I will be crowned king

The next day, Union forces captured the camp.

In the small tent, with the "ceiling" above his head, Bernard Morweis leaned on the bed board and sat tiredly on the ground. He stared blankly at the wooden bucket in the corner of the tent.

As the deputy commander of the expeditionary force and the highest-ranking imperial commander still alive, he is certainly qualified to ask for better treatment - in fact, the coalition forces did the same. As soon as the battle was over, movable plates and movable plates were prepared for him. The "lounge" built in a tent has the same specifications as Claude's ward.

But Bernard refused.

Although he did not participate in the first feint attack behind the Battle of Wild Stone Castle, after a little contact with the army, his keen sense as a soldier made him immediately realize that the expeditionary force after the disastrous defeat was no longer as simple as a collapse in morale; There has been a gap between the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers and the upper-level officers.

Almost all the middle and low-ranking officers and soldiers unanimously had no favorable impression of the deceased Caspar Hered. They even felt that they had been betrayed and used as an outcast to cover the commander and high-ranking officers' breakout.

Faced with this situation, Bernard immediately realized that even if he did nothing and simply accepted the enemy's "goodwill", he would be regarded by the army as a traitor like Caspar Hered.

Therefore, under his "strong" request, the coalition forces, which had no good impression of the imperial people, agreed to his request and only prepared an ordinary small tent for him in the prisoner camp.

An area of ​​​​11 or 2 square meters, a bed, a bucket and a kerosene lamp - of course it is shabby compared with the "luxury suite", but compared to the prisoners of the expeditionary force who are still sleeping in the open air outside, this is already super standard treatment .

Lying on the single bed behind him was Arthur Herred, curled up in a ball on the bed board less than 80 centimeters wide, facing the wall, as quiet as a brown bear after hibernation.

This guy has been in this state since the battle was almost over.

Maybe it was because he was defeated by a cute little girl who was half his height and was too severely stimulated... Bernard guessed this.

Although in his opinion, the cute little angel-like girl is basically a devil in human skin... Mainly, he doesn't think that when an angel descends to earth, he will carry three or four rifles on his back and hang grenades on his body.

There was silence for who knows how long, and the golden sunlight shone on the faces of the two people at the same time.

Louis Bernard, who looked pale and had some kind of confusion in his eyes, appeared outside the tent door.

Holding back the dazzling light, Bernard looked up at the young knight who walked into the tent, and said impatiently: "How is the situation?"

Before he finished speaking, Arthur Herred, who was curled up in a ball on the bed, suddenly moved...but he didn't get up.

Facing the deputy commander's inquiry, Louis Bernard's expression became even more tangled, his delicate eyebrows frowned slightly, and he sat down opposite the two men with some hesitation:

"The person named to see me is not Claude Francois, nor Grand Duke Victor Emmanuel of Aiden, or any of the princes of Hantu."

Bernard nodded slightly, neither surprised nor asking questions, and acted very calmly: "Who is that?"

"Anson Bach." Louis paused, his eyes a little dodged:

"He's the commander of the Clovis mercenary army opposite."

"Then what did he say?" Bernard continued to ask.

"He..." Louis pursed his lips:

"He made a condition..."

……………………

"It's said to be a condition, but it's actually more like a suggestion."

In the conference room, a smiling Anson handed a glass of mulled wine to Louis, raised his hand in a "please" gesture: "Try it, this is Hantu's specialty, you must taste it."

Slowly picking up the wine glass, Louis with a wary expression glanced at the ice-cold rum in the other person's glass: "What's your suggestion?"

"A win-win proposal!" Anson's eyes flashed with sincerity:

"Dear Louis, we are friends...right?"

The young knight was unmoved: "It mainly depends on you."

"That's it!" Anson nodded vigorously, picked up the wine glass and touched it lightly with the young knight. The rum and mulled wine filled with ice cubes played a crisp note:

"As friends, although we have to be hostile because of our respective positions, it does not mean that we must kill each other - in fact, just because we are hostile to each other, we should try our best to resolve unnecessary and emotional contradictions to solve the most practical problems!”

"The best way to solve the problem is to face reality first, and to maintain the minimum respect for each other... What do you think?"

"What on earth do you want to say?" Louis looked at him warily, the tip of his light blond hair rising slightly as if triggered by something.

"I want to say that what we want doesn't conflict with each other, but it requires each of us to take a step back." Anson smiled more sincerely:

"Leon told me, you insisted on taking away all the prisoners of the expeditionary force, including the remains of the fallen soldiers, right?"

"This is the minimum." Louis said seriously:

"You have defeated the expeditionary force, but this does not mean that you have defeated the empire, nor does it mean that the emperor has declared defeat. For the still weak Hantu, it is beneficial to her to acknowledge the status quo and make some concessions. .”

"Continuing to anger the Empire or allow this pointless war to continue will only lead to more pointless sacrifices."

"well said!"

Anson nodded repeatedly and said, "I think so too": "But you also have to admit that it is not easy for Hantu, who has been hit hard, to admit the current situation."

"Especially since they have won this war now...it is not that difficult for the victor to make concessions."

Louis was silent.

Of course he understood what Anson said. It was never easy to stay sane in a war.

Even if the commander-in-chief can restrain his desires and maintain the minimum rationality, the middle- and lower-level officers and soldiers will not understand. They will only think that their commander-in-chief is a weakling.

In the face of an excited army, if the commander does not want to cause a mutiny or commit suicide with "six bullets in the back", it is best not to go against the collective will of the army.

Taking into account the summit tower, Carindia Port, and the series of "brilliant" achievements of the previous expeditionary force, if you want to get a decent exit after the defeat, indeed...

"But, I can help." Anson suddenly said:

"I can convince them to let Hantu release all the prisoners of the expeditionary force - and immediately."

……………………

"immediately?!"

Arthur screamed and jumped up from the bed. The simple single bed was almost trampled on: "Let Hantu release all the prisoners of the expeditionary force immediately - can he really do it?!"

He didn't care much about himself, but he cared about his "Dragon Roar Infantry Regiment"; these people were all his friends, and it was because he insisted on rushing to aid the expeditionary force that he ended up in his current situation.

And now there is a Clovis man who says there is a way to help them... Although it sounds like a conspiracy, Arthur can't help but be excited.

"He didn't tell me in detail how to do it, but..." Louis hesitated for a moment, his expression a little embarrassed, as if he had shown great courage and trust:

"I think he didn't lie."

Looking at the young knight whose eyes were wandering, Bernard raised his hand to interrupt his defense, while ignoring Arthur who wanted to pounce behind him:

"So what does he want in exchange?"

What do you want... He twitched the corners of his stiff mouth, and Louis' expression became even more embarrassing:

"His condition is..."

………………

"This is absolutely not okay!"

Before Anson could finish speaking, Louis stood up suddenly and flatly refused; his pale face was slightly flushed due to excitement.

"Why not?" Anson's expression was very confused.

"Why……"

The young knight's body trembled slightly, and he desperately suppressed the urge to rush up and punch this bastard: "Cross the summit tower fortress and hold a prisoner exchange ceremony within the empire... Are you serious?!"

"Of course."

After taking a small sip of ice rum, Anson said matter-of-factly: "Isn't this bad?"

"This is a provocation!" Louis' eyes widened.

"It's a win-win!" Anson corrected.

"Win-win?!"

“That’s right – love and peace, win-win!”

"How did you win?!"

"Then what do you think is the most important thing for the expeditionary force right now?"

Anson asked rhetorically, and then gave the answer without waiting for Louis to answer: "It is a safe and orderly withdrawal from Hantu, right?"

Louis pursed his lips tightly and stared at him with slightly trembling eyes.

"So...if Claude Francois lets you leave now and says that you can go wherever you want from now on, do you think the expeditionary force can really leave Hantu unharmed?" Anson said without fear. Meet his gaze.

He didn't need the young knight to answer, because the two of them knew the answer.

Of course it's impossible.

Not only is it impossible, even if Claude Francois can really resist the pressure and let them go, he will definitely make things difficult in every way - not to mention disarming them, and they will definitely only provide the minimum supplies.

In addition, the lords and mountain people of the Principality of Ayden along the way will definitely not let go of these unarmed troops; attacks, loss, hunger, illness... attrition is inevitable.

"The only way is to let the armies of Hantu and Clovis escort you away. Only with Clovis's flag and the order of King Hantu can we suppress the anger of the Aiden residents who want to kill you all." Anson said calmly. Voice:

"The way to get King Hantu to agree and let you return home immediately is to give him what he wants and needs the most."

………………

"The honor of truly 'defeating' the Empire..."

Bernard muttered.

The other party's intention is very straightforward and straightforward - they want the remaining expeditionary force to return home, but the price is the empire's acquiescence to the "Victory of Hantu".

disagree? That's okay, or more so, as some people wish; for a new country and a newly formed alliance, nothing can truly unite them more than war.

In order to distract the empire, the Kingdom of Clovis will definitely spare no effort to send support, continuously deliver weapons to Hantu, train troops, and build fortresses... Even if they can only slightly reduce the frontal pressure, they will still make a profit. pay.

What's more, they have made money now - with Hantu here, the price the empire will pay if it wants to surround the Kingdom of Clovis again will definitely be much higher than it is now; with its worries relieved, this emerging power will definitely be more arrogant than in the past.

Compared with the real threat of the Kingdom of Clovis, satisfying the Hantu people's petty appetite is really innocuous to the empire.

The only thing that puzzled the deputy commander of the expeditionary force was why the other party insisted on negotiating privately with Louis Bernard instead of directly negotiating with himself?

………………

Of course, it’s because it’s the easiest to persuade. Honest people are so easy to deceive... Anson sighed softly and faced the confused Louis with sincere eyes:

"Because we are friends."

"real?"

Although he felt a little ashamed for saying such words, Louis still vaguely felt that something was not right.

"Of course!" Anson nodded repeatedly:

"As I just said, it is precisely because we are hostile to each other that we should make full use of our mutual friendship to resolve emotional conflicts between the two parties and solve practical problems."

"Except for you, I don't know anyone in the senior leadership of the expeditionary force; if I had personal contact with them, they would not regard it as a conversation between friends, but as a private negotiation between Clovis and the Empire - but in fact it is not. in this way."

"What I am considering now is not my personal interests or the interests of the Kingdom of Clovis, but the most practical issue, which is to end this ridiculous war!"

"This requires us to put aside our prejudices, take a step back, and stay rational... I don't think it's easy for an Imperial person and a stranger Clovis to do this."

"Of course." The conversation changed, and Anson's face showed an understanding smile:

"Dear Louis, I am not forcing you to immediately agree with what I said; I only implore you to tell the officers of the expeditionary force exactly what I said."

"Let them believe that I'm not seeking any personal gain and that I'm really just providing a piece of advice for them to consider... and that's enough."

………………

"Is this guy a liar?"

Before Louis finished speaking, Arthur couldn't help but said: "The more I hear these words, the more it feels like a trap with malicious intentions and an agenda!"

"It's possible." Louis nodded slightly, with a rather hesitant expression:

"Although there is no direct evidence, I'm afraid Anson Bach really has some agenda. I also think it is impossible for other officers, including Deputy Commander Bernard, to agree to this..."

"Can!"

Bernard, who was deep in thought at the side, suddenly spoke, interrupting the conversation between the two: "If this is the only thing he asks for, then agree to him."

"Of course - the premise is that this Clovis man can really convince Hantu and tell him that if we want to reach this deal, we need Claude Francois to personally come forward to ensure the personal safety of the expeditionary force."

well?

The two people who were stunned turned their heads at the same time, astonished that they were exactly the same as they were carved out of a mold.