December 25th, Christmas Day. It's another festive year. Egil was looking to be a year older. But now is no longer the time for him to be sad. In the south of Europa, the situation is getting worse and worse. Italy, where the disease first occurred, was already full of grief. And the Eastern Roman Empire was also full of dry bones. Large numbers of people were frightened. Began to migrate north. There is nothing the local government can do about it.

These refugees are all from the south, and the goal is to continue to move north. This also spread plague germs, chaos and riots to the north. By mid-December, Egier had received information from Hesse, Brandenburg and Switzerland. Intelligence suggests that these areas are also in a state of chaos. The great aristocrats were like a few decades ago, in the era of utter chaos of feudal secession. The turtle cowered inside the castle and did not dare to come out. And the government forces of various countries can only maintain the security of a small number of important cities and strongholds.

At the same time, the Black Death was spreading south. Because of the transportation problems, it was too late for Egil to arrive in Jerusalem. This heavenly kingdom on earth, which was originally planned by Egil to be built into a pearl in the Middle East, and the city under construction was also hit by the plague. Other Crusader city-states and fiefdoms were also attacked. The entire Middle East, Saudi Arabia, Upper and Lower Egypt, Syria and Palestine are all in chaos. Fortunately, the Mongols were also too embarrassed to attack. So I can survive for a short time.

And the largest fleet that the Norman Empire prides itself on, the Mediterranean Fleet with 30,000 navies and hundreds of warships, also suffered a huge blow. Hundreds of crews, sailors died. This led to a great deal of panic and riots. The sailors fled by boat and set fire to the forts in Malta. Allegedly, the commander of the Mediterranean detachment. Field Marshal Carter, the naval commander who followed Egil for the longest time. He is also suffering from a serious disease. Lives are short-lived.

The largest part of the Norman Empire's overseas territories, southern Italy, which strangled the entire Mediterranean. The area of Naples is now almost uninhabited. The power of the Norman Empire in the Mediterranean was greatly curtailed. And the communication about the Italian side. It has been cut off even now. I can't contact the spies there at all, and I don't know if they're dead or have defected.

Of course, none of this matters anymore. Because it was originally a busy one. The grand spectacle of hundreds of ships and thousands of sails on each route is no longer visible. All the ships are not hiding in the harbor and do not dare to go to sea. It's that it's dead on the sea and has become a ghost ship. As a result, the trade of the Norman Empire, as well as other countries bordering the Mediterranean, was also greatly affected.

Egil felt about it. It's almost painful. With the contraction of trade in the Eastern Mediterranean. Efforts to dig the Suez Canal were in vain. The act of crushing the Egyptian Empire, which had taken a lot of effort, was also completely ineffective. The 400,000 Norman gold taxes that the Norman Empire could draw from the cornucopia of the Eastern Mediterranean every month also disappeared completely. This was a devastating disaster for the economy of the Norman Empire.

You know, the Norman Empire had a history of high government spending. Infrastructure expenses, army maintenance costs, and royal expenses. Originally, the balance of money every month was only about 500,000 Norman gold. Afterward. In the second half of 2008, that number rose to 600,000 thanks to Aurora's efforts and the development of Eastern Europe. This is good. Less than 400,000 taxes in the Eastern Mediterranean. The Norman surplus shrank by two-thirds at once. If something happens, the finances of the Norman Empire will be in jeopardy.

Egil also received bad news from other sources.

All the affected countries have turned to Egil for help. Those who want money, food, supplies, everything. One by one, the messengers wept bitterly and wept bitterly. I hope the Norman Empire will come to their aid. How embarrassing it is to make Egil. On top of that, the surviving refugees from other countries continued to pour into the Norman Empire - and in normal times, Egil might have been happy to see such a large influx of people. But in these extraordinary times, Egil was scared to death. ...,

Thousands of refugees, do you know who is a carrier of the virus? Then Egil must not cry to death. Therefore, the ruthless emperor gave an order to completely seal the checkpoint between Norman and other countries and send troops to guard it. And organize the people of the border areas to move inward. Create a no-man's land. It is hoped that this will stem the flow of refugees.

The Norman Emperor was so ruthless that he cut off thousands of refugees from their livelihoods. Outside the various checkpoints along the way to the Norman Empire, there was a wail. The day and day are full of crying, which is unbearable to look at. A small number of young people, who still have some physical strength and supplies, are preparing to cross the no-man's land created by Egil. During the cold winter months, when the snow is heavy, it may be romantic to watch the snow scene in a warm room. But in the snow, it's terrifying. Hundreds of kilometers of no-man's land, and there are no landmarks, only a white expanse, these forced adventurers often can't even find the right direction.

In the end, only one percent of the refugees who had the courage to cross the mountains and smuggle themselves into the Norman Empire were only one percent. Of these people, only one percent of them managed to reach the Norman Empire. In the end, those who were not killed by the Norman patrol cavalry were one hundredth of a hundredth...... At all costs. Norman's borders are secure.

By harsh means, at the cost of a large loss of popular support, the Normans managed to defend their borders. However, it is still the same sentence, the visible refugees are well guarded, but those rats who are running around and cannot be punished are difficult to eradicate. It's even more difficult to see germs that can't be touched. And the most important thing is the human heart......

Well, Egil has a terrible headache. In the end, the vassals who were watching Egil with a blank eye still received a small amount of assistance. This will cost Egil 100,000 Norman gold every month. Although it is said that half of the 100,000 Norman gold was issued in the form of loans. But Egil still felt sick to death.

But then again. The aid was only 100,000 Normans. And there are more than a dozen countries that look at Egil with their eyes, and on average, a country can't even reach 10,000 Norman gold. And then there's one more thing - now the roads between the Norman Empire and the rest of Europe are all blocked. It is difficult to transport, and you can only cross various forests, hills and other complex terrain. Sometimes, it will be robbed by crazy mobs, and the wear and tear along the way is quite serious......

Eventually, by the time these precious supplies reached the kings, with all odds, less than a tenth of them remaining. It's better than nothing, it's just enough to stuff your teeth.

"So that's my limit. The Norman Empire had to put its own security first. Or do you want me to harm the interests of the Normans for the sake of your country?"

When the envoys from other countries collectively begged to see the Norman Emperor, they had thick dark circles under their eyes, their eyes were bloodshot, and it looked like they hadn't had a good rest for a long time. Egil, who was unusually tired, said this in a very impatient tone, very coldly.

"But, but...... Our country has honored you as emperor—" said the Hungarian envoy, plucking up courage, but was immediately interrupted by the emperor.

"-That's why I'm giving you aid in such a difficult time!.-Do you know how much it would cost to transport these supplies to your troublesome places in the backwoods?!More than 300,000 supplies!If it weren't for my obligation to my vassals, I would have lived or died?! This is a big joke! If according to etiquette, it should have been the courtiers who paid tribute to the king. Now that the king wants to give favors to his courtiers, do you dare to be too little?!"...,

Listening to Egil's tone, which had risen to the level of "resentment", the emissaries were speechless. In fact, in a way, Egil has done enough. The emissaries really had no reason, let alone a position, and certainly did not have the courage to accuse such a monarch.

But they were still disappointed. Because what they need now is not an emperor who has fulfilled his responsibilities, but a savior.

"Nima is dead!"

If Egil had known what was going on in their hearts, he would have exploded.

That's pretty much the way it is now. Other nations lived in hell, and the Norman Empire struggled at the entrance to hell. I just don't know how long I can last it.

"Absolutely, absolutely, forever. As long as I am the emperor of this country, then the citizens of this country will definitely be the happiest in the world. Forever First Class Citizen!" said Egil as he thought about it. A cruel, almost crazy smile was revealed.

It was an emperor's promise.

Egil is in a sense, though, a scumbag, a madman and a war criminal. But he also has a good quality that most people in this world do not possess - a sense of responsibility.

Of course, he would not be swayed by sympathy for the commoners, but his sense of duty as emperor would allow him to protect them. Of course, he will not be shaken by the friendship between nations, but the sense of responsibility as a suzerain will allow him to protect them. He certainly won't have enough sense of justice and love to tolerate his country—but, as emperor, he has a responsibility to govern the empire better. This is Egir Skadergrímsson. His Majesty the Emperor of the Norman Empire.