At the same time that Wang Hanxin was quelling the rebellion in Huizhou, a major event occurred in the Paz Empire far west - the seventy-six-year-old old king Bicarlius IV died.

Unlike the three previous kings of the same name, Bicarius IV used his forty-one years of rule to turn the once mighty Paz Empire into a mediocre state. During his reign, the power of the throne gradually fell into the hands of a few powerful ministers, and the king was content to let these ministers fall against each other, and he himself was keen on wine, and his greatest achievement was to leave behind sixty-five children, as many as ninety-one if you count the unfortunate deaths.

Due to his longevity, two princes in a row failed to survive their father and took the first step. If his fertility is left aside, then the life of Bycarius IV can be summed up in just four words: "inaction".

The old king, who had been fighting tirelessly on the beautiful woman for many years, finally collapsed on the beautiful woman's bed because of his age, his limbs twitched, and his mouth foamed, and by the time the medical officer arrived, the old king was paralyzed and slurred. The next morning, the old king suddenly came to his senses and ordered that his third prince, Pernoncar, be found.

The old king's return made everyone understand the seriousness of the situation, and Pennoncar, who had been waiting outside all night, soon broke into the king's bedchamber.

What follows has been recorded by later historians because Bicarius IV spent the last part of his life proving that his forty-one years of laziness was nothing more than an illusion.

"O Pennoncal, you are at last. Thank you God of Light, it's still too late, I have something to tell you. The old king retreated, leaving only a confidant secretary to record the king's last words.

"Father's ??????" As soon as Pennoncar spoke, tears rolled out of his eyes.

Bicarius took his son's hand and said softly, "Pernoncal, do you know that you have so many brothers, why should I choose you as the crown prince?" ”

"This?????? I don't know. ”

Bicarius sighed and said, "The royal power of the Paz Empire has been around for a long time, but it is difficult to contain it by the time of my generation, and I am just a mediocre and incompetent person, powerless to change all this. I've dedicated my life to the affairs of the harem, in order to have as many children as possible. I was counting on one of these children to be someone who would change the country. But God did not fulfill people's wishes, and I gave birth to so many sons, but none of them could afford this heavy responsibility.

Pononce, you are neither the eldest son, nor the most noble of the princes, nor are you necessarily better than your brother in terms of your abilities, but the reason why I have chosen you to be the crown prince is because, first, you are not swayed by any faction of powerful ministers, and your power is not strong enough to threaten these powerful ministers, so no one will oppose you to succeed to the throne when they are inseparable; The second reason is that you have a younger sister, Middil. ”

Purnonkar was shocked when he heard this, and said, "Father, do you mean to let your sons and daughters win over the horses to worship Basbahn?" ”

Bicarius IV nodded approvingly and said, "Not bad." To change everything that is currently in the Paz Empire, you must rely on Lord Basban, Lord of Bataana. Looking at the entire Paz Empire, there is no one more talented than him. Unfortunately, he is Lord Bataana, and he doesn't seem willing to get involved in the struggles within the court, so for now, he can only be used as your external aid to intimidate the courtiers. When you ascend to the throne, you must enlist Babban to serve you, and your sister Midir will be your most powerful weapon. ”

The old king paused and gasped for a moment before continuing: "What I can do in this life is not to become a threat to any of the powerful ministers, and at the same time to make none of these powerful ministers overwhelm their opponents, so that they will always fight among themselves, and will not act as a threat to the royal power." When you succeed to the throne, you must be careful not to let them influence you, but also compromise with them appropriately, and unite with Basbahn to gradually weaken their power and regain the power of the king. ”

Penoncal asked, "Father, my son has a question. If the retainers united with Basbane to regain the royal power, who would be able to stop Basban's power at that time? ”

Bikarius shook his head slightly, and said, "You must not have such thoughts, the lords of Badana have served our country for generations, and their loyalty is evident to all. Basbahn is the unborn talent of the family, and he is probably the least ambitious. With the current strength of the Badana Domain, even if he were to claim the throne independently, we would not be able to help him, but he did not do so. It is true that he has made the Bataan Territory prosperous in the past few years, and it is like another empire in the Paz Empire, but he has no hope for the title of king. This shows that he is a man who is content with self-preservation, as long as you protect all the power he has, then he will be loyal to you, and he will do his best to win him over with your affection for Middil. ”

"Yes, Erchen wrote it down."

"One more thing you must remember ??????" As he spoke, Bicarius' breathing suddenly became rapid, and he tried to continue talking, but all that came out of his throat were voices of unknown meaning.

"Father! Father! What do you say? Pennon Carr put his ear close to his father's lips.

"Don't ?????? Letter?????? Nisinis. With the last of his strength, the old king spat out these words, and then swallowed his last.

The old king, who had ruled for forty-one years, died, and his son Pornoncar succeeded to the throne of the Paz Empire. Due to the large number of heirs of Bicarius IV, it became a headache to name these sons, and the current successor to the throne, Penoncar, did not have a king with the same name in the history of the Paz Empire, he became Penoncar I, and the only king in the history of the Paz Empire to use this name.

More than a thousand kilometers west of the capital of the king of Paz, a woman in a gray robe was marching across a wasteland. Because of her heavy hood, it was impossible to see her face clearly. A gust of wind blew, and the hood was slightly lifted, revealing a pair of bright red lips, the corners of which were slightly upturned.

"The immovable mountain has finally fallen, and the king has become a bloody city, and it seems that there is no need to go any further." If anyone heard the woman speak, he would be startled, because the voice that came out of her delicate lips was so old and dry.

The woman then adjusted the direction of her travel, heading straight to the southeast. (To be continued.) )