It seems that the villain is targeting me.

Most of the soldiers were unaware of the emperor's decadence in recent years; they only knew that the empire was growing stronger and richer day by day.

At this moment, seeing His Majesty Lawrence in person coming to the parade ground, they were eager to show their bravery. Their morale was high, shouts of killing shook the sky, and standard daggers chopped on the dummies one after another.

These people are obviously well fed, and to maintain this level of discipline and fighting spirit, their daily diet must ensure adequate intake of carbohydrates and protein.

In addition, in order to prevent the soldiers' skills from becoming obsolete, sufficient training must be ensured, so they cannot engage in too much heavy agricultural production.

In other words, these people are real professional soldiers.

In ancient times, the amount of money and food required to support an army was extremely terrifying. The financial expenditure of maintaining two large legions was enough to make a lord with a relatively wealthy family go bankrupt in an instant.

This kind of extremely luxurious professional legion, which does nothing but killing, has been the privilege of monarchs from ancient times to the present.

No general would dislike such soldiers. Lawrence couldn't help but recall how he reviewed the army when he was young, defeated the enemy on the battlefield and made a name for himself.

He was so majestic at that time that when he stomped his foot, the whole country would tremble.

It was not until this time that he finally regained some of the feeling of having an army march out at the command of a single command.

Lawrence was relieved. In the past few years when he was decadent, drinking and ignoring state affairs,

During this period, state affairs not only did not decline, but became more prosperous.

It’s just that… uh, it doesn’t seem to matter if he’s not here as the emperor?

Thinking of this, Lao Yezhu felt depressed again.

He waved his hand sadly, signaling the waiter beside him to fill his glass, then picked up the glass and began to drink sadly.

The emperor knew that the current prosperous development of the empire was inseparable from Prime Minister Butcher's hard work.

Of course Lawrence had his suspicions at first, wondering if Xiao Niao had any rebellious intentions, and if he was planning something bad and wanted to take the opportunity to rebel against me, Old Pig... and my Hamilton family.

But thinking back on the intentional or unintentional probing and observations he had made over the years, Lawrence felt that he was definitely overthinking it.

In the past few years alone, the capital's population has quadrupled, and the treasury, which was empty at the beginning of its establishment, has gradually become full.

The nobles who had been making a fuss were gradually suppressed and began to reluctantly accept him as the emperor who unified the empire through violence.

Anyone can see that Xiao Niao is really working hard and spending all her energy to run the country. Sometimes even Emperor Lawrence can't understand what she thinks and does.

He was afraid in his heart, but he also sincerely felt a sense of confusion as if God was chasing him and feeding him.

Ever since he started the rebellion, Lawrence has often had this feeling, as if after a certain point in time, everything he does becomes quite smooth.

He had food and the money that he had been unable to raise. While the neighboring lord's army was plagued by plague, the chances of his own soldiers being injured, infected, and dying were reduced.

Lawrence was not clear about the specific principles.

But he still relied on some extremely sharp intuition to realize that this was somewhat related to the half-human who was newly promoted to manage the legion's logistics affairs.

And after he ascended the throne in the capital and appointed Butcher as prime minister, this connection became even clearer, strengthened and bolder, and presented to everyone.

Unlike those nobles who were worried that Butcher had ill intentions and deliberately treated her coldly, Lawrence took a deep breath at that time.

Oh my god, my god——

This is God’s will for me to be the emperor! ! ! !

What an epic limited edition SSR that is extremely versatile, has incredible countermeasures, and will completely change the player's gaming experience!

Apart from the specific matters of marching and fighting, we can find a way to help you solve any problem you have.

He works overtime every day without complaint, gets up earlier than the chickens and sleeps later than the dogs, making even the big boss ashamed.

Moreover, Xiaoniao has no relatives or family, which eliminates the possibility of forming a new clan power.

Although the Prime Minister of the Empire himself has a strong desire to control power, anyone who sits in a high position regards power as a forbidden delicacy.

Besides, they don’t form cliques or engage in nepotism by relying on their power!

Xiao Niao was also quite prudent in his actions and basically did not touch the command of the army. Lawrence tried twice to hand over the main army to Butcher, but both times he threw it back in a hurry after the attack mission was completed.

Lawrence, who was considered a military talent, observed carefully for a while and concluded that this man did not seem to be very good at fighting.

Perfect! Absolutely perfect!

Logically speaking, this makes sense. Before traveling through time, Xiao Niao was just a good student studying in college. He had never even participated in a group fight and had no idea how to command a military unit.

——It’s strange, isn’t it, those guys who suddenly burst out with world-renowned military talents after traveling back in time?

Lawrence stroked his unshaven chin and found the bird pleasing to the eye.

Speaking of which, Lord Butcher's preferences are quite strange.

She didn't like the popular entertainment programs among the upper class, and had no interest in Lawrence's passion for drinking and hunting. All she thought about all day was... uh, farming.

Otherwise, he would just take advantage of the lower-class civilians and make them do this and that, and no one knew what he was doing - although the nobles seemed to have a lot of opinions, it didn't affect him at all.

Even if we put aside all of the above, for an emperor, the biggest and most reassuring thing about Xiao Niao is that she is half human.

Putting aside those who died unexpectedly at birth or died in war and plague, the average life expectancy in this world is about thirty years old.

The aristocracy lived a privileged life but did not engage in production. Some of them lived longer, around sixty years old.

As the name suggests, the longest-lived half-human is only half the lifespan of a normal person.

Butcher's half-human identity meant she would not live past the age of thirty.

Who would put such a person on the throne? They're afraid the country won't be in turmoil, right?

And until now, Butcher has no intention of getting married, let alone having children of his own. He exudes the temperament of a model worker who is pure-hearted and dedicated to the public.

Lawrence saw no need for any of the birds to rebel and usurp the throne.

Although it is a pity that a capable minister who is destined to die young is also a chess piece that the monarch can trust the most.

Chapter 14: Little Bird: Give them a little shock from the other world

For these reasons, Lawrence had basically no objection to Xiaoniao's control of government affairs. He only occasionally paid attention to issues such as taxation and population, and focused most of his energy on military construction.

Since we decided to go to war with King Jialan

, Lawrence began to plan ambitiously.

Coincidentally, King Jialan's group were basically all defeated enemies of Lao Yezhu when he was young. Not only was their tribe beaten to pieces and a lot of their generals and soldiers were chopped off, but even King Jialan himself was almost captured alive by Lao Yezhu. It can be said that they had an irreconcilable feud.

It was during these years that Lawrence gradually grew older, and due to a knee injury he could no longer go on the expedition with the army. When the news spread beyond the border, these people began to make trouble again and plundered on the border of the empire.

His Majesty Lawrence I, who had spent half his life in military service, was very disdainful of this: They are all a bunch of jumping clowns. When I was young, I would beat you all to tears no matter who you were, King Jialan or King Jialu!

Lawrence did not think much of this former defeated general, but he could not help but pay attention to the soldiers under his command.

That was an army of nearly 20,000 people, and at least half of them were cavalry, so he could not underestimate them.

A reckless general cannot survive in the chaos of war. Lawrence has come to where he is today after having been tested in mountains of corpses and seas of blood, and having fought his way out of thousands of troops. He is as keen as a shark that has smelled blood in all matters related to war.

Lawrence knew very well that he was getting old and time had taken its toll on him. His past experiences of fighting on the battlefield had become as distant as a beautiful dream, and it was impossible for him to go to the battlefield in person like he had done in his youth.

But as an emperor, he would never give up control of the army. The position of legion general could not be occupied by those useless trash, and it was even more impossible to hand it over to someone who would pose a threat to him.

Those bald-headed brothers of his wife? The representatives pushed forward by the old noble clique?

Don't even think about it!

He would only entrust this matter to the person he trusted most - Grand Duke Banur Tudor, who came from the border.

The man who had conquered the world with him was loyal and put the country first in everything. He was the only possible candidate for the general in Lawrence's mind.

Lawrence trusted his old friend. He firmly believed that this man was the most outstanding military general of the era besides himself, just as he firmly believed that Xiao Niao, a stingy guy, could even squeeze oil out of cracks in rocks.

At this moment, Lawrence suddenly remembered that he had not reviewed a special confidential report today.

The thing was now beside him, in an envelope sealed with red wax.

Lawrence put down his wine glass and picked up the envelope that was pressed under the wine jug.

There was no signature or mark on the brown paper cover, and Lawrence couldn't even remember when it was delivered.

The only feature that distinguished it from other regular documents was a jet-black feather stuck to the center of the envelope with red wax.

When you see the word "feather", you can basically guess that this is another new thing made by the bird.

This thing was not originally created by her. On the contrary, its origin is very ancient and is rarely mentioned in serious historical records. It rarely becomes the focus of the historical stage, but exists in the shadow of almost every period of history from ancient times to the present.

I’m going to mention an adapted word here, and you will definitely understand it - Yuyiwei.

Yes, in order to consolidate royal power, intimidate the villains, and find sufficient reasons to beat those bastards to the head, of course it is necessary to set up a secret agency and implement a secret police search system to give these medieval natives a little East Factory shock.

From the stubborn thief secretly plotting to assassinate the emperor to the low-level government official who had a fight with his wife last night, all the details will be collected and recorded by the Feathered Guards and eventually reported to the leader, Xiaoniao.

And Xiaoniao found that he had a natural advantage in this matter - these Western old-fashioned people had never seen this before! They were not prepared at all!

Many people who were dragged to the execution ground after their crimes were exposed could not figure out until their death: how could they be caught by the butcher bird when they had not even told their own father about the things they had done?

Xiao Niao relied on this spy system to maintain her control over the capital. Every day, the surveillance reports compiled by the Feathered Guards would be presented directly to Xiao Niao's desk. After she checked them, someone would copy them for the emperor.

Although Lawrence did not pay much attention to government affairs, he read these reports every day without missing a single one, and the particularly urgent ones would be delivered directly to him by feather mail.

"Well... let me see what happened." Lao Yezhu muttered while opening the wax seal with his hands.

"The Earl of Yorkshire is suspected of reselling grain abroad. There have been significant fluctuations in funds in his account. We have sent disguised individuals to infiltrate the Earl's residence to investigate. We will report back upon any findings."

"Prince Wilson hosted a banquet yesterday, attended by many nobles and dignitaries. After getting drunk, he seemed to harbor resentment towards the imperial government and uttered a number of disrespectful remarks. The details are reproduced below... Damn, the swearing was quite foul."

"The phenomenon of malicious treatment of employees in the market has resurfaced. It is suspected to be a gang crime. We are stepping up efforts to track down its source..."

"At the royal evening banquet yesterday, the Earl of Yorkshire hinted at the smuggling business and tried to recruit others. He also expressed dissatisfaction with the Prime Minister during the meal. Why are you here again, you bastard?"

Lawrence was furious: "These damn things!"

He cursed and turned the paper over, then read the last report with anger.

"In addition, at the evening banquet, His Royal Highness Prince Charles arrived with the daughter of Baron Fontaine and announced the cancellation of his engagement with Lady Gwyneth Tudor. However, he was interrupted mid-sentence by the arrival of the Prime Minister, so the matter has not yet been fully finalized."

Lawrence: “Ah.”

Lawrence: “Huh?”

Lao Yezhu suddenly widened his eyes and read the words on the scroll word by word, fearing that he had made a mistake.

Lao Boar: "Wait, what does it say on it is Gwyneth... Oh, Gwyneth Tudor."

Lao Boar: "Tudor."

He sat up straight in his chair, and took another look in disbelief: "No, it's about breaking off the engagement with someone."

Lao Boar squinted for a long time and saw it clearly: "Oh, Tudor."

His heart began to ache violently.

Lawrence I slumped back in his chair, clutching his chest. He was almost having a high blood pressure attack from his rebellious son's sudden backstabbing. He couldn't catch his breath and almost fainted on the spot. It took him a long time to recover.

At the bottom of the scroll were some details about what the eldest prince said at the ball and how he ordered the royal guards to surround the banquet hall, but Lawrence was already on the verge of exploding with anger and could not read at all. He only glanced at it briefly and was so angry that his lungs were about to explode.

He roughly threw the paper roll onto the table, veins bulging faintly on his forehead. He waved vigorously to the guards waiting in front of the hall: "Come here."

The guard quickly came over as instructed: "Your Majesty, what do you want?"

Lawrence's face was gloomy. "Ask Lord Butcher to come over and tell him it was about the banquet last night."

He said gruffly, "And get Charles here too."

"Well..." The guard hesitated for a moment, as if feeling embarrassed. "His Royal Highness the Crown Prince has a horseback archery lesson today, and he should have left for the city by now..."

This sentence obviously hit Lao Yezhu's hidden pain, making him roar in anger.

"No matter what he's doing! Get that bastard to get out of here right now!"

Chapter 15 System: I am not a smartphone manager!

The emperor was so furious that the guard didn't dare to ask any more questions. He received the order and hurriedly set out to find the eldest prince.

What surprised the guards was that Prince Charles did not actually set out to practice horse riding and archery outside the imperial city as planned.

According to the officer who taught riding and archery, the eldest prince canceled all his plans for the day. He did not see anyone since he got up and even stayed in his room for breakfast without coming out.

The reason why he didn't come out to see people was very simple: his face was swollen.

Last night, that helmet hit his handsome face with the precision of an intercontinental missile, knocking him unconscious.

Because Birdie used all his strength at that time, this blow almost loosened Charles's molar.

In addition, he had drunk a lot of alcohol before, so as expected, his cheeks became swollen the next day.

Because of this, the eldest prince was in a rage for a long time when he got up, and several servants who came to help him dress were slapped. When the steward in the palace found out, he hurriedly asked someone to bring cold water and ice chips, but was scolded by the angry Charles.

All the servants were terrified by the eldest prince. When they passed by the door, they wanted to float past it without touching the ground, for fear that they would make a noise and anger the prince again.