Eastward! Eastward! (I)

September 1, X766, Philiers, Royal Palace, Conference Hall

Looking at the important military and political figures in the hall, the Finance Minister leaned close to Charlie's ear and whispered, "Charlie, what exactly happened? Why has His Majesty the King summoned us all here?"

"Dalitz, we received our orders at the same time and entered the palace at the same time, so we know the same things, and therefore I cannot answer your question."

"Alright, Charlie, others may not know, but I do. You're His Majesty the King's favorite minister, his confidant, he'd tell you anything. He wouldn't keep it from us, how could he possibly keep it from you?" (Dalitz)

"Charlie, we've been brothers for so many years! You can't just leave us behind and go off to great heights on your own!" (The Agriculture Minister)

"Yes, Charlie, you can't be so disloyal!" (Defense Minister)

Faced with the pleas of his old friends, Charlie wanted to help them resolve their doubts, but unfortunately, he had no idea what His Majesty the King was planning. Therefore, he could only grit his teeth and remain silent.

Seeing that Charlie remained silent, the ministers surrounding him became even more convinced that this hapless Minister of Education must know some secret, so they questioned him even more enthusiastically.

After being bombarded with a quarter-hour barrage of criticism about family, friendship, and personality, the Minister of Education finally couldn't take it anymore. He stood up abruptly and shouted, "I reiterate, I have no idea why His Majesty the King has summoned us. Please do not ask me any more questions about this!"

Seeing Charlie's sudden outburst, the ministers exchanged bewildered glances for a moment before dispersing.

After the ministers had dispersed, a woman in a light blue dress came into Charlie's view.

"Little Charlie, next time you encounter this kind of problem, you should do this sooner rather than later, otherwise those guys will drive you crazy!"

After accepting the black tea offered by the other party, Charlie said with a wry smile, "Grandma Tingmei, you have time to make me black tea, but no time to come and help me out of this predicament?"

"Little Charlie, you're wronging me. It's not that I didn't want to help you out, but your ancestor forbade me from coming over, so all I can do is prepare a cup of tea for you afterwards!"

Upon hearing Tingmei's words, Charlie glanced at Red, who was not far away, with a puzzled look, before turning his gaze back to Tingmei.

"Ancestor Tingmei, did the ancestor tell you why he did this?"

"The reason? Hmm... Uncle Reide did say something before... What was it again? Oh! Right! Uncle Reide asked me to tell you that being a favorite isn't so easy! (Tingmei)"

After Tingmei finished speaking, Charlie stared wide-eyed and stood there dumbfounded. After a moment, he smiled knowingly.

"Hehe! Thank you, Ancestor Tingmei!"

"Hehe! No need for thanks, just have your wife keep me company tonight!"

"Hmm? It seems something has happened at Belserion's place. Ancestor Tingmei, please stay here, I'll go take a look!"

Watching Charlie dodge the Charlie and slip away, Tingmei said angrily, "Hmph! You stingy little thing, I knew I shouldn't have helped you!"

Not long after the questioning subsided, the doors to the conference hall were suddenly opened, followed by a loud singing voice.

"His Majesty the King has arrived!"

Upon hearing the chant, everyone in the hall immediately stood up from their seats and paid their respects towards the hall entrance.

A moment later, Sordil, dressed in a moon-white robe, and Queen Irene, who was holding his arm, slowly entered the hall.

A moment later, the two arrived at the conference table, where Old Suo spoke up, "Gentlemen, please sit down!"

Once everyone was seated, two servants quickly stepped forward and hung a huge map in the center of the conference hall.

"Gentlemen, after a year of reforms, our military strength has greatly improved, but our economic strength has also declined significantly. At the same time, the calls for military achievements and promotions within the country have become increasingly intense, to the point where they must be addressed. That's why I've gathered you all here today to discuss a foolproof plan to perfectly resolve all the domestic Contradiction in one fell swoop. (Old Suo)"

Listening to Old Suo's highly aggressive remarks and looking at the giant map hanging in the center of the conference hall, some astute ministers had already vaguely guessed what His Majesty the King was planning to do.

"You are all pillars of the kingdom, and I hope you can offer your advice and strategies to help the kingdom overcome this difficult time. (Old Suo)"

As seasoned veterans of the political arena, these ministers naturally knew when to speak and when to remain silent (of course! If they didn't have this much discernment, they would have been out drinking bewitching soup with their great-grandfathers long ago!). Therefore, after Old Suo finished speaking, not a single person uttered a word, and the entire meeting hall was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Just as the atmosphere in the hall became extremely silent, Prime Minister Red spoke up, "Your Majesty, we are of dull mind and have failed to come up with a good solution. Please punish us!"

Upon hearing the Prime Minister's words, the others at the conference table echoed, "Please punish him, Your Majesty!"

Seeing how sensible everyone was, Old Suo was overjoyed. However, he still had to maintain appearances, so Old Suo face immediately darkened.

"Hmph! Punishment? What good would punishing you do? Get up, all of you!"

After everyone stood up, Her Highness the Queen timely comforted them, saying, "Your Majesty, please calm down. I believe the Prime Minister and the others will surely be able to come up with a solution!"

"Hmph! By the time they figure out a way, the kingdom will be long gone, and our heads will have already been chopped off by angry officers and civilians!"

After coldly rebuking the prime minister and other ministers, Old Suo took a deep breath and said with relief, "Luckily, I had the foresight to prepare a solution in advance, otherwise, things would have been troublesome!"

No sooner had Old Suo finished speaking than Red once again offered a way out.

"Your Majesty is wise! We hope that Your Majesty can tell us the plan so that we can share Your Majesty's burdens!"

Looking at the sensible prime minister, Old Suo nodded in satisfaction and then said, "Actually, the solution is very simple: expand the kingdom's territory!"

"Expanding territory? (Red)"

After muttering to himself for a few moments, the Prime Minister suddenly realized and said, "That's right! Expanding the territory will allow soldiers to earn military merits, satisfying the desire for war within the army. At the same time, we can also use the wealth of other countries to solve our country's financial crisis."

"Your Majesty is wise! (Red)"

Although Old Suo and Red's acting was terrible, the people sitting here couldn't complain; they had to genuinely have an "aha!" moment. After all, they still had to make a living here and couldn't afford to offend these two big bosses.

The ministers then stood up and echoed, "Your Majesty is wise!"

After the ministers had finished flattering him, Hadessta, the highest-ranking military representative and head of the Thirteen Palace Guardian Heavenly Kings, asked at the opportune moment, "Your Majesty, how do you plan to expand the kingdom's territory?"

After Hadessta finished speaking, Old Suo gestured for him to sit down, then pointed to the map and said:

"Our country is located in the central part of Ishgar. To the northeast is the Kingdom of Auriel, to the southeast is the Kingdom of Cushen, to the east is the Milantes Kingdom, and to the west is the Kingdom of Fiore. Among these four countries, Fiore is a permanently neutral country and is very powerful, so it is not advisable. Auriel and Kushen are allies, and if we attack any of them, it will provoke a joint attack from both of them."

"With our current strength, we are not capable of withstanding a pincer attack from both countries, so we are no longer considering these two countries."

After Sordil finished speaking, everyone in the room focused their attention on the eastern part of the map.

"Heh! Looks like everyone's already guessed who I'm going to target! (Isn't that obvious? You've eliminated three of the four countries, leaving only one. Even a fool knows it's that one!)"

"That's right! Our target is Milantes in the east! First of all, this region has been part of our Erus Kingdom for hundreds of years. Secondly, it is surrounded by our country and the kingdoms of Auriel and Kushen in the east of Ishgar, isolated and helpless. Moreover, among the four countries, its military strength is the weakest. Therefore, at present, it is the most suitable for us!"

The moment Old Suo finished speaking, enthusiastic applause erupted in the hall.

"Slap slap"

"Slap slap"

After a moment, the applause gradually subsided. At this moment, Hadessta and his military representatives stood up and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, please issue the order immediately. We will certainly complete the mission and expand the kingdom's territory!"

After the military made its statement, the civil officials, led by the prime minister, immediately stood up and shouted in unison, "Your Majesty, please issue the order immediately. We will certainly complete the mission and expand the kingdom's territory!"

After everyone stood up, Old Suo and Irene also stood up.

"Good! Very good! (Old Suo)"

"Elkley and Lek, you two will immediately lead the Erus Legion, First Division, to the northeastern border to guard against the Kingdom of Auriel."

"Yes!"

"Dabo and Hannibal, you two will immediately lead the Second Division to the southeastern border to guard against the Kingdom of Cushen."

"Yes, sir!"

"Yesveta and Lindel, you two will lead your Heavenly King Guard to join So'oren's Third Division and head to the western border to guard against the Kingdom of Fiore."

"Young Master/Brother Sordil, don't worry, as long as the two of us are alive, not even a mosquito will be able to fly in from the western border!"

After the two finished speaking, Old Suo nodded in satisfaction and continued, "Hadessta, Radel, Wattster, Gilkunis, Woodman, Yelibell, the six of you will immediately lead your Heavenly King Guard to the eastern border to join forces with the local garrison and launch an attack on Milantes."

"Yes!"

"Red, Dalitz, you two need to do a good job in logistics and ensure that there is no shortage of supplies on the front line!"

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

"Raleigh, Charlie, you must do a good job of mobilization, prepare sufficient reserve troops, and ensure that there is no shortage of manpower!" (Raleigh is the Defense Minister)

"Your Majesty, we obey!"

"Everyone else should perform their duties to ensure domestic stability!"

"Your subject obeys!"