Chapter 009: A Great Joke (Part 1)

Du Fan frowned slightly before smiling gently after a moment. “What do you wish to discuss, my esteemed Prince?”
Prince Fischer suddenly stood up, walked a few steps slowly across the room, and listened intently for a while before turning to Du Fan with his hands behind his back and saying calmly, “Lord Du Fan, although we’ve known each other for only a short time, we’ve shared quite a bit. Moreover, whenever we meet, something always happens… Don’t you have any doubts about this?”
Du Fan raised his eyebrows and smiled. “Are you suggesting, Your Highness, that all these things are deliberately arranged by you?”
Prince Fischer stepped forward, gave Du Fan a half-smiling glance, then nodded and said, “Lord Du Fan, you’re right… and also wrong. My meeting with you was indeed arranged on purpose, but those accidents have nothing to do with me at all!”
Du Fan nodded. “In that case… it’s good then!”
With that, the two exchanged smiles and each took a sip of the amber-colored wine.
“In the latest battle… I suppose we suffered a heavy defeat, didn’t we?” After holding his glass for a long time, Du Fan said softly.
Prince Fischer didn’t answer directly. He picked up his glass and walked to the window on one side of the room, looking outside. Although it was noon, the capital was still bustling with people and traffic.
Prince Fischer gazed at the scene for a moment before suddenly tilting his head and saying, “The prosperity of this capital is rare even across the entire continent… Du Fan, do you like this kind of prosperity, or not?”
“…”
Du Fan silently stared at the prince, momentarily not understanding his meaning.
But he also stood up and followed Prince Fischer’s gaze…
The entire capital came into view before Du Fan. Though not necessarily prosperous, it was indeed a rare and splendid sight.
“Perhaps… I do like it.”
Du Fan sighed softly. Compared to the world of his past life, this was a world full of miracles, but he might not necessarily like it!

Prince Fischer turned to glance quietly at Du Fan, then sighed after a moment and said, “It’s a pity… Though the imperial capital is prosperous, I’ve never liked it. Du Fan, don’t be deceived by its superficial glory—everyone seems to have plenty to eat and wear… But that’s just an illusion… How much darkness and evil lie hidden in the shadows of this vast city is beyond what anyone can imagine…”
Du Fan looked at Prince Fischer without saying a word.
The prince didn’t answer his question but suddenly brought up this topic… What did he mean?
Seeing Du Fan’s expression, Prince Fischer seemed to smile slightly. He drained the wine in his hand, tossed the glass aside, and continued, “Your guess was right earlier… In the war with the Lani Empire a month ago, we were indeed defeated… And this time it wasn’t just a defeat—we’ve lost three provinces in this war. Half of the southern plains are now in their hands, and even the few fortresses we’ve built over the years, only one remains standing. This might not even be called a defeat… It should be called a total collapse…”
At this point, a faint hint of bitterness appeared on Prince Fischer’s face.
Du Fan was slightly stunned. Though he had guessed that the Gavin Empire had lost this battle, he never expected them to have lost three provinces… That meant a quarter of the empire was now in the enemy’s hands. No wonder their envoy could be so arrogant…
Thinking of this, Du Fan couldn’t help but glance at Prince Fischer and asked doubtfully, “Your Highness Fischer, if I’m not mistaken, over the years in the wars with the Lani Empire, although we never achieved a decisive victory, we at least remained undefeated, sometimes even securing minor wins… But why this time…”
Prince Fischer looked at Du Fan with a half-smile, then sighed after a moment and said, “Du Fan, do you really know nothing?”
Du Fan’s eyebrows raised slightly.

“I don’t know what you already know,” Prince Fischer sighed softly. “But I must tell you… Since our Austin dynasty ascended to the throne, the empire has seemed prosperous… yet in many aspects, we are powerless… For example, the division of power among the noble families, the disloyalty of local armies… These problems have existed since the last era. Since our dynasty took power, successive emperors have tried their best to address them… But these are just internal troubles… Meanwhile, the barbarians in the north harass us year after year, and wars with the Lanni Empire continue constantly—these are external threats. Under such internal and external pressures, even if our Austin dynasty does its utmost, how much can we actually achieve? In fact, the emperors of our dynasty have all died from overwork. Even my father, Emperor Austin III… although it is now believed he may not live another year, it is also due to exhaustion. You know, my father was highly skilled in martial arts and had already reached the level of a great warrior—how could he die at such a young age?”

As he spoke, Prince Fischer gave another bitter smile and said, “My father was ambitious and spared no effort in fighting external enemies… Among the emperors of the Gavin Empire, he was quite remarkable… In fact, aside from the founder of the Gavin Empire, no other emperor has ever been so resolute in facing external threats… Every time, whether it was invasions by the barbarians in the north or wars in the south… my father would immediately order troops to confront them. Even the annual military budget allocated to the armies in the north and south was more than that given to the imperial guards… Du Fan, I’m not afraid of you laughing, but if I’m guessing correctly, our imperial guards haven’t had new equipment in three years… It’s not because we don’t want to replace it, but because the continuous wars in the north and south have already drained the empire’s finances. The imperial guards only receive about 30% of the annual military budget… This money barely covers their salaries, let alone replacing equipment and weapons! Last year, my father even decided to cut the military forces by half, reducing both the imperial guards and the imperial defense troops, hoping to solve half of the budget problem… Many noble families in the capital supported this idea, but in the end, it was my elder brother who defied orders and refused to cut the troops, so the matter was dropped.”

“Why?”

“Why?” Prince Fischer suddenly sneered. “Because my elder brother, though arrogant, isn’t stupid. He at least understands one thing… that the authority of the royal family is built entirely on military strength… If the royal family loses its army, can it still be called royal?”
Du Fan frowned but dared not answer… This involved disputes over royal power, and saying the wrong thing could cost one’s life!
Prince Fischer sneered a few more times before pouring himself another drink and saying indifferently, “King Austin III reigned for decades, adopting a tough stance abroad, and the empire remained undefeated in countless battles… Du Fan, you’ve probably heard this statement several times, right?”
Du Fan nodded and said, “Yes… This is something people in the imperial capital mention most often.”
“Mentioned most often?” Prince Fischer smiled bitterly, shook his head, and said, “It’s precisely because it’s mentioned so often… that now, when I think about it, it seems like a huge joke!”
“!” Du Fan’s eyes widened; he dared not speak.
But Prince Fischer seemed unaware of this, continuing to sneer and saying, “In the 376th year of the imperial calendar, the Lani Empire invaded. The Southern Army was ordered to resist, and after three months, they annihilated tens of thousands of enemies and beheaded five thousand, achieving a great victory. In the 378th year, Gavin and Lani went to war again over border disputes. The Southern Army and Eastern Army joined forces to resist but were defeated, losing three cities. Later, the Southern Army fought back, advancing over 300 miles before finally regaining some territory. In the 381st year, the Lani Empire invaded again. The Southern Army took the initiative to resist, and after half a year, they annihilated 100,000 enemies and captured 3,000 alive. From then on, the Lani Empire’s bandits dared not approach Gavin’s territory… Du Fan, don’t you think these glorious military achievements make our Gavin Empire seem incredibly powerful, the best in the world?”
Du Fan didn’t understand what Prince Fischer meant, but he still replied cautiously, “Perhaps?”
“Perhaps?” Prince Fischer laughed. “What a ‘perhaps’! Yet such a powerful empire lost countless cities and nearly half of its territory in less than half a year in this year’s war against the Lani Empire! The Southern Army was almost wiped out, and the empire was forced to send envoys to seek peace. That’s why Prince Leoport, the fifth prince of the Lani Empire, came to the capital of Gavin and ruled tyrannically, with all the nobles flattering him endlessly! Is this what a powerful empire does?!”