138. The Imperial Allied Forces 1

No one had expected this, not even Mo Fei.

After the Doma Empire returned to normal, it launched an empire-wide referendum. When His Majesty the Emperor announced the proposal to merge the Doma Empire into the Death Empire, nearly ninety percent of the populace supported the decision. The remaining ten percent merely expressed concern; in general, no one truly opposed joining. The citizens of Doma had witnessed everything the Death Empire had done since becoming their ally, and they were keenly aware of their own empire’s shortcomings.

Years had passed since the founding of the Death Empire, and they had never collected a single cent in taxes from their own citizens. The current levies were merely modest commercial taxes—a fact clearly reflected in the Death Empire’s thriving trade and the constant flow of people and goods. That joining the Death Empire brought only benefits was obvious to everyone in Doma. Even the ten percent who expressed concern were not opposed to the merger; they were simply uncertain about how the Death Empire would handle the transition, fearing their wise Emperor might suffer some grievance.

Following the public announcement of the Doma citizenry’s decision, a special envoy from the Death Empire arrived within days. Representing Mo Fei, the envoy tactfully expressed his view: Mo Fei did not expect anything in return for helping their ally, the Doma Empire. The garrisoning of troops and the intervention had been purely for the sake of helping an ally and friend, with no ulterior motives.

However, the Emperor of Doma was resolute. In front of the envoy, he removed his crown, disbanded the Royal Guard, and stepped down from the throne. He left the existing imperial officials in place, knowing that the Death Empire had its hands full and would need these bureaucrats to help smooth out the transition.

When the envoy reported these developments and the Emperor’s decision to Mo Fei, he traveled for several days with Ailin and Vivian to reach the Doma Empire.

As he entered the imperial capital, all the officials bowed in the streets. When the former Emperor of Doma, now crownless, attempted to perform the same act of obeisance, Mo Fei stopped him.

Mo Fei took the Emperor’s hand and said loudly, "I am deeply gratified by the trust you have placed in our empire. Regarding your choice, I..." Mo Fei paused, and suddenly, everyone, including the commoners in the capital, looked up at him.

"I have decided to accept your decision." When Mo Fei uttered these words, the entire populace of the Doma Empire erupted in cheers. Yet, amidst the jubilation, Mo Fei sensed something. With a wave of his hand, the cheering crowd fell silent.

"Your empire has a good Emperor. Under his governance, the people of Doma have lived in prosperity and peace; this is truly remarkable. The only thing you lacked was the capacity for self-defense. However, now that our two empires have merged, that problem no longer exists."

"The Empire will station a large army along your coastline and construct permanent, sturdy fortifications so that the mass migration you recently endured will never happen again. As for your beloved Emperor, he shall remain the lord of this land. You will continue to live in your paradise under his leadership. The only change is that this territory will now adopt the Empire’s low-tax policy. The Empire will not disappoint you, now or in the future. Moreover, in the near future, the Empire will shift its commercial center to this garden territory."

Mo Fei’s words were met with enthusiastic acclaim. Although they had joined the Death Empire, the Doma Empire remained as it had been, just as Mo Fei had promised—only with lower taxes.

The former officials and the ex-Emperor were filled with gratitude. They had worried that the merger would burden the Death Empire with financial strain due to the low taxes, but their fears were unfounded. Doma was blessed with beautiful scenery and a superior climate; Mo Fei had already decided on his way there to build the Doma Empire into a commercial kingdom. With the original leadership and his own subordinates, Mo Fei was confident the plan would succeed.

The former Emperor, now a lord, adamantly refused to live in the palace, choosing instead to reside in a simpler secondary residence. The Doma Empire was officially incorporated into the Death Empire’s territory, labeled as the "Doma Garden Territory." Under Orff’s planning, many offices from the Death Empire’s capital began establishing branches there.

The Death Empire lacked the convenient transport of Doma, possessing only land routes and a single military-use port closed to civilians. Now that they had annexed the scenic Doma with its maritime access, it was only natural for the commercial center to shift.

The other small coastal nations recently annexed were still in the process of reorganization, lacking the ready-made infrastructure of Doma. It was destined that the Doma Garden would soon become a key commercial hub for the Death Empire.

No other empire on the continent dared to voice objections to a decision made by the collective will of the people, especially since the Death Empire was currently at the zenith of its power.

Consequently, the original Doma army was integrated into the Death Empire’s combat ranks, and the number of Doma soldiers sent to training camps increased. Despite the constant turnover, the training camp stabilized at around 700,000 troops after six months. In a few months, the armies of the Magic-Martial Empire and the Flying Dragon Empire would return home, leaving only the allied forces.

The Death Empire had previously hesitated to suggest a joint imperial army to share the military burden, fearing its own strength might be misunderstood. However, the Gold-Stone Empire, having narrowly escaped annihilation, was still trembling from the memory of that war. Seeing an opportunity with the various allied armies present, they were quick to seize it.

When the monarch of the Gold-Stone Empire personally visited the Death Empire to express his gratitude, his ministers, prompted by their Emperor, tentatively raised the possibility of forming a joint imperial army. When Mo Fei learned of this from Orff, he finally understood why the monarch had come in person.

"Whether the establishment of a joint army is a benefit or a detriment is hard to say right now. We would need all empires to participate in the discussion. Of course, the Death Empire has no objections, but I fear that if you and the Dragon Rock Empire have reservations you are afraid to voice, the joint army will become a hollow title with no practical effect, which would defeat the original purpose." During his meeting with the Gold-Stone monarch, Mo Fei addressed his concerns directly.

"So, Your Majesty feared we would think the joint army would be controlled by your empire?" The Gold-Stone monarch, an old fox, caught the subtext in Mo Fei’s words. "We have seen your actions throughout this time. If you truly wanted to conquer or control our empires, you have had plenty of opportunities, yet you did not. We know your character better than anyone. As long as you do not object, leave the rest to me. I will go to the Dragon Rock Empire tomorrow to discuss it with them."

"Then do as you wish. If you reach an agreement, you should discuss the structure of the joint army as well. The command need not be held by our empire alone; we can establish a unified joint command to make this force a true pillar of stability for all empires." Mo Fei had long contemplated the role of a joint army, and Elder Orff had been refining the plan to ensure it would satisfy everyone. For now, he would let the two empires take the lead, then compare their proposals with his own to select the best approach.

The Gold-Stone monarch departed for the Dragon Rock Empire at the crack of dawn the next day, leaving Mo Fei in eager anticipation of the results.

The Death Empire could not be the only one bearing the brunt of every battle. Mo Fei did not care about the cost of military supplies, but the Berserkers and the Dwarves were a different matter; their numbers were too few to survive frequent large-scale wars. A joint army would solve everything. Mo Fei trusted the troops trained by the Death Empire, and he believed that under the tutelage of the Berserker instructors, they would become an elite force capable of handling crises, thereby liberating the Berserker and Dwarf clans.

The Gold-Stone monarch’s hasty movements drew the attention of the Dragon Rock and Magic-Martial Empires. They were not afraid that these three former allies would unite against them; rather, they were anxious to intervene in the alliance to secure their own benefits.

After the war, the Flying Dragon and Magic-Martial Empires had received generous gifts from the Death Empire—enough equipment to arm 200,000 soldiers. They were ecstatic, marveling at the Death Empire’s grandiosity. Conversely, other empires that had suffered heavy casualties due to disobedience received compensation several times over, but the Death Empire also announced it would no longer accept their troops into the joint army. In essence, Mo Fei would no longer require their assistance in the future.

When the Flying Dragon and Magic-Martial Empires learned of the Gold-Stone Empire’s plan, they could not resist heading to the Dragon Rock Empire themselves. Ever since they began sending personnel to the Death Empire’s training camps, they had never found the resolution of inter-imperial issues to be so effortless. They had withdrawn troops from their borders, saving vast sums of money, and the border regions were flourishing beyond their wildest dreams. Security had not suffered; under the management of the quasi-joint army, the stability of the borders was plain for all to see.

With such clear benefits, they could not ignore the alliance plan. When Mo Fei learned that the monarchs of these two empires were rushing to the Dragon Rock Empire, a smile touched his lips. The grand design of a united empire was slowly taking shape.

Everything Mo Fei was doing now was in preparation for a retaliatory counter-landing operation. Things were trending in a positive direction, and with the captured sea charts, Mo Fei believed that in the near future, the armies of the united empire would stir up a momentous wave on the distant continent.