I will be crowned king

Early morning, Beluga Harbor.

Although it was still dark and the starry sky still shrouded the city sleeping in the dark, the atmosphere had already become lively in advance.

Piers, commercial streets, city center squares... countless figures looming in the spacious or narrow streets and alleys, messy footsteps, quarrels mixed with sweat and saliva, bumps and bumps in crowds, and countless sounds mixed together Together, the whole city was turned into a mess.

The Jihadi soldiers under the banner of the Ring of Order entered the city's various traffic arteries, important buildings and commanding heights of the town early, built countless temporary checkpoints and roadblocks, and watched with cold eyes as the entire city gradually fell into the abyss of disorder. .

When you are staring into the abyss, the abyss is also staring at you... This sentence is very appropriate for the Jihadi Army. They were supposed to suppress the riots immediately and maintain order. They were soon involved in this. In the midst of the chaos, he became one of the crowds of people crowded in the streets and alleys, with figures moving like a tidal wave.

Even the beginning of the whole chaos was the rumors that broke out within the Jihad Army.

I don’t know who it is, and I don’t know where it started. A rumor about "the colonial rebels are about to counterattack the Port of Beluga" spread among the Jihadi Army in the Port of Beluga. There are also similar sneak attacks, sieges, uprisings, etc. There are five or six versions, which can satisfy the different tastes of many people, from lovers of war literature to gossip and conspiracy theories.

It’s just that this didn’t attract too many people’s attention. After all, the hard power of both sides is here. The Jihadi Army’s strength is more than three times that of the Free Confederacy, and its equipment, military resources, and financial resources are ten times or hundreds of times more. The gap is so big that it is almost impossible to find. What comparability.

Therefore, even if rumors prevail, they are just rumors. Moreover, although the Jihadi Army also encountered many setbacks in the previous battles, on the whole it still moved from one victory to another, conquering most of the territory of the New World in just a few months. , driving the colonial rebels into the wild interior.

The Jihadi Army Command in Beluga Harbor did not take it seriously, and even allowed the "Beluga Harbor Good People" to publish a series of reports, reading these rumors as if they were serialized articles.

But I don’t know where it started. The rumors about “conspiracy theories” gradually took over, and the “details” became more and more abundant and detailed.

From the beginning, "there are still remnants of the Promise Keepers Alliance in the town" to "thousands of colonial rebels hiding in the city", "there are colonial rebel sympathizers within the Jihadist Army", "sympathizers are bribed internal agents", "Internal agents have infiltrated the middle and high-level officials of the Jihadi Army"...the level of exaggeration has escalated rapidly.

By the time many middle- and high-level officers began to realize that something was wrong and banned the rumors from spreading in newspapers and the army, it was already too late... In just a few days, they had been quickly screened, and what had been upgraded was that the rumors were no longer just exaggerations. , the details are rich to the point of being picky - they have even published who the colonial rebels were and when they attacked Beluga Port.

Of course, these details cannot withstand scrutiny at all, but people are only willing to believe what they want to believe; so when the rumors have an existence that can be verified, they will become the "truth" spread by word of mouth, and the riots can no longer be stopped. …

"So, what is the decision of the high command?!"

Standing in front of the second-floor window of Luen Mansion, Ludwig asked Grad Manfred, who was standing in the center of the living room, solemnly:

"I can now tell you with absolute certainty that without the support of other jihadi armies, we alone can maintain order for at most one to two days. This is still a very overestimated figure. To be honest, even if the rebels attack I wouldn’t be surprised if he burst into this room for a second.”

The cold words echoed in the empty living room, making the noisy noise outside the window even more harsh; even though they were separated by the street and the wall, Ludwig still needed to shout to ensure that what he said could be clearly heard. into the other person’s ears.

"One or two days? Your army underestimates itself too much." Grad Manfred smiled faintly: "As far as I know, Clovis's army is better than any other country's army in suppressing rebellions. Be experienced.”

"Oh, I almost forgot, Lord Ludwig Franz, wasn't it because you successfully suppressed the riot in Clovis City and obtained the position of Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army that you established the Royal Court of Israel? A glorious victory with Hantu?"

"These two things are different situations and cannot be compared at all!"

Ludwig frowned. The situation and results of the battle between Hantu and the Yiser elves must be better known to the other party than him. He deliberately mentioned it just to anger him. As for the chaos in Clovis City...could it be that the Holy See already knew about it? what?

"When I was in Clovis City, I had the support of the entire kingdom, and my opponents were only unarmed thugs. It was only because of the haste that the incident turned into a massive riot; this time, not only the local people in the colony, but also many people were convinced. Rumors, well-armed Mujahideen soldiers.”

"Yes, I can immediately order a bloody suppression, but you and I both know that the colonial rebels' counterattack is real, but it will only happen sooner or later; me taking action now will only provide the other side with a better opportunity, and at the same time Weaken our own strength."

"Besides, they didn't really riot, they were just frightened and wanted to leave. I don't know what the Holy See thought, but evacuating irrelevant people before the war started was something even Clovis's army would do. thing."

Ludwig was deliberately mocking the other party secretly. During the previous Battle of Red Hand Bay, the Holy See organized indiscriminate shelling and bombing of towns in Red Hand Bay. Not many rebel soldiers were killed, but innocent people were killed. Thousands of people died under the muzzle of the jihadist army.

It’s just that Grad Manfred didn’t seem to take it seriously, and there was no trace of guilt or shame in his eyes: “It’s about whether the Ring of Order can truly gain a foothold in the new world and spread the blessings of the True God’s teachings here. This is a land that has been shrouded in the haze of the Old Gods for too long."

"Wanting to escape at this time can only prove that those thugs have no faith in the true God. The so-called surrender is just verbal, and they are still stubborn in their hearts and do not want to repent."

"I appreciate your kindness, Major General Ludwig, but for such faithless false believers and troublemaking thugs, kindness will only become a weakness that they can exploit and threaten. Decisive action is the only way to stop losses. "

Grad Manfred is persuasive and understated, as if he is an enlightenment teacher teaching children how to read and write.

"So this is the final decision of the Holy War Command, is it, to resolutely suppress the riot?" Ludwig frowned slightly: "Why didn't I get an invitation to the meeting, let alone a formal order?"

Grad Manfred did not answer his question directly. He chuckled and slowly stepped closer until he walked past him and came to the second floor window, overlooking the chaotic scene outside.

"His Excellency Ludwig Franz, you might as well think about it from my perspective. What kind of conflict can there be between the Knights of Judgment and the Diocese of Clovis?"

Ludwig frowned even more with such a meaningless statement.

"What the Franz family wants is nothing more than to ensure Clovis's interests in the New World. This is absolutely respected by the Judgment Knights; even if the empire wants to resume its rule in the colonies after the war, we cannot really and put all the lands under the jurisdiction of Emperor Hred.”

"If this were not the case, how could we entrust you with the mission of retaking Beluga Harbor? It was Clovis's trust that allowed the Crusaders to make such a decision." Grad sighed softly. :

"Balance, maintaining the absolute balance of the entire world of order, is the only mission of the Church of the Ring of Order; anyone who breaks the balance will become an enemy of the church; as the son of Archbishop Clovis, you should know this .”

Ludwig couldn't help but glance sideways, but before he could speak, the other party raised his hand to stop him.

"Of course, I am also aware of your difficulties, so I will not put forward any excessive conditions. There is only one thing..." Grad slowly raised his right index finger:

"The Franz family, and Clovis, must not join forces with Rune... This is the bottom line."

"On the basis of this bottom line, the Holy See can acquiesce to some of Clovis's 'extraordinary' actions for the sake of profit; of course, it is only acquiescence."

"This is the price I offer on behalf of the Holy See. I wonder if the Franz family can accept it?"

The silence...the depressing atmosphere turned into reality and permeated every corner of the living room.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Ludwig, who pursed his lips tightly and remained silent for a long time, said coldly: "My father is the Archbishop of Clovis. The Franz family can never be related to the Old Gods."

"That's natural." Grad raised the corners of his mouth slightly, it was a victorious smile after the threat was successful.

"Regarding the riots in Beluga Port... I am here on behalf of the headquarters to seek your opinion as the person involved, and to provide you with some support. Three well-equipped infantry regiments are already on standby at the port, ready for your dispatch at any time."

"Whether it is retreating or holding on, Commander Philus and myself will firmly support your judgment - this is also my own commitment and the commitment of the entire Judgment Knights."

At the moment of speaking, Grad's expression was obviously more serious than before, and the seriousness in his eyes seemed to silently prove that this was the promise given by a true knight.

After the words fell, he turned around and left without saying anything else. He pushed away the headquarters guards who wanted to follow him and walked alone into the chaotic streets outside.

Ludwig stood alone in the empty hall, staring intently at the direction in which the Grand Master of the Judgment Knights was leaving, his heart in a mess.

"Dong dong dong..."

I don't know how long it took, but there was a slight knock on the door suddenly. Without permission, the figure behind the door walked into the living room.

"Has he already discovered it?" Ludwig asked without turning around, with a bit of complaint in his words: "What you did this time was too obvious. Don't tell them, even I hid it." but."

"This subordinate does not completely agree with this."

Silently closing and locking the door, the respectful Roman stopped three steps away from Ludwig: "It's precisely because Grad Manfred didn't know who the real person behind the scenes was that he personally Come and visit us.”

"What you mean is..."

"Based on common sense, there are only two factions trying to plunge Beluga Port into chaos right now - Clovis or the Empire." Roman analyzed:

"The empire's purpose is of course to abandon Beluga Harbor and then retake it with its own hands, leaving an excuse for not occupying it in the future. Clovis certainly hopes to keep Beluga Harbor and get the definite endorsement from the Holy See to avoid the empire from doing anything later. Making trouble unreasonably.”

"Considering from this point of view, the choice of the Holy See is naturally obvious; although it is not clear who it is, it is obviously much better for Beluga Port to remain in the hands of Clovis than to be taken away by the Empire; because of this Clovis Victoria needs support from the Holy See."

Ludwig was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Obviously, this support cannot be without cost; build a brand new cathedral, open up some administrative and management rights, and allow the Holy See to organize a "Jihad Army" organization locally...

The best thing is that the Holy See can withdraw this support at any time and hand over the "legal principles" of Beluga Port to the empire again; and as long as Clovis can be squeezed out of the New World, Emperor Hred will definitely not ask for anything. Yes, I dare not refuse.

"What do you mean... we don't make it fake so that they really believe in the answer they think they have?" Ludwig asked:

"To attract the attention of the Holy See so that they have no time to analyze other concerns?"

"That's true, but it can't be called a fake show. After all, except for the most exaggerated parts, those rumors are basically true."

Roman nodded slightly: "But in this case, we also need the cooperation of the empire; after all, it is still difficult to perform a one-man show, and the probability of being seen through by the Holy See is also very high."

"That's no problem! I can ask Arthur Herred to cooperate with us, as well as the Dukaski family, the leader of the Ed Legion; they are even more willing than us to disgust the Herred royal family. Stronger."

Ludwig was full of confidence, and the advantage of being the first to arrive in the new world was fully demonstrated in this matter; he could easily use the contacts and relationships he had established long ago to eliminate dissidents at will, form his own small group, and eliminate crises and troubles. Dissolve it into the invisible, allowing the enemy to be manipulated at will.

On the side, the corners of Roman's originally tightly pursed mouth gradually relaxed, and they naturally raised a slight arc, staring intently at the confident Ludwig.

That expression was like an old father seeing his child finally grow up.