Chapter 133

  In the 487th year of the Galactic Empire, the western hemisphere of the planet Odin was now shrouded in a soft black night. The Imperial Palace of the Galactic Empire - New Awe Palace, stood towering under the night sky, looking magnificent and resplendent.

  This is a standalone building, surrounded by some large and small buildings, with countless fountains surrounding it, as well as natural and artificial forests, rose gardens, sculptures, flower beds, pavilions, lawns, etc. The whole building is shrouded in a faint silver light, looking quite comfortable.

  This imperial palace is the political center that dominates more than a thousand star systems, and although there are also some palace buildings nearby, they are not high-rise buildings, and most of them are also underground. The main reason is that the position of the subjects cannot be higher than the palace of the emperor, nor can they look down on the imperial officials from top to bottom, these behaviors are all extremely disrespectful. Satellites orbiting in the sky also absolutely cannot pass directly above the palace.

  There were more than 50,000 attendants and maids in the palace, responsible for sweeping, cleaning, entertaining, garden management, deer feeding and other tasks every day, which was extremely luxurious and represented the high status and great power of the emperor.

  There is no elevator or automatic lift in the palace, and going up and down stairs must be done on foot. Because the great Rudolf thought that a strong physique was one of the necessary conditions for being a ruler, think about it, how can a person who can't even go up and down stairs with their own feet bear the weight of the country?

  On this evening, all the ministers gathered in the "Black Pearl Chamber" of the Imperial Palace to hold a ceremony for bestowing the imperial marshal's baton on Count Rohan Kram. Count Rohan Kram defeated the rebel army at the Battle of Yasti and glorified the emperor's prestige, thus obtaining this honor.

  The rank of Imperial Marshal is only one level higher than that of a First-Class General, but his status is much more noble. His annual salary is 2.5 million Imperial Marks, and except for the crime of treason, all other crimes are exempt from punishment. In addition, he can also establish a marshal's office and freely appoint or dismiss the staff as needed.

  There are currently four Imperial Marshals who hold this honor, and with the addition of Count R?hm-Kerkmann, there are now five. Count R?hm-Kerkmann is also the Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Space Fleet, with about half of the 18 space fleets in the Empire under his command.

  "Count up again is Marquis."

  In a corner of the vast "Black Pearl Hall", someone was whispering. Since ancient times, rumors have always accompanied humans, regardless of the situation and era, and whether in luxurious palaces or poor streets.

  Tonight, in this Black Pearl Chamber, all the civil and military officials, as well as the royal family members and nobles have arrived. They are lined up on both sides of a 6-meter-wide red velvet carpet - woven by 200 workers over four and a half centuries - with the civil officials on one side and the military officials on the other.

  In the row of officials, the first one is Marquis Littoria. He is the proxy prime minister of the empire and the highest chief of the cabinet, with a pointed nose and dark eyes, silver hair, and 75 years old. After the prime minister, in order, are Finance Minister Kellach, Home Secretary Filger, Justice Minister Rump, Science Minister Wilhemite, Palace Secretary Neugren, Cabinet Secretary Zirumajek...

  On the other side stood the military officers, in order: Marshal-General Erich von Manstein, Chief of the Army General Staff; Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel, Chief of the High Command of the Armed Forces; Colonel-General Franz Halder, Chief of the General Staff; Grand Admiral Karl D?nitz, Commander-in-Chief of the Kriegsmarine; Colonel-General Heinz Guderian, Inspector of Panzer Troops; Lieutenant-General Hans Jeschonnek, Chief of the Luftwaffe General Staff; Major-General Wilhelm Keitel, Head of the Army Personnel Office; and the commanders of the eighteen armies... etc. Standing at the head of the army commanders were Generaloberst Walther von Brauchitsch and General der Flieger Hellmuth Felmy - these two generals were scheduled to be promoted to field marshal rank simultaneously after today's ceremony.

  Everyone stood up straight as soon as they heard the majestic sound of the horn, and everyone fell silent, listening to the announcer's thunderous voice shouting: "The ruler who dominates all humanity, the universe, the order of heaven, and the protector of laws, the inviolable Galactic Emperor Friedrich IV has arrived!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, the melody of the imperial anthem began to play, and all the officials bowed their heads in unison.

  The emperor walked past from the carpet, through the rows of countless heads, and sat on the golden luxurious dragon chair at the very front center.

  "Count von und zu Kramm, Reinhardt at your service!"

  This time, all officials did not pay their respects, and everyone's eyes were looking forward to the arrival of this young military officer.

  The noble ladies couldn't help but exclaim in admiration at the sight of this young man. Even those who had an unfavorable impression of Reinhardt - which was most people present - couldn't help but privately admit that he was a handsome man.

  His face was as delicate and lovely as a doll made of the finest white porcelain, but the doll's gaze wasn't so sharp, nor did its expression have such a stern look. If it weren't for the emperor's excessive fondness for his sister, Anne Roger, if he hadn't been born with this expression, his relationship with the emperor would surely have turned into rumors of same-sex love.

  Everyone had their own feelings in their hearts, and they were all different. Reinhardt walked steadily and powerfully, with the majestic aura of a military officer. He walked to the front of the throne, his heart carefree, but his expression respectful as he knelt down on one knee.

  He stood at attention, waiting for the emperor's orders. In formal settings, it was not permissible for a subject to speak before the emperor spoke.

  "Baron Luo Yanke! This time's achievement is truly remarkable!" A statement devoid of any personality.

  "I'm not worthy! It's all thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune!" Reinhart's response was also quite uncharacteristic, but it was the result of his secret calculations and self-control. This insincere remark would not only fail to impress the other party, but also make the onlookers feel uncomfortable. To Reinhart, the Emperor's importance was as light as a feather; what truly mattered was the piece of paper that the herald had read out.

  "By virtue of your distinguished service in the suppression of the rebellion in the Iserlohn Corridor, you, Reinhard von Lohengramm, are hereby promoted to the rank of Imperial Marshal and appointed as Vice-Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Space Armada. Half of the space armada shall be placed under your command. 19th March, 487th year of the Galactic Empire, Friedrich IV, Emperor."

  Reinhard stood up straight, stepped onto the stairs, and respectfully received the appointment letter. He was finally awarded the marshal's baton, from this moment on, Reinhard von Lohengramm officially became the Empire's Marshal.

  Reinhardt wore a bright smile on his face, but in his heart he was not satisfied. Because this was just the first step towards his goal! He finally got power from the incompetent person who took away his sister!

  "Oh wow! A 20-year-old marshal!"

  The one speaking in a low, muttering tone was the Director of Armored Grenadiers, General Ovresha. He was nearly fifty years old, with a lean build, and his left cheekbone had been struck by an allied laser beam, leaving a fresh, purple scar. He deliberately didn't have the wound treated so he could show off to others that he was a seasoned general.

  He deliberately provoked the general whose troops under his command had been stolen by Rheinhardt.

  Marshal Mückenberger, the commander-in-chief of the space fleet, raised his half-white eyebrows slightly. "Your words are not wrong, but that blond young man's military talent is indeed undeniable! Now, he has already defeated the rebel army, and this kind of ability, even the battle-hardened Melkatz can't say anything!"

  "It can be seen that he has a toothless look."

  Everyone looked at Melkart standing quietly in the row of officers, and Ofresha mercilessly attacked him.

  "Although we won, it was only once, so it's just a coincidence! In my opinion, it's purely because the enemy is too incompetent! Regardless of the outcome, victory and defeat are relative after all!"

  "It's too loud!"

  The marshal rebuked him, but did not deny the content of the speech by the first-class general. For high-ranking generals from noble families or those who were very old, it was not easy for them to generously accept Reinhardt's achievements! But "people in the rivers and lakes, their bodies are not their own", the marshal felt it necessary to change the subject.

  "Villem Berkhelm Yushim von Merkatz, Supreme Commander. Your distinguished service in suppressing the rebellion in the Iserlohn Corridor is hereby recognized. You are hereby promoted to First Class General. Imperial Year 487, March 19th, Emperor Friedrich IV of the Galactic Empire."

  Merkatz calmly walked forward, went down on one knee, the presenter removed his General's insignia, took from a tray on one side the insignia of a First Class General and put it on Merkatz. The old general stood up after making a military salute to the Emperor, then retreated back into his own ranks.

  "Viscount Favoniel, Rudolf von Favoniel, General. You have rendered meritorious service in suppressing the rebellion in the Asteria star domain. Promoted to Marshal. Imperial Calendar 487, March 19th." The herald shouted out the last imperial decree in his hand.

  Favniel stepped out of the officer's ranks, his handsome appearance also attracted many noblewomen. As for the rumors that he was a "debauched and depraved young master, the greatest shame to the nobility" and "fond of visiting low-class brothels", they seemed to be nothing among these noblewomen... The only thing was that this guy had never flirted with any noblewoman before...

  Tall and slender, kneeling on one knee, waiting for the presenter to remove his lieutenant general's badge. At this time, the emperor on the golden throne spoke: "You are a wonderful person, looking forward to your family's future struggles."

  "How terrifying for a lowly subject like myself!" Fahvernir said with his usual smooth tone, uttering such an ill-timed remark, while the Emperor laughed even more heartily with a hollow sound.

  This time, General Oberesh could not say a word to Marshal Mückenberger, but the expressions of the three marshals were almost identical - a pained expression. The rest of the high-ranking officers also had an expression as if they had swallowed a fly, and in their whispers, you could clearly hear: "This scoundrel is already a general! The empire's face is ruined!"

  As he watched the marshal's epaulets being hung on his own shoulders, Rüdiger von Fafnir stood up and saluted, then couldn't help but burst out laughing, at the same time making a gesture to his old friend, Chief of Staff Gustav von Shuttekow, who was standing in the back. Immediately, an officer in charge of discipline came forward and said: "Baron Rüdiger von Fafnir, you are guilty of disrespect! You will be punished!"

  "Haha, forget it. Today is a day of great joy. I say, let's just forget about it today."

  "The Black Pearl Room" once again resounded with music. This was the anthem played for the establishment of meritorious military officers - "Wang Er Gulei's Cheers for the Brave".

  Colonel Ziegfeld Gilfeather and the other vice-regal military officers waited in the "Amethyst Parlor", separated from them by a wide corridor.

  Girphis, who is neither a noble nor a general, does not have the qualifications to enter the "Black Pearl Chamber", but in the past two days, he will skip the rank of lieutenant general and directly become a major general, establishing his position as "Your Excellency". At that time, in this grand ceremony, there will also be a place for him.

  Every time Rheinhardt rose to a higher level, he also advanced in rank... Gilfieth's body trembled slightly. Although he did not deny his own talent, the speed of his advancement was indeed too fast, and he could not help but feel sincere fear about whether his strength met the requirements of this position!

  "Is it Colonel Ziegfried Gilfillan?!"

  Someone beside him called out in a low voice.

  A high-ranking military officer in his thirties stood before Gilfeather. His insignia indicated the rank of colonel. He was tall and imposing, with black hair flecked with a few strands of white, light brown eyes, and pale skin.

  "Yes! Who are you?"

  "Colonel Balzer von Oberstein! Nice to meet you!"

  As he spoke, the man named Oberstein's eyes gleamed with an otherworldly light, causing Gilfaeth to take a sharp breath.

  "Sorry!......" Oberstein muttered. Because he noticed Gilfieth's expression.

  "It seems like the fake eye is a bit malfunctioning, I'm sorry for startling you! I'll replace it tomorrow!"

  "You're kidding! No! I'm the one who's being rude......!"

  "Don't mind what I said! Inside, there's a photosensitive computer. Thanks to it, I can move around freely. It's just that its lifespan is a bit too short..."

  "Were you injured on the battlefield?"

  "No, I was born this way! If I were born in the era of Emperor Rudolf, I might have been executed for 'inferior genetic elimination'!"

  His voice vibrated in the air for a long time before settling down, and Gilfeather took a deep breath. He had severely criticized Emperor Rudolf, apparently committing an act of disrespect!

  "You have a good superior, Colonel Gilfiyas!" Oberstein said in a slightly raised voice, but still as if muttering to himself. "A good superior is one who can bring out the talents of his subordinates, and such superiors are rare in the Imperial Army nowadays. But Lord Reinhard von Lohengramm is different, he doesn't have the frivolity of young people, instead, he appears very mature and composed, those powerful nobles with only a sense of status in their minds will probably find it hard to understand him..."

  Girfieth's mind flashed a warning signal of "trap", this self-proclaimed Oberstein, could not be certain that he was not a puppet manipulated by those who coveted Reinhardt's downfall.

  "Which unit do you belong to?"

  He casually changed the subject.

  "So far, I've been in the Intelligence Department of Headquarters, but from now on, I'll be serving as a staff officer for the Iselhorn Fortress's Resident Fleet!" Oberstein replied with a faint smile. "You seem to have some reservations about it!"

  In an instant, Gylfi's face turned pale and he was speechless. At this time, Reinhardt walked in, and the ceremony seemed to have ended.

  "Jill Fairest! Tomorrow..."

  He said loudly, while observing the pale-faced man beside his subordinate.

  Obestan bowed and reported his name, said a few formal congratulatory words, then turned around and left.

  At this time, two generals also walked out of the "Black Pearl Room", General Fafnir and his chief of staff and old friend Major General Shuttkar. As they walked, they were still fiercely discussing low-level topics such as where to go for a super-exposed celebration party at a brothel. After coming out, they saw Reinhardt and Gilfiyas, and General Fafnir said first: "Salute to the Marshal! Hehehe, want to go together...". He made a gesture of his index finger moving back and forth in a circle formed by his thumb and index finger on the other hand, while Major General Shuttkar laughed loudly without any image on one side, and also saluted.

  Reinhardt's handsome face turned bright red with rage, he was shocked by this person's unscrupulousness and lack of bottom line, and deeply admired his audacity "Actually dare to make such a dirty joke about the Marshal..."

  "Mind your words! Lord Fafnir!" Gilfeather said with a stern tone. This startled Rheinhardt as well, for his friend was usually very kind and gentle, almost never seen angry, yet now he was provoked by these two rascals.

  Fahrenheit was not under Reinhard's command, and the 9 fleets of Imperial vessels placed under Reinhard's command did not include the 17th Fleet composed of the 12,000 warships now under Fahrenheit's command. As a result, in the end, Fahrenheit was only punished with "disrespect to a superior officer", a military law that was almost made for ensigns - he was fined.

  The most pleasant reward for Favonius, who was promoted to Shang Jiang, was that his personal flagship, the Loki, was finally completed. The warship, which was originally scheduled to be available last year, was delayed due to his modification requests and other reasons, and was only completed when he set out to participate in the Yashti Battle. By the time it was completed and put into service, he had already returned victorious.

  When a lower-ranking noble officer from the Imperial Ministry of Military Affairs came to represent the Emperor to "bestow" this warship as Admiral Fafnir's flagship, he completely tore off the Empire's noble face-saving stench - usually in such cases, the recipient would buy an expensive artwork for the visiting officer as a thank you gift, but Fafnir directly took out a large sum of Imperial Marks from a suitcase and threw it at the officer, making people laugh and cry.

  He went to the military port with joy, admiring his personal flagship: the Wilhelmmina-class large fleet flagship "Roki", 1161 meters long, 241 meters wide and 337 meters high. From the outside, it looks like a giant version of a standard warship, with 16 30cm neutron beam cannons and 4 30cm railguns on the bow, covered in heavy armor, equipped with four large thrusters. As the latest ship of the Wilhelmmina class, it was specially strengthened in terms of armor and defense fields under the requirements of General Fafnir, adopting some technologies developed from "Berenhil", so its defensive capabilities are better than those of the original prototype - at a higher cost. The nuclear fusion reactor, which also adopted some technologies from "Berenhil" to improve, has stronger output, and the large thrusters have been improved, making the ship's mobility not decrease after increasing defense and armor, but rather slightly increase due to General Fafnir's requirements - removing half of the aircraft carrier capacity. General Fafnir's other personal requirement was to modify the originally luxurious command cabin, shrinking the room area, only keeping the bedroom, study, bathroom, living room and rest room, but strengthening the kitchen and cold storage specifically prepared for the commander's food. Due to these requirements, this Wilhelmmina-class flagship has strengthened its defense and mobility capabilities, while weakening its carrying capacity by half, and the excess space has strengthened the ship's self-sustaining ability, making the combat duration of this warship longer than that of the original prototype, and the command capability has also been slightly enhanced due to the extra space that can carry more communication equipment.

  Fahvern demanded that the dockworkers paint according to his requirements. Three days later, "Get that Fahvern scoundrel over here at once!!" The roar of Grand Admiral Muckenbel, commander-in-chief of the Space Fleet, almost shook down the ceiling. Almost simultaneously, "That Fahvern whelp! Bring him before me immediately!" Marshal Allenbok, Minister of Military Affairs, was also bellowing in rage.

  Fafnir was led into the Marshal's office by Mukkabar's guards, accompanied by a furious roar: "Fafnir! You maggot! The greatest shame of the Imperial Army! No! You are already the biggest joke and shame in the army! ...

  The officers outside did not dare listen again, and they asked each other which military rule General Fafnir had broken to make the marshal so furious.

  "Oh, the general had painted a 'largest in the universe' on his personal flagship. These were his own words, 'Who said there aren't any women in the Imperial Army!' And just then, the marshal was inspecting the fleet waiting in the dock and happened to see and hear the general boasting to someone else. So he enraged the marshal..."

  Müller's bellowing lasted for a full half hour before it finally stopped in front of the subordinate officers who had been ordered to take away Generaloberst Fawzi, and he was dragged into Field Marshal Allenby's office at the Ministry of War.

  Admiral Elric stormed for over forty-five minutes, and the two admirals finally came to a unanimous decision: "General Fafnir, one week of confinement! The emblem on the flagship must be washed away!" There was no provision in the Imperial Military Code that prohibited fleet commanders from painting **on their flagships, but over the years, only Fafnir had committed this "non-existent military code", so he became the first general in the galaxy to be confined for a whole week without reason, a punishment usually reserved for lieutenants and soldiers.

  This thing eventually became a famous joke in the Imperial Army, and it spread throughout the Free Planets Alliance just half a month later... "There are also lovely people in the Imperial Army." These were the words of Colonel Walter von Sch?nkopf. "Maybe we can be friends." This was what Lieutenant Olivier Poplan said after hearing about it. "Yes, he's a guy who has no shame at all, just like you!" Lieutenant Ivan Konev. "This is the result of Imperial tyranny; in the democratic Alliance, of course, one can draw whatever they want!" These were apparently the words of Colonel Dustin Athanopolis, whose face was covered with freckles...