In the Name of the Queen

Whether words and deeds are reasonable can never be viewed in isolation from the background of the times.

If Roland said such words in his hometown in the Internet age, he would be called a traitor on the spot and would be beaten to the ground.

But this is a different world, the late eighteenth century, when the industrial age has just begun.

This sentence is not only not offensive, but even full of sincerity.

At least De Sanders accepted his words.

The old prosecutor's stern face gradually softened, and there was a little more smile at the corner of his lips.

Whether Roland said that he thought Jin Yuan was higher than Sussex or Sussex was higher than Jin Yuan, it would cause disgust.

However, he cleverly avoided this choice of death.

It is enough to be a Jin Yuan person when he was Jin Yuan.

De Sanders did not speak, but responded with rhythmic applause.

During Marco's chaotic rule, he tried to maintain the last dignity of the law under great pressure, saved many lives, and had a high prestige in the cabinet.

His statement also represents the attitude of many neutral people.

They don't care who is the prime minister or the head of state, as long as they are willing to work for Jin Yuan and can lead Jin Yuan out of the predicament.

Some ministers still have hostility towards Roland, but under the pressure of Alina's power and the general trend of public opinion, they can only helplessly follow and applaud.

After Desanders, other cabinet ministers also raised some questions.

Most of them are inseparable from Roland's future plans for Jin Yuan and what Roland thinks of the relationship between Jin Yuan and Sussex, etc.

Roland was naturally prepared for these questions.

"Jin Yuan has a vast territory, rich resources, a large population, and many talents. As long as it takes the right track, it will become a powerful country that is not inferior to any country."

Roland started with rainbow farts and flattered it first.

In fact, he did not lie.

The foundation of Jin Yuan is even stronger than Sussex.

In history, they have created the feat of one country fighting two continents and single-handedly fighting half of Rodinia.

Which of these big countries has not been beaten by Jin Yuan?

Roland's identity is very subtle. He is not only a "family member" of Jinyuan, but also an outsider from Sussex, a powerful country in the world.

His reasonable praise is more easily accepted by people.

Whether you like Roland or not, how can you hold on to such sincere flattery.

The applause rang out again.

Roland raised his hand to indicate that the applause stopped, and he continued to speak generously.

"To put Jinyuan on the right track, we need enlightened and fair laws and systems, talents, and a safe and stable external environment."

"This is also the reason why Alina asked me to come."

Hearing Roland's words, the centrists and Alina supporters who were originally somewhat skeptical nodded frequently.

No one doubted Roland's ability.

He took Sylph to the three provinces overseas like a refugee, and regained power in just two years, which shows his political skills.

Not only that, he also demonstrated his military talent through the war against the Kingdom of Oden, and expelled Angelina to show his strong personal strength and fighting determination.

The people of Jinyuan are proud in their bones.

They can accept walking with the Sussex Empire because they are not the same kind of people.

The bottom line of the Golden Kite people is that no one on land can challenge their authority.

The ocean is big, they can share it with others, but they refuse to share the glory of the king of the continent.

Roland's position is right on the edge of their red line.

The rise of the Vladimir Empire and Sophia will first damage not Sussex, but the interests and dignity of the Golden Kite people.

After talking with Alina all night several times, Roland knew their mentality very well and naturally knew how to answer.

"Sussex and the Golden Kite have a traditional friendship and common interests. The future development direction is different, and there is no irreconcilable fundamental contradiction."

"More importantly, we have a common enemy."

Roland praised Sophia by name without hesitation.

"The barbaric Ruriks and their cold-blooded queen are our common enemies."

"We can talk and cooperate, but she will only tear apart all enemies and leave slaves willing to crawl at her feet."

"Are you willing to be slaves?"

Roland did not raise his voice in an impassioned tone, but asked a soul-searching question in a soft and low voice.

"No!"

The roar almost blew off the roof of the government hall.

Roland was not surprised by this answer.

A country with a long history like Jinyuan has never lacked national pride and a sense of belonging to the country.

The Jinyuan people are born rebellious and strong all their lives.

During the heyday of the Magic Empire, other "barbarians" were fighting for the citizenship of the Magic Empire, but they picked up axes and fought desperately with the Magic Empire.

They fought and lost repeatedly, and fought again and again.

The Jinyuan people are romantic by nature and full of rebellious spirit. They are never afraid of struggle.

But under Marco's destruction and torture, many brave Jinyuan people died, and many people also wanted to protect themselves.

Roland just reminded them not to fantasize, pick up weapons and prepare for battle.

The general direction is consistent, and the next thing will be easy to handle.

Roland took out the short-term plan and long-term development outline, and used the simplest language to outline a grand blueprint for everyone present, with industry and agriculture going hand in hand, and sea power and land power both grasped.

Under the influence of his magnetic and inspiring voice, even those who did not support him were infected by his ambition.

More and more ministers recognized Roland's sincerity and ability.

They were willing to believe that Roland was serious about doing things for the Kingdom of Golden Wing, and gradually accepted the idea that he was a Golden Wing man in Golden Wing.

He was a senior official in Sussex, but he was also our Prime Minister and Earl of Leon.

Some people were secretly glad that Miss Alina had tied Roland's legs so that he could stay in Golden Wing, so he didn't miss it.

The few ministers who were unwilling to accept Roland felt even more uncomfortable.

The better Roland performed, the less chance they had of seizing power.

After Roland came up with a long-term plan, they became even more desperate.

It was no longer possible to deal with Roland through legitimate means, so they could only think of tricks.

After arousing the desires of the ministers present, Roland began to pour cold water on them.

"You are all experienced and capable ministers. Even if you don't follow my plan, as long as you can develop steadily, it may not be worse than the future I planned."

"Unfortunately, we want peace, but some people may not be willing."

This is what Roland wanted to say most today.

He needs to gain the support of the war faction and the centrists.

It is normal for a big country like Jinyuan to have factions. It is strange to be united.

In addition to the pro-war faction and the centrist faction, there is also the compromise faction.

The idea of ​​the compromise faction is roughly the same as the appeasement policy.

The Vladimir Empire and Jinyuan are the farthest apart and have the longest supply line. Even if they want to, they cannot annex Jinyuan.

In history, Jinyuan also had a glorious record of attacking St. Rurik Fort, but it was soon crushed by the long supply line and General Dong.

If the Jinyuan people can't beat them, the Rurik people naturally can't beat them either.

This is the inherent cognition of many people.

After Roland made a statement about preparing for war with all his strength, the compromise faction finally couldn't help but jump out.

"Mr. Prime Minister, are you really on the side of Jinyuan?"

"Of course. General Vichy, what's your question?"

Roland's face was calm.

The change of title represents recognition of him, and questioning represents only partial recognition.

It is not easy to change the inherent cognition of Jinyuan people.

Looking at the old general wearing the uniform of the Army General, Roland couldn't help but frown slightly.

He could accept the existence of compromisers, but it was hard for him to accept that the doves came from the army.

The last thing that should exist in the army is doves. If the army wants to compromise, what future does the country have?

But he did not refute directly, but waited for the other party's high-sounding remarks.

The old Vichy general walked to the center of the hall, and instead of directly throwing out his argument, he pointed at the floor tiles under his feet and fell silent.

After a moment, he slowly said: "Right here, the four generals, eleven lieutenant generals and more lieutenant generals of the army were sentenced to death by the traitor Marco."

"In order to ensure absolute control over the army, Marco executed a large number of senior officers and replaced them with his own people. After Miss Alina put things right, in order to restore order, these people were also..."

"If we add the losses from the previous civil war, our country has lost hundreds of excellent generals in the past three years."

"I don't want to blame anyone, but it must be pointed out that our military system has been seriously damaged. Without these excellent generals who have experienced hundreds of battles, no matter how many troops there are, they will be a mess."

"What's more, the ratio of veterans in our army is very low, and there are a large number of new recruits who have just joined the army. The combat effectiveness of the entire army is very worrying."

"Excuse me, how to solve these problems?"

The old general straightened his back and looked at Roland neither servile nor arrogant.

Although the truth is unpleasant, these are facts that cannot be avoided.

Roland can let the Golden Kite people fight, but he can't send an army that has not formed combat effectiveness to fight for nothing.

All the ministers cast their eyes on Roland, waiting for his answer.

This question is not easy to answer.

If Roland says something high-sounding but does not propose a practical solution, he will lose the support of the army.

So he must come up with something real.

Facing General Vichy's gentle and sharp question, Roland did not rush to answer, but asked another question.

"Let's look at it from another angle. What would happen if the Golden Kite Kingdom remained neutral or used other countries as a shield to buy time for itself?"

Vichy did not expect Roland to analyze it from this perspective. After hesitating for a moment, he still answered with a stiff upper lip:

"With the Wende Empire and the Sussex Empire blocking the way, our country has at least three to five years to prepare for war, and then we will be able to help them."

"There is not so much time. If the Golden Kite Kingdom does not take the initiative, the Vladimir Empire's army will be at the gates of the city in at most half a year." Roland unceremoniously poured cold water on Vichy.

"How is it possible? Those are two empires!" Vichy's eyes widened.

"According to reliable information, the most outstanding general of the Wend Empire has died in battle, and their veterans have lost more than 30%. The combat effectiveness of the army is shrinking significantly."

Roland said calmly: "Their royal family will either choose to surrender or go into exile abroad, otherwise they will be liquidated. The most optimistic estimate is that the Wend Empire will not survive the spring."

Vichy obviously did not expect the situation to deteriorate to this extent, and was a little confused, but he was still stubborn.

"Even if the Wend Empire is incompetent, the Sussex Empire will not be destroyed in a few months."

Roland chuckled, with a bit of sarcasm on the corners of his lips, "The Sussex Empire is a maritime country. Even if it tries its best, it cannot defeat the Vladimir Empire alone on land."

"Plus, the three overseas provinces have no strategic location to defend. Whether they are willing or not, the best solution is to withdraw from the mainland with a little resistance. At that time, Jin Yuan will face the northern giant bear that has annexed most of Rodinia alone."

"General Vichy, are you sure you can convince Sophia to give you three years to prepare for war?"

This sentence made General Vichy's face darken, and he was speechless for a long time.

You can be tough, but you can't be unreasonable.

Convince Sophia? What an international joke.

But he still argued unwillingly: "Is the Sussex Empire willing to give up the mainland?"

"Of course they are unwilling, so they will expand their markets overseas, collect resources, and use powerful industry and trade to lock the Vladimir Empire on land."

"No matter how strong Sophia is, she can't use a bathtub to cross the strait of hundreds of miles. At least she can maintain an undefeated situation, but the Golden Yuan Kingdom doesn't have such good luck."

Vichy's face was ugly.

He wanted to use the Sussex Empire as a meat shield, but he forgot one thing. No one knows how to sell allies better than the Sussex people.

If he dares to sell out his teammates, the Sussex Empire will dare to sell him back.

Don't think that the Sussex people will pave the way for the Golden Kite people with their own blood.

Faced with Roland's somewhat aggressive attitude, Vichy finally couldn't help but throw out his trump card.

"If your country withdraws from the continent, we will have to sign a contract with the Vladimir Empire."

"Are you going to surrender?" Roland looked at Vichy with a smile.

"Mr. Prime Minister, please be careful with your words. That is not surrender, but peace in exchange for giving up some interests." Vichy's old face flushed, and hesitantly responded.

Roland did not continue to laugh, but asked back: "If Sophia grants peace on the condition that she stationed troops in the Golden Kite, controlled the finances and military of the Golden Kite, and took away everything except basic living supplies, what is the difference between this and surrender?"

Vichy's lips turned white and his hands trembled with anger.

He wanted to refute, but he couldn't find a reason to refute.

If Sophia really made such a condition, what would the Golden Kite people who lost their allies and whose army had not recovered their combat effectiveness use to resist?

Roland's words crushed Vichy's last stubbornness. He lowered his head in frustration and remained silent.

After a long time, he finally chose to admit defeat, "Prime Minister, what do you think we should do?"

"Union, real union."

Roland was waiting for this sentence. He said calmly: "The Sussex Overseas Legion has many grassroots officers and non-commissioned officers who have received formal military training, and the Holy Temple of Light has a large number of excellent generals. As long as the troops are replenished, the army can be expanded rapidly and combat effectiveness can be formed."

"I suggest that the two countries form a coalition, establish a general staff to coordinate various affairs, and mix the military structure as needed, so that combat effectiveness can be fully exerted."

Vichy's face changed drastically.

Roland, the little fox, finally showed his fox tail. He wanted to monopolize the military and political power of the two countries.

Considering that Queen Sussex is his wife and the Liberator of the Golden Kite is his lover, he even has the opportunity to unite the two countries and become the emperor of the new super empire.

His ambition is too big.

Hearing Roland's idea, even the neutrals were afraid.

What if Roland established a new empire?

Even with their toes, they could tell that they were not Roland's confidants and were not in Roland's plan. They could only play one role in Roland's new blueprint.

Cannon fodder.

No matter how grand Roland's plan was, they could not accept the fate of cannon fodder.

An old man with a gray beard stood up, "Mr. Roland, I'm sorry, I want to know if you want to take the opportunity to unite the two countries. I hope you can swear to the goddess of faith."

His questioning was somewhat impolite, but in the face of such a situation, he could not care less.

"I have no interest in secular power."

Roland shrugged, spread his hands, and said with a smile: "Mr. Xiafei, you should know that I am a transcendent, and secular power does not mean much to me. After the sixth return day, I will gradually fade out of politics and embark on the road to the peak of power."

"The same is true for Sophia, Sylph, Alina and others."

"The Golden Kite and the Sussex people are completely different in language, culture and blood. They are two different nations. It is wishful thinking to unify them in one country."

"I solemnly swear to the Goddess of Light that I have no intention of merging Sussex and Golden Kite to become the head of the new country. If I break this oath, I will be despised by the light and become the enemy of the goddess."

Roland's oath was heavy and light.

In the eyes of others, he is a knight of light, and it is reasonable to swear to the goddess of light. If he breaks the oath, the goddess will definitely punish him.

But in Roland's view, this oath has no binding force on him.

He has been targeted by the goddess of light for a long time. As long as there is a chance, the goddess will punish him with divine punishment.

His oath and statement made the ministers present breathe a sigh of relief.

Consensus was reached on the principle issues, and the following details were easy to handle.

Roland proposed to establish the Rodinia Alliance and form a coalition army, with the purpose of defending freedom, peace and the territorial sovereignty of the contracting parties.

Although more troops would be provided in the alliance, this covenant would bring more benefits than disadvantages to the Golden Kite Kingdom.

There was a sentence that Roland did not say explicitly, but the ministers present could hear it.

If the Golden Kite Kingdom did not agree to the covenant, he would leave with the overseas legion without hesitation, return to Sussex to manage the ocean, and abandon the continent.

The loss was huge, but the Golden Kite Kingdom could not bear the consequences.

It seemed like a threat, but it was actually a threat.

Roland's attitude was very clear. If the Golden Kite Kingdom could give up some of its autonomy and join the alliance, Roland would be responsible for them to the end.

If they were unwilling, then let's hurt each other.

Faced with the threat, the Golden Kite ministers dared to be angry but dared not speak.

The Golden Kite Kingdom was at its weakest moment in history. They were unable to face the top powers alone, but they were unwilling to give up the arrogance of the top powers.

Roland's suggestion just stepped on their bottom line.

Not more, not less.

Either sacrifice some autonomy in exchange for an unbreakable alliance, or face the giant bear alone.

Thinking of the Rurik people's strength and the invincible Sophia, they were all a little frightened.

When people fall into the water, they will always subconsciously grab anything they can touch, even if it is just a straw that cannot save their lives.

They can only hope that Roland is not a straw but a lifebuoy.

In short, they have no choice.

Although there is no choice, the old general Vichy still insists.

Although the Golden Kite Kingdom has lost many generals, their army tradition is far better than that of the Sussex Empire.

At least he could fight for the actual command of the coalition forces.

He knew very well that Roland would focus on improving his personal strength and controlling the overall situation, and the specific military command would be delegated to capable generals.

Sussex had no shortage of excellent naval generals, but no famous army generals, at least not at the same level as him.

He believed that Roland would make the right choice.

Of course, even if he asked for power, he couldn't say it directly, he had to be more tactful.

General Vichy coughed lightly and said with a smile: "Mr. Prime Minister, you are the only candidate for the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, but you have a lot to be responsible for. I suggest choosing a respected and experienced veteran as your deputy general. What do you think?"

"General Vichy, you are right."

Roland saw through Vichy's little thoughts at a glance. He did need a commander, but not Vichy.

Vichy's ability is unquestionable, but there are major flaws in his character.

Cowardly.

At the decisive moment when the bayonet needs to be drawn, the cowardly character will make him tend to make conservative choices.

The bravest will win when two meet on a narrow road. The duel with Sophia is a matter of both victory and defeat, and there is no room for surrender and retreat.

Vichy is definitely not suitable.

But the Sussex Empire does not have a suitable candidate.

If the war broke out ten years later, Delon and others might be able to do it when they grow up.

Unfortunately, there is no time.

Fortunately, Roland was prepared.

"General Vichy, you reminded me. We must find a famous general with outstanding military qualities, experience in commanding large troops, and resolute and decisive to be responsible for unified command."

Every word of Roland made Vichy's chest stand up a little higher.

Resolute and decisive?

Vichy thought he could be.

When the wind was favorable, he was indeed as resolute as steel, daring to fight and kill; when the situation was unfavorable, he was also quite decisive in retreating.

He fully met the requirements.

The old general was beaming, waiting for this honor to come.

He couldn't think of any other choice.

Although Roland was more inclined to Sussex in his heart, he would not be emotional at this time.

If he could serve as the commander-in-chief, joining the alliance would be very beneficial to Jin Yuan.

Seeing Vichy's expectant eyes, Roland smiled and added:

"General Vichy, I don't intend to serve as the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. In order to ensure the smooth flow of military orders, the real commander should serve as the commander-in-chief."

Vichy's fingertips trembled slightly, and his eyes were surprised and happy.

He tried to maintain his posture and took a few deep breaths to adjust his mood.

"Mr. Prime Minister, only if you serve as the commander-in-chief can..."

"Needless to say, the army cannot have two commanders. It is my consistent style to trust people. I will not interfere with the commander's command, but will only give full support."

Vichy thought of Roland's decisive decentralization in previous wars, and his favor for Roland increased a little.

He originally only wanted a deputy commander-in-chief with real power, but he didn't expect to become a real commander-in-chief. It's really

Hahaha.

"The Prime Minister is wise." This time his flattery came from the heart.

However, Roland's next sentence took away all his joy.

"I've decided that the commander of the coalition forces will be the Holy Maiden of Light, Christine."

Vichy's eyes went dark, and he barely managed to get to the sofa next to him. He didn't hear a word Roland said afterwards.

Christine? Christine!

Haha, he was such a clown that he forgot that Roland had a lover.