第4章 大胜与隐忧 帝国与王国上百年的战争之中，从来没有一场的胜负如此明显，寒煜公创下了军事上的神 话，达到了前人未有的高度． 冷井隘口的血腥气味久久不散，残阳如血，映照着帝国军的旗帜，猎猎作响，仿佛在宣告 着一场史无前例的辉煌胜利．寒煜公站在高处，俯瞰着如同人间炼狱般的战场，脸上并无 一丝喜悦，只有深沉的冷静． 这里在一天之前还是王国军的大本营． 寒煜公的声音低沉而肃穆，传达着一位胜利者的宽容与尊重. 「清点战场，厚葬王国军阵亡将士，务必体面．」 「缴获的战利品，除了军用装备之外，全数用於犒赏全军，作为此次战役的犒赏．」 寒煜公的决定，让他在军队中的声望更高了，奖赏永远不嫌少，而愿意将这些分给士兵的 将领却不多． 「寒公此举是在收拢人心，收买军队．」 能称呼＂寒公＂二字的，只有寒煜公身边最贴心的几位武将与参谋，这是非常巨大的鸿沟 ，只有被他亲自说过可以这样喊他的，才是真正的自己人． 寒煜公小集团的二把手，乐正熙已经猜到了寒公的图谋，皇帝病危的情报在高阶幕僚群已 经不是秘密，但是还没传到士兵耳中． 这场大胜为寒煜公赢来了大量的名声，这让他在下任选王会议上拥有着大量的民间基础， 但是无论局面如何变化，军权永远是第一顺位． 在此处举行法会，安抚双方阵亡将士的英灵，并且安排之後立碑纪念这场属於寒煜公的丰 功伟绩之後，寒煜公只带着亲兵百骑，不眠不休的直奔首湖城． 带兵班师回朝，就是乐正熙的工作． 寒煜公实际上得到的讯息是，皇帝北斗晃已经驾崩了，现在是秘不发丧，他必须要在最短 的时间内回到首都掌握局面． 在胜利确认当天，他就已经派出了一队宣传士兵往帝国的四面八方而去，经过所有城市， 穿过主干道都大声喊叫着＂寒煜公大胜＂，他要让自己大胜的印象烙印在每个帝国子民的 心中． 「那个老贼，真的死了吗？」 寒煜公在心中默默的问自己． ＊＊＊＊＊＊＊ 神圣霜息帝国与雪狼王国其实是一体同生，现在的神圣霜息帝国的帝室就是出身于雪狼王 国，可以这样说，雪狼王国的王室内斗导致了王族分裂，其中的一支血脉远走西北，进入 了大陆内地，寒霜凛冽的草原区，收服了当地的游牧民族，带进了优势的铁器文明，在这 块广阔的土地上，建立了横跨东西的大型帝国． 这两百多年来，大地的气候逐步的回暖，也让可耕作的农业线往北推展，原来不能居住耕 作的土地，开始了农业化的工作，虽然说北方刚解冻的土壤还有大量的湿地不适合生存， 但是神圣霜息帝国的生存环境已经远胜过三百年前刚刚来到这块土地的时候． 当年的征服王北斗魁，也就是神圣霜息帝国的建国者，在打下这片土地後，分封了六个王 国出去，全帝国共计一百二十郡县，帝国总领一半六十个． 而六个王国各自领有十个，建立了半封建半郡县的统治制度，而六个王国的王爵，将拥有 投票选举下任帝国皇帝的权力，也就是选王制度，拥有四张选票是硬性规定成为皇帝的条 件． 实际上是七个选帝王，第七个王国就是雪狼王国，在神圣霜息帝国的法统上，雪狼王国现 在是被伪王司徒仲雷家所控制，但是法理上雪狼王国依然是帝国不可分割的一部份，因此 收复法理上的传统国土也是神圣霜息帝国不可动摇的国策． 帝国的首都首湖城建立在一座广大无边的内陆湖旁，这个湖广大的令人发指，就算上了船 往北顺流走都要半个月时间才能到北岸，当然东西两边就比较狭窄，首湖城就是建立在南 岸的山丘之上，背靠大湖，由两条流入大湖的草原河流在此入湖，形成了天然的护城河， 所以帝国＂海军＂防卫部就建立在此，帝国海军反而是帝都的防卫主力部队． 不过这支海军从来没打过仗，只是负责湖上的安全． 这座大湖自古以来有很多名称，最终的现在，北斗湖，这个用帝国皇家名字命名的名称成 为了官方通告，北斗湖蕴藏了丰沛的内陆水产品，各种高品质的鱼货能让帝都食物无缺， 就算遭到大规模围城，只要水面还是在帝国掌握，帝国的渔船就能保证帝都的食物充沛． 小麦、大麦、羊毛，这些都是帝国首湖城以南常见的作物，虽然生长期只有每年一收，但 是土地广大，产量依然惊人，岩盐与各种矿物还有在万年冰封解冻後的沼泽地区拥有的泥 煤，让帝国的物产无缺，在与南方相比更加严酷的环境下，帝国士兵也更能吃苦耐劳． 帝国通用语和南方的雪狼王国语，在文法或是语辞上都有着非常通的共通处，几乎是同一 个语系演变而来，差别的更多是在语气音调上面的区别，虽然说帝国与参入了更多游牧民 的语言，但是并不影响帝国通用语与王国语的互通性 所以在雪狼王国是这样认定帝国通用语的，认为这是一种从雪狼王国衍伸出去的西北夷语 言，用词低俗，无法用於外交场合，只有真正的王国语才是高贵的． 当然帝国这里是反对这种说法，然而帝国的高层人群里面，依然将雪狼王国语的用法视为 贵族的文雅象徵，在正式的外交场合还是倾向用王国语． 雪狼王国本就是帝国的源头，加上气候温和之後，雪狼王国的物产更加丰沛，虽然雪狼王 国只是一个王国，但是整体国力整合起来，帝国百年来都占不到便宜． 帝国的郡县一百二十个，其中帝室六十个，六个分国各自十个，雪狼王国虽然名义上只有 二十个郡县，但是都是古老发展的地区，这二十个郡县的国力就等於帝室四十个郡县的实 力，因此帝国想吃下雪狼这块肥肉，雪狼不想被帝国吃掉，双方就这样百年来冲突不断． 帝国现在二十五代皇帝北斗晃年迈，新一代的英雄将要登场在这舞台，无数的英雄们，将 会登场，也将会陨落． １－４完 「那个时候铁壤豆才刚刚从西边引进种植，帝国还没推广，就算我们很努力地维持，整个 帝国依然死去了四分之一的人口．」 Chapter 4: Great Triumph and Gathering Shadows Across the long centuries of war between the Empire and the Kingdom， never had there been a victory so absolute. Duke Aureus had carved his name into legend—ascending to a height no general before him had reached. The stench of blood clung stubbornly to Coldwell Pass. The dying sun bled across the sky， staining the Imperial banners crimson as they snapped in the wind—proclaiming a triumph that would echo for generations. Aureus stood upon the ridge， gazing down at the battlefield that resembled a living purgatory. There was no joy on his face. Only stillness. Only clarity sharper than any blade. Just one day earlier， this had been the Kingdom’s main encampment. His voice， low and solemn， carried the dignity of a victor who still respected the fallen. “Inventory the field. Bury the Kingdom’s dead with full honors. Let their bodies rest with dignity.” “And all captured spoils—save for essential military equipment—shall be distributed to the army as reward.” Such generosity had been rare among Imperial commanders. And it made Aureus’ prestige soar even higher. “Cold Duke does this to bind the army，” someone murmured near the command tent. Only a handful were allowed to call him Cold Duke. A privilege granted personally， a sign of true inner-circle trust. Among them， Yuezheng Xi—the second-in-command of Aureus’ tight-knit faction —had already seen through the Duke’s intention. The Emperor’s failing health was an open secret among the senior staff， though the soldiers knew nothing. This victory gave Aureus overwhelming popular support. And with it， tremendous influence in the coming Selection Council. But no matter how politics shifted， military power remained paramount. A ritual was held to soothe the spirits of the fallen from both sides. A monument was arranged to commemorate the Duke’s achievement. And once the rites were complete， Aureus took only a hundred elite riders and left through the night—racing toward Capital Lake City without rest. The duty of leading the army home belonged to Yuezheng Xi. The message Aureus had received was far darker: Emperor Polaris Dawn had died. The court was keeping his death secret. Aureus had to reach the capital before anyone else could seize control. On the very day victory was confirmed， he had already dispatched heralds across the Empire—riding through every major city， announcing at every main street: “Victory! Duke Aureus is triumphant!” He wanted his triumph etched into the mind of every Imperial citizen. “That old bastard… is he truly dead?” Aureus asked within his heart. The question lingered， heavy and cold. ＊＊＊ The Holy Frost Empire and the Snow Wolf Kingdom were， in truth， two branches of the same ancient trunk. The Imperial House itself originated from the Kingdom. Centuries earlier， a brutal civil struggle had fractured the royal bloodline —one branch fleeing west and north， into the icy steppe， where they subdued local nomads and brought ironcraft to the tribes. There， amidst a land of frozen winds， they founded a vast empire spanning the continent. Over the last two centuries， the world had warmed. Agricultural lines pushed northward. Frozen wastes thawed into wetlands. Though still harsh， the Empire’s farmlands were now immensely more fertile than when the conqueror Polaris Kui first led his people into this land. When the Conqueror secured the territory， he divided it into six vassal kingdoms. The Empire held sixty counties; each of the six kingdoms held ten. Thus formed a dual system—half feudal， half administrative. The kings of these six realms possessed the right to vote for the next Emperor. Four votes were required to ascend the throne. In truth， there was a seventh elector: the Snow Wolf Kingdom itself—recognized in Imperial law as one of the legitimate royal realms. Although now controlled by the usurping Sito Zhonglei clan， the Kingdom remained， legally， an inseparable part of the Empire. Thus reclaiming this“ancestral domain” was not merely ambition— it was doctrine. Imperial national policy. The capital， Capital Lake City， stood beside an inland sea so vast that even with favorable winds， a ship sailing north would require half a month to reach the opposite shore. The city sat on the southern hills of this lake， flanked by two rivers flowing into the inland sea—forming a natural moat. Because of this， the Empire’s“naval department” was stationed here. Though in truth， these sailors fought no naval battles—only ensured the safety of the lake. The inland sea—now officially named Polaris Lake—was abundant with fish. So long as its waters remained in Imperial hands， the capital could not be starved. Even in siege， food flowed in from the lake. South of the lake stretched fields of wheat， barley， and pasturelands full of sheep. Though the climate permitted only one harvest per year， the land was vast and yields immense. Salt， iron， peat， and newly opened boglands ensured resources were plentiful. Compared to the south， the Empire remained harsher— and its soldiers harder. Imperial Common Speech and the Kingdom’s Royal Tongue shared the same roots. Grammar and vocabulary were similar; differences lay mostly in tone and rhythm. Nomadic loanwords colored the Imperial language， but not enough to break mutual comprehension. The Kingdom viewed Imperial Common Speech as a“corrupted northern dialect”— unfit for diplomacy， crude compared to the“true” Royal Tongue. Imperial elites rejected this idea— yet still regarded the Royal Tongue as refined and noble， using it for formal diplomacy. The Snow Wolf Kingdom， rich and ancient， remained the Empire’s most formidable rival. Its twenty counties—old， fertile， and densely developed—matched the strength of forty Imperial counties. Thus the Empire sought to reclaim it， and the Kingdom fought to remain free. A century of conflict followed. Now， with the twenty-fifth Emperor Polaris Dawn old and dying， a new generation of heroes was about to step onto the stage— to rise， to clash， and to fall. 1-4 End “At that time， ironsoil beans had just been imported from the west. The Empire hadn’t even begun promoting them. Even with all our efforts， one quarter of the population still died.” --

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