In the Name of the Queen

Temporary military camp of the Hanseatic New Army.

Sif sat in the main seat, her face calm, but she couldn't hide the joy in her eyes.

Humph, it’s better for you to lose your composure first!

Looking at the negotiators sent by King Swain VII, Sif tried to maintain her composure, with a victor's attitude of one part arrogance and one part disdain, sipping coffee and waiting for Roland's return.

This was a critical moment, and she didn't want to lose profits by saying the wrong thing.

Sif could sit still, and naturally negotiator Toftin could also sit still.

That's what negotiation is like, even if there are disadvantages, it's not something that needs to be discussed. Toftin's face was calm, but he secretly glanced at Sif from the corner of his eye, constantly weighing in his mind, trying to see something from Sif's expression.

Unfortunately he was destined to be disappointed.

Sif's political level is several levels better than last year, and her acting skills are even more proficient.

Before Roland came back, the two just chatted casually, and Sif even asked about Sven VII's diet with great interest.

"His Majesty Sven is in very good health. He eats three meals a day normally and even gained a few pounds."

Toftin was very tough-talking.

Sif didn't believe a single punctuation mark, and she didn't even need Insight to know it was a lie.

It can be seen that Sven VII has been having a very bad life recently.

Not only that, the negotiation envoy is not very hostile, and it seems that compromise is very possible.

Just as Sif was calmly confronting Toftin, Roland came back.

Sif was about to stand up to greet her when she suddenly thought that although she was the deputy governor, she was still an earl. The buttocks she had just raised quietly fell back into the chair.

She smiled and briefly introduced the situation to Roland, and then handed over the leadership to Roland.

She glanced at Toftin from the corner of her eye, and then reminded Roland with her eyes that the other party wanted to compromise.

After accurately capturing the information from Sif's eyes, Roland looked at Toftin and teased with a half-smile: "Mr. Toftin came here specially, what's the matter?"

"Your Excellency, Governor, there is no need to be so sarcastic. Although our country has suffered setbacks on the front line, it still has millions of people and hundreds of thousands of reserve troops. The outcome is not yet certain. Your Excellency, the Governor, is too arrogant."

Toftin looked at Roland with neither humility nor arrogance, and rebutted Roland with reason.

Roland said "Oh" and made a sign to see off the guests.

"Since Mr. Toftin thinks so, please come back and negotiate after the outcome is determined."

The blood on Toftin's slightly red face had faded, and he became a bit pale.

Neither humble nor arrogant, right? That makes sense, right? You know how to negotiate, right?

Roland didn't play negotiation tricks with him at all, and directly used his power to suppress others.

Even if we progress to the civilized era, the basis of negotiation is still strength. If you don't have strength, it's useless even if you have reason. What's more, the Kingdom of Oden is an invader and stands firmly in a moral lowland.

Roland's disdainful look made Toftin almost furious, but he still held it back.

He didn't seem to see Roland's gesture, his tone softened a lot, and he said softly:

"In order to reduce unnecessary casualties, our Majesty Swain is willing to take the initiative to show sincerity for peace."

"Peace? Are the invaders worthy of talking about peace?"

Roland's mocking laughter made Toftin restless, but his next words made Toftin stand up instantly and was speechless for a long time.

"I only accept surrender, not negotiation!"

Toftin couldn't bear it any longer, stood up angrily, and said coldly:

"Your Majesty the Governor is too arrogant. Farewell!"

Surrender was far beyond the bottom line that Sven VII could accept, and Toftin naturally couldn't accept it.

Seeing that the negotiation broke down, Sif, who understood Roland's eyes, coughed lightly and called out to Toftin.

"Mr. Toftin, what will His Majesty Sven think if you go back like this?"

A slap must be rewarded, so Roland threatened Sif to give her a step back, hoping to find out Toftin's bottom line.

Toftin stopped and sighed helplessly: "Of course I want to have a good talk, but..."

"Mr. Toftin, you might as well sit down first and talk about the conditions of your Majesty Sven."

Sif said softly.

In a blind spot that Toftin couldn't see, Roland gave Sif a thumbs up and praised her acting skills.

Toftin returned to his seat with a gloomy face and said in a deep voice: "First of all, His Majesty Sven was deceived by others, and it is indeed wrong to invade your country. Secondly, our army suffered a defeat on the battlefield, and we are willing to make compensation."

"Our country is willing to use the mature oak trees that His Excellency the Governor needs in exchange for peace between the two parties."

Roland narrowed his eyes and asked softly: "You mean, at the expense of these mature oak trees, both sides will return to the state before the war?"

Toftin said in a deep voice: "These oak trees can build a super fleet of more than fifty capital ships. They have extremely high strategic value and are the hope for the reconstruction of our navy. Giving up them represents our country's sincerity in giving up its hostile stance. This Don’t you deny it?”

Roland nodded and said in a calm tone, "Indeed, the estimated value of these oak trees is about 5.9 million crowns, and they are strategic materials. They have a price but no market. Even if they sell for 10 million crowns, there are still people who are willing to pay. Giving up on these oak trees is a waste of money. It is tantamount to giving up hope of rebuilding the navy within a hundred years.”

After listening to Roland's words, Toftin relaxed slightly. Although Roland was hateful, he didn't talk nonsense and there was still room for negotiation.

However, Roland's next words made his blood freeze.

Roland looked at Toftin with a smile and suddenly raised his tone, "Mr. Toftin, I'm curious, why do you use my things to trade with me?"

"You, yours?" Toftin looked at Roland blankly, his mind going blank.

"Yes, I have sent people to get these oak trees. These oak trees were planted after your country was defeated 120 years ago. According to the treaty at that time, you have no right to rebuild the navy. These trees were planted in violation of the contract. As the victor, I have the right to take necessary measures against the oak trees that were planted illegally and maliciously against our country."

This time, not only Tofting was confused, but even Sif was dumbfounded.

Can the treaty be explained in this way?

Roland took out a copy of the treaty from more than a hundred years ago and waved it in his hand. "You tried to rebuild the navy, which is a breach of contract. I am very kind not to ask you for compensation for breach of contract."

Tofting could no longer hold back, and a mouthful of old blood oozed from the corner of his lips.

He stared at Roland and asked coldly: "Governor, I have been engaged in diplomatic work for 25 years and have never seen such a shameless person as you. I want to know the price you set for peace."

"Thank you for the compliment. My price is not high. Of course I will take away and dispose of this batch of illegal oak trees that originally belonged to our country. In addition, your country must cede land and pay compensation according to the standards of defeat."

Roland pointed his finger at the map hanging on the wall and said in a deep voice: "The state of Suwig, as the starting point of your invasion, must be ceded to our country. In addition, your country must pay 2.31 million crowns in war reparations."

The war lost 2,310 people, and each person paid 1,000 crowns in compensation. This is the price of being his enemy.