In the Name of Empress-Chapter 346 - 236: Bad News
The West River flows through the center of the city, and West Island in the middle of the river is also the source of the city’s name.
West Island is not large, but it is a fortress that has existed for thousands of years, easy to defend and hard to attack.
It used to be a refuge for monarchs throughout the ages.
Although not many monarchs were truly sheltered by the West Palace, the strong defensive system still led many rulers to hide here in fear.
Marco despised these monarchs.
In his view, no castle can protect a decaying feudal lord.
He once thought he would never hide in a turtle shell until someone stormed the presidential residence.
He truly realized that he could die, be overthrown, and even no longer represent progress, all his pride vanished into thin air.
He no longer lived in the presidential residence but moved into the West Palace.
This place favored by former monarchs as a sanctuary.
Also where the last Emperor was dragged out and sent to the guillotine.
His eyes glanced at the mirror, Marco looked at the person in the reflection.
For a moment, he seemed to see the once spirited youth.
He was a few years younger than Carlo, that group of old comrades buried the last Emperor together, completely sending the decaying monarchy into the dustbin of history.
After that, they started to have disagreements.
Mr. Carlo from the Buanaba Clan is Count Jacques, a standard member of the Nobility.
He advocated for a relatively gentle policy towards feudal lords other than the Emperor, not to imagine resolving all problems in one go, allowing lords not directly opposing them to continue to exist.
Carlo’s reasoning was simple, the feudal lords still had strong power, and they didn’t support the Emperor because Emperor Roiss was too absurd.
This last monarch, through several meetings and comical performances, precisely offended feudal lords, capitalists, ordinary citizens, and even farmers.
The entire nation wished for his death, that’s why the revolution could succeed.
Once the flames of revolution spread to other groups, support would turn into opposition.
Marco firmly opposed such a compromise.
He was an extreme reformer, advocating for an immediate change. He even put forth the astonishing assertion that "incomplete revolution equals no revolution at all."
Because he was too radical, there was no place for him in the government led by Carlo.
Though appointed by Carlo as a ministerial-level official, he had no real power, and could only write articles at the Jin Yuan News Agency to while away the days.
Marco was discontented; this was not the new world he wanted.
He gradually found the root of the problem, which lay in remnants of the old forces like Carlo who had infiltrated the revolutionary ranks, obstructing him.
After understanding the root of the problem, he proposed a series of theories, earning himself a good reputation.
Carlo’s moderate reforms, while more in line with reality, also faced many problems.
How to address the interests of each class, how to unite everyone, he sometimes found himself overwhelmed.
Faced with a complex political situation and the awakened resistance consciousness of the Jin Yuan People, Carlo adopted an advanced strategy of manipulating the political situation from behind the scenes.
If something went wrong, it was the government’s fault; if there were achievements, Mr. Carlo was the mastermind.
Carlo’s approach also drew opposition from many people. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺
Marco won a lot of support from radicals with his sharp articles and radical views.
A coup eventually erupted.
The radicals defeated the moderate reformists and seized the reins of power.
But they also knew the means of their rise to power were less than honorable.
Although Mr. Carlo had many faults, his prestige was high, and Marco had to clear away dissenters under the guise of revolution, forming a de facto autocracy.
Now he lived in the Emperor’s castle, enjoyed life like an Emperor, possessed more authority than an Emperor, except nominally he wasn’t an Emperor, how was he any different from one?
The Marco in the mirror, his face slightly haggard, with slightly darkened eye circles, even those decadent Emperors indulged in alcohol and women looked healthier than him.
Watching his haggard reflection, Marco suddenly jolted awake.
To relieve stress and comfort the young lover left behind by the last Emperor, he had been numbing himself every day with alcohol and women.
This couldn’t go on. Starting today, he must quit drinking!
Marco released his clenched fist, frowned slightly, and began to peruse the documents on the desk.
Just as he was contemplating whose head would roll today, the head of intelligence hurriedly approached and knocked on his door.
"Come in!"
The person Marco least wanted to see during this time was definitely the intelligence chief.
Every visit brought bad news.
"Speak, what bad news is it again?"
The intelligence chief looked troubled, but some things could not be left unsaid.
He hesitated for a moment, finally abandoning the idea of masking sorrow with joy, and reported honestly:
"Mr. President, Alina she..."
"I know, she and her ragtag band are almost landing, right?"
A bit of flush appeared on Marco’s face.
He might not be good at construction, but he’s too adept at fighting with people.
He had long since obtained channels to track the movements of the Fourth Fleet.
With accurate intelligence, he easily calculated the possible landing site of Alina and made preparations.
The Sussex Empire is very strong but also very weak, with their Cabinet and Empress locked in open and secret battles.
The Sussex Navy boasts four fleets capable of challenging any other national navy individually, yet their Empress can only command half a fleet.
The departure of the Fourth Fleet signaled that Empress Sylph was standing firmly opposed to him.
Although the act of harboring vagrants had already exposed Empress Sylph’s real stance, such a direct breach still irked Marco.
The damned Empress Sylph, instead of vying for power with the Cabinet, she wanted to meddle in Jin Yuan’s internal affairs, utterly absurd.
Considering the Empress’s young age, Marco had reason to believe this was Roland’s machination.
He never fully trusted the reports of the Dilas Envoy.
Although this envoy stationed at Sussex had dispatched competent personnel to examine Alina’s body, and reported the entire incident thoroughly, he remained skeptical.
The reason was simple, Alina died too smoothly.
Her every move seemed like the best solution in a desperate situation, only her luck was a bit off at the end.
Marco did not believe Alina could be this smart in despair.
He had been waiting for news of Alina’s appearance, and now it had finally come.
He waited for Alina to crazily land and foolishly seek her death.
There was no doubt about it.
The Fourth Fleet was the only naval force Empress Sylph could mobilize, extremely important.
While helping to transport some soldiers might be okay, directly engaging in conflict was against her interests.
The Fourth Fleet directly joining the conflict would mean war between two nations.
In the backdrop of deteriorated relations with the Vladimir Empire, Sylph had no reason to provoke Jin Yuan.
Marco’s lips slightly upturned, waiting for the intelligence chief’s triumphant report.
Without continuous naval support, over ten thousand people landing would be a gift in vain.
"Let me guess, has poor Miss Alina been captured alive? Or has her head been taken by General Surt?"
The intelligence chief lowered his head, his voice slightly trembling.
"Mr. President, Alina she..."
"What about her? Was her body blown to pieces and couldn’t be found?" Marco was somewhat displeased.
He needed Alina alive or at least a complete body to intimidate the opposition.
Body fragments couldn’t prove her authenticity.
Seeing Marco’s unpleasant expression, the intelligence chief reluctantly said:
"Alina successfully landed, persuaded General Surt’s subordinates to surrender, and Surt died on the spot."
Marco was silent for a long time, then slowly asked: "And then?"
"Afterwards, her troops surrounded Ives Port."
The somewhat tense Marco upon hearing this news instantly beamed a smile.
"Foolish, Ives Port can’t possibly fall, she’s seeking death."
"Mr. President..."
The intelligence chief pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from his face, his voice very low: "Ives Port surrendered."
