I will be crowned king

Two hours later, Anson quietly returned to the Supreme Council alone; Fabian, who had been waiting in the corridor outside the hall for a long time, immediately stood up and took the initiative to greet him while also giving him the latest information:

"The military meeting of the New World Army has begun. Sir Louis Bernard insisted on waiting for you to return, but the people of the Free Confederacy always disagreed. In the end, both parties took a step back and agreed to wait for you for an hour, and then..."

Anson, whose eyes moved slightly, raised his hand to stop Fabian: "What are they discussing?"

"Peace talks." Fabian said without any pause: "The members of the Supreme Council want to use the captives of Fernando Legion as conditions to negotiate with the Jihadi Army."

"As your representative, Lieutenant Colonel Norton Crosell is watching the scene at the moment. The situation seems not to be ideal - except for the people in Sailing City and Gray Pigeon Castle who are still tough, the troops in the remaining colonies feel that since they have won, then There’s no need to keep fighting.”

"...Already won?"

"At least that's what they think." Fabian was expressionless, but there was a hint of sarcasm in his eyes: "The Free Confederacy has been severely weakened. Even if it wins completely, it is unrealistic to maintain its original territory. Why don't we and the Crusaders... well, each step back half a step."

"On the Thirteen Colonies, Beluga Port, Sail City, Gray Pigeon Castle, Black Reef Port and Red Hand Bay will be given up. The five eastern colonies will only retain Straw Town and Slave Port; each other will be demarcated according to the territory they currently control. Boundaries, peace talks and truce...it’s really a good way to divide it.”

"Yes." Anson also agreed and wrote lightly:

"If I were Sir Philus and the Holy See, I would be extremely happy to know this news."

Beluga Port, Sailing City, Black Reef Port, Red Hand Bay...the four most important ports in the New World. Controlling here means controlling three-quarters of the population and four-fifths of the wealth in this land; being The Free Confederacy, which was locked in the inland area, was reduced to a vassal of the Holy See and the Empire little by little, and there was no possibility of turning over.

Of course, it will even be worse... As long as the Holy See agrees to these conditions, the Free Confederacy will withdraw its troops; in a few months and a year or so, the Holy War Army will be able to find any reason to fight again; by then, the army that has established a foothold in the New World will again There’s no need to worry about logistical issues, you can just go straight in.

Unless Rune comes and the Gravekeepers side with the Free Confederacy, Anson can't think of any possibility of a comeback.

The truth is all obvious, but even if Anson tells the colonial members of the Supreme Council without reservation, they will still choose peace talks... This is the key.

Obviously, the problem lies in the strength comparison between the two sides: although the battle during the day was won by the New World Legion, the Jihadi Army was defeated across the board, and even ended with a complete legion being captured, they had seen the whole process with their own eyes.

To put it bluntly, the entire battle was won by the New World Army based on shameless sneak attacks, the enemy's lack of cooperation, and a little bit of luck; even if there was a slight deviation during the period, the entire army would definitely be wiped out.

Even so, there were only three legions that faced off against the New World Legion; even if Fernando's legion was really dead to the point where no one was left, if they wanted to win back Beluga Port, they would have to defeat at least 100,000 jihadists to have any hope.

So the Free Confederacy was afraid, completely afraid - not even Red Hand Bay, which was reduced to ashes in the sea of ​​fire, was enough to make them feel this level of fear; the imaginary army of 100,000 and the sight of it with their own eyes and the head-on confrontation They finally had a personal experience of how big the difference was.

"Do you need me to do anything?"

Fabian said expressionlessly, his right hand silently placed on the handle of the gun at his waist, speaking for itself.

"Being not."

"That……"

"Wait and see Louis' attitude."

Anson thought about it seriously and felt that it would be better to just sit on the sidelines this time.

In addition to having absolute trust in Louis, what's even more troublesome is that this time I really don't have a fulcrum suitable for exerting my strength.

Although the Free Confederacy was founded by himself, and even the five eastern colonies were pulled into this system by himself, except for Gray Pigeon Castle, almost no colony in the Confederacy truly stood on its side from the top to bottom. .

The reason is also simple. He also has the Storm Legion behind him, Ice Dragon Fjord, who are Clovis.

Interests can make people ignore each other, but when it comes to gathering people's hearts in times of crisis, beliefs, habits, origins, bloodlines...these things that are easiest to shape consensus are the keys to real power.

And this time is different from the time of Hantu: At that time, I had the François family and Leon's absolute unconditional trust, so I could do whatever I wanted. As for Louis... honest people are really a scarce resource that is easily consumed. .

Of course, it doesn't matter even if the result is not in your own interests. There really aren't many ways to promote war... The prerequisite for negotiating is that the other party knows that you want peace talks, but what if the other party doesn't know?

Say hello to Major General Ludwig and arrange for manpower to intercept the negotiation team halfway. Is it easy...is it difficult?

Moreover, Louis has a weak point in his character: when he feels sorry for others - at least that's what he thinks - he will compensate others by agreeing to many requests that he would have been unlikely to accept, and even give up the matter. The matter rose to the level of knightly dignity.

After weighing the two aspects, Anson still believed that there was a greater chance of waiting for the result, and he was more likely to strike preemptively, completely eliminating the risk of the Free Confederacy wanting peace talks again, and guiding the war to the outcome he most wanted.

Well, that is the result that is most beneficial to you.

After sending Fabian away and arranging matters related to the rest and defense of the Storm Legion, Anson silently returned to his room, smoking his pipe and opening a bottle of Tirpitz rum, which was like a bone. He collapsed on the sofa as if he was soft.

At the same time, Carl Bain, who was cleaning up the ruins and building positions at the Beluga Port headquarters, was worried about the enemy's sneak attack. He looked at the moon that had risen above his head and scolded a certain unscrupulous commander-in-chief a thousand times in his heart. all over.

The leisurely Anson was silently waiting for someone to come uninvited. In the smoke-filled room, the smell of alcohol became stronger and stronger.

When the third bottle of rum was about to bottom out, footsteps in the corridor finally knocked on the door gently.

……………………

"Are you still drinking?"

The young knight frowned slightly and subconsciously covered his mouth and nose. His eyes instantly locked on a figure who was completely unaware of his mistake: "Didn't I ask Colonel Fabian to wait for you outside the door? Why didn't you go to the meeting? It couldn't be possible. Didn't you touch it?"

"No, I encountered it." Anson put down his wine glass with an upward smile: "But I thought about it very seriously and decided not to disturb you."

"……Why?"

"Because you definitely don't want to hear what I want to say, let alone accept it." Anson bit his pipe and said: "The premise of communication is that both parties have a basic fortification; since we don't even have this, there is no need to say anything. ”

Louis fell into silence, and his frown gradually relaxed.

"You...how much do you already know?"

"That's not important!" Anson intercepted his words directly, not at all like a drunk person: "What's important is, what are you going to tell me?"

"Don't forget, the marshal of the New World Army is not me, nor them, but you - you are the one who holds an army of 45,000 and is qualified to fight to the death with the Jihadi Army."

Anson stared into his eyes intently, and his oppressive sight could even penetrate the lingering smoke.

"But, but I can't make my own decisions, I can do whatever I want!"

The young knight suddenly fell into embarrassment: "In the final analysis, we are fighting for their freedom and independence. If they themselves are not willing to continue to fight and sacrifice, what is the point of us fighting?!"

"Furthermore, even if I want to continue the fight, the only ones that can be mobilized are the Storm Legion, the Sail City Legion and the Shooting Army, which total only 25,000 people - our military strength is not large to begin with, how can we win if we cut it in half? hope?!"

Louis sighed tiredly. He was personally even more radical than Anson. He hoped to determine the outcome in a direct battle and ensure that the ordered world could no longer organize the existence of the Free Confederacy... but reality did not allow it.

Seeing his expression of helplessness and dilemma, Anson poured him half a glass without haste: "You are right, but you are only half right."

"half?"

Louis was stunned after taking the wine glass.

"If we only have half the strength, we will definitely not be able to win this battle... Well, let alone half, even in the current state it is still risky." Anson showed a meaningful look:

“But are we really just fighting for their freedom and independence?”

"You mean..."

"Businessmen, landowners, industrial owners, mercenary leaders...the rulers and leaders of the Free Confederation are nothing more than these identities. Their characteristics are that they seek stability and are afraid of chaos and uncertainty, because in addition to not having titles and prominent family backgrounds, they have There is not much difference from those wealthy families in the old continent."

"So they are willing to compromise... Even if they lose the war, the empire, Clovis or the Holy See will still have to rely on people like them to rule the land of the new world. They still have to use them and give them some minimum sweetness in order to win from this land. There is a steady stream of wealth being squeezed out of the world, just like in the past.”

"The previous resistance was simply because they were squeezed so hard that they had no room for survival and profit; but after this war, they showed a little bit of the value of being coaxed, and their worth has also increased a lot. Naturally, there is room for negotiation.”

"So...it's okay to fight for freedom and independence, but are we really just fighting for the freedom and independence of these people?"

The young knight made no answer.

"You know, I am very realistic most of the time. Without immediate benefits, my legion and I will not risk everything...even if the risk is minimal."

Anson stared into his eyes: "With the current situation, there is no need for me to fight this battle; whether it is negotiation, compromise, or completely overturning the table... I have countless ways to just get back Beluga Port."

"But you still did it." Louis took the initiative to ask: "Why?"

"Because she died."

"...Paulina Frey?"

Louis' tone was a little uncertain, because he really didn't think Anson Bach was the kind of person who would...

"It's surprising, isn't it?" Anson looked at him:

"A puppet controlled by me in the eyes of others, a tool used to win over the empire's colonies, died heroically on the battlefield, ensuring that the plan could be realized smoothly... How perfect, why should I care about her death?"

"The answer is very simple, because she knew all my plans and had countless chances to survive, but she still chose to sacrifice; she knew I was using her, but she didn't care, because I could help Gray Pigeon Castle, Frey The family is rising again; she knows I will not side with her enemies."

"So if I had chosen another course of action, then everything I had done from the 101st year of the Calendar of Saints to the present, and everything they had done... so many wars, death and destruction, the whole New World had paid a heavy price. The price, the result...is that nothing has changed."

"I don't hope that's the case."

"Even a little bit, I hope it can have a new attitude. It doesn't need too much. It's enough to be able to say with confidence, 'This is an independent, free Confederate Republic.'"

"The Declaration of Resistance, which was just a lie at first but was finally put into practice by the girls who believed it, should not be penniless."

While smiling, Anson poured himself another glass of rum: "So...if you still think what they said is right, you can leave."

After saying that, he drank most of the full glass of wine in one gulp.

…………………………………………

"He left without drinking?"

Looking at the still full glass of rum on the table, Fabian looked worriedly at the commander-in-chief who was almost drunk: "Could this be..."

"No, this is right." Anson smiled faintly: "If he drank the wine, it means that Louis recognized it and chose to surrender to reality; if he didn't drink, it means that he is still the... knight."

"Send the order... Let the legions be prepared. The next siege will not be easier than today. It is not easy to make the Holy See surrender."

"Now?" Fabian was uneasy: "Let's wait for the situation with the Free Confederacy. What if they still don't agree?"

"They must agree, there is no way out!"

"Well, I can't say there isn't..."

"I'm talking about us." Anson rolled his eyes: "The New World can do whatever it wants, but the future and interests of more than 8,000 people in the Storm Legion must be guaranteed, so the New World Legion can only and will definitely conquer Beluga Harbor - —Go ahead, I am confident that this plan will be absolutely foolproof."

"clear!"