I will be crowned king

After the words fell, Anson's expression suddenly froze, and he was stunned. It took several seconds before he remembered to salute His Majesty the King.

This... He probably guessed what Carlos II's final attitude would be, but if he were to be so explicit, it would be as if his thoughts were completely written on his face.

He turned to look at Fabian behind him, who shook his head wildly to show that he knew nothing about it.

If the strange behavior of the judges just now and the king's visit to the court were all Carlos II's own thoughts, then the most important thing he should do now is to continue to remain impartial; after all, the accusations of the Ministry of War are completely unfounded, let the jury After three rounds of voting, the suspicion against oneself is removed, or a harmless charge is imposed, and both parties take a half-step back. This can be regarded as the least bad outcome.

Of course, that would definitely not be in line with Anson's ideas. What he wants to do most now is to undermine the authority of the Army Department, bring all factions and forces within the Army to the same level and compete fairly, and then rely on his rich experience to crush them. Take the "Shotgun Club" and the Storm Legion to the top.

If Carlos II had similar thoughts, then he should not come forward at all and continue to maintain aloof neutrality as the king, waiting for the leaderless army to re-roll a new leader, and then use various conditions and restrictions to give him legal status , and understated the very possible crisis of rioting and seizing power in the War Department.

But he chose neither of them, and instead took a pioneering third path: he went to the scene in person, and then took the initiative to express his support for himself as a "traitor"; it was tantamount to making his attitude public to the public, and he was already regretting it. Impossible.

So Carlos II...why on earth would he do this?

While the two of them were still struggling with what the situation was, Viscount Bogner in the jury seat had already stood up, with his right hand on his chest and his left hand spread high above his head:

"What your Majesty said is absolutely true! Such a loyal general should never be subjected to such inhuman accusations and harsh treatment, let alone the charge of 'treason' to slander a loyal minister who has dedicated his or her best to the kingdom and your Majesty; Regarding Anson ·I disagree with whether Brigadier General Bach is guilty or not!"

"Agree!"

Before anyone could react, Lady Catalina, who was sitting in her seat, suddenly shouted loudly: "If such a heavy charge of 'treason' can be used as an accusation of slandering others, then who else is willing to fight with him regardless of the cost?" Serving the kingdom with consequences?”

"I'm afraid that everyone will be in danger if they follow the rules strictly word for word, for fear that if there is even the slightest deviation from the orders of the people above and the laws of the kingdom, they will be framed as a 'traitor'... I don't agree. !”

She smiled and raised the corners of her mouth, staring intently at Anson Bach, who was paying attention in the audience.

That expression seemed to say, "Remember, you owe me a favor."

There were waves of uneasiness and excitement coming from the spectator seats, which was in sharp contrast to Carlos II who was smiling and chatting with the queen across from him.

Anson, who was standing directly below, could clearly see the queen's slight frown, but had to force a smile to match the king's expression. He seemed to vaguely feel that something was wrong, but he did not dare to speak for one reason or another.

It seems that it is exactly what the little secretary said. In the eyes of the Clovis people, this "Queen Anne" is just a trophy of Carlos II... Anson sighed deeply in his heart.

While his thoughts were diverging, all the juries had officially started the second round of voting.

Of course, since everyone tacitly agreed to abstain in the first round, this is actually the first round in the true sense; and if this tacit understanding can be maintained, no one will think that a third round is needed.

The moment Carlos II took the initiative to express his position, the trial was essentially over.

"Will you be accused of treason just because you didn't follow the rules and regulations? I disagree!"

"Loyalty has no distinction. Besides, didn't the Army Department achieve its strategic goal in the end? I disagree!"

"The crime of treason requires substantive evidence. Should we only rely on speculation and subjective assumptions to determine whether a person is loyal? I disagree!"

... Impassioned objections sounded one after another in the jury box, shaking the roof of the court hall.

With Viscount Bognar and Lady Caterina taking the lead, all the reformists in the Privy Council and the members of the Railway Committee naturally followed suit to show their loyalty; a few lucky ones, or those who relied on their family property and influence, were The selected jury members also followed suit and voted against the decision.

They may not fully understand what happened, but one thing is absolutely certain - Anson Bach's innocence is closely related to Clovis's alliance with the Free Confederacy.

Those who can be selected to enter this hall are all influential figures in the inner city of Clovis. In other words, they are either members of a certain chamber of commerce, or have factories or other industries in their names.

These people may not care about Anson Bach's life or death, but a completely open market with unified markets and tariffs, and a huge market with sufficient cheap raw materials is definitely a huge benefit in their minds.

In comparison, there were obviously very few supporters on the side of the War Department. In addition to being caught off guard and unable to win over allies, even the conservatives who agreed to join were very unmotivated. Many people either abstained from voting or even voted in reverse. No vote.

What, you ask the reason? There is no need to ask. His Majesty himself has already made a final decision and called Anson Bach a "loyal general". So what else is there to say?

"The bounden duty of a soldier is to obey orders. Misinterpreting orders and acting casually are the clearest acts of traitor. I agree!"

"Soldiers cannot be allowed to act arbitrarily. Otherwise, if everyone in the standing army of more than 100,000 people does their own thing, what authority can we talk about? Agreed!"

"Loyalty is not absolute, but it is absolutely disloyal! Even if there is only a slight possibility, we must rather kill the wrong person than let go, agree!"

Several War Department officials in the jury box flushed, and their expressions of determination were obvious: they had louder voices than anyone else, but none of them stood up, or even had the courage to raise their hands.

Due to the special status of the Army in Clovis, the Ministry of War has always appeared as a department that absolutely obeys the king's orders; in fact, they have no right to decide anything at all, but only have high executive authority. In addition, if the king intends or The unintentional delegation of power made them appear very powerful, as if they could lead an army of hundreds of thousands of people.

The actual situation is the pinnacle of the Clovis Army, a headquarters of mixed factions and forces. The Ministry of War is still just a general staff and an administrative department of the army. It should not have the right to resist any of the king's will. Its status is comparable to that of members of the Privy Council. It's a world of difference.

Because of this, the War Department as a department must not oppose the king, so these officers can only raise objections as a "jury". Of course, they are not like the Privy Council members who can confidently raise objections with the king. Conflicting opinions - if they are to be settled by the Qiu Hou, the Ministry of War will never be able to give them the full answer.

As a result, the words of a few people were quickly drowned out by waves of opposition.

"Then, the number of approvals...forget it, there is no need to count them anymore."

The old judge whispered, then coughed twice and raised his voice: "This court has heard the voice of the jury. The votes of those who disagree have reached three-quarters, and the result has already emerged."

When he said this, he glanced at Lieutenant Colonel Crown in the audience - the so-called "three-quarters" was just a way of saving face for the War Department. After all, it only reached... nine-tenths. It reached three-quarters, but it would be really embarrassing for the Ministry of War to say that. As a small circle independent of the various factions in the kingdom, there is really no need for the court to offend the Ministry of War for this kind of thing.

"According to the laws of the kingdom, the evidence is insufficient to support the alleged crime, and when at least three-quarters of the jury object, the defendant can be declared innocent!"

The old judge put his hands on the table and looked at Anson with a look that suddenly became much more friendly: "Brigadier General Anson Bach, from now on, you are innocent."

"Congratulations, the original ring of order will always protect your loyal and pious heart!"

Facing the other party's gaze, Anson just smiled and quickly stood up straight again, beating his chest in the direction of Carlos II: "May the Ring of Order protect my king forever!"

"I will always bless you and the thousands of people of Clovis!"

As excited as an audience who had just watched the end of a play, Carlos II said with a hearty smile: "May the Ring of Order bless you all, my loyal subjects!"

As soon as the words fell, both the spectators and the jury present did not dare to neglect and stood up one after another. Huge cheers broke out in the hall again:

"God bless Clovis, long live my king——!!!!"

"Clovis Yongchang, may my king Carlos Osteria live long and in good health-!!!"

Shouting, applause, praise... everyone's face was filled with smiles, and they were clapping hard with tears of excitement, showing everyone the unprecedented unity of Clovis.

Except for Lieutenant Colonel Crown.

He lay motionless on the table, just staring at Anson's figure that stood like a rifle.

You will regret it.

You...will definitely regret...regret not being here today...today...

"Lieutenant Colonel Crown?"

In the midst of the noise, Fabian suddenly rushed behind and patted him on the back. He turned back suddenly in shock: "You..."

"Do not talk."

Fabian, who was secretly hiding under the table, made a "shush" gesture: "Don't say anything, don't ask anything... If you still want to live, remember to come to me."

"With the information you have, you definitely know where I live."

As soon as the words fell, Fabian, with a meaningful look on his face, quietly left under the astonished eyes of the other party and disappeared into the extremely excited crowd.

At the same time, Anson also walked out of the dock amid cheers and watched helplessly as Carlos II abandoned his queen and walked toward him accompanied by more than a dozen attendants, holding a scroll in his hand. .

"This... is an invitation. Ten days from now, in the 102nd year of the Calendar of Saints, the Osteria Palace will hold a New Year's banquet according to tradition."

Passing the scroll to Anson, Carlos II chuckled and said: "Originally, I planned to give it to you as soon as you returned to Clovis City - without any external aid. , you are worthy of this award for being able to protect Clovis's interests in the new world."

"But it is a pity that so many disputes and misunderstandings occurred. Although the Army Department is only a staff department, they are also my loyal ministers. I cannot ignore their thoughts and opinions, so I delayed this matter. Come down." With a slight sigh, Carlos II changed the subject:

"Fortunately, you finally proved your innocence with actions and resolved the misunderstanding with the Ministry of War, allowing me to have the opportunity to give it to you."

"So, Anson Bach, my loyal general, the banquet at the Osteria Palace ten days later...are you willing to come and spend the New Year with me?"

Carlos II's voice was very soft, but Anson could hear it clearly - because everyone present was silent.

Well, I can still hear the grinding of a certain Miss Franz’s teeth, whether it’s resentment or jealousy.

After taking a deep breath and hesitating for half a second, Anson did not kneel down on one knee. Instead, after the military salute, he stretched out his hands, held up Carlos II's invitation as if taking a saber, and looked into his eyes: "I'm...very honored!"

"……good, very good."

As if he had not expected it, Carlos II was stunned for a few seconds, but he soon laughed out loud: "Then go, go back and have a good rest today, and we will meet again in ten days."

"yes."

"Oh, by the way, there's one more thing."

"His Majesty?"

"General Anson Bach, can you drink?"

"Yes, but...it can't be considered a strong point."

"It doesn't matter. Alcohol is just for entertainment and to complement the lively atmosphere." Carlos II smiled: "I will prepare the best rum and wait for you to come and have a drink with me."

"……yes!"

Anson's heart skipped a beat without changing his expression.

Very good, it seems that the information reported by Fabian is indeed detailed enough.

He slowly turned around and walked towards the door under everyone's gaze.

The two guards opened the door for him with great admiration. On both sides of the long corridor, which was not spacious, the royal guards who were ordered to stand guard saluted him in turn as he passed by.

Anson's pace became faster and faster. With an expressionless face, he tried his best to hold back his heart that seemed to burst out of his chest, and held the right hand tightly holding the invitation behind his back.

Finally... he quickly arrived outside the court gate, and a red and black bloody unicorn flag immediately caught his sight - it was like a roaring mountain and a tsunami, crowding the entire square...

and his loyal officer corps.