YM778.TV Chapter 20 The Scattered Empire
The news of the King\'s death spread like wildfire throughout the kingdom.
Shock, anger, and grief gripped the people, who had lost their beloved ruler.
The council of ministers convened an emergency meeting to discuss the situation and plan a course of action.
The council\'s top priority was to track down the remaining cult responsible for the King\'s murder.
They offered a significant reward for anyone who could find information regarding the cults.
The remaining knights, who had been loyal to the late King, were also given the responsibility of tracking down the cult members.
The hunt for the cult members became the top priority of the kingdom.
The knights scoured every inch of the kingdom, searching for clues and interrogating suspects.
The kingdom was now in a state of high alert, and the council took every measure to ensure the safety of the citizens.
A curfew was imposed, and anyone found loitering on the streets after dark was taken into custody for questioning.
The borders were sealed, and checkpoints were established to screen all incoming and outgoing traffic.
Amid all this chaos, the crown prince stepped forward and declared himself the new ruler of the kingdom.
He vowed to bring justice and restore peace and order to the kingdom.
However, his ascension was not met with the unanimous support of the nobles and some ministers.
They believed that he was too young and inexperienced to rule the kingdom and that his reign would be marked by instability and uncertainty.
The opposition to the Crown Prince\'s succession was led by a group of powerful nobles who held significant influence to sway the court decisions.
They argued that the kingdom needed a ruler with more experience and a proven track record of leadership.
The ministers also voiced their concerns, citing the Crown Prince\'s lack of understanding of the complexities of governance and his lack of vision for the future of the kingdom.
The Crown Prince\'s supporters argued that his youth and enthusiasm would bring fresh ideas and perspectives to the kingdom.
On the other hand, his opposition pointed out his lack of experience and warned of the potential for chaos and instability.
As the days passed, it became clear that the opposition to the Crown Prince\'s succession was too strong to overcome.
The Crown Prince\'s frustration grew as he saw his dreams of ruling the empire slip away.
In the end, the Crown Prince\'s efforts were in vain.
The nobles and ministers remained opposed to his succession, and the court remained divided.
The failed succession of the Crown Prince left the kingdom in a state of disarray, with no clear direction or leadership.
...
The noble houses that had once pledged their allegiance to the new ruler now began to fight amongst themselves for power and control.
Each noble house sought to seize as much power as they could take advantage of.
As the noble houses fought amongst themselves, the common people suffered.
They were caught in the crossfire of these power struggles, with their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the warring nobles.
The once-great cities of the empire were reduced to rubble, and the countryside was plagued by bandits and marauders.
The ministers, who were supposed to govern the kingdom in the absence of a ruler, were too busy bickering and fighting amongst themselves to take any decisive action.
The noble families, sensing an opportunity to increase their power and wealth, began vying for control.
Among them were three powerful dukes, who had been secretly planning to divide the kingdom amongst themselves for years.
Around a large round table surrounded by maps and scrolls, The first duke, Charles spoke, "Gentlemen, the time has come for us to take action."
Darwin nodded in agreement, "We have been planning for this moment for years. The other noble families are weak, and they will not be able to withstand our power together."
Thomas leaned forward, "The other nobles will not take kindly to us dividing the empire amongst ourselves. We must make sure to plan this carefully."
The three dukes continued to discuss their plan, debating the logistics and details of how they would divide the empire.
As they talked, their excitement grew, and they could see the potential for power and wealth that lay ahead
After much discussion, the three dukes divided the empire along geographical lines.
Charles was in charge of ruling the northern regions.
Darvin will take control of the eastern regions
And Thomas will be ruling over the southern regions.
They began to gather their armies, secretly recruiting soldiers and mercenaries from across the Kingdom.
They also began to work on building alliances with other noble families, offering them land and titles.
...
The noble houses of the empire were in a state of turmoil as the three dukes began to divide the empire among themselves.
The remaining noble houses that hadn\'t joined their faction were left with only a fraction of the land and resources they once had.
The only chance they had was to ally, but it wasn\'t an easy one.
Many of the noble houses had long-standing feuds and grudges against one another, and trust was in short supply.
Lord Harington a charismatic noble sent invitations to all the nobles who had their territory plundered.
The meeting place was held in a neutral land away from the chaos.
As the noble houses arrived at the location, a large hall in the center of the city. The atmosphere was tense and their faces stern and serious.
Lord Harrington, the leader of the alliance, stood up from his seat and faced them.
"My fellow nobles," he began, his voice echoing through the hall.
"We are here today because we face a common enemy. The dukes have grown too powerful, and we cannot defeat them alone. We must band together if we want to take back the land that is rightfully ours."
After his speech, there was a tense silence in the hall as the noble houses exchanged wary glances.
Finally, Lord Huxley stood up.
"I agree with Lord Harrington,"
"We cannot fight the dukes alone and need each other\'s support," he said.
Slowly, one by one, the other noble houses spoke in favor of lord Harington.
They also acknowledged that the dukes were too powerful and needed each other\'s help if they want to succeed.
...
Over the next few weeks, the alliance grew in strength.
Noble Council began to make plans for how they would fight back against the dukes.
They also began to gather resources, train soldiers, and develop strategies.
The dukes were not idle during this time.
They knew that the noble houses were gathering their strength and began to take measures to prevent an uprising.
They increased their military presence in the occupied territories and began to build fortifications.
After they had spent months planning and gathering their strength.
The alliance first focused its efforts on attacking Duke Darwin.
Despite the duke having more soldiers and better-trained troops.
However, due to the massive tract of land the duke ruled, the alliance was able to use guerrilla warfare tactics and mobilize a large number of ragtag groups to their advantage.
In the aftermath of the battle, the dukes were forced to relinquish a large tract of land and severely shrunk their defense.
The noble houses were overjoyed with their first victory, but the aftermath was chaotic.
The process of dividing the land among the noble houses led to disputes and disagreements.
Nevertheless, they were overjoyed by their first victory.