I will be crowned king

"This... can any of you tell me what is going on?"

Standing next to the ship's side, Carl Bain pointed his telescope at the crowds of people on the pier, his expression a little confused: "Honorary citizen, there are half the city's people who came here to wait for you. When did our commander-in-chief be so brave?" Are you saving face?"

The officers surrounding them all had confused faces, and there was some indescribable disbelief in their eyes; you must know that before they came, they had all prepared to be treated as rebels who were shouted at and beaten. It's hard to believe that such a huge difference in treatment was caused by some errors in the reports, or by chance, someone who happened to bump into a team welcoming others.

After all, the independence of the Free Confederacy almost offended most of the chambers of commerce in North Port; those businessmen who profited from the price difference by squeezing the colonies and selling raw materials at high prices would be polite if they didn't eat them alive, so why would they go out of their way to welcome them?

"In the eighty-eighth year of the Saint's Calendar, the former captain of the royal fleet, Nott Conan, was wanted by the Church of Order for being accused of using black magic to induce crimes. However, he was not able to be brought to justice, so the reward was also from the very beginning. The one hundred gold coins will be gradually increased to three hundred, and the captor will enjoy lifelong honorary citizenship of Beigang, and will also have a special seat on the city council!"

A voice full of reverence sounded from behind the crowd. The stunned people followed the footsteps of the little secretary and turned around one after another, making way for both sides like a wave:

"Then in the 100th year of the Saint's Calendar, a factory in Clovis encountered a riot by protesting workers, and the factory owner, Viscount Bogner, was trapped in the factory; at this extremely critical moment, Commander-in-Chief Anson Bach personally led the The storm group raided the factory, rescued Viscount Bogner from Nott Conan's men, and killed the gangster, successfully resolving the crisis."

"Of course, these are just one of Lord Anson's countless great achievements, and they are not worth showing off too much." The little secretary, who was still not satisfied, stood beside the railing of the ship that was taller than him, sighing while looking at everyone curiously:

"But this is not a secret, and the Grenadier Regiment of the Storm Legion is also involved in the whole process. Why do you look like you don't know anything about it?"

"Uh, this..."

The stunned officers looked at each other one by one, and finally all focused on the chief of staff.

It all depends on what I do. At that time, I was still in the Southern Army, and I was not the adjutant of this guy Anson... I scolded these scapegoats ten thousand times in my heart, and Karl, who was trying to calm down, coughed: "No, it's not that I don't know. , but haven’t we all been to Beigang once before? At that time, we didn’t see such a grand welcome scene, and no one mentioned that the Commander-in-Chief is an honorary citizen of Beigang.”

"Ah, yes, yes, that's right, I thought they had forgotten this a long time ago!"

"It makes sense. Why didn't you say it before, but now you suddenly bring it out? It's obviously very abnormal!"

"There's a problem, there's a big problem!"

"That's right. Being an honorary citizen is definitely just a cover. Beigang people are suddenly so arrogant and respectful. They must have other agendas!"

With the chief of staff starting this, the remaining officers suddenly became eloquent, eager to show their infinite loyalty to the legion and the commander-in-chief, and what they said was reasonable.

In particular, Norton Crosell, commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, and Fabian, commander of the Grenadier Regiment and deputy commander of the regiment, obviously knew something. The two looked at each other and hid silently in the bustling crowd. inside.

Although it was just a flash of abnormality, Karl quickly captured that moment with the corner of his eye; then he soon discovered that it was not just these two people: Alexey, the commander of the 2nd Infantry Regiment, also seemed a little absent-minded. , Leo, the commander of the Fourth Infantry Regiment, only pretended to agree, the medical chief and the artillery company commander avoided their eyes, and even Yulian, the commander of the Fifth Regiment, who had always been simple, could tell that he was pretending to be shocked...

Karl’s whole body was numb.

"Hmm...so the honorary citizen is probably just an excuse. In fact, Beigang would welcome Sir Anson with such great fanfare, but they actually have other motives - if they are really welcoming Mr. Anson."

Among the people who had their own agendas, only the little secretary was still analyzing the current situation seriously: "If you put it this way, could it be a trap?"

"The pretense of a warm welcome is actually to make the commander-in-chief and the regiment relax their guard. Once they land, they will immediately..."

"Stop, stop, stop... your guess is a bit exaggerated." Carl, covering his head, quickly interrupted the little clerk's random thoughts: "Although there is no evidence, I personally think that there is a high probability that it will not happen."

"Oh, you are saying that Beigang and Beigang's Chamber of Commerce will not be detrimental to Lord Anson?"

"No, what I mean is that they don't have to wait to go ashore at all. They can take action directly on the ship - the commander-in-chief is a landlubber, and the legionnaires are still scattered in the cabins of more than a dozen battleships. It is purely useless to wait for us to assemble before taking action. It’s unnecessary.”

Karl, who looked indifferent, waved his hand: "But I guess Anson... I mean, even if the commander-in-chief knew that this was a trap, he would still choose to go ashore as soon as possible."

After the words fell, the officers who had their own secrets just now, or pretended to talk about it, or remained silent and pretended to be transparent, all nodded matter-of-factly, with expressions of great approval on their faces.

…………………………

Although the development of the matter was exactly the same as what a certain chief of staff had guessed, Anson, who knew that something seemed wrong, still immediately issued the order to land on the shore. However, after all, it was a fleet composed of dozens of warships. From assembly to arrangement It took a lot of time to find where the ship was parked.

It was already three or four hours later when the commander-in-chief of the Storm Legion finally got his wish and set foot on the land he had longed for.

In addition, the welcoming crowd looked very lively, but the person who actually came to greet them was not the mayor of the North Port City Council, but Commodore Taro Cecil.

Yes, it was the general who lent an entire fleet to the Storm Legion in the name of "lease cargo ships", and was also the father of Colonel William Cecil.

Perhaps because of his mission, this weather-beaten commodore looks much more enthusiastic than before. He compliments Anson and Little Baekeland, who is the representative of the Free Confederacy, in various ways whenever they meet. This makes people suspect that the fleet commander is purely a personal hobby. , Clovis’s ambassador is his true identity.

"...In short, Beigang is truly honored by your presence!"

After being polite for no less than a quarter of an hour, the cheerful Tarot Cecil finally got down to business, smiling at the officers of the Storm Legion and the Free Confederacy envoy in front of him:

“After discussion by the city council, it was unanimously agreed that merely being an ‘honorary citizen for life’ and a special seat are no longer enough to express the gratitude and admiration of the entire North Port community to Brigadier General Anson Bach, and a special position should be established to confer it on you.”

"Ah, not only you, but also your descendants or all legal heirs can hold this position unconditionally; not only retaining a seat on the city council, but also special allowances and the privilege of free access to any place in North Port!"

"As for the name of the position, it is tentatively named 'North Port Tribune'." Taro Cecil paused: "Of course, we do not rule out the possibility of revising it later if there is a more suitable title."

"You are all so polite." With a formulaic smile, Anson waved his hand in a very humble manner: "I only made a trivial contribution such as catching Nott Conan, a criminal who has been on the run for more than ten years. Really It is not worthy of the great people of Beigang to mobilize forces like this."

"No, no, no...how can you say it's not worth it?" Tarot looked solemn on the spot and looked up at his son who was accompanying him: "William, you can evaluate it."

"ah?"

The young naval captain was stunned. He looked at the smiling Anson, his serious father, and the huge crowds of people on the pier, and quickly gave his answer:

"...It's worth it, so worth it!"

"Well said, the whole of Northport owes Brigadier General Anson Bach a huge favor!" Tarot Cecil said with great emotion, pointing to the eye-catching banner above his head, and then almost mobilized his troops behind him. The welcoming team from each city waved:

"And more importantly, the last time you visited Beigang, you were so low-key, and we actually forgot about your outstanding contribution to Beigang because of your humble character. No amount of compensation can make up for the mistake. Just in case!"

"So after hearing that you and your army have returned triumphantly, the whole city is racking their brains to think about what to do to highlight the hospitality and enthusiasm of Beigang, so that as an honorary citizen of this city, you can go home as soon as you land ashore. Kindness.”

"Of course, this also includes you, His Excellency Baekeland Wetzler." Tarot changed the topic and at the same time turned his attention to Anson, who was wearing a black coat and a half-top hat that was level with him. On little Baekeland:

"The people of Beigang, a prosperous port city, have a deep understanding of the colonial people's desire for freedom. Therefore, although the two sides no longer belong to the same country, they still hope to be considerate, tolerant and understanding of each other."

"No matter whether the Free Confederation and the Kingdom of Clovis can successfully establish diplomatic relations and become an alliance country, Ice Dragon Fjord will always be Beigang's friend; for friends, we have always been very happy to express our friendship with the greatest enthusiasm."

"Therefore, the city has prepared a grand dinner at the city council to entertain you and the members of the Free Confederate Mission - of course, including the Storm Legion; we will use our greatest enthusiasm and ability to let everyone experience Northport is a welcoming harbor!”

Facing such a passionate Commodore, little Baekeland, as the ambassador of the Free Confederacy, could hardly stand even while maintaining the stiff smile on his face.

He originally loved painting and was not good at dealing with social interactions and crowded situations. Otherwise, Thalia would not have asked him to leave Beluga Harbor and run to Crowley across the sea in order to protect the last hope of the Wetzler family. dimension.

But in the eyes of little Baekeland, who is introverted and a little "socially afraid", the enthusiastic Tarot Cecil is not much friendlier than his indifferent relatives.

Looking at the refreshing Commodore in front of him, Anson vaguely understood something.

Whether it was William Cecil's "reminder" before landing or the Storm Legion's internal discussion, it was basically agreed that Beigang, who had been robbed of the cake, would never give anything to himself or the Free Confederate mission, even if he would not thank guests behind closed doors. Good look.

After all, no matter what, the entry of Ice Dragon Fjord into the Free Confederacy and the independence of the Confederacy can be regarded as the single-handed promotion of the Storm Legion; it may be possible to deceive others by saying that the colonies will resist, but the Cecil family participated in the entire establishment of the New World Company. There are even shares, so it’s impossible not to know the origin of the whole thing.

Now it seems that the judgment at that time may have been slightly biased.

Regardless of the independence of the Free Confederacy or the joining of the Ice Dragon Fjord to the Free Confederacy, on the surface it seems to have increased the difficulty for the Northport Chamber of Commerce to dump cheap manufactured goods to the colonies; and it can no longer purchase raw materials at almost free prices like in the past. , the cost is all in transportation, you can cut the leeks how you want.

But now that the Free Confederacy is unified, and there is a New World Company specifically responsible for foreign trade, what does this mean? This means that Beigang merchants no longer have to negotiate business from colony to colony, or even from industrial owner to industrial owner, as in the past; it means that as long as they can win over the New World Company, they can switch from harvesting leeks in Binglong Fjord to harvesting leeks in Binglong Fjord. of the entire Free Confederation.

In the past, they could only sell goods to Ice Dragon Fjord or even a colony in Beluga Port, and then purchase raw materials from Beluga Port, and then wait for Beluga Port to sell the goods to other colonies, and then buy more from them. Raw materials; and now... there are no middlemen making the difference!

So the answer is obvious. As long as you can win over the New World Company, you can make back the lost cake tenfold or a hundredfold; and in the eyes of the Beigang businessmen, it is obvious that they and Baekeland, the ambassador of the Free Confederacy, are the New World Company's Spokesperson.

"To make this rare day even more unforgettable, we have specially prepared a small surprise for His Excellency Anson Bach."

Just when Anson was thoughtful, Brigadier General Tarot Cecil suddenly smiled mysteriously, turned sideways and raised his hand: "I hope this surprise can make you feel more at home."

surprise?

The stunned Anson raised his eyebrows, looked in the direction indicated by the other party, and then...

"Ah!" Lisa, standing behind him, suddenly screamed, stammering and pointing at the figure reflected in her pupils: "He, he, he, he..."

"He looks exactly like Anson!"