Iron Powder and Spellcasters

   Chapter 65 Uninvited Guest

   This small disturbance made the atmosphere at home a little heavy, and there was no more laughter under the eaves. Several servants in the family also keenly felt the change in the atmosphere, and even Mammy Marita became cautious.

  When it was getting dark after dinner, Antonio led Winters into the study, saying that he had something to give him.

Originally, Winters thought that Antonio was just looking for an excuse to call himself to avoid Kesha, but Antonio actually found a box, opened the three-layer nesting doll-like wooden box, and took out a pendant. The sword was handed to Winters.

   "Your sword is too..." After racking his brains for a long time, Winters didn't come up with any positive adjectives: "...Vulgar?"

  The shape of this saber is a typical one-handed honor sword, somewhat like a swift sword, but shorter and lighter. But the point of this sword is not the body, but the hilt and scabbard.

  The sword of honor must pursue gorgeousness for decorative purposes, but there are different grades of gorgeousness. Major Moritz's sword of honor is tasteful and gorgeous, and the sword of honor in Winters' hands is a typical vulgar ornate.

   All the metal on this sword, except the steel of the blade itself, is only gold. Not only the entire gauntlet is gold, but even the outer shell of the scabbard is gold.

  The end of the scabbard and hilt were also inlaid with gems that Winters did not recognize, but since they were gems that could be set in gold, their value was definitely higher than gold.

  The whole sword unabashedly declares the aesthetics of a nouveau riche. The scabbard is more expensive than the body of the sword.

"What is vulgar? It's like this in the times." Antonio blushed: "The sword of honor is extravagant and gorgeous. When I was young, everyone wanted to wear all their net worth. When you go out with a plain sword, others will laugh at them. You. Do you think this is not the case now? Put it away, this sword will be yours from now on."

   Winters imagined himself wearing this sword, and he couldn't help but get goosebumps.

He hurriedly put the sword back on the table and refused: "It's too shameful to hang this golden sword, isn't this telling others that 'I'm a jerk'? I might as well just hang it on my waist. A gold bar. You are embarrassed to wear this sword, how could I be embarrassed to go out with this sword?"

"Be polite." Antonio knocked Winters on the head: "This is your father's sword of honor, he gave it to me, and I will give this sword to you today. This is inheritance, give it to you Keep it."

"That can only mean that both of you have aesthetic problems." Winters pulled out his saber and tried the toughness of the blade. After being bent into a large arc, the blade bounced back to its original shape and remained straight: "The blade is very good."

   "Of course, this is the best sword in the steel castle."

  There is very little emotional communication between men, even father and son. But infected by Elizabeth's emotions, Winters has now become somewhat emotional.

He put away the sword of honor, lowered his head, and said his true thoughts for the first time: "Actually, I don't care who my biological parents are, I don't know them, and they haven't seen me. For me, Kesha is My mother, and you are my father, and I will serve you like a son and protect Ella."

Antonio was also moved, took Winters by the shoulders, and whispered: "What are you saying, silly boy? You are enough for me and Kesha when you grow up. Of course you are Kesha and me. children. Always have been, and will always be.”

A    knock on the door interrupted a rare moment of tenderness between the two men.

   "Sir, there is a carriage parked outside the door. The people in the carriage want to see you, but they won't say who they are." Mammy Marita's voice came in through the study door.

   "It's the guest I made an appointment with. Please come in through the back door and go directly to the study." Antonio replied loudly.

   Mamma Marita responded, turned and walked away.

   "Any guests? Then I'll avoid it." Winters asked.

   "You have to both avoid and observe." Antonio opened a secret door in the corner of the study: "The person who comes will definitely want you to avoid it, but I want you to hear what the person who comes here has to say."

   Behind the secret door is a spiral staircase that leads directly to the master bedroom upstairs. The whole family knows this "secret passage". But the secret door is very delicate, the edges are hidden in the outline of the wall, and there is no door gap at all.

   Winters understood and hid behind the door. Watching the study through the observation hole hidden in the shelf.

  A master and a servant, two people in black cloaks, led by Mother Marita, walked into Antonio's study. The servant walking behind was carrying an exquisite wooden box.

   When there were only three people left in the room, the black-robed man who came with the servant took off his hood.

   Seeing the face under the hood, Winters almost exclaimed from behind the secret door. Not only did Winters recognize who this person was, but he could never read it wrong, because the impression that this person left on Winters was too deep.

  Luxurious warships, elite loyal soldiers, and the legendary Eagle Knight... A few days ago, in Haidong Harbor, which had not been burned down, Winters and Andrea waited for several hours just to welcome this person.

   Count of Narzia - Lord of the Seals and Plenipotentiary of Henry III the Oathbreaker - quietly came to the residence of Major General Serbiati of the Veneta Army.

   Although the War of Sovereignty has ended for twenty-six years, many in the Empire still view the Cenas Confederacy as a southern rebel. The most powerful person in the Veneta Army is the emperor's favorite, and a simple sentence is enough to cause infinite associations.

   But Antonio was not surprised by the identity of the visitor. There was no polite greeting, he just nodded at the other party, pointed to the chair in front of the desk, and said lightly, "Please sit down."

   Obviously received a cold reception, but Count Narzia was not angry, but put on a somewhat pleasing smile on his face: "Your Majesty ordered me to bring his most sincere greetings."

  Antonio laughed dryly, but did not speak.

  Count Narzia diligently took the exquisite wooden box from the servant and placed it on Antonio's desk respectfully: "This is a gift from your majesty to you and your madam."

   But Antonio didn't even look at him, leaned back in his chair and said impatiently, "If you're here to give him a gift and say hello, I've received the thing, you can go. Otherwise, please say something directly.

"Bringing gifts for His Majesty is indeed the main purpose of my trip. His Majesty does not want to get anything from you, but just wants to say hello to an old friend." Count Narzia said with a smile, but he changed his words: "Of course there are other things too..."

   "Speak straight."

   "I'm here to convey your Majesty's attitude... Of course, I'm not giving you instructions," Count Narzia said politely.

"Say!"

   "Our side... Your Majesty and the government representing his authority do not want to see a war break out between Veneta and Taniria." Narzia said warmly.

  Antonio sneered: "It's a pity he said it doesn't count."

"You misunderstood, His Majesty has no intention of imposing his will on the southern... countries, just asking me to relay some facts." Narzia's attitude was still polite: "A new warlord has unified most of the Normans. All tribes, and gained the allegiance of the Bertars. The Empire will not sit by and watch a new barbarian regime emerge, our northern army will launch an active offensive to solve this hidden danger."

  Antonio, who was originally impatient, fell into contemplation, while Narzia waited silently.

   After a while, Antonio asked, "When do you plan to fight?"

   "Four days ago." Count Narzia replied with a smile: "The war has already started. According to the plan, the Northern Frontier Army set out from the White Mountain Fortress four days ago. In a few days, the news should be able to reach here."

   "You guys are on the defensive."

   "There's no way to do this. If you don't do your best to put out the fire at the beginning, isn't the end right in front of you?" Narzia pointed to the surroundings with a smile: "This is the lesson that everyone in the south taught us."

  Antonio also smiled: "What are you talking about with me?"

"Your Excellency, you can definitely understand what I'm talking about." Count Narzia said eloquently: "The empire and your alliance have close business relations, and the merchants will send the goods wherever the price is high. Our war against the Norman barbarians has already ended. It has pushed up the price of bulk materials. If Veneta and Taniria go to war at this time, the price of military supplies will be pushed to sky-high prices.

   The military supplies on this continent are not enough to support two wars at the same time. The two sides of us competed to buy military supplies, but the merchants were cheap. At the current price, it is impossible for you to purchase enough supplies. Moreover, Veneta cannot be self-sufficient. Saltpeter and sulfur are all imported, not to mention the trade embargo to ensure the supply. "

Narzia paused for a while, and continued to throw heavier weights: "Besides, when the war against the Norman barbarians involves most of your Majesty's energy, the balance of power in the south will be broken, and some people will inevitably be ready to move. …”

  Antonio snorted coldly, interrupted the other party's words, and asked: "Why did you tell me this?"

   "Someone wants to know your attitude."

   "I have no attitude, the attitude of the ruling committee is my attitude."

   "No, your attitude is very important." Narzia's tone was very firm: "The sensible surviving people in the Veneta military are the only ones who follow your lead. Your attitude is very important."

"who said it?"

   "I said." The servant who had been standing silently behind Narzia stepped forward and lifted his hood.

   Winters didn't know the man, but this time it was Antonio's turn to be surprised.

  Antonio stood up abruptly and whispered in surprise, "Your Excellency Secretary of State?"

  The highest title of the Republic of Veneta is consul, and only the federal republics use the title of secretary of state. The Secretary of State of the Union Province, the status is equivalent to that of the Veneta consul.

   Hearing Antonio's words, Winters was also taken aback.

   "That's right, it's me. As the Secretary of State of the Federal Republic, I ask for your help." Secretary of State Lionel took a few steps forward and said sincerely to Antonio.

   At this moment, the emperor's favorite, the head of state of the federal republic, and the general of Veneta, three people who should never have appeared on the same occasion, appeared in Antonio's study at the same time.

   Of course, we have to count an army warrant officer who was eavesdropping behind the secret door.

   "What's going on?" Antonio looked at Count Narzia.

"I asked His Excellency Narzia to help me come here. If it wasn't for His Excellency Narzia's protection, I would not have been able to reach Hailan City at all." Lionel, Secretary of State of the Union Province, explained quickly: "Guitu City I also made arrangements over there, no one knew that I came to Hailan City."

  Lionel looks anxious now, completely unable to see the bearing of the chief civil servant of the Federal Republic.

   "Then why did you go all the way to Hailan?"

"The reasons are complicated, so I'll keep it short." Lionel leaned towards Antonio and said, "I can no longer suppress the young soldiers of the Interprovincial Army. As long as you send troops to Taniria, the Interprovincial Army will follow suit. To send troops to Veneta as an excuse."

   "Why?"

The Secretary of State was almost dying: "What reason do those mad dogs want? The Interprovincial Army has always wanted to make the Union a real country, don't you know this? And aren't there a lot of excuses? The republics The diplomatic powers are handed over to the alliance government, and Veneta has no right to declare war at all! You have violated the Charter of Sovereignty!"

   "Please wait." Count Narzia said calmly: "According to what I know about your alliance, whether each member country has the right to declare war is a controversial matter, and the "Sovereign Charter" does not stipulate in detail..."

   "Enough to be controversial!" Lionel interrupted rudely.

   Count Narzia smiled and spread out his hands, changing to a more comfortable sitting position.

The Secretary of State quickly added: "Also, Taniria is now divided into several forces, one of which is very close to the Union Province Army. If you send troops, the Taniria Islands will directly become the Union Province. What do you do with the eighth province? Can the Veneta ruling council endure it? The situation will be out of control then."

  Antonio frowned and said, "The Grand Senas Country was the idea of ​​Marshal Ned at first. The Interprovincial Army has indeed inherited this idea, but it won't be mad enough to fight Veneta for this."

"Naive! Don't you know what the Union Province Army is like? A country within a country! There are indeed rationalists in the Union Province Army, but the more friction between Veneta and the Union Province, the weaker the rationalists' voice, Lord, The war faction has a greater say. So Veneta should give us rationalists some wiggle room. If Veneta and Taniria go to war, the voice of reason in the federal army will be gone.” Lay Onnell said excitedly.

   "But what do you mean by saying this to me? The Veneta Army is different from the Federal Army. The commander of the Veneta Army is in the hands of the consul. You should go to the consul Debella."

"This is the biggest problem! The main fighting faction in the United Province is in the army, but your Veneta's main fighting faction is in the government! Someone in the United Province wants to turn the alliance into a centralized country, don't you Veneta want to split? The Union, the one who made the Republic of Veneta become independent from the Union?" Lionel took out the eloquence of the Secretary of State and gushed: "There are people in our two countries who want to solve the problem by civil war, and even more so. The danger is that they all feel that they have a good chance of winning!"

Count Narzia, who was on the side, interjected calmly: "I think Your Excellency Secretary of State is right. In fact, if there was no military pressure from His Majesty, there would have been a big fight within your alliance. And Now that we are being dragged by the Normans to the north, it seems to some people a good time."

  Antonio asked Lionel simply: "Your Excellency Secretary of State, what do you mean by coming to me?"

   "Avoid a civil war!" Lionel answered decisively.

   "I'm afraid I can't do anything about it."

"you can."

   "How can I?"

Lionel's words were amazing: "The best way is for you to launch a mutiny, remove the power of the consul Debella, dissolve the parliament, and establish a temporary military government. Your legion is the only force near the sea blue city, without any People can stop you."

  Antonio slapped the table: "What are you talking about!"

"There is a second way." Lionel said with bloodshot eyes and frantic emotions: "Vinetta will send troops to purge the inter-provincial army, reorganize the inter-provincial army structure, and take the commander-in-chief back to the inter-provincial parliament. I support it. You, the main battle faction in the army can't make any waves, you can slaughter them all at once! There will be no future troubles."

   "The more you say it, the more outrageous it is! Isn't this a civil war?"

   "Long pain is worse than short pain, a big civil war is not as good as a small civil war, a little blood today is worse than a river of blood in the future!"

  Antonio grabbed the Secretary of State's arm and walked out: "Please leave here, I don't want to hear these crazy words again, I think you haven't been here today."

   However, no one expected that Secretary of State Lionel, a man taller than Antonio, suddenly burst into tears. Even Count Narzia, who had been watching the play, was stunned, not to mention Antonio and Winters behind the secret door.

"I have no choice! Do you understand? I have no choice! I watched the republics drown in the sea of ​​blood, but there was nothing I could do! The Senas Alliance is over! The Provincial Republic is over too! You Veneta It is also over! If there is any other way, why should I ask this false emperor's **** for help!" The hysterical Lionel pointed his finger at Count Narzia: "I hid in the cabin and smuggled from Guitu to Hailan. Seeing Debella is because there is one last ray of hope in Veneta. But it's too late, it's too late after Haidong Port is burned! It's over! It's over!"

   The chief civil servant of the United Provinces Republic knelt on the ground feebly, covering his face and weeping bitterly.

   Winters, who had been watching all this from behind the secret door, suddenly felt that he was very pitiful, but also thought he was a lunatic.

   "Mr. Serbiati, what's going on in the study?" Kesha's voice came from the door of the study. It seemed that the movement just now alarmed her.

   "Nothing." Antonio replied, "Let the servants go home and invite Ella and Miss Sophia upstairs."

  Kesa didn't ask any more questions, just answered softly: "Okay."

After    Antonio and Narzia looked at each other for a while, Lionel suddenly stopped. After a while, he stood up, and the whole figure seemed to be another person.

  The excitement and madness disappeared from his face, and the Secretary of State could not see any emotion now, as if he was a cold stone sculpture.

The contrast between    and the previous one made one wonder if someone had taken out his original soul and put a new one in it.

Lionel looked at Antonio with a blank face and said in a cold tone: "Major General Serbia Ti, you are a qualified soldier, but you have not sacrificed all the consciousness to change the historical trajectory, nor the courage and determination to promote change. , and no wisdom to see through fate.

  I met with Archon Debella yesterday, and I met with you today. You and Debella are of the same kind, Debella is driven by public opinion, and you are driven by responsibility. I know who you are, so I know how it turns out before I come to see you. But I still come to see you, because if you can remember what I said today, maybe you can make the destruction come later. "

  If someone else said this to Antonio on other occasions, he must have wanted a duel. But there was no attack or insult in the current tone of the Secretary of State.

After    finished speaking, whether Antonio understood or not, Lionel put on his hood and walked straight to the door of the study.

When he came to the door, he suddenly turned his head and said to Antonio still calmly and calmly: "My assistant and close friend, Mr. Mara, came to Veneta to see Consul De Bella as my emissary, but there was no news at all. Dead. When you find him, bring me his ashes."

   After he finished speaking, he opened the door of the study and walked out without looking back, leaving behind the inexplicable two, Antonio and Count Narzia. Narzia was stunned for a while, nodded apologetically to Antonio, and chased out.

   It wasn't until the two were far away that Winters came out of the secret door.

   "That person is the Union Provincial Secretary of State?" Winters asked in disbelief.

  Antonio nodded silently.

   "Isn't this a lunatic?"

  Antonio was silent for a while, then replied: "Maybe..."

   Thanks to the book friend Social Justice Pharaoh for the reward and monthly pass, thank you. And thanks to all the book friends who voted for the recommendation before. Thanks to the book friend "I don't know what it is called" for the recommendation ticket, thank the book friend Yuan Hongjian for the recommendation ticket, thank the book friend writersblock for the recommendation ticket, thank the book friend Yan Yunsan for the recommendation ticket, thank the book friend 20181013204343295 for the recommendation ticket, thank the book Friends Social Justice Pharaoh's recommendation ticket.

   (end of this chapter)