I will be crowned king

It stands to reason that Léon François led his army back in triumph and completely solved the biggest threat after the rebellion in White Tower City - the possibility of the Elf Kingdom of Yser sending troops to intervene. Thun should be cheering and encouraging.

But when the Clovis-Thun coalition arrived at Goldstone City, they were greeted only by a few knights from the Grand Duke's Guards; there was no city entry ceremony, no flowers, no cheering crowds lined the streets, and no grand welcome banquet.

Nothing at all.

The entire Jinshi City was as quiet as if no more than 20,000 people appeared outside their city. Everything was as usual; a few knights did not follow the tradition of welcoming the victorious army and held high the swallow-tailed flags made of colorful silks.

The leading knight of the Grand Duke first bowed respectfully to Leon and Anson, and then conveyed to them the Grand Duke's order - all troops will be stationed outside Golden Stone City, and Golden Stone City will provide all the needed supplies.

The deputy commander himself and his cronies can enter the city with Master Leon Francois, and a simple dinner will be prepared in the palace to welcome everyone.

Under the gate of Jinshi City, little Leon, who was originally confused, turned red instantly; on the way here, he discussed many details of the alliance with Anson, and swore to the officers of the Storm Division more than once: " Clovis’s friends will receive the highest courtesy from Jinshi City.”

The response from his father in front of him was tantamount to a slap in the face twice.

Just when little Leon couldn't restrain himself and wanted to draw his sword, Anson stopped him immediately. He nodded slightly to the leading Archduke Knight with a calm expression, and let Henares follow behind. Breathe a long sigh of relief.

………………

Jinshi City, palace hall.

Under the dazzling crystal chandelier, waiters in ceremonial attire accompanied by the melodious sound of violins danced around, serving wine and delicacies to the guests at the table.

Although it is said to be a "simple dinner", it is actually quite sumptuous: crispy and fragrant smoked fish, rich seafood soup, chestnut roast chicken, traditional braised veal, parsley ham, charcoal Grilled sausage... plus a vegetable salad and fruit platter, as well as cream puffs and cherry cake for dessert, as well as three different flavors of wine to accompany the meal.

Compared with the last banquet when Anson was a "guest" in Jinshi City, the proportion of meat in the dishes this time has increased significantly, which is completely inconsistent with the dining customs of Thun people who prefer fresh fruits and vegetables, but Clovis who was present Everyone enjoyed the meal--it had obviously been specially prepared by Archduke Claude François.

This eased the mood of the originally shy little Leon a lot, but he still didn't understand why his father didn't prepare a "triumph ceremony" for him. Sitting under Anson's seat, he drank sullenly and said nothing from beginning to end. Not sent.

Two-thirds of the way through the banquet, the drunken nobles of Thun and the officers of the Storm Division were sent to the palace guest rooms to rest with the support of waiters and maids; the dishes on the dining table were also removed along with them. , replaced with simple pastries and coffee.

Watching the last Thun noble who was talking nonsense and shouting "I can still drink!" being carried out of the hall by two knights, Claude Francois's eyes finally fell on Anson opposite:

"I thought you were going to whine at me."

"What do you mean?"

Anson asked Archduke Thun with a smile while holding a steaming cup of coffee.

"...Nothing." Claude Francois glanced over the still sulking little Leon, and waved to the servant holding the cigarette case behind him:

"Smoking a pipe? I've got some nice first-class stuff recently, from the Empire."

"Thanks, but no thanks."

"Aren't you used to it or... haven't tried it before?"

"I'm not used to it, but I don't reject its taste - I'm just naturally resistant to things that are addictive."

Claude Francois nodded slightly, and the cheerful waiter looked at Carl Bain next to Anson.

"Uh, actually I also... I mean, I actually drew the paper... uh, thank you very much."

Before Karl, who originally wanted to refuse, had finished speaking, the waiter had already lit a pipe for him and presented it to him, so he had no choice but to accept.

The Archduke, who was holding his pipe in his mouth, put out the match and took a deep breath. Gray-white smoke poured out of his nose.

"You fought beautifully in the battle of Eagle Point City - to be honest, I originally thought this battle would last at least thirty days, and I even prepared for a long period of time, but I didn't expect it to end in just one day."

"Now half of the land is scared to death by you Clovis people, half of the land has panicked and wanted to surrender, and the Seven Cities Alliance has completely fallen apart. Originally, I planned to hold a meeting of the Seven Cities Alliance first, and see if it can work. Can't win over a few allies; now? Hum..."

Claude Francois, who took down the pipe, shook his head and chuckled a few times.

"Isn't this bad?" Anson took a sip of coffee and asked.

"Not good? No, it's great!" The Grand Duke said with burning eyes:

"Before the Battle of Eagle Point City, there were many bastards who had united together and took advantage of the army's march north to occupy several manors and fortresses on the border of Thun. They also planned to continue the invasion and carve up Thun!"

Little Leon suddenly raised his head and looked at his father with eyes filled with astonishment.

"Their wishful thinking is that the Yser elves will never give up Eagle Point City and will definitely take it back at all costs; and as long as Clovis withdraws from Eagle Point City, he will no longer be able to interfere in the affairs of the Seven Cities Alliance." He smoked his pipe. The Grand Duke slowly said:

"At that time, I only had 2,000 personal guards left in my hands, and 10,000 new recruits who had just been recruited and were seriously lacking in training and weapons. I could only treat these bastards like snakes and acquiesce in their occupation of border territory."

"If the Ysel elves win the battle of Eagle Point City, no...it doesn't even need to be won. As long as this battle lasts for more than a month, the entire Thun will be torn apart and treated as a cake and completely cannibalized by those bastards."

"If the Francois family can still keep Jinshi City and one-fifth of its territory, it will be thanks to their generosity and kindness!"

Claude Francois snorted mockingly.

"But Clovis and Thun won the battle of Eagle Point City, and even almost annihilated Yser's Guards Corps." Anson said with a smile.

"That's right, and it was faster and more ruthless than anyone imagined - just one battle left Israel severely damaged and she had no choice but to protect herself." The Grand Duke said slowly, looking directly at Anson:

"So you understand the reason why I didn't prepare a triumphal ceremony for you, and I didn't even allow you to station in the city, right?"

Anson blew on the rising water vapor in the cup, and the sweet coffee with brown sugar and milk slid over the tip of his tongue and flowed into his throat.

Little Leon turned his gaze to Anson, with a bit of hope in his eyes.

"Because if the Grand Duke really makes a big splash and holds a triumphal ceremony for you, the news of the alliance of Thun and Clovis going south will appear in front of all the rulers of the Seven Cities Alliance overnight."

Before Anson could speak, Henares on the side had already said:

"Once they know that the army that just defeated Yser has returned to Golden Stone City, the lords who are trying to invade and carve up Thun will immediately spit out the territory they just occupied, and use various excuses to say that everything is a misunderstanding and hand over the hostages. and an indemnity, and surrender to Clovis.”

"But that result is not in the interest of Thun, and it is also not in the interest of the Kingdom of Clovis - if this matter is resolved like this, Thun and Clovis will lose the excuse to attack them, or even to avoid Even if you are besieged by the nations of Hantu, you must be very tolerant and generous."

Henares paid attention to Anson's reaction, and after confirming again and again that the other party had no intention of refuting, he continued to add:

"But it is completely different now. As long as they have not stopped invading Thun, we have sufficient reasons to counterattack and even completely conquer their territory, taking the first step towards the Francois family's great cause of unifying the vast land."

"As long as it is controlled properly and not too greedy, it will not cause a collective backlash among the countries of the vast land."

After listening to Henares' explanation, little Leon thought for a while, and then turned his attention to Anson again.

"What Henares said is absolutely correct. I have nothing to add." Anson nodded slightly, then raised his coffee cup and signaled to Claude Francois:

"The rise of Thun is completely in the interest of Clovis. In this war, the Storm Division will represent the Supreme Commander of the Southern Legion and the will of Clovis, and wholeheartedly support the just cause of the Francois family!"

The archduke with glaring eyes immediately took down his pipe and raised the coffee cups in their hands: "No, it's for the friendship between Clovis and Thun, and for our common cause!"

"cheers--!"

The Clovis officers and Thun nobles on both sides of the long table stood up and toasted to celebrate; the excited little Leon even drank the coffee in one gulp, regardless of the steam in the cup.

"What do you want to be paid?"

As soon as he took his seat, Claude François spoke straightforwardly.

Of course, he would not be naive enough to think that the Clovis people were "just partners" who came south to do charity - if they did not pay enough, they would only be more cruel than the Yser elves.

"After the banquet is over, my adjutant and secretary will come up with a specific plan to discuss with you." Anson did not answer directly:

"Before that, the Storm Division needs a stable rear base to receive various supplies from the direction of Eagle Point City - especially weapons and new recruits."

"You want me to lease a piece of land to you in Thun?" Claude Francois immediately understood what he was thinking:

"Where?"

"How is White Tower City?" Ansen chuckled and said:

"You have just moved the Yser Elf there, and it happens to be vacant for the time being. Why don't you lend it to us temporarily?"

"Can!"

Claude Francois's eyes lit up: "Then how to calculate the rent?"

"This is easy to handle. We can discuss a number in advance; for example, we can price it based on the rental period of half a year to one year, and then give you a discount on the arms purchased at the August Military Factory based on the total price." Anson pretended to be casual. :

"If you think it's not appropriate, you can just deduct the rent directly from military expenditures."

Well, no matter what, you can't use a piece of land as a mortgage to ask me to pay for the arms you bought - that's absolutely impossible.

Grand Duke Thun smoked his pipe, hesitated for a while, and then gently blew out a smoke ring: "No problem, I think ten percent is suitable."

His tone was calm, as if he had never thought of using White Tower City as collateral for arms.

"I also think one-tenth is very appropriate." Anson nodded in agreement.

The two people who looked at each other smiled understandingly.

Everyone around him laughed with him.

As long as they have a base - even if it is borrowed - the Storm Division can establish a more stable supply line without completely relying on Eagle Point City, making it easier for them to do "purchasing" business.

According to the letter sent by Sophia, the paintings and crafts of Ysel Elf and Thun are very popular in Clovis City; she is preparing to prepare a "charity auction", and if it goes well, she plans to normalize the auction-it will require a lot of money. Loot, and for better or worse, the more the better.

With the trophy auction and the arms business of the August Arms Factory, even after excluding the cost and the amount that must be divided into the accounts of the Storm Division, I can still earn... Hmm... Do you want to consider working in Clovis? Buy a manor in the suburbs outside the city and retire before the age of thirty?

If all these supplies are stored in Eagle Point City, even with Ludwig's guarantee, there is no guarantee that the logistics and officers of the Southern Army will not pay attention to themselves. With the quality of Officer Clovis, this is definitely not the case. What a small probability event.

They could empty out the warehouses of military fortresses like Thunder Castle that are connected to the north-south communication line, and prepare a bunch of fake accounts that would drive ordinary people crazy after reading them, as well as supplies that "only smart people can see", and forced them to occupy the fortress. The empire was exhausted, allowing me to capture it in less than thirty days...

But having an independent logistics base will not only extend the length of the supply line in the subsequent battle against the Seven Cities Alliance, but also allow supplies to travel north from White Tower City and only need to stay in Eagle Point City for one day, greatly reducing the chance of being manipulated. .

According to Carl Bain, those logistics officers who are keen on making money usually do not put their thoughts on baggage vehicles that can only stay for a short period of time.

Because if the road is not paved in advance, it is easy to be exposed and cause disputes; unless they are bribed, they don't like to do this kind of high-risk "job"... Of course, that's just usually the case.

"In that case, how about we officially set off tomorrow?" Claude Francois took the opportunity to suggest:

"I will send the 10,000 recruits I just recruited to White Tower City to make preparations to confuse those bastards and make them think we are vulnerable; the main force will then take advantage of the situation to launch an attack and defeat them in one fell swoop!"

"No problem, the departure time is set for tomorrow morning. My adjutant Karl will show you the draft of the alliance tonight!" Anson stood up with a smile, put down the coffee cup, and picked up the wine next to him:

"For the great cause of the Francois family!"

Grand Duke Thun pushed back the armchair almost at the same time, raised his glass with a solemn expression and shouted:

"For the glory of Clovis!"