Extreme Cold Era: Shelter Don't Keep Waste-Chapter 682 - 636: Suppressing the Colony_2

"Thanks to you, this journey went smoothly, but without the Blessing Knight, I might not have returned, and the Eldest Princess would probably have been unable to subdue the colony." The young official first bowed to Perfikot and then began recounting their experiences: "The first stop of the Eldest Princess was the Desert Kingdom, where the impact of the cold winter was lighter, and some areas still had arable land, thus making the situation relatively chaotic.

When we arrived, the Evil God Sect had already completely taken control of the Desert Kingdom. One of their tribal chiefs was the leader of the sect and clashed fiercely with us.

If the Eldest Princess hadn't mobilized the local garrison and coordinated with the Knight Order to launch a swift and decisive decapitation strike, we would have needed several months to quell the unrest in the Desert Kingdom."

"The unrest in the Desert Kingdom? Expected." Perfikot was unsurprised, recalling how Dr. Jones once suffered incarceration there, indicating the strong presence of the Evil God Sect.

However, at that time, Perfikot had little energy to focus on this matter. Moreover, being far from the Empire's mainland, she didn't intervene.

The young official's current descriptions suggested that had she paid more attention back then, developments might have been different.

Perfikot further inquired about the Desert Kingdom, learning numerous details.

The Desert Kingdom wasn't a primary focus for the Empire; only due to its proximity to the Old World did the Empire, like many Old World nations, consider it a starting point for colonial expansion.

Overall, the Desert Kingdom's land was relatively barren. Combined with the region's low agricultural standards and scorching climate, even cultivated farming could hardly yield satisfactory harvests.

The Empire initially established colonies for the supply points on the Eastern trade routes and the area's abundance of gold and ivory. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

As for slave trade, that came later. At first, the Empire disregarded these 'savage and backward' native tribes.

Nevertheless, as the Empire's colonial activities expanded, it gradually infiltrated the area, and some people's ambitions led to controlling the entire Desert Kingdom region.

By then, the Empire's Eastern routes had been established, and instead of taking long detours at sea, transporting cargo to the Desert Kingdom for overland transport to the Old World was the most feasible choice.

Thus, controlling the Desert Kingdom became imperative for the Empire, especially with plans to dig a canal to connect the Old World and Eastern routes, significantly shortening the transport time of goods from the East to the Empire's mainland, allowing direct delivery.

This prompted conflicts in the Desert Kingdom, with the Empire clashing with France over territorial claims.

The Eldest Princess Annie essentially enlisted and participated in these conflicts during her service in the Desert Kingdom, gaining familiarity and understanding of the area.

The Desert Kingdom wasn't a single kingdom but rather governed by various tribal chiefs ruling their respective tribes, resembling more of a tribal alliance.

Thus, naturally, some chiefs favored the Empire, while others resisted.

When the apocalyptic winter arrived, the Empire's hold on the area quickly diminished, prompting some chiefs to view it as an opportunity to revolt, leading to yet another round of warfare.

The Empire, lacking support from its mainland, saw its local garrison unwilling to fight, failing to suppress the nascent resistance, so by the time Eldest Princess Annie arrived, the Empire had essentially lost control of the region.

Upon arrival, Eldest Princess Annie quickly contacted familiar desert chiefs and, under her title, assumed command of the local Empire garrison.

Utilizing her status as the Empire's Eldest Princess, Eldest Princess Annie swiftly consolidated the regions still under Empire control, then ordered the Blessing Knight, alongside her Knight Order, to decapitate several major anti-Empire chiefs.

The Steam Knight, with the Blessing Knight, posed an overwhelming advantage against the Desert Kingdom's forces still using sabers and bows, even if some possessed Extraordinary abilities or equipped firearms, they remained unable to counter the overwhelming power of the Steam Knight.

With local garrison support, the situation soon improved, restoring Empire rule over the territory.

However, a troubling issue quickly faced Eldest Princess Annie: some chiefs pledged allegiance to the Evil God Sect, creating foes troubling even for ordinary Steam Knights through sacrifices.

The sect leader tribal chief showed no regard for human life, summoning an entire army via sacrifices, giving the local garrison a severe challenge.

However, with a Blessing Knight activating over-limit mode, they swiftly decapitated the tribal chief and destroyed his army.

This allowed the Empire to swiftly reclaim the Desert Kingdom.

Experiences in Mora Colony and Aus-New Colony were hardly different from the Desert Kingdom; both areas had Evil God Sect activities, particularly in Mora Colony, where they were rampant.

Spending three months on these endeavors largely involved suppressing the Desert Kingdom and Mora Colony; Aus-New Colony required little time due to being a penal colony with sparse population.

Upon understanding the sequence of events, Perfikot was unsurprised; her dispatched teams of Blessing Knights depleted by seven, indicating formidable encounters.

"So, now the Empire's major colonies are back under its control?" Perfikot casually tapped her fingers on her desk, contemplatively.

The young official nodded affirmatively: "Currently, all major colonies have returned to control. As for some smaller ones, too insignificant, they have been abandoned, offering no benefit, merely serving as resupply points for navigational needs.

For those of certain value but not too large, Eldest Princess Annie's plan was to handle them after the elections.

She considered the Empire's prime minister election and national assembly reform major national issues, requiring her return to witness, at least engaging with the Empire's first prime minister for related matters and ensure properly handling suppressed colonies."

"Aunt Annie sure is executing a shrewd play, though she hadn't anticipated the Royalist Party planning to propose her as the Empire's first prime minister." Perfikot chuckled, then stood, strolling to the window to gaze outside: "Should it truly transpire, she'd be the only empress to have been prime minister, not a bad joy."

The young official remained silent; such topics were perilous and didn't warrant his responses.

Nevertheless, it seemed Perfikot expected no reply, quickly issuing new instructions: "Go find Mr. Wellington, assist as his secretary in the campaign, and hone your skills, maybe you might run someday."

```