I will be crowned king

After a thorough exchange of views, Anson and Joseph III finally entered the formal negotiation process, confirming, or making concessions or compromises in turn, according to the details that had been negotiated privately between the two parties before.

At this point, the nervous Arthur Herred finally breathed a sigh of relief...According to the conclusion reached by the knight's staff, if the emperor is still obsessed with face and does not retreat, the authority of His Majesty Joseph III will be lost, and the Grand Duke will With the nobles of Xiaolong Principality turning away from each other, it is really possible for Anson Bach and his 150,000 troops to continue to advance westward and capture Xiaolong City.

Although the opponent is willing to take the initiative to negotiate, it must be because he is afraid, but after all, the weak one is his side at the moment; as a branch of the Herred royal family, Arthur, who grew up in the palace, cannot imagine what it would be like if Xiaolong City was destroyed by war. The picture shows that the hundreds of years of hegemony of the Dragon Knight Hered family was disgraced at the hands of a group of Clovis and Hantu people.

Regardless, it's nice to be able to prevent the worst outcome from happening - even if the cost is just as heavy.

As the price of the armistice, the empire - or more accurately, the Hered royal family - would have to bear heavy post-war reparations, demolish the two fortresses near Clovis Red Moon Town Fortress, and withdraw the garrison, admitting The legitimacy of the Hantu and Clovis regimes was confirmed, and a grand celebration and audience ceremony was held in Xiaolong City as a sign of official recognition.

All the coalition forces need to do is to sign a promise not to actively invade the empire within three years, withdraw half of the garrison in Red Moon Town, and stop the construction of new fortresses - Anson happened to be rebuilding Red Moon Town before, and Ludwig also While continuing to build his western border base camp - and promising not to harm the Osterian royal family.

……………………

"They...really believe it?"

Carl Bain looked shocked. Although he had expected the outcome of the negotiation, the fact that it was so successful still greatly exceeded his guess. How could a majestic emperor of the empire believe his enemies in just a few words?

"Of course they don't believe it, or... they have to believe it."

Anson, who was full of confidence, raised the corners of his mouth and looked at the imperial camp on the other side of the Halberd River through the narrow window with slightly narrowed eyes: "The result of a tragic defeat is in front of us. Either we will kill them all, or we will bow our heads and accept our fate." 'Concession'; a truly perfect plan must never place variables on the enemy, it always...can only depend on ourselves."

"And what gave me the courage to make this bold decision and have the courage to negotiate head-on with the Emperor was none other than all of you here!" Turning around suddenly, with his back to the window, he looked at the headquarters hall, which was already full of people. Anson changed the topic and slowly raised his hands on both sides:

"It only took one day to win the Battle of the Halcyon... The Empire suffered a disastrous defeat, and the armies of the Grand Dukes did not dare to act rashly. This is the unwavering confidence that I dare to confront the Emperor of the Empire, the guardian of the ordered world; It’s you! It’s the warriors of Clovis and Hantu who sacrificed their lives on both sides of the Halberd River, who gave us the qualification to talk to the Empire on an equal footing!”

"Three years... Just three short years ago, the empire dared to declare war against Clovis and point fingers at the still-divided Hantu; what now? A 'traitor' in their mouth can fight against the emperor. By negotiating with one, Clovis and the Hantu people can go to the capital of the world of order openly and openly under their own banners, and meet the emperor of the empire in a triumphal manner."

"Three years... We have walked this road from Eagle Horn City to Xiaolong City for three years, and now we have finally arrived!"

After the heavy words fell, no one spoke, and the silent eyes responded with the most eager gazes.

Leon Francois, who pursed his lips tightly, even showed a trace of emotion in his eyes... From Eagle Point City to Xiaolong City, as one of the people who witnessed this "expedition" with his own eyes, he is no longer what he once was. Such a shock, leaving only full of admiration and expectation.

Conquer the impossible fortress overnight, rebuild the kingdom of the vast land that has been divided for hundreds of years, create city-states in the new world that do not belong to the old continent, and...

There is no longer a "king", a country that flaunts justice and freedom.

The ancient eternity seems to be fragmenting, and the new world seems to be approaching quickly.

Thinking of this, Leon even felt a bit of fear, not for the changes brought about by Anson, but whether he could follow his footsteps, whether he could have a place in the new world, or...become a victim. Sweeping away the dust of the past? ,

"...And when I saw Joseph III, the Emperor of the Empire, the first name that came to my mind..." Anson's voice suddenly became low, and his eyes glanced at the front row of the dense crowd:

"That's you, His Highness Léon François."

"……well?!"

Little Leon, who was stunned for several seconds before reacting, was shocked. He first looked at the people around him to make sure it was really him, and then looked at the figure opposite: "Me...me?"

"I thought about it for a long time on the way back. The victory of the Battle of the Halcyon was attributed to everyone, but if I were to choose the one who made the greatest contribution, it would definitely be you." Anson nodded slightly, his solemn expression not at all like Just kidding:

"As a country in the south of the Order World, Hantu has no need to participate in this war. There is no need to choose sides between Clovis and the Empire. Natural danger and strength alone are enough to maintain absolute neutrality."

"Even so, even though they knew they would risk a complete break with the empire, Hantu and the Francois royal family still stood firmly on Clovis's side."

Anson paused for a moment, and his eyes met little Leon's eyes: "Such courage, determination, and loyalty to allies laid the foundation for victory in the Battle of the Halberd; and the contrast with the empire that was disintegrated and alienated from each other was so sharp. !”

"Therefore... I award the first victory in this battle to the Crown Prince of Hantu, His Royal Highness Léon François of Jinshi City. Do you... have any objections?"

Facing Anson's gaze, the officers present remained silent.

At this moment, little Leon's face suddenly showed a bit of fear... Yes, he once complained about being ordered by Anson to stay behind. He also felt that the reason why Anson, who was in charge of Clovis, did this was to ensure that The greatest contribution in the Battle of the Halberd belongs to the Clovis people; this is not surprising. After all, Leon himself would definitely hope for this result, just like what the Francois family did in the war of unification of the land. Just like that.

Of course, he also believes that Anson will definitely give some compensation and make some concessions from some substantive or more in line with Han Tu's interests; such as the distribution of spoils, such as going to Xiaolong City to have an audience together, such as meeting with the Grand Duke of the Empire. Negotiations between us, such as...

But he never expected that the other party's "compensation" would be like this!

"Anson, I..."

Leon, who looked panicked, was about to get up. He wanted to say that his contribution was not worth it at all. He wanted to remind the other party that they should pay more attention to the feelings of the Clovis officers. He wanted to apologize for his previous complaints. He wanted to...

Before he even finished speaking, thunderous applause burst out behind him!

Signal flags, rising sun, rangers... Including the officers of the Storm Legion, their cheeks were tense at this moment, applauding desperately, and there was no trace of joking in their serious eyes.

"Everyone..." Little Leon turned around and stared blankly at the people who were still applauding him. For a moment, he didn't know what to say. The Hantu knights present also looked at each other in shock.

"Don't worry, this is what you and the knights of Hantu deserve."

Anson smiled slightly and raised his hand to signal the crowd to be quiet: "I promised you that Hantu's efforts will never be in vain, and I will keep my word."

"B-but..."

"It's nothing. His Royal Highness, Crown Prince Hantu, personally leads the army. If the final result is nothing, you don't have to wait for your father to blame you. My 'cousin' will be unable to stand it anymore." Anson lowered his voice and said with a hint of joking. :

"Feel free to accept it. This is not only an honor, but also a trouble."

"trouble?"

"The biggest contributor to the Battle of the Changjian River, the 'chief culprit' who defeated the Imperial Emperor, I don't need to tell you that you must also know how the imperial dignitaries and royal relatives in Xiaolong City will view you." Anson reminded with a smile:

"When I formally meet His Majesty and step into the Xiaolong Palace, I will have to count on you to help me share some of the firepower."

"...I see, I understand."

Little Leon, who was finally no longer panic-stricken, nodded solemnly: "No matter what happens, Hantu will always stand side by side with Clovis. I swear by the purple thorn flower of the François family that I will never break my promise!"

Anson nodded slightly, took a deep breath and looked at the people in the hall again: "The departure time of the legion is scheduled for August 25th. At that time, the coalition forces will officially leave the Changji River and arrive at Xiaolong City on September 1st to meet with the emperor."

"Before that... the Western Front Army must stabilize the logistics supply line within two days, and send the battle situation and the agreement with the empire back to Clovis City and Jinshi City; in addition, although the battle has ended, the entire army is still not allowed to carry, Be prepared for encounters at any time and at any time, keep at least two days of supplies and ammunition on each person, and at the same time send wounded soldiers to the rear as quickly as possible for resettlement."

"This triumph belongs to all of us, but it is not only an honor, but also a test! The soldiers of Clovis and Hantu will set foot in the capital of the empire for the first time in history. This is the ancestor of all of us in the past hundreds of years. The great deeds that have not been completed will definitely leave our traces in the history books." Anson looked around:

"Everyone - please hold your head high and let history remember us today."

"yes--!!!!"

………………………………

"...So in the end, you still gave the first credit to Leon."

After the meeting ended, Karl, who still stayed in his seat, shook his head and looked at Anson, who was leaning against the window and smoking a pipe: "I thought you would be more cautious."

"Huh?" Anson, who was chewing his pipe, turned his head and looked slightly dissatisfied: "Am I not careful?"

"In any case, the victory in the Battle of the Halberd is too great. In such an important and decisive battle, if the issue of the first victory is not handled well, something will definitely happen; the Ranger Corps, the Rising Sun Corps, the Signal Flag Corps... and of course The Storm Legion is really not suitable for anyone."

The deputy chief of staff took out cigarettes and matches from his coat pocket and analyzed to himself: "If you leave it to your own people, you will definitely be accused of partiality, and if you leave it to outsiders, you will cause dissatisfaction among your own people... If the spoils are unevenly distributed, it seems that I’m afraid the powerful Western Front Army will fall apart soon.”

"And this problem is also caused by the Clovis legion system... Each standing legion is too independent. If they fight alone, they can rely on the respected commander-in-chief to suppress dissent. Once they join forces, conflicts will break out between them due to interests. It is simply normal. but."

"So since it's not appropriate to give it to anyone, it's better to give it away, and it must be 'given' to the one who is absolutely uncontroversial." Biting the cigarette, Karl finally concluded: "Therefore... arrived at the battlefield in time and struck the decisive blow to defeat the emperor. The Hantu Army is simply incomparably suitable."

"Yes, that's it."

Anson nodded and walked up to him. He snapped his fingers with his right hand and lit a flame on the tip of his index finger: "My plan... is perfect, right?"

"But that's exactly the problem!" Karl, who had long been accustomed to this, didn't even bother to pretend to be scared:

"You must not forget that the reason why this battle went so smoothly is that the imperial princes reached an agreement privately with Miss Sophia of Clovis City and the group of conservative nobles. Their goal is to have you crowned king at Clovis.”

"You have now given the greatest credit for the Battle of the Halcyon to His Royal Highness the Crown Prince of Hantu. This means that Clovis's conservatives have lost the reason to elect you. In the eyes of those grand dukes, it is tantamount to breaking the agreement - —They don’t know that the conservatives are determined to have their own way, and it’s even less likely that they know that you don’t intend to claim the throne at all. If this continues, how will Xiaolong City be able to stabilize these grand dukes?”

"A sharp question, worthy of my deputy...ahem, Deputy Chief of Staff." Anson smiled and hugged his shoulders: "It is indeed as you said, if those princes realize that the situation is different from what they initially thought. The difference is that we may really be completely bound to Joseph III next.”

"Don't change the subject, just tell me what you think!"

"Me? What I think is very simple."

Anson shrugged: "The key to the problem is not the conservatives in Clovis City, but the grand dukes of the empire; as long as they know that we are still fulfilling our agreement, everything will be safe, right?"

"Now that Joseph III has been stabilized by us, it's time to give the Grand Dukes a little sweetness - inform the commanders of each infantry division that they no longer need to abide by the agreement with Joseph III. My command will cross the Halcyon River tonight. , tell the world about Clovis’ victory over the emperor!”