I will be crowned king

After watching Fabian leave with a "joyful" expression on his face due to his promotion and salary increase, Anson also hailed a taxi and headed to the Shotgun Club at the outermost edge of the inner city.

After experiencing last year's War Department trial and a mutiny, he was recognized by the driver of the carriage as soon as he got on the carriage. The feeling that he was finally no longer an unknown person was not only a little strange, but also more alarming.

Even an ordinary coachman in the inner city can recognize him, which means that from now on, he will no longer be able to act as low-key and casually as he did in the past without worrying about exposing his whereabouts. Wherever he goes, he will be watched by a certain pair of eyes—— Especially since he is a spell caster, he must be careful not to expose himself.

This reminded him of his beloved mentor Mace Honnard... As one of the most famous professors at St. Isaac's College, he is usually as low-key as ever, and his habit of visiting shops and cafes has also decreased. In order to reduce the chance of being ambushed, the underground old god sect club in the college even used beautiful tricks of darkness, which can be regarded as a standard example of a spellcaster's life in a big city.

He was thinking wildly, like a coachman who discovered a treasure and chatted happily along the way; probably his son had now joined the shotgun club and was a newly promoted warrant officer - because of the mutiny, junior officers were kicked off. There were also many who were shot. The coachman's son was obviously one of the lucky ones selected from the veterans because there were too many officer vacancies.

The city of Clovis, which was rebuilt after the mutiny, was in chaos. Each community and street had become a semi-independent autonomous body. Ordinary vendors and service industries such as taxis were obviously the most severely affected. In comparison, droughts and floods ensured harvests. Being an officer with a stipend has obviously become a good job that everyone is eyeing.

Especially with the support of the army and the War Department, you don't have to worry about being bullied by gangsters in the community; if you join the shotgun club, you can also be regarded as one of the militia groups - most of the militia commanders are related to the shotgun club - extra care , so it is considered a popular option among ordinary people regardless of whether it is in inner or outer urban areas.

From the coachman's proud tone, Anson could still notice that the proportion of soldiers who joined the club and were "sincere" was very small, or basically zero; of course, this is not surprising, the vast majority of soldiers still stay in the military camp, even if not, The meager income does not give them much time to join the club, let alone "sincerely".

However, Anson still didn't want to give up. Since it was difficult to make it public, he organized it underground: let the officers who joined "Red Heart" return to the military camp and then publicize it to the soldiers. Since the shotgun club is aimed at the periphery of the officer group, then of course it can be Organizations such as the "Military Camp Mutual Aid Association" are organized for ordinary soldiers.

In the evening streets, there was already a buzz of people outside the shotgun club; in the past, the place where frustrated officers went to join the club to stay warm and drink away their sorrows has now become a "holy place" in the minds of many people.

The coachman skillfully stopped the carriage at a crowded intersection, and while collecting Anson's fare, he did not forget to remind: "By the way, Lieutenant General, many members of the Privy Council went to the Tulip Restaurant tonight. It is said that it was to celebrate. Major General Ludwig has taken office, so you and the Minister of War must be careful!"

"You even know this?" Anson, who had come back to his senses, smiled in surprise: "Major General Ludwig was my former boss. It is a great blessing that he can become the leader. There is nothing to be careful about."

"Boss? Hi!"

The old coachman suddenly let out a long sigh: "He used to be your boss, but now your military rank is higher than him. How can I not be jealous of you? I heard many people say that during the mutiny, Major General Ludwig's police officers did not stand up to him at all. Yes, it’s all thanks to the Storm Legion that the rebels didn’t capture Osteria Palace!”

"He has taken away your credit, and now he has become the leader of the Privy Council. He will definitely suppress you and the Minister of War next - I have read this story in the Clovis Truth Newspaper, and it is unmistakable!"

Looking at the old coachman's sworn expression, Ansen didn't know what to say. He could only press the brim of his hat and thank him: "Okay, I will pay attention."

After hearing these words, the coachman seemed to take a breath and drove away; Anson, who shook his head, turned around and walked into the door of the club while the night was still dark.

…………………………

"Cheers to Your Majesty the Consul!"

Ludwig couldn't help but frown as he walked into the restaurant, looking at the people present who raised glasses to welcome him: Lady Caterina, Old Renard, Viscount Bogner... representatives of the reformists and conservatives Gathered together, we feel as close as family.

If this is not funny enough, at least two-thirds of the figures present are the ones he once explicitly asked Anson to get rid of at the coronation ceremony of Nicholas I; now they are sitting here peacefully, becoming People that you have to win over, win over, and even please.

The change in stance turned enemies into allies, and friends into opponents. Even though they were prepared, the new ruler still felt a little uncomfortable.

The reason why he came to this "funny" party was not only to express his position, but also to prepare for usurping the New World Company's shares; after all, doing so would definitely make the Free Confederacy unhappy, and basically everyone who appeared here would There are many interests involved with the New World, and their support is crucial to me.

Perhaps to show the sincerity of wooing, the atmosphere at the beginning of the party was quite harmonious. Most of the people present just toasted to celebrate Ludwig's successful inauguration, or talked about the recent recovery of Clovis City. The most difficult days are just around the corner. It improves rapidly as winter comes to an end.

But soon some people started talking about the New World, especially the Free Confederation, and complained about the harm caused by Anson Bach being too closely tied to the New World.

"This is absolutely not possible! As a general of Clovis, his military rank is still brigadier general, and his position is the chief of the Royal Guards. However, he has such deep interests involved with other countries. This is bound to have an indelible impact on Clovis's diplomacy! "

Viscount Bogner stood up first, raised his glass and said: "I do not deny the contribution of Lieutenant General Anson Bach, and I definitely do not deny his loyalty - but it is precisely because of this that he should distance himself from the Free Confederacy. Boundaries, prove your innocence!”

After the words fell, everyone present cheered and approved; everyone knew clearly about Anson's relationship with New World Company and the Free Confederacy, and they had long been jealous.

"The question is, how can we get him to draw a clear line?" Ludwig calmly interrupted the noisy voices: "If we use the reason that 'nationals are not allowed to hold shares in foreign companies'... I dare It is said that Anson Bach will definitely return it happily, because he has ten thousand ways to get the Free Confederacy to send him money."

"At the same time, he will definitely use the same reason to fight back, forcing others to do similar things, and then complain to His Majesty and the cabinet about the damage to the kingdom's trade and tax revenue; if it is only targeted at him, I will I don’t think the Queen Mother and Her Majesty would hurt the pride and feelings of their loyal general for such a small amount of money.”

"Then accuse him of secretly colluding with the Free Confederacy!"

Mrs. Catalina couldn't wait to stand up, her angry face full of impulse: "The Free Confederate Mission...especially the ambassador named Baekeland, he is simply a follower of Anson Bach. He will do whatever he asks. This If it can’t be proven that there is a problem, what else can be proven?!”

"Of course."

Ludwig shook his head calmly: "In the words of Ambassador Baekeland, Anson Bach was life-saving to him and his family, and he was a very good friend with his father... I must remind you that from a personal relationship Attacking our chief of royal guards is likely to have the opposite effect."

"Then it seems that His Majesty the Consul has his own ideas." Viscount Bognar raised his hand to stop Lady Caterina who was still about to speak, and said in a meaningful tone.

"It can only be regarded as a way of thinking."

Nodding slightly to Mrs. Catalina without changing his expression, Ludwig looked around at everyone while apologizing: "Everyone, I think we shouldn't be obsessed with performance and ignore the core issue, otherwise no matter what we do, it will always be useless. When will Anson Bach find a breakthrough?"

"You mean, we shouldn't solve the problem." Old Renard said thoughtfully: "But we should solve...the people who created the problem?"

"If Anson Bach only has a deep relationship with the Free Confederacy, or if he is just the chief of the Royal Guards, or a commander-in-chief who is trusted by middle- and lower-level officers and has great appeal within his own regiment, then he can do us...I It means that the interests of the kingdom will be limited and the damage will be limited.”

Ludwig's tone was calm, and he methodically took out the draft he had already prepared: "But when these three identities are combined, they produce unparalleled destructive power."

"Why? Which identity is the core of the problem? Who is the key factor in causing quantitative changes to induce qualitative changes? I think everyone knows the answer."

"Anne Herred...Her Majesty the Queen Mother, she is the key factor." Ludwig gave the answer directly: "Supporting the youngest son to ascend the throne, monopolizing the power of regent, forcibly promoting a brigadier general who is less than thirty years old to become Lieutenant General..."

"I don't want to criticize Your Majesty. She must have had her own considerations in doing this, but this approach did cause damage to Clovis's interests; and as her loyal subjects, our mission is to minimize this damage. "

"How to do it?"

Old Renard blinked curiously.

Everyone present put down their wine glasses and stopped talking quietly to the people near each other. All eyes were focused on Ludwig.

"It's very simple. We must understand the profound meaning of His Majesty's actions so that we can better serve His Majesty as loyal ministers." Ludwig couldn't help but add: "Of course, both of you want it."

"Why did His Majesty establish the Prime Minister's Office and let me... and the Privy Council have full power to take over the affairs of the Kingdom? It's simple. His Majesty Nicholas is still young. He needs to learn and see with his own eyes how we people serve him. And thus come to understand how the whole kingdom works.”

"During this process, Her Majesty the Queen Mother...she is an excellent mother, but she is obviously unable to provide any experience or guidance in this area; she replaced His Majesty Nicholas as regent just because His Majesty is still a child, and it is inconvenient to come forward in many matters, which can easily cause trouble. The contempt of outsiders hurts the interests of the kingdom.”

"She trusts us so much and thinks that we can manage the entire country before His Majesty comes of age. When His Majesty takes over the power in eight...I mean ten or twelve years, what awaits him is a strong and prosperous kingdom. , without facing any crisis, you can proudly face your neighbors, enemies and friends in the world of order."

"In this case, we should say it for her if it is not convenient for your majesty to say it. We should take the initiative to help you and share your worries for your majesty." Ludwig walked to the center of the crowd step by step:

"The Prime Minister's Office and the Privy Council should take over all the powers of the Kingdom. As for Your Majesty and her Cabinet... it is better not to let them worry about such trivial troubles."

"Are you asking His Majesty to dissolve the cabinet?" Viscount Bogner was a little unbelievable: "I must say, this is a bold initiative."

"No, this is a truly patriotic act!"

Ludwig's tone was extremely decisive: "In the past, the cabinet existed to share His Majesty's worries. Now that this function has been completely inherited by the Privy Council, then the cabinet... Of course I am not saying that they should be dismissed, but that they should be allowed to take on the responsibility. No other obligations.”

"For example, teaching the young His Majesty, holding various important national ceremonies, such as... I mean, of course, the Privy Council's proposal should be passed by His Majesty, but I don't think there is any power to review and reject the cabinet. It’s necessary.”

"As you all know, the ministers in today's cabinet are not only old people with gray beards, but also young people with little experience." Ludwig, who originally wanted to say "women", forced himself back to say:

"For them to be scrutinizing the Privy Council, which is a very energetic and professional body, I think that's totally unreasonable - and I think that has to be corrected."

"In this way...the worries that caused Lieutenant General Anson Bach to threaten Clovis's interests will immediately disappear, and the kingdom's operations will return to normal."

Ludwig picked up the wine glass again: "At that time, the 20% of the New World Company's shares belonging to the Kingdom of Clovis will also be under the control of the Privy Council. We loyal ministers will use our actions to prove that we can Defend Clovis’s interests!”

Yes, it belongs to Clovis's interests - from the beginning, Ludwig had no intention of "returning" the shares to the Queen Mother or Sophia. Instead, he planned to use the money to win over the Privy Council and make it available to the lower-level officials of various committees. Dedicated fund for salaries.

What Anson Bach could do, you can do yourself!