Age of Heroes (Age of Heroes Chronicles)

Chapter 510: The twelve great generals i

The Empire is prosperous, its might recognized, the Dragon flag soar bravely through all four corners of the human continent inspiring awe and fear.

Peace has barely dawned and the world is about to thrown into chaos again. 

The Court is in disarray and the hidden power that once rages on during the time of war is summoned again to only add to the chaos.

A system that was abandoned after the War of Conquest ended is once again revived. The sleeping lions are once again called out from their slumbers.

The Twelve Great Generals System.

The Twelve Generals that follows the Emperor orders and pacify his regions during the time of his unification and conquest. 

By relying on the Twelve General System, the Empire is secure. 

During the Day of their military seal being returned to the hands of the Emperor, the Emperor of Eden, Arial Vermont recites a poem.

I commanded all under Heavens, 

The twelve general's troops secured the entire country. 

Your war horses were as striking as the flying dragons and the fierce tigers, 

How magnificent they were!

As you approached the enemy, you revealed your dazzling brilliance to all around you.

The sword danced in rhythm, 

Leaped as if it were the galloping thunder, 

Flows with the circulating winds.

You climbed and observed the high mountains filled with snow, 

Decimating the enemy in battle,

A mighty presence roared throughout the battlefield like the rolling thunder.

This Emperor can reign over the world with this twelve.

The bow will not be put aside even though the bird is gone.

In this poem, the emperor exalted the status of the Twelve Great Generals and convinced them that he will not be petty and tries to do away with them or forget their contribution.

And the Emperor was true to his words. 

After the seal was returned to him, the Emperor conferred vast areas of lands to his generals.

The only stipulation is that they could not raise any army unless an Imperial Edict is issued. If not they will be treated as rebel and is perpetrating high treason against the empire.

The twelve great generals agreed and since the war ended they have live in their castles in peace and luxury, no longer caring about battles which are what the emperor wants and hopes for them. 

The emperor want the twelve generals not to interfere in the military matters anymore, fearing they would rebel, and the twelve great generals did not care for military matters anymore fearing the emperor will be suspicious of them and execute them.

After all, the twelve great general did not want to contend with the emperor. 

Bonfereile even recites a poem at the ending of Emperor poem, praising and acknowledging the Emperor strength.

The Dragon delivered the first shot from his bow

Reaching thousand leagues, the fire of war is ignited.

One shot and hundreds of war horses fell,

Another shot, forced thousands of enemies to retreat in fear.

Drumming their drums, the enemies feared the Dragon presence

Exclaiming the might of the Empire and all withdraw, 

Not desiring to contend.

There is a tacit understanding between the Emperor and his generals. 

The 12 great generals that once march unhindered, as fierce as lions now spend their time in their home and living like immortals not caring about the court.

The twelve great generals is consisted of twelve men who all came from different places, different background and have different personality.

Bonfereile Braveheart from House of Sauville. 

Leander the Loyal from the House of Cromwell. 

Wang Mu the Smasher from the Wang clan.

James the Peaceful General from House of Rothall. 

Alberth the Resting General from House Brond. 

Then there is the Three Lions. 

Dondoglio Capua Lion of Western Rome. Marco Domitius Lion of Southern Rome. And Cesare Capua Lion of Eastern Rome. 

There is also the Santiago Capulet the Mad General and Giovanni Montague the Butcher of Rome.

Zhu Ming the Humble General

Bonfereile Sauville was the heir of a renowned noble family in Vangua. 

When Arial conquered Vangua, the Sauville was the first to receive the newly crowned King and lavish him with great feast. 

Bonfereile father, Lord Nicholas, was a great supporter of the Dragon because of Sauville house relationship with the house of Zephyr and shares the same blood as the Zephyr.

Not to mention, the Sauville house was oppressed by many of King Harald noble houses at the time because of their lineage.

Bonfereile enter the military of the Empire then and was appointed when the Expeditionary War against Zettel started and renders many merits that enables him to be appointed as one of the twelve great generals.

He is known as Bonfereile Braveheart. 

He is now living a life of peace and calm in one of his castle in Provence in southern Eden.

Then there is the Cromwell family. Leander Cromwell was the son of Oliver Cromwell who is one of the Emperor advisors. 

He follows the Emperor in all of his battle and was very famous to be very reckless but also very loyal.

He is called Leander the Loyal. His loyalty for the Emperor knows no bound and the Emperor even says, 

"That if there is anyone I would trust with a weapon in my sleep chamber, the only one who I will trust is Leander."

"Having him, which ruler will not be happy? To have a loyal subject like him, The Empire is blessed."

This is what the emperor once said when the twelve generals was having their military meeting.

Then there is Wang Mu. Coming from a peasant family in Zhou in Southern Tai, he rose through the ranks and gains the Emperor interest.

He treated his soldiers well and was known for his bravery. However, he was also boastful of his talents and his peers tended to avoid him. 

People called him Wang Mu the Smasher because of his ungodly strength wielding a large hammer and killing armies with his hammer.

From Arrandy, there is Alberth Brond. 

And his rival James Rothall from Althea. Both of them are well known to have some rivalries but they are most well-known because of their strategies. 

Both of them are master strategist and are famous for their philosophy of battles which tries to spill as less blood as possible.

James Rothall once captures a city without expending a single soldier which won him the admiration of the Emperor.

Alberth Brond is known to have decided the outcome of a battle from a thousand leagues. He could order his subordinate a region away like he was there in the battlefield himself.

James was dubbed the Peaceful General. 

Alberth was called the Resting General. 

James was called that because he always employs mercy in his battles, sparing many, and exercise benevolence and is deeply influence with the Three Teachings and the Analects.

Alberth is because he is always sitting and resting on his tent while his subordinates execute his perfect strategies in the battlefield.

Then in the region of Rome there is the Three Lions. Dondoglio Capua. Marco Domitius. And Cesare Capua. 

Cesare and Dondoglio are blood brothers. Dondoglio is the older brother while Cesare is the youngest. 

Marco is their sworn brother. They swore under the ruins of their cities when the Inquisition of the Church wrecks their city and killed their parents.

They swore to take revenge and avenge the deaths of their family. They joined the army and rose through the ranks and managed to become great general.

These three generals trust each other with their life and were seen as a symbol of brotherhood among the soldiers and the Emperor even commented that as long as the Three Lions of Rome did not doubt each other, Rome will never fall.

And then there is Santiago Capulet and Giovanni Montague the, rival family that now control the two regions on Venicia

Santiago Capulet is a spear user genius that holds the fort in Venicia during the Rebellion of The First Year of Dragon Reign.

He is called the Mad General.

Giovanni Montague was a saber user and also a great general of the empire. He was famous for the Massacre of the Churchmen.

He is called the Butcher of Rome.