I will be crowned king

The scream of lead bullets tearing through the air was the last scene the uniformed Whitehall Street police officer saw; just ten minutes ago, he thought the person who pulled the trigger should be himself and his family. Comrades.

The police officer came from an ordinary family in the outer city. His father was a worker in a military factory, and his mother worked in a laundry, and occasionally worked odd jobs in the pubs around his home. Therefore, there were almost no relatives in his childhood memory. To him it was a place to sleep and eat.

But he knew that his parents were very kind to him, because the son of an assembly line worker and a tavern maid could wear clean shirts and unpatched overalls bought from a clothing store, and could afford new textbooks and notebooks. Sausages and fluffy white bread are always found in lunch boxes.

Yes, the schools run by the church and the Kingdom of Clovis are public welfare and do not charge tuition fees at all, but the textbooks, stationery and even notebooks used for school are all real money.

After becoming a warrant officer in the Guards, the police who had the right to view the files truly understood the weight of these real money: the difference between children who can afford textbooks and notebooks and those who cannot afford them, the graduation rate and literacy rate are almost sky-high. Not to mention future origins.

Knowledge is wealth, real money and silver wealth... The police clearly realized this, so when the powerful people came to the door in person, he agreed without hesitation.

Leading his colleagues to rush into the throne room and shoot to death the Franz family who controlled the queen, the scum of the new War Ministry, and the so-called reformists in the Privy Council, he would be rewarded as a loyal minister.

Of course, the policeman was a smart man, so he asked for a "down payment", and the other person readily agreed: 50,000 for himself, and 10,000 for someone else. As for how to divide it, he decided by himself.

So the police generously spent 100,000 gold coins to recruit 20 colleagues with lofty ideals, and promised that the kingdom would never treat their loyal ministers badly afterwards.

The plan went perfectly. There were more than 20 people mixed in with thousands of police officers. Even if the soldiers of the standing army and the royal guards were suspicious of them, they could not target anyone and they would always find an opportunity to take action.

Thinking about it carefully, it must have been so perfect that he ignored certain dangers... Blood spurted out from the center of his eyebrows, and the policeman, who was gradually losing consciousness, was lying on the ground and twitching, thinking secretly in his heart.

Colonel Fabian, who could always be seen on various occasions and seemed to be familiar with everyone... Perhaps he had already been eyeing him when they first met.

Careless, too careless, but...

Who can doubt a senior who is always providing convenience for him, whose background and experience are almost the same as his, but who is more successful?

Maybe...it's because people with similar backgrounds are more successful than themselves, that's why we need to be more careful, right?

puff--

The bayonet was inserted into the skull of the policeman who was shot from the back of the neck. The expressionless Fabian still pulled out the knife uneasily, raised his arm and stabbed the heart from under the armpit, then stood up and let out a sigh of relief. :

"Okay, it's almost time to call it a day - remember to clean up and don't cause any trouble to your colleagues in the palace."

After the words fell, outside the long corridor littered with corpses, dozens of Storm Legion soldiers nodded silently, looking calm.

Three minutes later, half of the soldiers dragged the corpse away, while the other half stayed to clean up the blood on the ground. Fabian, who was staring at his pocket watch, silently took out a cigarette from his jacket pocket, bit it, and polished a match on the wall next to him with one hand. .

The second hand turned two and a half times. The deputy commander of the legion put away his pocket watch and left from the right side with the soldiers who had just cleaned the battlefield. Almost at the same time, a group of royal guards entered the corridor on the left. The two sides met each other and passed by each other. , as if they didn’t see each other at all.

Almost at the same time, the soldiers who left early had already put the packed corpses into the carriage that cleans the palace of garbage every day; as expected, most of the garbage will be sent to landfill outside the city, and the recyclable parts will be sold at low prices. The Heating Committee shines a light on the people of Clovis City.

Everything quietly came to an end with the applause in the throne room.

……………………

"They started to panic."

Just after the prayer, Ludwig, who sneered, peeked at a few whispering figures across the crowd: "Your adjutant did a great job, and he really managed to leave no traces. I was worried just now whether the ambassador of the empire would be allowed to Sensing something."

"Once again, it's the deputy commander, and there is another adjutant." Anson smiled politely: "By the way, let me remind you, there is no need to worry, he seems to have realized that something is not right."

"Woolen cloth?!"

The alert Ludwig immediately cast his gaze in another direction of the hall. Although the middle-aged man dressed up by several knights was still applauding in a pretentious manner, his stiff face clearly showed some uneasiness.

"The Northern Chamber of Commerce is one of the largest chambers of commerce in Clovis City, and it is extremely well-informed. No matter how many conflicts there are between the Roland family and the imperial family, they will not be reluctant to give up even basic information."

Seeing the unnatural expression of his old boss, Anson pretended to be calm and explained: "So he probably got the news from conservative people. Since he was mentally prepared in advance, it is normal to notice any clues. "

Although he has tried to comfort him as tactfully as possible, Ludwig, who has always been quite confident in himself and has experienced the baptism of jihad and has become more comfortable, obviously cannot care about this little flaw of his; Weiwei The corners of his eyes were narrowed into slits, revealing a flash of murderous intent.

"...Forget it, it won't be a big deal even if he knows anyway."

After a moment of silence, Ludwig seemed to have made up his mind: "The key is not to let the 'accident' happen on the surface. As long as today's ceremony can go smoothly, the other party will not have any chance."

Yes, what Ludwig was most worried about was whether the conservative nobles were secretly joining forces with the empire... Emperor Herred could not be allowed to find any reason to start a war openly, and he had to make sure that the other party knew that the Franz family was completely in control. The situation cannot be shaken easily.

The current situation in Clovis is actually quite delicate: the War Department, the royal family, the Franz family, the reformists, conservatives, community militias, and the standing army that launched the rebellion... all the forces are friends and cooperate with each other even if they are enemies. At the same time, they are also joining forces with other forces to fight against each other, and they are in a "dynamic balance".

The addition of the imperial forces undoubtedly adds a new variable to this balance... Even if the other party does not have many resources at its disposal, it may be the last straw that breaks the camel's back.

While the two people were making eye contact, Luther Franz, who was in front of the throne, silently put away the "Original Code" in his arms, and said in a measured tone: "The old king is dead, and the new king is about to stand... Now, please Clovis The future master of the kingdom, the undisputed successor of Carlos Osteria, ascends the throne!”

As soon as the words fell, Anson immediately noticed a change in the atmosphere of the people around him, and many people even changed their expressions.

The boy, whose face turned red with excitement, raised his head uneasily, stepped on the steps step by step, and walked towards the throne under Queen Anne's encouraging eyes; Luther Franz, who was originally standing in the center, took half a step back and respectfully stepped to the side. .

Nicholas Osteria...the boy who had just turned eight years old stood on tiptoe desperately and looked down at the crowd whose faces were still unclear even though he was standing at a high place. For a moment, he only felt his mind surging and his spirit surging.

Kingdom, crown, authority... these words full of metaphors, symbols and meanings became within his reach at this moment; as long as he sat in the seat where his father once sat, he could become the same person as him. …No! He is a greater and more amazing existence than his father.

After all, in addition to the Osteria royal family, he also has the blood of the Hered family flowing through his body; as a combination of the two most noble bloodlines in the Order World, he should be more successful than his father's generation!

"According to Clovis tradition, the new king's succession should follow three major principles." Luther Franz's words sounded again:

"His Royal Highness Nicholas Osteria is the direct bloodline of the late king and has the unquestionable right to be the first in line of succession. His winning the throne is completely in line with the Clovis inheritance system and the laws of the kingdom. Is there any objection to this matter?"

"no disagreement--!!!!"

The loud voice echoed in the throne room, causing the young man's already excited heart to beat faster and his cheeks to turn red.

Despite their tangled expressions, the conservative nobles in the audience still shouted out, and they were even the ones who shouted the loudest - in a sense, the Osteria family's inheritance was orderly, and in the eyes of this group of people, "should persist" "ancient tradition", we dare not oppose it even if we stand in a position.

On the contrary, many reformist nobles are not so enthusiastic... His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and the Queen - of course now the Queen Mother - have a harmonious relationship, and the Queen and the Franz family have already formed an alliance, so the smooth succession of His Royal Highness will be detrimental to It's not the best choice for them, and it's certainly not the worst.

It's like a person who is about to freeze to death finally finds a heated house, and the valve to turn the heating on and off is in the neighbor's room next door; even if you know that the other person will definitely not turn off the heating to avoid freezing, this kind of relationship If your survival is in the hands of others, you will never be happy no matter how you think about it.

"Secondly, His Highness Nicholas Osteria is in good health and extremely intelligent. Just as His Majesty Carlos I said - even if I compete with you in court, the crown will still be in my possession."

Luther Franz spoke again: "Therefore, His Highness Nicholas is the most qualified Clovis person to be king and the most powerful person to sit on the throne. Is there any objection to this matter?"

"no disagreement--!!!!"

The still deafening shouts gradually raised the atmosphere in the hall to its peak.

"It's almost time."

Ludwig suddenly turned to look at Anson: "If nothing else happens, they who failed to control the throne room will try to seize the palace gate and force His Highness Nicholas to give up the throne - I have to prepare."

"clear."

Anson understood: "Are you planning to take action before the alliance ceremony with the Free Confederacy?"

"This is a major moment related to Clovis's national policy for the next twenty years, and no one can influence it." Ludwig's tone was cold and natural:

"Since those guys are so stubborn, let them continue to be themselves - in a... well, very permanent way."

"It makes sense." Anson glanced at Sophia on the stage: "I hope they can understand your good intentions."

"That's up to you, Brigadier General."

Ludwig patted him on the shoulder, leaned close to his ear and lowered his voice: "I believe in your ability. Don't let others discover you."

Ansen, who didn't look back, raised the corners of his mouth slightly as he listened to the other party's leaving footsteps.

Of course he knew what Ludwig was talking about... Getting rid of the conservatives was not only to suppress this force that might be used by the empire, but also a standard show of force.

The new forces came to power not only by the exchange of interests and compromises, but also by violence that absolutely no one can shake; the new Ministry of War cannot directly overthrow the Privy Council like the old one, so it has to find another way to make the other party feel. to the most direct violence.

The opponents you cannot defeat can be easily crushed to death by me; the place you think is absolutely safe can also be made insecure by me.

"Thirdly, no one in the territory of Clovis dares to compete with His Highness Nicholas for the throne." Luther Franz finally glanced at the crowd below this time:

"Do you have any objections to this matter?"

This time, there was suddenly silence in the hall.

Because the conservatives know very well that after three questions, His Royal Highness Nicholas will become the legitimate king, and among the three questions, there is only one they dare not answer directly - because Carlos has not had time to make a will and choose an heir before his death. In a strict sense, In fact, many members of the royal family are also qualified to compete.

The attitude of the reformists is a bit subtle... Of course they don't like this result very much, but if they speak at this time, they will be tied to the chariot of the Franz family and have a falling out with the conservative nobles.

The reformists who emerged based on wealthy businessmen, small citizens, and industrial owners also inherited the characteristics of these groups of foresight, timidity and caution; no matter how determined they are, they will inevitably hesitate again and again when the time comes.

Of course, this is not a problem. It is precisely because he knows their weaknesses that he knows how to control and intimidate them... Anson adjusted his collar slightly and put himself in an extremely relaxed posture.

Just when he was about to take action, a very familiar voice suddenly sounded in his ears:

"Dear Anson, if I were you, I would not choose to take action at this time."

His pupils shrank slightly, and Anson looked back expressionlessly, looking at the guy who was smiling at him.

Maurice Périgord.