Dragon Monarch System

Chapter 1231: Chapter 1231:- 10 Billion Platinum Coins

Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Northern Grassy Plains, the Emperor Faction had also established an enormous military camp approximately sixty kilometres away from the battlefield. Just like the Anti-Emperor Faction, Ren’s forces had constructed thousands of tents to accommodate the soldiers, military officers, and powerful cultivators who had gathered from different parts of the Celestial Dragon Empire.

At the center of the camp stood an enormous tent that served as the headquarters of the Emperor Faction. Inside, Emperor Ren sat on a luxurious golden chair positioned at the head of a massive rectangular table. Several of the most important figures supporting him were seated around the table, including powerful Dukes, high-ranking military commanders, and influential nobles.

However, there were far more people present than the table could accommodate. As a result, the remaining nobles and military officers stood around the tent. Despite the large gathering, the atmosphere remained relatively quiet as everyone waited for the Emperor to begin the meeting.

Standing directly behind Ren was a beautiful young woman who happened to be his lover. Ren had repeatedly insisted that there was no reason for her to accompany him to the battlefield. After all, this was a civil war involving some of the most powerful cultivators in the Empire, and even someone of his status could not guarantee her safety once the fighting began.

However, she had stubbornly refused to remain in the Capital. No matter how much Ren tried to persuade her, she insisted on accompanying him. In the end, Ren had no choice but to allow her to come along.

As for the military strength of the Emperor Faction, Ren was not particularly far behind Aditya in terms of numbers. The Anti-Emperor Faction had assembled an army of nearly one million soldiers. Although Ren’s forces were slightly smaller, the difference was not as significant as some might have expected.

As the Emperor of the Celestial Dragon Empire, Ren directly controlled an elite imperial army consisting of approximately 250,000 soldiers. Unlike the private armies maintained by the various noble families, these soldiers belonged directly to the Emperor. Their salaries, equipment, training, and other military expenses were funded through the Imperial Treasury, and they operated independently of the noble families.

For the upcoming civil war, Ren had mobilized approximately 200,000 soldiers from this imperial army. The remaining 50,000 soldiers had been ordered to remain in the Capital to maintain security and protect the Imperial Royal Palace in case an unexpected situation arose.

Although Ren wanted to bring as many soldiers as possible to the Northern Grassy Plains, he understood that leaving the Capital without sufficient protection would be a foolish decision. Even if he managed to defeat Aditya on the battlefield, it would mean very little if his enemies took advantage of the situation and attacked the Capital while its defenses were weakened.

In addition to his personal army, the Dukes and other nobles supporting him had contributed approximately 600,000 soldiers. This brought the Emperor Faction’s total military strength to around 800,000 soldiers, excluding any additional forces that Ren might recruit before the battle began.

Among these soldiers, Third Order cultivators represented the lowest cultivation level. However, the majority of the army consisted of Fourth Order cultivators, followed by Fifth Order cultivators, who formed the second-largest group. There were also Sixth Order cultivators serving as military commanders, while the Seventh Order cultivators supporting Ren represented the strongest fighting force available to the Emperor Faction.

Although an army of 800,000 soldiers was already enormous, Ren was still dissatisfied with the numerical disadvantage. He knew that Aditya had gathered close to one million soldiers, and even a difference of 200,000 troops could become significant once the fighting began.

Therefore, Ren had decided to strengthen his army through another method.

”Your Majesty, the mercenaries have arrived.” Hearing this announcement from one of his subordinates, a small smile appeared on Ren’s face.

”Good.” Ren replied with a satisfied nod. To compensate for the difference in numbers, Ren had spent an astonishing 10 billion platinum coins from the Imperial Treasury to hire 100,000 mercenaries.

Mercenaries were professional fighters who offered their services in exchange for payment. Unlike ordinary soldiers who served their Empire or noble families, mercenaries generally fought for whoever was willing to pay them the most. Naturally, hiring such a large number of experienced cultivators was extremely expensive, especially when most of them possessed Fifth Order cultivation.

With these 100,000 mercenaries joining his forces, the Emperor Faction’s total military strength would increase to approximately 900,000 soldiers, bringing Ren much closer to Aditya’s army in terms of numbers.

However, many of the nobles and military commanders supporting Ren were confused by his decision. Although the Emperor Faction had fewer soldiers than the Anti-Emperor Faction, the difference was not so significant that Ren needed to spend 10 billion platinum coins simply to recruit another 100,000 soldiers.

Furthermore, mercenaries came with several disadvantages. Unlike loyal soldiers who had been trained to fight for their Empire or their respective noble families, mercenaries generally placed their own survival above everything else. Although they were willing to fight in exchange for money, that willingness often disappeared the moment the situation became too dangerous.

Some mercenaries would abandon their positions after suffering relatively minor injuries, while others would retreat or surrender as soon as they realized that their side was losing. Their loyalty could not be compared to that of soldiers who had spent years serving under the same commanders.

Furthermore, mercenaries were not always willing to sacrifice themselves to protect their fellow soldiers. If they believed that remaining on the battlefield would result in their deaths, many would simply choose to flee rather than continue fighting.

For these reasons, mercenaries were generally considered less reliable than regular military forces, especially during prolonged wars. Even though most of the mercenaries Ren had hired were Fifth Order cultivators, their individual strength did not necessarily make them dependable soldiers.

This was precisely why many of Ren’s allies considered his decision unnecessary. In their opinion, spending such an enormous amount of money on soldiers who might abandon their positions at the first sign of danger was hardly a wise investment.

Of course, none of them openly questioned the Emperor’s decision. Although they were confused, they assumed that Ren had his own reasons for making such an expensive arrangement.

And they were right. What they did not know was that Ren had a very important and secret reason for hiring these 100,000 mercenaries. In fact, increasing the number of soldiers in his army was only a secondary objective.

The real reason was directly connected to the mysterious organization that had been secretly supporting him. Not long ago, Leo, the leader of the mysterious organisation, had given Ren something that could potentially play an important role in the upcoming civil war. Ren had been assured that it would prove extremely useful against the Anti-Emperor Faction.

However, there was one particular requirement regarding its usage. Whatever Leo had given him needed to be used on soldiers. Naturally, Ren had no intention of revealing this information to the nobles and military commanders supporting him. Even among his closest allies, very few people knew about this particular arrangement between him and Leo.

More importantly, Ren had no intention of using whatever Leo had given him on his own imperial soldiers or the armies belonging to the nobles supporting him. This was not because Ren was particularly merciful or because he cared deeply about the lives of his soldiers. Rather, he understood the political consequences of doing something like that.

The noble families supporting him had brought their armies to the Northern Grassy Plains because they believed that Ren’s victory would benefit them. Although they had pledged their loyalty to him, that loyalty had its limits.

Every Duke and noble had spent considerable resources building and maintaining their private armies. These soldiers were not merely fighting forces but also represented the military strength and political influence of their respective families.

If Ren secretly used something dangerous on those soldiers without the knowledge or permission of their commanders, especially if it resulted in significant casualties, there was a very real possibility that the nobles would turn against him.

Even those who remained loyal might begin questioning his decisions and wondering whether their own armies would be sacrificed next.

And with the civil war about to begin, the last thing Ren wanted was to create distrust and resentment among his allies. He needed their armies to fight Aditya, and he could not afford to lose their support over something that could be avoided.

The same reasoning applied to his personal imperial army. Those 200,000 soldiers were directly under his command, and Ren had no intention of unnecessarily weakening a military force that belonged entirely to him.

Therefore, after considering his options, Ren had decided that hiring mercenaries would be the most convenient solution. Unlike the soldiers belonging to the various noble families, the mercenaries had no personal connection to Ren or his allies. They were outsiders who had agreed to participate in the war purely in exchange for money.

Whatever happened to them would not directly affect the military strength of the noble families supporting him. Even if a large number of mercenaries were killed, Ren would not have to worry about explaining their deaths to powerful Dukes who might otherwise turn against him.

This was precisely why Ren had been willing to spend such an enormous amount of money to hire them. Although 10 billion platinum coins was an astronomical sum, Ren did not consider it merely an expense for recruiting additional soldiers.

In his mind, he had essentially spent that money to acquire 100,000 lives that he could use for whatever Leo had given him. Whether these mercenaries survived until the end of the civil war was none of his concern. As long as they fulfilled the purpose for which he had hired them, Ren would consider the money well spent.

Of course, the thought of spending 10 billion platinum coins still made his heart ache slightly. Even for an Empire as wealthy as the Celestial Dragon Empire, such an enormous amount of money could not be considered insignificant.

However, compared to what he stood to gain if Leo’s plan succeeded, Ren believed that the expense was justified. If the mysterious item or method provided by Leo could help him defeat Aditya and secure his position as Emperor, then sacrificing 100,000 mercenaries would be a small price to pay.

Furthermore, the money had come directly from the Imperial Treasury. Ren had not needed to spend a single platinum coin from his personal wealth.

Looking at the military commanders and nobles gathered around the table, Ren maintained a calm expression. Some of them were still wondering why he had spent so much money on mercenaries, but he had no intention of satisfying their curiosity. None of them had any idea what he was planning to do with the newly arrived mercenaries. And for the time being, Ren intended to keep it that way.

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