In the Name of Empress-Chapter 342 - 234: Advance, Alina!

Although Roland’s plan sounded somewhat absurd, Alina still chose to accept it.

She was well aware that she didn’t have many cards in hand; without daring to gamble, there was no chance at all.

After seizing the beachhead, the landing forces assembled on shore, quickly and calmly setting up camp to prepare for the advance towards Ives Port the next day.

They had only a small number of light cannons, utterly incapable of a siege.

If the garrison at Ives Port held firm and did not come out, they had no choice but to turn back and flee.

Even if the garrison at Ives Port came out, if they couldn’t make these men defect, it would also be a dead end.

Although Roland promised Alina divine protection, such power is not truly invincible.

If more than a hundred bullets hit her at the same time, the sanctuary barrier would be broken, and she would be riddled with bullets on the spot.

In short, this was a high-stakes gamble.

Betting not only on her father’s reputation being high enough but also on Marco having offended everyone.

Alina gazed at the starry sky, letting out a soul’s cry.

Will we win?

The stars twinkled silently.

The starry sky was not a mentor; she had to find the answer herself.

The next morning, after a short rest, the Wanderer Army began marching towards Ives Port.

They wore dazzling red tops, with a cloth band wrapped around their arms bearing the word "Freedom."

They carried firearms on their backs, singing coordinated military songs, with high morale.

They carried only ten bullets each, just enough for one battle’s expenditure.

They had no way back and didn’t want to look back.

They had long since lost everything, and each day taken away from Val City was a bonus.

They were fearless.

As the Wanderer Legion advanced, there was nearly an uproar inside Ives Port.

The seasoned mayor suggested holding fast, while the Port Authority director, worried about the war’s impact on port trade, even suggested giving Alina some money to bypass Ives Port and seek revenge in West City.

The civil servants’ opinions quickly collapsed under General Surt’s contemptuous sneer.

Surt dispelled the civil servants’ ideas with just one sentence.

"Do you want to face the President’s wrath?"

The mayor and the Port Authority director’s faces turned pale instantly.

Although uncertain why Alina would return seeking death, they were very confident Marco would win.

The President lacked anything except enemies, but they all died.

Even Carlo was no match for President Marco, let alone such a young Alina.

If she found a place to hide, she might still have a chance of survival, but walking right into this was a foregone conclusion.

Since Marco was sure to win, they naturally wanted to stand on the victor’s side.

Seeing the ashen looks on the mayor and the Port Authority director’s faces, General Surt smiled and said:

"I heard last month in West City that many troublemakers were incited to attack the palace prison. You should know their fate, right?"

The mayor and the Port Authority director broke out in a cold sweat.

Of course, they knew the rebellion’s leaders and the manipulators behind the scenes were all sent to the guillotine.

It’s said that just on November 11th, thousands were beheaded in the square.

The blood flowed into the sewers, even scaring many small animals hiding there into trembling fearfully.

Holding the city might be safer, but in President Marco’s eyes, it was cowardly and incompetent. Privately paying protection money to let Alina go was blatant betrayal.

Such things would never remain hidden; once Marco recovered, none present would fare well.

Either they’d test how tough their necks were at West City’s guillotine, or wait for the Imperial Envoy to come down and sentence them.

In President Marco’s eyes, human lives were just numbers.

The mayor and the Port Authority director looked helplessly at General Surt, having no choice but to agree with his viewpoint.

They certainly understood this logic; they just didn’t want Surt to hold all the power.

Once wartime conditions began, Surt’s authority would exceed theirs.

He had the power to demand military expansion, take over fiscal duties, and even intervene in personnel appointments. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

The mayor represented the administrative system, the Port Authority director represented the commercial and trade system, and Surt was the military representative.

The Jin Yuan Republic had no local council, and these three were the highest officials.

Their power fluctuated according to circumstances.

This time, Surt, the old fellow, would have the upper hand again.

The mayor and the Port Authority director exchanged glances, a bit resigned.

Although inwardly unwilling, they chose to respect the facts.

Soon, over twenty thousand of the thirty thousand garrison, led by Surt, set out to confront Alina.

After half a day’s march, by midday, Alina and Surt met.

Alina looked back at Roland, who was following in disguise.

"Mr. Rohifuo, can I go up now?"

Roland, after all, as the Imperial Governor of the Sussex Empire, was not suited to blatantly involve himself in the Jin Yuan civil war. If discovered, it could affect Alina’s support rate.

The Jin Yuan People needed a savior, not a traitor colluding with foreigners.

They were willing to support the avenging goddess Alina, but not someone manipulated by foreign forces.

Roland’s disguise was necessary; even his concealed mask was something she helped make.

Alina wasn’t frustrated with Roland hiding his identity, but rather with the strange name Rohifuo.

It didn’t sound much like a Sussex name, nor a Jin Yuan name.

She vaguely felt it was a combination of Roland’s name prefix and Sif’s name.

Receiving Roland’s nod, Alina garnered a bit more courage.

Some things she ultimately had to face.

Would more than a hundred soldiers shoot at her?

If her ability to rally people was truly that poor, then perhaps she did deserve to die.

The two armies met on the plain, neither side was in a rush to fire, instead arranging formations as ordered by the officers.