I will be crowned king

Northport, the private residence of the Cecil family.

For the Cecil family, who were at least nominally at the helm of Northport, Saints 103 was a rather unforgettable year.

First of all, the mighty New World Holy War finally ended, but then all the suppressed conflicts in the country broke out instantly. The Ministry of War, conservatives, and reformists began to reveal their ambitions and minions, trying to take advantage of the chaos to seize power.

As a powerful local faction, the Cecil family naturally wants a share of the pie. Their plan is to collude with the reformists, recruit the Storm Legion who have withdrawn from the New World to fight against the Ministry of War, suppress the conservatives, seize power with arms, control the royal family, and use the Privy Council to Control the entire kingdom in his name.

It looks very good, but it is indeed the case - as an important ally of the reformists, the Cecil family only needs to provide financial and some vocal support, and does not need to personally participate in this mutiny, or in the process of change. The core hero, there will be almost no consequences if he fails. After all, no matter who comes to power, they will need the Cecil family to help them stabilize Beigang and the Royal Fleet.

But the situation soon developed in a way that the Cecil family couldn't understand.

First, His Majesty Carlos was assassinated, and then the queen from the empire became the regent with the support of the Franz family; the Ministry of War was completely destroyed, and the new Minister of War turned out to be a woman, and the Privy Council was not much better, with two major factions. Not to mention almost collapse, now he can't even maintain his independence. What has Ludwig Franz, a major general in the army, become... in power? !

For a time, the kingdom was in turmoil. All the provinces expressed strong dissatisfaction with Ludwig for taking the young monarch and the queen mother hostage and usurping power: You, the Franz family, are talking to yourself and dividing the cake. This is treating us like nothing. Already?

The Cecil family, who also failed to enjoy the dividends of this "mutiny", was also dissatisfied and silently joined the ranks of protests, refusing to obey and be loyal to Nicholas I, but did not withhold taxes and supplies sent to Clovis. Trade and transportation have not been cut off, and all agencies in the province are still operating normally.

This is not because Beigang is schizophrenic. The main reason is that the most elite standing army in the kingdom is currently assembled in Clovis City. If the Ministry of War and the Privy Council really have to be ruthless, it is entirely possible to go north along the railway and clear out Beigang in the name of suppressing the rebellion.

As a province with strong independence and a history of rebellion, Beigang is extremely sensitive in this regard from top to bottom, and would not dare to give Clovis City an excuse to send troops anyway.

I am a loyal subject of the Kingdom of Clovis, so I will not be shied away from my obligations. However, I reserve the right to question, so I will not swear allegiance immediately... It is almost Beigang's contradictory attitude.

But this state of affairs will definitely not last long... As the chaos gradually subsides, Beigang, one of the most important provinces of Clovis and the home of the royal fleet, still has to take the initiative to express its position.

There is no third way to rebellion or surrender.

"Dong dong dong——"

With a crisp knock on the door, William Cecil pushed open the door of his uncle Francis' study:

"Your Majesty the Mayor, there is a letter sent from Clovis City."

Although this was not the first time he walked into this room, and it was a family member living under the same roof, William Cecil still maintained absolute respect, even when no one was around.

Or rather, especially when no one is around.

"Thank you." Francis said lightly, without looking away from the other document in his hand, he raised his hand and pointed to the sofa opposite him:

"Sit down and get yourself a drink. We need to have a nice chat."

"yes."

The young naval captain was not polite. He skillfully picked up the Tirpitz rum on the table, filled himself with half a cup, and sat on the comfortable but a little small sofa.

After a while, the mayor of Northport finally put down the documents in his hands and picked up the letter he had just handed over; but he only glanced at the stamp of the Franz family coat of arms on it, and sighed and threw it on the table.

"William."

"exist."

"William, do you know what I was looking at before you came in?"

"Uh, this..."

"A piece of paper on my dinner plate, pressed under the bread, said that turmoil broke out in Clovis. His Majesty Nicholas I...that is, the little king who had just learned to speak passed the Bill of the Citizens' Assembly and was about to sign the National Assembly. The edict of the parliament." The mayor of Beigang said solemnly:

"Ludwig Franz has dissolved the Privy Council and suspended the cabinet. War Minister Sophia Franz and Anson Bach have completely taken control of the War Ministry's standing army of nearly 200,000 people, and..."

"...The riots in Clovis City are suspected to have the shadow of the empire, and Her Majesty the Queen Mother Regent is very likely to be involved!"

After a short pause, the mayor of Beigang silently picked up the letter just sent by the naval colonel: "Now, guess what is written in Ludwig's letter?"

William Cecil was speechless, and his whole body fell into indescribable shock.

"Actually, we both know in our hearts that we are just asking the Cecil family and the entire Beigang family to express their stance." Before he could recover, the mayor of Beigang sighed:

"Yes, we can't continue to be as ambiguous as we are now; if the letter can be sent to us, it will definitely be sent to the governors of other provinces; to be more exaggerated, there are probably wealthy families in Beigang City who are no less powerful than us. , should have already known it at this time."

"So listen to me carefully from now on, William. Our next choice will determine the fate of North Port and the Cecil family twenty or even fifty years from now."

"If we are lucky, we may be able to escape the fate of being stuck in a corner of North Port and become a wealthy Clovis family at least as good as the Franz family; but if we make the wrong choice, we may very well end up dead."

"ah!"

Overly shocked, William Cecil subconsciously wanted to get up, but his movement was restricted by the sofa, and a lot of rum spilled from the quilt.

His throat twitched instinctively, and then he tried to stay calm and looked at his uncle seriously: "Then, I will go and invite father here now, so that you can continue..."

"No, that's not necessary."

"well?"

The young naval captain froze, looking confused.

"I just said that the next choice will determine the future of the Cecil family decades from now; from now on, past connections, experience, qualifications...have little value."

The mayor of Beigang still looked calm, and his terrifyingly calm eyes made William guess whether he had passed the initial shock. After thinking for a long time that he could not imagine, he said: "The person who can lead the Cecil family from now on... is you. .”

"……I?!"

Hearing this, the young naval captain completely lost his composure no matter how hard he tried to stay calm.

"Yes." Regarding his nephew's shock, the mayor of Beigang nodded without surprise: "Although the chaos in Clovis City is completely beyond my understanding, one thing is certain; that is the past The old forces that have supported this country to this day are facing a complete liquidation with the death of His Majesty Carlos II.”

"The army entered the city openly, the people rioted with arms and demanded autonomy, dozens of nobles were slaughtered like livestock by a young man who had just taken power, and... His Majesty the King was murdered in the palace, and there was no accountability afterwards."

"All this shows that the former power of the wealthy nobles has collapsed, and they can no longer even protect themselves in the face of the newly rising forces."

Looking at William who had not yet understood, the mayor of Beigang frowned slightly: "This means that if I, as the mayor of Beigang, or only express my position on behalf of the Cecil family, insist on not being loyal to His Majesty or going to Clovis City If you take the oath, there is a high probability that it will not end well."

"The Cecil family is loyal to the royal family. They relied on the royal family's protection and favor to become the leader of Beigang. When His Majesty can no longer control his country, who can the Cecil family rely on?"

"You, you mean..." the young naval captain's voice trembled: "I, we can't just go to Clovis in the name of the Cecil family, or as the 'Mayor of North Port' or the 'Commander of the Royal Fleet' City, right?"

"It must be brand new and be able to represent the identity of the whole Beigang...'public opinion', and it is best to form a group, an organization."

The mayor of Beigang finally nodded: "I heard that the citizen representatives in Clovis City seemed to unite under an organization called 'Red Heart' to force the royal family to pass the bill; we should do the same."

"When it comes to the largest group in North Port, it is nothing more than the Ocean Chamber of Commerce and the sailors; as long as they are united, they will be a force that no one can shake; even if the members of the city council want to resist, they cannot compete with them. "

"The Cecil family must take advantage of the current chaotic situation to become the leader of these two groups." Francis Cecil stood up, crossed the desk and came to the naval colonel: "And this, William Cecil …Only you can do it.”

"Nothing else is possible for me or your father!"

Alas... The navy captain was stunned.

"It sounds unbelievable, right? Lower-class soldiers and ordinary businessmen unite to replace the nobles. Landowners and wealthy businessmen represent a province and appear openly in the Osteria Palace." The mayor of Beigang said slowly:

"But I want to tell you that this is just the beginning. Soon such things will become commonplace throughout Clovis, and similar situations will break out in every province; continue to talk to yourself in the name of the title of governor given by the king. The dignitaries who represent the provinces under their name will become the target of contempt, exclusion, and even attack by everyone."

"The Cecil family must not become such a loser. On the contrary, we must use this opportunity to completely control Beigang in our own hands!"

Click——

The storm outside the window exploded with thunder, reflecting William Cecil's face distorted by shock and ambition.

…………………………

Hantu Kingdom, Jinshi City.

"There is a mutiny in Clovis City, and something seems to have happened to our neighbor to the north."

Claude Francois's words rang out in the palace, leaving little Leon, who had just walked into the hall, stunned on the spot, not knowing what to say for a moment.

Upon seeing this, Henares, who was on the right side of the throne, immediately stepped forward and whispered his love to His Highness the Crown Prince after obtaining Claude's consent; Leon, who was still confused just now, suddenly changed his expression and spoke almost subconsciously:

"Father, please assemble the army immediately!"

"Oh, why?"

"This...need to say this?!"

Little Leon frowned, with an unparalleled perseverance: "Looking around the world, who has the ability to sneak into the Clovis palace and assassinate His Majesty Carlos without anyone noticing? King Clovis died violently Who will benefit from the regency of the Queen Mother Hered?"

"There is no doubt that it must be the Empire! This is the harbinger of war... The Holy War has come to an end, and the Empire can't wait to invade Clovis again and prove its unshakable dominance to the entire world of order." Leon said word by word:

"As an ally, when Clovis is still weak, we Hantu should prepare early; if Clovis cannot resist the empire's sudden attack, we will immediately rush north to help; if they can resist, then we must also beware The Empire is trying to open a breach on our side."

"Hantu is not a big country. If we don't prepare in advance, we can't face a war alone."

Hearing his answer, Claude couldn't help but raise his eyebrows, and there was a trace of relief in his solemn and solemn eyes.

"It seems that going out more is really helpful. Your experience in the New World Jihad seems to have taught you a lot of useful things."

"Indeed." Little Leon nodded slightly, and a smile appeared on his young cheeks: "It was this holy war that made me see clearly that the church is not as indifferent to secular affairs as they advertise, and seems to be invulnerable to war. The empire of Clovis is crumbling, and it is constantly moving towards strength. In fact, there are also undercurrents swimming behind the scenes."

"If Hantu wants to survive in an ordered world, we must avoid being influenced by them as much as possible, but we cannot continue to completely ignore affairs outside the country as we did in the past; on the contrary, we must actively participate and In a holy war like this one, even if there is no benefit at all, it must not be the absent one."

"So... do you think we should take a stand on this riot in Clovis City?" Claude said thoughtfully: "To be honest, the current situation in Clovis City is very complicated. The diplomats we sent The officials can’t figure out what’s going on, and if they make a rash decision, it’s likely to have the opposite effect.”

"Therefore, we must send someone who can figure it out. After understanding the entire situation, we can make a decision that is most beneficial to Hantu."

Little Leon suddenly knelt down on one knee, pressed his right hand tightly on his chest, and looked up at the figure on the throne:

"If you don't mind, please leave this mission to me, Your Majesty!"