I will be crowned king

Although the attitude of the Holy War Army and the Judgment Knights has been anticipated and prepared, when the opponent really shows it without any concealment, it is like falling from heaven to the bottom in an instant. The roller coaster-like mood is still difficult for many people to accept. .

That's right, we brought the steam airship over and gathered dozens of warships outside the port of Red Hand Bay to threaten you. If the negotiations are not in line with the wishes of the Holy See and the Jihad Army, these honor guards will be your funeral procession and can be ready at any time. Bury the entire Red Hand Bay directly alive.

What, are you unhappy? Well, show us your strength. If the Free Confederacy has a force that is not inferior to that of the Judgment Knights and the Holy War Legion, of course we are willing to talk to them.

The question is, do you have it?

If not, just shut up and go back to where you should be!

Regardless of the Imperial Knights and Storm Legion in Sailing City, or the colonists of the New World, although most people feel that the Holy See is cold and ruthless, at least they still have some respect; so when the other side shows no mercy at all, there is a big gap in their hearts. To say it fluctuates slightly can also be called stormy seas.

But both the threat and the huge disparity in strength were real, so Louis not only tolerated the other party's threats silently, but also took the initiative to agree to the other party's conditions for negotiation on the ship. The reason was that if it were on land, it would be difficult to find both sides due to the current war situation. A neutral location that is acceptable to everyone—not a problem on board a ship.

This is why Sir Ferrers calls himself the "herald": the three-masted sailing ship he drives will be parked in the port. In order to ensure that the Confederacy can negotiate with peace of mind, the entire ship, including the crew, will be packed and handed over to New World Legion, and until the negotiations are concluded, the Jihadi fleet parked on the sea will not approach the port.

To be fair, this condition is actually very good. It can even be said that the Free Confederacy still has an advantage, because even if they negotiate on land, based on the current strength comparison between the two sides, the Confederacy would not dare to play tricks. Instead, the Holy See can either coax them into doing so. To wipe out all the territory in one's own territory, or to cause accidents, there is even a reason to directly crush the Confederacy.

But what really surprised Louis and the Confederate congressmen was just the beginning.

…………………………………………

"What?! H-truce?!"

On the deck of the three-masted sailing ship Daystar, after hearing the Grand Master of the Knights of Judgment, Grad Manfred, speak out the requirements of the Crusaders, Marshal Louis of the New World Army immediately burst into action.

But neither the parliamentary officers on the Free Confederate side nor the army commanders on the Jihadi Army showed any disdain or shame at his gaffe, because they were equally shocked, with "just learned this information" written all over their faces. expression.

"Yes, this is the only requirement of the Holy War."

As if he was completely unaware of the strange looks cast towards him, Grand Captain Grad nodded slightly and said in a matter-of-fact tone: "From July 1st to August 1st, the period is based on the area currently controlled by both sides. , a one-month truce, and neither side is allowed to take any military action."

"But it is just a military operation...the Jihadi Army will not restrict the normal movement of personnel, and the Confederacy, please do not block it."

"In addition to this, you can add other requirements at will. Of course, please don't forget to attach the request you are willing to make when making it. The Jihadi Army will agree or reject it according to its own needs."

"Of course, you can also refuse. The price is that the airship above your head and the fleet of thirty-four battleships and cruisers parked on the sea, and the 40,000 Jihadi Legion, will immediately launch an attack on Red Hand Bay; if you really think that If you can block it, you might as well give it a try.”

After saying that, the smiling grand leader continued to look at the shocked young knight opposite, waiting for his next reply.

At this time, in the town of Red Hand Bay, Anson returned on the pretext of "managing the town garrison". Anson, who did not participate in the negotiations, had a solemn expression on his face, listening attentively to the intelligence that Lieutenant Colonel Roman, who had sneaked in, brought back from Sailing City.

He originally appeared in the New World through abnormal means. He was nominally supposed to be in charge of the southern fortress at this time, managing the legion that Ludwig left behind in the mainland, the legion that he created with his own hands and could truly command with ease; World, Roman, who couldn't hide it anymore, certainly didn't dare to stay in the colony controlled by the Jihadist Army and Ludwig for a long time, so he had to run to Red Hand Bay.

"... After arriving at Sailing City, the Holy War Army Command immediately took over the administration and defense of the entire city. It dissolved the temporary council that was originally composed of local people and managed the town, and replaced it with thirty priests from monasteries; daily security and patrols The work is taken care of by the Philus Legion, which is mainly composed of fanatic believers."

"They also sent special personnel to Black Reef Port and Gray Pigeon Castle to count the accounts and measure the land, and repeatedly asked all the troops who participated in the battles in these two colonies about the actual situation. In name, they abolished military control and divided the two places based on their military merits. Land was distributed to all officers and soldiers who participated in the war.”

"In addition, the logistics work that had been in charge of Major General Ludwig Franz was also taken over by the high command and was no longer assigned to any army. Instead, it was designated by the high command to be responsible for certain troops; before I left, this work was It was handed over to the four infantry regiments of Fernando's corps which had just retreated from Moby-Dick Harbor."

"...The newspapers you left in Sailing City, Black Reef Port and Gray Pigeon Castle, as well as the so-called New World Bank, have also been taken over by the high command and resumed operations in the name of the church. Currently, they are responsible for nearly half of the logistics of the Jihad Army. , the newspaper is also stepping up its efforts to publish the "Morning News" of the New World - the Jihadi Army brought a steam printing press, which is ten times more efficient than the original."

Roman's voice was as cold as ever, and his precise narration was also mixed with a hint of sarcasm, making the listener subconsciously feel that the other person was being deliberately sarcastic; only when facing Ludwig, this indifference became more Show some respect.

However, Anson has long been accustomed to this, and his calm face frowned slightly: "You mean, the Holy War Command is not only trying to control the troops below, but also trying to establish rule in the new world?"

"On the contrary." Roman, with a frosty face, interrupted:

“Their purpose is to make everyone think that the Holy See wants to establish rule in the New World, but this is impossible; at least it is impossible at the moment... Because with the current ability of the Holy See and the restrictions of the Second Council, it can only establish If a cathedral establishes a diocese for jurisdiction, the result will inevitably be the same as in the Old World. The interests of the diocese are highly bound to the local interests, and it will be difficult to maintain absolute obedience to the Holy See - and the problem will even be more serious because of the distance."

"Not to mention anything else, you can be considered as a person who personally experienced the incident of the Thirteenth Council of Iser. It was a head-on conflict between the empire's Duchy of Dragon, Clovis, Hantu Archdiocese and the Holy See. In the end, the knights were judged The regiment is dispatched, and the destruction of the Royal Court of Yser is over.”

"With such a precedent, do you think the Holy See will continue to try to establish new dioceses?"

Obviously not... Anson understood what Roman wanted to say: "The Holy See does not want the territory of the New World at all, nor does it want to establish a parish. What they need are enemies."

"An enemy that can transform the Jihad Army from temporary to long-term existence, and even use it to constantly threaten and order all countries in the world." Roman took a deep look at him:

"Because all actions related to jihad and the massacre of heretics, whether military or administrative, are not considered interference in the secular world; they start with reasonable jihad, gradually penetrate into various countries, re-strengthen the control of the Holy See over various parishes, and finally complete the absolute control of the secular world. …This is the goal of the Holy See!”

"The war in the New World has now reached a critical point... The multi-front attack is unfavorable. The Borei Legion was even annihilated by you, and the legion commander was killed. The frustrated Jihadi Army is likely to have the idea of ​​​​quick victory regardless of the cost, or even withdraw the troops - —This is not in the interest of the Holy See."

"I don't have detailed information about the Grand Master of the Judgment Knights, but his thoughts are nothing more than this."

…………………………………………

"...In this case, can I think that the purpose of your negotiation is to have a one-month truce? Other than that, you have no demands, and you don't want the Free Confederation to refuse or put forward any other conditions?"

Louis Bernard said solemnly, he could probably guess from the expressions of everyone present that the so-called truce and even this negotiation should be just the personal thoughts of the grand leader in front of him, and he did not consult other members of the Jihad Army. Even the opinions of several legion commanders.

In this case, the thing is very clear - the person he is negotiating with is not the so-called Holy War Army, but the Church of Order. To be more precise, he is negotiating head-on with the Holy See.

From the Holy War to the Holy See, it seems that the number of real enemies has been reduced. If you are lucky, you can even use the chaos on the opposite side to make the so-called "Destruction of Red Hand Bay" threat come to nothing; in fact, it is the enemy who uses himself to strengthen himself. The danger of controlling the Jihad Army has escalated further than before.

"That's right. As expected of Kroger's younger brother and the heir to the Bernard family, he discovered the key to this negotiation at a glance."

Grad continued to compliment, his faint smile exuding a chilling coldness: "So if you can agree now, our negotiation will be over soon, and the Free Confederacy can also have a month to recuperate, or Prepare your army for war and be ready to fight to the last soldier and the last colony.”

"After all... if you want to transfer an army of nearly 50,000 people, a population of about 100,000, and supplies that are enough to supply so many people to a remote inland colony like Winter Torch City, it cannot be done in a moment. thing, right?”

He already knew about the existence of Winter Torch City... The young knight's expression remained unchanged. He looked at the congressman beside him and several imperial knights from Sail City, and then looked at Grad:

"This matter is of great importance. I can't give you an answer right away. I need to go back and discuss it seriously with other people in the Confederacy."

"No problem!" Grad agreed readily: "How long do you need?"

"one day."

The young knight said: "At this time tomorrow, I will tell you the decision of the Free Confederacy, and will attach our conditions and the chips we are willing to hand over."

This was a decision he made after careful consideration: since the request for an armistice was only to rule on the personal thoughts of the Grand Master of the Knights, even if he could really use his identity to force everyone else to obey his decision, unless he was prepared to watch it. The Jihadi Army fell apart, otherwise they would definitely have to find a way to convince them afterwards, or at least explain the reasons to everyone.

In one day, the other side would never have time to convince all the important commanders and officers of the Crusaders; but for the Confederacy, there was no difference between one day and seven days, because it must be accepted.

At least on the surface, no matter what the opponent's purpose is, a one-month truce is very beneficial to the Confederacy; not only can it take the opportunity to lick its wounds and recuperate, but it can also shorten the last window before winter and reduce the pressure on defense.

Unless...the other party's so-called "truce" is just a cover.

……………………

"You guessed it, it just wasn't in time."

Roman said coldly: "If it is really just for negotiation, there is no need to use airships, dozens of warships, more than 40,000 jihadi legions - and it is still a well-organized Hantu jihadi army that has never suffered any casualties."

"Searching all the way to the city and territory, constantly breaking through the defense lines set up by the Free Confederacy, and finally killing all the resisters in Winter Torch City... This is not in the interest of the Holy See."

"The best choice is to kill the core of the Confederacy and most of the elites in the port town of Red Hand Bay, and turn the entire city into ashes like a devastation."

"As we speak, Major General Ludwig and his Jihadi Legion have crossed the Red Hand Bay and are heading towards the Ice Dragon Fjord - the target is Beluga Port."

"If I remember correctly, the most elite grenadiers under your command have followed you to Red Hand Bay, while the main army is resting in Gray Snow Town; only a few thousand members of the Promise Keeper Alliance are defending this important colonial town. , poorly equipped militia, plus a shooting corps less than the size of an infantry division."

"What they are about to face is the 20,000 Jihadi Army who are well-equipped, well-supplied and protected by the Royal Fleet of Clovis - taking Beluga Port means that the Jihadi Army headquarters will take away the Sailing City and give it to Ludwig The major general’s compensation, and the bait to avoid the major general’s participation in the subsequent Battle of Red Hand Bay.”

"If that's the case, isn't Red Hand Bay now a dead city?" Anson narrowed his eyes slightly, focusing on Roman's eternally cold face:

"As the adjutant of Major General Ludwig, why do you come to a place like this?"

"So you never know how to listen to others. Anson Bach always puts yourself first." Roman still said without mercy:

"I said that as long as you can persist for half a year without being defeated by the Jihadi Army, there will be a way to help you win this war."

"Now, it's time to turn defeat into victory!"