"Creak..." The heavy sound of the door opening echoed at just the right time.

  Everyone's gaze unconsciously shifted towards the gate.

  An elderly man with a head of white hair walked in slowly, although he was advanced in years, his body was still strong and robust, and when he walked, although not vigorous, he was spirited and did not have the feeling of an ordinary old man who was about to collapse.

  "Grandfather? How did you come here?" Lu Tongzhou exclaimed, jumping up like he had been electrocuted, and in a few steps he arrived at the old man's side, habitually supporting his arm.

  Lu Ding Sheng nodded slightly towards him, he was very satisfied with his most outstanding grandson. However, for his cleverness and competence, there was also a hint of hidden worry.

  The position of the head of the Lu family was not passed down to any of his sons, but directly into the hands of the third generation. This matter had once caused a near-earth-shattering change within the family.

  However, under the old man's nearly bloody thunderous suppression, all opposing voices disappeared in an instant.

  After several years, Lu Tongzhou did not disappoint his expectations. The Lu family's power in the northwest became more and more solid, with a momentum that was unstoppable.

  But for an old man who has already seen through human affairs, this is not necessarily a good thing.

  Extreme prosperity must decline, he understands this principle and has experienced it. However, the younger generation's newborn calves may not necessarily take it to heart.

  "Old General."

  A respectful cry interrupted the old man's thoughts, he sighed softly, as people age, it is inevitable to like idle thinking and wandering off at times.

  "General Xu, General Fang." The old man smiled and nodded, suddenly turning serious: "I heard your conversation clearly outside the door. The strength of the Roman Empire is indeed not to be underestimated."

  Facing this old man who participated in the Beijiang War forty years ago, no one dared to be rude, and even Jiang Kongming rarely showed genuine respect from the bottom of his heart.

  General Zhang nodded solemnly and said, "Don't worry, General."

  Fang Xuan also nodded in agreement: "With you here to oversee everything, we naturally won't underestimate the enemy."

  Lu Ding Sheng lost his smile and said: "Take charge of the overall situation? For an old man like me, it's better to forget about it. I can still manage to follow behind you guys and shout slogans, but if I really have to put in a lot of effort, this old body of mine won't be able to take it."

  Everyone couldn't help but burst out laughing, even those who originally had no joy in their hearts were forced to put on a smiling face and laugh out loud.

  "You all discuss it, I'll just sit here and listen, as if I weren't here." Lu Ding Sheng waved his hands repeatedly, signaling everyone to continue.

  Including Xu Haifeng, everyone sat down with a smile, but each person's heart couldn't help but secretly mutter to themselves.

  Now that this old man has come and is sitting here, how can he be treated as if he didn't exist.

  "Tang family master." Jiang Gongming suddenly spoke up.

  Tang Qili smiled slightly and asked: "What instructions does General Jiang have?"

  He had more reservations about this military strategist than anyone else, and he hastily replied to his call, but he appeared calm and composed, and there was nothing out of place.

  Jiang Kongming fanned himself with a feather fan and said, "At first, the people of Caesar did not use the Temple Knights, perhaps the students can still explain one or two things."

  "Oh...... Táng Mǒu is all ears."

  Jiang Kongming's gaze swept around, including Lu Ding Sheng, and everyone's eyes had a curious color. He said with satisfaction: "Although the territory and population of the Caesar Empire are not inferior to our Great Han, their system is vastly different from ours."

  Jiang Kongming's voice gradually grew louder: "The Knights of the Temple are not something that Caesar can dispatch, so it is only natural that they cannot appear on the battlefield in the early stages."

  "Isn't this an imperial decree? Has Caesar's authority been usurped?" someone asked in puzzlement.

  "Otherwise, in our great Han, the Emperor is the supreme ruler, his golden words are the highest law of the state. However, Caesar is different, above the Emperor, there is an even more exalted existence."

  Jiang Kung-ming's words were like a thousand-pound boulder thrown into a small pond, stirring up a splash.

  "What kind of person could be more noble than Your Imperial Majesty?"

  Jiang Kongming's gaze swept around again, taking in everyone's expressions.

  Among them, like Fang Xiangming and Lu Dingcheng, who came from old families with real power, they all looked calm and unsurprised, as if they had known about it long ago.

  Those who expressed surprise were some middle-class families wandering outside the top-tier aristocratic families.

  Although they can also dominate one side, compared with the three major families and the Northwest King, it's not a matter of being inferior by one or two grades.

  So, people like Xiang Ming have their own channels to gather intelligence on the Kaisar people, but they are powerless against it.

  Through their expressions, Jiang Kungming instantly grasped some things he wanted to know.

  Apart from the young masters of a few large families, those who remain expressionless are either so cunning that they can deceive him or have close ties with these families, which is how they know these unknown secrets.

  Those eyes that shone with surprise were from families who were relatively distant from the several prominent clans, and it was they whom Jiang Kongming wanted to win over.

  Although these people are like those weak and flexible grasses that fall down with the wind when it is strong.

  But it is precisely for this reason that they are the easiest to win over.

  Moreover, as long as one's own strength is powerful enough to be intimidating and sufficient to overwhelm anyone, these people will absolutely not rebel.

  With a faint smile, Jiang Kongming replied: "Shen..."

  "God?" The unexpected voice echoed back and forth.

  Those people with unknown inner thoughts all had a hint of ridiculous smile on their faces.

  The talk of ghosts and gods has always been an illusory and elusive matter, and only those barbarians can put the invisible and intangible things on the emperor's head.

  Jiang Kongming understood their thoughts and said, "Ghosts and gods, every country has its own spirits. But to have such a scale and attain such a high status, only the Caesars can do it."

  One person slowly stood up and asked: "General Jiang, are you saying that the Knights of the Temple are actually under the influence of that divine spirit?"

  "Not bad." Jiang Kongming's face was solemn: "The Caesars have two emperors, one is the great Caesar of that generation, and the other is the representative of the gods in the mortal world, the Pope. And the Knights Templar are from the Vatican, the largest trump card in the Pope's hand."

  "Two Your Majesties?"

  This sentence seemed to have brought them an even greater shock, and this time, even Lu Ding Sheng's face couldn't help but reveal a hint of unnatural color.

  There can be no two suns in the sky; there can be no two masters of a country.

  This is the only criterion that has been passed down through generations of all great Han nobles, and for the Caesars among them who can steadily suppress His Imperial Majesty, they are deeply curious, but even more shocked.

  "These barbarians, how dare they commit such an act of great impiety? Does the great Emperor Caesar just tolerate and permit it?"

  "In Caesar's time, major decisions were not made by the Emperor alone, but had to be reviewed and voted on by the Senate before they could take effect." Jiang Kongming explained lightly.

  However, this explanation made those who knew nothing about it feel a thrill that was hard to conceal.

  If it were said that some inexplicable deity could overpower Caesar, they would find it incredible but not impossible.

  No matter who it is, whether he believes or not, in the depths of his heart, there is a deep reverence for these mysterious things.

  For things that cannot be understood, people will naturally attribute them to ghosts and gods, which is also the biggest reason for the emergence of ghosts and gods.

  This is something that even a sage cannot avoid. Especially for old people like Lu Ding Sheng, the more years they live, the more they see things that can't be explained by reason, and the more they naturally believe in them.

  The words of the gods have a unique charm that is beyond the evaluation of ordinary people.

  However, the existence of the Senate completely overturned their traditional understanding.

  Two vastly different ideologies of East and West finally collided violently as the scale of war between them expanded.

  "Not bad, except in times of war, if Caesar wanted to issue a major decree, he had to go through the Senate. However, he also had some privileges in his hands, and the seats occupied by Caesar's forces in the Senate were also the most. His decisions were rarely rebutted."

  As for the political structure of the Caesarians, he was asked by Adis.

  These are all first-hand authentic materials, far more detailed than those few big families' own investigations.

  The people below were initially silent, and then a few close friends couldn't help but whisper to each other, exchanging simple words. This matter indeed had a great impact on them.

  "Cough...cough..."

  A loud cough echoed through the house, and suddenly it was so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.

  Lu Ding Sheng closed his mouth, as if it wasn't him who had just made that coughing sound.

  Xu Haifeng smiled slightly, and only this old general could rely on his age to easily calm them down without provoking any resentment.

  That's the advantage of being an old man. The older he gets, the more prestige he has, and this can also be considered a characteristic of the Great Han Empire.

  "Although the strength of the Roman Empire is not to be underestimated, our army is not just for show either. So everyone can rest assured. I, Xu, hereby promise that as long as the Black Flag Army exists, we will never allow foreign troops to run amok within the borders of Great Han."

  Xu Haifeng's words were as sharp as a knife, exuding an aura of unshakeable confidence. For some reason, their hearts suddenly calmed down, and they deeply believed in Xu Haifeng's words without any doubt.

  Only Lu Ding Sheng and others slightly changed their expressions, they heard the double meaning implied in Xu Haifeng's words.

  Foreigners, could it be that this sentence has already included the Xiongnu people?

  （）