As a former officer of the Imperial Central Army, he can rise all the way to the level of the deputy flag regiment, Mr. Stephen is still a bit of a talent, he is not a waste, and of course he is not a genius. ~

In his thirties, he has been in the army for ten years, and he has been selected for a short time in the Imperial Affairs Academy, which is a bit expected.

Of course, the reason why he was able to mix in the central army of the empire to the deputy flag regiment level, which is considered to be a position of stepping into the ranks of middle and senior generals, is not purely because of his military superiority, but also because of his background.

Stephen was born in an aristocratic family in the imperial capital, not a top wealthy family, but also quite well-established, a middle-class family that hovered between second-rate and third-rate nobles, and stood closely in the ranks of the royalist faction. Because of this background, Stephen was considered to have enough loyalty and firmness to finally rise through the ranks, and in less than a few years he was given the rank of deputy flag regiment in the central army of the empire.

Originally, Stephen thought that he still had a lot of potential in his career: he was still young, his background was good, and the resume he had accumulated over the past few years was almost enough. Once you have the opportunity, you may be able to use the connections in the family to move around and transfer yourself back to the imperial capital, and then you can use the name of a well-versed military strategy to transfer yourself to the military department of the imperial capital or some other department to serve as an official, without having to be exposed to the wind and sun in the army, and no longer have to go to the battlefield to fight for life and death.

If you mix well, when you retire in twenty or thirty years, you may be able to mix to the level of deputy director.

Isn't this how most children of nobles come from all their lives?

Unfortunately, Stephen's luck was just too bad.

If all is in order, then there should be an eighty percent chance that this idea will be realized.

But it's a pity to go...... He met the war!

The Odin people drove south and drove straight in, sweeping the Seventh Corps of the Central Army of the Empire of Siltan County and fighting repeatedly against the Odin, but the Seventh Corps of the Central Army was defeated again and again, and finally the main force was almost completely annihilated. Fortunately, Stephen was not programmed into the main sequence at the time. He followed the remnants of his men and horses to the city of Denzel in Morshire, where he finally took refuge under Char's command.

Since then, his career dreams have been shattered.

The remnants of the Seventh Corps were immediately absorbed by Char, and the Northern Army was established, and people like him, who came from traditional aristocratic families in the imperial capital, and those old oilmen in the Central Army, obviously did not receive Char's trust.

Both sides know that they are not all the way at all. Many officers with aristocratic family backgrounds from the Central Army simply look down on that Char Leiming, this kind of guy with mud legs, if he was in the past, he would have to take the initiative to salute himself when he met him on the road!

But now, instead of relying on others, he was annexed by the other party, and from now on, he has to live by the faces of others. The original positions and powers have all been hollowed out, and the oil and water are naturally gone......

Although Stephen knew that he did not resist at the time, at least he was not completely hollowed out, he also knew very well in his heart that there was no future for him to continue to stay in the Northern Army in his own capacity.

This time, Char was unexpectedly selected as the commander of the escort army, responsible for escorting the queen back, for Stephen, it was simply a pie-in-the-sky thing!!

After all, he came from an aristocratic family, and of course he was very familiar with the background of Her Royal Highness the Empress!

The Minas family, that was once the most powerful family in the army! The Imperial Duke's House! If he can safely escort the Empress back to the Imperial Capital, then no matter what, the Duke of Minas will definitely reward himself heavily! And in the same way, His Majesty's reward will not be light!

As long as he can return to the imperial capital, with his family's connections, he can make a little move and think of some ways to stay in the imperial capital, and there is no problem in thinking about it.

So...... From now on, you can break away from the Northern Army, a group that you can't integrate into at all!

This is a rare opportunity!!

Based on this mentality, Stephen was extraordinarily careful and responsible for escorting the group.

After leaving Denzel, Stephen showed the attitude of an extremely responsible officer, carefully dispatching a large number of scouts along the way, urging the troops forward, and at the same time carefully concerned about safety.

Whether it is walking, lodging, or stopping for a short rest, he is cautious, even if the water source on the way, he has to send someone to carefully check it~ You know, you haven't stepped out of Char's sphere of influence yet.

He had to personally greet the queen every morning and evening, showing a full aristocratic demeanor, both in etiquette and posture, which was impeccable.

will ask about the queen's daily life, diet, etc.

It can be said that every detail that can be thought of, this Mr. Stephen has gathered all the details.

However, what made him a little discouraged was that Her Royal Highness the Queen herself did not seem too enthusiastic and even a little indifferent to his courteous greetings.

It was only on the first two occasions that Her Royal Highness opened the window to meet him in person, and said a few polite words to him, and tried to persuade Mr. Stephen very high-soundingly. But after that, every time Stephen greeted him, he couldn't see the queen, and the queen just responded casually with a simple "um", "oh" and "got it" in the car window, and on two occasions, even Stephen could hear the suppressed impatience in the queen's tone.

What the hell...... This woman is so beautiful, she was born in the first wealthy family of the empire, and she is the queen of honor. Every day, she seems to have a layer of frost on her face...... Someone of her own identity. What else is there not to live?!

If it had been placed in the past, Stephen would naturally be very interested and would not dare to disturb the queen again.

But now, Stephen is clearly losing his cool.

He knew very well that for him, being able to deal with the queen so closely was a golden opportunity for him! If he could get the queen's appreciation, or if he could get even the slightest favor from Her Royal Highness, then after returning to the imperial capital, it would be of great benefit to his attempts!

He was born in a middle-class aristocratic family, and he rarely saw him in front of the emperor on weekdays. So "...... Later......

There's a fire burning in Stephen's heart!

※※※

The team walked all the way to Syrtan County, and naturally there was no trouble along the way. The cavalry of 1,000 men who accompanied it "kept a distance of less than a mile from the queen's chariot and horse, and marched slowly." The general Sharpa who led the army, Stephen naturally knew, that was Char Leiming's henchman, born in the Rhodrian cavalry. However, for Stephen, an aristocrat like him would not really look down on a civilian-born officer like Sharba.

The two didn't have anything to do with each other along the way, "just occasionally sending out heralds to inform each other."

As long as I return to the imperial capital, I don't have to have anything to do with the Northern Army in the future! Even if he Sharpa is Char Leiming's henchman, I don't have to curry favor with him!

That's what Stephen thought.

When the team arrived at the new town of Siltan, the two teams immediately parted ways.

Shalba's cavalry did not repair in the new town, but replenished its provisions, and immediately marched eastward to quell the rebellion in Corsica. The queen and her entourage walked into the new city for a day's rest.

The new town has almost turned into a big construction site. Since Char decided to move the office to the new city in the future, the new city began to repair the work. The fortifications and other fortifications that were destroyed during the war were under intense repairs, and "some of the buildings in the city that had been destroyed by the war began to be rebuilt, such as the county guard's house, the military barracks outside the city, the granary, and so on......

A large number of mobilized people worked hard inside and outside the city like ants, because there were construction sites everywhere, and the air was drifting with a layer of stone dust.

At night, Daphne, who was resting in the county warden's house, stayed awake all night: "She stood on her balcony and looked out over the whole new town...... Even at night, you can see the lights everywhere in the new city, the construction site is in full swing, and the sound of shouting from afar is non-stop.

This will be a new city in the northern part of the Empire...... It would also be "that guy's lair." He's going to make this place a solid one.

It is foreseeable that it will become more prosperous than ever......

That Char, he will also be like a rising star, "light up the northern sky of the empire......

It's a pity that I can't see this anymore.

Early tomorrow morning, I will leave the new city and go south.

Everything in the north, what has happened these days, everything that has happened, will only be "only...............

It will only become a cloud of smoke in a dream, and slowly dissipate away.

Daphany clung to the fence, her fingers white from pushing too hard.

※※※

The second time, the team left the new city and made its way south, and Stephen ordered the march to be accelerated. After walking for more than ten days, the brigade of chariots and horses finally opened the border of Siltan County and officially entered the sphere of influence of the Besta people.

The wife of the governor of the Besta kept her promise, and she sent a troop of cavalry and two hundred carts.

Two hundred carts allowed the infantry in the garrison to finally break away from the conviction of trekking on foot, and after the infantry got into the carriage, the march was much faster.

Obviously, the Governor's wife also had the idea of sending this trouble out of her territory early.

The Besta people went out of their way to provide provisions, and even some horses. There was also cavalry escort along the way.

It took less than fifteen days to cross the Besta area.

To Stephen's displeasure, the Governor's wife never showed up to meet Her Royal Highness.

For a nobleman like Stephen, he felt that this was a very faux pas!

After leaving the Besta sphere of influence, Stephen ordered the team to continue to speed up!

He knew very well that his party had entered the enemy-occupied area!

In the future, this journey will first pass through the territory of the four rebel small warlord military districts, in Stephen's prediction, this part of the journey should not be too dangerous, his party has a force of 1,500 people, the small warlord may not be willing to invest troops to fight hard with him, and ............ Even if things don't work, you can still use cavalry to escape with the queen.

The greatest danger should be the Armenian Military Region! If we want to return to the imperial capital, the Armenian Military Region is a big mountain that must be climbed in front of us! As the top force in the rebel camp, Armenia has a strong military force and a vast territory! At that time, it is the time to really test itself!

But Stephen wasn't too worried, he had already come up with an idea that he thought was a great idea!!

He had already thought about it before he left! As soon as his group approached the sphere of influence of the Armenian Military District, he would immediately order the division of troops!

He would abandon the thousand infantrymen in his ranks, and all the other entourage, and all the maids and servants! He would take only the queen and a few hundred cavalry, and rush through the Armenian territory as fast as possible! The abandoned troops could also be used as suspicious soldiers to "attract the Armenians' pursuers!"

As for the people who were abandoned by his plan, Stephen didn't feel the slightest bit guilty.

As for culpability............ As long as you can escort the queen to arrive safely, then it will be the greatest credit! Who will pursue these things at that time?!

Of course, this plan is small, and he won't reveal it to anyone now!

As long as you can reach the imperial capital, then the promotion of official wealth, glory and wealth is just around the corner!!

Finally, on the twenty-ninth day after leaving Denzel, the party stepped out of the Besta forces and officially entered the enemy-occupied territory.

※※※

"Hurry up, hurry up, we must cross the Onyx River ahead before dark, and stay on the south bank!

Stephen rode his horse and ran back and forth in front of the group, shouting and shouting to cheer up the soldiers...... , but this effect is not very good.

Because of his impatience and repeated requests for speed, the team was already very tired.

Although there were a large number of carriages provided by the Bestas for the infantry, the bones of the soldiers were about to be torn apart after several days of sitting on the carriages along the way.

The Besta carriage doesn't have any shock-proof devices like the nobles' carriages, let alone soft carpets or anything like that. Those are just trucks that are used to transport goods. Sitting on it and hurrying, at the end of the day, the bones on the body were almost broken, and everyone had back pain.

As for the cavalry, they had been trekking for so many days that the inside of their thighs had to be rubbed out of the saddle.

It should be noted that these 500 cavalry are not the Rhodrian cavalry under Char's command, including the 1,000 infantry behind, all of them were drawn from the Second Corps of the Northern Army, that is, the garrison corps.

These infantry were Stephen's original team, the team he led. Most of the people, who were originally members of the Seventh Corps and some local garrisons, were not selected into the First Corps when the army was reorganized, but were eliminated into the garrison corps.

The composition of these 500 cavalry is also quite descriptive: 400 of them were not real cavalry, but a mounted infantry unit of the original garrison, the so-called motorized infantry. Only a hundred people are real cavalry, and those hundred cavalry are the real elite specially drawn by Char in order to strengthen the strength of the escort army!

These hundred cavalry are all the horse thieves who have followed Nene.

These horse thief cavalry served in the army, trained and lived together with the Rhodrian cavalry, and the degree of elite was no less than that of the Rhodrian cavalry, but the fierce and unruly nature of the horse thieves gave Stephen a little headache.

He obviously felt that the hundred cavalry were a little out of place with his own team, and he was lazy in carrying out his orders.

He had heard that the cavalry in the Northern Army ~ those really elite cavalry, in the entire Northern Army, only four people could command them.

When it came to the brunt, it was naturally Char's thunder. Secondly, there was the cavalry commander of the Northern Army, Sharba.

The other two people were Reinhardt, who once led the remnants of the Rhodrian cavalry to defect to Char from south to north, fighting bloody battles along the way, and forming a deep friendship with the cavalry.

The last one, I heard that it was the special existence in the Northern Army, the only female officer, and that was called the Nene guy.

Except for these four people, it was difficult for the other generals in the Northern Army to command these cavalry.

This hundred cavalry came all the way, although they did not find themselves in any trouble. Even in their hearts, whether they are on the road or staying overnight, or guarding scouts, these real elite cavalry are ten times better than these second- and third-rate guys under their command.

But their disdainful eyes and rebellious expressions were never hidden.

They looked down on Stephen and never had the slightest respect.

"Wait and see! Wait until you get to the imperial capital, see how I clean up these bastards. ”

Stephen muttered secretly, and raised his horsewhip to urge: "Hurry up, hurry, you must cross the river before dark!!Hurry!!"

His soldiers were exhausted, barely advancing under his whips and scoldings, and the hundred elite cavalry, who were still in the queue, only wandered outside the group, watching Stephen's jokes from afar, watching him drive the soldiers back and forth like a flock.

"What the hell...... How could my uncle send us to give this guy a command, why should this guy give us an order for something like mud. ”

A horse thief muttered dissatisfiedly: "Look at these guys, all of them are a mess of mud! Why should the warriors of our dignified cavalry regiment be in the company of these guys." ”

The other leader of the horse thieves frowned and stopped his companion's complaints: "Okay, shut up! Uncle's orders are naturally reasonable! Execute the order! Damn............ Don't forget your uncle's secret order before leaving, hehe...... This guy is unreliable, and when it comes to life, we brothers have to clean up the scene. Wake me up!!"

After a pause, the cavalry officer, who was the leader of the horse thieves, groaned slightly, and said, "That Stephen is a fool, and he just crossed the river in the dark, and he actually forced his way like this, and did not send anyone to the front to investigate." Damn it...... Send twenty brothers to the river in front of them to inquire about it, and keep watch by the river to meet the brigade. Also, the nearby woods have sent people to sentry, and now it is not our territory, so put the warning area larger, and be careful to sail the ship of ten thousand years. ”