I will be crowned king

Empire, Xiaolong Principality, Xiaolong City.

A sudden light rain fell at dawn, making the originally tidy campsite and road a little muddy, and the atmosphere seemed to become a lot more deserted; the figures that would occasionally appear on both sides of the road were now gone.

But this did not affect the morale of the coalition forces. Facing the light rain in the morning, the 150,000 coalition troops regained their mood. With the military band as the forerunner, they held high the flags of the bloody unicorn and the purple thorn flower, and played bright and light tunes. , continue to march westward along the avenue.

The coalition formed by the two Grand Dukes Roland and Levent behind them was far from relaxed and joyful.

Not only because of the emperor's order, the two coalition forces were forced to bear the heavy burden of supplying Clovis and Hantu's army: the cost of an army of 150,000, even for one day, was absolutely an astronomical figure.

What's more, their respective armies consume a lot of money every day, and they are not fighting in their own principality. The supplies and funds that accompany the army are quickly running out. Looking at the brightly dressed foreigners in front of them and the cheerful atmosphere, It was hard for the two knights not to feel resentful as they ate dry bread for breakfast.

What makes them even more unbearable is the army itself.

A group of Han natives and an army composed of Clovis people appeared in the empire in a swaggering manner. They also went to Xiaolong City to participate in the triumphal ceremony and meet His Majesty... Not to mention in my lifetime, even in ancient legends, this had never happened before.

What a shame, what a shame!

What makes these knights even more painful is that this shame was created by their own hands; if they had not been indifferent at the Halberd River and were "drunk back" by Anson's two shots and did not dare to attack, Clovis and the Hantu coalition would never have been able to attack. Maybe it would be that easy to win, or at least the emperor wouldn't be defeated so completely.

Even further, strictly speaking, they are now allies with these guys, and they are counting on them to oust Emperor Joseph Herred from the throne...

Thinking of this, the moods of the knights from the two families became even more distorted.

But Anson and the coalition forces obviously did not take their feelings into consideration. After the "final showdown" the night before, the atmosphere of the Legion, which had completely put aside their last worries, was extremely enthusiastic, and they were full of expectations to prepare for the upcoming arrival of Snapdragon City, leaving the Imperial people to be overwhelmed by the coalition forces. His momentum and appearance were severely shocked.

Or in the words of Anson Bach’s administration: “Let history remember it”!

As we get closer and closer to Xiaolong City, this atmosphere becomes more and more intense; the road is gradually tidy and smooth under our feet, the rows of manors, palaces and villages on the vast plain, and the people on both sides of the road come to watch the excitement. , are also constantly strengthening this exciting mood.

Finally...at ten thirty in the morning on September 1st, the towering city walls and majestic spiers rose at the end of the horizon.

Léon Francois, who was the leader of the entire army, took a sudden breath, straightened his body on horseback, and stretched for several miles behind him. A team of 150,000 people slowly raised his right hand.

"Here we are."

"Yes, Lord Anson Bach." Count Bernard Maulvius on the side had a complicated expression:

"We have finally arrived at Xiaolong City. How are you feeling now?"

Ignoring Bernard's meaningful rhetorical question, Anson raised his head slightly and followed the flags of the army in front to look at the city wall that could not be called towering, but absolutely spectacular, the high tower fortress at the rear, and the wide moat in front of the magnificent city gate. Bridges connecting cities and roads, and...

The royal regiment has been waiting for a long time at the gate of the city.

The golden fleur-de-lis flag symbolizing the empire stretches across the vast plains, spreading out in a fan shape on both sides of the avenue, like an eagle spreading its wings and about to fly.

A uniform line of infantry is at the front, with rifles leaning on their shoulders pointed at the sky, bayonets dazzling; the cuirassiers in the rear are fully armed, holding the reins with their left hand, and holding the sword tightly to their chests with their right hand; the city wall The figures behind the crenels, the clattering military flags, and the clean and reflective muzzles of the cannons seemed to prove that they were by no means mere decorations.

No matter how you look at it, it seems that you are ready to fight at any time.

"My mood, of course I am very excited." Anson glanced at Bernard quite indifferently: "His Majesty has really worked hard to mobilize so many people for this audience."

"...I have to admit that being able to joke around anytime and anywhere is one of your unique qualities."

The corner of Bernard's mouth twitched, and he couldn't laugh or cry: "Let me remind you, you are not dealing with someone who likes to deal with others as equals; that is the emperor, and he can change his mind anytime and anywhere as long as he wants."

"Yes, you have an army of 150,000, and it is not completely impossible to storm Xiaolong City; but as long as you do that, as long as you exchange fire with the emperor's army below the city, no matter who shoots first, the entire empire must fight You are your enemy, including the two Grand Dukes who are behind you now!"

"Even if they didn't take action and put the coalition members into the city, there was no guarantee that the emperor wouldn't do something small later; tricking the rebel leaders into entering the castle and beheading them, this kind of trick was really not uncommon in the glorious history of the empire."

Bernard's expression was extremely serious, his tone was perfect, and even his eyes seemed to be telling some conspiracy, but he did not lower his voice at all - to ensure that the surrounding officers and soldiers could hear clearly.

But Anson still ignored it completely and didn't even react at all.

No one in the stopped queue spoke, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little complicated until...

"Report——!"

A galloping knight held the unicorn flag high and ran from the front of the queue: "Report to the commander-in-chief. The vanguard is fully prepared. Please give instructions!"

Bernard didn't have time to think about the fact that he was ignored, and immediately cast his gaze; his hands holding the reins tightly were already covered with sweat.

Feeling the gaze of the guy next to him, the expressionless Ansen couldn't help but laugh in his heart.

War? If Joseph III really wants to start a war outside Xiaolong City, the first thing he needs to do is to ensure that you can be his internal agent and contact the two Grand Dukes to cut off his retreat.

After all, even if he really takes action, the two Grand Dukes who have not prepared in advance are afraid that they will be wiped out before they react. How big is Xiaolong City, which is watching its only "reinforcements" being wiped out under the city? The confidence to block his own army of 150,000 is really a questionable matter.

At that time, it will not be that the coalition forces are surrounded by the empire for reinforcements, but that they will hold Xiaolong City in their hands, plus the royal family, nobles and hundreds of thousands of people in the city as hostages, and blackmail the entire empire!

Land ceding, compensation, whatever you want from the empire, you have to give it, and if you don't give it, you will tear it up; I am very curious about how quickly the empire can regroup and take revenge on itself after the royal family and the great nobles were exterminated, and four or five of the six grand dukes were killed.

Anson exhaled softly and suppressed the smile on his lips. He looked up at the cavalryman who came to deliver the order: "Let's go."

"The whole army returns in triumph and meets the emperor!"

"Yes!" The ordering soldier was shocked, immediately puffed up his chest, and galloped wildly.

Before he finished speaking, Bernard, who had been extremely serious just now, changed his expression slightly - like a clown who had messed up.

As the messenger left, the stopped army began to move again. The soldiers with their heads high and their chests raised raised their rifles on their shoulders. The cavalry also arranged their appearance, put their military caps on their heads, and pulled out their sabers from their waists. There was a constant sound like the friction of chains and gears.

"呲鎯——"

Léon Francois, who was at the forefront of the army, drew his saber, waved it above his head and then slashed forward: "The whole army - triumph!"

"Triumph—!!!! Triumph—!!!! Triumph—!!!!"

The thundering cheers accompanied by the melodious bugles were continuously passed from the front of the queue to the back, like a sea wave, rolling up and exploding one after another.

"Triumph—!!!! Triumph—!!!! Triumph—!!!!"

"Triumph—!!!! Triumph—!!!! Triumph—!!!!"

Amidst the roar of the mountains and the tsunami, bright military music also began to sound. The rapid and rhythmic drum beat lifted the boots of the soldiers and beat the ground of Xiaolong City over and over again.

"The whole army triumphs! Go to court! See the emperor!"

The blushing little Leon shouted loudly and raised his saber high again: "Forward——!"

The scorching sun at noon gave off endless light, covering the coalition soldiers with golden jerseys; on the contrary, the Royal Legion waiting under the city wall looked so dim at this moment.

Soon, the distance between the two armies became closer and closer.

Although extremely nervous, little Leon, who was walking at the front of the queue, still did not flinch at all. He even straightened his body and held his saber high, not caring at all that he had become an excellent target.

As a victor, being the first to walk through the gate of Xiaolong City... This is an honor that is enough to be engraved in the Francois family genealogy, and even in the hearts of the entire Hantu Knights; not to mention it is only possible, even if the opposite side is immediately Even if he was fired, he would never allow himself to dodge and look cowardly in front of hundreds of thousands or hundreds of thousands of soldiers!

Looking at the waiting figure opposite, little Leon couldn't help but smile.

And this smile was reflected in the eyes of the imperial knights, it was simply an unabashed provocation... The corners of the mouths of several knight officers twitched slightly, they looked at each other for a moment, and then sighed.

The next moment, several loud bugles came from the Royal Legion's formation.

In just a few seconds, the imperial soldiers and knights who were originally facing the coalition turned around and faced the road; the soldiers lowered their rifles to their shoulders and made a gun salute; the cavalry raised their swords high into the sky and nodded slightly at the coalition. With respect.

Even though he was prepared for the worst, little Leon couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief when he saw this scene. At the same time, he immediately dropped his saber by his side, lowered his head and returned the salute to the imperial knights on both sides of the avenue.

The Hantu knights who followed immediately returned the salute, but what surprised the Imperial knights was that the Clovis cavalry not only did the same, but their movements were even more standard than them, so uniform that it was even a bit creepy.

Well, although Clovis does not have a knightly tradition, the empire's customs are regarded as a trend from top to bottom. The more stereotyped people imitate, the more tasteful they are. On the contrary, some "weird" guys who stick to tradition, They are usually typical cases of being backward and uneducated, and they are also the targets of ridicule and ridicule by the upper class.

The two armies passed each other in this peaceful and even strange atmosphere; the imperial knights, who were no longer tense, watched each other pass through the gates of Snapdragon City with extremely complicated emotions.

……………………

"I didn't expect that we could still see this formation in our lifetime."

Behind the coalition forces, Archduke Roland, who was sitting on a recliner and holding a wine glass, looked at the middle-aged man standing in front of him: "Are you surprised, your respected Archduke Levent?"

"Surprised?" The heavily armed middle-aged man only turned his head sideways, his right hand never leaving the handle of the knife at his waist:

"Perhaps, but it's definitely not the damn Clovis and Hantu bastards in front of me, but you northerners who have not achieved their goals and are willing to resort to any means to such an extent. It really surprises me! "

"Really? I thought you were used to it."

Grand Duke Roland grinned and touched his gray beard: "After all, when you extended your hand to the New World Colony, us 'Yankees' accepted it very calmly."

"Look, look, these are our seven knights of 'unity and friendship' and our invincible empire." The middle-aged man also smiled:

"It's no wonder that the Hantu people have a unified mind, and the Clovis people dare to invade; it doesn't matter if it looks extremely powerful, but it's just a brainless monster. Just divide and conquer and defeat them one by one. After all... there is always someone willing to compromise. You’re a bastard for giving in, aren’t you?”

This time Archduke Roland did not refute, and even nodded matter-of-factly: "Yes, if you are talking about ensuring that the Levent family is not crowned emperor, then we would rather compromise with the Clovis people. "

"It's ridiculous! Since you are so hostile to the blood of the Wind Knight, you might as well give up the throne to Clovis's royal family!" The furious middle-aged man was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but sneer:

"Oh, I almost forgot. It seems that the one you are working with now is Clovis's rebel? For a rebel to be crowned emperor... Even I think it's ridiculous to say it myself, and I'm even curious!"

"This... you are wrong."

Archduke Roland finally stopped joking and slowly put down his wine glass: "We have different positions, but that doesn't mean we don't want to see the empire become stronger again."

"Since the ninety-fifth year of the Saint's Calendar, the Empire has really endured too many burdens. It is time to get rid of those useless baggage; the rules of the ordered world must be re-strengthened, Joseph Hered must abdicate, and the Empire must abdicate. There must be an emperor who can truly control her, and Clovis and Hantu..."

"...They must also return to their original positions!"