I will be crowned king

Sir Gloria, who had four gunshots pressed against his head but was still smiling, raised his hands flat and allowed the two Guards Company soldiers to fumble around on his body, placing his belongings one by one on the table next to him. in a wooden pallet.

Pocket watch, pipe, monocle, silver cigarette case, medicine bottle, letter opener, gold-plated revolver and matching holster... It took ten minutes just to take out the scattered items on his body and arrange them. .

"Well...Sir, you can go in now to meet with the Commander-in-Chief." The tense-looking guard company sergeant raised his hand and asked the people around him to move their guns: "We will keep these things temporarily and will return them when you leave. Here you go - I guarantee on the honor of the Guard Company that not a single piece of them will be missing."

"I have no doubt about that."

Sir Gloria smiled and walked straight into the headquarters.

In order to welcome the distinguished guests, or to prevent the empire from grasping important information about the Western Front, all the archives and information in the camp were evacuated, leaving only an empty map table with scattered pieces representing the halberds at this time. The chess pieces of the river battle situation.

All staff officers and mid-level officers were also temporarily evacuated. Sir Garland who walked into the camp only saw Carl Bain and Leon Francois sitting at the map table, and they were leisurely making coffee next to them. Anson Bach.

"Would you like to add sugar?" Standing next to the clattering coffee pot, Anson asked in a very relaxed and leisurely manner: "I heard that the nobles of the Principality of Xiaolong like to add honey and cinnamon to their coffee. Is this true? ?”

"…Absolutely true."

Sir Garland, who was stunned for a moment, showed a meaningful smile: "In fact, I like it very much. Cinnamon can give the bitter coffee a very... unique flavor, please."

Obviously, Anson Bach...he specifically mentioned this matter to tell himself that the Clovis people had mastered all the true situation of the Snapdragon Principality at this time, and he had better not expect to use non-existent chips next. Blackmail him.

Humph, it’s really a standard way of speaking for a superior person. He started negotiating and threatening without making a sound. As expected, he...

"Sorry, I don't think I have any cinnamon here."

"Uh..." Sir Gloria, who was brainstorming, was stunned for a moment: "Bees and honey are also fine."

"No honey either."

"That……"

"Only granulated sugar."

"...Then why are you asking me?"

"Just out of curiosity."

The coffee pot beeped, and Anson turned off the fire with an innocent look: "I always feel that putting cinnamon in coffee is as novel as adding salt to a cake."

"...No sugar, thank you."

"Uh, it's been added."

Sir Gloria: "..."

"Speaking of which, the earliest addition of sugar to coffee seems to have been pioneered by the imperial family."

Little Leon, who was originally silent on the side, suddenly said with great interest: "I have read some records of the Francois family. It is said that coffee beans were first used as medicine. They were used to treat headaches and colds, and were often used as medicine. A tonic for relieving fatigue...it wasn’t until the Herred royal family identified it as one of the court drinks that it was consumed with added sugar.”

After he finished speaking, he smiled at Sir Gloria and Carl. Although the latter two had no intention of responding, the air was still deathly silent.

Although everyone understood that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince wanted to ease the atmosphere, it was obviously not very successful, and it was even more embarrassing - it was as if he was asking, "You imperial people were very loyal before, when did you become so curious?" ?", or "Are you the only one in the Empire who is so curious?"

The piping hot coffee was served on the table. Although it was not in line with Sir Garland's taste at all, the sugar and caffeine still had the effect of relieving fatigue and relaxing to some extent - just as little Leon said.

"The purpose of my visit is very simple. I am here to negotiate with you on behalf of Count Bernard Morvis, Levent and Roland, so that the Battle of the Halberd can be reached to an agreement that everyone can accept. result."

Putting down the coffee cup, Sir Garland went straight to the point: "Of course, you can also think that this is just a private tea party; when I walk out of the door behind me, anything I said today will not be acknowledged in the future."

Karl, who looked surprised, couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. Anson and little Leon looked at each other and nodded slightly in approval.

It is obvious that no matter what means are used, the northern nobles headed by Archduke Roland, the southern part of the empire respected by the Levent family, and the imperial court behind Bernard have reached some kind of tacit understanding and abandoned the idea, which has suffered a heavy blow to the empire. and the loss of the emperor.

Joseph III mistakenly believed that as long as he defeated Clovis's army, he could still keep his throne. In fact, when the attack on the east bank failed and Clovis's army took control of the Halberd River, there were still dragon nobles who might support him in the end. They have also been completely disappointed; the beginning in his eyes is actually the end, but...

"From your tone, it seems that the Battle of the Halcyon is over." Anson also put down his coffee and took out his pipe from his arms: "But as far as I know, the emperor's army still maintains its line, and our army is still maintaining its front after dark. The chances of winning outright before were extremely slim.”

"Indeed, after all, it is an army of 40,000, and it is fighting on the mainland. As long as it is not at the end of its rope, it will not collapse at the first touch."

Sir Garland did not deny it: "Because of this, don't you think that Clovis needs a little extra help if he wants to completely win this battle?"

"You might as well speak more clearly."

Leon, who was still in a good mood, suddenly turned cold. The other party's "hint" made him quite unhappy: "The total strength of the Hantu and Clovis coalition forces is nearly 150,000. Could it be that we alone can't take down a mere halberd?" river?"

"Of course, but it's hard to say after that." Sir Gloria smiled nonchalantly:

"You really fought well in the Battle of the Halberd River. Not only did you successfully deceive His Majesty, but the entire empire also didn't expect that you could actually bring together a total of 150,000 troops in such a short period of time. The transfer from Hongyue Town to Changji River was so fast and efficient that the word 'terrible' seems so pale to describe it, but...!"

He paused deliberately, looking thoughtfully at the somewhat angry Leon, the silent Karl, and Anson Bach who was always staring at him. He picked up the coffee cup in his right hand and shook it slightly:

"An army of 150,000 people... With such a huge army, and still outside the country's borders, how much supplies do we need to consume to ensure that there are no logistical problems?"

"this……"

"Even if we can really collect so many supplies, how much manpower and material resources will be consumed to deliver them to every soldier?" Sir Garland directly interrupted what little Leon said:

"You are all excellent leaders. You must know this kind of thing much better than me, an outsider. Even if you can conceal the actual cases in the army, how can you ensure that the carriages mobilized by logistics, the food collected on the spot, and the medicines consumed every day are clean? Clean water... these are no secrets, everyone can see them clearly."

"So..." Sir Garland took the initiative to meet Anson's gaze: "Please also tell me, who is ignorant, how much price do you plan to pay to maintain this threatening army without the support of the empire?" Xiaolong City’s 150,000 troops?”

Seeing the opponent pressing closer and closer, little Leon gritted his teeth.

Oh no, Anson’s weakness was discovered by the other party!

As a member of the Western Front Army - at least that's what he thought - Leon knew very well that just to mobilize this army, Clovis had already done its best in the country, and massive supplies were deployed in the Red Moon Province and Ludwig's base camp is piled into a mountain, and there are two thousand four-wheeled carriages transporting supplies every day.

This is just the loss of extending the supply line from Hongyue Town to the empire. As the battle line becomes longer and longer, the mobilization of supplies becomes more and more difficult; during the emergency march, it can still rely on the supplies initially carried, plus the seizures from the imperial fortresses along the way. , by the time the garrison was stationed in Changji River, supplies would have bottomed out at the speed of light.

Therefore, Joseph III's initial judgment and preparation cannot be considered wrong... He does not need to actually win the Battle of the Halcyon. As long as he maintains a confrontation and can always pose a threat to the Anson garrison, the empire will actually win.

Of course, the premise of everything is that Clovis's army cannot control the Halberd River - by taking it, the 150,000-strong army can not only choose to conquer the north and south at will, but also directly threaten the vital interests of the Xiaolong nobles, which they absolutely cannot tolerate. !

The emperor believed that the nobles should think about the overall situation and temporarily make some trivial sacrifices, so that if they defeat Clovis, they can get it back in the end; but the Snapdragon nobles think more directly, and they tend to directly regard the emperor as letting Clovis A bargaining chip for people to retreat.

What, you said that after betraying the emperor like this, what will the Xiaolong nobles do in the future? Just kidding, Xiaolong City, which has been accumulated for thousands of years, may be short of other things. There are simply more nobles with the blood of Dragon Knight Hered than there are weeds in the fields.

Taking a sip of coffee, the sweet taste made Sir Garland smile in victory; yes, after being defeated by him again and again, he finally had a chance to...

"It seems that you care about Clovis's determination to win this war." Anson suddenly put down the pipe at the corner of his mouth:

"You guessed it right, the logistics of the Western Front Army are basically exhausted at the moment; I am not worried about telling you that as long as the emperor can survive tonight, I will be the one to withdraw - the supplies I have on hand cannot last even one day. Go down."

"So……"

"But...as long as I think about it, someone will obediently give me the supplies right away." Ansen intercepted his words: "As you said, the emperor has been defeated. I can drive straight into Xiaolong City at any time to surround Xiaolong City, isn't it? ?"

Before he finished speaking, Leon suddenly realized something. Just as he was about to speak, Karl beside him stopped him with his hand.

"You..." Sir Gloria's pupils shrank suddenly: "You, you don't want to..."

"As far as I know, the royal family seems to owe a large debt to the Holy See." Biting his pipe, Anson casually played with the spoon in the coffee cup: "This debt is also the key to the Xiaolong nobles' intention to rebel. If the royal family finally I have to pay it back, and the price is enough to deprive the empire of food and drink for a year, right?"

"this……"

"You don't need to answer this question, because the Holy See will tell me the answer soon." Anson stopped the spoon in his hand: "Well... when my army besieged Xiaolong City, it was difficult to supply supplies, so I had to open fire around the city. When killing and plundering everywhere.”

"There is a saying...'bad debts cannot be repaid', and this is also one of the debt rules of the Holy See. If the person in charge dies due to various accidents, or loses his successor, then the debt cannot be repaid. object."

"Joseph III borrowed money in the name of the emperor, which means that if he dies and the Herred family is no longer the imperial family, then the newly elected emperor will have to bear this staggeringly large debt; by then he should be very I am willing to let my army rush into Xiaolong City and shoot him dead, so that the Herred family can be debt-free; and the grand dukes vying for the throne must first face the debts owed by their predecessors."

"And the Holy See will definitely do everything possible to prevent me from killing Joseph III. On the condition of providing supplies, I will order my army not to capture Xiaolong City, so you see..."

Anson suddenly laughed: "In fact, I don't need to negotiate with you at all. When my army surrounds Xiaolong City, everything will be available."

Sir Gloria stopped laughing completely.

He originally thought he had caught the opponent's biggest weakness, but at this moment he suddenly realized that everything might be a bait deliberately released by the opponent - he, a traitor who violated the world order established by the church and openly overthrew the king, had once confronted the Holy See. The guy in the confrontation actually dares to continue plotting against the Holy See? !

And at the same time, I have to admit that what he said...

Indeed.

"His Majesty Anson Bach, you...I don't know how to describe you." Sir Garland, whose expression was extremely ugly, showed a trembling smile at the corner of his mouth:

"I, when I was a child, I saw with my own eyes how moneylenders emptied my family's belongings when collecting debts and humiliated my family. Today, compared with you, they...are simply as noble as saints!"

"Sir Gloria, you have done me a favor."

Anson flicked the ashes of his cigarette unceremoniously: "Moneylenders are certainly hateful, but people who cannot control their desires and borrow money beyond their ability to repay are also responsible, aren't they?"

"For example, you... plan to use Clovis to overthrow Joseph III, and use me to destroy the emperor's reputation and influence, so as to realize your own little ambitions; of course that is also possible, and I don't mind providing you with something. Help, but help is not free, and you shouldn’t use the balance to blackmail the people who helped you, right?”

"Sir Anson, what do you mean..."

"Negotiation is possible, and I am willing to cooperate with you to organize a grand enough funeral for Joseph III; but first, should the army's departure fee be paid first?"

"Ah, of course no problem! We will definitely not take your 'final payment'..."

"No, this is not the final payment."

"Uh, you mean..."

"This is the 'deposit'." Anson said solemnly:

"The final payment...has to be calculated separately."