Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"A supreme meeting will be held in the council chamber in one hour."

“Tell them that anyone who dares not to come can expect the Leitanian iron horde to drive right up to their doorstep.”

……

Holy Lytanian Empire: Chapter 103: Forming the Syracuse United Resistance Army

Montelupe, the capital of Syracuse.

The city-state council chamber was brightly lit, and the conference table was filled with the most powerful men in Syracuse.

They were the rulers of various city-states and the representatives of their families.

The light from the crystal chandelier shone on their slicked-back hair and well-tailored suits, but it couldn't penetrate their hearts, each harboring their own secrets.

Bernardo Bellone, the patriarch who hoped to end the family's rule, sat silently, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his cufflinks.

Sitting opposite him, Alberto Saluzzo, like a wary fox, carefully observed everyone's expressions, calculating how to protect himself and his family in the coming storm.

Many others, like the patriarch of the Falcone family, the father of the righteous young girl Lavinia, wore expressions of offended anger and deep-seated arrogance.

"It's such a shame!"

A family leader from an eastern city-state slammed a newspaper with a war report on Letania onto the table.

"That piece of trash Grimaldi! He's made us lose all face! He was captured alive by the enemy in his own bed!"

“Who says otherwise!” another person immediately chimed in, their voice filled with disdain.

"I told you long ago, entrusting border defense to that kind of idiot was bound to cause trouble sooner or later!"

"What else could his mind hold besides fine wine and women?"

"What's the point of saying all this now?" a slightly more rational voice rang out.

"Those iron lumps of Letania have set foot on our territory!"

"What we need to discuss now is how to get them out!"

The hall instantly became noisy, with everyone chiming in and expressing their opinions.

"Kick them out? Of course we should kick them out!"

"Let that peasant emperor see that Syracuse is not a place where he can run wild!"

"I propose that a coalition be formed immediately!"

"Let our various families send out troops and teach the Letanians a lesson!"

As soon as the suggestion was made, the voices of the crowd, who had been indignant just moments before, fell silent.

send troops?

Everyone knows that a family's private army is the foundation for seizing territory and maintaining rule.

Everyone present valued their armed forces more than their own lives.

Are you suggesting they use their own resources to fight the Leitanians head-on?

What a joke!

Let whoever wants to do it do it, I'm not doing it!

Just as everyone was arguing, the meeting room door was pushed open, and Madame Sicily, dressed in a black dress, slowly walked in surrounded by servants.

Her gaze swept across the entire room, and the noisy hall instantly fell silent.

Everyone stood up and bowed to the nominal supreme ruler of Syracuse, even though many of them privately regarded her as an outdated symbol.

"Please sit down," Madame Sicily said calmly.

She walked to the head seat and sat down, getting straight to the point without any preamble: "I'm sure you all already know about the news from the border."

"The Leitanian army completely tore apart our border defenses in less than an hour."

"Right now, their armored forces are rampaging around near our border."

"lady."

Chief Falcone stood up and straightened his bow tie.

"We are discussing and preparing to teach those arrogant Leitanians a lesson."

"Oh? Is that so?" Madame Sicily's smile was devoid of any genuine mirth.

"So, what was the outcome of the discussions, Your Excellency Falcone?"

How many people is your family willing to send?

Chief Falcone's expression stiffened for a moment, then he coughed lightly: "Defending Syracuse is of course the Falcone family's duty!"

"However, it is the responsibility of all Syracuses to defend against foreign enemies, and I think His Excellency Bellone and His Excellency Saluzzo would also be willing to contribute to the defense of their homeland."

Bernardo Bellone, whose name was called, remained expressionless and silent.

Alberto Saluzzo smiled and said, "Of course, the Saluzzo family is at your beck and call, madam."

"However... our family's armed forces are mainly responsible for maintaining order in the city-state, and they are probably not good at warfare."

"Not good at it?" Madame Sicily's voice suddenly rose. "When you were fighting each other for territory, I didn't see anyone who wasn't good at it!"

"My private army is responsible for guarding my city. If they are all transferred away, what will happen if those rival families take advantage of the situation?"

"You're right! My factory needs manpower too!"

"If you ask me, this matter should be resolved by the families on the border themselves! Whoever owns the territory is responsible for it!"

"Bullshit! The Letanians have slapped all of us in the face!"

The hyenas finally revealed their true nature.

Faced with a common threat, they didn't think of unity, but rather how to send other hyenas to their deaths while they hid behind, ready to pounce and devour the carcasses at any moment.

"enough!"

Madame Sicily abandoned her usual elegance, slammed her hand on the table, and her aged body unleashed an astonishing force.

The entire hall fell silent.

"Do you think the Letanians came here to negotiate with you? To fight you for a street or a shop?"

"Open your eyes and look!"

"Are you still arguing here over your pitiful private soldiers? Do you think you can rest easy just by guarding your own little piece of land?"

"Don't you understand the principle of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'?"

“When the flag of Letania is raised atop the council chamber in Montelupe, every single one of you will have to lick the soles of that emperor’s shoes!”

Her words were like a slap in the face to these family leaders.

Some of the younger heirs showed signs of shame, but the older men's eyes remained uncertain.

Bernardo Bellone finally spoke, his voice low: "Madam, what do you wish us to do?"

Madame Sicily took a deep breath, as if she had exhausted all her strength.

The coercion has ended; now we need to use inducements.

“In the name of the City-State Union Council, form the Syracuse United Resistance Army.”

"Each major family contributes manpower and funds according to their strength."

"Whoever contributes the most will get the most in the new distribution of benefits after the war." She paused, then dropped a bombshell.

"Including all the properties and lands left by the Grimaldi family on the border."

As soon as he said that, everyone perked up instantly.

The Grimaldi family is finished; that's the consensus.

The power vacuum and enormous wealth they left behind are a piece of meat that everyone wants a bite of.

The expressions on the faces of those who had been making excuses just moments before immediately changed.

Greed overcame fear.

"My Meredith family is willing to deploy three hundred thugs!"

"Our Wallace family will send five hundred people!"

"The Falcone family is willing to cover the military expenses of the allied forces!"

Looking at the hyenas that had suddenly become so enthusiastic, Bernardo Bellone closed his eyes and gave a bitter smile.

Syracuse is beyond saving.

Madame Sicily sat back down wearily, looking at the ridiculous scene, feeling no joy of victory whatsoever.

She knew it very well.

This was merely using a piece of meat to temporarily bind a pack of hungry wolves together.

Can such a hastily assembled army really withstand the steel torrent of Letania?

she does not know.

But that was all she could do.

……

……

Meanwhile, news of Letania's invasion of Syracuse spread throughout Terra.

Victoria, a duchy somewhere.

A grand duke, listening to his assistant's report at his manor, gave a disdainful snort.

"Lassie? Does he think that by conquering a third-rate country like Syracuse, he can stand on equal footing with Victoria?"

"madness!"

He waved his hand: "Go, send a batch of supplies to Syracuse, make sure they are varied, including guns, crossbows, armor, and medicine."

He paused, then added, "But remember, it's a private donation, and has nothing to do with Victoria."

"We have more important things to do now..."

……

Ursus Empire, a military fortress on the icy plains.

A general wearing a star on his hat stood before the sand table, watching the red arrow representing Letania pierce the map of Syracuse, a satisfied smile on his face.

"good, very good."

"Let Letalnia roll around in the mud in the south. The more he makes a fuss, the happier we are."

……

Columbia, inside a skyscraper on Wall Street.

The board of directors of Pioneer Group is holding an emergency meeting.

"Gentlemen, this is a business opportunity!" A portly capitalist excitedly waved his cigar.

"War! The most profitable business!"

"Laetnia needs our engine parts, and Syracuse needs our weapons and ammunition!"

"No matter who wins, we'll make a fortune!"

The entire conference room was filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

……

Meanwhile, in the distant Great Yan...

Inside the Qianmen Gate, an elderly man dressed in official robes was carefully reading encrypted intelligence from the West.

He picked up his pen and wrote a note on a memorial: "The new emperor of Letania has great ambitions and acts decisively."

"This battle will allow us to observe the quality of their new army and explore their strategic strengths and weaknesses."

"Order all generals on the border to observe the situation quietly, and not to act rashly without an imperial edict."

In an instant, tiny Syracuse became the focus of the Terra chessboard.