第4章 大勝與隱憂
帝國與王國上百年的戰爭之中，從來沒有一場的勝負如此明顯，寒煜公創下了軍事上的神
話，達到了前人未有的高度．
冷井隘口的血腥氣味久久不散，殘陽如血，映照著帝國軍的旗幟，獵獵作響，仿佛在宣告
著一場史無前例的輝煌勝利．寒煜公站在高處，俯瞰著如同人間煉獄般的戰場，臉上並無
一絲喜悅，只有深沉的冷靜．
這裡在一天之前還是王國軍的大本營．
寒煜公的聲音低沉而肅穆，傳達著一位勝利者的寬容與尊重.
「清點戰場，厚葬王國軍陣亡將士，務必體面．」
「繳獲的戰利品，除了軍用裝備之外，全數用於犒賞全軍，作為此次戰役的犒賞．」
寒煜公的決定，讓他在軍隊中的聲望更高了，獎賞永遠不嫌少，而願意將這些分給士兵的
將領卻不多．
「寒公此舉是在收攏人心，收買軍隊．」
能稱呼＂寒公＂二字的，只有寒煜公身邊最貼心的幾位武將與參謀，這是非常巨大的鴻溝
，只有被他親自說過可以這樣喊他的，才是真正的自己人．
寒煜公小集團的二把手，樂正熙已經猜到了寒公的圖謀，皇帝病危的情報在高階幕僚群已
經不是秘密，但是還沒傳到士兵耳中．
這場大勝為寒煜公贏來了大量的名聲，這讓他在下任選王會議上擁有著大量的民間基礎，
但是無論局面如何變化，軍權永遠是第一順位．
在此處舉行法會，安撫雙方陣亡將士的英靈，並且安排之後立碑紀念這場屬於寒煜公的豐
功偉績之後，寒煜公只帶著親兵百騎，不眠不休的直奔首湖城．
帶兵班師回朝，就是樂正熙的工作．
寒煜公實際上得到的訊息是，皇帝北斗晃已經駕崩了，現在是秘不發喪，他必須要在最短
的時間內回到首都掌握局面．
在勝利確認當天，他就已經派出了一隊宣傳士兵往帝國的四面八方而去，經過所有城市，
穿過主幹道都大聲喊叫著＂寒煜公大勝＂，他要讓自己大勝的印象烙印在每個帝國子民的
心中．
「那個老賊，真的死了嗎？」
寒煜公在心中默默的問自己．
＊＊＊＊＊＊＊
神聖霜息帝國與雪狼王國其實是一體同生，現在的神聖霜息帝國的帝室就是出身于雪狼王
國，可以這樣說，雪狼王國的王室內鬥導致了王族分裂，其中的一支血脈遠走西北，進入
了大陸內地，寒霜凜冽的草原區，收服了當地的遊牧民族，帶進了優勢的鐵器文明，在這
塊廣闊的土地上，建立了橫跨東西的大型帝國．
這兩百多年來，大地的氣候逐步的回暖，也讓可耕作的農業線往北推展，原來不能居住耕
作的土地，開始了農業化的工作，雖然說北方剛解凍的土壤還有大量的濕地不適合生存，
但是神聖霜息帝國的生存環境已經遠勝過三百年前剛剛來到這塊土地的時候．
當年的征服王北斗魁，也就是神聖霜息帝國的建國者，在打下這片土地後，分封了六個王
國出去，全帝國共計一百二十郡縣，帝國總領一半六十個．
而六個王國各自領有十個，建立了半封建半郡縣的統治制度，而六個王國的王爵，將擁有
投票選舉下任帝國皇帝的權力，也就是選王制度，擁有四張選票是硬性規定成為皇帝的條
件．
實際上是七個選帝王，第七個王國就是雪狼王國，在神聖霜息帝國的法統上，雪狼王國現
在是被偽王司徒仲雷家所控制，但是法理上雪狼王國依然是帝國不可分割的一部份，因此
收復法理上的傳統國土也是神聖霜息帝國不可動搖的國策．
帝國的首都首湖城建立在一座廣大無邊的內陸湖旁，這個湖廣大的令人髮指，就算上了船
往北順流走都要半個月時間才能到北岸，當然東西兩邊就比較狹窄，首湖城就是建立在南
岸的山丘之上，背靠大湖，由兩條流入大湖的草原河流在此入湖，形成了天然的護城河，
所以帝國＂海軍＂防衛部就建立在此，帝國海軍反而是帝都的防衛主力部隊．
不過這支海軍從來沒打過仗，只是負責湖上的安全．
這座大湖自古以來有很多名稱，最終的現在，北斗湖，這個用帝國皇家名字命名的名稱成
為了官方通告，北斗湖蘊藏了豐沛的內陸水產品，各種高品質的魚貨能讓帝都食物無缺，
就算遭到大規模圍城，只要水面還是在帝國掌握，帝國的漁船就能保證帝都的食物充沛．
小麥、大麥、羊毛，這些都是帝國首湖城以南常見的作物，雖然生長期只有每年一收，但
是土地廣大，產量依然驚人，岩鹽與各種礦物還有在萬年冰封解凍後的沼澤地區擁有的泥
煤，讓帝國的物產無缺，在與南方相比更加嚴酷的環境下，帝國士兵也更能吃苦耐勞．
帝國通用語和南方的雪狼王國語，在文法或是語辭上都有著非常通的共通處，幾乎是同一
個語系演變而來，差別的更多是在語氣音調上面的區別，雖然說帝國與參入了更多遊牧民
的語言，但是並不影響帝國通用語與王國語的互通性
所以在雪狼王國是這樣認定帝國通用語的，認為這是一種從雪狼王國衍伸出去的西北夷語
言，用詞低俗，無法用於外交場合，只有真正的王國語才是高貴的．
當然帝國這裡是反對這種說法，然而帝國的高層人群裡面，依然將雪狼王國語的用法視為
貴族的文雅象徵，在正式的外交場合還是傾向用王國語．
雪狼王國本就是帝國的源頭，加上氣候溫和之後，雪狼王國的物產更加豐沛，雖然雪狼王
國只是一個王國，但是整體國力整合起來，帝國百年來都占不到便宜．
帝國的郡縣一百二十個，其中帝室六十個，六個分國各自十個，雪狼王國雖然名義上只有
二十個郡縣，但是都是古老發展的地區，這二十個郡縣的國力就等於帝室四十個郡縣的實
力，因此帝國想吃下雪狼這塊肥肉，雪狼不想被帝國吃掉，雙方就這樣百年來衝突不斷．
帝國現在二十五代皇帝北斗晃年邁，新一代的英雄將要登場在這舞臺，無數的英雄們，將
會登場，也將會隕落．
１－４完
「那個時候鐵壤豆才剛剛從西邊引進種植，帝國還沒推廣，就算我們很努力地維持，整個
帝國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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