In the Name of the Queen

"War is a means of covering up social contradictions and oppression. Through war, the ruling class can divert people's attention and alleviate social contradictions, thereby maintaining its dominance."

"The above discussion comes from a philosopher named Karl and has been tested in practice."

Roland smiled and knocked on the blackboard and taught the two students.

There is an emperor's teacher sitting in the classroom, who is the emperor's teacher. What about the two sitting there?

It is the [Inheriter].

After Roland finished speaking this sentence, the smart students had learned to rush to answer.

"I know you must be talking about the Kingdom of Pruden."

Alina's eyes were shining brightly, and she was full of confidence in the answer.

"The Vladimir Empire did it too."

Sif was a little slower, but Alina was the first to give the answer. She frowned slightly and quickly found an alternative answer.

Roland smiled and nodded, and continued to ask: "Is there more?"

"The Kingdom of Tyrol doesn't seem to count. Although they have joined the Holy Alliance, Queen Sissi is still bitter about Sophia's forced abdication and has not done anything."

Sif frowned slightly, her eyes lit up, she knew the answer.

No wonder Roland wanted to remind them, they were allies after all. If they didn't specifically remind them, who would think so.

"I know that there is also the Golden Kite Republic. They have too many internal conflicts that cannot be resolved, and there is no other means of maintaining stability except war." In order to get more answers, Sif didn't mind giving Alina a hard blow. One knife.

Roland did not deny it, smiled and nodded.

Alina didn't like hearing this.

Although she didn't usually have direct arguments with Sif, she couldn't insult her motherland.

What happened to you in Jin Yuan Kingdom? There are conflicts in our country, but there are no conflicts in your country?

Alina bit her lip, stood up and was about to say a few words, but thinking of Roland doing so many things for her, she couldn't say anything back.

She had just sat down and saw the small satisfaction in Xif's eyes. She became angry for no reason. She stood up again and said expressionlessly:

"In my opinion, the contradictions in the Sussex Empire are no smaller than those in our country. The contradiction between the development of the imperial capital and the localities, the contradiction between the interests of the overseas faction and the local faction, the contradiction between the Progressive Party and the Royalist Party, the contradiction between the State Church and the Holy Temple of Fertility in recent years The contradiction between the rapidly developing Guangming Holy Court, and the potential inheritance conflict between the old emperor and the current emperor."

Roland coughed lightly and reminded Alina to slow down.

"Stop, you are all right. Precisely because every major country has irresolvable conflicts, this war is inevitable. Both camps hope to use war dividends to ease internal conflicts and extend their rule."

"Why don't we? The return day is such a winner-takes-all zero-sum game."

Alina and Sif stopped looking at each other with sharp eyes that were about to spark sparks, and thought deeply.

Of course they had thought about what Roland said, but they hadn't thought about it so thoroughly.

Alina couldn't help but asked softly: "Why haven't you said it before?"

Roland cast his eyes out the window and watched the soldiers in uniform walking past the window.

Their faces are particularly young, and they look like they are in their late teens or early twenties.

In peacetime, these people are the future of the country, but too much of the future is not a good thing. Economic development has its own objective laws and will not grow indefinitely, but will only rise and fall.

Twenty years ago, the economic situation of the entire Rodinia continent was excellent, and international trade was also booming under the protection of the continental treaty.

At this time, people's desire to have children is very strong, and twenty years ago there was the largest baby boom in hundreds of years.

When so many young people grow up, they need food, employment, and a future. However, the growth of social resources and jobs has not kept up with their growth rate.

War is only the result, but the seeds of war were sown twenty years ago.

Coupled with the approaching Day of Return, the tragedy of this war exceeded everyone's expectations.

In the past three months, five large-scale battles have broken out in the northern plains of Rodinia. Christine showed superb command skills and defeated several famous generals from the three Holy Alliance countries, achieving an impressive record of three wins and two draws. .

Not only that, she also caused the Vladimir Empire's chief general Suvorodin to be defeated on the battlefield, becoming the highest-ranking general killed in the Holy Alliance.

As the war becomes more and more brutal, more and more countries are involved.

The Kingdom of Thalia chooses to join the Free Alliance.

They may not be optimistic about the Free Alliance, but they share a land border with the Golden Kite Kingdom.

If they don't join the alliance, the Golden Kite Republic will send troops to crush them without hesitation.

If you can’t control the Vladimir Empire, you can’t control the commercial countries around you?

Unlike the Thalia Kingdom, the Nubian Kingdom took the initiative to join the Holy Alliance. The uncontested [Crow] Sage suddenly appeared with his disciple Enya, who had been studying abroad for several years, and issued a declaration of war.

(Crow and Enya appear in Chapter 154-160)

His reason for the war was simple, "If we cannot stand on the side of the winner in this protracted war, we will lose our living space after the war."

The Crow Sage has a transcendent status in the Natural God's Court. His words are more effective than imperial edicts and can even lead the dethronement of the monarch of the Nubian Kingdom.

Since the Crow Sage pointed the way, it was logical for the Nubian Kingdom and the Natural Divine Court to join the Holy Alliance and join the winner in their minds.

The Nubian army is not strong, but they provide the Holy Alliance's most valuable and powerful navy.

The three Holy Alliance countries either have coastlines far away from the bitter cold, or have very short coastlines and lack excellent deep-water harbors, or they have been beaten by the Sussex Royal Navy in recent decades.

In short, their navy is very weak.

The Nubian Kingdom's naval strength is second only to the Sussex Empire, and each has its own advantages compared with the Golden Kite Kingdom.

A decisive battle at sea between their fleet and the Sussex fleet is unrealistic, but their strength cannot be underestimated.

The even worse news is that they have colluded with the remnants of General Hai Ao to form a maritime coalition of humans and ocean races.

With the addition of the remnants of General Haiao, the pressure on the Sussex Navy increased a lot, and they fought evenly with the Nubians in several naval battles.

Faced with this anxious battle situation, Sif did not hesitate to give the order to fight every enemy!

In the past, due to the long growth cycle of oak trees, the loss of each battleship meant that it would be difficult to make up the shortfall within a hundred years.

But things are different now. Wood-iron hybrid warships are the mainstream. Because there is no need for huge trees to serve as the keel, the wood requirements for the entire ship have also been reduced a lot.

Sif's request is very simple. Battleships are not important, the losses of sailors are not important, and even the victory or defeat in some local battlefields is not important.

The important thing is that the enemy must disappear.

This wild and bloodthirsty fighting method makes traditional soldiers frown, but it makes many pirate-turned-predators feel their blood boiling all over.

As we all know, the difference between the navy and pirates in this era was often only the organization or not.

As long as there is a system, yesterday they were heinous pirates, but today they are the emperor's guests and the forerunners of the empire.

Sif not only issued a killing order to the remnants of General Hai'ao and the Nubian Navy, but also issued a recruitment order to the pirates who were seeking a living at sea.

The conditions she offered were very generous and she was always fulfilled, and there was an endless stream of pirates who came here to meet her.

Sif would not reject any of these pirates who took the initiative to defect.

Of course she knew these pirates weren't good people, but...

Fortunately, neither am I.

Sif thought silently and issued plunder licenses to them all, allowing them to carry out unlimited plunder against the Nubian Kingdom and its allies.

And Alina's approach was similar to Sif's.

They all chose to use the method of overdrafting the country's potential to convert resources into immediate combat power, preparing to win this tragic war.

Roland retracted his gaze from the window and his voice became much gentler.

"I don't mean to blame anyone, I just hope you understand that the essence of this war is a turf war between the weak and the strong."

"Justice and civilization have nothing to do with this war. All we have to do is survive."

The tension between Sif and Alina dissipated instantly, and they fell into deep thought again.

After an unknown amount of time, Sif asked softly: "Should we withdraw Christine? The decisive moment is coming soon."

The time has come to November 14, 1795, and there are only more than forty days left before the return day. However, Christine still leads the main force from Hanseatic City to Waal City to find opportunities for decisive battles, and continues to bleed the Holy Alliance.

"She knew Homecoming existed."

Roland said calmly. He did not express his attitude directly, but Sif already knew his attitude.

Sif wanted to remind Roland that the main army was with Christine, but only 50,000 people were defending the planned final battleground of Vaal City.

If Sophia didn't practice martial ethics and sent hundreds of thousands of elite troops to bypass the frontal battlefield and attack by force, Vaal City wouldn't be able to last long given its defensive capabilities.

Sif didn't want to put her fate in the hands of others, especially a fanatical magic stick.

Her suggestion was not unreasonable, and Roland didn't like this feeling.

He thought for a while, took out a pen and paper, wrote a handwritten letter, and sent someone to deliver it to Christine.

He didn't say much in the letter, he just reminded Christine of the time of the decisive battle.

Speaking of which, as long as Christine is not a fool or has different intentions, she will know what to do.

Seeing that Roland wrote a handwritten letter, Sif naturally had nothing to say. Alina hesitated again and swallowed her doubts.

Even if Christine is unreliable, she still has a backup plan.

She never believed in devout religious believers. Her father said that fanatical religion would take away people's normal emotions and rationality.

She hides an army in the southern region of Jin Yuan Kingdom.

If the situation becomes critical, this elite force, which is completely obedient to her orders, will rush to the rescue at any time.

Vaal City is not big, and there are not many soldiers who can participate in the decisive battle.

You don't even need to win a defensive battle, just a stalemate.

On the day of return, no matter how the battle develops at the foot of the mountain, as long as there is no decisive victory or defeat, the final battle will be on the White Mountain.

The soul blood team faces Sophia.

Alina sighed in her heart, the soul-blood link connected their fate to Roland and was inseparable.

It's a pity that the number of people linked to soul blood has not reached the upper limit.

If there is one more person, the chance of winning against Sophia will be much greater.

The original best candidate was Christine, but Roland always disagreed.

At that time, Alina felt that Roland was too pedantic, and it was not like saints could not get married, so why should they be hypocritical. Only now did I realize that he really knew Christine best and had foresight.

As the three of them fell into deep thought again, the atmosphere in the room gradually cooled down.

Just when Roland was about to say goodbye and go out to relax, there was an announcement outside the door.

"Your Majesty, a mysterious guest is here. The guest calls himself the red-haired traveler."

"Forget it, ask her to come in. Forget it, take her to the living room. I'll be there soon."

Sif was about to ask her secretary to send the guest away. It was already so late. What kind of mysterious guest was worth her meeting in person?

But she quickly thought of a name and changed her mind instantly.

Red-haired traveler? Damn you, it was clearly a red-haired pirate.

Since the distinguished guest wanted to see Sif, Alina couldn't stay any longer, so she found an excuse to leave quickly.

The Sussex Navy was the best in the world, so the red-haired pirates naturally came to Sif.

It was a pity that they were not heroes on land, and Alina felt a little sorry.

Some allies are not your own after all.

They were allies during the war, but what about after the war? There are still differences between maritime countries and land countries.

They will still have conflicts and competition.

The soul-blood connection prevented them from fighting to the death, but they still had to decide who was better.

The person Alina least wanted to lose was Sophia, because she would die if she lost; the second person she didn't want to lose was Sif, and the pain of losing was comparable to death.

After Alina left, Sif's mood also improved a lot.

Considering the status of the distinguished guest, Sif even changed into an exquisite navy uniform, ready to talk about the navy and the ocean with the old sea dog waiting in the reception room.

Since Sif changed, Roland did not dare to show weakness. He also changed into a beautiful navy general uniform, and stood with Sif, which looked like a couple's outfit.

When the two walked into the reception room with serious expressions, a guest with fair skin, handsome face, and gentleman's suit was sitting there drinking tea.

This guest was well maintained, and there was no trace of long-term drifting on the sea.

Without the wrinkled skin of the sea breeze and the blackened face of the waves, the distinguished guest looked only about 25 years old, but according to the information provided by Alina, the real age of this red-haired pirate.

Wait, who is this person? He is not a red-haired pirate!

Roland stared at the distinguished guest vigilantly, and looked at Sif, both of them were a little confused.

"Distinguished guest, I am the Emperor of the Sussex Empire, Sylph York, and this is our Caesar Roland. May I ask who you are?"

"You can call me Catania, or my other name, Catalina."

Roland: "."

Sif: "."

After a long and slightly awkward silence, Sif couldn't help but complain: "Mr. Catania, forgive me for being blunt, I have a magic mirror, and it tells me that you are a beautiful woman, but..."

"But a man?"

Catania burst into a hearty laugh, then restrained his smile and said seriously:

"Compared to our potential cooperation, is my gender really important?"

Sif smiled and ended the topic. Indeed, it is unnecessary to hold on to other people's gender. Perhaps the gender card of men and women in the New World is not so strict.

In short, "You are talking about. Cooperation?"

"Yes, I believe that with the ability of your intelligence agency, you must know my true strength."

Catania said confidently. Although he used honorifics, he naturally put himself in a position of equal cooperation.

Sif frowned slightly and said softly: "Your distinguished guest has come from afar. I don't want to disappoint you. Tell me your suggestions."

While speaking, Sif calmly activated the insight.

However, insight is not omnipotent, at least it didn't work this time. She saw Catania slowly raise her head and cover her face with her hands, and then used this action to remind her not to use insight.

Sif did not hesitate at all, retracted the insight, picked up the teacup and sipped it lightly, as if nothing had happened.

If she insisted on continuing to use the insight, it would be possible to see Catania clearly, but the price would be the breakdown of cooperation.

No strong person wants to be spied on, and Catania is the same.

Sif did not speak, but looked at the red-haired male pirate calmly.

He is indeed qualified to talk about cooperation, and even has basically the same status, but he must understand who is the queen of the world's most powerful country.

If you don't put yourself in the right position, the so-called cooperation is a joke.

Catania carefully mentioned her purpose.

He wanted to be the king of the New World. In return, he would stand firmly on Sif's side in this decisive battle.

As soon as he said his conditions, Sif stood up and said lightly: "Mr. Catania, please go back."

"Oh?" Catania, who was ordered to leave, was unmoved and still sat in the chair drinking tea leisurely.

Roland knew that he had come to live. Sif played the black face and he played the red face.

He smiled and said: "Mr. Catania, please forgive me for being frank, you don't know much about our country. The ocean strategy is our basic national policy. Anyone who gives up the ocean will be nailed to the historical pillar of shame."

"The area of ​​the New World is not smaller than that of the Rodinia continent. Although it is temporarily backward, it has rich resources. You want to monopolize the entire continent. Please forgive me for being too arrogant."

"Arrogant?" Catania sneered, closed his eyes, and suddenly opened them.

When he closed his eyes, he had two eyes. When he opened them, the two eyes overlapped instantly, becoming a single eye that was slightly raised but had a longer range of observation.

Roland and Sif's faces changed slightly, and they didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Is Pride of the Tianmu tribe qualified to have a fair conversation with you and take away the territory you want as a win-win reward?"

Roland and Sif looked at each other and saw the astonishment in each other's eyes.

Of course they knew the name Pride.

They had heard those sea demons talk about him when they were guests in the underwater city.

In addition to the four marine generals, there is another person with a higher status and stronger strength, Marshal Pride of the Sea Eye.

The Tianmu tribe and Marshal of the Sea Eye are all connected.

Sif narrowed her eyes, stared at Pride, and asked softly: "General Hai Ao of the marine tribe and I are mortal enemies. He killed tens of thousands of imperial warriors. Aren't you afraid that I will force you to stay?"

"I'm afraid, so I'm betting."

Pride's eyes suddenly became sharp, and his cold voice surged like a tide.

"Everyone is betting now, aren't you?"

Sif was silent.

What Pride said was right. She was also betting that she could create a miracle and kill Sophia.

Every return day is a challenge, a mourning day for the weak, and a coronation day for the strong.

The mentality of the weak is destined to be short-lived.

The stronger the enemy, the more fighting spirit she has.

But she didn't understand who Pride's enemy was, why he chose to cooperate with her, and even risked landing on land in person.

Although she couldn't figure it out for the time being, Sif could feel the other party's sincerity.

Even so, she couldn't help asking: "The New World is divided into north and south by a land bridge. Our country has established thirteen overseas territories in the north. Do you have to give these to you?"

Pride smiled and shook his head, "Do you think we will be as impolite as reckless sharks if we live in the sea?"

"I want the half of the continent south of the land bridge. I can't tell you why, but I have reasons to occupy it."

Sif and Roland looked at each other and saw affirmation in his eyes.

The southern part of the New World is also in the long-term plan of the Sussex Empire, but it is too far away after all. It takes more than 20,000 nautical miles to go there.

Such an exaggerated distance is far beyond the ruling radiation range of this era.

Even if the sun never sets is the ultimate goal, Sif has never thought of setting foot in the southern part of the New World in a short time.

Being able to trade with things that do not belong to you, any price is a blood profit.

Sif nodded and said with a smile: "I agree, but I have a question, why choose me instead of Sophia, no matter how you look at it, she has more advantages, and she lacks the navy more."

Pride clapped his hands, restrained his smile, and said seriously:

"Because cooperating with you will bring more benefits. Risk? I never care, anyway, her primary enemy is you, not me. If you fail, I will find another way."

He was very frank. Although some of the content made Sif not very happy, she still accepted it.

The two sides signed a contract and reached an agreement.

Pride led the Tianmu fleet to destroy the Nubian fleet together with the Sussex people, and by the way, wiped out the remnants of General Haiao.

In return, Pride vowed not to get involved in the north of the land bridge, and Sif also promised not to step on the road bridge.

In order to improve the efficiency of traffic and make it easier for both parties to fulfill their vows, the two sides also agreed to build a canal at the narrowest part of the land bridge to facilitate international trade.

After the contract was signed, Sif planned to entertain the distinguished guest, but unfortunately Pride didn't want to stay at all. He said goodbye and left quickly.

Watching Pride's back, Sif's curiosity finally couldn't be suppressed. She grabbed Roland's arm and asked softly: "Dear, what do you think his purpose is?"

"Do you want to test your level?" Roland asked with a smile.

"No, I don't think you know the answer this time." Sif grabbed Roland's arm and acted coquettishly.

Roland quickly surrendered and began to analyze.

"With the strength of Marshal Haiyan, if he wants to seize the new continent south of the land bridge, does he need to cooperate with us or seek our approval?"

"No." Sif answered in seconds.

The navy is like this. If you can do it, you can do it. If you can't beat it, you can't beat it. Although I don't know Pride's true strength, he is definitely stronger than the four generals, and more than a little stronger.

Roland lowered his voice and said: "I guess this matter is related to the Sea King. As for whether he wants the Sea King to live or die completely, no one knows."

Sif suddenly realized.

As expected, only the Sea King is worth trading with.

Just as Roland and Sif were analyzing the reason why Pride ventured here, the Sea Eye Marshal finally found a remote corner. He took off the mask on his face, revealing a beautiful face with a healthy complexion.

There was a closed eye in the middle of her forehead, and with the open eyes, she had three eyes.

"Priden" let out a long breath, and the smile on the corner of his lips gradually subsided.

It was terrible, and she was almost discovered by that bastard woman.

Fortunately, she made her attitude clear in time and avoided being seen, so she did not reveal her female identity.

Anyway, hurry up!