Public trial?You deserve it too!

------------------------------------------------------------

Wellersley had to admit that this time he pretended to be Shire's bodyguard, and was led by Shire to investigate the Brittany peninsula for half a month, and he gained a lot—to the point that even he was shocked .

As an army general, Wellersley, in what he is best at, of course can see whether Charles is capable or just bragging, so after knowing the opponent's war plan, his evaluation of Charles has changed. He became a double genius in the military and political circles.

Charles very straightforwardly told Wellersley about his preparations—in the early stage, the Knights took the initiative to attack and destroy the forward troops of the empire, and then plundered the Quartet. The scorched earth policy hindered the advance of the imperial army.

Afterwards, he used a small amount of infantry to hold on to the external strategic points to ensure the smooth retreat of the Knights, and has been withdrawing to the [Peninsula Line of Defense] he prepared, where he used the main force to defend with all his strength.

That is to say, in the early stage, the battle was mainly delayed, and in the later stage, it fought resolutely, resisting steadily, until the capital at the end of the Brittany Peninsula, Brest, where the final defense battle was carried out.

And when Charles pointed out on the map the beginning of the line of defense when the tactics changed, Wellersley knew that the young man in front of him was not just a guy who could only talk on paper, but really had the ability to lead an army.

Because this line of defense was also the best defensive position he had considered purely in the map observation room before coming to the Principality of Brittany.

But the reason why he didn't say it was that if he chose to stick to this line, it would mean that the Principality of Brittany would first lose one-third of its territory, as well as all the military camps and facilities on the border with the Principality, and several towns.

——He is not sure that he will be recognized by Shire after speaking out. After all, asking a great nobleman to give up his territory is no less than forcing him to die.

But now Shire himself said that he is actually going to stick to this line, and even this line is not the bottom line. Shire even plans to use his capital Brest as a battlefield, obviously to fight the Empire to the last. One soldier.

This made Wellersley realize that the other party didn't seem to care much about the territory of the Principality of Brittany. There is no such thing as fluke.

But this is too strange. Obviously, Xiaer came to cooperate with the business alliance for the position of Grand Duke, but now the other party's performance is not in line with this original intention, but...

He would rather join the Chamber of Commerce?

Wellersley was figuring it out by himself, but it was Charles who directly opened the skylight to speak out.

On a desolate tidal flat, with a clear view, Charles signaled Gorman to lead the people away, leaving only him and Wellersley—who said that the conversation must be in the secret room to keep it secret?In such a place, the word "top secret" can also be kept.

"I guess, you must be wondering why I want to be the Grand Duke of Brittany so much, but when planning future wars, I don't care about the principality at all, right?"

Wellersley was silent. Since the previous conversation, he has been a bit led by the nose, so now he decides to talk less.

However, Charles obviously didn't mean to ask the other party to admit it, and continued to talk on his own.

"But that's what it should be. After all, you are a general, not a businessman or a politician." Charles smiled, "After all these days, I have seen your performance. Your war I am quite surprised by the experience, which is not like what a normal business alliance negotiator can have."

Wellersley continued to pretend to be a master and remained silent. In fact, he was quite helpless in his heart. He knew that he should have asked Speaker Neville for a negotiating deputy. The imperial nobles who have engraved political struggle and observation into their DNA are really restrained everywhere.

"Now we can continue the conversation before we set off. That's why, knowing what kind of natural disasters I will face after the announcement of the co-governance declaration, I still made this decision to start full cooperation with the business alliance."

Charles has obviously been able to integrate into his class very naturally, and what he said is completely from the perspective of the nobility.

"Before I restored my surname and honor, I stayed in the imperial capital, and after I officially returned to the Brittany family, I spent most of my time studying in the imperial capital, so I know very well that in the officialdom of the imperial capital, even On the side of the emperor, what kind of attitude does he have towards a big noble like me?"

"Disgusting, extremely disgusting, I can even say that if it weren't for the fact that the great nobles retain a pivotal position in all areas of the empire, the emperor would have ordered us to be wiped out."

Wellersley remained silent. He had learned these things when he was studying geopolitics in the Chamber of Commerce College. This was also pulled out as a negative teaching material for imperial dictatorship, that is, the separation of the central and local governments. .

"As time goes by, I can feel that this disgust is turning into a deep murderous intent, especially in the current situation - the great prince Augustus, who is supported by the great nobles, seems to be more and more favored by His Majesty No. Then once Augustus loses the position of crown prince and Ludwig takes power, can we really continue to maintain the rule in our territory safely?"

Charles sneered, shaking his head.

"Impossible, neither the old emperor nor the future emperor will allow this situation to continue. In the future, no, I even say with confidence that within 20 years, the storms within the empire will It will be set off by the emperor himself!"

"In the end, this storm will sweep across the entire continent, involving all countries and races. Only the surviving forces can become players on this huge chess game-this is a game of zero or one hundred , anyone who has a fluke mentality will only end up being out!"

The illegitimate child turned his head to look at Wellersley faintly.

"Now, do you know why I came to the Chamber of Commerce?"

"...you also want to have the qualifications to be involved in this storm."

Finally Wellersley could no longer be silent, he spoke in a low voice.

"Yes! I want this qualification too! But if it's just relying on the Principality of Brittany, it's not enough, far from enough! I need to own the entire territory of Fontainebleau at least to be one of the characters— —and it just so happens that, as the successor to the Duchy of Brittany, I have a somewhat reasonable claim."

"But your strength is not enough, so you came to the Chamber of Commerce."

Wellersley looked at Charles blankly, and even he was a little shocked by the ambition and desire of the other party.

"You don't want to let the Merchant League go on your chariot for the sake of being superior, you want to tie yourself to the chariot of the Merchant Alliance! Because you are the first and only one who is willing to co-govern the territory with the Merchant Alliance So even if we temporarily fail on land, you will bring your own knights and join the business alliance reasonably."

"You put the entire Principality of Brittany as a bet, just to become the spokesperson of the Merchant Alliance on the mainland in this future world war-because almost all of the other side of the Messiah Strait is the Territory of Fontainebleau. Where does the Alliance launch its landing, as long as you use the banner of the so-called 'former Grand Duke of Brittany', of course you will be more popular than the 'Sea Invaders' of the Merchant Alliance!"

Charles grinned and laughed.

"I was right, Mr. Wellesley, you are not a vulgar businessman, you, like me, can see higher interests, which is why I chose to showdown with you—now, the Chamber of Commerce Can you trust my sincerity for this cooperation?"

Wellersley nodded slowly. The other party made it clear that it was a conspiracy, and what they offered was a bargaining chip that the business alliance could not refuse. At the same time, he also expressed his intentions—and this intention of the other party was also urgently needed by the business alliance. Yes, it is even more impossible to refuse.

-------------------------------------------------- ------

Half a month later, Wellersley bid farewell to Shire and returned to the stronghold of the Merchant Alliance.

He kept everyone away from his room, then took out a pen and paper and began writing a letter to Speaker Neville.

[If the Merchant Alliance can give enough army support and sea pressure, I will lead the army to hold on to the Brittany Peninsula for half a year. There will be no problem. Even if I need to hold on for a longer time, I am very sure. 】

After writing such a sentence, Wellersley sighed deeply, and even the pen he was holding was creaking.

The sentence is short and the paper is light.

——But this means that hundreds of thousands of lives and blood will flow on a land that the business alliance is destined to lose for the sake of other people's ambitions.

Just because of this sentence he wrote down!

But these are all necessary sacrifices, because without these sacrifices, the future of the business alliance cannot be exchanged.

As Shire said, this is a game of zero or one hundred, and anyone who takes chances will be the first to be out.

Wellesley considered it for a while, and felt that it was still necessary to write some military content.

[This time I came to the Brittany Peninsula to inspect, the routes I took were all arranged by the other party, but every place must be a battleground for military strategists, and they are interlocking, forming a solid line of defense about [-] kilometers long. Military buildings in some areas have already started to be built or are being repaired. Obviously, the other party has already planned.This is also the reason why I dare to boast about Haikou—if there is such a huge support from the business alliance, then the implementation of this defense plan will definitely be successful. 】

After writing this, Wellesley stopped writing. Until now, he has been cheering up the members of the Chamber of Commerce and telling the good news. Next, it’s time to say some bad news——

That was this Charles Breton, and it was a little too scary.

[At present, there is no problem in the military, but as a member of the business alliance, I would like to warn you from a political point of view—Charles Breton, this person is really extraordinary, my evaluation of this person is , Unfathomable! 】

【Your Excellency, the young Grand Duke, although the city is a little shallow, but his mental strength is beyond the reach of others, and he has the appearance of a hero.However, considering the other party's age, and has already entered the realm of a fair knight, he will definitely become a leader in the military and political circles in the future with the ability to call the wind and rain! 】

Wellersley had already directly addressed Charles as "His Excellency the Grand Duke" in his letter, because he already knew that even without their help, Charles would definitely be able to overwhelm his brother-in-law and become the next Brittany. Dagong, not to mention, now the business alliance has decided to fully intervene.

[Please allow me to report the details to you when I come back, but I hope you will be vigilant immediately, the ambitions of this Lord Shire may not be inferior to the ambitions of our entire business alliance!Not to mention, the other party even has the means and wisdom to match it! 】

"I'm starting to regret writing the previous paragraph..."

Wellersley smiled wryly. After all, Shire has now made it clear that he wants to sell the Merchant Alliance and ask the Merchant Alliance to count the money for him—to use other people's gold and blood to realize his dreams. Even the best merchants cannot Dare to say that the other party can sign this contract.

But Charles just dared, and it could even be said that he had already done it.

He made sure that the Merchant Alliance urgently needed this claim and the legal power he represented, so Shire was going to ask the Merchant Alliance to provide funds and troops to protect the land that belonged to him, and even in the future, he planned to let the Merchant Alliance The Chamber of Commerce provided more funds and troops to help him lay down more land.

In order to gain a firm foothold on the mainland, the Merchant Alliance really had to hold their noses to accept the deal, and they even had to put on a shy smile and serve Shire politely!

This conspiracy of borrowing chickens to lay eggs, Shire directly and openly exposed it in front of Wellersley and in front of the Chamber of Commerce.

But the function of Yangmou is that you can consider refusing——

But you can also only "consider" rejecting.

Group clothing durian ⑧ 2-7 wives ① 6

Learn from me: Chapter 200 Chapter 180 [-] Unexpected people

"It seems that getting along for so many days seems to be fruitful. The respect that Mr. Wellersley has for me is no longer as pompous and casual as when we first met."

Charles calmly shook the goblet in his hand, the scarlet wine was shaking in the glass.

They are in the midst of an ordinary reception, a place where some private deals can be reached, and some conversations that can be leaked can be "reasonably" leaked.

"If neither of us can make you a formidable careerist, it would be ridiculous."

Gorman also looked elegant, obviously he had experienced this kind of scene often before.

The eavesdroppers would only think that Gorman meant "he and Charles joined forces", but only Charles knew that the two people Gorman was talking about were actually him and Claude.

This was a reception that Wellersley invited the two of them to attend, but until now, the host of the banquet had not officially appeared at the reception except to greet them.

"What do you think he is waiting for? To retain the last bit of reserve as a businessman?"

There was a sneer on the corner of Charles' mouth.

"Maybe they are trying to sell the two-legged cattle of the Merchant Alliance for a higher price."

Gorman's language is as pungent as Shire's.

"Hmph, the price has been clearly marked, and no counter-offer will be made."

Charles snorted coldly, then turned to look at the waiter standing beside him.

"Go, tell your Mr. Wellersley, I am not satisfied with his attitude, so I have to go back first."

Gorman showed a look of surprise, and then a hint of hesitation, but in the end he didn't choose to say anything. He just watched the waiter leave the hall in a hurry, looked at Charles' haughty back, shook his head, and followed. .

As it should be, at this reception, the waiter who left was not the only one who was responsible for following and eavesdropping on the two of Charles.

----------------------------------------------------------

"That man is, Charles Breton?"

A slightly old man asked Wellersley who was standing beside him.

"Yes, it's him."

Wellersley replied, his expression looked a little worried - obviously not because Charles left in such a shameless way.

"I don't understand, Mr. Speaker, wouldn't it be good for you to let me go back and report to you? Why did you take such a big risk to go to the territory of the empire and come to the Principality of Brittany? This is really dangerous... ..."

Wellersley wanted to remonstrate, but Speaker Neville smiled and waved his hand, signaling that the other party should not be so hostile.

"I know what you want to say, Arthur." The speaker called each other affectionately, and the two walked towards the secret room. "But after all, this transaction is related to the mainland policy of the business alliance in the next few decades. Since you said in the letter that this person is extremely dangerous politically, then of course I have to take a look in person. After all, you are a soldier, and Dealing with careerists is indeed not your specialty."

"Besides, there is no danger here in the Principality of Brittany. The spies of the Imperial Intelligence Bureau have been severely suppressed. In order to save the situation in the imperial capital, the Theocracy had to hand over a large amount of information directly to us. Let’s not say here that Meng can cover the sky with one hand and completely cover a person’s whereabouts, it’s not a problem.”

Wellesley shook his head: "But you are the chairman of the Chamber of Commerce after all, and you shouldn't put yourself in such a dangerous situation."

"Is it dangerous? Maybe there are some, but the current situation of the business alliance can already be described as precarious."

Neville smiled wryly.

"We are losing our own value, Wellersley, whether it is to the Church, or to the Empire - the Chamber of Commerce is becoming a role that has nothing to do with the world structure."

"How?! The Theocracy should need us to contain the empire! Otherwise, how will he deal with the huge army of the empire?"

Wellersley looked shocked.

"Are we really stalling for something, Wellersley? Is the Armada really powerful, but is it really worth fighting against the Empire?"

Neville shook his head.

"It's just putting gold on our own face... Our only role is to act as lackeys of the Theocracy, responsible for contacting people and forces who resist the empire or have evil intentions. This is true for orcs, and so are the great nobles. That's it - the more people there are, the more useful we can be, and once there's no one else to contact..."

Wellesley was stunned. Now that the orcs have declined, and the great nobles who need them to be a bridge are also in danger—even Shire, an insider, can see that the death of the great nobles is approaching, so how can they, bystanders? not understand.

And once these people lose the value of containing the empire, then the next thing that will stand in front of the empire... besides the business alliance, who else can it be?

The two trading cities of Hamburg and Lübeck are in the hands of the empire. It is nothing more than an imperial decree for them to interrupt trade, so once the great nobles disappear, it means that the entire continent has closed its doors to the merchant alliance—even if No matter how proud a person is, he won't think that the Merchant Alliance can really resist the empire that controls the entire continent.

"But... After all, we and the Theocracy are closely related. They know very well that they must not allow the Empire to destroy the Merchant Alliance. Otherwise, they will not be able to rely on the Theocracy to withstand the pressure of the Empire."

Wellersley shook his head. He did not think that the Church Council would give up on the Chamber of Commerce. The nations must work together to fight the empire with all their might.

This is why it seems that the Merchant League is almost responsive to the Theocracy's requests. On the one hand, the Theocracy is indeed very straightforward in paying the bills, but what's more, these requests are all used to fight against the empire. Naturally, the Merchant Alliance The good tradition of "eating kickbacks" will not be carried forward in this regard.

"Yeah, the lips are dead and the teeth are cold... But what if the fangs have been waiting, and when the lips are torn, they stick out and bite the throat of the empire?"

Neville sighed.

Wellersley froze for a moment, then frowned.

Of course he can understand the deep meaning in the speaker's words, but this is also what the business alliance needs - if the empire really wants to go to war against the business alliance, then the Theocracy must send troops whether it is willing or not. , It will inevitably reduce the pressure received by the Merchant Alliance, and vice versa. If the Empire attacks the Church, the Merchant Alliance will not be able to sit idly by.

Still the same sentence, neither of them can really lose the other, otherwise they will end up being defeated one by one.

"I know what you are thinking, and I know that this is the policy that the Chamber of Commerce has always pursued, but have you ever thought about it, Wellersley, these ideas of yours are actually based on one reason, one that you tacitly exist The reason—the Theocracy just wants to maintain this 'balanced' situation!"

There was deep concern in Speaker Neville's voice.

"All of us are just thinking about how to maintain the current situation, because we know that the only card that the business alliance can take is the Armada, leaving the sea and the Messiah Islands, we are nothing at all .And we also know that the empire has been looking for a way to break the situation from beginning to end, because they always want to unify the human world, and we have only struggled so far in order not to kneel in front of those monarchists."

"However, none of us have thought deeply about it, and none of us have ever doubted a question—what kind of mentality does Theocracy have in choosing us as an ally to join this continental competition?"