thousand cannons and 100,000 shells are the most dignified and grandest ending he can give to the losers. It is also the same to turn the ruins of a castle that has been baptized by violent storms of artillery fire into the enemy's final tomb. His greatest mercy as a victor.
At least in the future, when the people of the empire look back at the history books, they will end up with the times as enemies of the empire, with the glory that once belonged to them. Compared with some people who can't even leave their names, This is already a pretty good ending.
As for those witnesses of history, the guests who were invited by Edward to scare the monkeys were all fighting at this time. Except for a few people with a clear conscience who could keep their faces calm, most of them even needed the help of the guards to barely walk down the stage and The steps were not too steep, contrary to the arrogant attitude they had when they came.
For them, who have witnessed the infinite power of the empire, they belong to the nobility, and the era of personal bravery and swords, guns and swords has finally come to an end at this moment. Any unstable factors that dare to resist or secretly destroy the foundation of the empire will be with them again from this moment on. No connection.
The smoke caused by the continuous bombardment filled the air for a day before it finally dispersed. The cleaning of the castle ruins and wreckage took three full days under the personal supervision of the Imperial Immortal Army troops.
Although the soldiers responsible for cleaning the battlefield all knew that after such a fierce bombardment, it was impossible for there to be enemies with the will to resist, and it was difficult for even living creatures to appear.
However, adhering to the spirit of hard work and hard work in the grenadier drill, and also so that His Majesty the Supreme Emperor can be crowned in a relatively clean environment, the loyal army soldiers still worked hard to clean up. Every ruin of a building that was blown to pieces and charred flesh and blood attached to it.
Taking advantage of this period of time, Edward also explained to Yang Tianyi his grand plans for the future development of the empire. However, in His Majesty the Emperor's plan that covered all aspects, there was one point that made his only audience wave his hands in confusion.
"Let me be the pope? No, absolutely not!"
Even though he thought that the other party's views on religion were roughly the same as his own, Yang Tianyi still couldn't believe that in Edward's eyes, the best candidate for the first pope of the Empire's state religion would be himself.
Religion is a double-edged sword. If used well, it can bring many benefits to the group, but if used improperly, it will hurt itself. Therefore, even though he has always had the idea of establishing some kind of religious organization and making it serve the group, he has never put it into practice, let alone becoming a pope, which may be thankless.
According to Edward's plan, the Imperial State Church, named the Sect of the Stars, will be improved on the basis of the existing religions of the Kingdom of Leon and the defeated countries. No matter what the beliefs and doctrines of these sects were, the choice given to them by the Empire There are only two.
Either revise the doctrinal classics overnight, incorporate the ideas and thoughts of the Star Sect, and place the God of the Stars as the object of belief in a position higher than all gods; or be officially classified as a cult by the empire and never be given orthodox status. The higher-ups will even be labeled as heretics, and face the trial of the Knights of the State Church in fear.
With the absolute force of the imperial army as the backing, Edward's reform of the new religious system is only one step away from being declared successful, and this last step is to find a reliable enough sword bearer for the double-edged sword of the Sect of the Stars. .
Before thinking about Yang Tianyi, the emperor had also thought about establishing a mutual restriction system to ensure that the ship's course would not deviate during the long-term voyage. However, after careful consideration, Edward figured out many things.
As one of the few dual users of genetic medicine and medical beds in the group, his lifespan has almost reached an inhuman level. As long as he wants to, the rulers of the empire will not be able to do so in the next two to three hundred years. Substitute.
This is a good thing, but it is also a very scary thing. The present and future of the Hughes Empire can be said to have been firmly bound to the Stars Group, but Edward knows that his thinking is only a mortal, and he cannot guarantee whether he will have an affair with the Stars Group in the near future for some reason. Contradictions, or the relationship is no longer as close as it is now.
Perhaps because of the scope of influence, perhaps because of the uneven distribution of spoils, Edward only knew that no matter what the dispute between the empire and the group was, as long as Yang Tianyi thought about it, the huge empire he had spent countless efforts to build would fall apart in an instant, and he, the emperor, would be even more They are the first to bear the brunt. The surrendered nobles who are now being monitored by the imperial spy agencies all day long are a lesson learned from the past.
Edward, who has been in power for more than ten years, is well versed in this. He knows that there are no hard-core allies or eternal friends in the world. If he wants to live a long time with the tiger of the Star Group, the only way is to combine the two. The interests are tightly tied together, and just selling some natural resources and manpower on the planet is obviously not enough to be a reason for the other party not to attack the empire.
The idea of electing Yang Tianyi, who also had an almost infinite lifespan, as the pope of the empire's state religion took root in Edward's mind. It was not until today, when the coronation was approaching, that he finally revealed his thoughts, hoping to gain the understanding and acceptance of the other party.
After all, as long as the doctrines and beliefs of the Qunxing Sect can follow the group's footsteps and enter one world after another, then Yang Tianyi, who was already the Pope at that time, would not be willing to do anything to save the empire that has taken a detour, and his life's efforts can also be preserved.
After listening to Edward's explanation, Yang Tianyi looked at the papal robes and crowns on the wooden shelf that were made of exquisite materials and with extremely gorgeous patterns and fell into deep thought - the other party's worries were not unreasonable, and besides, he couldn't tell whether the Star Group and Hughes Which empire will be the first to take a detour?
The atmosphere in the military tent gradually reached freezing point in silence. Just when Edward thought that the other party would not agree, Yang Tianyi suddenly grinned at him and slowly said: "Do you still remember what I said to you before you joined the group? ?"
"It doesn't matter if you don't remember. After all, I am no longer a poor businessman who is eager to sell things, and you are no longer the down-and-out Duke who almost died."
"but."
Yang Tianyi took the initiative to raise his right hand after a pause, and held it tightly with the other person's hand raised almost at the same time. His tone was full of touching sincerity and solemnity.
"As I said then, the promise I made will not change. When you become the sole ruler of this planet, I will crown His Majesty, and it seems that time has come now."
"Although I have never held an important position in any religion, and I am even an atheist myself, for the sake of the future of the Star Group and the Hughes Empire."
"I will become the Pope!"
First latest.
