I Will Be The Crowned King

The Grand Duchy of Thun, White Tower City.

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A month later, Anson and the storm division returned to the castle again—the only difference was that last time they came, they were spectators, but this time it was her master.

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The whole castle rises by the lake, the south is a moat, the crystal clear mirror lake; the east and west wings are surrounded by rolling hills and densely forested; the north is an open field, large and small villages, manors, fruit forests, windmills... The earth is adorned with stars.

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The pure white Baita City, like a huge knight's sword, stands in the center, facing the Dawn Bingfeng from afar.

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As the territory closest to the south of the Grand Duchy of Thun, although the area of ​​Baita City is much smaller than that of Jinshi City, its population—or the Elf of Isel—is not dense, nor is it as prosperous as the surrounding area of ​​Jinshi City, where there are splendid palaces. , solemn cathedrals, splendid mansions built by nobles and wealthy businessmen...

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However, the annual vassal tax paid to Grand Duke Claude Francois by the White Tower City reached half of the total.

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The Brand family that rules here and the Iser elves who live here, regardless of the cost, have been thrifty and have been developing the fertile land under their feet for the past hundred years, working hard to thrive, and trying to turn this place into the kingdom of Iser. An enclave south of the Dawn Mountains.

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Now, their hundred years of accumulation have all become the spoils of the storm division; the top of the castle tower is flying the king's flag of Clovis; tens of thousands of elves have been forced to leave their homes again, leaving their new homes and returning to the kingdom of Iser.

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Despite a riot, the entire castle itself is well preserved, except for the countryside outside the city, which was sacked and looted by Thun soldiers - the turrets on the walls are still intact, and the streets are set on fire except in a few places And the door that was forcibly broken open, various facilities can still be used normally, so that the storm division can enter calmly without any effort to repair.

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Of course, there is no need to think about the belongings - the vault and all the important warehouses in the castle were evacuated by Claude Francois, and even the curtains, chandeliers and other furniture were removed, leaving Anson as a "rough room".

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The manor outside the city was also thoroughly looted by the soldiers of Thun. The pigsties and chicken coops were clean and habitable, and there were only starved mice in the granary. Except for crows and wild dogs, there was not a single living thing left in the fields and villages.

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According to the little secretary's estimate, if the entire county of Baita City is to be re-operated, a lot of manpower and material resources will be needed to lease tenant farmers, restore the community, and reclaim the land... The initial investment will be at least 200,000 gold coins.

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Now Anson wants to take out such a sum of money, he can only borrow usury loans - the little clerk very euphemistically said that he is not familiar with the local church, but if Ansen really insists, he can only make sure to borrow as much as possible The amount of the loan, the interest is not guaranteed.

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From this, it can be seen that the Grand Duke of Thun is really worried that Clovis and the Iser elves are playing the same trick...develop a piece of land in the Grand Duke of Thun, and then occupy the magpie's nest.

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Moreover, compared with the Iser elves of different races, it is not too easy for the Clovis people to forcefully eat this enclave; as long as they are willing to spend money to rebuild, forcibly relocate a group of people to settle in, and then recruit some from the Han soil Refugees act as sharecroppers and underclassmen…

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In just ten years or even a few years, the rich Baita City can have a population of tens of thousands, stable agriculture and a large-scale army, reaching the level that the Isel elves took hundreds of years to achieve.

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At that time, as long as it waits a few decades for the White Tower City to complete the transition of a generation, the Clovis Kingdom will be able to assert that "White Tower City has been a sacred and indivisible territory since ancient times" and launch an invasion of Thun's ownership. - It's not like this has never happened.

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But Claude Francois is obviously overthinking it. Anson is eager to discount some of the assets in his hand. How can he invest in this kind of real estate that is destined to have nothing to do with him?

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If he dares to stay in Thun and not leave, the Francois family does not need to do anything. Sophia Franz, who has been investing in vain, and Talia Rune, who has been given a bad promise, will personally strip him of his life and death. .

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Of course, understanding is one thing, accepting that is another; Little Leon, who accompanied Anson in person, immediately expressed shame after seeing the mess in White Tower City, and immediately asked his father to restore the original interior of the castle. All the items and utensils were returned, and more people were dispatched to rebuild the White Tower City, and Anson would never suffer any grievances!

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The tolerant and generous deputy commander, His Excellency, politely declined in the eyes of his adjutant, but the more he declined, the more insisted Little Leon was, and the two sides finally quarreled.

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The embarrassed Leon even questioned Anson aggrievedly, did he not regard himself as a friend and family member, or did he feel that the two sides only had a cold interest relationship?

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Nonsense, who wants to travel so far to fight without money? Wouldn't it be nice to stay in Clovis City and be an office worker who clocks in on time and gets a stipend?

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So An Sen had no choice but to accept it, and even under little Leon's questioning, he took out the White Tower City reconstruction plan that he "accidentally" brought with him.

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In this plan, the entire county of Baita City was thoroughly planned as a pure military base—with the castle as the core, a core military camp, a large warehouse for the storage of supplies and weapons, and a road dedicated to the use of heavy trucks , there are recruit training places...

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The entire plan is expected to cost 50,000 gold coins, and can be built in stages, and it is expected to be fully operational in three months.

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"Victorious" Leon picked up the blueprint and immediately said excitedly that he would return to the Golden Rock City immediately. The Francois family would fund the construction, and strive to be able to operate within two months and complete it within half a year.

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Touched, Anson immediately held Little Leon's hands, and solemnly promised him that Leon Francois would always have a place at the military meeting of the Storm Division.

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In the evening, the two reluctantly said goodbye in front of the Mirror Lake, which was dyed golden red by the setting sun; Anson personally put Leon on the saddle and waved to the solitary back, until the other's figure turned into a phantom, from the horizon. disappeared...

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"I think you've gone too far recently."

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Looking at Leon Francois' retreating back, Carl Bain couldn't help but said.

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"Have you?" Anson raised his head, took out a cigarette case from his jacket pocket and handed it over:

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"I think it's good, it's all of his own volition. If I don't agree, he will turn his face!"

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"Is he willing?" Karl, who resisted rolling his eyes, twitched his temples, took the cigarette case directly, bit one and put it in his mouth:

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"I remember you don't smoke?"

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"I'm a colonel officer and deputy commander of the regiment. Does having cigarettes in my pocket have anything to do with whether I smoke or not?" Anson took out a matchbox:

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"And why is it not voluntary? I'm just making a suggestion. Can I still force the Francois family to pay?"

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"Can Archduke Thun agree?"

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"He definitely agrees."

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An Sen chuckled: "The purpose of moving the blank tower city is to prevent Clovis from occupying the magpie's nest, so as long as he sees the drawing, he knows that we really don't want to live here for a long time, and naturally he won't mind breaking the bank and eliminating disasters. ."

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"What's more, this military base is not completely useless to Thun; with it, the Francois family can take the opportunity to master some of the basic tactics and military skills of the Clovis Army, and it does not need to spend an extra coin, which is not enough. ?"

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Carl Bain bit the cigarette holder and took a deep breath in silence.

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"You... Actually, you simply don't want Archduke Thun to get the one-tenth discount on the arms trade for nothing, right?"

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"That's right."

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Anson admitted it very simply: "I've been taken advantage of so much, if I don't dig something back, I'm really a little unwilling."

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According to the agreement reached by the two parties at the Golden Rock Banquet, the Francois family leased the White Tower City to the Storm Division for one year, on the condition that all the Auguste Armoury Factory - actually the Rune family - to Francois Arms sold by the family must have a 10% discount.

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This money must not be paid by the Rune family, so it can only be deducted from Anson's own profits; it is equivalent to Claude Francois mortgaged an empty city and eaten one-third of Anson's arms purchases. income.

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How can this be tolerated? !

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Considering the cooperation between the two parties, I am afraid this cheap must be taken up - after all, the other party is a big customer of at least 100,000 rifles, and now Thun and Clovis have entered into an alliance; it really forced Claude Francois In a hurry, it is not entirely impossible to find an arms dealer again.

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When the order is lost, the loss is not only one-third of the income; Mr. Erich, who regards himself as a savior at that time, will probably look at him with the same eyes as the one who killed his father and enemy.

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"I was taken advantage of?" Karl, who was smoking a cigarette, looked at Anson in surprise:

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"For the 20,000 rifles you sold to Thun, the price of that gun is enough to buy four or five in the second-hand market! And each gun needs at least 30 extra rounds of ammunition, packaged for free send over!"

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"Cough, cough! Cough... What are you talking about?!" An Sen glared at him fiercely:

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"And that's the domestic price of Clovis. Can this be the same in international trade? And these are all new guns that have just left the factory. Isn't it excessive to earn a little more intermediary fee, shipping fee and storage fee? "

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"You're a little... well, when I didn't say it."

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Carl raised his hand in surrender, turned his head and snorted in disdain.

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An Sen sighed helplessly: "After smoking this, remember to go to the conference room. There is a military meeting in the afternoon, remember not to be late - remember not to smoke."

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"Can I not go?"

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"can not."

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"why?"

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"Because you are my staff officer, it is your job to participate in military conferences."

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An Sen patted him on the shoulder, turned and walked towards Baita City: "5:30, don't be late."

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"Staff, it's not because of... what did you say?!"

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Carl Bain was stunned for a moment, then turned around abruptly, and found that Anson had a parchment scroll in his hand at some point, and gave him a very proud smile.

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The next second, the deputy commander suddenly opened the scroll and read aloud to the stunned deputy:

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"By the decree of my king—

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Conferred the rank of Major Carl Bain, Army Officer, Staff Officer of the Southern Corps, and the post of Interim Chief of Staff; this appointment will take effect as soon as the order is issued - the Privy Council of the Kingdom of Clovis! "

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The sonorous and powerful voice of words echoed under the White Pagoda City.

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Carl was startled.

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Completely shocked.

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His eyes were wide open, but there was no focus in his pupils, and he stood there like a puppet sculpture, motionless.

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An Sen, who restrained his smile, stood up abruptly, with his left hand behind his back, his right hand slammed into his left chest with a bang, his fists turned inward:

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"Colonel Anson Bach, Major Carl Bain - salute!"

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Carl, who was shocked all over, responded to Ansen's salute instinctively, and then he came to his senses.

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"How is it?" An Sen couldn't help raising the corners of his mouth:

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"how do you feel?"

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After regaining his senses, Carl pursed the corners of his mouth tightly, stared at the order in Anson's hand, and then raised his eyes carefully:

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"…really?"

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"How can it be!"

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"No... Then... where did you come from?"

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"what?"

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"I mean who approved it!"

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"This... Privy Council, didn't you hear it just now?"

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"Nonsense, I also know it's the Privy Council. Who has the right to confer titles to others except the Privy Council?!" Karl suddenly became excited:

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"I'm asking who is this coming, the archbishop's own son?!"

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"That's right." An Sen nodded as a matter of course:

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"Who else could it be but him?"

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"You're crazy!" Karl asked impatiently, "What did you promise him again?!"

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"I didn't promise anything - I made an appointment with him before I came here. I will catch Louis Bernard and make you my staff officer."

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"…That's it?"

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"Of course it's not just this - there is also the weapon change of the Storm Division, the independent supply line of UU reading www.uukanshu.com... Why do you think I had to capture Louis Bernard alive and was almost hacked to death by him?"

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"…you like him?"

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"Because he is really so valuable!" Anson rolled his eyes:

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"Anyway, you are now the chief of staff of the Storm Division, and the only staff in my hands, so map surveys, military supplies monitoring, personnel management, intelligence collection... These are all temporarily handled by you. If you want people, you can find a way. Remember to come to the meeting at five-thirty anyway—don't be late!"

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Without waiting for Carl to respond, Anson shoved the title order into his arms and walked away quickly.

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With a cigarette in his mouth, Carl Bain held the delicate parchment scroll in his hand, stared blankly at his name on it, and continued to stand there like a sculpture.

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"Snapped!"

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The dripping water fell on the cigarette butts, and the extinguished soot was sprinkled on the parchment.

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Carl Bain didn't notice.

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"Clap! Clap clap..."

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The water droplets are getting more and more denser and denser... Until he was completely wet by the title, and his shoulders were constantly shrugging, Karl regained his senses.

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The sky behind him was already dim, but in front of him was the dazzling sunlight.