I will be crowned king

Of course, Karl didn't really understand the contents of the letter; as a veteran with many years of experience in taking the blame, he had already guessed it the moment he saw Anson's expression.

so what?

No matter how cruel the reality is, it has already happened; since you can't change the outcome no matter how much you don't want to accept it, acquiescing and finding ways to prevent it from getting worse is what this unlucky guy who is destined to take the blame must do.

"To put it more bluntly, I'm used to it." Karl, who was slumped on the sofa, patted Anson's shoulder, the cigarette flickering at the corner of his mouth: "And to be honest, they have been very polite this time."

"Are you welcome?" Anson looked at him in surprise.

"Too polite!"

Karl nodded, his serious expression not like he was joking at all:

"Think about it carefully. Although Miss Sophia wrote the letter in a 'coded code', how did she know the truth? Archbishop Luther and the senior officials of the Privy Council, how could they really want to hide this from a little girl? Boy, is it possible that we can’t do it?”

"And William Cecil. Although the Cecil family chose to side with the mainland, didn't the ally you tried so hard to win over think that there might be the truth hidden in Sophia's letter? But he still gave it to you. ...Although it was given last.”

"Not only that, they also gave you the rank of brigadier general, gave us a standing army establishment, and promoted the ranks of several people... Although it was probably to make our bait more credible, they also made enough gestures. Very good." Karl shook his head:

"You are still too young. You think you can be the master of your destiny, but in fact..."

"It's the one who was slaughtered." Anson said dullly:

"You've said this before."

"Then did I say anything about serving as the militia company commander in Changhe Town?"

Karl smiled meaningfully and took a puff of his cigarette: "I should be about the same age as you...ah, maybe a little younger."

"I had just joined the army for two years, and my family was a tenant of a local knight. Later, the fields were converted to pasture for sheep grazing, and the tenants were driven away, so I joined the army for the knight's son; a year later, I became a platoon leader."

"That's already very fast...for new recruits." Anson was aroused by this topic:

"How did you get noticed by the commander and let him discover your talent?"

Karl showed a slightly satisfied smile:

"I 'gifted' him half a warehouse of wool."

"..."

Anson was silent for a few seconds and gave a... thumbs up expressionlessly.

Karl exhaled a wisp of smoke: "The regiment I was in at the time was a local garrison, so there were many fellow villagers I knew in my platoon. The requirements were not high, and my own people cooperated very actively; in addition, the regiment leader was particularly 'appreciative' I've had a very comfortable life."

"During this period, I helped the leader with some logistical work, such as collecting cards, contacting unscrupulous bootleggers, and reselling arms. Occasionally, I also had fun with local soldiers and civilians, cleaning up factories, farms or ranches for them. Inventory and stuff.”

"After a year like this, the local knight went bankrupt, and the leader of our regiment bought his ranch at a low price."

"So in order to repay you, he promoted you to company commander?" Anson asked.

"Yes, I thought so at the time." Karl shrugged self-deprecatingly:

"It wasn't until our 'small business' was discovered by the people above, and a team of people were sent to check the accounts; then I discovered that the leader had affiliated all the black accounts and shortfalls, plus the private property he had hidden, with In the name of this company."

"I am a company commander who has just taken office less than two months ago. In forty days, I smuggled two hundred liters of wine, more than ten tons of wool, plus more weapons and ammunition than the whole regiment could use in two years - guess what will happen to me. ?”

What will happen... Anson narrowed his eyes, thought for a few seconds and said: "If it is normal, even if the officer in charge of the case knows that there is a problem, you can be shot directly as the nominal principal smuggling arms and alcohol. category, but you are still alive.”

"I'm still alive." Karl laughed:

"I told the guy who caught me that you and I both know what's going on. If I'm killed, I won't be able to recover the stolen money, and my regimental leader will definitely find other scapegoats. It doesn't matter at all. It doesn’t help; so…”

"How much do you want to earn?"

Anson rolled his eyes.

Well, that's very Carl.

"I helped him recover half of the stolen money, and he kept half of it for himself. He took the remaining half and the report letter from Sir to report to my group leader, and by the way, he helped me 'clear' the charges, and threw it into another small cell. The place where I serve as a militia company commander—another damn place." Karl flicked the ashes from his cigarette:

"But that's not because he was kind... The local militia had a full battalion with four companies, but that battalion man - oh, the cousin of the officer who let me go, ate up the entire battalion. , there are only sixty-eight men in the whole battalion, fifty rifles, and half of them are time-tested grandfathers."

"The purpose of throwing me over is to make up for all the shortfalls within a month so that we can cope with the surprise inspection from above; if we can't cope with it, I will be the one who takes responsibility."

"Of course, I successfully completed the task and helped the battalion commander overcome the difficulties, and made a small profit in the process; but in order to prevent me from leaking the news, I was sent to an eastern fortress far away from there. Stayed there for three years; then the outpost in the northwest, then the tax card in the south, then the newly formed levy corps, then a militia group, and then..."

"We've arrived at Thunder Castle Fortress."

After gently stubbing out the cigarette butt, Karl picked up the cold coffee next to him, took a sip to moisten his throat, and did not continue talking.

Of course, he understood the meaning of his words even if he didn't mention Anson... His loyal lieutenant was used to this kind of life of taking the blame and being the outcast, and he was numb.

Since you don't have the ability to reverse the situation, and you can't prevent the other party from letting go easily, you can only acquiesce to the status quo and find the point of breaking the situation and the key to the comeback from other places.

Like cannon fodder that has not yet been burned, seeking life in death.

Otherwise, what else can be done?

The situation is what it is now. I have done my best under the limited conditions. Even if I had to do it over again or, as William Cecil said, abandon the Stormtrooper and run back to the mainland alone, the end result may not be the same. Strong now.

"To be honest, compared with all my previous experiences, although this time the news is the biggest, it is also the last time the capital is rich."

Karl paused and raised his head, pointing his cigarette butt at the ceiling: "There is a colony, a group of unreliable allies, an army of several thousand people who are willing to believe in you, the promise of the Cecil family, and Lu The En family is behind it..."

"Think about my experience, and then think about your own before, Thunder Castle, Eagle Point City, Hantu, Iser... Which time the risk is smaller than this time, if there is a slight deviation, the whole army will be annihilated - we I still got lost on the snow-capped mountains at Dawn Bingfeng!”

"We still have a chance, and so do you."

Anson was silent.

"So there's nothing to worry about. If you have the time, why not think more about how to tell other people the news." Karl yawned widely:

"To be honest, the most serious consequence is that the empire counterattacks, and we are used as bait to attract their attention; but so what? How many troops can they send, 30,000? 50,000? What a huge fleet these people want. How much does it cost to transport it?”

"In order to invest such an army, how long can the empire persist on the western front? Even if the emperor wants to save face, will the Dukes also follow suit?"

Karl's attitude towards the Empire's counterattack has always been very disdainful; just to transport the 5,000 Stormtroopers from North Port to Beluga Port, a dozen large merchant ships, four cruisers and a Battleship.

This is only 5,000 people. If the empire wants to retake the colony, the force must be at least four to six times this number; and it cannot be mainly merchant ships, and it must be matched with corresponding naval armament, plus Adlan’s arrival in the New World. The voyage is longer and more dangerous than starting from Beigang, and the consumption of materials will increase further.

Calculated, this will probably become the largest operation in the history of the Imperial Navy, and the expected returns are minimal; and even if they successfully land, the Storm Division and the Free Confederacy are not without a chance of victory.

Anson, who looked heavy, did not speak and remained silent.

Of course, what Carl said is correct, but one crucial factor is missing.

The Church of the Circle of Order.

Not to mention whether the death of Sir Ed Levent alarmed the local Levent family, the actions of the Rune family...or the "Apostles of Rune" did indeed alarm both Clovis and Adlan. the earth’s judgement, and launched corresponding actions.

Although there is a certain tacit understanding between the Luen family and the Church of Order, that is only if the situation does not change; now the church seems to be strengthening its tendency to interfere with the secular world, and the Luen family has left Clovis City and fled. beyond the scope of the church’s control…

How much effect can past agreements have?

And when the Church of Order attempts to interfere in the New World, will the Emperor, who claims to be the "only protector of the World of Order," take the opportunity to launch an attack, interfere with the settled New World, recapture or bring the colonies under his control, and establish a similar Titles like "Free City" to reaffirm his authority?

If the empire really gets the honor of "fighting for the Ring of Order", let alone the Free Confederacy, I might not be able to practice running with a bucket, and I will have no choice but to follow the rune family all the way.

Of course, these things will happen in half a year at the earliest. The most important things right now are still the New World Bank and Company, as well as the adaptation work of the Storm Legion.

Anson took a deep breath, sat up slightly on the sofa, and said seriously to the adjutant:

"When do you think it's appropriate to tell the officers about this matter?"

"I don't know, but it's definitely the most inappropriate right now."

Karl frowned slightly and bit the remaining cigarette butt: "Although we can guarantee that the army is still loyal, but... such shocking intelligence, and whether there is any evidence, telling them rashly will probably cause riots and mutinies, at least It will cause internal divisions.”

"My suggestion is to take advantage of this expansion opportunity and promote a few guys who you think you can absolutely trust, or who must be promoted to be safe; either they will be left alone, or they can control the most elite troops to ensure that there is no possibility of rebellion. "

"In addition, the New World Company should also speed up its progress. The batch in Sail City has begun to take shape. When the training of the indigenous people in Beluga Harbor and Changhu Town is completed, it will probably be able to accumulate a 'shooting army' of tens of thousands of people... Don't If you care too much about combat effectiveness, increase the quantity first and let other colonies increase their supply for the beast slave trade."

"Even the militia troops of the Promise Keeper Alliance are not completely incapable of being recruited after training; now that they have been given the opportunity to expand, let's use it and expand the legion to a scale of 20 to 30 thousand people first; the equipment and ammunition are still there, so I think You can always get it."

"And the New World Bank... Now that the local attitude has been made clear, we don't need to be more polite with that Baron Aix; withhold all the taxes from Ice Dragon Fjord and the gold mine in Changhu Town, and use it to Control the army and purchase supplies; don’t store all of them in Beluga Port, send some to Winter Torch City.”

"Although we don't want to have the worst plan, there is nothing wrong with being cautious - even if all the colonies along the coast are lost, we can still hold on to the fortress on the mountainside and fight fiercely with the imperial army; as long as the walls are strong and the country is clear, we can still Can win.”

Karl's eyes were extremely determined, and they were the eyes of a person who has been truly struggling between life and death all year round: "You can lead us to survive in Thunder Castle, survive in the Morning Ice Peak, the new world... is no different. "

"You really have confidence in me." Anson smiled bitterly:

"Have you never thought that all my previous successes were just good luck?"

"Of course I have thought about it! I am here to cheer you up again, my Commander-in-Chief!" Karl rolled his eyes:

"In any case, since Clovis intends to continue to pretend to be active in the colony on the surface and has not publicly abandoned you, the twenty-four-year-old brigadier general, then the assistance and rewards that are needed must not be less!"

"Regarding this, before Colonel William Cecil left, I asked him to request from the mainland that he be exempted from next year's 'taxation' and to provide a batch of hard currency and arms to the colonies as soon as possible."

"As well as His Excellency Reinhard Roland, you must also think of ways to ensure that he and the Roland family behind him will not turn against each other. He may even be able to help us at critical moments - of course, these will be discussed later. Don’t be so anxious about it.”

"Oh, what am I anxious to do now?"

"The most anxious thing now..."

Karl was suddenly stunned for a moment, his eyes locked on a beautiful figure that suddenly appeared outside the living room door, and his expression became unnatural:

"How should I explain this letter to dear Miss Thalia?"