Chapter 274

"The power of the soul, huh? That's a power I've never experienced before."

Esdeath stood up and looked at Li Yue.

"You turned off that thing called live streaming. Is there something you want to tell me?"

As a member of the Chat Group, Esdeath naturally knew that Li Yue had turned off the live stream, which made her feel that Li Yue had something she wanted to say to her privately, otherwise she wouldn't have turned off the Chat Group live stream.

"Yes, I have something I want to tell you."

Li Yue lowered her hands.

"Are you interested in being Queen?"

"Queen?"

Esdeath paused for a moment, then answered.

"Sorry, I don't know why the name in the Chat Group is 'Queen,' but I actually have no interest in the Queen."

"I see. So, you just want to fight and war, is that right?"

"That's right. As for war, it's not so much that I like war, but that war allows me to fight recklessly. So, I'm essentially just someone who likes to fight."

"In that case, why don't you try making some changes?"

"Change?"

"For example, being a Queen."

"How did we end up talking about the Queen again?" Esdeath couldn't help but want to retort, but Li Yue raised her hand to stop her.

"Don't rush, let me tell you what's going on with this Queen."

Esdeath shut her mouth, then crossed her arms, gesturing for Li Yue to continue.

"You like fighting, even war, because you can fight at will in war. So, what do you think if you could control the war?"

"What's the meaning?"

Esdeath was somewhat puzzled.

"I am now in charge of the war, and I decide when it starts."

"No, no, no, you are only in charge of the war you are currently waging. What I mean is, you can decide at any time when to declare war on behalf of the country against other countries, barbarians, or foreign tribes. It's all up to you when to start a war."

"If we could decide for ourselves when to start a war... that would be really great."

"But that should be decided by the young emperor. I've already said I'm not interested in the throne."

"Of course I know you're not interested in the emperor's throne, but you can sit in that seat, exercise the power of war, and ignore everything else."

"What's the meaning?"

"The emperor can be a powerful position or a powerless one. You can sit in that position as a Queen, and you don't have to worry about anything else, you just need to decide when to start a war. Isn't that wonderful?"

"Besides deciding when to start the war, I don't have to worry about anything else? You mean I should be a puppet like a little emperor, leaving everything to the ministers?"

"That's not the case. If you let the ministers do everything, your country will be completely destroyed in less than five years. At that time, you won't be able to launch wars at will."

"Then let me not have to worry about anything."

"You don't have to worry about anything. Of course, that doesn't mean handing everything over to the ministers. Those kinds of people aren't suited to governing a country. You can create a cabinet and let it take over the economic and livelihood matters. Then set up an oversight agency to monitor these officials. All you have to do is sit on the throne and declare war when you want to. As for how to fight the war, you can naturally take the lead yourself. There's no problem with that, is there?"

"Cabinet?"

"That's right. A small office with several ministers to check and balance each other, where they are responsible for the country's economy and people's livelihood. If they do not perform well, they can be dismissed and an oversight organization can be put in charge of monitoring them. Then the oversight organization will report to you. Wouldn't that be better?"

Is this okay?

Clearly, Esdeath was interested. It wasn't that she didn't understand politics; she was just too lazy to get involved. As a general, she knew better than anyone what kind of mess the empire was in. She fully understood that the ministers' control of the government had led to the empire's current state, but she couldn't be bothered with it. All she wanted to do was fight or wage war. She didn't care about anything else because she was too lazy to get involved in other matters.

If she didn't have to manage affairs but had the power to wage war, she wouldn't mind taking on the position of Queen. But why couldn't she believe what Li Yue was saying?

"This kind of thing is very easy to do. As long as you can maintain control of the military, there will be no problem at all. As for why I say it is easy, it is because there are many successful cases."

After all, the empire has existed for over a thousand years, and it is a feudal state ruled by aristocratic monarchy. The real power has always been in the hands of the emperor, who is a dictator. The reason he can do all this is because the Imperial General's family is a staunch supporter of the royal family. In addition, there is another point: the emperor possesses something called Imperial Arms.

The Imperial Arms were created by the first emperor of the empire using a super dangerous species unique to this world. They grant superhuman strength to a person. The royal family relies on the Imperial Arms to maintain the empire's rule. A large part of Esdeath's power also comes from the Imperial Arms. The power she possesses is called Essence of the Demon, which is obtained by drawing on the blood of a certain super dangerous species. This blood allows Esdeath to control the power of ice.

It is thanks to these Imperial Arms that the Empire has been able to continue until now. The reason why the Empire is in such a chaotic state now is because the current emperor is too young. The court is completely controlled by the ministers, and the nobles who were originally suppressed by the emperor have begun to let themselves go, which has led to the mess we see now.

Therefore, if we slightly modify this simple feudal emperor-rule state, it is still an emperor-rule state, but while the emperor is in power, he delegates more tasks to his subordinates instead of working himself to death all day long.

"I'd be very interested if it were really possible!"

Esdeath listened to Li Yue's words and expressed her understanding and interest.

What should I do?

Esdeath had little experience in this area, so she chose to listen to Li Yue's advice, especially since Li Yue had just proven himself to be a strong person!

"It's very simple. Now, let's wipe out the northern barbarians first."

The northern tribes have been harassing the empire's borders, which is why Esdeath came to the north.

"Good!"

Esdeath turned around and waved to the soldiers around her who had been listening to their conversation in a daze. All the soldiers reacted and waited for Esdeath's orders.

Although they overheard Esdeath and Li Yue's conversation, which sounded like a rebellion, the soldiers didn't care at all. They were only slightly shocked by the conversation. As for Esdeath becoming Queen, they fully supported her. This was one of Esdeath's strengths. When she was a general, her soldiers were treated very well. She would distribute any rewards to her soldiers. Even though she was a battle maniac and a sadist, she was extremely good to her own people.

Therefore, after Esdeath decided to rebel, her soldiers immediately and without hesitation chose to support her.

"Prepare for battle. We need to take care of those guys in the north as quickly as possible."

"Yes!"

The soldiers responded in unison and immediately mobilized.

In the original storyline, Esdeath was locked in a stalemate with the opposing army in the north for some time. This was because the leader of the Northern Tribes' army was their Prince, known as the wise Prince, who had led his army to a stalemate with the imperial northern army for a long time and won many battles. It was because of the pressure from the north that Esdeath was sent to the north.

Esdeath was also very interested in this Northern Prince and wanted to know just how powerful he was. So she played with him for a while. After getting bored, she wiped out the opposing army in one fell swoop and even trained the Northern Prince to be her dog. Unfortunately, no matter how much the Prince flattered her, he could not win Esdeath's heart, and soon Esdeath got tired of him.

This time, with Li Yue's invitation to rebel, Esdeath had no time to play along with him. Li Yue, a person from Otherworld, represented infinite possibilities, especially since he was incredibly strong. Rather than playing with a Prince, she would rather find a way to play with Li Yue!

Esdeath's army quickly regrouped, then left the camp, crossed the frozen river, and headed towards the fortress of the foreign tribes on the other side.

The scouts on the alien fortress naturally saw Esdeath's army moving out and immediately began to prepare for battle.

This time, however, Esdeath had no intention of wasting time and activated her ability directly.

With a raised hand towards the sky, the moisture in the air began to condense into ice. Soon, a large number of ice spikes appeared in the sky. As Esdeath waved her hand downwards, the ice spikes rained down on the fortress. The defenders on the fortress were immediately pierced by the ice spikes and pinned to the ground like specimens. The soldiers inside the fortress who were preparing to climb the walls to defend themselves were also struck and pierced by the falling ice spikes. In just an instant, the alien army inside the fortress suffered heavy losses.

This situation greatly surprised the foreign Prince inside the fortress. What kind of power was this? What weapons did the imperial army use to achieve this?

The Prince quickly grabbed his spear and began walking towards the fortress wall. Along the way, he used his spear to deflect the falling ice spikes. Compared to ordinary soldiers, the Prince's martial prowess was significantly greater.

However, when he finally made it to the top of the fortress wall, he found that someone was already waiting for him there.

"I've waited so long, and you're the only one who managed to rush up. You must be the Prince who's leading them."

"Hmph! And who are you?"

"You don't need to know who I am, you just need to know that you will soon die by my hand."

Esdeath charged straight at the Prince, an ice sword appearing in Prince hand. Prince thrust at the prince, who swung his spear, trying to pierce Esdeath. But the instant the spear was thrust out, Esdeath dodged the attack by tilting her head, and rushed into the Prince's chest. The ice sword pierced through his heart.

The Prince of Northern Tribes was instantly defeated by Esdeath upon their first meeting.

490. Invite Night Raid to Join

"Esdeath is coming back?"

Night Raid, Nadjeshda, the leader of the assassination squad established by the Revolutionary Army, listened to Lubbock's report with great surprise.

"Yes, that's what I heard in the bookstore today."

Lubbock, Night Raid assassin and intelligence agent, always worked behind the scenes and never showed his face even during assassination missions, so no one knew he was a member of Night Raid. This allowed him to move freely in the Imperial Capital. So he opened a bookstore and used it as a cover to gather information from all sides in the Imperial Capital.

Today, he learned that the Empire's Grand General Esdeath was about to return from the north, so he hurriedly left the Imperial Capital and went to Night Raid's headquarters to report.

"How could it be so fast?"

Nadjeshda frowned as she listened to Lubbock's intelligence. Originally a general of the Empire, Nadjeshda had joined the rebels because she could no longer tolerate its corruption. She was currently entrusted with a crucial mission: forming Night Raid assassination squad. Their primary responsibility was to assassinate corrupt nobles and ministers in the Imperial Capital, thus relieving pressure on the main Revolutionary Army.

The reason why Night Raid was able to operate in the Imperial Capital was largely because Esdeath had been dispatched to the north. This resulted in fewer people in the Imperial Capital posing a threat to Night Raid. Although there was still a Grand General in the Imperial Capital, he was mainly responsible for protecting the palace. As long as people didn't open dungeons in the palace unnecessarily, the Grand General would generally not take action.

But now, they haven't even launched many operations, and Esdeath is back? That's way too fast.

"According to our calculations, Esdeath should be at least in a year-long war in the north."

Nadjeshda knew Esdeath's strength better than anyone else, because she was Esdeath's colleague before joining the Revolutionary Army. She had firsthand experience of Esdeath's power. When she encountered Esdeath during her rebellion, she lost her right eye and right hand. No one understood the extent of Esdeath's power better than her.

Even so, she made a very detailed calculation of Esdeath's northern expedition. The calculation showed that it would take the enemy at least a year to end the war. If the north could be strong enough, it could even be delayed for two or three years. This would be a very favorable development period for both the Revolutionary Army and their Night Raid.

But now, Esdeath has returned after only a little over a month?

Even a large army couldn't travel that fast. Imagine sending 100,000 troops from the Imperial Capital to the northern border and back; that would take a month. You can't just go there, slap the Northern Tribes, and wipe them out instantly, then turn around and come back. That's too exaggerated. Are the Northern Tribes really that weak? What about the imperial army on the northern border that was previously suppressed by the Northern Tribes? Were they even weak?

It must be said that when Nadjeshda made her predictions and analysis, she had already estimated Esdeath's strength upwards, but in reality, she still underestimated her. Once Esdeath goes berserk, no one in this world can stop her.

"Boss, what should we do now?"

Lubbock knew Esdeath well, as he himself was from the Imperial Army and had previously worked under Nadjeshda. He joined the Revolutionary Army after rebelling with Nadjeshda. In reality, whether he joined the Revolutionary Army or not didn't matter; he was mainly lusting after Nadjeshda's body, so he followed her wherever Nadjeshda went.

However, this did not prevent him from having some understanding of Esdeath's strength, after all, he coveted Nadjeshda was already missing her right eye and right hand.

"If Esdeath really comes back, we'll have to Night Raid low for now. It's not convenient for us to make a move now that Esdeath has appeared, as that would only attract her attention."

The current Night Raid are not the number one troublesome organization that forced the ministers to specifically target Esdeath. Although some members of the Night Raid have been wanted, they are only in the lower-level guard units of the empire. The ministers at the higher levels have not yet noticed them. So as long as they lie low, the ministers will not notice them, and Esdeath, a high-ranking general of the empire, will naturally not notice them either.

"Alright, I will focus on gathering information about Esdeath during this time."

Lubbock nodded in agreement, then turned and left. As an intelligence operative, his primary task was currently intelligence gathering. Previously, he had focused on gathering intelligence on corrupt nobles and ministers within the empire, but now, his main focus naturally shifted to Esdeath...

"I hope nothing bad happens."

Watching Lubbock turn and leave, Nadjeshda rubbed her temples.

Esdeath's sudden return certainly wasn't because she felt she couldn't defeat the Northern Tribes. After all, she knows Esdeath's personality best, so the Northern Tribes are probably finished. The next thing to consider is whether the Empire will let Esdeath lead the campaign against the southern Revolutionary Army.

If Esdeath takes the lead in attacking the Revolutionary Army, the Revolutionary Army will face a much tougher situation. After all, the Revolutionary Army is still in its early stages. Supported by the Southern Nobles, the Revolutionary Army is currently far inferior to the Empire in terms of both the number of troops and the combat strength of its elite soldiers. In particular, Esdeath is among the top-tier combatants. If they were to face her head-on, they would truly be doomed.

Fortunately, Nadjeshda's fears did not come true.

The next day, Esdeath openly appeared at the gates of the Imperial Capital with her Three Beasts. Because she was in a hurry, Esdeath ordered her 100,000-strong army to return slowly from the rear, while she herself led her Three Beasts back to the Imperial Capital first.

Lubbock's open appearance in the Imperial Capital naturally caught his eye, proving that the news he had heard earlier about Esdeath's return to the Imperial Capital was true.

Esdeath did indeed return to the Imperial Capital, which gave Lubbock a headache, but he was also helpless. Fortunately, after Esdeath returned to the Imperial Capital, there was no news that General Esdeath had been assigned to suppress the Southern Revolutionary Army.

The reason he wasn't assigned this task was because the minister didn't want to expose the information about the Southern Revolutionary Army. The minister controlled the government and misled the young emperor, saying that the whole country was prosperous and peaceful, and that all the enemies were foreign tribes. He said that fighting foreign tribes was acceptable, but internal strife was unacceptable!

Therefore, even though the minister was extremely surprised that Esdeath had managed to eliminate the Northern Tribes in just one month, he still did not allow Esdeath to take charge of the campaign against the southern Revolutionary Army.

So, Esdeath returned to the Imperial Capital, accepted the emperor's reward, and then settled down in the Imperial Capital for a period of leisure.

Upon learning that Esdeath was unemployed, Lubbock immediately left the city to deliver the news to Nadjeshda at the base.

"Is she resting?"

Upon hearing the news, Nadjeshda opened her eyes slightly in surprise.

"Yes, according to the information I have, it seems that Esdeath took the initiative to request to rest in the Imperial Capital."

Lubbock recounted what he had learned.

Is there a problem with this?

"There is a problem, and it is a serious problem."

Nadjeshda's eyebrows furrowed again.

"Knowing her as I do, she's not the type of person who likes to stay in one place for too long. Why would she suddenly want to rest?"

"Could it be that she has some ulterior motive?"

Najenda didn't believe Esdeath had no ulterior motives and simply wanted to rest. As a former colleague, Nadjeshda saw Esdeath as someone with very clear goals, especially since she had returned so quickly from the north. This was very unlike Esdeath's usual habits. According to Esdeath's habits, she would at least stay there for a while, especially when it came to things like torture, which Esdeath was notoriously perverted.

"My target? Of course, it's you, Nadjeshda."

The sudden sound from behind stunned Nadjeshda, who was deep in thought. Not only her, but Lubbock in front of her also stared wide-eyed and stood frozen in place.

"Is this Night Raid's headquarters? It's built at the foot of a mountain wall, quite a nice place. Did you dig this base out using Imperial Arms?"

Esdeath strolled around as if she were in her own home, looking around as she walked until she reached Lubbock's side and put her hand on Lubbock's shoulder.