《Brittania in the New World》 -1 Introduction: Author''s message: This is my first time writing a novel. I never had an experience writing stories before. But, i will do my very best to write interesting stories for everyone to enjoy! Note: all characters,places, and events are all fictional. Brief analysis: In the year 2019, the British Isles suddenly lost contact with all foreign governments. And found themselves to be transported to another world! Even their neighbor Ireland disappeared! as a result of this confusion, the United Kingdom dispatches the Royal Air Force to scout the remaining seas. What does this mean for the people of the two worlds?! Characters: ->United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - A constitutional monarchy that serves as a uniting figure of the people. The Parliament in the other hand serves as the voice of the people. The country has survived two devastating world wars and served as the former world power in its past world. Major Characters: 1. Her Majesty, Queen Anne 2. His Majesty, King-Consort Winston 3. Current Prime Minister, William of the Conservative Party -> Kingdom of Summerwyn - A kingdom located in the Western part of the Roseby continent. Almost about the Size of France and the Iberian Peninsula combined. The previous kings of summerwyn we''re incompetent and allowed the kingdom to be plagued with corruption. The Kingdom is currently in a succession war with a neighboring expansionist power, The Holy Estermage Empire. Major Characters: 1. King Edward 2. Queen Sophie 3. Prince Louis -> Holy Estermage Empire - the Major Power of the Roseby Continent. It had been the hegemonic power of the continent for 150 years, but with the ascension of the new emperor. It''s drive for expansion at the expense of its neighbor''s will give way to the devastating Continental Wars that will plague the continent for years. Major Characters: 1. Holy Emperor Dudendorf 2: Holy Empress Ekaterina 3. Crown Prince Karl ->Here is the geopolitical situation of the world: The Roseby Continent is nearly a reversed c-shaped continent. From the north-west of Roseby continent is the transported United Kingdom. The UK Borders the Kingdom of Summerwyn as a direct result, which also borders the expansionist Holy Estermage Empire, which is roughly the size of Poland. And is located in the central part of the Roseby continent. It also home to many different states that is: * Republic of Italica - An island in the middle part of the continent. The republic is extremely prosperous and boasted the most powerful fleet in the continent. Thereby, warding of any Imperial invasion. It''s merchant''salso bring in fantastical wealth and luxury from a long trade from the east. *Theocratic State of Esterloch - a theocracy in the continent. Located in the south of the Empire, which is roughly the size of Greece. The Holy Council which is headed by the Grand Bishop. The Council administrates the church in the entire continent. Making them a very powerful institution. A major threat to the expansionist policy of the Empire. Which sought to undermine the influence of the council. -> that is already way to much i''ll just introduce more as the story progresses. 1 An Empire under the Sun In the middle of the day- "- This is BBC News, The Government finally revealed the confusion amidst disruptions in social media. The official statement confirmed the rumors of the country being transported to another world-" The people of London can''t believe what they just saw. The possibility of a whole country with it''s inhabitants being transported to another world. Meanwhile, the Royal Family along with the Parliament are conducting an emergency meeting. Concerning the Country''s survival in this unimaginable event. In the meantime; the RAF, Better known as the Royal Air Force, was sent to scout the surrounding areas of the country. *Port city of Lincliff, Kingdom of Summerwyn* - it was a sunny day. As the Kingdom''s second largest city is on business as usual. Merchants are selling rare or common goods from foreign places, that ranges from textiles to common commodities like food. Mercenaries are patrolling the streets to enforce the reach of law, even though they tend to be unloyal and lazy at almost all times. with the commoner folk laughing and having fun in the taverns as well. The sun is at it''s peak. Everyone sweats at how hot it is in the summertime, with people laboring in the fields working tirelessly just to have enough food; one man of tall stature sided by his trusty weapons at his side. wearing an iron armor from his upper until his feet. He is a mercenary captain, but he often slacks off and decided to leisurely relax in his favorite spot. As he passes by the fields at the outside of the city, he noticed something strange. His subordinate came over and reported something eerie, - "Hey Captain!, Look!" Said one mercenary while pointing his finger to the sky. - "What the hell is that?, could it ... be a magic weapon from the Empire?!" The Captain responded. - "Did you hear that? is this kingdom finally doomed for?!" - little to they know, its an object that would be known to the British as a fighter plane. It is scouting the country by an order that was sent earlier by the British government. it''s mission is to scout and gain knowledge of the surrounding environments. And, to peacefully establish contact with any civilizations. - it was flying at a tremendous speed, causing widespread fear and paranoia throughout the city. Mercenaries would leave and flee for their lives as the unpaid ones leaves the city. - "Where is the King?! Could it be the capital fell already?!" - the local mayor sent a magic telegram to the royal capital reporting what the city just experienced. - "City of Lincliff here! Requesting reinforcements! An unknown flying object is seen from the skies of the city! At the moment, it is not doing harm to the city. but it was enough to cause panic in the inhabitants of the city!" - The Royal Capital responded, "Very well, the report is received by the war council. We will immediately send reinforcements as soon as possible." - the flying object began to disappear, as the object began to move away from the mainland. - with a sigh of relief, "The unknown object moved away from the mainland heading northwest." replied the Mayor to the Capital. - several hours later - - The War Council was immediately held by the King and his advisers in the meeting hall in the king''s palace. - The meeting hall was adorned with the most expensive chandeliers, glimmering with expensive stones. Before entering the room, is a luxurious red carpet. With the walls of the room being decorated by expensive mirrors, the Palace is just a facade of the impoverished populace just right outside of the palace gates. - All of the government officials and nobility are now present in the room, and the presence of the king and his court is soon to be expected. And at last, the doors of the room opened to the king. -The king, who just turned 60 this year. Is very old and despised by the nobles. The nobility even wants to assassinate the king, and support the Imperial claimant to the Throne. Which is, the Holy Estermage Emperor Dudendorf. but, those who believe and align with the king and his dynasty, supports him. fracturing the kingdom into two rival factions. The conservatives and mostly old houses are the Bretagne Faction. While those who wants a union, or even an annexation to the empire is the Pro-Empire Faction. - "Everyone, please stand. As, the Glorious King of Summerwyn. King Edward de Bretagne is standing before all of you. Long Live the King!" -moments later, the meeting began with the officials from the War Council explained the mysterious occurrence and the subsequent panic in the city of Lincliff. - Lincliff is the second biggest city in the kingdom, just right after the royal capital. Lincliff is also responsible for all the trade and goods going through the kingdom. But, the truce with the Empire is about to end. The Empire might soon strike the kingdom or at worse, claim the throne for themselves. - currently the kingdom is ravaged by war, the Emperor of the Holy Estermage Empire is claiming the throne of the kingdom. And as such, resulted into almost 30 years of warfare. The war was inconclusive, and a truce was signed. A huge chunk of the southeastern parts of the kingdom was annexed to the empire. Huge taxes imposed on the peasantry provoked revolts against the monarchy. Though, revolts we''re largely unsuccessful. The kingdom is already in a huge debt and a financial crisis almost caused the kingdom to collapse. If it hadn''t for the short financial reforms by the Queen-Consort who was popular among the peasantry. 2 Meeting - London, United Kingdom; a week after the transition- - Buckingham Palace - - The Buckingham Palace, which houses Her Highness, Queen Anne of the United Kingdom and the Royal Family. Has, been busy since the country''s transition to the new world. The Queen has been very busy having audience with the upper government officials since these days. - While at it, the country is in a heightened state of alert, with all military forces of the country maintaining vigilance and all nuclear armament being prepared in a time of crisis. - "Your Majesty!", one government official called the Queen in a polite manner. - "The preparations are all done. The preparations for the escort for the first diplomatic contact with the new world is done. But are you really sure you''re majesty that you''re going to go to the foreign country without the prime minister to begin diplomatic talks?" - "Yes, as the sovereign of this country. It is my utmost responsibility to preserve the peace and prosperity in this world." The Queen replied. - "As expected from you''re majesty" - Sienna, Royal Capital of Summerwyn- - In the year of 1453, Sergian Calendar. The War Meeting in the Royal Palace of Sienna. - Sienna is the center of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. It is famed for it''s cultural architecture that is famous throughout the continent. Almost every street in the inner districts of the city are filled with musicians, artists, and magnificent palaces that are home to the aristocracy. The city is protected by a star fortress located just outside the city. And the city is divided into two districts. The inner district which has a defensive wall in it, houses the aristocracy and the royal family. While the outer district which is home to the non-aristocratic class. a river flows from the south to the center of the city, that reaches until the northern coasts. - the monarchy, has been unpopular for many years now. Support for the current king and dynasty is falling. And the imperial claims to the throne and invasions didn''t helped either. The aging king is now incapable in saving his country into ruin. - War Council Meeting - - " as the mysterious occurrence in Lincliff, additional reinforcements and defensive measures we''re placed into the city. To avoid the prospect of imperial invasion to the city. We also sent letters to the other countries in the continent to ask for help in case of imperial invasion; especially to the church." - "but where did the mysterious flying object came?" The King asked. - "Right now, we have no information; but spies from the empire had indeed confirmed technological breakthroughs in military development. But nothing was said about air magic other than it''s current wyvern force." - as the doors of the Meeting Hall opens in quick motion, "Your Majesty!, Important News from Lincliff!" - "What is it?" - " A Queen who addresses herself as, Queen Anne of the United Kingdom is here. She says her country was the one who''s responsible for the mysterious appearance of the flying object." - " Immediately make the preparations for my visit to Lincliff, we will go after the meeting." - "Yes sire" - As the War Council closes, it was all agreed that the kingdom will take the status quo policy with the empire while first dealing with the Lincliff incident. 3 Dawn of the Great War - in the outskirts of Republic of Italica - - it was just in the middle of the day, when a group of merchants arrived from the east - - with almost 10 trade vessels, escorted by 7 warships from the Italican navy, one of the merchants aboard the trade vessels was Antonio, who was a young man that is seeking fortune to the far east. He just had his first experience in trade. He had encountered all sorts of trouble and experiences in His first journey. He even tasted food from faraway places. He came from the east with his vessel whom he shared with another 2 merchants, had filled it with boxes that was full of commodities from the east that is only considered a luxury in the continent. - - when Antonio was taking all of his goods from the vessel, he placed it all in a temporary stand near the dock so he can gain additional income before returning home to his family. Suddenly, a carriage that was adorned with expensive metals stopped by near his store- - a young man with a calm demanour came out of the carriage, he was certainly a nobleman. But his not from Italica. But, from the empire. Antonio can immediately tell it was from the empire because the carriage was bearing the Imperial Insignia of one of the Noble houses of the empire. The House of Ostburger - "uhm, Excuse me?" - "Yes, what is it sir?" Antonio replied. - the nobleman took one of the most beautiful silk carpet in his store, purple in color; it was certainly a very rare and expensive item. The nobleman didn''t seemed to care about the price. And as such, he got his great interest on it. - "Where did you get this?" The nobleman asked. - "Oh, that carpet sir? I bought that on way to home from our travels in the east" - "This is really beautiful, i would like to buy this one young man, here; take this" - the nobleman gave him a small bag full of coins, he took a look inside and knew that the amount is too much. But he didn''t wanted returning some, so he just brushed it off and prepared to close his store and move all his goods to house; while the noble entered his carriage and left. - the nobleman''s name was Zachary, he''s from one of the top 3 noble families in the Empire. As such, he was sent to a diplomatic mission in the Republic of Italica. His job was to ensure the submission of the republic into imperial rule. - "this silk is so beautiful, i would make sure the republic will be subjugated to the empire. So that, i can finally rule this place." - the emperor promised the noble family of Ostburger, Zachary''s noble family to rule the Republic of Italica, if Italica falls into imperial submission. Then, the Ostburger Family will be allowed to rule the island as it''s regional vassalage, Finally making the Ostburger Family huge power and influence from the island, eclipsing all the 3 great noble families in the empire. - the carriage finally stopped in the front of the White Palace. Which is the residence of the President and his top officials of the republic. And also where public meetings and audiences occur with the government in the republic. As the carriage stops, the carriage door opens and he is welcomed by the servants of the Palace. - The servants then guided him to his room, which is located in the 2nd floor of the Palace. He was to wait there until further instructions. As the President is busy with work. - While he''s busy, he took a nap into his room while waiting for his scheduled meeting with the President. - Kingdom of Summerwyn, Lincliff - - A British carrier can be seen from the shores of the city, all inhabitants are puzzled and terrified from the sight of the warship they are seeing. While at it, a small helicopter landed in the beach. Saying that they wont harm everybody and came in peace. While at it, one woman who was strikingly different from the others came from the helicopter, and after stepping a few steps in the beach, a few people came over and asked "Who are you miss?", The Queen was shocked that they speak the same language despite being from the other world, but she decided to hide her reaction befitting of a royal and while wearing her crown and scepter she declared; "I am the Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Anne." As everyone was standing before her, everyone realized they we''re rude since they treated her informally. So all the people who was in front of her bowed and asked for an apology for their rudeness. - but the soldiers that was tasked with escorting the queen was not amused with the behavior of the locals, so they armed themselves and blocked the people from the queen. "Get off the Queen!" The soldiers demanded while getting all the people away from the Queen. The Queen accepted the local''s apology humbly. The Queen, along with her bodyguards went to the Mayor''s Palace to inform the mayor and the king of their sudden diplomatic visit. - and after arriving in the palace, the Queen apologized in behalf of her kingdom to the mayor for their supposed trespassing earlier by their aircraft caused panic; the mayor had accepted the Queen''s humble apology and he then proceeded to call the king to come to Lincliff. And the King would arrive in Lincliff just days later. - the Queen was talking with the mayor in the dining room, gathering information in this new world. The mayor talked about the uneasy peace with the empire; concerning his fear both for his people and family. The Queen was then, subtly reminded of Germany. The Queen then rest assured to the mayor that everything will be ok. And then suddenly. - "The King is here!" One of the servants informed them. - Queen Anne then prepared herself for the very first diplomatic meeting with the King. - Republic of Italica, The White Palace - - "Meeting concerning the Continent''s Future" written in a manual that was written by Zachary and it was being read by all officials with great doubt and distrust in the meeting hall in the palace. - "What is the meaning of this Zachary?" The president asked - "We just want eternal peace and prosperity to come to the continent. If everyone cooperates, we will no doubt achieve eternal peace." Zachary said. "This is just absurd" "Idiot" "We will just surrender our country without a fight?! Are you kidding me?!" "You are picking the wrong country to pick on" - murmurs can be heard all the hall. Everyone was furious and angry to the imperial demands. The demands will be then known as the starting point to the war that will wreak havoc on the continent. "Our navy is certainly one of the best in the world, why would we surrender on such a country?!" "They dont even have a huge navy, let alone experienced sailors; how can they invade us?" - however, no one knows that their downfall won''t be from the outside. But from within. - Mayor''s Palace, Lincliff - - as the two royalty exchanged their greetings, they then proceeded to talk. " May i know the situation in your kingdom?" The king asked the queen politely. " We are located northwest off the mainland, unfortunately we we''re suddenly transported into this world with our country. We don''t know how exactly it happened but it really happened." The Queen replied. - " i heard that you''re country was the one who owned that flying object?" - "Yes and im really sorry for the trouble it caused, we just want to establish relations in this world peacefully, i know it did not ended peacefully: we would like to pay reparations for the panic we caused." - the King wanted to refused her generosity, but knowing the situation his country is facing he accepted it with a smile. " I humbly thank you for this generosity" " This is not that much, it is sometimes better to give to those who are in need and hardship" the Queen replied, "I also wanted to establish relations in your country by sending diplomatic missions to both out capital cities so you can finally confirm my country''s existence" the Queen added. " Very well, we will prepare all the preparations as soon as possible." - this begins a new chapter in the history of Roseby, the continent might soon face a huge devastating war. But, prosperity is soon promised and long-lasting peace might be soon established. - Imperial Capital, Ostshore - Imperial Palace - - the Imperial Palace is one of the biggest in the continent. The palace is located in the center of the city and is immensely huge and is the power base of the empire. Everything that happens in the empire is decided in the Imperial Court. Which houses the audience of the Imperial Family and his advisors. The Palace has tall walls surrounding it and has two defensive walls before you can enter the palace. The palace is so big you can mistook it as a city if it hadn''t for the huge number of soldiers in the walls guarding it, as such; the imperial court is adorned with huge expensive marble pillars with the imperial insignia flying all over the place. "The Holy Estermage Emperor is undoubtedly going to be the emperor of the Roseby continent" " We will surely subjugate everyone in the continent" " why won''t we just invade everyone already?" The conversations all can be heard in the court, while the door was then opened to one important man. It was Zachary, he then procedded to exchange formalities with the emperor and then reported the results of his mission. - "Your Highness!, as you expected the the Republic of Italica refused our demands!" - " Very well, Everyone! We will now proceed everything to the plan. Hurry up and make sure the Empire owns the Continent!" " Long live the Emperor!" " May the Empire last for a thousand years!" - cheers can be heard all throughout Ostshore, and this only means nothing. War is about to be sent to the Republic of Italica. Italica will taste the cold sterl from the empire. 4 Decadence - London, United Kingdom - -" This is BBC News, Westminster finally passed the new law this morning concerning our country''s technological information. The Parliament decided to keep the technology ourselves and never leak it outside the country. However there are a few exceptions in civilian technology; limitations in military technology however remains the most censored to avoid any further leak. And government censorship in books and bookstores begins. To, of course avoid any technology to be leaked." - Republic of Italica - - The Italican Navy is one of the most formidable and strongest in the continent, the country''s seafaring & mercantilist tradition helped shaped the republic ever since its founding. And because of it''s strong naval presence, the country has been able to become prosperous due to its excellent security and development. And because of it, Italica has one of the highest standards of living in the world at the time; but who knows since a new country suddenly emerged that can claim on its title. - The Arsenal - The Naval Base of the Republic, where every ship is manufactured in excellent quality. " Admiral, orders are to be standby." " Very well, but build more ships and always do sea patrol in the seas." "Yes Sir!" - 12 Warships, as usual are going to their patrol duty in the surrounding seas of the country. - In the more prosperous districts of Italica, You would see the true decadence of the citizens. The wealthy families are the ones who control the country from the shadows. The Napoli Family in particular, employs thousands of merchants in its service and brings back huge stockpiles of goods from the east. And, they usually sell the eastern commodities to the crowned heads and aristocrats of the continent. Making them the exporter of eastern goods in Roseby. Their economic power helped the development of the country in the past decades. Therefore, granting them massive political influence in the country. The Napoli''s owns several mansions back in Summerwyn and Italica. - Italica, Prosperous district of Roma Houses here are so big that they even rival those of the White Palace. Everyone here is so well off that the word "poor" and "war" doesn''t exist to them. The arts are also flourishing, with all houses at least have one employed artist to make their houses more beautiful. - Italica, Shopping District The Shopping District is not far from Roma, the district is the consumerist paradise in the republic, not just in the country but the whole of roseby as well. it is also the fashion and cultural capital of the continent. - Italica, Central District This is the Central District, which is home to the White Palace and several government institutions and offices. There are also a few middle class that resides here. And the remaining residental areas for the much lower classes resides here. - Shopping District, Mantua Market " Hey did you see that new cloth?" " Whaaaat? There is a new trend?" " Ohmygoshh, i loove this cake" - all sorts of murmur can be heard throughout the market, the market is like a mall to us in modern times. Thousands of people crowd the place and the coffeplaces are so packed and full. - however something odd was about to happened and slowly, everyone noticed that something is not right. - noises from the sky - - fighting sounds can be heard from the skies - " OH MY GOSH WHAT IS THAT!" " no way this cant be happening " The wyvern force of the empire begins its clash with the Italican wyvern force just above the skies of the shopping district. Spreading fear in the shopping district, as thousands flee for their lives. Everyone is frightened and horrified at the battlefield in sky gets more intense. And the panic was enough to cause casualties in the shopping district, thousands of people immediately ran to get out of the district. Causing stampede and damage to the surroundings in the process. Maria, who was the daughter of the wealthy Napoli Family, survived the stampede by hiding in the market''s coffeplaces. - several hours had passed by and the battle was already over Maria fell asleep on the coffehouse, and realizing she slept in the table to avoid the crowds during the panic; she immediately took all her shopping bags and went out of the coffeehouse. - "Im still feeling a little dizzy uhh" she said while walking in the pavement. There she saw one merchant salvaging all items he had left. And she approached him. - " Mister, may i know what happened?" - " This you mean? Oh, when the wyverns of two countries clashed earlier in the skies; the battle was almost 3 hours and everyone was getting out of here as soon as they could when the battle began. During those 3 hours, the panic was so big that many people had ran for their lives, many dying in the stampede and the bodies of wyverns that died fell in the district." - she looks in horror as every store she knew in the market was utterly destroyed and bodies of human and wyverns can be seen on the shopping district. - she looks back and asked the merchant, "so who won?" - "Italica won, but with a costly price. Our wyvern force defeated them an hour ago, they say our wyvern force was nearly annihilated and at the expense of also destroying the infrastructure of the shopping district" - Maria immediately went to her house in Roma, there her family waiting and worrying for her. - her mom approached and tightly hugged her, " Im glad your safe, all of us were worried in what might have happened to you" - "mom im fine, i just slept and took refuge in the coffeehouse so i got out unscathed" - "Good thing no wyverns fell in that place" - Central District, White Palace - - Magic Telegram from the Holy Estermage Empire " This is the Holy Emperor, Dudendorf. We are ordering your submission to the Empire immediately or else your citizens will suffer worse from that. I assure all of you, that true prosperity will come to your nation. This is the last warning to your petty republic. An Imperial fleet will be sent tomorrow and envoys will be there to secure your surrender, until tomorrow then-" - everyone in the hall was nervous and terrified on what could next possibly happen to them. " i heard the emperor likes to execute.. " - all government officials we''re unwilling to surrender to the empire at all cost; and their last stand was to keep the seas together and protect the mainland. - Door opens - - Admiral of the Italican Navy, Eduardo - - "Everyone Listen! Today im going to present the country''s military strategy to survive this war!" - "Is it possible?" The president asked, - "Yes, tomorrow the Imperial Navy is coming right?, if so, we would then send half of our naval force there while keeping the half here. And for our remaining wyvern force, they will be used to protect the island. We purchased 100 wyverns from the east last year right? They might soon reach our country next month, so until then; we would annihilate the imperial navy and wait to regroup of wyvern force." - with all government officials having no idea on how to defend the country, they decided to accept the admiral''s plan. - Sienna, Kingdom of Summerwyn - -days after the diplomatic meeting in Lincliff, the Summerwyn party to leave for UK was finally prepared, with the the British party coming too. To start their trip, they then headed to a ferry waiting them in the city of Lincliff. Everyone was surpised and amazed on the feat the british can achieved. They we''re then headed to London for the mission. - Imperial Fleet, Seas of Roseby - The Main force of the Imperial Fleet; consisting of 27 Warships, they are 13 heavy ships and12 light ships. Versus the 25 warships of the Italican Fleet. - The Decisive Battle of Roseby Seas begins - 5 Wartime - Republic of Italica - - The most important district in Italica''s war effort; the Industrial District. The Industrial District is home to the Republic''s Civilian and Military Industries, Famously the Textile, and Glassware inndustries are the most lucrative. While, its shipbuilding also takes place in the Arsenal. The Industrial District is located next to the Central District. - The Republic of Italica, is a huge round shape island which is several miles away from the mainland; in the center is the Central District starting from the innermost until it reaches its harbor in the north, the district of Roma which is located in the eastern part; has a beautiful surrounding and is mostly restricted except for some beautiful landmarks opened to the tourists; the Shopping District, which is located south; just between Roma and the Central District, and Finally the Industrial District which is located south-east of the Central District. and the north-east had a huge military fort in it. - White Palace - "Hey, you" one government official asked to a servant, "is the preparations ready?" he whispered, "Yes Sir, everything according to plan." "Good" - Office of The President - "Now what is going to happen to our country until then, will we lose this battle? I hope and pray that there will be less sufferings in this war";as the president''s view from the office''s window. He could see the damage inflicted by the enemy on the Shopping District. - meanwhile in the seas of Roseby - " there is the Imperial Fleet!" " so they''re picking a fight to our glorious navy?" The heavy ships of the Empire would start firing from a distance In an instant 3 heavy ships of the Italican Navy we''re sunk; but, the Italican Navy wont lose to the Empire. Hours passed, the Light Ships of Italica beat the Imperial Fleet. The battle was a total victory to Italica; the Imperial Fleet was annihilated while losing only 6 ships to them. It was all thanks to the Admiral''s great wit and tactical prowess who helped them win the battle. The victory in this battle is hugely celebrated and the government capitalized on this by making it their first step to their war-time propaganda. - Central District - " Everyone! Please hurry up, we have no time to spare! The Republic needs us in this time of need!" " Help the Republic! Join the workshops and enlist now!" - the Central District is overwhelmingly busy right now, with many people recruiting thousands into the war effort, thousands of tourists also flee the island to avoid the ongoing situation. Meanwhile, the Industrial District is under intense pressure both from the government and the public. Phamplets we''re being disseminated by the state to strengthen propaganda and hopefully suppress any opposition in the war. Meanwhile the news of the naval victory over the empire is hugely celebrated by the populace; thinking its going to be an easy war and everything is going to end. But unfortunately that wasn''t the case for Italica. - Central District, White Palace - - Two guards talking in front of the Gates - - "Hey, i heard that there is going to be an ambassador from a new country eh?" - "Really? From where?" - "They say, its from a new emerging country from the north-east; though there used to be no country there before i doubt it, but who knows?" - "Yeah, let''s just wait for it; when is it gonna visit anyway?" - "I heard it''s going to be tomorrow." Then suddenly, flying creatures could be seen from the skies; it''s the Imperial Wyvern Force. It numbers around 50 Wyverns. But, its presence on the skies of the Central District is enough to spread fear in everyone. "AHHHH, IT''S IN HERE AGAIN!" "WHERE IS OUR WYVERN FORCE?!" One of the guards eventually went to his outpost to report the situation to the War Department and White Palace via Magic Telegram. " Emergency Report! A number of 50 Wyverns can be seen from the skies of the Central District! Requesting Reinforcements from the Wyvern Air Force!" " Very well, Reinforcements will come soon" The Wyverns this time, we''re free to move; due to their suprise attack in the nighttime, they eventually decided to drop bombs from their the above. They mainly targeted the White Palace and the surrounding government institutions, causing massive casualties in the district. People once again are fleeing albeit in lesser numbers, one Wyvern only had 3 bombs in it. But it was enough to cause damage in the Central District. - District of Roma, Napoli''s Villa - - Maria was peacefully having a sightseeing in their balcony in the upper floors. She was reading her favorite book while seating, accompanied byeating her favorite cake. And, then suddenly from the far distance. "Ohmygosh, is that wyverns?!" She said, while looking terrifyingly at a distance from her balcony. She could see the Wyverns flying in the Central District and some passing by to Roma. Upon seeing them, she heard all the echoes of screams in heir neighborhood; she immediately went to her parents and took refuge in the lower floors. The next day, the damage can be seen on the Central District. The government buildings are hugely damaged. With the White Palace, almostbeing destroyed. Its walls are reduced and the upper floors of the Palace can be seen now because the walls and the roof collapsed due to the heavy bombardment in the Palace. With the Government in the Central District in near collapse, everyone was not scared. But their desire to continue the war strengthens, their grief and anger can be heard echoed in the streets. Everyone has still their believe and faith in the President and the Admiral. And then, suddenly a new visitor to their country arrives. It was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William. As he enters the White Palace, the White Palace is still barely functional, though it is heavily damaged. The bombs weren''t enough to entirely destroy the structure. And hours later, a meeting with the Italican Government began. "Hello, i am William. Prime Minister of the United Kingdom" "Oh? So you''re claiming your country was transported?" The President asked. "Yes sir, it is indeed true and i can prove it. We are willing to start diplomatic missions to our capital." William replied, "Very well, but as you see. My country is in a huge crisis right now. We can''t treat our time a luxury." "I am very well aware to the fact that, the Empire is at war with you; and has mercilessly used their might to destroy you. Our country is willing to help Italica in this huge time of need." "Very well, if you can help us. How would we be able to help you? Im sure there is no way you can help us from the start, your country is very far and it''s going to take a while before reinforcements would be able to arrive" " Oh, dont worry. We would be able to help you. Just leave it to us" William said to the President. "Ok so when do we expect the help from your country?" "Around 3 days they''re going to arrive" "Our country is going to rely on that time, make sure that help is indeed gonna help us" The President replied, - London, United Kingdom - - Several days ago - - Summerwyn Party - The summer party finally reached London, the diplomatic mission was amazed at the architectural feat the British achieved. They stayed in a hotel in London. And, finally; after days of their amazing stay in London, they headed to the Parliament to meet with the Conservative Party. The current ruling party of the UK. They, after much talks during the day had made a deal with the British. And its as on the following: ¡ª Treaty of London ¡ª - Sergian Calendar 1453 - - Gregorian Calendar 2019 - -The United Kingdom will get mining access in Summerwyn. - The United Kingdom also will get food exports from Summerwyn. -The United Kingdom will send military assistance to the Kingdom of Summerwyn if the Empire decided to attack the Kingdom. -The United Kingdom will aid Summerwyn in Infrastructure Development Thus, both sides sees it as a win-win scenario. The treaty was signed by the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, while the Summer side was signed by the diplomatic minister of the Summerwyn Kingdom. - Meanwhile, The British Army is preparing its subsequent intervention in the Imperial-Italican war. The Royal Navy is now en route to the Republic, what would this mean for the future of the continent? 6 Beginning of a Calamity - Imperial Court, Ostshore - -- Emperor''s Throne Room -- the military bureaucrats,nobility, and the military generals are all gathered in the presence of the Holy Emperor. They are to oversee, the Empire''s march to all corners of the Continent. All independent states may it be small or huge countries that are not under the Empire''s control will be immediately invaded after their ultimatum is refused. This plan was drafted by the power-hungry bureaucrats who wanted more power and wealth, despite the Empire''s hegemonic status in the continent. Meanwhile, in the gardens of the palace. The Holy Empress, Ekaterina. is having her usual stroll in her favorite spot. she loves the flowers and all the trees that are all wonderfully shaped. She would spend most of her time in a small but beautiful estate given to her as a gift by the Emperor. Entering the doors of her personal estate, decorations and furnitures that are considered the most expensive in the continent. Fine silk from the east dominates her carpet and chairs, her tables made of tropical wood from the far south, and various paintings that are made by prestigious artists will welcome her. The estate is also adorned with gold and excellent marble, making it a perfect retreat house from all the stress in the court. while entering her wardrobe room full of expensive and extravagant dresses, she sat in front of her hairdresser combing her hair so that she could fit her hair with ease while wearing the imperial crown later. She set out in her estate, and proceeded to ride her 10-minute carriage ride. Yes, 10 Minutes that''s how big the Imperial Palace is. The estate and the surrounding gardens is even locater further south of the Throne room and the core of the Palace. - The Empress is aged 37. She is beautiful for her age, the Emperor married her because his father had earlier betrothed him to her. She is from the House of Ophiel, the most powerful house in the Empire. She is known for her martial and war prowess and is admired in the lower ranks of the Imperial Army. She is also known for her reputation as a strict and despotic ruler. But lately, she can''t stand the emperor''s hunger for power and expansionism. She feels that, something just doesn''t feel right. She had earlier, prepared herself to leave her husband and flee with her son, Crown Prince Karl. She knows that she can''t stand the military bureaucracy in the court that is currently the one seizing power in the empire. As such, she prepares not just her son. But the whole House of Ophiel as well. But the problem is, she knows she will be on the run along her family nowhere to go while being chased by the empire. if only there was some place which she could escape, but the carriage door finally opens. The staircase of the palace can be seen already. She decided, that she would first attend the meeting and proceeded to step out of the carriage. "The Holy Empress Ekaterina is here!", everyone in the Throne room suddenly had their eyes to the entrance of the room. Everyone was awaiting the presence of the Empress. "Even if she knows how to fight, she is still a woman" "she''s a power-hungry slut" the bureaucrats in the room lowly gossiped the Empress'' tainted reputation. Everyone in the higher military ranks hates the Empress. They think she''s going to take their jobs soon and lead the imperial army alone. as absurd and unrealistic it is, it spread like wildfire in the military and especially the generals had come to hate her. the Empress kneels in front of the presence of the Emperor, and after she was given permission to stand up. she immediately proceeded to sit behind him in her Imperial Throne. Now, the two thrones of the palace is now occupied. the general plan and objective of the military operation was explained in detail by the general, and while the bureaucrats are explaining. She couldn''t help looking to the Emperor. "He''s not like this before, it''s as if though he had changed" she said in her own mind. She loved the Emperor. but later as his reign passes by, he had grown more despotic and power-hungry. The Empress knew the Emperor loved to expand the empire. the Empress used to support the Emperor''s campaign to inherit the throne of summerwyn. She led countless battles in favor of the empire. But as the war progresses, she saw the horrible side of that war. She saw thousands of peasants dying, cities pillaged and ransacked. And news that even cities are razed to the ground had received her. Ever since she received those news, she refused and stop leading the armies into battle.And finally wanted to stop the war once and for all, and for the first time. it was the first that the couple argued, and ever since then they stop talking to each other, if it isn''t for political matters. they will just ignore the other and continue what they are doing. after remembering all their past interactions, she immediately looks in front of the bureaucrats. Not realizing they''re done explaining the plan. After the meeting was over, the Empress headed to her estate as usual. Her estate is her residence ever since they argued with the Emperor. And she, after a long day decided to sleep in her comfy bed. She was atleast happy that she has a place to escape her problems away from. - Ostshore, Financial District - "Hey, why is the government suddenly raising taxes?'' "How can we even buy food?!" "We don''t need more wars! I''m tired of wars!" thousands of peasants flocked to the Capital''s Financial District. With all sorts of demands and protests againsts the government''s policies. But the empire is not happy with this protests. So, the imperial army had went their way to crush the so claimed "opposition". steps of horses can be heard from the distance, as one protester had noticed. The elite knights of the army had finally got their way first into the district. totaling about 300 of them, against 15,000 protesters. the knights head their way into the crowd. using their lances to mercilessly kill the peasants. more reinforcements arrived, 1,000 footmen who used muskets arrived. mercilessly shooting everyone on the ground. The protesters previously only had fire torches and forks against the government. And they we''re soon crushed by the army. Under the pretext of "crushing the opposition". by the next day, piles of body are scattered in the streets outside the financial district. "Everyone must pay their taxes even if .. it increases threefold" the inhabitants of the capital are frightened by the news of the "opposition" in the capital. But they know themselves, that if they pay more taxes they would atleast survive and live without fear of thinking that the flames of war might reach the capital. Meanwhile, in the docks of Lincliff. Several cargo ships from the United Kingdom had arrived. This sets the beginning of a new age in the continent. 7 The Great War - Buckingham Palace - - Her Majesty, was sitting leisurely relaxing in her residence. Accompanied with her favorite tea, she wanted to avoid thinking all the stress right now and decided to relax for the time being. She could peacefully mediate to herself in the gardens. she gazed and relaxed in the beauty of nature.Queen Anne lost her titles from the commonwealth realms, but this didn''t convinced her to stop her service for her subjects. She reached 30 this year, and ascended on the throne when she was 24 years old. She is a kind and caring monarch, always looking for the better of her subjects, and her aim is to make her people not suffer again from the horrors from the second world war.- -- White Palace -- William was eagerly waiting for the Royal Navy to arrive, he''s so excited to see the people of Italica to be amazed to the British Army. and at last, people are talking about "islands" suddenly floating that can be seen on the shores of the country. people we''re stunned and terrifed and even thought that this might be from the empire. As panic is about to broke out, magic telegrams we''re broadcast throughout the country. "Warships from the United Kingdom are coming as reinforcements. I repeat, warships from the United Kingdom are coming as reinforcements for the current war effort. They''re not enemies, but allies. Please calm down." the crowds was just about to explode into a massive nightmare before the broadcast. if it hadn''t for the broadcast, the country would be in huge chaos. William had told the White Palace earlier that he had received the call from the Royal Navy. The British Army was to arrive in the docks of Italica to replenish and defend the island from any imperial invasion. The Royal Navy finally arrived in the docks of Italica, many armored tanks and the Royal Marines arrived in the scene, the Queen Anne carrier which, can carry 50 aircraft is the new addition to the Royal Navy after being built for years. Tanks can also be seen from the convoys. add more sophisticated military equipment can be seen is hugely unfamiliar to the Italicans. But, knowing they are going to be supported by this men. They are starting to believe more that they can win this war. Prime Minister William was then greeted by the the general of the fleet. They had then secured supplies from Summerwyn and they would continue bring more supplies. The British also donated stockpiles of food and supplies to the government, they only gave building materials as to prevent technology leak. despite having so much goods this year. The war that had started two weeks ago had immediately plunged the Italican economy and supplies began to drop. The main reason, was because of the bombings the wyverns of the imperial army did. the citizens of the republic are filled with hope that their suffering will at last might finally end. Meanwhile, a few seemingly shady people in the ruins in the central district are shocked about the number of reinforcements. They discreetly gathered information and set up a place to start a magic telegram. After, preparing the telegram. a face of a military bureaucrat meets them, "Boss, reinforcements from an unknown affiliation had arrived, estimating to be around 10,000 troops." but the bureaucrat underestimated the estimation and claimed its not going to be a threat. "But, they arrived in seemingly huge ships" the spy replied, the Bureaucrats asked more details about it and was in disbelief about their reports. He didn''t know what to do because he never had an encounter like this before. But, with his knowledge in the Empire''s military arsenal. He knows, nothing will defeat the imperial army. And after much he took more information from the spies, he dismissed them to avoid somebody catching them talking. -- Imperial Court -- "Your Highness! the Grand Bishop refused our ultimatum!" "Do all the means to subjugate them according to plan." - It has been a week since ultimatums we''re sent to all sides of the continent. Though, Britain didn''t get one because few still know of their existence and location. The ultimatum received by the Grand Bishop of the Church was not amused. after conducting a meeting with the council, the council had concluded that war is inevitable and they might not win. But, the Grand Bishop won''t surrender and he''s willing to fight until the end. as the ultimatum''s result had reached the emperor a hundred thousand imperial troops had leaved the empire, and marched all the way to the Theocracy of Esterloch, The Grand Bishop''s state. As they march through every duchy, the various duchies immediately submitted to Imperial control after refusing the ultimatum. After the army had just razed the capital city of the duchy of Dulcis to the ground after they refused the imperial ultimatum, spreading fear throughout the continent and the southern sphere is now imminent to imperial control. As, the last stronghold in the region Osterloch find itself isolated from the fall of the Grand Ducal Confederation to the Empire. When Imperial troops are now in front of the city gates of Esterloch, the gates all closed and musket men, mages and cannons can be seen in the city walls. But, the well-disciplined army of the empire won''t even be terrified and scared in this sight. They don''t fear death and rather die for the honor of dying to the empire is better. As the imperial general sends the last ultimatum for the city''s surrender, they mages had opened fire with a glare in their eyes. Saying, they won''t accept the demands once again. And, as a last resort the Grand Bishop activated an ancient magic that enabled him to broadcast his message in the magic telegram to all over the continent. The magic telegrams we''re then all connected to the continent''s capitals and biggest cities. Explaining the imperial invasion of the Confederacy and their march and beginning siege of Esterloch. The Grand Bishop had then, declared a holy war against the empire. Encouraging all the faithful of the continent to unite and fight against the empire as they had strayed themselves from the god. Crowds from Sienna to Italica we''re shocked by the sudden news and fears of another imperial invasion into summerwyn grew. The Great War had begun. 8 Siege of Esterloch -- Saint''s Basilica -- Official Residence of the Grand Bishop, located in the center of the capital. The Basilica is a huge structure That is visited by pilgrims from all over the continent. from the skies of Esterloch, wyverns from two countries compete for the control of the skies. Osterloch has 150 wyverns and 20 wyvern volunteers from the faithful,versus the huge number of 300 wyverns from the Empire. The imperial wyverns crushed their enemy wyverns one by one, with falling bodies of wyverns raining from the sky. The wyverns from the imperial army breathed their fire more efficient and a fiery battle in the sky had erupted. The imperial wyverns managed to reduce the enemies'' number by 90. But, the Bishopric Elite Wyvern Force, Esterloch''s elite force in the sky totaling about 20 wyverns. began to unleash their wrath and took down wyverns one by one in the skies. reducing the imperial army''s number of wyverns by 260. The imperial wyverns underestimated the strength of their enemy, thus they began to adopt a more aggressive approach. The wyverns of the empire all unleashed fiery breath until the their enemy wyverns had nearly reduced their numbers by 55. By then, the elite guard began to retreat and had instead regrouped and decided to do operations spread out in the city. The situation outside the walls we''re deteriorating. the effort'' of the mages we''re successful in the defensive and successfully managed to bide time for the theocracy. While, a number of 5,000 sortie, that includes bishopric musket men and cavalry gathered outside the walls. the bishopric cavalry, numbering about 2,000 decided to lead the attack and charged onto the enemy; inflicting damages to the imperial mages. While, the musket men provided fire. And, the mages atop the walls supporting the sortie. The imperial army didn''t believe the sortie and so had decided to send 20,000 soldiers from the camp. As the control for the skies of Osterloch is hugely uncontested. The imperial wyverns decided to bombed the sortie''s position in the battlefield. Causing massive casualties and dozens had to retreat inside the city. The sortie had tested the strength of the Imperial Army. As everyone in the city could witness the battle, they we''re all terrified and went to their homes to pray to god. They pray that may god''s forgiveness reached those who sinned against them. While the imperial wyverns dropped bombs in the workshops and industrial points of the city. After several hours of meetings with the council, the council decided to temporarily evacuate and move to Marienne. A city enclave that borders Summerwyn, it was given to them decades earlier by the Bretagne family. The Italican navy had sent 5 warships to aid the Grand Bishop and the council''s evacuation. They immediately packed up and set out for tomorrow. The front lines of the battle had began to become worst. the men atop the walls are falling one by one. As their numbers get reduced, more artillery from the empire appeared. They start to tear the walls by their explosive firepower. and finally, the walls of the city began to tear down and fall apart. and immediately, the remaining 90,000 soldiers of the empire marched through the city gates. inflicting fear to the inhabitants of the city. -- Osterloch, 3rd month of Siege -- The Grand Bishop and the council was now in the docks of Esterloch transferring their belongings to the ships. "Your Holiness!", one guard hurriedly ran over to the Grand Bishop in a serious manner. "The Gates of the Capital have been breached!, the imperial army has been entering the gates now!" The Imperial Army had swiftly ended the city siege for 3 months. Esterloch managed to hold for those 3 months. But the grand bishop and the council hadn''t evacuated yet. "Hurry up and get my packed things immediately!, take all the valuable art and holy artifacts in the basilica!" the bishopric government began transferring supplies to the ships immediately. with more supplies still waiting in the docks, but they could all hear the footsteps of the imperial soldiers. They all immediately placed their belongings and state artifacts in the vessels and italican navy. they had managed to set out but they left some wagons from the dock... As the fleet is about to leave the city, the imperial insignia could be seen raising in the basilica. With the Bishopric flag being lowered. Everyone is filled with distraught as they leave the Imperial-occupied Esterloch. The Imperial Army raised the imperial insignia everywhere in the city. Their propaganda had began in the city and soldiers primarily looted holy artifacts left from the Saint''s Basilica. the Grand Bishop and the council reached Italica a few days later, and was deeply welcomed by the citizens. The republic had rebuilt itself and the Shopping and Central District had managed to be rebuilt with the help of the British. The British diplomat, Smith had exchanged greetings with the Grand Bishop and had began talking to each other. The Grand Bishop noticed Smith very different because of the attire he''s wearing is different from everyone else. They ended their talks smoothly and the bishops then headed to Marienne with the escort of the Royal Navy. -- War Situation, Sergian Calendar 1454 -- The Empire had invaded Southern Roseby, starting with the invasion of the Grand Ducal Confederacy. Which was a loose-confederation of duchies in the south. and finally capturing the Theocracy of Esterloch. Falling the Southern Front into Imperial Control, leaving more troops to Italica and possibly an invasion of Summerwyn. Completing the Empire''s domination over the continent. -- Palace of Sienna, Kingdom of Sumerwyn -- an envoy from the empire arrived in Sienna. They are demanding an immediate surrender to the empire. as absurd as it is, the pro-imperial faction was delighted with this. But the pro-bretagne faction and the king refused this. The empire would then send 300,000 soldiers en route to Sienna. with the news of the imperial invasion, the king immediately went to the British embassy in Sienna. asking for the help of the British in compliance with the Treaty of London. In which, they honored. This begins the escalation of the Great War into an even larger conflict. 9 Spring Campaign -- Spring of 1454, Kingdom of Summerwyn -- it is currently springtime in the continent, the perfect time for any military campaigns. As the climate is warm and movements will not be restrained by the environment. The Imperial Army is marching to Sienna with a whopping 300,000 troops. They are committed to end the war in a swift by capturing Sienna. But before they come to Sienna, they are besieging the fortress of Rennaiss first. The fortress of Renaiss is a military fortress built by Summerwyn to halt any future imperial advance into Summerwyn. The fortress is a star fort, design to defend against artillery attacks. it is made by sophisticated engineering technology. The local garrison stationed in the fortress is 5,000 troops. As the imperial army marches, they finally crossed the Imperial-Summerwyn border. They, had start their march to Renaiss. Along the way, they plundered and looted villages to gain supplies. They slowly march in the plains of the kingdom, about 2 days later. They reached Renaiss, they then built a camp outside the woods and started to plan their assault on the fortress. The garrison could clearly see the imperial army from he distance and they proceeded to report the imperial advance into Sienna. Reinforcements will arrive to the fortress by 5 days, until then they should hold and halt the imperial advance. The General of the imperial army, Clause is a fanatic and loyal to the Empire. Willing to die for the name of the empire, he is committed to capture this fortress for the name of the empire. And, while they''re in the middle of the general planning. One of the guards entered the camp, with a very familiar face. It was Francis, a pro-imperial noble in Summerwyn. The leader of the Pro-Imperial Faction is now in the camp, along with his followers. They are willing to cooperate with the empire and betray the king. The Imperial Staff is delighted with this, and so decided to assault the fortress in midnight the next day. Imperial wyverns began to appear in the skies, but since it is midnight. The fortress could not see the wyvern. They remain undetected while scouting the area, meanwhile a total of 50,000 troops appears in front of the fortress, 50,000 Imperial troops had headed the first attack on the fortress. Siege artillery begins to appear in the battlefield, numerous siege artillery had started firing upon the walls of the fort. But it proved to be ineffective because of the fort''s sophisticated shape. The fort was heavily designed to protect from artillery fire. The 40,000 infantry had decided to march to the front to attempt to use the ladders and climb the wall. As they march to the wall. Artillery fire from the walls fired on them and they we''re put down one by one, Until the number of infantry was reduced to 30,000. The mages had then came over and cast small fireballs into the fort. mages casted fireballs one by one, but the garrison had prevented their attack. The Summerwyn mages casted anti-fire shield onto the their allies preventing them to cause damage on the artillery. Realizing the battle is not going to their favor, Clause issued the order of withdrawal to their camp. The imperial army had then decided to withdrew to their camp until they come up with a more effective solution to capture the fort. Clause decided to talk with Francis, he came over and asked what was the fort''s weakness and how can they capture it. In which Francis replied with a grin, "Leave it to me and i''ll do the work". Clause did not knew what he was going to do and asked how is he going to do it. Francis then told him to follow his instructions and they would be able to capture the fort at ease. Clause woke up in his tent, and went to the plan room to discuss today''s battle. They are going to follow Francis'' instructions and plan. The staff we''re questioning Francis motives and intentions, but Clause has his trust on him. Assuring them they will never be betrayed by him. a number of 270,000 troops had came from the camp. The imperial army is launching an all-out attack to the fort, as the imperial army are marching, the imperial anthem is being sung to boost imperial morale. carrying the imperial flag with great pride, the soldiers are all prepare to fight even if it costs their lives, their life is the empire and the empire lives within them. Marching with great pride and modesty, they are determined that the empire would rule the continent. The imperial army marched until they could see the fortress in sight, they army splitted into 4 groups and headed into many directions. the spread out was intended to encircle the entirety of the fortress, with 50,000 each from all directions of the fortress, the south was led by Clause with a force of 120,000. 200 siege guns simultaneously fired onto the wall, causing much damage. While all forces we''re doing simultaneous attacks in every direction. the infantry would ran to the walls carrying ladders so they can hopefully climb the wall. The defenders we''re stunned and the muskets shoot at them and the mages casting attack spells on them. The fort''s bastion was attacked by the infantry and climbed all the way up using their ladders. The defenders we''re massively overwhelmed by the huge number of infantry and the bastions in the south began to fall one by one. As the southern bastions fell, the infantry infiltrated the fort and destroyed the artillery on the fort one by one. The defender''s we''re shocked at the speed of the southern group and the fort immediately fell by sunset. Renaiss fell and Sienna received the news of the capture hours later, the British Army was alarmed and had then sent the RAF to Sienna. Siennese officials are alarmed and nervous in the war situation. the RAF immediately arrived a day later in the temporary airbase built by the British army months ago. The Battle of Sienna begins. 10 Calm Before the Storm -- Summer of 1454 -- News of the fall of Fortress Renaiss had reached Sienna, the inhabitants of the city are nervous and frightened about the advance of the Imperial Army. The king had ordered the fortifications of the city to be strengthened and additional defensive modifications we''re made by the military engineers. Meanwhile, the Royal Air Force with a total of 100 aircraft was stationed several miles from the city. The new temporary airbase was a small land concession given to the british by the king. -- Lincliff -- Lincliff had underwent major if not complete changes ever since the British arrival in this world. The British government earlier just it had promised, built and improved the existing infrastructure of Lincliff. The introduction of foreign conglomerates and stores began popping up in the streets. Brands like Mcdonalds and Starbucks which is american-based but multinational companies in its right, can be seen in the modernizing landscape of Lincliff. The road pavement which was formerly just stone, was improved and cemented with an undergoing construction of a sewer system underground which is partially completed. The British had earlier denied releasing products that gives too much information about their technology, as such there are limitations of what the British could potentially export in Summerwyn. But, British clothes can be seen now being sold on Lincliff, the local inhabitants had begun to love everything British. One could see how Lincliff had changed after the British arrival in one year. Street lights we''re erected on the streets, phone booths we''re also free from government technological censorship and the famous red telephone booths from London can now also be seen being operated in the newly-paved streets of Lincliff. The cafe''s of huge companies had also made their way onto the city, giving a new fresh atmosphere to the city''s work scene. Every day, Starbucks are always packed by Lincliff consumers for their coffee. And a private initiative of British businessmen are investing onto a possible British privately-owned railway that connects Lincliff and Sienna. Currently, the dockyard in Lincliff is being improved and expanded by the British Government, a British embassy is also present in Sienna. When the United Kingdom was transferred onto this world, they we''re immediately met up with a problem; oil shortage. Oil is vital to the british economy and thus, using the oil stockpiles the government has left for 90 days, the government decided to raise oil prices and limit oil consumption for 90 days until they we''re able to find a new source of oil in this world. The government struck deals with the Republic of Italica and Kingdom of Summerwyn with mining and excavation rights to their respective territories in exchange of infrastracture development and military assistance agreements. The United Kingdom pledged to protect this two countries in case of war and is committed to their agreement. The British government and private companies had simultaneous search and expeditions in the territories of Summerwyn and Italica, and also to the seas of Roseby in a year. The search had led to numerous leads of possible presence of untapped oil reserves in the Gardenia Mountain Ranges of Summerwyn and the seas in Italica. It is actually a long process, but the British Government is absolutely committed to oil as it is the lifeblood of the country. Oil drilling processes began near the mountain ranges and Prospera sea in Italica. -- Republic of Italica -- The Republic of Italica also had seen similar direction with the city of Lincliff, given it''s much farther distance from the British Isles, supplies here takes much longer. But that doesn''t stop the inflow of foreign capital into the republic. In fact, foreign investors puts much more interest and trust in the Italican consumer market. It must probably because of Italica''s strong consumerist culture that is nearly the same with the United Kingdom. Multinational companies from the United Kingdom can be seen popping in the Shopping and Central District like wildfire; the demolished shops and establishments caused by the wyvern bombings we''re immediately replaced by foreign multinational stores. Modern clothing stores and cafe''s from britain can be seen in the streets of the district. Light streets we''re also erected with hundred of phone booths as well, the dockyard in the Central District is being upgraded and modified as well. And the Government Institutions in the Central District began to renovate their offices after the bombing with British assistance that ranges from material support and British staff aiding the construction of the Italican Infrastructure. Aside from infrastructure support, the British also built anti-air guns in the region and had started building an airport for civilian and military purpose in the island. The Napoli Family had begun striking deals with both the British Government and the Multinational Companies. The Napoli paid the Royal Navy in exchange for its escort to its shipping lanes from the east in the seas of Roseby, it also financially cooperated with the Multinationals to the rising real-estate demand on the island. The Napoli Family might see it''s wealth and influence grow more powerful. Meanwhile, after securing additional supplies and reinforcements from the mainland. Clause, had began planning their military invasion towards the Summerwyn Capital, Sienna. The British Army had deployed more men to the continent, the Royal Air Force had 200 aircraft in the continent stationed in Sienna. With the British Army garrisoned 10,000 troops with numerous armored tanks and artillery in Lincliff as well. A company-owned freighter truck is driving to the newly cemented road en route to Sienna to deliver construction materials to a construction site. But, men with muskets and bombards are seen from a distance marching towards the direction of Sienna. They are marching gallantly with horns and singing loudly, probably singing their anthem to spread fear and panic to the distance. The driver is a British military soldier who came from Lincliff to deliver the supplies, but as soon as he saw the marching army holding the Imperial banner. He immediately called the British base in Sienna to report what he had saw. He then immediately drive his way to Sienna to regroup with the British Army. 11 Powder keg -- Imperial Military Headquarters, Ostshore -- The Great Five Generals of the Empire, adorned with excessive military medals on their uniforms, gathered in the Imperial HQ. They are considered one of the foremost brilliant military tacticians the Empire had seen ever since the empire''s founding. One of the Great Generals, Hans, brought a huge map of Roseby marked with the Imperial occupations of countries that they had invaded since the Spring of 1454. The Imperial Military Headquarters is solely responsible for the Empire''s planning in military strategies during wartime. They are given considerably more power during wartime by the Emperor to effectively control the war situation in the interests of the state. The Imperial HQ houses the Imperial General Staff, or the HQ for short. They take advantage of the magic telegram''s efficiency in recording real-time battles, to carefully and successfully assess the tactical situation of the war and to know where they should give their supplies. The HQ is located inside the Imperial Palace, making communication with the Emperor much easier too. The Empire''s Five Great Generals are; Hans,Wilhelm,Heinrich,Martha and Maria. Though, Wilhelm is seen as the most greatest of the Five Great Generals. He decisively annihilated the Summerwyn Army in the outskirts of Sienna in the final phase of the War for the Throne of Summerwyn. Though, he was unable to capture Sienna due to the reinforcements of the arrival of Confederate reinforcements and his army had begun to lost supplies and men, so he was forced to strategically retreat from Sienna. Along with the map, Maria started to explain the war situation from the beginning until the present: "War to Unite the Continent" Imperial Archives --Strategic Bombing to Destroy Italica''s Industries and Morale-- --Spring of 1453-- INITIAL: Imperial-Italican Battle of the Skies of Italica: INITIAL: Empire- 350 Wyverns Italica: 430 Wyverns RESULT: Italican Phyrric Victory, Imperial Strategic Victory 47 Imperial Wyverns Retreated 67 Italican Wyverns left RESULT: Dead Wyverns from both sides rained from the skies, resulted into hundreds of shopping stores in the district to be affected and ultimately heavily damaged by the carcasses of the wyverns and the bombs dropped during the battle ultimately resulted into heavy casualties in the district. causing thousands of civilian casualties and property damage. -Battle of Prospera Sea- INITIAL: Empire-18 Heavy Imperial Warships Italica- 14 Light Ships RESULT: Italican Complete Victory, Annihilation of the Imperial Second Fleet. The annihilation of the Second Imperial Fleet''s Heavy Warships, the heavy warships lost against the much mobile Light Warships from the Republic. This miscalculation proved to be a decisive mistake not just to Wilhelm, but to the General Staff as well. This mistake destroyed Imperial and the HQ''s prestige. culminating in more bombings to the Italican Central District. CASUALTIES: Second Imperial Fleet annihilated Italican Fleet- 6 Sunk, 4 Heavily damaged. -- Second Bombing: Surprise Night Bombing of the Central District -- Number of Wyverns Participated: 50 Wyverns RESULT: The panic caused a lot of disruption in government and business affairs ongoing in the city, huge property damage was inflicted to the White Palace and several government institutions as well. Overall, a huge shock to the Italican Economy. -------------------------------------------------------------- The Italican Campaign was planned by Wilhelm, the other generals we''re not hugely supportive of his plan as they thought it''s not going to work. Wilhelm ordered the half of the Imperial Fleet to defeat the Italican Navy in Prospera to strike a blow to the Italican Navy. Wilhelm hoped for a quick victory. He had hoped that the Imperial Fleet''s Huge warships and numerous cannons would work against the light ships of the Italican Fleet. But, the Imperial fleet lost and this shocked the bureaucrats and the emperor himself, thus the HQ had planned a more reasonable and feasible strategy to dominate the entire continent. as the Imperial wyvern''s we''re exhausted and had lost a lot of wyverns to Italica, the empire then expended more focus on the expansion of the southern part of the continent to gain more resources for the war effort. They knew, Italica won''t surrender easily and while Italica''s Economy is unable to stand on it''s own. They would invade the Grand Ducal Confederacy and Esterloch Theocracy in the spring next year because winter is coming, their objective is to gain; resources, confiscate the warships of the Grand Ducal Confederacy and Esterloch. And to prevent trade from south roseby to Italica happen. Since, the Italican Fleet still reigns supreme in the Prospera Sea. If they would take all the strategic ports in Southern Roseby, the Italican trade routes is good as nothing. As the long trade route from the east needs a safe secured rest point for merchants in southern Roseby. If the empire controlled it and prohibited merchant access to the occupied ports, Italica would take more time to gain more resources. -- Southern Campaign -- - Spring of 1454 - Winter had passed, and the Imperial Army amassed a total of 100,000 troops, the had started their march all throughout the various duchies of the Grand Ducal Confederacy. Asking their submission into imperil rule, and if they submit their laws, customs and the local dukes will be spared. And the whole Confederacy submitted to Imperial Rule. By the surrender of the Confederacy, the Imperial Army marched to Esterloch and besieged it for three months. --Siege of Esterloch -- INTIAL: Imperial Army - Army- 110,000 Troops Wyverns- 300 RESULT: the fall of Esterloch in 3 months, The Grand Bishop and his Council retreated to the Esterloch-held Marienne. An enclave within the Kingdom of Summerwyn. Imperial expansion into the Southern Roseby Hemisphere and total economic embargo to the Italicans was successfully achieved by the Empire. Italican Monopoly on eastern goods began to decline, and the Italican Economy performs at its lowest ever since the Republic''s founding. CASUALTIES: Army- 17,842 dead, 14,948 injured Wyverns- 40 dead and finally, after numerous talks and dialogues between the members of the HQ. The Imperial Invasion of the Kingdom of Summerwyn is finalized, and finally approved by the Emperor. The Empire are hoping for a quick war against the Summerwyn''s this time to finally remove the Empire''s headache and the country that is the only one who has the most strength in the continent to defeat them. the plan is to, execute the plan on the summer of 1444. and besiege the fortress of Renaiss. in which they succeeded under Clause'' command. an additional force had joined them, mostly the pro-imperial faction and their followers. the Imperial army as we speak, is currently marching en route to Sienna after the fall of fort Renaiss. If the siege lasts until early winter, the empire would send more supplies and reinforcements to lasts the winter months. But, none at the HQ believes that Sienna will fall until winter. They believed at the power of the Imperial Army''s might. They believed that their bombards and cannons are able to destroy and tear every fortifications apart, their gallant knights armed with guns are the pride of their army, the musket men that will be able to defeat every opponent they faced. "The Imperial Army is the Best!" cheers of the generals can be heard in the HQ. Maria had then went to her office, and received something she feels ominous. A letter from the post office is placed in her mailbox. She opened the mailbox and took the letter. She read the letter and it says it comes from the Duke of Ophiel. and from the letter reads, "Dear Maria, I Humbly ask of you, please stop this ridiculous war as soon as possible and negotiate peace with our neighbors. Our Empire is already strong enough, The vast expenses of land we had inherited from the enemies we conquered; the former kingdoms of the central plains of the Empire in which we destroyed utterly, and the Grand Ducal Confederacy lowered its arms and pride to welcome our gallant troops not prepared to taste the cold steel of our great army. What I''m saying is, Stop the war and negotiate a peace treaty that is highly in favor of the empire but still acceptable to Italica and Summerwyn. That is because, a year ago a country had transitioned and appeared on the northeast of the continent; i heard rumors about them in the Diplomatic Department responsible for the foreign relations in the Kingdom of Summerwyn. They say, its a country with immense military power and technology that even surpass ours. And so i decided to see the rumors myself, and i indeed saw it. This is my last warning, the empire will surely fail and fall if we provoke such a thing, I''m begging you" After reading the letter, Maria didn''t exactly knew what to do. First, she received contact with a high-ranking noble, let alone the head of the most powerful noble house in the Empire. Second, she didn''t knew what to do with this kind of information, and Lastly, the legitimacy of the letter; there was indeed a signature of the duke in the letter. But, she highly doubts it. She thinks why would the duke message it to her in the first place and not to the Emperor directly. She had hypothesized by then, that someone is plotting against the Emperor and told the others about it. -- Imperial Palace -- in the next morning, the Duke of Ophiel was summoned by the Emperor for unknown reasons; and the duke''s coach had reached the military outposts outside the Imperial Palace before heading to the Palace. When the coach was about to arrive, the duke had took a small detour to go into his'' daughter''s estate. The coach took about 15 minutes to arrive in the Empress'' lovely estate in the middle of the Palace''s Gardens. As the coach stopped in front of the fountain, he stepped out and immediately walked into the doorsteps of the estate and lightly knocked to know if somebody was inside the estate. "Ekaterina? Dad is here!" the duke said as he knocked on the doors, Ekaterina was suddenly awoke from his father''s voice and immediately went downstairs to see her loving father. As she opens the door, she could see her father''s loving smile. She hugged him tightly as if she''s a young child. She didn''t see her for 2 years until she was visited again. The Empress had to carry her duties in the Imperial Palace, and so the duke can''t stay with her. He has to stay in the Ophiel''s Palace in their duchy to carry out his duties as the Duke of Ophiel as well. As they hugged, the Empress prepared a tea for her father in the living room. "How''s Karl?" The Duke asked, "He''s still sleeping in his room" The Empress replied, The duke is 56 years old and his health had began deteriorating, and the Empress had wanted to have more time with her father to oversee both his health and the Duchy. While drinking their favorite tea, the Duke had asked the Empress if she knew the country called the United Kingdom. "Yes father?, i certainly haven''t heard a thing about it yet? is it a new country?" the Empress replied, but the Duke had told her to listen to his instructions. "Ekaterina, Listen. You take away Karl and your personal belongings that you can carry NOW! Hide in my coach while it takes me to the Palace and let the coach take you to our Duchy. Follow other further instructions i placed on our palace, that I hid it in my cabinet" The Empress was shocked by this sudden request of her father, "Father why are you doing this? Don''t tell me... Did you do something bad to the Emperor?" In which her father replied, "Yes Ekaterina, but don''t worry i will manage to escape the Emperor''s suspicions on me and i will join you later, so please hurry up" The Empress immediately packed up all her personal belongings, she took her most important possessions that she could bring. She brought jewelries and 3 gold bars she received previously as a gift. She placed the bars separately in a sack and her jewelries in a jewelry box. And placed the two in one huge sack. She immediately woke up her son and took her most favorite eastern tea porcelain in a box. The Empress and her son joined her father in the coach and immediately shut down the windows by using the curtains, when the Duke had to get outside, they used the boxes in the seats to hide from themselves being seen from the entrance. The Empress bid farewell to her father until they meet in the Duchy, and as the coach''s door closes. The coach had then proceeded to leave the Imperial Palace and set out for the Duchy. Meanwhile, in the Throne Room. The Military Bureaucrats and Five Great Generals are present beside the Emperor. The Room''s Doors finally opened to the Duke of Ophiel. Among the room stands a tall wooden structure, a Guillotine. The Duke had gasped his breath. 12 Trial As a red grand coach touches the ground with it''s route directly heading to the Imperial Palace, the coach took great stride passing the monuments of the Palace; and the red coach finally stopped in front of the Palace''s grand stairs. The coachman had opened the coach''s door discreetly, as the Duke sets his foot on the ground. He turns and he sees his daughter for the last time, Ekaterina had bid farewell in expectation that her father will join her later; but her father wasn''t thinking the same way she did. ''Farewell my daughter, Ekaterina. May god help you on your way to this perilous journey you''re going to take.'' he said to himself. The couch''s doors finally closed and the coachman obeyed the duke''s last orders to him. The coachman immediately alarms the horses, and the coach finally leaves the entrance. The duke could see the coach in the distance leaving in grandeur. ''Whatever might happen to this country, i''ll make sure i will lay the way for Ekaterina to save our nation from this chaos we''re about to face''. He turns and walks into the entrance lifting his footsteps to go upstairs through the grand staircase, the extravagance of the staircase could be seen with statues representing the Empire''s military achievements throughout it''s history. As he enters the Main door to the interior of the palace, he is welcome by a long red carpet, made of the finest silk from the east. undoubtedly signifying the wealth and glory of the emperor to its visitors, he could immediately feel the Emperor''s authority in the Palace. He is welcomed by the servants and guided to go through the Throne Room, they walked in the halls of the palace. The halls are decorated with ornate golden symbols in the walls, often several meters apart. As he breathes heavily and thinks to himself ''Just how much did the furnishing of the Imperial Palace cost? the palace is built extravagantly that i think the Imperial Treasury might be running out of funds soon'' he turns all over the hallway to see the paintings commissioned by the previous emperors, the paintings often portrayed the emperor riding in a horseback in a victory a battle against the decisive battle of Ophelburg in which the forces of the Summerwyn Kingdom was invading the empire a hundred years ago. The battle was a turning point in the history of the continent, as the Kings of Summerwyn began to lose power and influence after the battle of Ophelburg 108 years ago. The duke was proud in part that his grandfather played a huge role against the defeat of the Summerwyn forces, as when the duke was young. His grandfather would used to spend time with him in his childhood telling tales about his grandfather''s epic journey''s and battles he spend through his lifetime. The duke remembers and still cherishes those joyful carefree days of his childhood. He turned and continued walking in the hallways "We are here Sir",the servant said to the duke. He built up his courage and proceeded to walk in the room, as the doors open; a strange looking tall object can be seen erected touching the ground in the throne room. As he steps his foot on the Throne Room, the guards had pointed their muskets towards him "RAISE YOUR ARMS OR ELSE WE WON''T HESITATE TO SHOOT!", the duke immediately raised his hands in the air and assured the guards he didn''t bring any weapon. The guards proceeded to handcuff him, and tied in a post in front of the presence of the Emperor to avoid his escape. "So, if i am mistaken; you are the the Duke of Ophiel. Am i correct?" The Emperor calmly asked directly to his father in-law. "Yes, Indeed i am your majesty." The Duke humbly replied, "Gustav Von Ophiel, you are hereby charged by the following crimes committed against the state; Treason" As the Emperor and his subordinates charged Gustav his'' crimes against the state, he isn''t guilty of the crimes he committed. Because he knew what he was fighting for. One of the General Staff stood up and explained as the eyewitnesses of this supposed crime. Maria stepped out and firmly stood in front of the Emperor, she took something out of an envelope she bought with her, in it is a mail and she immediately reported her account in the presence of his highness, "Your highness it is my pleasure to serve as an eyewitness to this crime, around a week ago, the General Staff just finished the general war meeting in the HQ. So i headed to my office in the main building which is ,not far away from the war planning room in which where i came from. So, someone had sent me a letter in my mailbox." "So i decided to take it and read at it in my office, so while i was at it and read every content of it, the letter was from the duke according to letter with his official signatures on it. I searched through my documents and even asked the others to find any documents with a similar Duke''s signature with it, and we found one document which has the signature of the Duke. We compared it with the letter and confirm the authenticity of the letter. According to the contents of the letter, the duke is persuading me and the General Staff to conclude the war and negotiate immediately on the peace table. Which is hugely humiliating to the Empire" She added, Maria kneeled and gave the letter to the imperial servants before returning to her seat, she is deeply in honored. the Emperor received the letter, read and analyzed every contents of the letter. While the Emperor was reading the letter, the duke whispered ''i will sacrifice myself for my daughter,my grandson, and the homeland'' he said, The Emperor didn''t heard what the duke said so he asked the duke if he has any objections and explain what happened so that he has a chance to live. But to the Emperor''s dismay, the Duke did not answer... The military bureaucrats have been wanting to eliminate the influence of the Ophiels for a long time, and it is now the perfect chance. They want to execute the Duke as soon as possible, so that the military can finally rule the empire. "He is a Traitor!!" "Get off with his head!" The demands of the military bureaucrats can be heard all throughout the room, they demand the duke''s head. They wanted to show off the duke''s head to the masses immediately. As the Emperor stands from his throne, he begins to deliver his speech from his most ornate throne made of precious metals, "As the Holy Emperor of The Holy Estermage Empire, it is my utmost duty to uphold justice and peace to my loyal subjects. I will never tolerate disloyal subjects in my empire, those who betray the name of the Empire will be severely punished!" "And as such, Duke Gustav von Ophiel. You are stripped off of you noble privileges, and you will be sentenced to death by the guillotine." ''i can not let this man be alive, he must be eliminated as soon as possible or else my plans will fail'' the Emperor thought to himself The Emperor''s words are considered absolute, and no one is allowed to defy him. He then sat in his ornate throne. The executioners began to transfer Gustav from his chains and the guillotine was moved outside the Palace. While awaiting his execution the next day, Gustav is locked in a prison in the most tallest tower in the palace. He was there, preparing for his death. He is stripped off his clothes and locked by the chains in the prison, there he awaits the day of his execution. -- The next day-- ----- Imperial Square, Ostshore --- The former-duke''s execution has been prepared in the Imperial Square, crowds began to form in the square. The Guillotine was gloriously standing in the ground, with its mechanisms enough to give everyone here a terrifying sight on how painful it is, the Guillotine is rarely used and it is used for an instant death, the Emperor was merciful enough to let his father-in law die in a much lesser pain than using axes. And as such they''re not used that much. But a Guillotine being used to the head of the most powerful noble house in the empire is enough to send alarm bells to everyone else. The crowds began to fill up the Square, everyone from the lower to the upper classes visited this public execution of a formerly powerful individual. Back in the tower, Gustav began hearing the footsteps of numerous people on his cell. His guards finally went to escort him to the execution site. As he went downstairs from the tower, and proceeded to the carriage. He is unsurprisingly calm. a guard who had scored him in the carriage had asked him "Why are you so calm despite all of this happening?", in which Gustav replied, "I am sacrificing myself for the sake of this nation, i am doing just what is right. You will know the meaning behind my words in the future." And then suddenly, the carriage stopped into their final destination. The carriage''s doors opens and Gustav was guided by the guards with his hands in chain, and stripped of almost any clothing. "Oh my, so this is what happened to the former duke?" "i pity him" "did he really betrayed the empire?" The masses are waiting for the arrival of Gustav, and as he leaves the carriage. His guards had led him to the Guillotine along with the executioners. But before being executed, he had one request to the executioners. Allow him to have his last speech before his death, in which due to the former-duke''s persistence. The Former-Duke walked upstairs until his footsteps reached the execution board. He turned and looked towards the crowds of the square, "Listen Everyone!, Before i can get to be executed by the guillotine. I am here to tell you that, my death is not for nothing. The reason I''m being killed is not because i betrayed the country, YES i betrayed the empire, but NOT our fellow countrymen!" Everyone was still curious on what the Gustav was talking about, "The Military Bureaucracy has been taking over our government! They take what is ours and take the country''s resources for their benefit! the cause of the current war to dominate the continent is to advance the agenda of the bureaucrats! they are only interested in gaining more power and influence! while they conquer more and more land, all of those resources won''t be received by the commoner and alike, but the Military only!" "And that is why i believe, we should establish a country that will value everyone''s rights and freedom; a country in which society is equal. a country that never oppresses its citizen''s and does not invade countries aggressively. And mark my words, the empire will lose this war." As he runs out of voice, he is immediately took by the executioner to the guillotine and prepared for his execution. He stepped onto the board and his head is locked onto the frame. The executioners then proceeded to release the blades from the top, beheading Gustav''s head in a clean fashion. He''s head was immediately picked by the executioners and showed it to the crowd. The reaction of the masses after seeing the execution is uneasy. They are enlightened by the former duke''s ideas and this would later spur a movement that will eventually change the empire. The news of the execution would soon spread throughout the empire, and later to the Empress. -- Imperial Palace -- numerous sounds of footsteps of can be heard outside the Throne room until the doors we''re opened, "Your Highness!, the Empress and the Crown Prince are missing!" The Imperial Guards informed the emperor, The Emperor was shocked that the Empress had made their way away from the Palace undetected and immediately sent a force to the Duchy of Ophiel. 13 Revol The sun had began to rise from the peaceful meadows in the background, along the trailing dirt roads. Is a red coach with its wheels touching the ground in grandeur. Inside the coach, is the escaping Empress Ekaterina and the Crown-Prince of the Empire, Karl. They had previously left the Imperial Palace to head to the Duchy. In which, the Empress is planning her escape with her son. She took a peek from the curtains of the coach to see the beautiful sunrise in the peaceful plains, the Empress had not seen a beautiful gazing view for a while now since she was only locked in the Palace for several years now. She could see the vast prairie in the window, the coach is currently traversing in the vast plains of the central region of the empire. Also known, as the the Pax plains. The Pax plains stretches from the central areas of the empire until it reaches as far as thesouth-eastern areas of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. Most of the influential battles in the history of the continent took place in the plains. Primarily, due to the fact that it could support military armies without the pain of thinking the horrible logistical nightmares in the mountain ranges of Gardenia. Crown-Prince Karl, who is currently 7 years old. Is excited to visit the Duchy, it is only the Crown-Prince''s first time to venture outside the Imperial Capital, or the Palace. The Emperor had promised to allow the Crown-Prince to go outside the Palace when he reached the age of 14. But this sudden decision of his mother to go outside really made him excited. He wasn''t even sure why would they suddenly leave the Imperial Palace with his mother in such a time. But, as he would gaze on the lovely sight on the window. He would think to himself that going outside is much better than being confined to the walls of the Palace. The Empress Ekaterina, really loves her son deeply. She would do anything for the safety of her son. Despite her responsibilities as the Holy Empress, she wants her people to be free from the yoke of the military bureaucrats. And, she wants an everlasting peace and prosperity in the continent. as the two gazed over the distance, Ekaterina would hug her son and tell him a lot of stories. "Karl, you can see the sun rising from the fields at the distance right?" "Yes mom" "You see, i wanted to make a future where; a world where we will not know suffering. A world where everyone knows how to love and understand each other. I hope that you will know that, violence and spread of fear won''t give you happiness. But, giving love to each other will help you achieve true happiness" Ekaterina told to her son, Ekaterina would hug Karl deeply, as the two are happy together in the coach while seeing the sun rise from the wonderful prairie in the distance. "Mom i love you, please don''t leave me" Karl said to his mother while hugging deeply, "Of course, i won''t leave you my son" Ekaterina replied, the motherly love the Empress gives to her son knows no boundaries, she would do everything to protect her son. after leaving the prairie they could see the walls of a city from a distance, the imperial insignia can be seen flying from the flagpoles. But, the crest of the House of Ophiel can also be seen flying as a reminder that the city is under the local control of the Ophiels. The coach had closed it''s distance to the gates, as the guard''s had to inspect the coach; the coachman opened the doors of the coach and revealed the Empress'' presence. the Empress left the coach and ordered the guards to let them in and close the gates as soon as possible, the guards we''re shocked by the Empress'' sudden appearance in the city and immediately followed her orders. The gates of the city of Ophelburg is immediately closed. The inhabitants and local supporters of the Ophiel Dynasty had to celebrate the Empress'' sudden visit to the duchy. The coach arrives in the city center to be greeted by the inhabitants waving the flag of Ophiel. the city of Ophelburg is the Empire''s second biggest city, as well the capital of the Duchy of Ophelburg. The dukes of Ophiel are subjects of the Holy Emperor, thereby making the Emperor their liege. The city is known for it''s cultural heritage in the empire, the city houses numerous palace and cathedrals, the Ophiels are devout faithful of the church and as such, supported the Grand Bishop''s cause. The inhabitants are majorly opposed to the overwhelming different religion of the Imperial Capital, which is the Reformists. The two major religions of the Empire consists of the Faithful and the Reformists. The Reformists includes 70% of the Empire''s subjects, while the Faithful is limited to a mere 30%. The Empire used to be one united religion until 80 years ago, when the Emperor decided to replace the Church''s authority from the empire, allegedly claiming "corruption of the church" as the Emperor''s main reason to break away from the church. This caused a wave of unrests in the Empire, as many advocated to convert to the Empire''s state church to protect the interests of the Empire, and there we''re also those who wanted to remain with the church because they believe going against from the church will lead them more away from god and be brainwashed by the Empire''s agendas. This caused the Imperial Civil War, it started when the Emperor was assassinated by the Duke of Leo¨½e. Causing two factions to battle over the control of the Empire, the newly-crowned Emperor and his Reformist allies, against the Duke of Leo¨½e and his Faithful allies. The civil war lasted 6 years, and the result was major depopulation in the Empire. Many soldiers died, causing the men in the countryside to contribute in the Imperial Army''s ranks as well. Leaving many few people in the countryside to work on the fields. And as such, famines and disease outbreaks we''re common. A lot of execution happened as well, with both sides condemning the other to be heretics and executed a lot of people who don''t believe their religion. Much of the Empire was rebuilt after the war, and prosperity return immediately. the coach after greeting the masses in the city, proceeded to go to the Ophiel Palace. The coach stopped in the entrance way and the coachman had come to open the coach doors, the Empress and her son stepped out and we''re greeted by the Palace''s servants. She immediately ordered the servants to move the belongings she bought outside her room. The journey took 3 days and Empress was tired, she immediately went to her bed and slept. While her son was already asleep in his room. Morning had came, and it was quiet in the Palace. The Empress woke up and checked the Crown Prince''s room. Only to see Karl still sleeping, she went downstairs to go to the dining room. She ate her favorite dishes made only in Ophelburg, she was delighted to eat her favorite food again. After eating breakfast, she immediately remembered her father''s instructions and walked to her father''s room. But while she was walking, a servant had immediately came rushing over to her. Apparently bringing with him a bad news. "Yes, why are you so tired?" The Empress asked to the servant, "I have bad news you''re majesty" "What is it?" the Empress asked, "His Highness, the Duke of Ophiel. Has been executed on the grounds of treason against the state" he replied, The Empress was reeled from the shock, her feet collapsed to the floor whilst tears began to fall from her eyelids. She cried while looking to her father''s portrait hanging in the walls. "Father.... why .. why did you leave me..." she said to herself whilst crying from the shock she received she cries in the corner, while her servant left her in the hallway to be just alone crying. The crying Ekaterina was saw by her son, Karl immediately rushed over to his mother. Hearing what the servant had said, he comforted his mother while crying for the loss of their loved one. The House of Ophiel was mourning that day, the entire city of Ophelburg mourned and everyone was deeply saddened by the Duke''s execution. The execution of the Duke only increased the inhabitant''s animosity against Imperial rule. Meanwhile, the soldiers on top the city walls are seeing movements far across the distance, and hours later. The Imperial Army can be seen marching in front of them, since the Empress'' orders we''re not to let in any outsiders, the guards sent a message to the Empress to inform her about the imperial advance. "You''re majesty, the imperial army is marching onto us. Should we let them in?" The Palace Guard asked, Ekaterina, who was filled with sorrow and anger. Firmly told the guard to still close the gates against the imperial army forcefully. The 15,000 Imperial Army led by none other than, the Duke of Ostburg, Zachary. He was sent by the Emperor to capture the Empress and rescue the Crown Prince. Zachary was amused by the current turn of events, as the escape of the Empress and the execution of the former duke allowed the House of Ostburg to become the dominant house in the Empire. "Wow, the current turn of events had been in favor of me recently, now it is time to capitalize it and take the Empress head myself" Zachary thought to himself, The Imperial Army had reached the outskirts of the city, Zachary sent an ultimatum to the city of an order to surrender and they will be rewarded handsomely. But the garrison guards humbly refused, they would rather die at the service of the Empress rather than serving their most-hated Emperor. As a sign of independence and insult against the Emperor and the military bureaucrats, the Empress ordered the lowering of the Imperial Insignia in the city. In which, the Imperial Insignia was burned by the angry inhabitants of the city and thrown across the wall into the Imperial Army. In turn, the Flag of the House of Ophiel was raised. The people began to rally and placed outside their homes roses, which symbolizes the House of Ophiel''s insignia. Which is a rose in the background. The rallying support for the Empress cause'' are echoing across the city gates which shocked the Imperial Army. "Is the Duchy seceding?" "Has the Empress betrayed the Empire?" "Look, they''re literally burning our flag..." The Empress then met the crowds of the city in front of her palace, she stood up and immediately announced to her subjects that they are going to overthrow the current regime. "It is time! It is the time to finally remove those corrupt bureaucrats in the Imperial Capital! We must overthrow the current regime for the better of the people! The military bureaucrats had been controlling and wasting the Empire''s resources for their benefit for a long time now, and many people fell victim to their crimes. And, my family is also one of their victims. WE MUST STOP THIS INJUSTICE AND LEAD THE REVOLT AGAINST THE EMPEROR!" The Empress shouted with anger in the crowds, supporting the Empress'' revolt against the Emperor and his ministers. "We are not alone, the Grand Bishop stands with us. Let us call his call to arms against the heretics of the capital! it is time we lead the struggle of the faithful against the reformists!" With the events inside the city going on, Zachary ultimately decided that this was a clear sign of revolt against the Emperor. So, he officially ordered the attack against the city. He estimated that the local garrison amounts to at least at its best, 5,000. Since he lacked any siege weapons with him, he directly reported to the Emperor using his magic telegram that the Empress had finally revolted against him. And Ophelburg had clearly revolted against the Empire. He also requested more reinforcements including siege weapons to commence the siege on the city, in which was approved. Reinforcements will arrive 4 days later. Meanwhile, in the Ophelburg Palace. The Empress turned and decided to go to the former duke''s room. She walked and went to the room, after opening the door. She walked to the cabinet, and there. She saw a letter written by her father, This begins the Great Revolt against the Empire. 14 Contac -- Imperial Palace -- it was just any ordinary day, the Emperor is taking a stroll in the hallways of the Palace. He is gazing in the war paintings hanging in the halls, he is consistent and certain that he will win this war. "Ah, i hope that stupid slut just come here already" the Emperor thought to himself, as he turns, the windows suddenly opened. The wind was too strong that the windows opened. According to the locals that there is an incoming storm. But, unluckily for them a storm is not just about to strike the Empire. A much bigger storm is going to hit the empire this year. Autumn had finally began, the leaves of the trees began to shed their leaves and the people began to prepare for the oncoming winter. it is only one season away before winter begins. But Sienna is still standing strong amidst Imperial pressure. And the Empire is losing tens of thousands of men, The Emperor is wondering what could be the problem this time? -- Outskirts of Sienna -- "Hey Captain! we are running out of ammunition already!" "Earlier it was fuel, and now ammunition?" "Yes sir!, i suggest we abandon the city and retreat to Lincliff!" "Damn! immediately call Army Base Lincliff!" "Yes Sir!" It has been a season now ever since the siege on Sienna had begun, the British Army is currently limited on fuel supplies. And as such, the RAF might not be able to do its operations completely this year because of the oil shortage in the country. British military power will resume once the fuel stockpiles are stable. Currently, the oil rigs in Prospera sea is still not enough to supply the entire British demand to oil, and it is expected that the oil rigs in British Prospera Sea Territory, which according to a treaty signed with the Republic of Italica and Kingdom of Summerwyn, half of the area in Prospera sea in which there we''re confirmed areas of oil; will be excavated and build military bases by artificial islands. And, according to the Treaty of Sienna; which we''re signed by 4 signatories. The United Kingdom, Kingdom of Summerwyn, Republic of Italica and the exiled government of the Esterloch Theocracy. The treaty aims to establish a foundation to the international law in the continent. The powers signed in the treaty all agreed that the seas of Prospera are international waters and no one shall claim them. 10 kilometers away from the shore will be considered a territory of one''s country depending on the country in which the shore is located in. Now, the locals near the Mountain ranges of Gardenia had told the British about what they would claim a source of oil. The locals told them about magical properties of a substance they called "Black Water" and the British immediately sent an expedition to the province and confirmed massive reserves of oil. The British government was delighted with this news and immediately sent materiel support into the Mountain Ranges. The British had promised military assistance to the Summerwyn Government in an event of a war of aggression against Summerwyn. And the British honored them. The British had sent an envoy to the Empire in hopes to start the war a week ago. -- Imperial Palace, a week ago -- "DAMN! The Empress left?!" "THAT SLUT STARTED A REVOLT?! IMMEDIATELY TAKE HER HEAD" The military bureaucrats are mad about the Empress'' actions a week ago, after the Duchy''s revolt. The Duchess of Leo¨½e had joined her cause and the Empire is facing a revolt on its homeland. The Duchy of Leo¨½e is located in the coasts of the Empire, which directly faces the Prospera sea and the Republic of Italica from the south-east. The Duchies of Leo¨½e and Ophiels had been strong allies for decades now. And they are willing to join the Empress'' calls of revolt against the Emperor. After the Empress'' revolt against the Emperor, the Emperor had stripped Ekaterina of her privileges and titles as the Holy Empress of the Holy Estermage Empire. The Duchy of Leo¨½e is also a predominantly Faithful duchy. When the news of the invasion of Esterloch spread, the Duchess was one of this in the Empire who opposed this move. And even sent volunteers to the Esterloch Theocracy. Much to the dismay of the Emperor, she was spared from being accused of treason if it hadn''t for the Empress'' connections with the Emperor at that time. But times have changed, ideas like equality and freedom had been circulating in the continent for centuries now. Ever since the printing machine was invented in the Republic of Italica, two hundred years ago. Various ideas had spread throughout the continent, magic and science flourished during the past two hundred years. Inventions like the Magic Telegram and high-powered siege bombards we''re made during the long peace a hundred years ago. Many people agree that the scientific and magical inventions had stopped a hundred years ago at the outbreak of the Imperial Civil War. In which numerous conflicts also spread to other countries in the continent leading to much devastation to the continent. The Emperor is sitting in his ornate throne sitting in the Throne Room, and suddenly a number of footsteps from the hallway can be heard at a distance until it came close to the Throne Room. The Throne Room''s doors we''re opened and along it are the people from the Imperial Foreign Ministry, "Your Majesty! important news from the Imperial Foreign Ministry!" The messenger walked ahead and kneeled in front of the Emperor until he was allowed to lift his head, "Your Majesty, an envoy from a country which calls itself to be the United Kingdom wants to have to talk with you" the people in the room suddenly had no idea what was happening, the military bureaucrats insisted that the country must be of little significance and must not be cared about; But the Emperor was thinking differently, he had the messenger told the Imperial Foreign Ministry to let him in now. The messenger stood up and walked into the Throne Room''s doors, until he left. The court today was filled with skepticism about this country and had decided to wait for it arrive, -- Imperial Foreign Ministry, Ostshore -- inside the Imperial Foreign Ministry, is a man wearing a uniform cloth called suits. He was sitting in the Imperial Foreign Ministry''s waiting room for its diplomats, he is waiting for his contact with the Imperial court. it has been 6 hours since he reached this place and decided to play some games in his smartphone. "Damn, i forgot there is still no signal here" he said to himself, Cell towers only had been built in Lincliff and Sienna in the continent, and currently in Italica. Cell towers are important because they carry out the information sent from the smartphones into other devices. He then decided to play offline games instead, He was playing for one hour nonstop, until when one of the Imperial Foreign Ministry officials walked near him and talked to him, The official was wondering what was that thing he was holding, he was curious on the object''s functionality. But, he decided to go into the more important details first; "Mister Smith?" the official asked, "Yes, how can i help you?" Smith replied, "The Imperial Court had accepted your audience with his highness, you are thereby scheduled to meet the Emperor today 2 hours from now" the official told him, "Oh, thank you very much my sir. But how would i be able to get to the Palace?" "About that, a carriage will be sent from the Palace to take you up here, until then relax here and we will assure you comfort" "Oh thank you very much" Smith replied, for the next two hours, Smith decided to save his phone''s battery and instead listen to his music on his phone while using earphones. He did that in order to conserve battery, because there are obviously no source of electricity in the continent. 2 hours had passed, and a carriage with its wheels standing in the ground had arrived in front of the Imperial Foreign Ministry, the Ministry Official had informed him that his transport had arrived and he proceeded to take his valuables and walked towards the carriage. "Wow, this carriage is so-18th Century" he said to himself the carriage resembled the old carriages in Victorian England, and he felt as if though he came back through time, striding in the city from the carriage window, he could see the sturdy pavements of the streets of the Imperial Capital. The streets are paved using stone in a sophisticated way, the people passing by are wearing early 18th century clothes in Europe. In which, he took photos while passing by the streets of the city. But, as they draw closer to the Imperial Palace, he could see brothels and people starving. Men beating children, and people starving to death. Finally, they arrived in the outskirts of the Imperial Palace. But, before entering the Imperial Palace is a huge towering military wall with an outpost on the entrance. They we''re inspected by the guards in the entrance, and let them in after the proper inspections. As the carriage enters the fort''s gates, they we''re then met with a 5 minute ride inside the military fort until reaching the outskirts of the Palace. There, are huge erected monumental statues. Trees trimmed into artistic shapes,fountains being decorated extravagantly. While sightseeing, his attention was grabbed a small lovely estate from a distance away. It is a white small estate with lovely trees on it. He captured a photo of it on his smartphone, admiring the estate''s beauty. The carriage is now closing it''s distance into the Imperial Palace, and they finally stopped in front of the staircase. The carriage had stopped its wheels onto the entrance of the Palace. The carriage door was opened by one the Palace servants. As he steps his foot in the ground, he was impressed by the artistic works done in the palace. "This must have cost a fortune" he thought, he was immediately greeted upon by the palace servants and was guided to the Throne Room where he is scheduled to meet the Emperor. he firmly walked upstairs, and entered the Imperial Palace''s main door''s, upon entering he noticed he was standing on a red carpet made of superb quality. while walking the hallways, the paintings also grabbed his attention, but this time he refrained from capturing photos as he is with a Palace Servant. At last, they reached the door of the Throne Room. The servant had then told him the instructions upon entering the room and they walked and entered the room. He stood upright remaining his posture, walking until he reaches the distance where the Emperor could see him. He kneeled and lowered his head in front of the Emperor. "Mister Smith, Diplomat of The United Kingdom is finally here your majesty" the Chief of the Imperial Foreign Ministry. "You may lift your head Mister Smith" The Emperor said, Smith lift his head, "May i ask where is your country located?" the Emperor asked, "My country is located approximately 1,000 kilometers away from the shores of Lincliff, the Kingdom of Summerwyn, your majesty" The Emperor and his officials we''re in disbelief,as they knew that no countries or landmasses had existed there before. but Smith explained the situation, he told the Imperial Court that his country was suddenly transported from this world. They did not have any idea why that happened. The Imperial Court find Smith''s words hard to believe, but Smith proposed something interesting "How about this, my country is going to send a diplomatic mission here to have talks; and you send will also send a diplomatic team to experience our country first hand." The Ministers are hesitant to send any diplomatic missions as they think its a trap, but the Emperor accepted the Diplomat''s proposal. "Very well, i will be sending a diplomatic mission there. When, would we be able to exchange th diplomatic missions?" the Emperor replied, "We would be sending our diplomatic mission through a government ship, we will exchange diplomatic missions in the port city of Ostburg" Smith replied, The meeting between two countries are set, would the Empire found a new ally or a foe? 15 British Delegation -- Early Autumn of 1454 -- --- Imperial Palace, Throne Room -- The Emperor is as usual sitting upright in his most ornate throne, surrounded by his favorite officials in the room. The military bureaucrats can''t stop talking about the British Envoy yesterday and the Imperial Foreign Ministry is packed with a hectic schedule ever since the British arrival. Apparently, all the British envoy said yesterday was, they are going to send a diplomatic mission here. ''I wonder how would the exchange in Ostburg went, today must be the exchange in Ostburg. I hope Zachary is fine'' the Emperor thought to himself The Imperial Diplomatic Mission was headed by none other than the head of the Ostburg Family, Zachary. Ever since the beginning of the Empire''s expansion in the continent, the Ostburg Family had grown from a minor noble house into the most powerful noble house in the Empire. ''The Ophiels had escaped and their head executed, but they instigated a major revolt in the empire'' ''The Leo¨½e''s had revolted too'' ''And the Ostburg''s had became influential in the Empire''s diplomatic affairs, i had given them various tasks and some influence so i can hope i can become their ally...'' The Emperor wanted to make the Ostburg''s his ally, because the Emperor did not have any allies at this point after the execution of the head of Ophiel''s,because of it many had joined the former-Empress'' cause and is obviously being a huge threat to Imperial power. ''If the Ostburg''s will gain more power and become loyal to me, i might just be able to stop that slut'' Thus, the Emperor had been planning this time giving the crown of the newly-organized Kingdom of Dorf, which was the Grand Ducal Confederacy and the occupied-Esterloch Theocracy combined into the Ostburgs, -- Port City of Ostburg, Duchy of Ostburg -- in the docks of the city, many had gathered near the harbor to witness the arrival of a state visit. Many are excited to see what would the new visitors would bring with them. While the Ostburg Loyalists are also there to see the young duke off to the other country. -- Ostburg Palace -- it is currently middle in the afternoon, the duke is drinking his favorite afternoon tea in his balcony. from the balcony he could see the outskirts of the city, he was imagining what type of country the United Kingdom will be. Though, he was not really sure about the existence of the country. He still highly doubt the British envoy that arrived a few days ago and it is possible that the envoy was lying and it''s a plan set up by the Summerwyn Kingdom. ''It can''t be helped, i have to confirmed the country''s existence or probably the enemy''s trap'' After a few minutes, a huge ship can be seen on the seas outside the city, Zachary was amazed by the huge pearl ship he is seeing for the first time. Atop the ferry, flies a seemingly new flag to him. He was curious about the ship''s flag. The flag had some straight lines with the respective colors of blue,red,and white. The Union Jack is flying above the pole of the ferry ship, dozens we''re amazed by the sight of the ferry ship. The inhabitants of the city can''t believe at the sight they we''re seeing. After seeing the ferry ship from the balcony, Zachary stood up and walked towards his room. He took his personal belongings and went downstairs to enter his coach. upon leaving the Palace entrance, there is his coach with its wheels touching the ground waiting for him. The coachman opened the coach''s doors and Zachary entered the coach. The coachman closed the door and proceeded to whip the horses. Running the coach until it leaves the peaceful gardens of the Palace. The coach took 10 minutes until it reached the main harbor, there a line is wide open by the Palace''s guards to secure the entrance of the visitors. His coach stopped in front of the Harbor, the coach opened the door and he left the coach with his case. There, a woman with a striking appearance among the delegation is present. It''s as if though she is person of high importance. Another is a man who also wears the same suit the delegation worn yesterday. He walked to the group and politely introduced himself, "Greetings, i am the Duke of Ostburg, Zachary von Ostburg. It is my pleasure to meet you." after his introduction, the woman walked forward and introduced herself; "I am the Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Anne. It is my pleasure to meet you the Duke of Ostburg" she replied, Zachary was surprised that this was the Queen of the United Kingdom, though he had expected she was of importance. But he didn''t expect she is the Queen of the United Kingdom. along the diplomatic team, walked forward a man. "I am the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William. It is an honor to meet you the Duke of Ostburg" he added, "It is my pleasure to meet all of you, all of you are so humble and polite my dear ma''am and sir. Please forgive me if i am rude towards your actions earlier" "Oh no dear, you haven''t done any thing for us to be offended" the Queen replied, "It is fine sir" William added, The Three ended up exchanging their hands as a gesture of their meeting. The Queen and the Prime Minister had then proceeded to carry a small flag with them with the Union Jack on it. Zachary who was curious on it, asked the two about any description about their flag. "This flag is sometimes called the Union Jack, the Union Jack represents the union of the Three Kingdoms of, England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland respectively" the Queen replied, "It has been the symbol of British Unity and Strength against all those who tried to take our humble country down, in which all failed" the Queen added, Zachary was amazed at the Union Jack''s sophisticated design and was motivated to make his own too. But, back to more important matters he proceeded to talk with the delegation for the Diplomatic Mission. "Back to important matters your Majesty, the British diplomatic mission''s coach will arrive 20 minutes later. The coach will take you to the Imperial Capital escorted with your bodyguards and the Imperial Guards as well, you might be able to reach the Imperial Capital in 3 days. There, you are scheduled to regroup with the advanced British diplomat a few days ago who arrived earlier and the meeting with the Emperor will proceed in the Imperial Palace." he said, "Very well, as for your instruction sir. This ferry ship will carry you to the British Isles, don''t worry, by a day or two you will reach London, we will also give flyers for your team in the ferry ship so that you can get more information from the United Kingdom" William replied, The Imperial Diplomatic Mission, headed by Zachary von Ostburg. Also comprises the Chief of the Imperial Foreign Ministry and a few Imperial Bodguards. While, the British Diplomatic Team is headed by none other than Her Highness, the most gracious sovereign of the United Kingdom, Queen Anne. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William of the Conservative Party. The chief of the Imperial Foreign Ministry had then arrived, and exchanged greetings with the British team. The two groups had then, separated and proceeded to their respective locations. The coach and Imperial escort had arrived in the harbour, many people had crowded the harbor. And as such, the British team had a hard time to leave the place. While the Imperial team, had left earlier by riding the British ferry. -- Outskirts of Ostburg -- Her Highness and the Prime Minister currently rides the coach that is headed to the Imperial Capital, as the coach takes its stride in the outskirts of the Palace. The Queen can''t help taking a gaze at the City''s impoverished background. She had noticed that, poverty is rampant in this world. In which, is not new knowledge for her since Europe was also impoverished and a backward continent in the middle ages. She wanted to help all those people, clothe and feed them. But she was unable to get out of her coach since, she can''t sacrifice her security. ''It''s difficult to stop my urge to help them, but i am holding this world''s fate in my hands. I have to be careful'' she thought to herself, for the sake of her security, the coach had ignored the impoverished peasants outside and proceeded to their journey Hours passed by and the Queen was awoken by a long nap after leaving Ostburg, There, as she gaze in the window. She could see the beautiful plains in her sight, "Wow, this view is so beautiful" She said, "Exactly your majesty, this sight is so beautiful" William added, Across the beautiful prairie, is the sun setting. The vast nothingness of the prairie grabbed their attention to the scenery''s beauty. William wanted to catch a picture to this beautiful scenery, but he avoided it because he didn''t wanted to be rude in presence of her majesty. Three days passed, and the coach had finally reached the outskirts of the Imperial Capital. The coach had passed the Imperial Capital''s City Gates, and an welcome parade was held. The Imperial Guards who had escorted the coach increased their vigilance when they we''re met with the crowds on the streets of the Imperial Capital. The Queen and Prime Minister didn''t opened the coach''s window as they we''re still traveling onto an unknown foreign land. The party didn''t seen any major city landmarks along the way because of the welcome parade and massive crowds in the city. The crowds we''re waving the Imperial Insignia one by one, while the party was holding the Union Jack inside the coach. The coach had finally reached their distance in the Imperial Palace. After their security inspection in the Entrance was clear. The coach continued, and they reached the Imperial Palace by 20 minutes. The grand coach stride their way until they reached the Grand Staircase. The coach stopped in front of the staircase, and there, numerous Palace servants had come to greet the British team. The coachman opened the coach''s door and the Queen and the Prime Minister stepped their foot onto the ground. ''Wow, this palace really befits an Emperor'' William thought, The two was greeted by a palace servant near the Grand Staircase, "Welcome to the Imperial Palace, Your majesty Queen Anne of the United Kingdom. Please follow us for the Throne Room" The two then followed the servant''s instrctions, they went upstairs overlooking the Imperial gardens in their back. Until they entered the doors of the Palace. The Queen was then standing onto an elaborate red silk carpet with a medium-sized diamond chandelier in the Entrance room. She began to wonder how much does this materials had costed the Empire. They then turned, and walked through the hallways of the Palace. Until they are a few meters away from the doors. The servant had then instructed them on what to do, and the servant finally opened the Throne Room''s doors. The Queen gracefully walked upright with the Prime Minister on her left side, she carefully walked and bowed to the Emperor; while the Prime Minister bowed and lowered his head. "You can raise your head" the Emperor said, "I am the Holy Emperor Dudendorf of the Holy Estermage Empire, as well as the Emperor-Protector of the Kingdom of Duden and Head of the Church of Reformist" "I am the Queen Anne of the United Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland" the Queen replied, "And may i know your name young man?" the Emperor asked, "I am the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William of the Conservative Party, Your Majesty" William replied, "Im certain that you came here for some serious business, am i correct?" "Indeed you are correct" the Queen humbly replied, "Hmmm interesting.." "We are hereby demanding the Holy Estermage Empire to withdraw its forces from the Theocracy of Esterloch, Republic of Italica and the Kingdom of Summerwyn as soon as possible." the Queen said in front of the Imperial Court. The Imperial Court was shocked by the immediate demands of the Queen, the British are resolved to protect their ally states at all cost. 16 Kingdom of Summerwyn -- Early Autumn of 1454 -- -Aftermath of the Fall of Renaiss- ---Summerwyn Capital, Sienna--- a blue coach is passing by in a peaceful afternoon in the streets of the Maximus District, in Sienna. The Maximus District is the political center of the Kingdom of Summerwyn''s political and cultural affairs. The Maximus District is home to the Aristocracy of the Kingdom of Summerwyn, elaborate villas and estates decorated with gardens. The Maximus district is also home to the Kingdom''s cultural movement. The flourishing of arts began in Sienna roughly 50 years ago after the Summerwyn defeat against the 1st Summerwyn-Imperial war. The current king at that time decided to spend the Kingdom''s resources on the arts instead. Spurring an cultural movement all throughout the continent. The Re¨½e Palace, which is the residence of the Royal Family. Is one of the foremost cultural landmarks of the movement. The Re¨½e Palace is a huge palace surrounded by beautiful gardens, with numerous entertainment rooms inside the Palace. The Palace had hosted the Century''s most famous balls. All throughout the continent, the Nobility of the entire Roseby continent would attend any balls hosted by the Re¨½e Palace. The Re¨½e Palace is adorned with paintings from all throughout the continent, marble arch pillars are erected on the halls of the Palace. Numerous luxuriously decorated bedrooms and guest rooms occupies the Palace, a Theater that could support 500 people at once can also be found. While a huge ballroom with huge windows overlooking the gardens and the Maximus District can hold 200 guests at once. And famously, a hall full of mirrors is located between the entrances of the ballroom and the theater. There is also a room filled with high-quality mirrors in the Palace. The Re¨½e Palace is the symbol of the crowns of Roseby to gather in one place and show their nearly-divine power to those who are inferior to them. Those of Royal blood believed themselves to be of divine status and superior to the people around them, as such their subjects ought to bow to them or they''ll face the divine. Everyone in the continent knows that, the most divine monarch would be the Holy Emperor Dudendorf. He had reigned for 20 years now, but all he had is the domination of the entire continent. a hundred years ago, the continent had been experiencing an all-time high prosperity. Thanks to advancements to mainly magic and science. Water mages used to provide each home with safe and clean water, they also had the responsibility to stop fires from spreading in the cities. Universities we''re a center of magic learning and supported the prosperity the continent had achieved, from Sienna to Italica. People are well-fed and had decent jobs. Goods from the east which was brought by the Italican merchants, spread throughout the continent from Italica. Spices from the east we''re well distributed by the Italican merchants in the continent. All of this resulted into the "Golden Ages", which began from the years 1190-1379 S.G Calendar. 1379 S.G, or Sergian Calendar, The last king of the Hohenstauffen Dynasty of the Holy Estermage Kingdom had died childless, the Holy Council of the Esterloch Theocracy had given the Throne to the Duke of Leo¨½e. Which was a duchy under the vassalage of the Kingdom. However, the Duke of Leo¨½e was also the King of Summerwyn at the same time. So, when the Duke''s officials had arrived in the Rose Palace, which is currently the Imperial Palace. His officials we''re kicked out from the windows of the palace by the angry mobs who had entered the palace and the officials died from the fall. After the officials and representatives of the duke had been expelled from the Palace, the mob had grew in numbers and the situation in Ostshore became unbearable. Ostshore had revolted and declared the young illlegitimate child of the previous king, Dudorf the new king of Estermage. This would sparked a major war in the continent, drawing almost all countries in the war. The Estermage Kingdom would fight against the coalition it formed against them, despite being outnumbered. The young king had gathered enough supporters and expelled the coalition forces from the Duchy of Leo¨½e. The Kingdom would then proceed to invade Summerwyn and the Confederacy. Their efficient use of magic warfare had been decisive in helping them in their military victories, however; this had resulted into the major damage it inflicted unto many civilian cities. Cities had become ruins after they we''re bombarded by wyverns from the skies and the newly-arrived bombards. The war resulted into Imperial Victory, Dudorf proclaimed the founding of the Holy Estermage Empire. The Empire would also vassalize the duchies of Leo¨½e, Ophiel and Ostburg. The crown of the Duchy of Leo¨½e was given to the the Duke''s daughter, and this would prove to stop any Summerwyn invasion into the Empire. After the 1st Imperial-Summerwyn War, the continent had lost their pre-war prosperity. The destruction of the countryside and major cities proved to be devastating to the continent''s economy. The Republic of Italica had managed to survived the war''s chaos and their citizens lived a care-free life. But, the aftermath of the war had a huge impact to their economy as their exports to the continent fell due to the major population loss. Sienna became the cultural capital, while Italica being the consumerist paradise, and the Empire the continent''s worst fear and foremost military power in their time. As part of the treaty, the King of Summerwyn has to renounce his ducal and his King of the Estermage Kingdom''s titles''. And was forced to let his daughter to marry the Emperor, the daughter would become Holy Empress Ayrene and the first Duchess of Leo¨½e. -- 1421 S.G -- -- 2nd Summerwyn-Imperial War/ War of the Siennese Throne -- The previous king of Summerwyn had died mysteriously, thousands had mourned in the Summerwyn Capital. But, to the newly ascended Emperor. It only means one thing, War. The Emperor had laid claim to the Throne of Summerwyn. The Emperor traced his ancestry to the former-Holy Empress Ayrene. In which he had used as his justification to take the Throne of Summerwyn. Sienna has been never invaded yet, Sienna was protected by the Great Mountain Ranges of Gardenia, and you''ll have first to pass the Fortress Re¨½aiss and go through south of the Mountain Ranges to avoid the steep terrain of the Mountain Ranges. The Summerwyn''s had used this advantage to control the surrounding states in their range, but when the duchies of Ophiel and Ostburg had changed their allegiance to the Emperor. The Kingdom had lost its frontier duchies. Therefore, leaving the Kingdom vulnerable to any possible Imperial Invasion. The newly-ascended Holy Emperor Dudendorf, had planned to see his coronation on Sienna. But, the Summerwyn''s had hold the Imperial Army and halted their advance in the Battle of Sommen Pass. The nobles had pledged their loyalty to the new king, King Edward de Bretagne as their king. King Edward had valiantly fought the Imperial Army in the Battle of Sommen Pass. The King''s army had swiftly liberated the occupied territories until they reached the Imperial border, upon knowing that the Imperial Army is currently recovering from their defeat. The Summerwyn Army invaded and had captured Ostburg and was besieging Ophielburg when, the Duke of Ophiel, Gustav decisively defeated them and pushed them back into their border. Gustav was heavily inspired by his grandfather''s military victories against the Summerwyn''s, therefore it was a great honor to him to defeat the Summerwyn Army in the name of the House of Ophiel. This allowed the House of Ophiel to climb the ranks of the Noble Houses and became influential in the State''s Affairs. Duke Gustav became the hero of the City of Ophelburg, he was well remembered and admired by the inhabitants of the city, to them he was a savior when the enemy was just about to come to the gates of the city. After then, thousands of villages and settlements we''re razed, looted by both sides. The Imperial Army was the first to do this on the Kingdom of Summerwyn, prompting the Summerwyn Army to do the same and looted a lot of settlements in the Imperial side. Notably, Ostburg. In which, the city was plundered and looted by the Summerwyn Army. The massive devastation in caused to the two states, had been influential to the crisis in the continent. The Kingdom of Summerwyn had to suffer financial crisis and food shortages, the Empire meanwhile had lost a lot of young men and was therefore met with a manpower shortage. After several years of more small skirmishes, the two crowns had finally agreed to settle in the peace table. There, the Kingdom of Summerwyn had to cede territories in the south-east of the Fort Re¨½aiss and Mountain Ranges of Gardenia. This had infuriated the nobles and caused a political crisis with the nobility. The beginning of the Reign of King Edward de Bretagne had become disastrous. But, in the middle of his reign. A beacon of hope had appeared across the seas of the continent. With its flag being the symbol of the unity of its people, the savior of the continent had appeared. -- Re¨½e Palace -- the blue coach that had appeared earlier, appeared in front of the Palace. The coach opened the door, revealing to a woman with great fashion tastes. There, she stood upright wearing a pink dress. She was blonde with blue eyes, a beautiful woman. The servants had came to ask who might be this important person is, "Hello Ma''am, may i know you name?" the servant humbly asked, "Oh! I am none other than the Duchess Ayrene II of the Duchy of Leo¨½e!" The young woman exclaimed, the servant''s we''re shocked by the Duchess'' presence, firstly they are at war with the Emperor. Which is the overlord of the Duchess. "Oh don''t worry, I''m not here to cause trouble. I am here to talk with his highness the King." The Duchess added, The servants we''re suspicious of the Duchess'' actions, so they decided to report it to the king immediately. The Duchess was waiting in a small pavilion in the middle of the gardens of the Palace, she was relaxed in the beautiful scenery in which she was witnessing. "I wish i lived here, i could see the beauty of man''s work with nature here" while relaxing in the garden, she had a flashback in the past events detailing her sudden visit -- Lily Palace, Duchy of Leo¨½e -- -- Holy Empress-Dowager Ayrene I''s bedroom -- In the bedroom, is the dying Empress-Dowager and the Duchess, The young woman touched the Empress-Dowager''s hands firmly, whilst trying to hold back her tears. But she eventually gave in and cried. "Ay-re..ne" Hey grandmother had said, "Yes grandmother? please... don''t make me cry this hard.." whilst falling into tears, The Empress-Dowager has been in failing health, and a major disease has struck her. She ought to have medications but her body can''t hold it anymore. The Empress Dowager being aged 95 this year, she is known to been the oldest monarch the continent had seen throughout its history. "Ayrene.. save Ekaterina.. an..d Kar..l" her grandmother added, "But why? aren''t they safe at the Emperor''s side?" Ayrene replied to her grandmother, Ayrene can''t help to think that the Emperor himself is not present in his grandmother''s deathbed. "They... are..nt ..safe" the Empress-Dowager added, and finally, the Empress-Dowager had lost her breath and Ayrene closed her eyes. Ayrene can''t stop crying in the room alone, she was the only one in the Imperial Family to witness her grandmother''s last moments. the city had went into a deep mourning for 3 days, in which Ayrene spent by spending her time alone in her bedroom not going outside. Her servants would just bring her food in her door, and she would mourn herself for weeks in her room. Until, a bad message arrived from the capital. knock knock* "Leave me alone" Ayrene replied, its been weeks now and she still lock herself in the room. "Your Highness, we have bad news..." "Bad news?, isn''t everything happening right now bad isn''t it?" she replied, "Your highness, this is of urgency. Your uncle, Duke Gustav von Ophiel had been beheaded through the guillotine by the orders of Emperor. The Empress and Crown-Prince Karl had left in exile from the Capital. The Empress had revolted in her domain, what should we do?" Ayrene was suddenly alarmed by this turn of events, she took her courage and immediately went out of the room. 17 Duchess of LeoÅ„e -- Early Autumn of 1454 -- --- Lily Palace, Duchy of Leo¨½e --- It was a quiet afternoon in the Palace, the leaves of the trees had started to changed its colors, the leaves of the trees had started to fall into the ground one by one. The gates of the Palace had been closed, and entrance to the Palace is strictly prohibited for now under the orders of the Duchess. Meanwhile, the Duchess has still locked herself in her bedroom. Refusing to go outside, because she still can''t get over to her grandmother''s passing. She is sitting in the far-right corner of her room. Staring at the window''s overlooking the beautiful scene of the Autumn season. "If grandmother was still here, i probably would have someone to share new memories with in these wonderful scene" she stood up and overlooked through her window, there she could see the trees with it''s leaves fall from its branches and finally fall to the ground. There, she stood staring from her window. She began to cry and remember more flashbacks with her grandmother, "Ayrene look! a butterfly!" a young and innocent-looking Ayrene had brought her attention to her grandmother, "Where? i want to see one!" "There is it my dear" her grandmother pointed to the butterfly "Wow, i never had seen one before. Grandmother sure knows a lot!" "Oh, that is natural here my dear, you see. Your grandmother takes extra care in taking care of our garden here in the Palace. So, whenever you and your cousins can play and have more fun in the garden." Her grandmother replied, "You''re really the best grandmother!" Ayrene jumped and hugged her grandmother happily, "Oh i love you Ayrene" "I love you too grandmother!" she said while hugging her grandmother tightly. Upon remembering those, tears had become uncontrollable for Ayrene to handle and she could hardly stay calm. "Ayrene.. save Ekaterina.. an..d Kar..l" "They... are..nt ..safe" Ayrene suddenly remembered those words her grandmother had told her before her final moments. Ayrene was puzzled to her grandmother''s request. Therefore, this left her into in deep thought. ''Why is grandmother suddenly telling me they are not safe? is it because of the Emperor? but i doubt that the two hates each other.If it isn''t the Emperor, then who might possible be?'' But, she can''t think of any suspect of any important person from the Empire. Ayrene had thought that Ekaterina was safe and came to a conclusion that it might be from the Kingdom of Summerwyn. ''Indeed, it might be our relatives from the Summerwyn side threatening her,'' clouds had began to form in the sky, and she began to feel lonelier. She sat near her window while witnessing the drops from the sky fall. She suddenly became sleepy, she stood up and walked to her bed. She fell to her bead and was about to go asleep. When suddenly, numerous knocks from the door can be heard, "Eh? Who is it, I''m sleeping" "Your Highness, we have bad news..." a servant said on the other side of the door, "Bad news?, isn''t everything happening right now bad isn''t it?" she replied, "Your highness, this is of urgency. Your uncle, Duke Gustav von Ophiel has been beheaded through the guillotine by the orders of Emperor. In which the former had accused him of Treason.The Empress and Crown-Prince Karl had left in exile from the Capital. The Empress had revolted in her domain, what should we do?" Ayrene was suddenly awoke and alarmed by this sudden turn of events, she immediately stood up and went outside her room, finally heading to her wardrobe room. After wearing her dress and accessories on, she immediately ran towards her waiting coach that will lead her to her destination. There is a blue coach with its wheel''s touching the Palace''s grounds. She immediately entered the coach while his coachman closed the door. The coachman started to whip the horses and the coach left the Palace, the coach will probably arrive in a week. While beginning their move to Sienna, the Imperial Army had placed a military camp on the south-eastern side of the mountain ranges of Gardenia. The Imperial Army had finally prepared and is finally commencing it''s siege on the Kingdom of Summerwyn''s capital. the coach had passed the woods of Blyern and Prospera plains, finally arriving in Ostburg. There, the coach had arrived in the city to refuel some supplies, the coachman had discreetly took some supplies in the city and immediately went back to the coach. The coach once again resumed the journey and finally headed it''s way onto Sienna. But another route, they are going to the Port city of Lincliff this time before reaching Sienna first. The coach finally set out and left Ostburg. The coach left the city of Ostburg to be met by the Prospera plains, and finally arriving into the Imperial-occupied towns of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. "Ah, i guess war had already reached south of Gardenia" Ayrene thought to herself, "Well i don''t really care if the Emperor becomes that powerful, as long as the state and its citizens benefits from it. Invading the entire continent in turn will give us more goods" Ayrene thought, Whilst sightseeing in the coach''s windows, she saw possibly might be another terrifying part of the war. she saw villages and cities in her sight in ruins, all of which seems to be work done by the Imperial Army. "Oh gosh, is this still humane?" Ayrene had said to herself, She saw families having nothing, their homes razed to the ground. And, the imperial insignia flying in the town''s flagpoles. "Oh my, what is the Emperor doing to his future subjects? no wonder why the Empress left him" While thinking to herself, she felt asleep. The coach had passed the northern kybur pass, which is the entrance of the mountain ranges in the north. Upon passing by some towns in Inner Summerwyn, the duchess had finally woke up from her long nap. It is already morning, it was early night when she arrived in Ostburg and left there by that same evening. she arrived in inner summerwyn by early morning. It is morning and the sun had already risen, she continued to gaze in the window while entering the city of Lincliff. "I went here before and its pretty boring here, i want to get out here immediately" the duchess thought to herself, However, while they we''re passing by, an unknown flag had caught her attention flying in a structure named "Foreign Embassy of the United Kingdom". and she turned around and saw numerous eerie stores to her. "What .. is this?" The duchess had left the coach and decided to spend some time in the sprawling new shopping district of Lincliff. 18 City of Lights -- Late Autumn of 1454 -- A blue coach with its wheels touching the ground, strikingly entered into one of the bustling and thriving city in the Kingdom of Summerwyn. The Duchess had narrowly escaped the inspection in the city gates, but she nonetheless continued to go to the city because she wants to eat. As the blue coach enters inside the city gates, the duchess gazed in the surroundings. Only to see the major changes in the city. It was early morning and the sun had just risen, but there are strange-looking newly-erected structures that seems to functioned as light in the streets. The street light''s covered one or three boulevards in the city, the street light''s we''re primarily in french-neoclassical style. It was given as a present by the Queen of the United Kingdom to the city. upon seeing the city lights earlier, she began to wonder how did he city achieved such a thing and wanted to see more places in the city if it developed from more than she thought. ''The lights earlier we''re amazing, I think I''m getting enthusiastic and i''ll want to see more in the city, i hope this does not disappoint me'' she thought to herself, After driving in the boulevards of the outer city, she decided to enter the more inner parts of the city. She ordered her coachman to drive randomly in the city. Upon entering the City''s mains square, she could see a flag that she didn''t seen before. A huge flag with red, white and blue as colors of the flag are hanging in the ceremony. A ceremony is being celebrated, the "1st State Visit of Her Highness, Queen Anne of the United Kingdom" -- Mayor''s Palace, City of Lincliff -- Just as the same time the Duchess had been touring the city in secrecy, a conference is being held in the Mayor''s Palace. It comprises with the presence of British visitors and the City''s local officials. In the room, the 5 important officials from the City of Lincliff are sitting in the right side. While the British side, are 5 important people too. Meanwhile, the Lincliff officials are still waiting for the arrival of the British visitors in the conference. In the room, is a slogan saying "Long Live the British-Summerwyn Treaty of Friendship!". The main reason of this conference was, a small group of British investors are beginning to seek places to invest in the city. This is of course, to the delight of the city will hugely accept it with open arms. And after a moment, the long time of waiting is finally over. The Palace servants had informed the officials that the British visitors had arrived in the entrance. The doors of the conference hall and finally opened, the door revealed the presence of the Queen and her bodyguards. With also businessmen who wants to trade with the City of Summerwyn. Queen Anne exchanged greetings with everyone in the room and proceeded to sit in her seat. The British sat in their chairs. The British side was comprised with Her Majesty, and 4 major corporations from the United Kingdom. On the Lincliff side is the Mayor and Vice mayor 2 military officials and the City Secretary. The City Secretary stood up and began to host the 1st British-Summerwyn Trade Conference. "All Right, Ladies and Gentlemen. We are all thankful for the visitors and participants who attended this conference. We are finally opening the first-ever British-Summerwyn Trade Conference! Please may all of the participants enjoy and relax in this event." The Secretary remarked, "Ok so, as part of the Treaty of London on the year of Sergian Calendar 1543, and the year of our Lord, Gregorian Calendar 2019. The Kingdom of Summerwyn had granted a royal charter on British companies and allowed all British businesses and corporations to establish business in the Kingdom for the mutual benefit of both. The Kingdom also granted the British also several other concessions but not territorial, except for the military bases leased in the Kingdom so that the British military can extend its operations in the continent. And, as everyone knows in this room. The Kingdom of Summerwyn has been attacked by the Continent''s foremost military power. The Empire as we speak had captured the Fortress of Re¨½aiss south of Gardenia and is currently besieging Sienna since the last season" The British investors we''re shocked and rethink their decisions onto investing in Lincliff. ''would the British Military be able to stop them?'' the investors thought to themselves and critically rethink their financial decisions. "But, the Kingdom of Summerwyn''s Royal Army, had been able to halt their advance for a season and it is currently fighting until the last man in Sienna with the British alongside them," the Secretary added, "But if Sienna falls how won''t Lincliff be next?" said one investor, "I doubt that the country will be able to last, but if it did fall; Lincliff would be the Kingdom''s last stronghold" a General from the Kingdom of Summerwyn replied, "So... won''t that waste our money right? Lincliff has been rapidly modernizing through British help. But if we would just fall to the Empire. I might just retake my investments there rather than falling into Imperial Hands" one investor replied, The room became silent after that, the officials had thought that the investors only wanted profit but they also would like to see the finest products from the United Kingdom to arrive in their shelves. The introduction of the British of modern goods from Earth had proven to be popular to the inhabitants of this world. Basic commodities like food became the first products to be exported by the United Kingdom. Specifically, food chains and convenience stores began to pop up in small numbers in the city. But, the temporary lost of source of oil had been the reason for restriction and limited expansion of British stores into the continent, as there would be no source of electricity if they would build a business establishment in the continent. But recently, huge reserves of coal we''re found in the Mountain ranges of Gardenia. The British had sent an expedition earlier to the site where they thought there would be a lot of oil reserves, but the "Black Water" the locals claimed not just revealed a huge source of oil, but also a lot of precious metals we''re uncovered in the mountain ranges. The British would began to take huge interest in the region and would do everything to take that precious material called coal. Coal had fueled the power of the United Kingdom ever since the days of the Empire. The British Empire was not just fueled by its massive territories stretching from the cold ranges of Canada to the rivers of Bengal until the hot wilderness of Australia. But is also famed for the birth of a modern industrialized country. Britain had paved the previous world the way of Industrial progress. The Industrial Revolution that the United Kingdom contributed to Humanity, had been an influential event on the previous world and shaped the next age of humanity''s advancement. Capitalism and Communism both had been the offsprings of the Industrial Revolution, though its initial ideas can be traced for ages. They began to dominate the stage in this new era, but in this new world. Where everyone is fighting and magic also dominates the study of the continent. What age could possibly appear in the continent. After a few moments of silence, the Queen grabbed everyone''s attention and said, "Everyone, please calm down. All of us please be res assured that everything will go well. The British Military might not be able to fight with full capacity due to problems in our resources. But, i am assuring all of you that the Empire will not win against us. Remember Summerwyn, Italica, Esterloch and the United Kingdom had agreed and formed a strong bond with each other. We must not sacrifice our deep faith and trust in each other in such a small thing. I believe there is a way to resolve this issue that we can all agree with," the Queen said, Everyone felt the Queen''s warm responses despite where the conference is heading to, but the Queen has a point. It will not be helpful for them if they argue, so they tried to reach a realistic win-win situation. "hmmm, how about we launch an counter-offensive against the empire?" the summerwyn general asked, "that seems kind of possible for the British Military, but the ever-increasing number of Imperial soldiers had doubled after the British Diplomatic Mission had arrived in the Empire" one investor replied, "Our objective is to liberate Summerwyn and secure the frontier in south of the mountain ranges of Gardenia. And finally recapturing Re¨½aiss" one of the investors replied, For the investors and British interests, their interests lies solely on the rich untapped resources on Gardenia. The mountain ranges is currently under Imperial sphere, technically they can''t occupy the mountains since there are no settlements nor military forts there but, the settlements that surrounds the south of Gardenia are occupied by the Empire Though, it was only confirmed on the southern side, the northern side is filled with dense forests and there are barely any settlements there. But, the investors proposed building a military fort under British guidance and they will possibly also conduct guerrilla warfare in the region if Sienna falls. "All right, let''s discuss about profits now" one of the investors said, Thus, the conference resulted into various treaties and investments onto the city of Lincliff, the British Monarch, Queen Anne voluntarily sent engineers using her own fortune to build a coal-power plant in Lincliff as soon as possible. And, the Queen personally called the general in Sienna HQ and other top-ranking military officials to review the possible military strategy the conference had made earlier. -- Main Plaza, City of Lincliff -- it is now high noon, the Duchess had spent eating her lunch in a cafe nearby in the Plaza called Starbucks. She avoided eye contact with other people as possible and discreetly went to her coach after ordering her lunch. "One Mocha Frappuccino and Croissant for take-out for Ms. Rose!" as she heard her alias, she immediately went to the counter and walked towards the door of the Cafe. she slowly walked onto her coach and ate her lunch as they set out for Sienna. she gazed in the surroundings of the heavily-modernizing landscape of Lincliff, there she could see new things that she never saw before. It''s as if though Lincliff is not devastated by the current war, she could see the difference from Gardenia and Lincliff. "I wish my people could also experience this growth as well.. new sprawling structures that are beautifully made. Tasty food and drinks like this, which is surprisingly cheap!" she was baffled as she drank her frappuccino, she wondered how such a tasty drink could be priced inexpensively? She felt something wasn''t just right, she thinks everything was not made by Summerwyn. She had therefore conclude at that point, that a new country called "The United Kingdom" is emerging from nowhere. "I must hurry up to Sienna" she said, She immediately ordered her coachman to make it to Sienna as soon as they could. "I hope my cousins are all safe, god please help them and have mercy to those who sinned." she prayed deeply, The duchess prayed as she looked in her window gazing the famous mountains of Gardenia. -- Ophelburg Palace -- In the streets, the Imperial Ducal flag was raised. The Ducal Flag was favored by the people and the Duchy. The Ducal flag was a flag with the rose as a main symbol to it. The Ducal Flag represented the Independence and break-away of the Duchy of Ophiel against the Emperor. -- outside the walls -- bombards fires one by one, the walls began to tear apart. But a sortie inside the wall halted the siege''s progress. in the meantime, a camp was set up by Zachary. "Damn! the city''s walls should have fallen already! All of you prepare the bombards now! we will launch a surprise night attack later this midnight!" Zachary firmly said to his men, a total of 25,000 men which belongs to the Imperial Army are besieging the Duchy of Ophiel''s Capital, Ophelburg Meanwhile in the Imperial Palace, the Emperor was worried but he didn''t knew why, he and his court knew that the country which calls itself "The United Kingdom" poses no real threat at all, but despite it. the British delegation that arrived a few days ago had made a mark on him. 19 British Delegation Part 2 -- Early Autumn of 1454 -- --- Imperial Capital, Ostburg --- a coach with its wheels touching the ground stopped in front of the Imperial Palace, the coachman step down and opened the coach''s doors, A woman with-expensive looking clothes and a young man wearing a black suit had step out of the coach. While walking, they''re holding flags of an unknown country. As soon as they set foot on the ground, they continued to walk inside by walking upstairs in the Grand Staircase. "That one seems like a Queen" one of the guards said while patrolling the hall, two guards overlooked the elaborate welcoming ceremony to the British envoys from the halls of the upper floors. "I heard that this is a new country" "Oh really? no wonder why i haven''t surely heard of that country''s name before" one guard replied, "Speaking of this visit, i heard that things in Sienna had been getting worse." "Why''s that?" "They say some unknown magic was being used against the Imperial Army, the 1st army of the Imperial Army to besiege Sienna had dropped from a hundred thousand into a mere 20 thousand. After receiving strange news and reports in the military situation in Sienna. The Imperial Army then sent their last relieve force into Sienna. Amounting into 200 thousand, a final resort against the Kingdom of Summerwyn." one of the bodyguards replied, The hall was in silence after the guard had told his companion the failing military situation in Sienna, The British envoys are walking in the hallway while being led by the servants into the Throne room, the Queen is walking with a proper posture whilst being guarded by her loyal bodyguards. The Prime Minister is walking near her side, it is the first time the two will be working together. After walking through and seeing the excesses of the Imperial Palace along the way, they finally reached the doors of the Throne room. The British envoys can remember the extravagance of the Imperial Palace. from red silk carpets in the ground, to the elaborate chandeliers in the Entrance. "Kindly do the instructions i told you my highnesses, the Holy Emperor''s presence is divine" the servant told to them, The Queen also has a few divine status from the Anglican Church, The Prime Minister was not a monarch but he was addressed as a highness by the servant. The servant literally had no idea about them, so the two just brushed it off. The doors opened, revealing the appearance of the Holy Emperor, and his court. The two entered the door with their bodyguards, the Queen gracefully walked upright with the Prime Minister on her left side, she carefully walked and bowed to the Emperor; while the Prime Minister bowed and lowered his head. "You can raise your head" the Emperor said, "I am the Holy Emperor Dudendorf of the Holy Estermage Empire, as well as the Emperor-Protector of the Kingdom of Duden and Head of the Church of Reformist" "I am the Queen Anne of the United Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Northern Ireland" the Queen replied, "And may i know your name young man?" the Emperor asked, "I am the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, William of the Conservative Party, Your Majesty" William replied, "Im certain that you came here for some serious business, am i correct?" "Indeed you are correct" the Queen humbly replied, "Hmmm interesting.." "We are hereby demanding the Holy Estermage Empire to withdraw its forces from the Theocracy of Esterloch, Republic of Italica and the Kingdom of Summerwyn as soon as possible." the Queen said in front of the Imperial Court." Queen Anne announced in the room, The Imperial Court was shocked by the immediate demands of the Queen, the British are resolved to protect their ally states at all cost. "What is the meaning of this?" the Emperor asked, "We are, a country of liberty and freedom. Our country is a bastion of freedom with a connection through the past with the Crown. Therefore, we are humbly calling into the Holy Empire of Estermage to stop their invasions and oppressing weaker states." Prime Minister William added, "And why do you think we will do that? we don''t even know if your country really exists or not" the Imperial Court was filled with laughter from the Imperial side. "And what is that you''re holding? a flag?" the Emperor asked, "It is the flag of our country, the United Kingdom. My people otherwise call it the ''Union Jack'' sometimes" the Queen added, "Your country''s flags looks so lacking that i guess your soldiers will not be encouraged to fight with this pathetic line flag" one of the Emperor''s courtiers joked, "HAHAHAHAHHA" all of the military bureaucrats and courtiers are bursting into laughter, belittling the British envoys and causing poor diplomatic actions. This is obviously seen as a lack of etiquette and poor diplomatic skills. This meeting of course became a diplomatic insult against the British as they''re insulting two very important people from the United Kingdom. But, learning from previous experiences and acting as if though nothing had happened. The two remained quiet and kept their posture and calm. They are experienced diplomats and fighting back will only take the meeting worse. A civilized nation should not commit such barbaric acts against other states, and the Empire clearly had made a barbaric impression to the United Kingdom. The room became laughter for a while until the noise subsided a few minutes later, "Ok so you came here just for that?" the Emperor asked, "Yes, your Highness" the prime minister replied, "But what if we refused? your demands are all delusional" the Emperor replied, "If the Holy Estermage Empire is not willing to accept the demands from the two most important government heads in the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom will henceforth be forced to commit hostilities against the Holy Estermage Empire. The Demands of the United Kingdom are as follows:" the Prime Minister had brought with him a printed paper written in the Imperial Alphabet. He gave it to a servant and handed it to each Imperial official in the room including the Emperor" As the court reads the content which , he began to announce the United Kingdom''s demands from the paper. "As the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, it is my duty to preserve the interests and security of the state. As such, the United Kingdom will be presenting an ultimatum right now. The Ultimatum are as follows; Number one, the Empire must withdraw from it''s pre-war borders and pay war reparations to the following states: Kingdom of Summerwyn, Theocracy of Esterloch,Republic of Italica and of course to the Grand Ducal Confederacy. Number two, the Empire must grant independence to the Grand Ducal Confederacy and must respect the latter''s sovereignty. And third, the Empire must agree to a following of international laws set by the Treaty of Sienna. and Lastly, the gradual transition of the Holy Estermage Empire to respect the liberties and freedom of it''s subjects." "And if all of these conditions are not met, the United Kingdom will announce its intent on declaring war with the Empire and is committed to fulfill it''s demands stated to be fulfilled." the Prime Minister added, "The Imperial Army will not lose to you, we might been suffering heavy losses in Sienna. But I''m telling you young man, if Sienna falls Summerwyn will immediately fall too. Your efforts will be wasted, the Empire is committed into asserting power" the Emperor replied, "I hope the demands of the United Kingdom had reached the Imperial Court, if we don''t receive any last decisions to accept the demands by the next day. The United Kingdom will finally declare war upon the Empire, the wrath of Brittania will be released and from the skies above we will rain death and terror in your Empire" the Prime Minister remarked, "This concludes our first visit to the Holy Estermage Empire, we are glad to have all your attention in this meeting. We will now leave, Thank you all very much for this splendid meeting." the Queen said, The two bid their farewell to the Emperor and left the Throne room. The court was in silence, and after the envoys left they we''re all laughing hysterically. "Brittania? what are they talking about?" "really? ''rain death from the skies'' they really have wild imaginations!" The Imperial court was filled with sarcasm and laughter after the British envoys left, but the Emperor silenced and ordered to stop the noise. "Immediately dispatch the last imperial expeditionary army into Sienna, capture the city before winter. We must avoid confrontations with the British armies as possible." The Emperor ordered to the court, The last expeditionary force consists of 300,000 imperial troops. If this arrives in Sienna, there would be almost half a million troops besieging the capital. Meanwhile, the exhausting and costly siege of Sienna had affected the financial situation of the Empire. The Imperial State Secretary went to the Throne room and immediately told the Empire''s ever-growing debt and financial deficits. The State Secretary humbly bowed and raised his head when the Emperor had told him so, "Explain your business here State Secretary." the Emperor asked, "Your Highness, the financial situation of the Empire is getting worse. I worry that your subjects might succumb to poverty. I suggest you" the secretary replied, "Don''t worry, my subjects will be patient if the situation gets worst. After all, they live for the name of the Empire" the Emperor replied, But, the State Secretary worries for the well-being of the people. He thinks that if the situation gets worst, a food crisis might ensure. And the people might rebel again. A few days ago, The Duchy of Ophiel declared its rebellion against the Emperor. The Holy Empress declared proclaimed herself "The Grand Duchess of Ophiel" and immediately declared her revolt against the Emperor. But, she still retained her title of Holy Empress of the Holy Estermage Empire. After Ophiel''s revolt, the Duchy of Leo¨½e immediately followed suit. Before the duchess left Leo¨½e, she immediately shut the gates and threw out the Imperial administrators from her Palace. She famously made her people threw the administrators from the walls of the city, injurning themselves from the fall. a number of a hundred imperial administrators we''re thrown away from the city. Before leaving for Summerwyn, she left the leadership of the Duchy to her most trusted minister. While she left the city in secrecy for Summerwyn. The Leo¨½e flag was raised in the duchy in favor against the Imperial Insignia for the first time for decades. The Imperial Insignia was burned and desecrated by the angry mobs. All in all, The Empire is not just left with two rebelling states. It also had to maintain its power on the Grand Ducal Confederacy. In which is still under imperial occupation, and the Empire is planning to re-organize it after the rebellion in Ophiel is dealt with. "Your Highness, according to the calculations of the Imperial State Treasury. The food stockpile of the Empire is decreasing and we might be unable to meet the demand of the people" the state secretary added, "I had told you earlier that we are staying firm on focusing in the war effort, if we are able to capture Sienna before winter. we can just forcibly take Summerwyn''s food stockpiles and it will last us for a year. Summerwyn has an abundance of food, and the peasants might store food because the winter is near. The Imperial Army can just straight in and take all of Summerwyn''s food" the Emperor added, The Imperial Court was amazed by the Holy Emperor''s firm explanation, the emperor rarely speaks about it and is almost always calm. ''This is not going to end well'' the State Secretary said to himself, "Very well your majesty, we will remain as it is and remain vigilant in the prices of goods. We will stay to the plan until winter" the State Secretary said to the Emperor, The State Secretary left the Throne room, after leaving the room he left a sigh, 20 Grand Duchy of Gardenia -- Late Summer of 1454 -- The fort of Re¨½aiss in the southern marches of Summerwyn just fell to the Imperial Army under the leadership of General Clause. Along with the defection of Pro-Imperial Nobles in the Kingdom, the fall of fortress of Re¨½aiss clearly made the fall of Summerwyn power in the region of Gardenia. -- Grand Duchy of Gardenia, Vyonne -- The Grand Duke of Gardenia, which is a vassal of the King of Summerwyn. Is one of the King''s loyal allies and is part of the Bretagne Faction. The Grand Duke is also one of the oldest houses in the continent, responsible for the creation of the House of Bretagne and other major Dynastic Houses as well. Vyonne, which is located 30 kilometers away from the fort of Re¨½aiss. Is the Capital of the Grand Duchy. It is located several miles south from the mountain ranges of Gardenia and is surrounded by vast plains. Vyonne has a population of 189,000 people, being the third largest city in the Kingdom. Vyonne is famous for it''s innovative agricultural methods and is known as the Kingdom''s breadbasket. The Grand Duchy of Gardenia has been traditionally agricultural throughout it''s history, and it''s vast farmlands that was blessed by fertility by the river Reo¨½e which flows from the mountain ranges of Gardenia until the vast Prospera Plains in the Empire. After the fall of Fort Re¨½aiss, the military office in Vyonne received the news of the fall several minutes after the Imperial Army infiltrated the fort. -- Military Office, Vyonne -- The local generals stationed in Vyonne are alarmed at the sudden fall of the fort. As such, they all gathered in the Military Office situated in the city in the early morning. It was midnight when the Imperial Army surprisingly besieged and infiltrated the fort. The fort swiftly fell to unknown circumstances and the officers in Vyonne we''re suddenly woke up. The loyal general of the Grand Duke, Charles walked inside the strategy room and grabbed the attention of the military officers. "Everyone Listen!" Charles shouted in the room, Charles grabbed everyone''s attention in the room, he took his map with him and began to use wooden pieces to explain the military situation. "It is currently summer, a perfect time for military campaigns" he added, he placed the star-shaped wooden piece as the Royal Army in the city of Vyonne. And a square-shaped wooden piece located in the fort of Re¨½aiss for the Imperial Army. "The fort of Re¨½aiss had fallen to the Imperial Army, i hypothesize that the Imperial Army will march as early as today." he said, his'' subordinates we''re shocked by his calculations. But if he is indeed correct, the Imperial Army could immediately sweep in the Gardenia region. "Does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for military plans right now? if not, have any questions?" Charles added, a young man, wearing his lightly-decorated uniform stood and said "Yes sir, i suggest we do a retreat to Sienna" the officer''s we''re shocked by the young man''s suggestions and thought it was absurd to sacrifice the Grand Duke''s domain. "But, if we want to save not just Gardenia, but the Kingdom as well. We must retreat behind the great mountain ranges or lost more men and resources here in the uneasy plains" he added, the men can''t deny the point the young man added, but everyone''s opinion on the matter still remained divided nonetheless. Charles began to think in deep thought, he is the most superior military officer in the Gran Duchy lower than the Grand Duke. He must choose his decisions wisely as it will decide the lives of thousands. He thought the young man''s strategy''s positive and negative effects on the entirety of the Kingdom. He thinks that, it is not honorable for the Royal Army to just leave the city as they are leaving their responsibilities in protecting the king''s subjects against the onslaught of the Imperial Army. "But, it is our responsibility to protect the subjects of the king and the grand duke" Charles added, "However sir, far more of the king''s subjects are going to be affected if we continue to be irrational" the young man replied, other than leaving the region to Imperial control, the Kingdom''s food supplies will also fall and another food crisis might ensued again in the Kingdom. The room was left in silence, even though there are a lot of people in the room. The strategy was mainly discussed by the two people. Then suddenly, a huge knock on the door had grabbed everyone''s attention. ''Come in'', Charles said and the doors opened to a Palace guard. "Yes Sir!, a movement of a supposedly huge army guided by torches can be seen several kilometers away from the wall. Estimates vary it from a hundred into two hundred thousand. We identify the army probably as the Imperial Army" the Palace guard said, The officers we''re shocked not just Charles'' prediction became earlier as thought, the Imperial Army is now marching in front of themselves waiting for their deaths without any concrete military plan. "Everyone listen to me immediately, i got a plan" one officer stated in the room, "We shall defend the city of Vyonne until to the last man!, but we shall not just defend the city. We must inflict much casualties against the Imperial Army while sustaining fewer casualties in the Royal Army" "Thus, i propose the Vyon plan" the officer added, the room was filled with mixed reactions towards the officer''s proposal, the Vyon plan named after the founder and the first grand duke of Gardenia, Vyon. Was a military strategy concerning a huge strategic retreat to the mountain ranges of Gardenia. The first part of the strategy comes with an anticipated invasion from the east into the plains of Gardenia, if the fort of Re¨½aiss where to fall. And a huge military force is invading and is capable of destroying the Kingdom. If the Vyon plan is adopted, the Royal Army located in the capital city of the duchy, Vyonne. Will leave the city bringing with them all of the city''s ammunition and military supplies, after leaving the city while the city surrendered to the invading force. The Royal Army will relay the message to Sienna to deliver magic telegram message all over the Grand Duchy of Gardenia to burn the crops and flee behind the mountain ranges of Gardenia. Minor cities and towns behind the mountain ranges will be responsible for the refugees needs. The refugees will bring with them all the crops and livestocks salvaged with them, while the Royal Army is on the retreat behind the mountain ranges. They will burn the crops and escort rural inhabitants to seek refugee in the north. Thus, within a month or two. All of Gardenia''s food production will significantly decrease and this will only leave the Empire more mouths to feed. "I believe it is a necessity to do it now" Charles said in the room, everyone had no choice but to agree on Charles'' decision. It is really a tough decision for everyone but it is the best bet they can do right now. "Very well, Vyon Plan will be commenced now!" "Yes sir!" everyone saluted to their superior, The strategy meeting was dismissed and everyone returned to their posts to commence the Vyon Plan -- Outside the Walls -- Imperial soldiers march one by one in an orderly manner, they wore black uniforms with an early crest on their arms. The Imperial Insignia is being raised while the others hold gallant fire torches. As they marched throughout the vast plains of Prospera, they could finally see the walls of Vyonne. "Everyone Halt!" Great Commander Clause ordered, "That! the city where the Grand Duke is residing! the Grand Duke and his Dynasty is the ancestor of all Royal and Noble Dynasties in the continent. If we we''re to capture the Grand Duke alive and this city, we would no doubt be rewarded handsomely by the Holy Emperor and achieve great honor for the name of the Holy Empire!" Clause cheered to his men, his men cheered and the morale of the Imperial Army rose up, numbering about 200,000 this time. The Imperial Army''s advance is now being unstoppable. "For the Emperor! for the Empress! for the Holy Empire!" Clause shouted, signalling the Imperial attack on the city. mages from the back fired small fireballs towards the city, numbering about 700 small fireballs. Summoning a fireball is difficult and is relatively weaker than a bombard in siege warfare. But it is deadly against defenders when fired on a human. The guards atop the wall we''re slowly being reduced to numbers by the attack of the mages, the Imperial Army rained hundreds of fire arrows and began to release the Imperial Bombards. "Release the behemoth of the Imperial Army!" a huge bombard carried by 50 horses which is nearly half the size of a British Ship-of-the-line, had appeared in the left flank of the Imperial Army. 70 soldiers began to operate the "Behemoth" and pointed it''s large mouth towards the city''s walls. The soldiers atop the wall began to ran for their lives and leave the walls undefended. 30 mages supported the behemoth by using additional support magic to enhance it effect, and after several minutes of preparing. A hundred men with the support of several mages carried the bombard''s ammunition and placed it in the mouth. after several minutes of waiting, the bombard began to move and eventually fired. Causing a lot of noise near the Imperial Army and in the vicinity of the city. a huge noise was generated by the behemoth, and huge parts of the outer walls we''re torn down in an instant. The defensive walls in the south immediately collapsed and the cavalry of the Imperial Army began the assault on the city. Meanwhile, in the Military Office. Charles had informed the military in Sienna to commence the Vyon Plan and relay the scorch order all throughout the Grand Duchy. Charles had advised the Grand Duke to leave the city after the strategy meeting, while the son and heir apparent of the Grand Duke had left the city earlier upon the orders of the Grand Duke. Charles and his subordinates are about to leave, then suddenly. People are all running around panicking in the streets of the city. After a few moments, a loud noise was generated in the walls and the ground started to shake, thinking that an earthquake had struck the city. The shaking immediately gone in a few seconds, and structures near the walls can be seen falling apart. "Oh no, has the wall fallen already?" Charles said, "Everyone! immediately go rescue the Grand Duke and gather all you men and father outside the northern gates!" Charles ordered, Hundreds of people began to ran all over the place, fires started to began in the streets of the city. The panic was able to disrupt the command in the city. the Imperial Cavalry began to enter the gap the walls created, they gallantly ran their way to the city, killing civilians along the way with their pointy-lances. Imperial soldiers began to inflitrate the gap and opened the Gates in the south, the main army of the Imperial Army marched from the gates heading their way to the Palace. the officers gathered all their men in the barracks and immediately ran and bring only what they could. The soldiers began to ran their way all over the Northern gates. The gates in the north we''re opened and thousands of soldiers and civilians flee, -- Vyon Palace -- Charles and his men entered the Palace gates and went on their way to rescue the Grand Duke, they immediately ran and went over in front of the Grand Duke''s living room, knocking heavily and immediately opened the door with the Grand Duke''s permission, Charles saluted and immediately informed the Grand Duke, "Your Highness, we must flee Vyonne already. Before the Imperial Army can catch us" suddenly, a loud noise from the Palace gates can be heard. Charles take a peek in the window and the main army of the Imperial Army was already here and torn the gates down. "Your Highness! we must flee this place immediately! we will stop their advance and you go flee now! the Royal Army is waiting in the Northern gates. They will leave before my orders or when the Imperial Army is nearby" The Grand Duke immediately hold his arm and said, "Son, please come with me. I also don''t treat you as my General but as a son too. Come and escape with me and bring your men as well." Charles wanted to refuse, but the Grand Duke''s insistence made him agreed to come with him. Along with his men, Charles began to follow the Grand Duke''s instructions to a secret tunnel in the Palace to escape. Suddenly, a huge knock on the door can be heard. And the door knob was being forcibly open, insisting this is the Imperial Army. The Grand Duke immediately ran and pushed a marble statue in the room to reveal a secret tunnel. "Here, immediately follow me and make sure close the door" the Grand Duke replied, After closing the door, the Grand Duke and his followers immediately escaped using the tunnel in the dark tunnel of the Palace using only a torch to escape the onslaught of the Imperial Army. They managed to leave the room just before the Imperial Army had destroyed the room''s doors and entered the room. and finally, just before the sun had risen in the morning. The Imperial Insignia was raised on the Palace for the inhabitants of the city to be seen. The city was devastated by the attack and thousands died in the initial assault of the Imperial Army. 21 Battle of Sommen Pass Part 1 Summer is about to end, the early signs of the Autumn season can be seen in the continent. the Grand Duchy of Gardenia has fallen to the Imperial Army, after the fort of Re¨½aiss had fallen in a quick succession against the Imperial Army. The Imperial Army immediately went ahead to march in Vyonne the ducal capital of Gardenia had been infiltrated and captured by the Imperial Army within less than an hour. The Grand Duke along with his loyal men flee the Palace just in time through the secret tunnels in the Palace. The Imperial Army hoisted the Imperial Insignia after the sun had just risen a day before Autumn. -- Ducal Palace, Vyonne -- The Imperial Army temporarily took a halt to their advance. General Clause and some other high-ranking military officers gathered in the Ducal Palace. They for a while indulged in the Grand Duke''s Palace and looted the Grand Duke''s property. His men looted and plundered the city after it fell, the Imperial Army forcibly took women and took them. All the abled-men we''re forcibly used as laborers for the war effort. The behemoth bombard used earlier in the battle was gallantly displayed in the city plaza, with men guarding it to prevent any act of sabotage. Meanwhile in the Palace, Clause received a telegram from the Emperor. "It is an honor to see you, you''re highness" Clause humbly greet the Emperor. "Raise your head, may i know what is the current military situation in subjugating Gardenia?" "the fortress of Re¨½aiss and the grand ducal capital of Vyon is captured by the Imperial Army. But we failed to capture the Grand Duke." Clause replied, "Very well, how was the behemoth? did it contributed to your success?" "Yes your highness, the behemoth astoundingly torn apart the city''s defenses in an instant and the city immediately surrendered." "There we''re no garrisoned troops?" the Emperor asked, "There we''re men atop the walls, but we had found traces of a huge army evacuating immediately in the barracks in the city in which there''s a sign of people leaving in an instant simultaneously." Clause replied, "Very well Clause, you done well enough. I am looking forward to see the capture of Sienna before winter begins. Expect handsome rewards waiting here." the Emperor replied, The Emperor called off and the conversation ended, Clause can''t wait to capture Sienna and began calling the other officers and begin a new offensive through Inner Summerwyn. "Ok everyone, we will now begin our planning to a new military offensive on the Kingdom of Summerywn. This time our military forces for the first time will start to have difficulty in terrain. As this is the first time again to venture inside Inner Summerwyn. For centuries Summerwyn had become the continent''s foremost power and bullies our glorious Empire. But things have changed! it is the time to bravely pass through the Sommen Pass in the south and capture the Siennese crown!" Clause remarked on the room, "Long Live the Empire!" Clause cheered in the room, The military officers gathered in the Grand Duke''s living room, the living room is filled with luxurious couch and high-grade wood tables decorated with gold. Clause placed the continental map on the table and all gathered in the table whilst sitting in the couch. "Ok so according to the plan the superiors and i made earlier, the Sommen Pass which is south of the mountain ranges of Gardenia is our gateway to inner summerwyn. We will march onto Summerwyn Pass and march again for several kilometers into a nearby fort, Fort Rose. We will besiege the fort using normal bombards and wyverns and capture the fort in quick succession. If the fort quicks earlier than usual, we will capture fort Rose and make it our base of operations here in Inner Summerwyn. We will place the behemoth there since transporting it is difficult and we won''t use it besieging the fort because we will take the pain of fixing the fort''s walls" "And after replenishing for a while in fort Rose, we will finally march with a hundred thousand into Sienna, and a week later a number of 50,000 troops along with the Behemoth will be sent to Sienna to capture the city real quick" "Thus, Sienna might fall before winter begins. Any questions so far?" Clause asked in the room, everyone understood the plan clearly and no one asked any questions afterwards. Clause proceeded to dismiss the meeting and went to rest in the Grand Duke''s bedroom. He replaced the blankets and pillows in the bed for his comfort and decided to close his eyes so that he can get enough energy for the Autumn campaign. -- Early Autumn of 1544 -- in the Grand Ducal Palace where the former local ducal flag and Summerwyn royal flag used to fly over the flagpoles of the city, are now replaced with the Imperial Insignia all throughout the city. the sun had risen and the leaves had began to change its color and fall from its branches, Clause had woken up from his bed and immediately went to the living room of the Palace. There, is the other military officers waiting. They are now preparing for their 15 day march onto the Sommen Pass, they are following the plan made by Clause with the Imperial General Staff. the Imperial autumn offensive had begun. A one hundred fifty thousand Imperial Troops had prepared themselves in the city, along with them are carrying several bombards and the behemoth. Transporting the behemoth is a logistical nightmare, but it is their best bet to capture Sienna in a quick manner. it''s been 5 days since the city had fell to Imperial Occupation, the Imperial Army had enough rest and supplies to continue the Autumn Campaign. The early successes on the Grand Duchy of Gardenia had saved the Imperial Army a lot of manpower and supplies due to their superior firepower. At last, a hundred fifty thousand troops are standing upright in front of the southern gates, the gates opened and the Imperial Army marched and left the city to an Imperial Garrison of 50,000 troops. But the thing is, Clause and the Imperial officials thought they could monopolize the huge swaths of food stockpiles and agricultural fields in the region. However, as soon as the Royal Army evacuated 5 days ago, the Royal Army razed the fields as they retreat through the northern pass in the mountain ranges of Gardenia. Dozens of the king''s subjects joined the Royal Army in the evacuation through the north and the royal administrators in rural south of Lyon and near the Sommen Pass had scorched the farms and countryside and took all food supplies into Sienna. Various rural towns we''re burned to the ground, other''s we''re spared. But, to escape the onslaught of the Imperial Army everyone fled and left their homes and properties to be burned as to avoid the Imperial Army using them. Plan Vyon was a success in destroying Gardenia''s food production and rendering them useless to the Imperial Army. Thus, the Imperial Army was forced to take what was left in Vyonne and the supplies they initially had and proceed to advance on the Sommen Pass. The Imperial Army was enraged on the Royal Army''s actions and decided to commit revenge on them when they besiege Sienna. -- 1st week of Marching, Early Autumn -- It has been seven days now since the Imperial Army had left the city of Vyonne. The Imperial Army is still far away from the Sommen Pass. But along the way the encountered towns and villages purposely burned on the ground with the crops burned and houses and property being intentionally burned on the ground. There we''re some who immediately ran to a water well, despite not listening to his'' superior''s warning to not drink the water. Many young soldiers went to the well and immediately drank it due to thirst, as soon as they drank the water. They felt it tasted different but they ignored it. The superior''s punished them due to their undisciplined behavior and punished them for numerous push-ups. But, after the men we''re done doing the push-up. The young soldier''s who drank the water from the nearby well got seriously-ill and their health began to deteriorate. The Imperial Army stayed and settled a camp in that town that day to take a rest from the trip, the Imperial Army had enough supplies but the young men we''re seriously exhausted from the march that they just went straightforward to the well. a total of 27 soldiers got seriously bedridden in the camp, and after an hour of treating them the soldiers affected died. The Imperial Army did a research on the village and found out that the water from the well was poisoned. Thus, one of the first casualties the Imperial Army had was from poisoning. Clause and the other superiors can''t believe what the Royal Army just did, the Kingdom desperately burned almost all property outside of Vyon in the region just to halt Imperial advance. "We must immediately set out for tomorrow and march as fast as we can to the Sommen Pass" Clause ordered to his men, The night after the incident, they immediately set out in the morning and marched towards the Sommen Pass. Days passed as they camped on many towns which we''re scorched by the Summerwyn, they could finally see the Sommen Pass. A huge opening with a road in the mountain ranges of of Gardenia. The towering mountains we''re so tall that they could probably touch the sky. The mountain ranges of Gardenia can be compared to the alpine mountains in Earth. -- Autumn of 1544 -- It is middle of the season, trees begun had their leaves color'' began to change. The Imperial Army marched through the Sommen Pass whilst singing the Imperial anthem. "Glory to the Empire! to the Holy Emperor! to the Holy Empress!", Imperial soldiers shout as they march to the pass gallantly, Their steps destroys any form of wildlife in the road, they trample even the small plants and animals who are blocking their way. "Halt!!!" shouted one officer in the front, Everyone immediately halted their advance upon hearing One cavalry from the front came to Clause, whispering to him the news in the situation in the front. Clause was shocked from the news and immediately fave a new order to the Imperial Army, "Everyone! the Royal Army had appeared! They have formed a defensive line just in front of us! if we reach the end of the pass. We will meet the Royal Army at the end of the pass and attack them, show the Empire''s might! let them taste the cold steel of the Holy Empire!" Clause ordered to the Imperial Army The Imperial Army continued to march through the pass until they reached the end of the pass moments later, A huge staggering army of the Royal Army had appeared in front of them, it''s as if though the Kingdom of Summerwyn wanted to halt and finally stop the Imperial advance in the Sommen Pass. The Kingdom of Summerwyn, numbering about 175,000 troops of the Royal Army under the command of the King''s personal greatest commander, Sir Fondee of Sienna. Sir Fondee is an aristocratic general born in the inner district of Sienna. Born into a noble house that is known for its martial and military prowess throughout generations, he eventually trained from a young age until he became a well-known general at the age of 21. Sir Fondee is currently 23, indeed a very young general. But right now the fate of thousands rests onto his shoulders. "Sir Fondee, the Imperial Army had arrived with a hundred and fifty thousand troops" the messenger told Sir Fondee. "Very well, when they show up. Commence the plan immediately." Fondee replied, Several minutes later, huge sounds of heavy footsteps can be heard going through their direction. The Royal Army then prepared for the appearance of the Imperial Army. And at last, the Imperial Army showed up. Thousands of Imperial Cavalry armed with advanced muskets and lance charged towards the Royal Army at a staggering speed. While the Summerwyn mages fired fireballs towards the oncoming hordes of horses. The Decisive Battle of Sommen Pass begins, 22 Battle of Sommen Pass Part 2 -- Early Autumn of 1544 -- The Armies of the Empire and the Kingdom of Summerwyn clashed in the Sommen Pass south of the mountain ranges of Gardenia. The Imperial Army had swiftly captured the region which is known as the Grand Duchy of Gardenia in the Summer until early Autumn seasons of the year of 1544 At the moment, the only British expeditionary forces at this time we''re in Sienna, Lincliff and Italica. The Empire did not bombed Italica again after their wyvern force we''re exhausted and Italica and was instead use for tactical operations in battles. Upon learning the fall of fortress Re¨½aiss, the British sent more expeditionary forces in the continent. The British we''re limited in oil but not ammunition. -- British Military Base, Lincliff -- "Sir, the Royal Air Force will be sending more squadrons to base here to support the British'' Army''s reach in the continent" a soldier reporting to the Commander of British Army Summerwyn Commander George, Commander of the newly-established British Army Summerwyn. Leads the British Army''s operations in the Kingdom of Summerwyn. Ever since the invasion of the Empire and the subsequent fall of the Grand Duchy of Gardenia. Commander George had then requested more reinforcements from the British mainland. "Send a thank you message to the upper-ranking officials in the deployment, I''m glad we got reinforcements as soon as possible" an emergency Strategic Defense and Security Review 2019 was immediately held a year ago. One of the terms of the Strategic Defense and Security Review 2019 was, immediate solution to find a new source of oil. As oil is the lifeblood of the United Kingdom, massive increase to the defense budget. Nearly doubling, mostly expanding the arms industry and oil excavations. As explained earlier, the Republic of Ireland was mysteriously not transferred despite Northern Ireland got transferred alongside with the United Kingdom. a British corps landed in the British Military Base in Lincliff, and two air squadron arrived in the Military Base in Sienna. All the while, the Royal Army is engaging the Imperial Army in the Sommen Pass using early-modern warfare with magic. The Imperial Army made the first move by sending 10,000 cavalry charging to the Royal Army''s ranks, The Royal Army was filled with Infantry in the front, as the Imperial Cavalry was to charged through them, spikes from the ground had appeared and struck the horses. This caused the cavalry to panic and the Royal Army''s infantry began to mass-attack in numbers. A total of 20,000 infantry began attacking the Imperial Army''s 10,000 Cavalry, the Royal Army made hidden trenches in the ground and used spearswhen the Imperial Cavalry came close. Upon realizing the Royal Army''s cunning tricks, the Imperial General Clause ordered the Imperial Cavalry to draw back. While the Imperial Cavalry was retreating back, the fire mages of the Royal Army attacked them with fireballs, causing a lot of casualties among the retreating cavalry. The initial losses we''re 6,860. Almost 3,000 managed to ran and retreat to the Imperial Army. Clause immediately ordered the Imperial mages to erect a short-term protective magic barrier to prepare for an retaliatory attack against the Royal Army. 500 mages moved forward along with 2 900-caliber bombards. This towed-bombards we''re state of the art of the Imperial Military Development and can fire for far as two kilometers. The mages erected short-term powerful protective barrier to the towed-bombards, while the artillery men began to fill in the bombards. When the preparation was complete, the bombard simultaneously launched hundreds of grapeshot against the enemy, when the frontline of the Royal Army realized the power of the Imperial Army''s artillery, the frontline slowly become deadly as the grapeshot kills every soldier it could in the distance. The Royal Army''s formation began to fall apart, as such the Royal Army lost a significant number of their infantry, losing about a staggering 18-20 thousand in the initial losses. "Everyone! we must not be encouraged by the wrath of the Imperial Army! they are foolish to dare to invade our precious motherland! Charge valiantly for the motherland!" Sir Fondee honorably raised the morale of his troops whilst leading them into battle, While riding his gallant horse, he and the Royal Cavalry numbering about 15,000 ran towards the Imperial Army to charge through the Imperial bombards while the fire mages and archery in the back supported them by firing through the Imperial Infantry. But, the Imperial Infantry raised their shields and many managed to survive the arrows fired by the Royal Army, but there we''re also those less fortunate who we''re shot by fireballs. The Imperial Infantry''s number didn''t reduced significantly, but the Imperial mages and archers shot at the oncoming Royal Cavalry, many perished but they still charged valiantly. The Cavalry was near and at a distance they shot many infantry by using their muskets, while the others charged through them using lancers. The infantry responded by shooting in retaliation and resulted into many deaths, the Royal Cavalry was reduced to a number of 9,182. But finally, twenty thousand infantry from the Royal Army ran and march towards the Imperial Army. They shot the Imperial infantry and proceeded to march towards the Imperial Army. And the numbers of the Imperial Army''s infantry began to drop. The Royal Army''s cavalry headed by Sir Fondee lead the charge and immediately headed to the Imperial Bombards. Sir Fondee along with the cavalry charged towards the Imperial Bombards, they almost captured the entire bombards. But the other bombard was towed with a horse and ran away just in time, leaving the other one to be captured by Sir Fondee. But, Sir Fondee was driven by his excitement. After capturing the other Imperial Bombard. He was immediately cornered by the Imperial Army, the Imperial Cavalry outnumbered his 60 men who had made it with him in the rear. The Imperial Cavalry aimed their muskets at them and demanded for their surrender. Sir Fondee honorably surrendered under the hands of General Clause, the surrender of Sir Fondee led to a total collapse to the Royal Army in the Sommen Pass. The Empire allowed the Royal Army to leave the battlefield in panic, while he took as many as war prisoners as possible. A total of 49,482 soldiers from the Royal Army was taken as war prisoners by the Imperial Army including Sir Fondee as well. Meanwhile, a total of almost 55-60,000 troops arrived in Fort Rose. This was the Royal Army who managed to fled the disastrous Battle of Sommen Pass. The local commander in Fort Rose then send the magic telegram message to Sienna and the Siennese military was shocked by the result. -- Re¨½e Palace, Sienna -- His Highness, King Edward is relaxing while drinking his English tea in his library. Suddenly, one ofthe Palace Guards knocked on the door and sent a message to him. "Your Highness, Sir Fondee was captured" the guard reported to the King. "Wait what? what happened to the Royal Army then?" "Many soldier''s we''re captured. While a number of almost sixty-thousand troops had fled into safety in Fort Rose." the Palace Guard said to the king, "Call General Charles here in Sienna and the British Commander in Lincliff" he asked, "Oh sir, about the British Commander. He''s just outside waiting for you" the palace guard replied, "Immediately call him and lead him to the living room where we will talk, also call Charles and let him come over today" the king ordered to the palace guard, "Yes Sir!" the palace guard bowed and left the room, The King immediately went to the living room while he asked the maids to made him and his guests some British pastries. The maids served macarons and the king''s favorite which is cheesecake. This are all not originally British pastries but since they only came in the United Kingdom in this world they might as well call it from Britain. The United Kingdom, for the first time since the second world war. Had begun to re-industrialize in order to answer the demands of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. The arms production of the United Kingdom will begin to increase after numerous heavy industries we''re funded by the government. The government began to do Mixed economic policies in order to accelerate the production efficiency of the country whilst also improving the social welfare of its citizens. As such, the United Kingdom is hoping to export manufactured products from the United Kingdom into the continent. In the meantime, the United Kingdom can''t export many civilian products towards the continent due to the ongoing war with the Empire. The British Commander in British Army Summerwyn, Commander George arrived in Sienna a day earlier to relocate his main working office in British Base Sienna. He was just welcomed by the local Royal Air Force in the base, the British airbase was slowly being expanded into a full-working army base soon. He finally entered his office, and placed all his baggages in the couch. He lie down in the couch and took a nap, after just taking his nap. Someone rang the office''s doorbell. He was woken up by the doorbell and stood up and walked through the door. He took a peek in his peephole and revealed to a soldier in the Royal Air Force, he opened the door and welcomed him to his office. He sat behind his desk and introduced himself and the two exchanged greeting, then the commander asked the soldier''s purpose of visit to his office, "So why''s the sudden visit?" the commander asked, "Commander, the King want''s to see you personally in his elaborate palace" the soldier replied, "Right now?!" the Commander asked, "Yes sir, a coach is already waiting for you outside" The soldier left the room, and the Commander hurriedly packed his bag and immediately went outside the base to ride the coach waiting outside. He saw the coach outside and immediately was welcomed by the palace''s servants. He entered and exchanged greetings with the servant. He gazed at the windows of the coach as they drive through the streets of Sienna until finally arriving to the Palace. They finally arrived in front of the Palace''s gates. The coach stopped in front of the Palace, the Commander along with the servant stepped his foot in the grounds of the Palace for the first time. The servant then lead him to his way to the Living room as they walk through the fanciful halls of the Re¨½e Palace. He was impressed by the nearly-Versailles vibe the palace gives to him. Since he was fond of French architecture and went to Paris countless times before. The two finally reached the doors of the living room where the king is, the servant opened the door and the Commander entered the room. The Commander bowed to the King and exchanged greetings with him, he sat in front of the King and he was given a treat by the King. The two enjoyed modern pastries and English tea from the United Kingdom. The King in particular enjoyed macarons and cakes. He loved British tea parties that was influenced to him by Queen Anne as the two would often do tea parties way back in Lincliff. The Queen and the King developed a close relationship after their first meeting in Lincliff, the two would often host tea parties in Lincliff before the war. Queen-Consort Sophie, the Queen-Consort of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. Also developed a closed friendly relationship with the Queen. The Queen-Consort was the first monarchs in the new world to visit the United Kingdom. The Queen-Consort went to London 4 times already this year. Currently, the Queen-Consort is in the palace taking care of the King. But the Queen-Consort had promised to Queen Anne that someday he will bring King Edward with him in visiting the United Kingdom. The king began to talked to the Commander and said, "Withdraw all your forces from here, withdraw them to Lincliff" 23 Fort Rose -- Autumn of 1544 -- The Grand Duchy of Gardenia had fell into Imperial Occupation, after the Imperial Army swiftly captured the Fortress of Re¨½aiss and the grand ducal capital of Vyon. The Grand Duke of Gardenia and his men immediately escaped the Palace when the Imperial Army stormed into it, they managed to escape by using the secret tunnels located in the Palace. They went outside and regrouped with the Royal Army in the northern gates, and they proceeded to march through the northern mountain pass in the mountain ranges. As they marched, they brought refugees and local town''s supplies with them, and thereafter burned properties and crops along the way. The Grand Duchy of Gardenia''s food production immediately crashed and the Grand Duchy no longer produces any food at the moment, leaving the inhabitants of Vyon to starvation under imperial occupation. The Royal Army marched with it''s 20,000 troops through the northern mountain pass and arrived Lincliff three and a half weeks later. The officials from Lincliff can''t believe what they just saw, the Royal Army from Lincliff bringing people who wanted to seek refugee from the horrors of war. Almost fifteen thousand to twenty thousand civilians came with the Royal Army. Bringing with them livestock and salvaged food. The winter of the year 1454 is going to be one of the worst winter the continent will ever see in it''s history. -- Lincliff, Mayor''s Palace -- The Queen could be seen again drinking tea with the Lincliff mayor in his Palace, the two had slowly becoming close friends and are doing a usual tea party. The Queen received a gift from the Mayor, which was a tea set porcelain that came from the easy. "Oh Thank you, May i ask but where did you bought this?" the Queen asked, "I bought that when i visited Italica two years ago, that product came from the East" the mayor replied, The Queen was thankful of the gift and humbly accepted it, she plans to add it to her collection of tea sets back in Buckingham. The two proceeded in drinking their tea whilst eating scones from Britain. "So, what do you think of Lincliff right now after we had arrived?" the Queen asked, "I guess the city had become more lively, to be honest life in Sienna is much worse than here. There are no walls to separate the rich and poor here. The very reason why i opened the gates of the Palace to everyone." the Mayor replied, Lincliff''s urban landscape had heavily changed after the British arrival, a sewer system primarily financed by the British government is about to be finished in its scheduled completion date by next year. Multinational companies began expanding their ventures on the city slowly while a power plant is being built in the city, expected to be done next year. "But you know what, i hope this world experiences peace as soon as possible. I don''t want to see this continent suffer from the corrupt forces of despots" the Queen said, A moment of silence swept the room, until a servant came over and relayed a message to the Mayor''s ears, "What? ok let them in. Make sure they are indeed safe" the Mayor replied to the servant. The Mayor looked with a serious face on the Queen and said, "Your Majesty, thousands of refugees fleeing war from the Grand Duchy of Gardenia and the Royal Army garrisoning the Grand Duchy had made their way into safely on the outskirts of the city. They we''re tired of the journey and needs immediate relief response as soon as possible" the Mayor said to the Queen, "Really? that was incredibly fast? like how did the Imperial Army managed to sweep off the Grand Duchy of Gardenia in less than a year?" the Queen said to the Mayor, "Your Majesty, the Grand Duchy of Gardenia ruled by the Grand Duke which in turn is a vassal of His Highness, King Edward. Is located in a terrain that is highly favorable in military campaigns, as the Grand Duchy is surrounded by the towering Mountain Ranges of Gardenia in the north, but most of its land that reaches until the south is a region of vast plains" the Mayor replied, "So no wonder why the region immediately fell to the Empire, but do you have any idea about the Empire''s weapon arsenal?" the Queen asked, "We can''t confirm it yet, but there were rumors since the beginning of the war that the Empire had amassed a terrifying number of Siege weapons" "Siege weapons? like what?" "probably bombards, but much more numerous and stronger than ours" Queen Anne suddenly became curious about the strength of the Imperial Army and decided to be more cautious next time. -- Re¨½e Palace -- The commander of the British army base in Sienna had went to visit the King due to important matters, Commander George arrived in the King''s living room. He bowed and sat to a couch in front of the King. The King invited him to drink tea with him, in which he politely agreed on. The two enjoyed modern pastries and English tea from the United Kingdom. The King in particular enjoyed macarons and cakes. He loved British tea parties that was influenced to him by Queen Anne as the two would often do tea parties way back in Lincliff. "May i ask your highness, why''s the sudden visit your highness?" Commander George asked the King. After drinking a few of his tea, he wiped his mouth with an handkerchief and proceeded to talk, ""Withdraw all your forces from here, withdraw them to Lincliff" The Commander was shocked and intrigued with the King sudden instructions, "Sir? Why''s that your highness? you will voluntarily leave Sienna to the onslaught of the Imperial Army?" Commander George asked the King, "Commander, I am fully confident that the might of the British Army can deter the Empire''s ambitions in the continent. But, for now we shall retreat to Lincliff. We wouldn''t be able to last here in Sienna" The King said to the Commander, Commander George was amazed by the King''s analysis on the two countries, currently the British Government is handing out rations on fuel and to some extent food. Ration''s are being distributed properly on the British Isles. Many forests and uncultivated land in the United Kingdom are undergoing huge agricultural projects. Aiming to raise British self-sufficiency 90% by the next 5 years. meanwhile, coal production is dwindling and the government had to find new sources of oil in the Continent. Good thing that the United Kingdom is slowly accepting green energy and almost 30-40% of their energy comes fro renewable sources. "So if we want to conserve men and supply, shouldn''t we act and move immediately?" Commander Geroge replied to the King, "Then how about fort Rose?" Commander George added, "Let the Imperial Army take the bait, you will come as reinforcements in relief of the fort right?" the King asked, "Hmm interesting, the British Army can provide aerial support and inflict major casualties on the Imperial Army like they had never seen before" Commander George added, Commander George smirked and he can''t wait to unleash the might of the Royal Air Force against the uncivilized barbaric forces from the Empire" "I like what you are thinking" the King said to the Commander, "Shall we get moving now?" Commander George added, Commander George humbly bowed to the King and left the room quietly, "Now, i can finally get my revenge against the Emperor" the King thought to himself, The feud between distant relatives in the continent can be compared to the major mistake the monarchs of Europe made during the crisis of 1914. Commander George stepped out of the Palace and left by the coach he had use to ride earlier, -- Fort Rose, Autumn of 1454 -- It is the usual day of the autumn season in Fort Rose, the Fortress of Rose. Is located near the Mountain Ranges of Gardenia in the Inner Side of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. The fort was built as a necessary to deter any hopes of foreign invasion across the mountain ranges. The fort has never been captured and besieged since it was built. There was one instance when the Emperor wanted to invaded Inner Summerwyn and hoped to capture the city of Sienna, but this ultimately became a disaster and the Imperial Army saw its worst military defeat in the disastrous 1st Battle of Sommen Pass under the leadership of the newly-ascended King Edward de Bretagne. The ascension of King Edward de Bretagne and his reign was challenged by Imperial claims to the Throne, he was extremely lucky to preserve his throne when the Imperial Army was marching to their country. But times have changed, the Imperial Army had expanded their arsenal, almost threshold after the disastrous Battle of Sommen Pass. The Imperial Army had their strength and firepower increased at the expense of the Empire''s subjects. The Military Bureaucrats under the backing of the Emperor had increased their budget on the Imperial Army threshold at the cost of the Empire''s subjects. The standards of living of the common folk in the Empire had decreased due to the Empire''s poor financial decisions. Loud noises of footsteps and animal running sounds can be heard in the distance, The garrisoned men atop the Royal Fort of Rose was puzzled with the sudden strange noises they could heard at the distance, but they see nothing in front of them. "Sir! What is this! what should we do Sir!" one of the soldiers atop the wall reported to the General. "What?! remain and stay vigilant as much as you can! Immediately report more strange occurrences to me!" the Commander replied, A huge sound of explosion can be heard from the distance and suddenly, a huge cannon ball can be seen firing at the direction of the fort''s bastion. Tearing apart the fort''s bastion for the Imperial Army to swoop in. The Imperial Cavalry, armed with muskets. Swooped in and entered the bastion''s fallen structure, the Imperial Cavalry and the mysterious cannon ball mysteriously appeared from nowhere. The cannon ball reached as far as the headquarters of the fort. Numerous generals and other high-ranking military officials instantly died on the wake of the attack. The magic telegram message sent to the Capital was suddenly cut off, this will soon send alarm bells to Sienna. "Surrender! or else you will face execution! the Holy Emperor is merciful enough to take all of you as prisoners!" Clause shouted to the fort''s disorganized garrison in his gallant horseback, ''That was a nice trick, we used one of the most sacred magic the Imperial Army had been mastering for decades. Using invisibility magic on the Imperial Army and assaulting the fort in a way the Royal Army won''t be able to react'' General Clause said to himself, ''The Imperial General Staff really is full of competent people, I''m glad that i live in this era'' General Clause added, Several hours later, the Imperial Army had used fortress Rose as their main base in Inner Summerwyn. The Imperial Mages erected instant-physical barriers to the damaged bastion earlier. "Truly, no one can match the firepower and decisiveness of the Empire" General Clause proudly remarked to the Imperial Army in their so-called "Victory Party" "Cheers for the Empire! Let us fight for the Empire honorably and crush the corrupt King of Sienna!" he shouted while cheering in front of the Imperial Army, It was the middle of the night that the Imperial Army had done celebrating their "Victory Party", One Imperial soldier fell asleep while doing parol duty. "Hmm? what is it can you see I''m sleeping?!" the patrol soldier said to his comrade, His comrade had been waking him up for minutes now, he had not have time to explain and pointed out to strange and eerie noises from the sky. And several minutes had passed, papers that seemed like leaflets rained from the sky. "What? seriously?" the patrol soldier said shockingly while taking the leaflet from the ground. "Surrender and leave.. Summerwyn? Or else you will face the wrath of the Royal Air Force? what?" the patrol soldier read confusingly, "Hey shall we report this to the general or other superior staff?" his comrade asked, "No, they might be sleeping soundly and they''re obviously drunk. We might not want to make them mad at us" the patrol soldier replied, And after a few moments had passed, fire explosions could be seen in the fort. With supposedly falling bombs from the skies, The Imperial Army was awoken and immediately went out of the fort. When the moon finally revealed itself from the clouds in the skies, they could see strange metal birds flying in the sky. Dropping the bombs that caused fire in their fort. The Fortress of Rose was immediately bombed to the ground, within minutes the Imperial Army suffered as much as 75,000 casualties. This night air raid was an experiment conducted by the Royal Air Force to see the Imperial Army''s strength and military capability. Some Imperial Mages managed to prepare in time and decided to fire balls towards the flying metal birds, but to no avail. Since the flying metal birds was incredibly much faster than a wyvern. 24 Round Table It is in the middle of the Autumn of 1454, the Imperial Army decisively defeated the Royal Army at the 2nd Battle of Sommen Pass, contrast to the Summerwyn victory decades ago in the same place. But this time, the Imperial Army got the battle in its favor. The Imperial Army, with its superior use of logistics and advanced bombard also with use of support magic, this contributed to the success of the battle for the Imperial Army. Meanwhile, the poorly-trained Royal Army which was technologically backward against the Imperial Army but was lead by the Kingdom''s supposedly most "competent and talented tactician" Sir Fondee of Sienna was defeated due to his greed on taking the Imperial Bombards. Which resulted into his capture that lead to the disorganization and surrender of the Royal Army in the Sommen Pass. Tens of thousands of Royal Army soldiers who fled from the collapsing frontline in the pass found their way into Fort Rose, until the King issued an order reducing the size of the garrison of the fort and the remnants of the Royal Army from the Sommen Pass was regrouped in Sienna. The Royal Army had amassed a total of 415,000 troops in Inner Summerwyn, three hundred fifteen thousand in Sienna. While the rest of one hundred thousand was garrisoned in Lincliff. And, four days after the Battle of Sommen Pass, the Imperial Army assaulted Fort Rose in the middle of the night in an unknown type of warfare. The Royal Army''s 5,000 local garrison in the star fort was immediately defeated by the Imperial Army in seconds. The time when Fort Rose fell and how did it happened remained a mystery to the Royal Army. The King and the Siennese government are now preparing for a soon possible siege on Sienna. Many from the Royal Army''s circle are demoralized mostly soldiers from the previous battles against the Imperial Army and thought that the siege will end earlier and if not, in seconds. However, not all hope is gone. The King had cooperated more with the British Army, the King has been expecting the might of the British Army after he saw the gallant metal birds flying from the skies caught his attention. He had allowed the British to build numerous military bases and installations in the Kingdom. And, a secret military facility was built in the forests near the mountain ranges of Gardenia and the Sommen Pass in the inner part of Summerwyn. The British planned to make this base as a base of operations to harass Imperial logistics behind and conduct guerrilla warfare. The Royal Air Force commenced an air raid into Imperial-occupied Fort Rose and released bombs from the superior British air bombers from the above, tens of thousands in the Imperial Army that night struck tragedy. As the bombs hit their roofs while sleeping peacefully after an exhausting victory party. Thousands of fresh imperial recruits and brilliant minds we''re put to waste as the Imperial Army was not able to do anything against it. They also saw the Union Jack in the warplanes from above, suggesting that they must be up against a new country. All in all, the Imperial Army suffered almost seventy to seventy-five thousand casualties in a single night. Clause had reported the strange attack on the Imperial General Staff and the Emperor, the Holy Emperor was furious at the first news of defeat and ordered the remaining Imperial Army to march and lay siege on Sienna immediately. The Emperor sent reinforcements to the Imperial Military Administration of Gardenia, and the Imperial Garrison in Vyonne in turn will be sent in advance before the Imperial reinforcements arrive in Vyonne. Ensuring that the Imperial Army besieging Sienna will be replenished in time before winter begins. The Imperial Army will indeed take time to arrive on Sienna. It will march from the the Imperial Military Administration of Gardenia and travel all the way to Inner Summerwyn until reaching Sienna. Arriving about 2 weeks from Vyonne, the Imperial Army will have two to three more weeks left before winter begins in the continent. -- British Military Base, Sienna -- Meanwhile, in the British Military base in Sienna, a young soldier went to the Commander''s main office to send information, The young soldier saluted and exchanged greetings with the Commander, "Commander!" one soldier hurriedly called the Commander, "What is it?" the Commander asked, "An invitation for the Commander to attend a meeting hosted by Her Majesty, Queen Anne and other rulers of the Continent in Re¨½e Palace by tomorrow at noon." the young soldier said to the Commander, A letter was handed out to the Commander by the young soldier, the Commander opened it and it contained the following; -- 1st Allied Meeting of Roseby, Conference of Sienna -- "Dear Commander George, Her Majesty, Queen Anne of the United Kingdom is hereby inviting you to the 1st Allied Meeting in Re¨½e Palace, Sienna. To attend an important conference that will talk about the Holy Estermage Empire''s aggressive unjust expansion into the entirety of the continent and the plan to fully eradicate the corrupt forces of the Holy Estermage Empire." The Commander accepted the invitation from the Queen, an invitation directly from Her Majesty might mean that this meeting is of high significance since other rulers of the continent are also invited. Night had came at the base and the Commander went to bed early. The next morning, a coach is waiting outside the Military Base for the Commander, and he used the coach waiting for him outside to reach Sienna. The coach headed to the Re¨½e Palace in Sienna, it was still morning but Sienna is already filled with heavy traffic. As the foreign dignitaries had to enter roads specifically reserved for them. Several coaches from countries all throughout the continent had arrived in the outskirts of the majestic Re¨½e Palace. the Commander''s coach enters the lovely gardens of Re¨½e, before stopping in front of the Palace''s entrance. The Commander stepped out of the coach and was lead by the servant to the King''s Salon. The Commander finally arrived in the salon, there is the King and Queen of the United Kingdom as well as the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. The Commander saluted to the presence of his and her majesty''s apparently the two highnesses of the Kingdom of Summerwyn didn''t have any idea what he''s doing. The Commander bowed to the Monarchs of Summerwyn in order to avoid any insult, Commander George then sat to his designated chair. Several minutes had passed, and several foreign dignitaries arrived in the room. The Duchess of Leo¨½e,the President of the Republic of Italica,the exiled government of the Grand Ducal Confederacy and the Grand Bishop of the Theocracy of Esterloch. Everyone gathered in a huge round table in the center, it was an idea proposed by the monarchs of the United Kingdom to represent the legendary Round Table by King Arthur. "Greetings ladies and gentlemen from all over the continent, i am the Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Anne. Queen of the Kingdoms of England,Scotland and Northern Ireland. Beside me is my husband, the King-Consort of the United Kingdom, King Winston" "It is my pleasure to meet all of you, i hope that this conference today will result into fruition of a prosperous and peaceful future for the Continent." "Since all the foreign attendants had come a long way just to visit this conference, we will finally begin the conference" the Queen added, There, the Prime Minister Charles prepared his presentation in his laptop and a presentation appeared on a screen in front of the audience. The dignitaries and the monarchs of Summerwyn we''re shocked by the sudden light appearing from a screen in front of them, The Prime Minister then began to explain to everyone: "Ladies and Gentlemen from all over the continent, Welcome to the first-ever Sienna Allied Conference. The Sienna Conference aims to establish long-lasting peace in the continent. This Conference is to talk about the plans the British government has prepared for the future of Roseby," "First and foremost, the very concern of everyone right now is the expansion of the Holy Estermage Empire. The British Government has been planning an official visit to the Emperor for months now. And the British government decided to send a diplomatic envoy in advance this week to the Empire." "That is why, the British Army had been working earnestly while anticipating a siege on this city that could also happen today, the chances are pretty much high. the Fortress of Rose fell into the Imperial Army a few days ago. Which was the last Summerwyn military stronghold to avert any foreign invasion from the west. This leaves the capital, Sienna to expose itself to the threat the Imperial Army is posing. Now, it is our turn to save the people of the continent against the forces of the Holy Estermage Empire" "Firstly, the British government wants to cooperate with all the countries of the continent that was wrongfully occupied by the Empire, the British would support this'' government''s struggles against the Empire. The United Kingdom is committed in dismantling the Holy Estermage Empire and reform its institutions to turn the Empire into a democratic country. Granting everyone in the Empire equal rights" The rulers in the room was horrified at those progressive social reforms of "equal and free rights" that will soon be present in the Empire. They can''t accept the fact that they have to give up power to illiterate and retarded lowly-civilized people called peasants. "So basically everyone in the continent must accept this ideas of ''Freedom''?" The Duchess of Leo¨½e questioned the Prime Minister, "If that''s what you''re asking milady, yes. Eventually all states in the continent must accept this social reforms that will be introduced by the United Kingdom to this conference" The Duchess of Leo¨½e kept silent, "Ok, so back to the topic. As we all know, this conference will hugely be focused on the continental plan to finally exterminate the forces of the Empire. In order to do that, the United Kingdom wants that, all of the dignitaries representing their countries here. Must of course sign a friendly treaty of friendship and military alliance with the United Kingdom. A military alliance that will preserve the peace and power in the continent. In order to do that, all states present in this conference must agree to join the military pact the United Kingdom is proposing. The United Continental Pact, a military alliance that will protect and preserve the interests of its members and establish long-lasting peace in the continent" The Duchess of Leo¨½e was of course not an independent country, however the culture of Leo¨½e is almost not entirely the same with the Empire. The only reason the Duchy of Leo¨½e exists, it''s because it''s a duchy that is a vassal of the Holy Emperor. Thereby, making it not an independent state at least to the Westphalian point. However, the Duchess has been looking for any signs of weakness to the Empire. And the current misfortunes the Empire has faced had convinced the Duchess to join in the Great Revolt led by the Holy Empress and secretly attend the Conference in Sienna. The Duchess wants to establish the Duchy of Leo¨½e as an independent state. But the "Freedom" and "Liberty" values the British had been spreading makes her think that it might be dangerous to let this ideas spread to her people. The Duchess is a despot in nature, and she believes that she rules by her right and nobody else. "If only i could stop this radical ideas, i guess there won''t be stopping it" the Duchess thought, "Everyone who rules by the Crown had nothing to worry about this ideas of Freedom, the powers of the Royalty will only be limited which in turn will help the economic and political development of your country. The United Kingdom has been working this ways for hundreds of years now and there has been no sign ever since that the United Kingdom will fall into anarchy." the Queen added, "Her Majesty is indeed correct, the present government of the United Kingdom had evolved from the past three hundred to four hundred years ago, our ancestors fought a civil war that took a toll on the country. But in the end, the monarchy was restored and the United Kingdom''s path into the global power of the world began. We call this type of government simply by the name of Constitutional Monarchy, in which a Monarch will distribute power to different branches and separate the powers of the state. Thereby limiting despotism and spur political debates that will hugely benefit the country in its future making decisions" the Prime Minister added, Everyone in the room was starting to get an idea about this constitutional monarchy thing, but staunch despots like the Duchess are still doubting it. "Uhmm, won''t possibly result into anarchy?" the Duchess asked, "That''s a great questions milady, here i will present a video i made that was all about a revolution that took heavy toll in our past world" The Prime Minister went to his video files and played a video about the French Revolution, The French Revolution, the revolution was undoubtedly one of the most influential events in the world. the French Revolution that inspired future revolutions, the French Revolution began in the failing economic situation of the Kingdom of France. Unfortunately, the King and the foreign-born Queen of France has been slowly being unpopular at the time, the ideas of the enlightenment and the worsening financial situation of the country lead to the people claiming the monarchy for their failing financial situation. The French people had enough, and decided to storm a prison for ammunition. That didn''t stopped there, the people beheaded the King and Queen of France by guillotine in a public excecution in the French capital, Paris. And an unstable French Republic was declared, The execution of the King and Queen didn''t stopped there, thousands of innocent and wrongfully tried people we''re executed. This period became known as the ''Reign of Terror'', as everyone who simply had aristocratic connections can be easily tried and sent to the guillotine immediately. The Reign of Terror came to an end when Robbespiere who was behind arranging the execution of thousands of his political opponent into the guillotine, was also executed by the guillotine. The French Revolution left a power vacuum to one military general that took advantage of the situation and seized power for himself, he would eventually invade almost all of Europe until Russia stopped his ambitions. "And that concludes the French Revolution, i hope that the Reign of Terror of the revolution not happen to any countries here in the continent, as such the United Continental Pact will send military forces and intervene in case of a civil disturbance in one of its members" "And also, does anyone have any demands or suggestions to a post-war Roseby?" "Hmmm post-war? that''s intriguing. Thinking how the United Kingdom is planning to win the war." the Duchess thought to herself, "I want the Duchy of Leo¨½e be recognized it''s independence against the Empire, i want to revoke my vassalage status with the Holy Emperor." "Wow, the Kingdom of Summerwyn does not want any territorial expansions but we would like to trade more with the British" "Same with us from the Grand Ducal Confederacy, we want trade and military assistance" "The Grand Bishop does not want any territorial expansions but we can trade" "Ok, so along the post-war plans comes the war plan. The British and the Summerwyn had cooperated in the Western Front of the war. As everyone knows that the Summerywn Capital might soon face capture by the Imperial Army. As part of the joint-war plan. The British and Royal Army will evacuate Sienna while defending the capital for a short time. If the Imperial Army still showed signs of strength and more reinforcements came. We will evacuate to the city of Lincliff and start the defense of the city. The very reason we are doing this is because, we are lacking a vital resource that the United Kingdom needs, it''s called oil. And we are currently excavating and exploring potential sources of oil all throughout the continent. Oil is like a black liquid substance, so if any of you heard about any substances that has properties like that, immediately report it to us and we are willing to pay a huge amount" The Prime Minister added, 25 Bataille ''hmm Oil? surely haven''t heard of that before. But if it''s a black substance then it must be produced by magic perhaps some some alchemist could produce it?'' the Duchess thought to herself, "Oh, i believe that the United Kingdom is fully confident that they could bring the Imperial Army down. Im curious in your military''s strength" the President of Italica said, "Sorry but Mr. President, i can not fully explain the arsenal and the weapons the British Military is using to the leaders right now. As of now, 100 British war planes and less than 5,000 military personnel had stayed in the military base here in Sienna" "Wow, isn''t that too few?" the President replied, "It may seem few to your understands your excellency, but you will understand" William replied, "Thank you everyone for attending the first allied meeting here in Sienna, i hope that this conference will lead to more a thriving relationship with everyone in the continent. And may we finally stop the advances of the Empire, until the next conference then." the Prime Minister finally dismissed the conference and everyone proceeded to leave the room minutes later. As everyone leaves the room, the Prime Minister asked the Queen where would the dignitaries return home to, "Your Majesty, isn''t the Grand Ducal Confederacy under Imperial occupation? and the one who shown up as the ambassador for the Confederacy is the Heir-apparent. I think because his father had voluntarily surrendered to the Empire? but where will he go home though right now?" "William, the King of Summerwyn was generous enough to temporarily accommodate all head of states and governments here in the spacious Re¨½e Palace, the Re¨½e Palace has a lot of apartments and the King generously let them occupy it for now while they are away from their homeland" the Queen replied, "Oh, lord thank the King for his generosity" William added, The King and Queen of the United Kingdom gave their goodbye message to the Monarchs of the Kingdom of Summerwyn for now and decided to leave, "Goodbye for now you''re highnesses, please be safe" the Prime Minister said to the king and queen of Summerwyn before leaving, "Thank you and be careful as well," The Prime Minister walked outside the Palace and entered to his car, the car with its speed left the Palace headed for Lincliff. -- Outskirts of Sienna -- But, men with muskets and bombards are seen from a distance marching towards the direction of Sienna. They are marching gallantly with horns and singing loudly, probably singing their anthem to spread fear and panic to the distance. The driver is a British military soldier who came from Lincliff to deliver the supplies, but as soon as he saw the marching army holding the Imperial banner. He immediately called the British base in Sienna to report what he had saw. He then immediately drive his way to Sienna to regroup with the British Army. "HQ,HQ REPORT!" the driver hurriedly calls the British Command As soon as he reaches contact he immediately reports the situation, "HQ! Officer Cadet Adam here! Thousands of armed men that might be affiliated to the Imperial Army are marching towards the direction of Sienna!" the cadet reported, The British Military Base in Sienna received the news, upon receiving the news. The Commander sent the report to the King to inform him of the current situation. The Imperial Army had been marching with twenty five to thirty thousand Imperial Troops, they are currently marching to build a camp not far away from the city. Meanwhile, the behemoth is also being transported by the ranks of the Imperial Army, covered with wool to prevent the enemy to identify what their transporting. The sight of a huge covered hidden bombard could easily give horror to everyone nearby. "Commander! should we do as the Royal Army tells us to? the Royal Army is advising us to evacuate the city by the end of the week. It seems like the Siennese Government doesn''t have any more hope for the defense of the city!" "Yes, we will comply with their advice. As soon as the Royal Army leaves, burn the military base into the ground and the Royal Air Force will leave in an instant whim. For now, we are to observe the strength of the Imperial Army and intervene to the Royal Army in any way possible" "Yes Sir!" The Royal Army, Kingdom of Summerwyn''s army is mostly under equipped and inexperienced young men who was forcibly conscripted by the Royal Government. Their number currently ranges to almost half a million, there are almost three hundred thousand Royal Army soldiers in the Capital. While the British Army has stationed the Royal Air Force with 100 war planes, the defenses of Sienna is uniquely under-equipped by the monarchs of Summerwyn as they had not expected any invasion from any foreign power. The ill-equipped and inexperienced but strong in numbers the Royal Army might just be able to fend off the less numbered but experienced Imperial Army with the help of the Royal Air Force. -- Re¨½e Palace -- "Sophie, call the other nobles to join us for Lincliff. Tell them to immediately pack all their things and tell the same to the servants this too, tell the servants to the foreign governments that resides here to come with us as well" the King said to the Queen, "Very well Edward, make sure you take your belongings and don''t forget them okay?" the Queen smiled and left the room, The King ordered his servants to take all of the King''s books in his library amounting to thirty to almost a hundred thousand books to be also transferred to Lincliff. His most important jewelries and their crown jewels are also being carefully transferred to Lincliff. The King, Queen and the Crown Prince. Along with the Dynasty''s supporters and Pro-Bretagne faction nobles, with foreign governments like the former-Heir apparent of the Grand Ducal Confederacy and the Holy Council, is to be escorted with the Royal Air Force''s military transport aircraft. The party arrived on the British Military Base a day after the sighting of the Imperial Army, the British Military saluted to the King and Queen. While guiding them to the military transport aircraft that will fly them to Lincliff. The British Military helped the Royal Government in placing the baggage and properties the passengers brought into the aircraft. Almost three to five military transport aircraft was used to transport the entire inhabitants of the Re¨½e Palace by noon of mid Autumn of 1454. The British Commander and several Royal Air Force personnel and aircraft we''re left in the base, the Commander eventually gave his orders as they sighted the Imperial Army marched in front of the walls of Sienna. "Bomb the positions of Imperial Army! Bomb their positions after fifteen minutes" the Commander ordered to the Royal Air Force, "Yes sir!" ''I am finally going to witness the Imperial Army''s tactics for the first time, i hope they don''t disappoint me.'' the Commander thought to himself, The Imperial Army arrived with nearly a number of thirty-thousand army in front of the city''s gates, the number of the defenders had reduced into a number of twenty thousand. The Royal Army started massive withdrawal from the week before, withdrawing to the city of Lincliff. "Sir! the Imperial Army is pulling something from their sleeves!" one soldier reported to the Commander, "What is it?", The Imperial Army began to reveal one huge object out of nowhere, the British Army was confused on how it appeared on a whim. Apparently the Imperial Army used invisibility magic to hide the object from the sight of the enemies. The Imperial Army''s commander, Clause. Pulled out the cloth from the object, revealing a huge towering siege cannon. "Holy sh-" "What the fuck is that are you kidding me? This is ridiculously bigger than the bombards in earth!" the Commander replied, The behemoth was already placed with ammunition in advance, the Imperial Army began to ignite the behemoth. After several minutes, a huge noise erupted from the behemoth. Releasing a huge ball from its mouth, penetrating the city''s walls reaching until the inner districts of the city. "For the Holy Emperor! For the Empire!" the Imperial Army shouted in valor, The Commander watched in horror as he saw the massive firepower of the bombard of the Imperial Army. He wanted to capture or at least destroy it to avoid the city of Lincliff avoid the same fate. "Alright, that bombard''s existence enough is dangerous for the existence of this kingdom. I might not be able to capture that thing, if i can''t capture it i will destroy it then" the Commander added, "Everyone!, I''m ordering the Royal Army left in the city to evacuate to the Inner districts of the City! The objective is to eliminate the Imperial Army''s Siege weapons to be used against Lincliff!" the Commander ordered, The Royal Air Force was then seeing it''s first operations again since the air raid on Fort Rose. They are to attack the Imperial Army''s positions and destroy the huge Imperial bombard. Meanwhile, a huge number of men on horseback can be seen far away. The horseback came near to the Imperial Army and revealed to be the defected army of the Pro-Imperial nobles. The Pro-Imperial Army had amassed a total of fifteen thousand troops, in an effort to help the Imperial Army capture the Summerwyn capital. ''Now, the walls are torn apart. The city is now for easy grabbing, After we captured the city the Imperial Army could do whatever it likes to and even plunder and loot the city for ourselves'' the Imperial General Clause thought to himself, The Imperial Cavalry along with the Pro-Imperial Army stormed the outer districts of the city, massacring everyone who defies them. They carried the Imperial Insignia while heading to the more prosperous areas of the inner districts. They saw the walls of the Inner districts partly damaged by the Bombard too, as they we''re about to enter the damaged walls of the Inner district. A loud noise emerged near the Inner districts, sounds of ''ratatatatat'' can be heard. RATATATATATATATTAT~ "WOOHOO, TAKE THAT IMPERIAL ARMY!" The Commander, Commander George took his personal favorite. A machine gun, he used his weapon to shoot dozens of his enemies flowing into the Inner District. RATATATATAT~ The Imperial Cavalry dies one by one, along with the Pro-Imperial Army that attempts to enter the Inner Districts. The Commander ordered the Royal Air Force through his phone to bomb the Imperial Army''s Main Artillery in front of the city''s walls. "Hello?! Royal Air Force Immediately bomb the target, the target which is a huge artillery like machinery in front of the city gates used by the Imperial Army. Immediately annihilate that thing before it disappears just like what happened earlier!" the Commander ordered, "Yes Sir!" Numerous bombers from the Military Air Base began to depart, immediately heading to the southern gates of the city. Several minutes had passed, and the bombers reached the destination. "Identified the target!" The British Bombers from the above began to flies in the skies, however as they pass through the souther gates of the city. They rained death and misfortune to the Imperial Army, the dropped bombs to the so-called ''behemoth'' of the Imperial Army. The Imperial Army outside the southern gates began to dessert one by one, a huge smoke covered the place for a while. "What is this unbelievable power?" "This is the same thing that wreaked havoc on the fort!" ''I never thought we will also encounter this, i hope the Imperial bombard is safe!" General Clause turned and saw the aftermath of the smokes in front of him, "Object successfully eliminated. The Artillery was bombed and destroyed by the Royal Air Force. God Save the Queen" The Royal Air Force returned to the military base with their successful news, "Request more reinforcements from the Empire! call the Holy Emperor through the magic telegram and ask more reinforcements! We need reinforcements to secure Sienna!" Clause ordered while looking in horror to the destroyed Imperial Behemoth. The Behemoth, a successful product of the Imperial Army''s Magic Weaponry Department. With years of careful research and heavy funding from the Imperial Treasury. Had managed to make this powerful weapon. ''To think that the Empire''s main bombard would be destroyed in a whim, i afraid that the Emperor is after my head if i ever return to the Capital. There, in front of the southern gates. Are ruins of the once-former monster, the behemoth has been bombed to bits by the Royal Air Force and is no longer functioning. And after a short while, an helicopter could be seen flying in the inner districts of the city. Carrying a man with some strange objects with him, "What is that?" The Imperial Army wondered on the unexplained occurrences they have been experiencing since the beginning of the battle. The Commander, then used a loudspeaker to announce to the Imperial Army the retreat of the British Army, "Invaders! the Imperial Army! you have fought the wrong enemy! we are now leaving this city and we wish you at least respect and spare the inhabitants of the city. WE are declaring the city of Sienna an OPEN CITY. We are voluntarily leaving the city and flee somewhere else, remember if you mistreat the inhabitants of the city. This will be seen as a war crime by the United Continental Alliance! and from now on, The United Continental Alliance fights against the Holy Estermage Empire!" The British Army along with the last remnants of the Royal Army evacuated the Summerwyn Capital in an orderly manner, the Palace of Re¨½e was completely uninhabited after the evacuation of the Summerwyn government. "Let it loose" The British Military Base was burned to the ground, all of its important technological assets immediately removed and taken away by the British Army. By the time the sun was setting, the Imperial Insignia was raised from the corners of Sienna. All important offices is now replaced by the Imperial Insignia, The Imperial Army then made the Re¨½e Palace their main headquarters in Inner Summerwyn. The officers of the Imperial Army gloriously made their entry onto the ornate facade of the Palace. "Immediately report to the Holy Emperor the astounding news today! Tell him that he can be crowned as the most supreme Holy Emperor of Roseby! immediately relay the news to the magic telegram!" -- Imperial Palace -- "You Highness, report from the Imperial Army from Sienna" "Hmmm? from Sienna you mean?" The Emperor immediately turned on the magic telegram message, General Clause appeared in the background, exchanging formalities until reporting the latter''s mission, "Your Highness, the Holy Emperor Dudendorf of the most Serene and Powerful Holy Estermage Empire. Your Highness can now proudly call himself Emperor of the Continent. If it hadn''t for the Italican Navy we would had undoubtedly subjugated Italica. But we could conquer Italica for a later time, but for now. The most Serene city of Sienna had fallen to the Imperial Army, the most ornate facades and mirrors of the salons of the extravagant Re¨½e Palace can now host His Highness'' coronation as the Holy Emperor of the Continent! we would expect more orders here for now we would standby. We hoped to defeat the final rebellious armies of Summerwyn in Lincliff. That is all, thank you" The magic telegram messaged ended, The Holy Emperor smirked and his dreams are slowly being realized. 26 Fall of Summerwyn -- Late Autumn of 1454 -- Autumn, the season where the leaves of the trees changes its color and fall from its branches. The Autumn season of the year 1454 is one of the worst for the Crown of Sienna. The Imperial Army, with its superior firepower invaded through the Grand Duchy and successfully passed the Royal Army in the Sommen Pass. Besieging Sienna by mid-Autumn and capturing it later. Despite of the huge casualties the Imperial Army had received on the later parts of the campaign, in which kind of became controversial for the Emperor as he thought that the Imperial Army was not going to take much casualties. But nevertheless, the Holy Emperor began to prepare his efforts of crowning himself the Emperor of the Continent and set his sights on Italica. -- Re¨½e Palace -- It has been a day now after the fall of the most serene city of Sienna, the Imperial Army mostly the higher-ranking officers and the defected nobles from Summerwyn joined in on the Palace and planned the eventual take-over of the whole of Summerwyn. "Sir! more and more towns and cities surrendered to the Imperial Army and accepted our ultimatum!" "Very good, make sure to send the Imperial Army immediately in those areas to administrate the area immediately" "General!" one young soldier called the General while walking, "What is it?" General Clause replied, "The Imperial General Staff wants to talk with you through the magic telegram" "Ok, very well" General Clause immediately went to a nearby salon in the Palace and locked the doors. He opened his magic telegram to start his conversation with the Imperial General Staff, They exchanged formalities with the Imperial General Staff until proceeding into formal matters, "Nice to meet you again, the Great Five Generals" "It''s a pleasure to work with you again, Honorable-General Clause of the Imperial Army" "It is an honor to meet you again, may i know the intent of this telegram?" "We are here to discuss the final tactical plan to wrestle total Imperial control all over the continent" "Oh i see..." "So, the remaining areas that are not yet subjugated by the Imperial Army are, numerous towns and cities notably Lincliff in Summerwyn, and most famously the Republic of Italica" "The Italican Navy sure is troublesome, any news about the Italican Wyvern Force though?" "None yet, but it''s possible that they got more through from the east" "Though wasn''t the Imperial plan to spread fear and hamper the Italican war effort? How come Italica didn''t surrendered yet?" "Italica didn''t give up as the Empire planned, that is why we are going to infiltrate the Republic inside" "Hmmm, i see. Goodluck in Italica though, so what should we do with the deserters in Lincliff?" "We would more reinforcements when spring comes, after winter ends early next year. The Imperial Army would send more forces. Almost a third of the Imperial Army would be sent there in Sienna to assist in capturing Lincliff and defeating the coalition force there, apparently the country called United Kingdom warned us a few days ago about this war and decided to declared war on us though..." "Wait what? a country called United what? Excuse me but i haven''t heard of that before" "Yeah it''s natural that you wouldn''t have heard of it before yet, because their visit here a few days ago in the Holy Emperor''s court was really sudden and they just suddenly demanded to the Empire that we give up our recent gains in which we obviously wouldn''t give up on such a whim" "But what did they do? they just demanded or what?" "As we had said earlier, they arrived in the Imperial Palace after an advanced diplomat came first. Before informing us that their head of state is visiting in the next few days. Which shocked us since a head of state was about to visit us, but it''s natural since the Holy Emperor is so powerful everyone would want to see him. However, what we did not expect was the sudden declaration and demands of the country. There was two state of heads to be exact who visited the Throne room, among there was the Queen and a so-called Prime Minister which supposedly runs their government in their country. The two after formal greetings immediately demanded that the Empire to stop our so-called "Unjust Occupations" on the territories we got from our neighbors. They then demanded more outrageous demands from the Empire and they would declare war on us if we refused, in which we honorably refused. The United Kingdom then supposedly declared war on us...." "Have there any instances though that the armies of the United Kingdom clashed with ours?" "We believe that there weren''t any instances yet that the United Kingdom had clashed with our armies, we don''t even know where that country is located." General Clause was thinking deeply, thinking that something just isn''t right. He then suddenly remembered the mysterious surprise night attack on Fort Rose and the short defense in Sienna. "Wait.. I think i clashed with them before..." "Eh?! really?! if you did kindly tell us!" "What?! i don''t think if you would like to hear it though..." "We would like to!" "To be honest... i think it will just let you down.. but fine if it''s for the sake of the Empire." "Very well" "So, after we had successfully passed the Sommen Pass and capture the general of the Royal Army, we had proceeded and besieged Fort Rose. Which immediately fell using the behemoth, after the fortress fell we threw a victory party and almost all of us become drunk. After the party almost everyone went to their tents and slept inside the fortress when, during the midnight which flying objects that appears to be metal birds flies through the skies, the metal birds dropped bombs from such a height and it''s speed was too fast that the fireballs launched by the mages can''t keep up. The bombs from the metal birds was devastating enough, enough that nearly seventy-five thousand men from the Imperial Army we''re lost in an instant in just one night. And i think the United Kingdom has to play or at least partly responsible with that incident" "Is that all?" "Hmmm.. Oh! there was that time during the short siege on Sienna. There was one man who wielded such magic that he eliminated hundreds of our allies who attempted to enter the Inner districts of Sienna with ease. Then, a few seconds later we didn''t realized that the metal birds earlier had made the behemoth their target and proceeded to bomb and destroy it. The behemoth was no longer functional and succesfully destroyed by the enemy. After the behemoth was also bombed by the same metal birds that we saw earlier, the man began to retreat with some a much larger force too from the city. In which he said and quoted "United Continental Alliance" and he said it''s an alliance and it''s clear aim is to fight us. I believe that is all i could remember" "Oh that was fine, anyways if this ''United Kingdom'' has knowledge and possesses some kind of military technology. It would been great if we hadn''t angered them though" "Yeah i agree, I''m just hoping that the next battles that we might encounter, we must not encounter the army of the United Kingdom" "But, anyways so what are we going to do now?" the General asked, "Oh? ah ok, the final war plans? the final war plans is so simple, for now the Imperial Army in the inner Summerwyn would subjugate lesser cities and towns with the exception of Lincliff, and during the winter the Imperial Intelligence Agency will stage a coup on that island. After winter, the Imperial Army would send more reinforcements and by mid- to late spring, the Imperial Armies could regroup in Sienna. After regrouping, the Imperial Army would then head to Lincliff and finally-once and for all destroy the last remnants of the Royal Army. For now you could relax and enjoy the stay there in Re¨½e Palace, you know what we are so jealous like we want to go there already you''re so damn lucky" "Hahahahahah it must suck staying with your ass there all day in the Imperial Palace huh" "How dare you mock our workplace?! we''ll make sure we''ll get there on spring!" "Hahahaa ok, just come here on spring so we can drink!" "Ok ok, but for now we have to work." The two parties finally bid farewell for now, After a few moments, the magic telegram ended. The conversation ended. ''Ahh it''s so relaxing here, though the shelves are literally empty. This must been filled with books before,'' Clause traversed all the empty shelves of the salon. Clause then unlocked the door and stepped outside, and proceeded to walk through the vast hallways of the Palace. ''The ornate facades of the palace is so wonderful, no wonder all the aristocrats in the Empire dreamt of at least visiting a ball here once. But it seems like military men this time would use this heheh'' ''hmm i would like to pay a visit the gardens though'', General Clause then decided to take a stroll in the vibrant gardens outside the Palace, he then strolled in the gardens and found a pavilion in the middle of it, ''Wow a pavilion'' He immediately went there and decided to sit in the pavilion. ''This is so relaxing, it''s as if though I''m back home.'' While looking through the gardens in the pavilion, snow slowly began to fall from the above ''Wow winter finally began. I could finally rest for the time being'' With the Winter season for the Imperial Army in Sienna, their job is to garrison Sienna for the time being, while also demanding the subjugation of other areas in the Empire. But they will no doubt accept the demand in no time since Sienna had fell to the Imperial Army. Whilst siting in the pavilion, the General would then slowly fell asleep. -- City of Lincliff -- "5 Military transports coming from Sienna!" "Immediately prepare the landing!" The Military Base outside Lincliff is busier as usual, the citizens of Lincliff are troubled with the noise the military has been since early morning. Meanwhile in the city, everyone already talks about the ruckus since this morning, "Hey what''s with all the noise?" one man asked to a young woman in a tavern, "Oh those ones mister? i heard that those British guys are like escorting his highness, the King from the Sienna" "Oh really? so the Imperial Army had captured Sienna already?" "Yes probably? i haven''t heard any news about the situation in Sienna yet" "That is possible since the Grand Duchy fell already" "But i guess who knows?" the young woman replied, -- Mayor''s Palace -- The Queen of the United Kingdom, Queen Anne is in the balcony of the Palace drinking her favorite afternoon tea accompanied with macarons. "Hmmm, i can''t relax" the Queen said to herself, The mayor then walked towards the Queen and talked to her with a serious face, "Madam, something we expect had happened already." "You mean? it''s too fast I''m just probably shocked by the sudden turn of events. But how''s the King and his family?" "They''re currently being escorted your highness from the Military Base, they will stay in a Palace not far away from here. They will stay in a estate the Royal Family owned in the city." he replied, "Oh i see, i would like to have a dinner with their royal family though" "Oh is that so your majesty?" "Yes" "If that''s so i would arrange a dinner with the Royal Family by tomorrow are you fine with the time though?" "Absolutely!" With things in this order, the world is slowly descending onto more chaos. But for now, everyone would taste the finer things in life before the world slowly descends into chaos. While the continent is slowly being occupied by the Holy Empire, it is only a matter of time before the Republic of Italica suffers the same fate. 27 Coup déta -- Republic of Italica, Early Winter of 1454 -- "Hey did you heard the news? Sienna had fell to the Imperial Army! i hope the King and his family is safe, the Imperial Army is truly scary..." "What?! that was so sudden!" The people of Italica can''t believe at the sudden news of the immediate capture of the Kingdom of Summerwyn''s Capital, Sienna to the Imperial Army. They didn''t expect that the city would fell to the Imperial Army in a span of short time. -- White Palace -- "Mr President, this are the report from the British Oil Excavation Team" "Oh.. it seems like the British had found a lot in the seas of Prospera. Aren''t they going to pay us for it?" "The British Government promised to develop the country''s infrastructure, we could probably expect more after the war" ''sigh, i do hope that we can win this war and those metal ships from the United Kingdom must better be legitimate not just some stupid floating scrap metal...'' The President then continued to do his paper as usual to finish his work early on, The Republic of Italica had suffered major casualties early in the war, the Imperial Wyverns of the Holy Empire had been used to spread devastation from the skies of Italica. Shops and residences we''re destroyed and the White Palace was severely damaged. But, the heroic wyvern forces of the Republic of Italica stood strong, and managed to inflict casualties on the Imperial Wyverns. the Italican wyverns we''re nearly annihilated but the Imperial wyverns did not dare to bomb the city for a while again and decided to support it''s campaign against the Grand Bishop. After the destructive bombings, the Republic of Italica miracolously met the United Kingdom, the United Kingdom sent a flotilla consisting of one aircraft carrier with several destroyers and frigates. The British Flotilla was then stationed on the harbor in the Central District, after the subsequent arrival of the Royal Navy. Foreign investment began to pour into the country, the British began investing a lot of money into the Republic, that includes the current oil exploration in the seas near it. The British also started facilitated the opening of numerous multinational company shops that had proven to be extremely popular to the Italican populace. The dockyard of the country in the central district is also being improved by the British, the British also sent financial aid and resources to the country to relieve the country from it''s bombed structures. Resulting into the beginning of the recovery of the country, after a year the Republic of Italica had nearly recovered from it''s war torn state, and it has been able to fend off the Imperial Army thanks to the Italican Navy. The Italican Navy is one of the most powerful navies in the continent well before the British arrival. The British not just bit business establishments and improved the country''s dockyard, it also erected anti-air defenses in case of an wyvern attack again. The President was then suddenly being woken up by his assistant, "Mr. President! Mr. President!" The President was then awoken by his assistant''s voice while he fell asleep from his desk, "What? What is it?" it is early morning, and the President didn''t realize that he had fell asleep on his desk the night before, "Mr. President, it is an emergency. The Royal Navy is departing!" "Wait what?! on what reasons though?!" "The Royal Navy told us that you had told them to leave though?" "What?! No i did not! Immediately call the Royal Navy to return to the docks of the Central District before the Imperial Navy does so!" "But Mr. President, we don''t have any form of long range communications with the Royal Navy. Any sort of communication with the United Kingdom must be through phone contact only since they don''t utilize magic telegram..." "Damn! immediately send one of any fleet in the Italican Navy and send them where the Royal Navy is heading, where is the Royal Navy heading though?!" "We did not asked but it''s possible that its going to Lincliff..." "Lincliff?! isn''t that still way far up north?" "Yes sir, but we do not know yet.." The President is stressed but tries to calm himself down... ''Just who told the Royal Navy to leave?! like i had never told them once to leave and i personally had asked their help!'' "Ok, order the remaining wyvern force of the country. Tell them to fly discreetly towards Lincliff and go to the Royal Navy there. even if the Royal Navy did not go there, it''s possible that there''s a sizable force of British force there. "Yes Mr. President" The President''s assistant immediately went out of the room and proceeded to carry the President''s orders. ''This is being so stressful, just the first two years of presidency and I''m all with this problems'' He moves the window''s curtains to the sides and proceeded to look to the outside view of the office just behind his working desk, ''Im tired'' ''I just want a rest from all this shit'' ''But this is what i get from being the President, I''m the President of this country and it''s my responsibility to take care of the well-being of my people. I chose this path myself so I''m the one to blame. Whatever happens to my country falls to my actions...'' The President gazes through his office windows, he could only see the gardens inside the Palace. Apparently, the gardens in the White Palace is much smaller than the others since the availability of land in the country is much smaller. As he gazes through, a sudden knock on the door shocks him. "What who is that?!" He walks near the door and takes a peek on the peephole, he opens it and his Assistant from earlier had once again came in. "Oh, you''re here again? Wasn''t that too fast?" "I happen to stumble one of the officers of the Wyvern Force just outside the Palace, but Mr. President someone is looking for you downstairs..." "Really? who?!" "The Admiral..." "The Admiral? Why would he visit me on such a hectic schedule?" "I do not know Mr. President.." Not knowing the reason, the President along with his assistant went downstairs to meet the Admiral of the Italican Navy. ''Why is the Admiral here? Isn''t he supposed to be patrolling the seas with the fleet to guard off the Republic against the Empire? Don''t tell me he''s slacking!'' The President calmly walked towards downstairs to talk with the Admiral, "Isn''t he just downstairs? Why isn''t he here?" "I do not know Mr. President!, let''s just take a look outside!" The Assistant opened the doors outside the entrance to look for the Admiral, "Mr. President there the is the Admiral!" The President immediately went to the Assistant''s direction to head to the Entrance to meet the Admiral, "What where?!" The President was surprised to see no one outside, "You got to be kidding me" "But i swear Mr. President i just saw the Admiral there earlier.." "Whatever, ill just go back to the office..." As the President turns however, a few men with navy uniforms had their muskets positioned against him inside the Palace, "Wait Howw did you get inside?!" The President assumed that they probably sneaked in earlier, "Oh, if it isn''t the President..." The President turned and saw his assistant with the Admiral in front of the entrance, The Admiral with his men, his men had positioned their muskets against him. "What?! What is the meaning of this you traitor..." "Mr. President, it would been great if you were a bit nicer to me earlier though" "You stupid brat!" "Silence!" Everyone went into silence as the Admiral told them so, "President, surrender all your powers to me now. Or die" "Wait, don''t tell me... you we''re the one who let the Royal Navy leave?!" "So what about it?!" ''This shit is pissing me off'' "So what if I''m not willing to give my power off?" "Then die," "Stupid" As the President did not wanted to give his powers away to the Admiral, the Admiral then gave his orders to his men to proceed to fire against the President. "3,2,1, FIRE!" Sounds of bullets echoes in the room, the President was deeply wounded, the President fell through the ground with his body full of blood. The Assistant would then move forward and proclaim, "Let us worship the new Supreme Ruler of the Republic of Italica! the Grand Admiral of the Italican Navy had righteously usurped the corrupt President from his seat in the White Palace! Long Live the Republic!" "Long Live the Republic!" The Republic of Italica would be shaken and the citizens of the Republic would begin to leave in fear and hardship from now on against the tyrannical forces of the new government. The Admiral would then began to seat in the President''s former office, "Wow, with your excellent wit and intelligence Your Excellency, we managed to usurp the foolish President!" "Yeah, but i wouldn''t managed that without your help" "Oh, that one!" "Yeah, if you hadn''t let me stamped the fake withdrawal order to the President while he''s sleeping, good thing his signatures are stamped. It''s easy to fabricate the documents, with that we had managed to issue a fake order of withdrawal to the Royal Navy with a supposed signature of the President. With that, no one would be able to resist our glorious rule in this island" "But, isn''t the Italican Army pathetic though?" "Wow don''t call our grand army like that though, don''t worry i already thought about the Army. We would just peace out with the Holy Empire and betray the Allies.... and we will ask the Imperial Army to garrison us here.." "What?! are you out of your mind sir? Haven''t you just saw how powerful the Royal Navy is?!" "Are you an idiot? We haven''t seen the Royal Navy performed a real battle yet. They might just be some stupid models just to intimidate us. No need to worry on the Royal Navy I''m sure they''re just pathetic who values aesthetics" "...." ''Stupid Assistant, he better thank himself that i spared him despite his uselessness'' "Hey, by the way immediately call the Imperial ambassador. Call the Empire via telegram, we would peace out as soon as possible" "Yes sir" -- Imperial Palace -- ''Hmm Peace Out?!" "Yes your Highness, apparently this is one of the plan of the Imperial General Staff. The Admiral of the Italican Navy was bribed by your most loyal noble, Zachary. And he is now requesting an Imperial Ambassador to sign a peace treaty as soon as possible" "Hmmm Interesting... Very well send an ambassador there. Are you going to send in the Imperial Army now though?" "Not yet your Highness, the Imperial Army would go there at a much later date though" The Imperial Ambassador would then soon arrive in the docks of the Central District, there was the Admiral and his men waiting. There they signed the treaty in the White Palace, "Wow, i can not believe your selling your country for just a sum of money?!" "Yes i am indeed that desperate" The two sides then signed the peace treaty, confirming the establishment of a Imperial protectorate in the Republic of Italica. "There, expect the Imperial Army would arrive sooner. Until then, i expect you come to the Holy Emperor''s coronation in Sienna soon" "Wow isn''t it too soon?" "Well, it isn''t just for propaganda. The Holy Emperor wanted to demoralize the enemy and raise morale in the Imperial Army before the Imperial Army deals with the problematic Royal Army in Lincliff" "Ok very well, i might attend since i would like to visit the Palace though" "Oh nice, the Re¨½e Palace is indeed wonderful. I went there once and the space is so spacious much spacious in this White Palace and the gardens are so magnificent. You could relax and forget the stress for a while. No wonder why the Kingdom of Summerwyn was one of the greatest powers in the continent before our glorious Holy Empire usurped that position." "Ahh ok." 28 Emperor of the Continen -- Imperial Palace -- It is early winter, snow had finally began falling from the skies above. The snow that eventually came from the above piled up in the surroundings and the climate gradually become cooler. While in the Imperial Palace, the Imperial Family is rejoicing at the news of the surrender of the Republic of Italica. The sudden Treaty of Italica was seen as a victory to the Empire and a humilitiating defeat to the Republic and the Allies. "A job well done, i was indeed not wrong at having my highest expectations on you. The Imperial General Staff is indeed one of the greatest assets the Empire has!" "It is our pleasure to serve you our Holy Emperor, it is nothing but luck and our great intellect that we managed to let the petty state of Italica to bow to you Your Highness" "Very well, i would award the Imperial General Staff one of the highest orders! as part of your humble request, you could oversee the final battle against the city of Lincliff and you could come with me to my coronation next month" "Thank you very much Your Highness, you kindness indeed knows no bounds" The Five Great Generals representing the Imperial General Staff then left the room, ''Hmmm, now i could finally be crown in Sienna. I could finally become the Holy Emperor of the continent!'' "How''s the work in my new crown jewel?" "Your Highness? oh the new crown jewels for the coronation?! I heard the Imperial Ministry of Culture and the Imperial Household has been taking care of it now Your Highness," "Oh that''s good to hear, we''re there any news about the Crown Jewels though?" "About it Your Highness, all i heard was it would be certainly prepared before your coronation next month." "Very well, have you sent the invitation for those who are attending though?" "Yes Your Highness, i already sent invitation letters to the most important people in the Holy Empire" "Very Well" The Emperor suddenly became quiet and thought about the alarming situation in the stability of the Empire. ''Hmmm, the great revolt of the duchies is still not yet suppressed... the revolt of the Duchess of Leo¨½e had been problematic as they we''re harassing the Imperial logistic lines earlier until recently i sent the Imperial Army and the Imperial Navy to blockade the coast. Though, undoubtedly the most problematic would be the Empress. I should had moved earlier than that slut so i could had a leverage but i underestimated her so i did not realized that she already moved against me. For now, the Imperial Army led by Zachary still did not produce any results of the Duchy falling to the Imperial Army it seems like it''s going to take a while before i could re-take my son... i do not know what should i do with the Empress though.. I think i should just execute her like i did to her father? hehehe execution through beheading by the guillotine in front of the public seems nice...'' -- streets of the Imperial Capital, Ostshore -- The streets of the Imperial Capital is filled with middle classes and aristocratic families from all over the Empire, the Imperial Capital is also home to a lot of commodities from all over the Empire, in which they all end up to the Imperial Capital. The Imperial Capital houses the lower classes and the laborers alike just outside the rich and prosperous premises of the capital, the inhabitants of the poor suburbs much outnumbers the rich and therefore could revolt en masse if they want to. However, the Imperial Capital also houses the Imperial Palace. Which is the power base of the Empire, in which a lot of powerful government institutions resides, the Imperial Secret Police is also located in the Imperial Palace. The Imperial Secret Police does a lot of shady things in order to preserve the Holy Emperor''s power and influence towards rebellious and dissenting voices. The Imperial Secret Police will decide to invade your privacy because it''s "in the name of the Emperor" and will not hesitate to destroy everything that is considered unsafe and "treasonous against the Emperor". Two women then talked about the sudden fall of prices of basic commodities in a coffee house in the streets of the Imperial capital, "Hey, have you heard that? the prices of bread might finally fall since the beginning of the war." "What, really? why the sudden change though?!" "Oh i heard because a lot of stock of wheat should come from Summerwyn" "Wouldn''t that be good news though?!" "Yes. Though I''m not really into that much in politics. I could say the Emperor and his officials is doing good though?" "Yeah i pretty much agree too" The woman sips into her newly-brewed coffee, "Yuckk! The coffee is so bitter!" "What? really?" "Yes!" "But mine doesn''t!" "Lucky you..." Meanwhile in the Imperial Palace, "Your Highness!" one servant called the Holy Emperor whilst entering the Holy Emperor''s Throne Room, "What is it?" "Your Highness! your coach is ready!" "Very well, pack all my belongings and make sure the escort is there already" "Yes sir!" ''I''m planning to stay in the magnificent Re¨½e Palace by winter, i would like to see the splendor of that Palace. Im also going to oversee the venue where I''m going to be crowned the Emperor of the continent. Hahaha, i can''t wait to laugh on the petty King of Summerwyn, i had waited for years to see the fruit of my handwork happen and here we are. Soon, the Holy Empire will be known to history as the greatest country to ever exist on earth and we will undoubtedly last for a thousand years.'' The Emperor stood up and his elite body guards then escorted him whilst walking through the hallways of the Palace, "Where is the Holy Emperor going to?" one Palace guard asked to another while on a guard duty in one of the hallways, "Shh! the Emperor might hear you!" "What I''m just asking..." "Haven''t you heard it? Like we we''re just talking about it earlier during lunch. You should avoid sleeping a lot, you see the Emperor is going to crown himself soon as the Emperor of the continent. Got it?" "Woah that''s cool" "Yeah i know right" -- City of Lincliff, Kingdom of Summerwyn -- The Queen of the United Kingdom went on to attend a grand-opening ceremony of a British Hotel in the city. The new hotel was called "Queen Anne Hotel" in namesake for the current queen, The Queen went upstage to thank the crowd and the company who built the hotel in the ceremony, "I am thanking everyone especially to the company who built this Hotel, it is my honor to have this hotel to be named in honor of me. It is indeed such an honor, i hope that this 32-story 5-star hotel will be a step towards the extension of the friendly relations with the British and Summerwyn government. Long live the British-Summerwyn Alliance!" "Long Live the Alliance!" "Thank you very much.: The Queen then went downstairs to sit near the Summerwyn Royal Family, The Queen and King of the United Kingdom then would spend the night eating dinner with the Royal Family of Summerwyn, "Wow, we rarely had chances like this you know" Queen Sophie said, "Yes you are exactly right!" Queen Anne replied, "Don''t you have any child though?" the curious Crown-Prince of Summerwyn replied, "Of course we have!" King Winston replied, "Hahaha, don''t worry my son. Im sure you will meet the heir of the crown of the United Kingdom soon" "Ok" "Im really sorry i can''t bring my son today" the Queen replied, "Oh, no it''s fine!" Queen Sophie replied, "You know what, i really liked those tea culture you brought to the Palace! the Nobles and the like liked it! They used to be on nuts on tea and afternoon tea habit when we were still on the Re¨½e Palace!" "Oh you really liked it that much?" "Yes we did not even expect it!" "Oh and by the way.." "Hmm yes?" "Shouldn''t you like evacuate much further than here? Than in Lincliff?" "Why''s that?" "Well, Queen Sophie it''s possible that the Imperial Army would do something against your family behind the shadows. Since the city of Lincliff is now slowly getting closer to the Imperial Army right?" "Yes... but we won''t have any place than Lincliff to evacuate to.. the other choice is Italica. But travel to Italica will take days even by the Royal Navy right?" "And we are also not fully certain if the Republic of Italica is that safe, but the Royal Navy has a flotilla docked there right?" "Yes, we have one flotilla indeed docked there" "But, Queen Sophie the United Kingdom would gladly let all of you in including all governments that we''re wrongfully expelled and mistreated by the Empire. All of you could make governments in exile in London and we will assure your safety. We would also give all of you free accommodation and the basic needs of your family and the governments will be answered by the British government for free" "We will think about it.." "Ok, its fine to think about it for now. We will wait for until tomorrow in the British Embassy here in the city. The British people will welcome you with open arms do not worry" "Thank you Queen Anne" Queen Sophie thanked the Queen of the United Kingdom, "No, don''t thank me. Im just doing what is right in this moment" while the two smiled to each other, The two then proceeded to eat and finish their meal, whilst continuing to talk with the two families for a long while before the party finally ended by mid night. "Cheers!" The Queen of the United Kingdom cheered with the Queen of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. While fireworks began to illuminate the sky, the crowds we''re fascinated by the sight of fireworks in the skies. It is the first time that the populace of Lincliff saw the spectacular lights produced by fireworks. "Wow, this is such a great work of art" Queen Sophie commented on the fireworks, "Yes... I think I''m slowly seeing the good future that is waiting for the continent my dear" King Edward replied to Queen Sophie, "Yes. For now we must strive for positivity, let''s be positive and that the whole Kingdom will be free from the suffering of the Empire. Im sure we would be able to liberate our subjects from the Emperor.." "Yes indeed, let''s just be positive" The two smiled and hugged to each other, The King and Queen of the United Kingdom happily looked to the expressions of the King and Queen of the Kingdom of Summerwyn. ''Such a happy couple'' the Queen thought to herself, "Hey.. Winston." "Yes, Anne?" "Can.. you hug me too? you haven''t hug me for a while.." "That''s because your too strict as a Queen that sometimes I''m scared" "Hahaha that''s me when I''m doing my responsibilities, but for now hug me. Hug me tightly" The King then hugged the Queen tightly, Winston hugged the Queen tightly. "Ouch too tight!" "Oh, sorry" "Oh, it''s fine don''t worry" "Oh my, i did not know the two of you are also so sweet!" the Queen Sophie joked in a distance, "What?! Oh my Sophie you saw that?" "Wow, of course we would! we are in a public place of course!" The Queen was then suddenly embarrassed, "Never mind" "Never mind, we''ll go sleep now. See you tomorrow then!" Queen Sophie said to Queen Anne, "Goodnight, sweet dreams Queen Sophie" "Sweet dreams too Queen Anne!" The Royal Family of Summerwyn left on a royal coach of the Royal Family of Summerwyn and returned home to their personal estate in the city. "Im tired now too Winston, should we sleep now too? I will have to do a lot of things tomorrow too" "Oh, wait what here in the hotel?" "What? yes of course. There is no other place we could sleep on other than the Hotel, are you out of your mind?" "Oh sorry, I''m just feeling way too sleepy" "Okay, call the bodyguards and we''ll go sleep now" The Queen and King of the United Kingdom would then rest on the newly-built Hotel on that night. The Grand Opening of the Queen Anne Hotel was a huge success and it marked that the financial investments of the United Kingdom in the Kingdom of Summerwyn had been successful so far. --Sienna, Imperial Military Government of Sienna-- -- Re¨½e Palace -- The Re¨½e Palace, which was occupied alongside the capital city of Sienna is now occupied by the military officials and bureaucrats of the Imperial Army. "Hey! immediately prepare the Palace! the Holy Emperor is arriving sooner!" "Yes sir!" "General Clause!" one soldier arrived in the General''s office in one of the Palace''s Salons, "What is it?" "His Highness, the Emperor is arriving today" "Very well, heightened the alertness of the Imperial Army today and make sure that the masses of Sienna are controlled. Don''t hesitate to use force as necessary" "Yes sir" It is the day that the Holy Emperor is arriving, the Emperor is set to be crowned as the Holy Emperor of the continent in the balcony of the Re¨½e Palace this week. "How''s the crown?" "Yes sir, the new Imperial Crown is adorned with jewels salvaged from the Republic of Italica which originated from the east. The Imperial Crown and scepter is also made of gold, we could be fully certain that the Crown Jewels the Holy Emperor is going to wear is extremely wonderful" "Very well, make sure the preparations are as smooth until the Emperor wears it! Makes sure that the Emperor is also in great comfort wearing it!" "Yes sir!" The Chief of the Imperial Ministry of Culture is overseeing the preparations in the Re¨½e Palace. "The Emperor is here!" Everyone was then suddenly alarmed and immediately went to their posts, "Everyone please calm down and calmly work in your designated posts! The Holy Emperor along with the Five Great Generals would want to rest from the long exhausting journey so please relax!" A white coach adorned with gold and other expensive jewels with its fantastic wheels touching the ground enters the Palace Gates of the renown Re¨½e Palace. The coach then arrives in front of the entrance of the Re¨½e Palace. The coachman opened the door and a huge figure came from the inside, revealing the Holy Emperor. The Holy Emperor stepped his feet outside the coach and was immediately escorted by his bodyguards. He was then accompanied by the chief of the Imperial Ministry of Culture in the entrance of the Palace. "That was indeed a tiring journey Your Highness, come and i will show you the magnificent place for you to rest Your Highness" The Emperor followed the chief''s guidance along with his bodyguards as they traverse through the lovely hallways of the Re¨½e Palace, ''Wow this is so extravagant, this is my first time visiting here. I did not know that there is something that rivals my Imperial Palace, to think my far away relatives had made such a Palace filled with beauty..'' The Emperor thought to himself, "Here, this is your room for now Your Highness, Please relax and enjoy" The chief then guided him to a door of a salon, he then went inside and there was a huge master bed and the bodyguards guarded the entrance outside. ''I can finally sleep for now...'' The Emperor then went ahead to sleep in the middle of the afternoon in his bed, -- City of Lincliff -- Meanwhile in the city of Lincliff, The Queen and King of the United Kingdom was drinking an afternoon tea in the Hotel''s cafe, "Wow this cake tastes good" "Really?" When suddenly they we''re interrupted by the Queen Sophie and Kind Edward of Summerwyn, "Hey would the two of you mind us joining?" "Oh, that would be great!" The two joined in the afternoon tea by the two, "Wow the two of you are really enjoying this tea parties" the Queen of the United Kingdom said to the two, "Yeah exactly! i found this culture really fascinating!" Queen Sophie replied, "Yeah that''s nice of you to appreciate our culture Queen Sophie," "It''s nothing i just really enjoy it" Queen Sophie replied, The monarchs would continue talking for hours having fun until ordering more tea and snacks from the counter, "Wow this Cheesecake really tastes so good!" Queen Sophie commented on the Cafe''s cheesecake, "You like cheesecake too?!" Queen Anne asked, "Yes Queen Anne it just tastes so good!" "I know right!" While the two we''re complimenting the cheesecake, one of the Queen''s bodyguard gave a sudden news to the Queen, ''What?'' "Uhm, Queen Anne what''s supposed to be the problem? "Oh no this is bad, the Republic of Italica has fallen and the Imperial Army has been seen on Italican soil!" "What?" "And that, the Emperor is also being crowned in the Re¨½e Palace in Sienna today as ''The Emperor of Roseby'' currently!" "Just what is happening... scary" Queen Sophie replied, "Do not worry, be positive Queen Sophie. All of this will end one day" Queen Anne replied, "Thank you very much" Queen Sophie replied with a smile, -- Sienna, Imperial Military Government of Sienna -- -- Re¨½e Palace -- --- Coronation Day --- It has been a week now since the Holy Emperor of the Holy Estermage Empire had arrived on the soil of the Re¨½e Palace, and now the day of his coronation is now set for today. A grand white coach used earlier adorned with jewels from the east and gold from all over the continent, with its grand wheels touching the ground stopped in front of the Palace''s entrance. The Holy Emperor then set his foot from the coach and entered the Palace, upon entering the Palace he wore his new garments and the new Imperial Crown Jewels. He then went upstairs to the balcony and oversaw the local inhabitants of Sienna for the first time set their foot in front of the grounds of Re¨½e Palace and the Pro-Imperial Nobles alongside with the Nobles of the Empire. The Holy Emperor, wearing his new Imperial Crown Jewels adorned with the most expensive stones step out into the balcony whilst holding his new Imperial Scepter. "Long live the Holy Emperor of the Roseby Continent! Long Live the Empire!" "Long Live the Empire!" could be heard from the masses outside, For the first time ever, the Emperor is garnering support from the masses of Sienna. The Holy Emperor is amused by the current turn of events in favor of him, he would then shout and announce the following, "I, the New Holy Emperor of the Roseby Continent! Promises Prosperity and Peace in the Continent! I assure all of you that Prosperity will finally arrive in the continent after we defeat the Rebellious armies of the King of Summerwyn in Lincliff! Long Live the Empire!" "Long Live the Holy Emperor!" The Emperor smirked and left the balcony, The Coronation of the Emperor roused the morale of the Imperial Army, Winter will soon end and the beginning of Spring would mark the last Imperial offensive campaign against the Kingdom of Summerwyn. Will the Imperial Army prevail again? 29 IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT !! @@Hey guys, it''s been a year since I''ve last posted an update. I am truly sorry for this year long inactivity, honestly I got uninspired and realized war-novels are my thing. Therefore I am dropping this series, however I plan to make a similar story to this here in webnovel. I am much more confident in the new story that I might write. Again, I am truly sorry for dropping this series and i am grateful for those who read it and gave honest critics in my novel, have a good day :)) EDIT: the new novel is out, it''s called "Queen of Another World" I hope you take a look at it :))