I will be crowned king

When the battle situation on the front line was reported back to the Osteria Palace, not only Queen Anne, but also the Privy Council fell silent.

The bloody swallowtail flag... This ancient tradition full of "imperial style" is honestly not popular in Clovis, and not many officers or soldiers take this thing seriously.

After all, although Clovis imitated and admired the empire in all aspects, and the whole country was proud that the king married an imperial princess, in the final analysis, this was a country with no knightly tradition at all. Of course, it was impossible to accept this kind of fighting style full of chivalry. It is not clear at all how heavy the connotation of the "bloody swallow-tailed flag" is.

But Queen Anne was different. She understood the weight behind this flag. Therefore, after receiving the news, she politely rejected Ludwig and Sophia's suggestion to suppress the news and reduce the situation, and chose to formally disclose it to the Privy Council.

Seeing that they could not be persuaded, the two people had no choice but to compromise. They could make the information public, but not everyone, and it had to be a closed-door meeting. The rebels vowed to refuse to surrender. If this kind of thing spread, it would be a huge scandal, and it would immediately make people angry. The empire and even all parties doubted whether Clovis still had the ability to control the situation.

What cannot be said is that Ludwig smelled a hint of conspiracy from this inexplicable and unexpected news.

At least in his impression, the mutinous rebels didn't even understand the situation, and they were fooling around in Clovis City. Why did they suddenly have an epiphany and prepare to die to defend their honor?

More importantly, what honor do you have to defend?

To put it bluntly, the whole mutiny was not just a matter of impulsiveness and excessive greed. He was taken advantage of and eventually became an outcast. Even his only goal of overthrowing the Privy Council and establishing a military government failed to be achieved. No matter how hard he said it, Po Datian was not dead. It's impossible.

Of course, the death of Carlos II was a serious accident, but it was also a big or small matter, but after all, the vast majority of people should not be executed... So what are these people doing?

Confused, he and Sophia accompanied Queen Anne to the Privy Council Hall.

Looking at Anson Bach who walked alone into the hall and left the frontline war to report the situation, not only Ludwig but also many members of Congress could not help but frown, many of whom were innovators on his side. send members.

In the deep night, the urgency of life hanging by a thread made the already heavy atmosphere seem very depressing.

As the person involved, Anson also had a tense face, completely ignoring the looks of the people around him and staring intently at the dignified figure sitting on the stage.

Queen Anne first looked at Sophia beside her, then looked down and said in as dignified a tone as possible:

"Your Excellency, Brigadier General, has the situation really reached the point of extreme crisis as you said?"

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly became tense. Under hundreds of focused faces were hundreds of fast-beating hearts.

"It's absolutely true." Anson said in a calm voice: "The mutinous army has officially raised the bloody swallow-tailed flag and is determined to fight the counter-rebellion army until the last moment."

"Before this, we organized two cooperative operations with the rebels who voluntarily surrendered outside the city. The results can only be said to have had little effect and did not achieve the expected goals."

"Of course! This does not mean that the rebels are really too strong to fight; the problem is that after all, they are 60,000 standing legions, the core force of Clovis. Even in counter-insurgency operations, we mainly focus on defeating them. Try to avoid causing too many casualties as much as possible.”

Anson looked around the circle, trying his best to spread his voice to everyone's ears: "But if His Majesty gives the order, we can end the battle within an hour, but the number of casualties may be uncontrollable."

"Now that the other side has made it clear that it will fight to the end, it is tantamount to cutting off the possibility of our counterinsurgency being fought quickly and reducing casualties at the same time."

"As your Majesty's soldier, I personally have no right to decide for your Majesty whether to end this mutiny at any cost. That's why I came back specifically to beg your Majesty to put an end to it."

"Should we pay 60,000 or more soldiers' lives and act quickly, or should we adopt... other methods?!"

After the heavy words fell, the expressions of the congressmen present became wonderful.

Perhaps due to excessive nervousness, Sophia subconsciously held her breath and stared at Anson motionless; while Ludwig raised his eyebrows with a playful look in his eyes.

Well, that premonition of conspiracy is getting stronger and stronger.

"You said... they decided to fight to the end." Queen Anne said silently:

"Excuse me, Brigadier General Anson, what are those soldiers and officers who rebelled against?"

"This... I can only say that it is unclear." With his big and innocent eyes wide open, Anson said seriously:

"However, from several battles and contacts, some possible factors have been summarized, but there is no evidence that can be used as evidence."

"It's okay." Queen Anne nodded slightly: "Please speak boldly. You are the only person present who has been to the front line. I trust your judgment."

"As commanded."

Anson lowered his head respectfully, clenched his right fist and beat his chest in salute: "From my perspective, the reason why those rebels refused to surrender, and even planned to resist to the end, was simply because they did not trust the royal family."

"...distrust"

"In their eyes, they have already caused trouble to the city of Clovis and even threatened the Palace of Osteria. In addition, they are also charged with assassinating the king. It is impossible to be forgiven no matter what. .”

"In this case, why do you have to take the initiative to surrender and accept the judgment of others? It is better to fight to the death, which is more or less in control of your own destiny."

After saying the last word, Anson suddenly raised his head and met Ludwig's eyes. The latter's pupils shrank slightly and he immediately understood something.

This guy, he actually...

"That's it." Queen Anne suddenly realized, and quickly glanced at Ludwig, who looked strange beside her:

"But I should have sent a new message to the front line, announcing that the mutinous soldiers and officers will not be held unduly accountable, right?"

"Yes, but I think they may not really trust the promise you gave, or they probably don't believe anything now."

Anson nodded, with a hint of helplessness on his expression: "For people who are desperate, don't say verbal promises, even if they are written down, they will only think that it is a trap, a trap that they can take the initiative to catch."

"Your decree and the written guarantee issued by the Privy Council, even if it is covered with seals, are probably just a piece of waste paper to them."

Perhaps because Anson deliberately emphasized the latter, there was obviously some commotion among the crowd in the Privy Council.

"I understand. In other words, if you want to end this mutiny as quickly as possible with smaller casualties, you must first gain the trust of the mutinous soldiers."

Queen Anne was thoughtful, her eyes wandering among the members of the Privy Council: "In that case, does the Brigadier General have any good proposals?"

"This...this..."

"How about sending someone there?" Before Anson could say anything, the Queen took the initiative and suggested: "Appointing a reputable and influential person from the Privy Council and the Cabinet to go there can resolve the doubts in the hearts of the mutinous soldiers. Woolen cloth?"

The next second, Anson immediately felt that the expressions of everyone in the Privy Council were strange. The fear of subconscious avoidance was written on almost all the faces.

Obviously, no matter who takes the initiative to join in the fun at this time, it is impossible to get any extra care. The possibility of being killed by bad luck cannot be said to be zero percent.

Resisting the urge to laugh out loud, Anson said in a serious voice: "This... I'm afraid it won't work."

"Obviously, the cause of the whole incident was the huge dissatisfaction within the Army against the Privy Council. The purpose of the mutiny was also to overthrow the Privy Council and establish a new government that was more beneficial to the Army."

"At this time, if His Majesty comes forward and appoints a very influential figure in the Privy Council to persuade the soldiers who surrendered, it is likely that they will feel grievances and misunderstandings that they have been let down."

"I fully understand His Majesty's thoughts and good intentions, but I'm afraid that in the eyes of those soldiers, this behavior is nothing more than humiliation." Anson explained patiently:

"You have good intentions, but the end result may be counterproductive."

"It makes sense. I don't seem to have considered this aspect." Queen Anne's expression became much more solemn:

"Yes, the idea of ​​sending members of the Privy Council and Cabinet is indeed somewhat inappropriate. Not only does it not take into account the soldiers' thoughts, it may also put a certain Privy Council member in danger."

"No matter which side, the result will cause irreparable damage to the interests of the kingdom; in this case, the remaining method... haha, it seems that there is only one way left."

Before she finished speaking, Ludwig, who reacted immediately beside him, tightened his face, turned around and knelt down on one knee in front of the throne: "Your Majesty, you must not!"

"well?!"

Ludwig's move immediately shocked Sophia, who had not yet recovered from her thoughts. The stunned girl also suddenly understood, and her eyes widened:

"Your Majesty, Your Majesty, are you planning to..."

"Yes, I am ready to go to the front line personally to convince the rebel soldiers."

Queen Anne, who had a calm face, stood up slowly and said in a tone without emotion: "Under the current situation, this is the only way to save our kingdom from the edge of the cliff."

"His Majesty?!"

"Your Majesty the Queen, please consider it seriously!"

"Yeah, don't make rash decisions. There are many ways to solve problems!"

"If possible, I am willing to go there on behalf of the royal family, and I will definitely fulfill my mission!"

"Rebels are rebels. They are no longer loyal. Please put your own safety first. Clovis cannot withstand such a shock!"

... There was a sudden burst of opposition in the Privy Council, some were horrified, some were in disbelief, but they all came from the bottom of their hearts and did not want Queen Anne to take risks in this way.

The reason is also very simple: the only person who can maintain the surface unity of Clovis now is really Queen Anne, the widow of Carlos II. If she dies again, the whole of Clovis may immediately split!

First of all, as long as she is alive, whether it is true or false, there will always be a faction that can use her name to announce the edict of Carlos II and recommend a young direct prince to succeed him immediately, and the kingdom can continue to operate normally; If she is suddenly killed again, who will inherit the kingdom will immediately become a big problem.

For the kingdoms in the world of order, having an empty crown is simply the most terrifying situation. It means that in order to protect themselves, all forces must elect a royal member who is in their own interests to compete with candidates supported by other forces; overseas Forces will also intervene in the internal politics of the kingdom to seek benefits.

In the end, the loser will certainly die, but most of the time, the winner will not be able to win too easily. He must face the country that has been riddled with civil wars to clean up the mess, and endure the humiliation of repaying all the promises made before.

So although everyone is dissatisfied with Queen Anne's sudden regency, her presence can at least stabilize the basics before the country returns to normal. It is the last candle that can be lit in the hands of lost travelers before finding the lighthouse.

But despite the advice of so many people, Queen Anne still acted very decisively: "You don't need to say any more, I have made my own decision."

"I am the wife of Carlos II and the queen of this country. I am more saddened by your majesty's death than you; but I know better that compared with personal emotions, maintaining the stability of the kingdom is the most important mission of my queen. .”

"I know very well that in the eyes of many people, my surname is always the first thing they see. A princess of the Herred family can never be truly loyal to the Kingdom of the Clovis people." Anne smiled:

"Now I want to personally prove that they are wrong. I am the princess of the Hered family, but before that, I was the queen of the Clovis people!"

"The king has paid the price of his life for the stability and unity of the country; and now, his queen is naturally obliged to fulfill equal responsibilities."

"I will personally go to the battlefield, go up to the mutinous soldiers, and tell them that the kingdom has forgiven their sins and will never let them pay the price of blood for this riot - despite the mistakes they committed, even if they use No blood can repay it."

"Because their king is kind and will never criticize his loyal soldiers; and his loyal soldiers will never let down the king they cherish and swear loyalty to to the death."

With that said, Queen Anne, who was walking down the steps from the throne, stopped and looked at the Commander-in-Chief of the Storm Legion, who had his head lowered, with a meaningful expression:

"Brigadier General Anson Bach."

"exist!"

"Please go and tell the soldiers to prepare all relevant matters." The queen slowly raised her right hand and pointed outside the door:

"Now, please clear the way for me."