Mu Jiahe suddenly released her hand, stood up from the bed, and walked to the bedside, hugging Xiao Xun’s neck from behind.
Xiao Xun swallowed with difficulty, “Your Majesty, you are planning to…”
He seemed to have forgotten his surroundings with that question, or perhaps he was reminding Mu Jiahe of her identity, but more importantly, his mind was a blur, and he had no idea what he was thinking.
Mu Jiahe gave Xiao Xun no chance to speak. She grabbed his shoulders, turned him to face her, and then kissed him.
Xiao Xun’s face turned completely red. His hands had nowhere to go, and he didn’t even know what to do.
He did not close his eyes, and Mu Jiahe did not either. Their eyes met, and Mu Jiahe tightly held Xiao Xun’s head. Xiao Xun’s first kiss was thus taken.
After a full ten minutes, Mu Jiahe released her hands. “Is this reward satisfactory?”
Xiao Xun stood there like a block of wood, neither moving nor staying still, which made Mu Jiahe laugh heartily.
She poked Xiao Xun’s forehead with her index finger. “You blockhead!”
Xiao Xun seemed to be fully revived and extremely excited, which made Mu Jiahe laugh again. “Truly a ‘little cutie.’”
The imperial court was bustling with voices.
Now, everyone knew that the Heavenly Disaster Legion, prophesied to destroy the world, had descended and was annihilating many countries with its overwhelming offensive.
However, today’s morning court had only two agenda items: First, to promote Xiao Xun to the rank of Duke; second, to hand over the command of the Phoenix Army to Xiao Xun.
The House of Representatives was still agonizing over who to elect as prime minister, as tomorrow was the last day.
Xiao Xun’s strength was undeniable, not to mention conquering the Savage Frontier or inheriting the Great Priest’s legacy.
Even the move he used yesterday to crush Horton in public was witnessed by all the citizens in the city.
Such flame magic could only be unleashed by a God of Magic, and Xiao Xun had defeated the rebel army and captured its leader, Horton, which was a great achievement in itself. Promoting his rank should have been a straightforward matter, but he was already a Marquis.
And it had only been a year since Xiao Xun first appeared in the public eye.
Most importantly, the iron rule set by the old monarch stipulated that only members of the Guangyan family could be enfeoffed as Dukes, a rule established at the founding of the nation.
If Xiao Xun were to marry Her Majesty the Empress, he could be made a Prince, let alone a Duke, but it had not reached that point yet.
As for leading the Phoenix Army, those who held military power disagreed, and those who did not were even more opposed.
They were not worried about Xiao Xun hoarding power, nor were they concerned about his abilities.
Their thoughts were surprisingly consistent: they believed that such a rebel army should be slaughtered, not continued to be used.
Sailor Peis sat diagonally on the throne, one hand on the armrest and the other on his lap.
“So, you disagree with both matters I have proposed.”
Originally, these were agenda items in the imperial court, and everyone could speak freely; it was not a notification or announcement.
The ministers remained silent. Sailor Peis continued, “I believe everyone present has heard about Swain and me. Since he will eventually be a member of the Guangyan family, what’s the harm in giving him a dukedom as a transition?
As for the command of the Phoenix Army, what do you think I would have the Phoenix Army do? Their sole purpose is to guard the borders. Whoever commands them will have to defend against the Heavenly Disaster Legion. If you believe you have the capability, feel free to try.”
Upon Sailor Peis’s words, everyone present lowered their heads. They absolutely could not defeat the Heavenly Disaster Legion.
As for the dukedom, it was merely a title, not a grant of territory. To put it plainly, it was just a designation with no substantive benefit. The only advantage was the right of succession; in the absence of direct heirs and princes, a duke could be prioritized in inheriting the throne.
As the morning court was slowly proceeding as Sailor Peis had envisioned, three orderlies rushed in.
The first orderly said, “Your Majesty, the envoys dispatched have returned. The entire territory of the Blazing Moon Kingdom has been occupied by the Heavenly Disaster Legion, and the Heavenly Disaster Legion intends to attack our border.”
Upon hearing this, Sailor Peis stood up directly. “And what about the King of the Blazing Moon Kingdom?”
The orderly continued, “The envoys said that the King of the Blazing Moon Kingdom and his palace self-immolated. Currently, the super-archmage of the Blazing Moon Kingdom, Nigarote, along with two princes and an army of the Blazing Moon Kingdom, are making a last stand at the border. They hope we can dispatch Lord Swain to lead a strong army to support them.”
The second orderly said, “Your Majesty, Lord Kolt has been carried back.”
Sailor Peis was startled. “What did you say? Carried back? What happened?”
The second orderly explained, “According to the guards accompanying Lord Vincent, they were ambushed by a group of mysterious individuals on their way back. As Lord Vincent was in a hurry to return, he dared not engage in prolonged combat, unexpectedly falling into the enemy’s trap. After a fierce battle, Lord Vincent led his army to break through the encirclement, but he was severely wounded.”
The third orderly said, “Your Majesty, the Orc tribe has sent an envoy to see Your Majesty, stating they wish to discuss jointly resisting the Heavenly Disaster Legion.”
The Orcs had also been attacked by the Heavenly Disaster Legion, and the wolf cavalry legion dispatched by Garge had suffered heavy losses.
Meanwhile, Xiao Xun was not in the imperial court. He, along with Bai Yang, went to a corner of the city wall and assembled over fifty thousand soldiers of the Phoenix Army.
Standing on a makeshift platform, he looked down at the assembled troops with great presence.
Bai Yang stood below the platform, observing every move within the crowd.
Xiao Xun stood with his hands behind his back. “I believe that after yesterday’s battle, you all know who I am.”
He scanned the officers and soldiers of the Phoenix Army, their gazes filled with admiration. “I know that the rebellion was not your fault. You were merely obeying your commander’s orders. After all, we are soldiers, military personnel.
Obedience is our duty, no matter who your legion commander is, our goal remains the same: to protect our homes and our nation, correct?”
The assembled soldiers raised their clenched fists with their left hands and shouted in unison, “Correct.”
Regardless of Xiao Xun’s impassioned speech, they only knew that by following the person in front of them, they would no longer have to huddle in corners, or live under the constant surveillance of their own people, enduring unexpected annihilation.
Even though they were about to head into battle, dying on the battlefield was the destiny of a soldier. The Phoenix Army preached rebirth from ashes, and Xiao Xun was the one who ignited the phoenix fire.
After delivering his impassioned speech, Xiao Xun asked these soldiers who their legion commanders were.
To his surprise, no one spoke or indicated anything, which made Xiao Xun wonder, “Could it be that all your legion commanders have fallen in battle?”
“No…”
Someone in the crowd raised their hand and exclaimed this. Xiao Xun pointed in the direction of the voice. “Continue speaking. Here, everyone can speak their mind freely.”
“Her Majesty the Empress personally ordered all our legion commanders to demote themselves by one rank.”
Hearing someone in the crowd say this, Xiao Xun smiled. He knew that this was an opportunity the Empress had set up for him to win people’s hearts.
Therefore, he addressed the entire army, saying, “It’s alright. From today onwards, all legion commanders will continue to be legion commanders. And you legion commanders only need to be responsible to one person, which is the one standing before you.” He patted his chest as he said this. “That is me, Lucas Swain.”
He was slowly adapting to this name in this world.
Initially, the soldiers of the Phoenix Army were excited to learn that their opponent was Swain, feeling honored to be able to face the empire’s number one military god.
When they first met Xiao Xun, their impression was that he was just a very ordinary young man. Now, his impression on them was that this was a person worth dedicating their lives to.
When Xiao Xun returned to the castle, Empress Sailor Peis brought out a lustrous black mink fur cloak. “Remember, this was the first gift I gave you when you came to this world. It’s getting colder, don’t catch a chill at night.”
Xiao Xun accepted the cloak and nodded heavily. “Don’t worry! I know how to fight the Heavenly Disaster Legion.”
Sailor Peis frowned. “You know how to fight? How many times have I told you, don’t treat war as a game, and don’t bring your game strategies into reality.”
Hearing the Empress’s criticism, Xiao Xun’s face flushed with embarrassment. “I know, don’t be angry!”
Sailor Peis patted Xiao Xun’s shoulder. “Alright, go ahead and fight with all your might. You don’t need to worry about logistics; I will support you wholeheartedly. Unleash everything you’ve learned on the battlefield, and let them see how powerful our Duke Swain truly is.”
Xiao Xun looked at the Empress’s expectant gaze. “Okay, I will not fail my mission and will annihilate the so-called Heavenly Disaster Legion until not a single one remains.”