In the Name of Empress-Chapter 357 - 244: The Female Agent’s New Identity

Chapter 357: Chapter 244: The Female Agent’s New Identity

On March 1, 1793, the Jin Yuan Republic mobilized an army of 400,000 into four legions, advancing south from four routes. Leading the vanguard, the commander of the Third Legion was the country’s celebrated general, General Deschamps, who had held the rank of Army General since the days of the Old Empire.

It was not surprising that General Deschamps, a leading figure in Jin Yuan, was entrusted with being the sharpest blade of the great sword composed of 400,000 men.

What surprised people was that Marco was willing to employ Deschamps, who was on the verge of retirement and politically neutral, not aligning with any faction.

The fact that Marco, who always valued political stance, exceptionally employed Deschamps, showed the importance he placed on this battle.

In times without large-scale wars, only abnormal countries like Nubia still retained the marshal’s title; most mainstream countries’ highest military rank was General.

Out of the four great armies, besides the First Legion where Marco was stationed in the back and Deschamps’ Third Legion, the Second and Fourth Legions as flanks were commanded by Army Lieutenant Generals.

This lineup could be called a battle to the death for the country; Marco was serious this time.

He certainly wasn’t going after Alina.

His vision was long-term; he intended to use the opportunity of suppressing the rebellion to round up all his opponents in one fell swoop.

The old nobility sucking the nation’s blood, the greedy merchants, all needed to die!

As the suppressive army moved south, many took the opportunity to leave West City.

Marco was full of confidence for the future, but the ordinary people of West City didn’t think so.

They might still have faith in the nation’s future, but they were anxious about whether they could see the next day’s sun.

While Marco wasn’t around, it was a good chance to flee.

This was the genuine thought of many.

What did it matter how good the Jin Yuan Kingdom was if they were about to face the guillotine?

They were just ordinary people wanting to live a peaceful life; was that too much to ask?

With Marco taking away the majority of the elite, the long city walls of West City couldn’t be constantly guarded everywhere; the city defense soldiers turned a blind eye to escaping citizens, letting those who could pay leave.

Of course, if they didn’t pay the 5 Livre Coin exit fee per head, the soldiers had no qualms about showing these scoundrels their loyalty to the nation.

Watching the citizens leaving hastily, the City Defense Army’s Chief Commander, Vice Admiral Pierre, standing atop the city tower with binoculars, wore a slight cold smile on his lips.

This bunch of scoundrels probably didn’t know that the money was the stability maintenance tax they resisted.

Paying to leave was tacitly approved by President Marco.

If he didn’t nod, who dared to open the city gates to let people out?

Demanding that these scoundrels pay the 5 Livre Coin stability maintenance tax, none were willing, saying there was no such item in the tax law. If not for President Marco’s exceptional prestige, they might even have taken to the streets in protest.

Livre Coins were not a small sum; converted, it equated to 38.5 grams of gold, enough to maintain an ordinary West City citizen’s expenses for two and a half years if saved.

If you don’t want to stay, then get out fast!

Pierre put down the binoculars, thinking fiercely.

He just saw, amidst the tide of people exiting the city, a few carriages and quite a few pedestrians entering from outside the city.

Pierre walked towards the official residence, with a trace of mockery in his smile.

These people probably didn’t realize that West City was like a prison now; entering the city was easy, but leaving was difficult.

If they wanted to get out, they’d have to pay the exit tax.

No money? Then stay and do forced labor on city defenses or become cannon fodder defending the city.

Thinking of this, the loyal Pierre couldn’t help but grumble internally.

The President was still too cautious.

With over thirty thousand city defense troops under his command, they wouldn’t even fear a siege by a hundred thousand; there was no need to use these scoundrels as cannon fodder.

More importantly, who would dare be so audacious as to attack West City? Were they crazy?

Nations with such capability wouldn’t be that reckless, and those daring enough didn’t have the ability.

Despite his grumbles, Pierre remained vigilant.

He sent out scouts daily to patrol around West City, preventing any audacious acts by the old nobility while the President was away.

Pierre even hoped someone would attempt such a thing.

If someone truly dared to be so foolish, he would have a chance to earn merit.

Unfortunately, no one did.

Returning to the official residence, Pierre went to his office to begin that day’s work.

Just as General Pierre was feeling a bit bored, an inconspicuous carriage blended into the crowd entering West City.

This carriage had only two passengers.

One was a female spy who had maintained a single-line contact with her superior but had lost connection, appearing as a minstrel but actually conducting operations behind enemy lines, the Golden Knight.

Just a few days ago, Adam, who had endured for long, mistook Miss Lilith for a prostitute and released his tension hard for a reward of three Livre Coins.

Yet he never imagined that Lilith was not a prostitute, but a maiden.

The internally conflicted Lilith hadn’t been able to sleep at night, fearing she’d be taken away by the black-clad enforcers responsible for purging, to be "destroyed" upon waking.

The most likely outcome for intelligence operatives who lost contact was being quietly disposed of.

She felt truly aggrieved.

She had never done anything against the organization, merely stayed in the small town, collecting intelligence, monitoring the nearby lord, organizing information for her superiors to retrieve.

It was the organization that abandoned her, not her betraying the organization.

She didn’t accompany Adam for money; she was three parts uneasy and seven parts fearful, wanting release.

Being so young, how could she die without even having experienced being a woman?

Adam thought he was the one consuming, but in Lilith’s view, he was the one being consumed.

The young and handsome minstrel, possessing a calm yet slightly rogue temperament, eased the anxious heart of the young female spy.

When the next day’s sunlight woke them, both felt a bit dazed.