You were made to farm, and now you're the emperor of an empire?

Chapter 418 Let this land burn

It was the seventh year since Roman became lord.

That spring, the defensive line that the Black Iron King and the Pope had used to contain Roman crumbled, giving the valley a chance to breathe.

Roman made no delays.

He first arranged for an expedition to Wandong.

Then another military conference was held.

All officers at the rank of battalion commander and above were present.

Roman gave only one instruction at the meeting!
That means destiny has arrived!
……

Roman stood before the throne, tall and imposing, his eyes blazing, his words solemn and sacred.

"The last shackle that imprisoned us has disappeared, but this is not the end, but the beginning."

"Gentlemen! We have the power to start this land anew, to give this world a fresh start!"
"Since the time of the conqueror, there has never been one. The birth of a new era is in our hands."

"There is no doubt that this is the will of Heaven—to take all the land and bring it under my rule."

"We don't need to save this decaying and backward land."

"It is terminally ill! It is riddled with deep-seated problems! It is filled with barbarity and oppression! There is no possibility of salvation!"

"Now, in the name of the divine order, I will break the shackles of enslavement! I will dispel the darkness from the sky! I will usher in an enlightened, rational, just, and fair world!"
"We must complete it as quickly as possible! We must open it up!"

"If we do not do this, our people will continue to suffer in darkness, from father to son, enduring oppression and enslavement, until three or four generations have not seen the dawn!"
"The heavy burden of destiny falls on our shoulders!"

"It's time for us to do what we need to do!"
"We are only one step away from reshaping the order of the land and banishing the ignorant old night era! Only one step!!"

Roman swung his right fist with all his might, roaring like a lion:

"Let our legions launch an attack!"

Let the war begin here!!
Let the flames burn fiercely!
"Let the flames of war burn freely on this land! Burn away all decay! Burn away all rottenness!!"

……

This was a large-scale territorial expansion operation.

The valley's forces were almost entirely mobilized.

Thousands of warriors marched out in formation, with only one destination—Lion Territory!

Roman did not divide his forces for battle, intending to first take down the tough nut of Lion Territory.

One reason is that the valley's logistics couldn't support operations on multiple fronts.

The fact that the Felin family belongs to the upper echelon among the many Black Iron nobles is another matter.

The full mobilization of troops and supplies placed immense administrative pressure on both cities.

Unlike in the past, this is a long-term operation in a foreign location, requiring a prolonged stay.

Even Roman didn't know when he would be able to return from this expedition.

Throughout this grand expedition, a large number of residents followed and watched along the way.

The ratio of soldiers to civilians in Roman territory has always been very high.

With a total population of over 200,000, Roman selected 16,000 to 17,000 young people to join the army.

However, due to the intense battles over the years, fewer than 10,000 soldiers are still alive today.

This means that all healthy men of eligible age are in the military.

Meanwhile, these soldiers have mostly settled down and started families.

Soldiers who joined the army two or three years ago already have children, and behind them are tens of thousands of family members. If you include the soldiers who died, it wouldn't be surprising if there were close to a hundred thousand family members.

To appease the emotions of these people, Roman ordered a three-day work stoppage to allow families and soldiers to say their final goodbyes.

It is worth mentioning that although the family members were reluctant to part with their loved ones, they were not worried or afraid.

The reason is simple—those soldiers were all children from poor families.

For the poor, poverty and slavery are more terrible than death.

……

The elderly Tama held her son's hand. She was nearly forty, with a dark face and deep wrinkles.

She said, "Emond, you must fight well for the lord and kill well on the battlefield."

“Mother, you should call him His Highness,” Captain Edmund of the Royal Guard corrected again. They used to live under the rule of Earl Condé, and later came to the Valley. At that time, Roman had not yet been made king, and everyone called him Lord, including them.

“Yes, yes! Without His Highness, we wouldn’t be where we are today, Edmund. You must be grateful.” His mother urged.

"I will." These were the last words the son said to his mother before he went to war.

……

Brienne hugged her husband tightly and looked up to kiss his face.

She whispered in his ear, "The children and I are waiting for you at home."

“I’ll try my best…” Ivor replied earnestly, glancing at his son, a child who was just over a year old and could barely stand, his eyes filled with confusion.

"If I don't come back, you must raise our children." Ivor had no concerns about what would happen after his death.

He knew that the prince they believed in would arrange everything.

……

“Your two older brothers died on the battlefield. They died for His Highness, and for us. Now it’s your turn. Don’t run away, or I will break your legs,” his father said to him.

Reiner is a recruit who has only been in the army for half a year. He is not yet seventeen years old. He has a pointed head but strong limbs. He joined the army after being rejected by the school. So far, he has only fought some small battles and has never killed anyone with his own hands.

His comrades called him "Silly Reiner".

"Follow orders in all actions, and obey all spoils..." Reiner nodded blankly. He had little experience and was filled with fear about this expedition, constantly reciting military discipline in his heart.

……

"Bot, keep up! Hel, get back to the team... Folks, you should go back too," Ed shouted to his teammates.

He was one of the very few soldiers without family members, and he was also the captain of the 13th Ordinary Battalion.

This battalion suffered more than half its losses in that battle; originally a full force of 300 men, it now has only a little over 100.

Roman did not cancel the team's squad number.

Because other battalion formations also had vacancies, some unfortunate company commanders and platoon leaders only had a few soldiers under their command, making them practically commanders without troops.

Roman told them that there were plenty of recruits outside the country, and that as long as they found suitable young men, they could enlist directly.

Yes, Roman relinquished the right to conscript soldiers.

But only full capacity is allowed; exceeding the limit is not permitted.

Roman assigned a think tank member to each battalion, and all new recruits had to be screened by the think tank. If any deserters or those who did not obey orders were encountered, the think tank also had the right to expel them from the military, thus ensuring the loyalty of the soldiers and the purity of the army.

Some reluctant family members saw them off for more than ten miles, but eventually returned home after being persuaded by a group of officers.

Roman was also among those seeing them off, and he was the last to leave, as he had to set an example for the army going into battle.

Roman looked at the marching army, in high spirits, and said with a faint smile, "There's no such thing as a triumphant return on this mission. You're going to be fighting battles all over the country."

Green said, "War is the destiny of all knights who fight."

Aaron asked, "And what about you?"

Roman shook his head and said, "Not now, Aaron. I need to keep an eye on the dragons, lest our home be raided."

After a moment's thought, he patted Aaron on the shoulder.

"In that case, once you have pacified Lion Territory, I will find some time to visit you."

Green laughed, "Then call the Twin Witches over, and we can turn Earl Philin's castle into yours in half a month at the latest..."

A pair of sharp eyes swept over from behind, and Green felt like he was being pricked by a thorn in his back. He immediately changed his words and said, "It will become Her Highness the Princess's palace."

They all knew that the Lion's Territory was Iotashina's possession, a gift from Roman himself, as a way of thanking the White Steel Princess for her selfless assistance.

Roman said to Tasina as she approached, "Your Highness Tasina, the time has come for you to make your mark."

"You are a very trustworthy person."

"I never make promises out of thin air."

"Lord Roman, your divine order has truly opened my eyes. Are you going to use this to fight against the divine order? Do not forget that the gods are still the greatest order of this era! I wonder who will survive in the end."

“Princess, all people are slaves to their time, but I will enslave this time.”

Iotashina gazed intently at Roman, as if trying to etch his face into her eyes.

Finally, she nodded gently: "Farewell, Lord Roman."

(End of this chapter)