I will be crowned king

Old World, Kingdom of Clovis.

After a journey that was destined to be unforgettable for a lifetime, Ludwig Franz finally returned to Clovis City under the escort of the Inquisitor and the Knights of Judgment.

According to the plan prepared in advance, the Major General Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army should immediately enter the palace to pay an audience. His Majesty Carlos II, who has a good relationship with the Franz family, has also prepared a grand ceremony for his youngest general (one). Audience ceremonies and banquets inflated his worth in front of the church and empire.

This was also because the cowardly Royal Army was at a disadvantage in the negotiations with the Empire, and only one of the six army commanders was obtained; even if Clovis did not want to invest too much in this holy war, such cowardice was still considered It's a disgrace.

Their cowardice not only shocked Carlos II, but also the Herred royal family; they originally thought that no matter how reluctant Clovis was, he would definitely fight for three seats for the sake of dignity, and the empire would probably have to pay some price to do so. In exchange for a ratio of four to two commanders-in-chief in the headquarters... the result turned out to be one more than the ideal result!

This situation is not only unexpected, but also makes the originally aggressive Herid royal family feel a little embarrassed...According to the strength ratio, the size of a legion cannot be less than 20,000; if you want to get five places, you have to reduce the size of the remaining four legions. , or we need to increase our troops.

Because Clovis was only willing to accept the quota of one legion, the empire increased the number of troops from 80,000 to 100,000 to 100,000 to 140,000... The church took care of the finances, and the major principalities sent troops and logistics, and Clovis took care of it. Transportation and many material orders, as well as 20,000 to 40,000 additional troops, are still an unbearable burden on the empire.

After some bargaining, both the empire and Clovis made a concession in a tacit understanding: they "gifted" the spot that no one wanted to Hantu.

In the eyes of the empire, Clovis and Hantu were exactly the same, both were rebellious and refused to accept the "empire's rule of the world"; but in the eyes of Carlos II, the dignified Clovis was reduced to the same level as Hantu, an incompetent Royal Army shameless man. It was so thick that it made him feel ashamed and angry!

In comparison, they are not even as loyal as being "exiled" to the New World Colony, that motley crew that they can't even name!

Therefore, Carlos II must praise Ludwig Franz as a hero of the old world and the star of hope of Clovis just as he previously praised Sophia Franz, so as not to lose face.

Of course, this refers to the image of the royal family in the eyes of thousands of subjects of the Kingdom of Clovis. As for Clovis itself...when the cowardice and cowardice of the royal army was exposed in front of the empire, it had already lost its face.

But this time, the loyal young general did not go to see him immediately, but forced the judge to send him home.

The unforgettable journey allowed Ludwig to find the answers to a hundred questions that had puzzled him in the past, but then gave him 10,000 brand-new questions; before the official interview, he had to meet his father.

But when he returned to the living room with a heavy heart and opened the old study door, the figure that appeared in front of him made Ludwig freeze on the spot.

"why you?"

"Why can't it be me?"

The girl sitting behind the desk put down the coffee cup on her lips and smiled slyly at the astonished Major General: "Welcome home, my dear brother."

"Sophia, stop making trouble." Ludwig frowned slightly, with a hint of helplessness in his tone: "Where is father?"

"It should be in the cathedral."

The girl suppressed her smile, raised her gaze and said seriously: "He said that you will definitely not go directly to the palace to meet you, so he asked me to wait for you here; if you have any doubts, you can ask me directly."

"……you?"

Almost as soon as Ludwig finished speaking, the girl's face turned cold. She narrowed her eyes and smiled lightly: "Although it sounds a bit contemptuous, I know you didn't mean it, so my answer Yes...that's right."

Ludwig didn't care about this: "He...what did father tell you?"

"You should ask questions directly instead of... forget it." Sophia snorted softly:

"If I'm not mistaken, what you want to know most now is Clovis's position in this jihad, the relationship between the Luen family and Anson Bach, and the hard work that made you become the commander-in-chief of the jihadi army. What are the elements for, right?”

"It seems that father really told you everything..."

Ludwig, who was talking to himself, couldn't help but shake his head, pretending not to notice the little pride on his sister's face: "I don't know if you have noticed, because of someone's wanton behavior, the Franz family Our status has reached a precarious level!"

"No, and I think the status of the Franz family is improving at an unprecedented level; my father's authority has become stronger, and I became the first colonial governor of Clovis. My dear brother, you became one of the six commanders-in-chief of the Jihad Army. , and is the only commander-in-chief of Clovis." Sophia raised her chin proudly:

"A bright future beckons for the Franz family."

"That's because the higher you stand, the harder you fall."

Ludwig had a gloomy face. He quickly rushed to the desk, held the table with both hands, and stared into Sophia's eyes: "Do you know that the inquisitor of the Seeking Truth Order told me that the head of the Rune Family, that Miss Thalia Rune is now Anson Bach's..."

"Fiancée." The girl interrupted and glared back unceremoniously: "I already knew about this last year. Your 'news' came a little late, dear brother."

"But you don't need to worry at all, because the 'marriage' between the two of them is just for profit; Anson Bach can get Luen's financial and human support, and Luen can get the weapons of the Storm Legion to expand the family's influence. The industries and foundations of the new world.”

“In other words, this is just Anson Bach’s strategy to win over allies, just like he did with Louis Bernard of Sailing City and the Cecil family of North Port; he has no loyalty to the Luen family at all. "

"...Do you really think so?" Ludwig looked disbelieving.

"certainly."

The girl picked up the coffee cup and took a sip: "I am his real sponsor, the Storm Legion is the property in my name, the kingdom's indifference to his various illegal activities, the funding of the Roland family, and even his title of brigadier general I helped him win it all... If there is anyone who Anson Bach is truly loyal to, it can only be me."

Seeing his sister's proud and serious look, Ludwig hesitated to speak and could only turn a blind eye and change the subject:

"Even so, his relationship with the Luen family will inevitably lead to his implication, which will cause the Franz family to suffer huge losses."

"That's right, so we...the Franz family must make amends." Sophia nodded slightly:

"This is why my father went through so much trouble to make you the commander-in-chief of the Crusade; you must be more active on the battlefield than everyone else, especially the empire; competing with the empire, isn't this what you always wanted? "

"And Anson Bach and his Storm Legion will be your biggest help in the new world; across the turbulent sea, the journey from North Port to Beluga Port is the shortest, and Clovis will also ensure that you and your troops can get the most Let’s go first, we have an advantage over the empire in this regard.”

"If the empire is still the first to take the lead... Anson Bach is also capable of fighting until the day you arrive at White Whale Port; after controlling the Ice Dragon Fjord, you only need to repeat his previous strategic deployment of conquering the imperial army. Can easily spread the glory of the Ring of Order throughout the new world."

"The Franz family, as well as the Kingdom of Clovis, can become the greatest contributors to this holy war at the lowest cost, thwarting the empire's ambition to retake the colonies and the Church of Order's ambition to interfere in the new world."

Ludwig was silent for a long time, let out a long sigh, and still looked at the girl with some uncertainty:

"So... Anson Bach?"

"That's right." Sophia nodded with great confidence:

"With him here, everything will be fine."

……………………

Empire, Xiaolong City Palace.

"Some troops stationed on the eastern border have begun to retreat one after another."

In the empty corridor, Grand Duke Adlan, who was leaning against the wall, listened to the faint conversation in the audience hall behind him, with an unspeakably tired look on his face:

"At the latest in early March, the empire and Clovis will conclude an armistice treaty for one year...The emperor can finally begin to assemble the army as he pleases and prepare for his great cause of holy war."

"In the end, we will inevitably be blackmailed by the Clovis people." Bernard Morweis's face looked very gloomy:

"The armistice period lasted only one year, but the price turned out to be six border fortresses and surrounding strongholds. Has Your Majesty forgotten that it took nearly a year to conquer these fortresses!"

"If we can take it down once, we can take it down a second time. What's more, we won't leave even a brick to the Clovis people when we retreat." Grand Duke Adlan waved his hand carelessly, but his eyes were filled with worry. :

"I'm just worried that after the one-year armistice period, the empire may no longer be able to organize a decent offensive to continue this war."

"……How to say?"

Bernard was stunned for a moment: "Have you not always opposed the war between the Empire and Clovis and tried your best to promote peace?"

"The premise is a peace that is beneficial to the empire!" Grand Duke Adlan gritted his teeth:

"Our emperor is a man who does whatever he wants. He has always firmly believed that only war, uninterrupted war, to force the surrounding countries to surrender, and becoming part of the empire can establish his prestige, as well as the prestige of the empire."

"But even if it can succeed, it is impossible. He does not understand the reasons for excluding Clovis from the imperial system, does not understand why Hantu must remain divided, does not understand that we tolerate the Ysel elves to maintain heretical beliefs, and never understand Support one of the three countries in the North Sea to become truly powerful!"

"This blindness has tied the empire to the rapidly advancing chariot. If the chariot stops, what will be waiting for it?!"

"Destruction." Bernard said without thinking.

"So it must not stop! Not only can it not stop, it must also run faster; once it slows down, it will be shattered into pieces." Grand Duke Adlan looked at the door of the audience hall coldly:

"My messenger told me that the Clovis people are wooing the five colonies of the three eastern North Sea countries; they may not know about the jihad, but they must have guessed that we will try to take back those rebellious and independent territories. I think this may be improved use."

"You mean..."

"They probably think that we will choose to land in the Slave Port area and attack the Ice Dragon Fjord they control from the flanks; in this case, we might as well develop the situation as they want." Grand Duke Adlan sneered:

"Four legions, send two to raid the slave port and attack from the east; the Clovis colonial legions must protect their flanks and will have no time to look west; we only need two legions to quell the six rebels colony."

Bernard nodded slightly. He had roughly understood what Archduke Adlan was thinking: "Does Louis know?"

"Of course not. This child is too innocent, and his extra compassion will only do bad things." Grand Duke Adlan shook his head:

"But on the other hand, with the prestige he has established in Sailing City, it will be much easier for us in the initial stage of the plan. We can get the first-mover advantage before Clovis and the church!"

"The only problem now is that we must find two people who agree with our views and become the commander-in-chief of the Jihad Army." Grand Duke Adlan raised his eyes and said without hesitation:

"Is there a suitable candidate?"

……………………

"I have no idea!"

In the White Tower City Fortress, Henares, who was responsible for assembling the army, shook his head, and said helplessly to Leon Francois, who was full of surprise: "I don't know why, there are suddenly so many people in the headquarters of the Jihad Army. He offered a place and was willing to give it to Hantu."

"But it may very well be an excellent opportunity, an opportunity for Hantu, which was originally unlikely to gain any benefit from this holy war, to truly come to the fore. We must not give up easily!"

"But my father is not as enthusiastic about jihad as he showed." Leon frowned slightly: "Even when he got the news, there was no smile on his face, and it was even worse."

"Your Majesty is your Majesty, and you are you, His Majesty Leon." Henares shook his head, with a hint of meaning in his eager eyes:

"You...are the commander-in-chief of this holy war legion representing Hantu. The pride of the Francois family and the interests of Hantu must be fought for with your own hands!"

"What's more, compared to the Empire, Clovis and we have a special advantage in the New World."

"You are talking about Anson Bach, right?" Leon's eyes lit up: "I heard Ludwig mention before that he has been promoted from colonel to brigadier general, and he also has a standing army of 40,000 people under his command! "

"Yes, it would be great if I could fight side by side with Ansen again and let him see the growth of me and Hantu with his own eyes!"