Chapter 51: Sixth Episode: Chapter 5 (2/2)

The young lady gave a spirited smile and caressed her brother’s fine steed, then indicated the carriage that was far smaller than ordinary carriages beneath the huge flag.

The Raytheon apparently understood the young lady’s meaning despite being absolutely clueless to what that implied. However, it vaguely recalled that its own parents had performed a certain action beneath the banner.

The youngster held fast onto the reigns but this time the Raytheon had no intentions of yielding to its young master’s orders. It shot up the ridge and leaped with all its might onto the roof of the carriage. The last jump left Oscar feeling shaken and as if a few of his bones had cracked! He will never be able to bear another fall to the ground!

Oscar tried to pacify his mount; he could feel that his fearless companion was trembling slightly. The youth suddenly lifted his head and the huge flag was at that moment already behind him. His view finally encompassed the huge land that was obscured by the banner all the while.

”Ah…Ha…Ha!” His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette’s lips were blanched and his agitated being emanated a fiery aura. He saw countless knights clad in black armor, lined up like apparitions over the plains in front of the small hill, their elongated silhouettes seemingly stretching on towards the distant horizon.

The Narcissus Knights were masked behind their silver visor and none of them made a sound, as if they were statues standing erect on the lands of Andrew. Titan beneath the heavens; Oscar could feel that even the winds had ceased to make a sound.

The knights who beared the war flags urged their warhorses to form two rows on either side of the prince. Oscar glanced left and right, and felt at a loss that he did not previously feel. Who could tell him what he ought to do?

”Take out your weapon!” A tiny voice drifted towards him.

Oscar came to comprehension and gave a grateful look to one of the flag bearing officers closest to him. At the crisp sound of his machete being drawn, Oscar puffed out his chest. He sensed that the wounds that had long since healed were once again split open.

”What now?”

When Murat heard the prince’s words, he nearly fell from his horse. He was utterly discomfited; an absurd thing as this should not take place at this divine hour! They need to review why the prince of the procession was clueless as to what should be done. He dropped his voice as low as possible, ”My Royal Highness, raise your… Oh goodness! Why are you wielding a machete?”

Major General Murat Bedoya was about to lose it. He was indecisive on whether he should replace the prince’s weapon; he did not know what kind consequence it would bring unto His Royal Highness Prince to wave a machete before so many Narcissus Knights.

”Seriously… Forget about it! Raise your… your machete, then shout a few words! Oh one more thing!” It suddenly crossed Murat’s mind, ”after this is over, do not mention to anyone that I was the one who directed you to do this!” Oh goodness gracious! Murat curled up his lips, he just could not comprehend it; why did the only person he ever witness to use a machete among all the people of Titan, had to be the little hero of the house of Andrew?

”So… What should I say?”

”What?”

”I said, what should I say?” Oscar was oblivious to the Narcissus Knights below him who were watching both him and Major General Murat as their heads were almost bumping against one another.

”Oh god!” Murat felt intense shame! ”Anything! My Royal Highness, the knights are waiting for your review, don’t tell me that you do not have any sentiments at all?”

Oscar racked his brain and gave it some thought. He finally came to an apprehension! The ten thousand people below were waiting for his review and as for his sentiments, it seemed that there was only one word that surfaced.

The youngster turned his horse and held onto the reins tightly, then directed the machete to point towards the blue sky. Without needing any command, all the Narcissus Knights brandished their weapons. The plains trembled at the ice-cold sound of clashing metal.

”Quickly withdraw your blade!” Murat prayed! ”Of all things, do not let the fools below discover that you are wielding a Persian weapon to greet them!”

”Andrew Haila!” The long cry came from below the huge banner, and by the time the sound waves had spread towards the Narcissus Knights’ lineup, an even louder wave erupted and reverberated.

”Andrew Haila!” ”Andrew Haila!” ”Andrew Haila!” The whole earth was once again resonating the cheer of Andrew. Oscar’s Raytheon was the first to rise on its hind legs and kicked its forelegs like mad following the cheers. Its young master held on tightly to its neck, barely daring to move! However, it could not be blamed for it recalled that its father had done the same back then!

The knights’ originally organized shouts had changed pace. From the north to south, the slogan ”Andrew Haila” had continued to spread throughout all the divisions! The rise and fall of the cheers were like singing, vibrating through the eardrums of both men and horse!

Major General Murat Bedoya who was beside the prince suddenly raised the war flag in his hands! One of the division level members in the knights’ lineup gave an even more hysterical roar. The knights of that division started to beat their spears on their shields rapidly and the ear-piercing sound waves masked the resounding cheer of ”Andrew Haila”.

Another officer beside the prince made a similar gesture as Murat and the other end of the lineup also erupted with the sound of spears clashing on shields.

The remaining twenty-five officers represented their divisions and raised their war flags in succession! The cheer of ”Andrew Haila” was completely replaced! The prince’s Raytheon was circling in fury beneath the banner; this little lad had forgotten what he was supposed to carry out next!

However, this time, its young master had caught on; His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette snatched the war flag from Major General Murat Bedoya’s hands in a flash. He clung to the snatched flag and urged his horse to charge down the hillside. Murat gave a cry and charged after the prince and a number the other officers followed suit!

Oscar charged head on towards countless Narcissus Knights. His body leaned forwards with all his might. The Raytheon had achieved peak velocity once it had dash down the hillside; the whipping wind and cheers of the knights rapidly fell behind his ears. However, another new wave of a variety of sounds was emerging up ahead. Whichever direction the youngster’s horse was headed towards, all the knights would automatically shy to either side. They watched this legend-like youngster who was raising the war flag of the Narcissus Knights’ Red Tiger Assault division and flitting through the sea of people constructed of shields and spears.

Oscar had no idea where he was to go; his warhorse was also at a loss. At that moment, the youngster only knew to urge his horse to continue galloping forwards. However, knights who were spreading onto either side kept flooding before his eyes; it felt like he was flitting through a never-ending lineup formed by the Narcissus Knights.

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The Lady Duchess of Andrew, Celia, embraced her little daughter, ”Take a look! Sasha! Do you see? Little Oscar has finally returned home! My knights are cheering for him! Do you see that? I… Tell me, am I dreaming?”

”No, mother!” Sasha kissed her mother’s cheek emotionally and brushed away her mother’s tears whilst allowing tears of her own to continually roll down her cheeks. ”No! No, mother!” All these are real! My brother has parted the knights’ ranks, just like a true hero, he has forged ahead!”

Yes, that’s right! His Royal Highness Prince O’Neil Andrew Morisette received welcome from the Narcissus Knights like a true hero. Just look at that youngster spurring his horse to bolt forwards! When he passed through the square formation formed by the knights, no one could describe his feelings.

Exactly twenty-seven divisions of the Narcissus Knights came to greet Her Royal Highness Princess and His Royal Highness Prince, totaling to more than eighty thousand men! This also included all three of the fronts, which were defending the Empire’s territory nearby, beneath the banner of Andrew.

The fronts of the Narcissus Knights adopted a similar structure to that of the Empire’s inland; both arranged their compositions based on the natural terrain. The House of Andrew did not establish any provincial-level administrative unit in the territories; the fifteen fronts that constituted the entire armed force of the family represented the fifteen districts.

Since the Persians had never ceased their attacks, so every time the fire beacon at the border lit up, the whole territory of Andrew would assume a state under military control. And when this happened, the working hours under the military control was far longer than that under the administrative authority. In the end, around the middle of the fifth century, Andrew simply opted to dissolve the first class administrative authority of the region, establishing the Military Personnel Bureau, that was a united army and government. This largest bureau level organizational structure in the mainland enveloped all the power of the government and army. It included administration, the law enforcement agency, judiciary, inspectorate, taxation body, military and reserve institutions and so on.

To the Military Personnel Bureau, the so-called government residence established by the Titan Empire in Narcissus County was undoubtedly just a front for show. According to the orders of chief administrator of the Military Personnel Bureau, Marshal Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel, all the commands coming from the Eastern border governor, Duke Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel, were not to be accepted.

It is a little ridiculous speaking of this, but the outsiders would not regard it as such. If one were to say that Duke Andrew, who was assuming dual roles, only obeyed the Empire’s Central by name, then he was very much suited for the position in the government residence; if one were to say that he really did not care about the Empire’s governmental decree, then the chief commanding officer of the Military Personnel Bureau would undoubtedly provide him with a better explanation. In fact, saying all these would not be nonsense because the governor and the chief administrator were simply one. However, the people of Narcissus felt that only the commands of the chief administrator best addressed the issue.

The endless military rule contributed to the unwavering leadership status of the House of Andrew at the territories of the Eastern border, but this system itself limited political and economical activities within the borders of Andrew to a certain extent.

A soldier’s mission in life was to obey commands and so, the commands of the Military Personnel Bureau of Andrew controlled all the fate of the people within the territories. Andrew’s control over the people and military had already achieved a state of near perfection. If there were no commands from the superiors, then no one was able to operate at will within the borders of Andrew. Despite this system being able to stabilize the entire border of Andrew, but in the long run it could not avoid taking on the path of doctrine and bureaucracy.

To deter the infiltration and destruction by the Persians and to escape the interference and surveillance from the Empire’s central, the Military Personnel Bureau founded the Census Bureau. This Bureau only had a tiny sign hung at the Military Health Department as its external work were generally to investigate the census register and to go through the epidemic diseases. However, the people all knew that the forbidding palace’s building complex of headquarters, many secrets of utmost significance was placed under the jurisdiction of the Military Investigation bureau. To put it simply, this department was Andrew’s personal secret service. Its principle duty was to monitor all visible hostility directed towards the Andrews or uncertain potential enemies. As compared to the secret service, the Military Intelligence Bureau under the control of the military had better cohesion and battle strength.

This was to say that, the role that Duke Andrew played at the Eastern border was undoubtedly that of an Emperor. And to the subjects of Andrew, he indeed was. The foundation that made up the Andrew family’s rule was extremely simple. The people here could simply be categorized into the reproduction group and the battle group. To put it even more simply, the people of Narcissus reproduced and lived to fight and the soldiers of Narcissus fought so that they could continue to reproduce and live. So, Andrew served as the organizer of all activities and the body that aggregated all the glory and belief in their midst. As far as it concerned the people of Narcissus, Andrew was not only their commander-in-chief, but also more so the refuge enshrined by God’s side in the church.

The Andrews were God-chosen warriors! These were the opening words in all the government textbooks from primary school to the only academy within the territories. The enrichment to Andrew’s ruling foundation would be the significance of the people being convinced by these words. The people of Narcissus born in foreign lands would usually give this clarification ”I am from the Eastern Border of Andrew!” first and foremost when they introduced themselves. The Narcissus people had made Andrew their only family name.

If the Duke of Andrew in that era were to have any shortcomings, then it would be his love for huge spectacles. Marshal Dortmund Andrew Nedgabel’s hobby was to display his army before the people of the world. Without knowing just when it started, the Narcissus Knights realized that their old foes were not that difficult to handle as before! Furthermore, once the defensive line at the frontier that was as packed as a spider’s web and the strongholds that were as numerous as the stars, settled down, the Narcissus Knights and the soldiers of the Narcissus warrior group no longer had to prepare their posthumous writing prior to entering battle like before.

Despite wars breaking out ceaselessly, despite the casualties becoming another number on the list, but the Narcissus knights had already procured battle strategies and tactics that could completely hold back the Persians. Be it individual combat techniques or an army’s attack and defense coordination, after four centuries of trials, the Persians who made no progress at all had became the knights’ laughing stock and no longer the terrifying Pagan terminators.

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Going back to the Duke of Andrew, Dortmund, this handsome Marshal was at the prime of his life. He had four sons and an adopted daughter and his godchildren were so plentiful that even he himself did not quite remember them all. He also had four Madames. This was the most criticized aspect of the Andrew family. According to the decree of the God of Light, monogamy was considered the most ethical standards by law. However, taking into consideration the rather high sacrificial rate of the Andrew family members of direct descent on the battlefield, so two hundred years ago, His Grand Eminence the pope specially sought instructions from the God of Light Sapriuses and thus, the Andrew family’s adults could possess four legitimate wives. Regardless of whether that Grand Eminence Pope truly attained the Divine divinity, the Andrew family relied on this special God given decree to conscientiously guarantee the continuation of their bloodline.

Speaking of Duke Dortmund who was fond of ostentation, since all fifteen of the fronts were not at the front lines, so the other units who were waiting to be relieved from their garrisons at least had to be occupied with tasks during the brief peaceful period. The Duke enjoyed convening all forms of Swearing-in Ceremonies, for example road repairs or tree planting. He also enjoyed conducting large scale military exercises, for instance at the end of each year, the Duke would divide the fronts into two colors, which were black and white, according to the colors of the Fierce Tiger Flag of Narcissus. Although the stand off between the black and white were very much pretense, but the ordinary people who came to watch did not feel so. The ”Black and White Tournament” held once every year was undeniably their sole entertainment during the cold winter days.

The Imperial household of Morisette’s visit was insufficient to obtain a large enough audience for Duke Andrew to actually dispatch the three fronts. However, if the reports from the United Army were accurate, then this visiting princess may very possibly become little Oscar’s wife. Moreover, with His Majesty the Emperor making such an arrangement, he feared that it was most likely to announce to the people of the world of the princess’ belonging.

Confronted with the desolated office, Dortmund lifted up his teacup leisurely, but he then immediately replaced it. He had been bothered about the relationship between the princess and his young son for several days already! It was a rare occasion for his young son to return home. He initially planned to hold an engagement ceremony for this son and his daughter. If he did that, then it would indicate that he was choosing Oscar as the succeeding head of the family, because only the family head of Andrew could marry four Madams. However, that child’s age and qualifications simply could not convince the elders of the family at all. Even the second eldest, who constantly stirred up trouble, was more convincing! Then what about the princess? If the Emperor really married her off to Andrew, then holding another engagement ceremony at this juncture was definitely inappropriate. Could it be that he really had to disappoint little Sasha?”

The Duke again lighted another cigar. Hehe, one of his Madams had hidden a lot of them away, but his office’s secret box still had many left. Dortmund suddenly caught hold of the copper bell on the table and shook it violently. The huge doors to the office were opened instantly.

”Lieutenant Colonel Tracey, where have they reached?”

”Ahem, Ahem, Ahem!” Little Miss Tracey who was wearing a black uniform, choked on the mist-like smoke in the room. If she were to reveal her dissatisfaction towards this Marshal, then the man’s excessive smoking was definitely one of them.

”Ahem... Report…..Reporting Marshal!” Tracey furrowed her eyebrows. She flipped through a stack of report forms and documents in her hands to retrieve a military report. ”The prince, Madame, and young lady, the group of them, is crossing the River Marne, the time being the 7th month and twenty-nine minutes ago.”

The Duke shook his head; he turned his chair to face the French windows. The sunlight instantly illuminated Duke Andrew’s rather conspicuously gloomy face.

”Tracey! You have neglected one exceptionally significant figure, which is the princess of the imperial household! I have always believed my intuitions. That princess is definitely not a person who can be taken lightly of!”