I will be crowned king

When he saw "Commander-in-Chief of the Advance Army" Alexei walking into the camp under the escort of two cuirassiers, Bernard was completely confused and thought there was something wrong with his eyes.

In Bernard's impression, Stormtroopers are a group of extremely cautious guys who will never take any risks unless absolutely necessary.

The opponents in the most critical battle of the entire Hantu War were Storm Divisions, but the Imperial Expeditionary Force had little impression of this levy regiment composed of Clovis people. There was always a feeling that they were defeated by the Hantu. "The illusion is the best embodiment of this point.

This style is also what Bernard appreciates: not impulsive, not pursuing the so-called battlefield sense, relying on strict planning and rational judgment to act; only when fighting against such an enemy can it have a more "game" flavor, changing the war from a simple killing Barbaric acts such as robbery and robbery were elevated to the level of art.

So...what gave the commander-in-chief such courage that he would not just kidnap people and then raid Black Reef Port?

Not only was Bernard puzzled by this question, but Alexey himself also wanted to know the answer very much - he was really scared now.

Feeling the countless gazes directed at him, Alexey, who had his left shoulder bandaged, was sweating profusely from behind. Under his nonchalant face, his heart was beating so fast that it almost flew out of his throat.

Didn't it mean that the imperial army must have been demoralized and the atmosphere was gloomy after the attack had been thwarted just now? This looks like a celebration banquet is being prepared in advance, and the next step is to attack the city in a large scale!

Alexei's mind was spinning rapidly, and he was already trying to find an escape route with the corner of his eye.

But as the highest-ranking officer in Black Reef Port and the commander-in-chief of the advance force at the moment - on the surface - he still suppressed his beating heart of "dong dong dong!" and planned to wait and see the situation first before deciding whether he should Negotiation or running away.

So in front of everyone's gaze, Alexey, who forced himself to be calm, coughed lightly and shouted loudly:

"The commander of the First Line Infantry Regiment of the Storm Division, Army Lieutenant Colonel Alexei Dukaski, on behalf of the Commander-in-Chief of the Storm Division, the Supreme Council of the Free Confederation and the Autonomous Council of Black Reef Port, presented his speech to the former Lord Chancellor of the Colonies, Bernard ·My sincere greetings from Lord Morwes!"

After the words fell, Alexey stepped forward steadily, with his right hand behind his back, and saluted the minister in charge who was sitting at the main seat of the banquet - and it was a standard imperial etiquette.

Bernard, who had just woken up from a dream, took a deep breath and stood up in a slightly awkward panic: "Thank you to the Commander-in-Chief of the Storm Division for your concern, and I also wish him good health and the protection of the Ring of Order!"

After saying that, he curtly bowed to the audience before taking his seat again.

Alexei couldn't help but raise his eyebrows.

Aware of the strange expressions of the surrounding officers and chamber of commerce representatives, Bernard finally realized - the other party was just an ordinary lieutenant colonel, and he was a minister of the imperial court, so how could he have any reason to return the favor? !

But since he had already done it, he could not go back on it. Bernard could only pretend that everything was normal and looked at Alexei's eyes as if nothing had happened:

"Your Excellency, Lieutenant Colonel, I heard that you intend to negotiate peace with us?"

"Indeed!"

Alexei deliberately raised his voice, according to someone's "perfect plan" - he must control the dominance of words so that his voice can clearly reach the ears of everyone present:

"The pattern of war in the new world is now clear: the empire firmly controls Sailing City, and has Gray Pigeon Castle as a forward base. As a colonial port near the west, Black Reef Port cannot escape the pincers of these two colonies. Offensive.”

"In addition, the siege over the past ten days has fully demonstrated the powerful strength of your army. The fall of Black Reef Port is only a matter of time; therefore, we believe that it is meaningless to continue this siege. It is better to use a more civilized approach. way to end this war that is of no benefit to either side."

This well-founded compliment, combined with Alexei's "show of weakness" on his injured left arm, was very helpful to everyone present. They were convinced of the "invincibility" of the imperial army and nodded in agreement.

Only Sir Sado, the commander of the cuirassier battalion, narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Alexei's bandaged left shoulder.

According to the impression last night, they should not be able to hurt the commander-in-chief of the advance army - so where did his injuries come from?

"A more civilized way?"

Bernard snorted coldly, not believing the sincerity shown by the other party: "Interfering in the internal affairs of the empire, participating in colonial rebellions, and even supporting forces in them... Is this what you call 'civilization'?"

"We are fighting a war, Lord Bernard Morweis." Alexei showed no sign of weakness, and his heart beat faster:

"When the empire attacked Thunder Castle in winter, it did not give any suitable reason. It cut off the transportation artery in central Clovis without any warning, almost causing the loss of half of the kingdom!"

"But this is war. What war pursues is to maximize one's own interests. On this basis, both sides follow certain principles and avoid certain things that are meaningless or even do no good to each other - Yiser and Hantu You don’t need me to remind you of what happened, right?”

After the words fell, everyone present turned their attention to Bernard in the main seat.

Looking at those pairs of eyes full of "curiosity", he could only suppress his slightly twitching cheeks and keep smiling.

Alexei Dukasky, you guy...

I originally thought that there was only one bastard in the storm division, Anson Bach, but now it seems that I have really underestimated them - these Clovis gangsters are just full of talents!

"Then, may I ask, what conditions are you or Black Reef Port prepared to offer in exchange for our goodwill?" Bernard, whose anger was rising, suppressed his anger and said in a deep voice with a slightly sinister tone:

"If 'the imperial army releases the blockade and allows the people of Black Reef Port to evacuate' and we are left with only an empty city, please come back!"

Alexey smiled indifferently, and calmly - or rather stiffly - took half a step forward again, ignoring the cuirassiers behind him and on both sides with their hands on the hilts of their swords: "Of course not."

"Black Reef Port can be given to you. The 50,000 people in Black Reef Port and its wealth are all yours. I swear to you in the name of Commander-in-Chief Anson Bach that the advance army will not touch any grass or grass in the city. Mu, everything will be waiting for you to come and take it."

"That you……"

"We only need your army to open a road so that the liberals in Black Reef Port can leave safely under the escort of local militia and advance troops, that's all."

Alexey leaned on his left shoulder, spread his hands, and chuckled at everyone present: "Promise us this trivial condition, and Black Reef Port will be yours."

This was a good suggestion, and the knights and industrial owners present remained silent; it would also be beneficial to them if they could capture the city without causing too much damage; but...

"Abandon a city that is out of ammunition and tens of thousands of hungry people, let the empire clean up the mess, and just pat your trouser legs and want to run away?" Bernard directly exposed his "little idea":

"As a Clovis man, don't you quite understand what 'shameless' means, dear Lieutenant Colonel Alexei?"

"Of course I understand, but since you want to get the wealth of Black Reef Port and don't want to pay the price, how is that possible?" Alexei smiled:

"If you can't accept this condition, you might as well put forward your idea-negotiation, bargaining should be done."

After saying that, he put his right hand behind his back again and waited for the other party to make an offer.

This time the colonial minister did not speak immediately. He lowered his head and said nothing, showing a thoughtful expression.

Very good, it seems that he has really considered the issue of peace talks.

Alexey secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his little heart that was beating so fast gradually calmed down.

In the crowd, Sir Sadow, who was standing behind several cavalrymen, narrowed his eyes slightly, his eyes never leaving him.

Bernard is in a dilemma.

Judging from the reactions of the surrounding military officers and representatives of the chamber of commerce, there are many people who support the peace talks. If one of them refuses, it may cause some bad results; but his reason reminds him repeatedly that this is probably a trap.

Wait, trap?

The herald seemed to have reminded that Alexei came alone...I see, that's what happened.

"Your proposal is interesting and indeed very realistic - in terms of conditions, it can be considered very beneficial to both parties."

In the silent atmosphere, Bernard suddenly changed the subject: "But for such an important negotiation, what is the view of the Black Reef Port Council?"

"Are they, like you, willing to abandon the Black Reef Port that they have held for more than ten days for the sake of their own lives?"

"I can assure you on this issue that the advance army has completely controlled everything in Black Reef Port."

Faced with Bernard's questioning, Alexei still looked cold, but the lack of confidence in his words still exposed his inner nervousness: "As long as you are willing to accept peace talks, please don't worry about the rest, we will solve it for you. "

In other words, there is a conflict between the Black Reef Port Council and the advance army. It's just that the victor in last night's chaos was the advance army, so they are eager to negotiate for peace in order to control the situation.

As for those "liberal" traitors...Bernard didn't care about the life or death of these people at all. He would even be better off dead - otherwise, if he were still alive, wouldn't he still have to make it difficult for himself whether to kill them or not? How about killing them?

"If that's the case, then I have no doubts."

Pretending not to notice the problem in Alexei's words, Bernard breathed a sigh of relief and raised the corners of his mouth slightly: "Then when are you going to retreat?"

"Three days later." Alexei replied in a deep voice:

"Due to last night and the previous battle, Black Reef Port suffered a lot of damage, and all four warships sank into the port. We need three days to take a short rest and then evacuate Black Reef Port - what do you think?"

Well, that means that the supplies at Black Reef Port can last for at most three days. They have really run out of ammunition and food... Bernard nodded slightly: "No problem."

"Three days later, in the early morning, I will ask the army to open a gap on the eastern front until about ten o'clock at noon, which is enough for you to evacuate safely."

"Eastern Front? This won't work!"

Alexey, who had been calm just now, suddenly changed his expression and flatly refused: "It doesn't matter in terms of time, but can I change the direction to north?"

"Oh, why is that?"

"Because the entire east of Black Reef Port, that is, many colonies on the border of Red Hand Bay, have been evacuated long ago and are no longer inhabited." Alexey explained:

"If we want to evacuate, we must first enter the territory of Winter Torch City, and then go south from them to Red Hand Bay before we can safely reach Beluga Port."

This answer was impeccable, but it also revealed an important piece of information to Bernard: the area around Red Hand Bay had also been fortified and cleared. In other words, that was the real line of defense for the Free Confederacy and the Storm Division.

Everything is exactly as Bernard guessed: Stormtrooper...or Anson Bach doesn't want to defend Black Reef Port at all. Red Hand Bay is the bottom line. His real purpose is to divide the six colonies equally with the empire.

Well, this is also in line with his usual cautious style: Clovis only has two colonies in the New World, and the combined population is less than a quarter of the six major colonies. With such a huge disparity, occupying one-half is already This is the limit of their appetite.

Taking into account their pitifully weak navy, being more cautious is a helpless move.

"No problem." Bernard, who didn't know that the Green Dragon had been captured, agreed very readily:

"But in return, only the advance troops are allowed to carry weapons during the evacuation, and the rest must be disarmed. All materials in the arsenal must be sealed and wait for our people to take over."

"Okay!" Alexey agreed decisively:

"At that time, the advance army will leave the city first, followed by the Black Reef Port liberals and defenders, and finally the advance army will break up the rear - your army only needs to open the gap and wait until ten o'clock at noon. During this period, please try to avoid the front and leave space on both wings. If there is enough space, we will ensure that we evacuate as soon as possible.”

"If any unexpected situation occurs, I will send someone to report it to you in advance; if you have any new requirements at the moment, please also send someone to notify you specially to prevent accidents from happening."

"That makes sense!" Bernard agreed.

The originally oppressive atmosphere became exceptionally harmonious as the two of them exchanged words, and the host and guest enjoyed themselves; it was as if the two parties were close friends who had not seen each other for many years, rather than enemies who wanted to tear each other into pieces.

……………………

By the time Alexey got up and left, it was already dusk; the lone commander-in-chief of the advance army, accompanied by the cuirassiers who "escorted" him into the camp when he came, rode back to Black Reef Port.

When he was completely gone, Alexei, who had always been silent, suddenly turned back and looked at the cuirassiers accompanying him: "How is it? Is it different from what was originally planned?"

"No!"

The cuirassier happily took off his helmet, revealing Anson's handsome face like a musician. Under the reflective monocle was an indescribable proud smile:

"As expected, Bernard and his counter-insurgency army are at the end of their game, and are not far away from running out of ammunition and food. Now he is probably more anxious than us to end this siege, but he has no intention of giving up. let's go."

"I have a hunch that there will be a lot of surprises on that morning three days later; dear Alexei, are you looking forward to it?"

"I'm not looking forward to it, and I'm not interested. Can I not go?"

"No." Anson raised the corner of his mouth:

"So just look forward to it. After all, you are the protagonist."

Alexei Dukasky: "..."