In the Name of the Queen

"Mr. Earl, Walden is ahead."

Aramis, a senior official of Brooke who was accompanying the army, calmly introduced the route to Sif.

After hesitating for a moment, he still reminded softly: "Walden is the capital of the Earldom of Lafite. In fact, you should let Athos accompany the army. He is more familiar with this place."

Sif raised her eyebrows slightly, remembering that Athos said that he was once the Earl of Lafite of the Golden Kite Kingdom.

Faced with Aramis's suggestion, Sif's face was calm and she responded softly, "That's not necessary. I never planned to pass through here."

"Ah?"

Aramis was a little confused and didn't know how to respond for a while.

Since he didn't take the Walden route, what was the point of spending money to buy military passage rights? This is not a small expense.

Just as he was trying to figure out Sif's idea, Sif's eyes had turned to the west and said with a smile:

"It's less than 50 kilometers from here to Xidai City. With the transfer of the Walden garrison, the road to Xidai is unobstructed. What do you think?"

Aramis was stunned.

He never dreamed that Sif was so crazy.

Want to take over Xidai City with these 50,000 troops?

Wait, whether it can be taken or not seems not the point. Marching into Xidai is not a military issue at all, but a political and diplomatic issue.

Although he did not want to disobey the queen, he had to dispel his master's unrealistic fantasy.

This is the duty of a loyal minister.

"My Lord Earl, the nature of attacking Xidai has changed. It is no longer a feud between lords, but a war between countries, which will cause a very bad international impact. It will even give those bastards in the cabinet an excuse to impeach Her Majesty the Queen."

Looking at Aramis' anxious surveillance, Sif smiled and said:

"Aramis, if Marco is the ruler of the Golden Kite after the war, it is true. But after this battle, Alina will become the master of the Golden Kite."

Aramis opened his lips and couldn't say a word for a long time.

He understood that Sif was gambling.

She bet that Marco would fail in the crusade and lose his life.

Aramis never dreamed that Her Majesty the Queen would not leave any way out, and directly bet all the stakes and open the market.

He had seen many gamblers who were addicted to gambling, but no one was as ruthless as Sif.

The momentum was strong, but Aramis did not believe in momentum, he only believed in strength, and he could not help but remind:

"Maybe you don't like to hear it, but I must say it. There is no reason to do this. Although the returns of success are high, you can't bear the consequences of failure."

Sif smiled at Aramis and wanted to explain to him, but she held back.

She really couldn't bear to keep the loyal minister in the dark, so she reminded softly: "Aramis, my enemy is not Marco, but Sofia."

Aramis' body trembled slightly, his pupils shrank suddenly, and he almost couldn't believe his ears.

After confirming that Sif was not joking, his mind was a little messy.

Following Sif was a difficult decision to make.

What he was most worried about was not that Sif was incompetent, but that she had no ambition.

As a monarch, you don't have to be proficient in everything, but you must be enterprising.

Aramis was full of desire for power. He hoped that the monarch would be enterprising and eager to make progress.

But he didn't expect Sif to be so eager to make progress.

He knew Sophia's strength and had heard of her great reputation.

The strong men on the continent had a consensus that it was very stupid to challenge Sophia head-on and it was a death wish.

Her Majesty Sif looked very smart. Didn't she know?

She must know.

Knowing that she was facing such a brutal enemy, she still wanted to challenge. She must have been somewhat sure, right?

Aramis never dreamed that what Sif wanted was not the absolute power of the Sussex Empire, but the title of the Great Emperor.

Aramis' cheeks flushed red, and his blood was burning.

He smelled the graceful fragrance of power, and he couldn't refuse it at all.

He could die on the way to the pinnacle of power, but he couldn't give up the opportunity to fight.

He retracted all his defeatist arguments and his tone became excited.

"Since you have made your decision, I will definitely assist you with all my strength! Do you know who are the hidden masters of the Golden Kite Kingdom?"

"I know some, but you definitely know more than me. Tell me." Sif's lips were more smiling.

She was right. Aramis was also from the Golden Kite.

Although his accent didn't have any Golden Kite flavor at all, and he sounded like a genuine Brooke, this was the biggest flaw.

The three overseas provinces were not closely connected with the mainland of the empire, but they were closely connected with their neighbor, the Golden Kite.

Most of the upper-class people here are proficient in the languages ​​of both countries, and their accents have a bit of the Golden Kite flavor.

Aramis's speech without the Golden Kite flavor can only mean that he is hiding.

Concealing but without malice is personal privacy.

Sif is very open-minded. She won't force Aramis to confess.

Unless he is willing to speak on his own initiative.

Aramis cleared his throat and said in a deep voice: "The top masters of the Golden Kite Kingdom rarely work directly for the country. Almost half of them are old nobles, and the other half are academic scholars."

"The university education in the Golden Kite Kingdom is well developed, and supernatural studies are also the focus of research in major universities, so many supernaturals stay in the academy and form a circle."

"If we pay attention to the method and make these people feel that you are not here to destroy the country, we will have a chance to exclude them from the battle."

After Aramis introduced the pattern of the masters of the Golden Kite Kingdom, Sif nodded gently, with a more confident smile on her lips, and raised the spear in her hand.

"The target is Xidai City, let's go!"

Everyone was busy, including Roland.

He and the Fourth Fleet made a big circle, bypassed the Sunset Ocean from the Land-Break Sea again, and returned to the outer reaches of the Sussex Strait.

The huge fleet consisting of nearly a hundred warships could not be hidden at all. People who cared about the war knew that the Sovereign was about to return to the three overseas provinces, but few people knew that Roland had no intention of going back.

He wanted to make some big news, such as landing in the Jialai area.

Under his command, the Fourth Fleet finally arrived in the outer waters of Jialai after a long journey.

The person in charge of the northern defense zone of the Golden Kite Kingdom was not blind, and of course he saw it clearly.

Andre, the commander of the northern garrison of the Golden Kite Kingdom, was choked by Roland's rampant marching route.

While adjusting the defense line, he asked for help from the First Fleet of the Golden Kite Kingdom stationed at the mouth of the Xidai River.

Landing is the most vulnerable moment for a fleet. If it is properly grasped, the powerful First Fleet is fully capable of teaching the Sussex people a hard lesson.

At its peak, the Golden Kite Navy had 70% of the paper strength of the Sussex Navy. Although it has declined now, it still has 50% to 60% of the paper strength.

The First Fleet has concentrated more than half of the country's main battleships, and its hard power is extremely strong.

If the opportunity can be seized to wipe out the invading Fourth Fleet, it will be a heavy blow to Sussex's maritime power.

Annihilate a complete fleet of the Sussex Empire!

With such a feat, how could Andre hold back?

He didn't need to remind him at all. The commander of the First Fleet, Admiral Villeneuve, had already led the fleet to set off.

Villeneuve has been waiting for this day for too long.

The Sussex Empire has dominated the sea for hundreds of years, and someone has to come out to break the hegemony. Why can't it be him?

This is a great gift that the Sussex people have taken the initiative to deliver to their door!

They are invaders, and it is reasonable for Villeneuve to fight back.

The First Fleet, start!

The sky is clear and the sea breeze is gentle.

Roland stood on the top deck, watching the ongoing landing operation leisurely, as calm as an outsider.

Roland was very calm, but Bridges couldn't sit still.

After receiving the latest intelligence, he couldn't help but go up to the top deck.

Seeing that Roland was still discussing with Lisa how to eat lobsters, he couldn't help but cough to remind Roland that this was a war, so he should be serious.

Seeing Bridges coming, Lisa slipped away under the pretext of preparing lunch, leaving the unfriendly Rear Admiral to Roland.

Looking at Bridges' unfriendly eyes, Roland smiled as if nothing had happened and said:

"General Bridges, I don't know much about landing, so you don't need to ask for instructions."

"Governor, I'm not talking about landing, but the upcoming Golden Kite First Fleet!"

Bridges took a few deep breaths and explained to Roland in the gentlest tone possible.

"Governor, naval battles are different from land battles. If you lose a land battle, you still have a chance to withdraw, but if you lose a naval battle, you are often completely wiped out."

"I know, I believe you, and you are also responsible for the naval battle."

Roland's trust made Bridges feel better for a few minutes, but only a few minutes.

He coughed and continued, "Thank you for your trust, Governor. I'm not talking about this, but what should we do? The landing operation has begun, the fleet has deployed its formation, and is suppressing the enemy on the other side. Now the enemy is coming, what should we do?"

"You mean, if we don't line up to meet the enemy as soon as possible, we may lose the naval battle. If we go all out in the naval battle, we will lose the landing battle?"

Bridges' expression was still solemn, but his heart was finally relieved.

Although the Governor didn't understand naval warfare, his thinking was always clear.

Roland nodded, smiled and teased, "It's rare to see such a united army and navy. Since the enemy fleet is coming, let's fight it."

Bridges breathed a sigh of relief.

Although this choice is difficult, it is the only correct choice.

It's a pity that the thousands of landing troops, although they are not his navy, it's painful to give them away for nothing.

Although it was difficult to speak, he still asked with difficulty: "What about the landing troops? Without fire support, it will be difficult for them to hold the beachhead position."

"Surrender."

Bridges almost fell to the ground. He looked at Roland in shock and couldn't speak for a long time.

"I can't let the army be trapped in a desperate situation without supply support and let the soldiers bleed to the last drop of blood."

Roland said calmly: "Jinyuan is also a civilized country. Although being a prisoner is hard, at least you can save your life. Give the order."

Bridges' eyes were a little complicated.

To be fair, this is the best choice.

If they can win, the soldiers captured today will be released.

If they can't win, the soldiers can go home after paying the war reparations.

Letting the troops on the beach surrender directly is responsible for the soldiers, but it will damage Roland's great reputation.

He thought about it, but he didn't dare to speak at all.

Roland glanced at Bridges, knowing that the general knew everything, and didn't say anything more, but pointed the scepter to the west.

In three hours at most, a huge fleet will appear there.

Even in a one-on-one fight, it is not inferior to the super fleet of the peak Fourth Fleet.

"The Golden Kite's fleet is our prey."

"Yes, sir!" Bridges suppressed his excitement, stood straight, and saluted Roland with a very standard military salute.

Roland raised his hand to return the salute and added lightly: "I need the enemy's flagship, please be sure to capture her."

Bridges said nothing, and did not ask why. He loudly accepted the order and turned away.

It was indeed difficult to capture the enemy's flagship, but he did not care.

How could he show his ability without difficulty?

He gave up the plan to seize the advantage of T and prepared to do the opposite. He personally drove the Sovereign to launch a one-way assault and directly engage in a boarding battle with the enemy's flagship.

This was the only choice.

Watching Bridges leave, Roland held the scepter tightly with a solemn expression.

He certainly did not embarrass Bridges.

He really needed this flagship, even including the living commander of the enemy.

Attacking Xidai City by force was an international joke, but using the enemy's flagship for a sneak attack?

This was the only way to break the deadlock.

There were not many chips, so he had to go all in.