Kingdom’s Bloodline

Fuxing Palace is the same as before.

Cold and dead, desolate and chilling.

pedal, pedal, pedal...

Thales followed behind Baron Quentin, the head of the court, listening to the echo of his footsteps, and felt the impenetrable oppression again.

It was so dark that even a permanent lamp could not illuminate it.

Behind the Duke, Mallos was as decent and indifferent as ever. In fact, there were quite a few people who guarded Thales out of the Mindis Hall, but Mallos was the only one who was allowed to accompany him into the palace.

This is not a good sign.

But different from the treatment last time (quietly paying attention to the ceremony), everyone along the way - regardless of guards, servants, nobles and vassals - saluted him respectfully, calling him His Highness, with a serious face and meticulousness.

I don't know why.

So, how much price will he pay for last night's choice?

Thales was in a mess.

The court chief in front of him coughed lightly, and the prince instinctively raised his chest and corseted his abdomen with a perfect posture.

After turning around, they didn't go to the meeting hall last time, but came to a higher level.

Both sides of the corridor on this floor are covered with portraits of kings in various periods, which opened Thales' eyes:

The son of the King of Fuxing, John I, who built the nine-star crown, was in high spirits. Although he was nicknamed "Black Eyes", he had a pair of clear and moving blue eyes, and he was quite charming and handsome.

The martial arts are outstanding, and the "Blade King" Tormund II, who took down the blade leader with one word, retains a sitting statue, which conceals his five-short figure that is recorded in history books (trying to tamper with it many times).

The orthodoxy is the most controversial. The "Reaper" Tormund IV, who relies on the palace to change his position, has a cold expression and dark eyes. The artist successfully used light and shadow to make his face look eerie and strange, making the viewer uncomfortable.

Su Mei III looked modest and steady, and with his well-groomed stubble, he would definitely be a middle-aged handsome uncle sought after by thousands of people in another world. It was hard to believe that this was the star "jackal" who was famous for his cunning and insidiousness.

On the second day of becoming a pro-government, and the day before the wedding, the "regretful king" Bancroft II, who passed away unfortunately, looked sleepy, with a grievance that he hadn't woken up.

It fits his nickname perfectly.

The "surviving king" Elan IV, who had been a dandy since he was a child, had no intention of fighting for power, married eight times and became rich and carefree, looked terrified and at a loss in the portrait at the coronation ceremony. This may be the same as when he was 55 years old. It was told that he would change his surname back to Canxing, inherit the throne, and by the way, return all the huge property (inherited from the seven widow wives) to the royal family.

"Northern Conqueror" Queen Elijah was shrouded in majestic and bloated to deformed costumes. She was majestic and imposing, and she could not see the characteristics of women at all, let alone the history of barnyard officials and unofficials. "Double Ten Faces" has a unique color through the ages.

The "Sand King" Kessel IV looked up into the distance, mighty and sunny, but unfortunately this could not conceal his mediocrity and cowardice, which was passed on as a joke along with his nickname: after the expedition to the great desert suffered a disastrous defeat, he was frightened and left the army, With lightning speed, he buried himself in the sand to cover his figure, and finally escaped, leaving behind the famous phrase "invisibility equals invincibility".

Obviously, the three giant portraits combined with the historical background in the Mindis Hall are more impressive, but the portraits here also have their own characteristics, fully reflecting the techniques and habits of different painters, including the artistic styles of different periods.

but……

Thales looked at them quietly, and suddenly thought of something strange.

Regardless of these court portraits or the legendary Three Kings in the Mindis Hall, all the people in the paintings look...

Not sincere.

Finally, they stopped in front of a heavily guarded stone chamber, and the chief commander of the royal guard, Lord Adrian, appeared before them, gentle but dignified.

"Baron Quentin," Adrian greeted the leading court chief first:

"Is it all right?"

The palace steward shook his hand with a look of indifference.

"Well, well, please forgive me now, I'm going to settle the bill for Master Daemon's tailoring fee."

Baron Quentin's attitude was sloppy, with a little resentment between the lines:

"I still have to watch over the purchase of the royal wine cup, you know—glass, glass, wine, cup! It's a huge expense, don't be sloppy!"

wine glass.

Thales stood behind him with a slightly stagnant expression.

Captain Adrian just squinted and smiled.

Thales finally sighed and apologized sincerely:

"My lord, I'm sorry."

Baron Quentin turned his head, staring and blowing.

"Oh, Your Highness, you'd better be!"

The palace steward was not polite, raised his voice, beamed with joy, and spoke righteously:

"For the sake of your ancestors, do you think that the royal family's money is all from the sky? It's all the people's fat and people's anointing. Don't be generous!"

Baron Quentin gave him one last look and stormed off.

Thales was left with his chest in his arms and his neck shrunk, with a frightened expression on his face.

"Please understand that Baron Quentin has been in charge of the court affairs for thirty years. He is practical and meticulous, but he is also stubborn," Adrian explained with a smile:

"Even His Majesty Eddie wanted to give him three points when he was so powerful in the past."

Thales forced himself to smile in understanding.

"Your Highness, Lord Mallos," Adrian said formally to the two of them:

"Welcome to the imperial meeting room."

The captain of the guard turned around and raised his hand, showing Thales a stone gate as tall as two people:

"Alias ​​'Ballard Room.'"

Under the dim light from the narrow stone window in the distance and the illumination of two unextinguished lamps, there were at least ten royal guards on both sides of the gray stone gate, all of them had serious faces and no smiles.

"Ballard?"

Thales narrowed his eyes, looked at this special stone gate, and recalled the royal family genealogy that he had been cramming these days:

"You mean the Star King who ended the third century, Ballard I the Believer?"

Adrian smiled.

"Exactly."

"Four hundred years ago, the 'Giant Spirit' Kahn led a large-scale invasion of the 'crazy soldiers' who did all kinds of evil, and the frenzy swept the kingdom until the city of Eternal Star—just as King Ballard was in power."

The captain of the guard looked back at Shimen with emotion.

Thales pondered for a while:

"I've heard this story in the north, Grand Duke Carn Trudida of Exeter, and his 'giant craze', which the nobles of the North are still proud of."

"So, Ballard Room, was he born here, or succeeded here?"

Captain Adrian snorted softly and shook his head:

"When the army was approaching the city and the mountains and rivers were broken, Ballard I summoned the courtiers who dared to do it into the palace, gathered in one room, and appointed them regardless of their backgrounds, and gave them a long table to make decisions to defend the country."

Adrian was quite emotional:

"That was the first imperial meeting in the history of the kingdom. After that, it was held regularly to deal with state affairs. It gradually became a system and has been passed down for four hundred years."

"So there is the 'Ballard Room' in front of the imperial court."

Thales was deep in thought, but didn't say anything.

The captain of the guard suddenly realized his gaffe, he smiled self-deprecatingly, and stepped aside.

"The imperial meeting between His Majesty and several adults is in progress. Your Highness, please come in."

Thales frowned:

"Imperial meeting? Now?"

"Maybe I should wait until..."

But Lord Adrian interrupted him.

"Your Majesty is here, Your Highness, and you are the Duke of Xinghu in the kingdom," the captain of the guard said in a humble and polite tone, but with a different kind of power:

"The court prelude is right, please pay attention to your manners."

Adrian said softly:

"It doesn't have to be too 'northern'."

Thales frowned.

After Adrian finished speaking, he went to the subordinate guards guarding the gate:

"Open the door, Mariko, and be gentle."

Thales took this opportunity to straighten his clothes, turned his head, and asked Mallos behind him calmly:

"Any suggestions?"

For some reason, Mallos standing in front of Ballard's room was expressionless at the moment:

"have."

His reply was like Wubo Gujing:

"do not ask me."

Thales turned his head resentfully.

All right.

It is indeed his favorite captain of the personal guard.

This advice is honest and spot on, and it's simply too useful.

Thales thought sarcastically.

But he thought of the portraits of the king he had seen on the way, but found that he had no impression of Ballard I.

Either missed it, or put it in an inconspicuous corner.

"Eleanor."

Amidst the soft sound of the stone door opening slowly, Thales spoke quietly without moving his lips.

Mallos behind him frowned, and he took a step forward quietly:

"What?"

Thales looked at the stone door that was opening wider and wider, and at the grayness leaking inside, and hummed softly:

"Four hundred years ago, King Ballard first inherited the position of his elder brother. He was only seventeen years old. He was facing a crisis.

The prince narrowed his eyes:

"At that time, the person who really had the right to make an exception to convene an imperial meeting and make a decision to resist the 'giant conquest' was a woman."

Thales turned around and smiled at Mallos:

"right."

"Queen Thorn, Eleanor."

Mallos frowned.

"And this place should actually be called the 'Eleanor Room'."

In the next second, Thales turned and moved forward. Under the respectful eyes of the guards on both sides, he passed the stone gate and plunged into the darkness.

Look stable.

Walk calmly.

With a soft sound, the stone door closed, completely covering Duke Xinghu's figure.

Mallos looked at the deep stone door, and then pursed his lips, his voice was barely noticeable:

"Is it."

Outside the stone gate, Adrian walked towards Mallos and patted him on the shoulder.

The watchman nodded:

"About last night, is there anything I should worry about?"

"For example, how did that assassin sneak into the king's banquet with a weapon?"

Adrian smiled:

"No."

Mallos frowned slightly.

But before he could think deeply, the captain of the guard grabbed his shoulders and half pushed him away from the Ballard room:

"So, how about Mindyth Hall, Tormund?"

The captain of the guard kindly asked this nephew whom he had watched grow up all the way, as if he was talking about family matters:

"Compared to here?"

Mallos became indifferent again:

"Very good, very bright."

Adrian nodded.

"That's right," the captain's eyes lit up:

"Only Liangtang?"

"Time is short," Mallos said in an ordinary tone:

"Wait a little longer and I'll tell you."

Adrian smiled, and he let go of Mallos.

"When will you give yourself a day off?"

The rather old captain pressed his waist: "You know, my wife has met some nice unmarried girls recently, so I shouldn't mind..."

But Mallos suddenly interrupted him:

"team leader."

He didn't say anything, just expressionless.

Adrian stared at him for a long time before nodding.

"Your Highness didn't come out so soon," the captain of the guard said lightly:

"Old rules, go to the guard room and wait."

Mallos faltered.

Lord Adrian smiled at him:

"You know, paperwork."

Mallos was silent for a second.

"Of course," the watchman raised the corners of his mouth, and also smiled:

"Paperwork."

————

Thales walked into the imperial meeting room and found that it was actually smaller than he had imagined (after all, there is the Hall of Stars and the Chamber of Deliberations, including the contrast of the Canxing Tomb), with a low dome and narrow walls. The coldness and darkness unique to palace rooms.

It's really a small black house.

The prince complained silently.

Under the illumination of the unextinguished lamp, all eyes could see a long table surrounded by many people, and voices could be faintly heard.

Thales took a deep breath, not thinking about the unhappy future, and walked forward slowly.

As he approached, the voices around the long table weakened, and most of them turned their heads to look at the newcomers in the imperial meeting.

Thales noticed that the people sitting at the long table were not ordinary people:

The potbellied prime minister of the kingdom, Bob Cullen, the guardian duke of the East China Sea, still had a smile on his face, as if everything was fine as before.

His familiar foreign minister and teacher "Cunning Fox" Gilbert was worried and hesitated to speak.

There is also the military adviser of the royal family, who has rich experience in his life, Sodor Reid, nicknamed "The Soldier", including the kingdom's treasurer, "money bag" Joke Man, who is said to be able to "pick money from the crotch".

Once visited Exeter to visit the prince, Viscount Coney, who had just been promoted to Minister of Commerce and Trade at the beginning of the year, was also present, smiling friendly at him; Lord "Miser" Clapham, the Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry, was dozing off; and almost Became the ad hoc advisor to the teacher of Thales' theology class, the young and promising vicar of the Central Diocese of the Sunset Church, Styrianides.

Thales also noticed that there was another person standing at the head of the long table, far away from the nobles. It was a man with scars all over his face, looking quite ferocious, with a pair of sharp eyes stabbing at Thales. It seems to have bad intentions.

The prince wondered: Who is that? Why is he the only one standing?

And King Kessel V—the most unneglectable host here—sat at the top of the long table, enjoying the light from the stone window behind him with a casual posture. Depressed black silhouette.

With a little apprehension, Thales swallowed his throat and stepped forward respectfully.

"Father."

He saluted gracefully:

"My lords, good day."

Gilbert was the first to stand up, and respectfully returned the salute:

"Good day, Duke of Thales."

The imperial princes on the long table moved one after another, and stood up to greet with the foreign minister.

But the king's voice sounded immediately, interrupting this perhaps meaningless greeting:

"Find yourself a chair."

The ministers fell silent.

They first looked at Thales, then at the king, but in the end they didn't complete the greetings, and returned to their seats one after another.

Gilbert thoughtfully changed to the seat next to him, and offered to make room for Thales.

Thales nodded gratefully, stepped forward to sit down, and nodded to the archdeacon Stylianides who was sitting on the other side, saying that he was fine.

At least, they got a seat for themselves.

At least, they didn't ask the teacher directly.

At least they didn't hastily throw a sword at him and tell him to "slit your own throat".

On the long table, the man against the light changed his supporting arm, knocked on the long table, and spoke coldly:

"Go on, Sodor."

These words were like frost falling, and the solemn atmosphere that had been slightly thawed by the arrival of the prince condensed again.

On the other side, military advisor Thordor Reid cleared his throat, he stood up, and the imperial meeting resumed.

"In any case, the decision of the Freedom Alliance to secretly withdraw the elite main forces from Fort Liberty in advance and ambush them in the wild is extremely bold," Sodor, dressed in military uniform, knocked on the long table, on which was spread a huge map with Black and white chess pieces:

"It should be noted that if the city is unfavorable due to the emptiness inside and the Fort Liberty falls, the war will be over."

With a serious face, Sodor reached out to the castle sign marked "Freedom Castle", withdrew a knight from the three or four black chess pieces inside, and threw it outside the map.

It was only then that Thales noticed that the subject of this imperial meeting was not him, at least not the assassination last night.

but...

"Master Suduo has just returned from the Western Wilderness with the standing army," Gilbert whispered in the prince's ear:

"Be able to get the first-line information on the Exeter battle earlier."

Battle of Exeter.

The prince's heart tightened—a feeling he had never felt before walking into the Ballard room alone.

Thales frowned, and recognized the contents of the map on the long table: Fort Liberty was on one side, Qiyuan City was on the other, with countless mountains, rivers, villages, towns and castles in between.

But at this moment, more than a dozen white chess pieces started from Qiyuan City, and they were so mighty that they almost occupied most of the key points on the map.

They are powerful, far away from Fort Liberty, which seems to be isolated and helpless, with only two or three black pieces left.

Just like a mouse in a cage.

And there—Thales looked at a dozen white chess pieces—his friends.

"But the successive battles and victories before have fueled the arrogance and arrogance of the northerners."

"They thought that their opponents would use their fortifications to defend the city with all their strength, as they did 20 years ago, so they only left scattered troops to maintain the rear, and the main force drove straight in, using superior forces to attack the most critical and most difficult Fort Liberty. .”

Suoduo spoke solemnly. He moved the chess pieces and pushed forward a dozen white chess pieces along the line until he surrounded Black's Liberty Fort on three sides, leaving only a suspicious gap.

Like a trap left by a mousetrap.

"They didn't even spend much energy to confirm whether the occupied area that was easily captured behind them was tricky, and whether there were real main forces hidden among the scattered enemies who fled along the way."

Compared with Exter's absolute advantage on the map, the Marshal caressed the scattered chess pieces behind Bai Fang, looking heavy and serious.

The king said nothing.

Gilbert sighed and interjected:

"After all, Exeters are unparalleled in the world for their power in foot combat and their strength in charging."

"If there is no strong city and iron cavalry to rely on, who would dare to fight the front when encountering in the wild?"

Thales thought of the Heisha soldiers who risked their lives under the Broken Dragon Fortress back then.

Su Duo nodded, but lightly snorted:

"That was the first mistake they made."

These words are awe-inspiring and tug at everyone's hearts.

Sodo raised his head:

"News from the secret department?"

Under the eyes of everyone, the scar-faced man who had been standing silently at the head of the long table finally came forward.

Thales realized: That was a spy from the Kingdom's Secret Division.

"According to the information from many sources on the front line," the scar-faced man took out a stack of papers in the face of many nobles, and spoke fluently without any tension:

"While the northerners were attacking the city and the battle was fierce, the Liberty Alliance withdrew secretly, and the ambushing troops suddenly launched, boldly attacking the rear."

His voice is cold:

"Within a week, the Exeter supply point along the Shanliu River was in a state of desperation, and the transportation efficiency dropped sharply."

Following his words, Thordo Reid calmly moved the black knight outside the map back to the field, and firmly placed it behind the white front.

"Maybe I'm too old to remember..."

Prime Minister Cullen adjusted the position of his stomach, looking naive, and he said in doubt:

"But the style of play is a bit familiar."

As soon as this remark came out, all the kings present were moved.

So Duo nodded, but he didn't answer directly, but signaled the staff of the secret department to continue.

The scar-faced man coughed and changed a piece of paper:

"The supply cannot be stabilized. In just one week, the Northlanders relied on their siege, and the proud epee corps and heavy armored axemen were affected. Several sieges were about to succeed, but they fell short when they saw their success."

"Their group cavalry is powerful, but they have not been able to find enough food and supplies in the territory of the Freedom Alliance, which is strong and clear. They can only stay where they are and wait for the result of the siege."

There was silence around the long table for a while, and the king was even more motionless.

It was Gilbert who spoke first, breaking the silence:

"So Exeter lost just like that? So simple?"

"impossible?"

Sodor Red snorted softly, and he stared at the large number of white chess pieces on the map, showing a look of dread:

"Of course not."

The military advisor looked at the people from the secret department.

The scar-faced man calmly said:

"According to our intelligence, in the first few weeks after the supply attack, the Ext people still maintained more than 90% of their absolute combat power, enough to complete several decisive field battles or sieges, which is far from what the Freedom Alliance can resist."

But his voice changed:

"But at this time, the commanders of Exeter have disagreements on how to proceed next."

"Differences..."

Gilbert murmured.

disagreement.

Thales thought of the battle report Gilbert told him last night, and his heart darkened.

Thord Red was still serious, he nodded.

"Qiyuan City will force the entire army to press forward, and the total attack will lead to a decisive victory."

"Jie Shou City wants to regroup and slowly erode."

Speaking of this, Su Duo's complexion slowly became serious:

"The leader of Dragon Clouds City, the one-armed Kierkegaard, advocated blocking the main roads, encircling them without attacking them, and at the same time mobilized a small number of people to form a small and elite task force that was also mobile and flexible. One for another, tracking and annihilating the Freedom League's last and only remaining trump card in the wild."

"Once successful, as long as the head of the enemy commander is thrown into the Liberty Fort, the city will be broken without attacking, and there will be no solution."

Hearing the familiar name, Thales thought of the one-armed earl who was silent during the hearing day, but finally made the final decision.

But others don't think so.

"Ah, Kierkegaard, the one-armed bastard, I remember him."

The Minister of Agriculture and Animal Husbandry of the Kingdom who has been dozing off, Lord Clapham, nicknamed "The Miser", seemed to wake up suddenly, with lingering fears in his heart:

"Eighteen years ago, it was under his command that the Yankees marched forward in a hurry, surrounded the points to fight for reinforcements, and finally conquered Cold Fort, resulting in the fall of the North."

"Sure enough, his strategy is the most poisonous."

Prime Minister Cullen scratched his head:

"So, among the three paths, which one is better?"

The gentlemen in the seat were silent for a while.

"I think it should be a steady flow of water, and it should be drawn slowly," Viscount Connie, Minister of Commerce and Trade, was in his prime, but his choice was different:

"It's best to avoid quick success and quick gain by fighting the small with the big. What's more, the Liberty Alliance is already a trapped beast, so it doesn't matter to take risks."

But Joke Man, a senior financial manager, shook his head in disapproval:

"No, no, no, the biggest advantage of the Northlanders is that no one can stop the thunder strike,"

"What's more, Chen Bing is away, the burden and expenditure... Believe me, the sooner the war ends, the better, once and for all is the most beneficial."

But compared with them, Thales noticed:

Gilbert frowned and remained silent.

At this moment, the king raised his head, showing sharp eyes in the dark outline:

"Sodo, what's your opinion?"

Everyone looked at the military adviser in unison.

Suo Duo didn't answer right away, but he was dignified as before, and his fingers moved from one end of the map to the other, as if he was playing games with the people in the battlefield.

"When it comes to fighting, the Northlanders are never ambiguous."

Suoduo looked at the white chess pieces in the picture, and his eyes became more and more fearful:

"What's more, they have advantages everywhere, and they have the upper hand."

"I think, since they were attacked from the rear, they have already seen through the calculations of the Freedom Alliance, knowing that the opponent is taking risks to spread their forces, and even more aware that the enemy is full of loopholes at this moment."

Boom!

The "big soldier" punched hard and hit the table.

With a big wave of his hand, he first pushed a large number of white chess pieces to the position of Fort Liberty, and then knocked down all the black chess pieces in the fort:

"Regardless of casualties, attack with all your strength, the Freedom Alliance can't stop it."

Sodor evenly distributed the white pieces, covering every key point on the map, until the black knight who fell behind had nowhere to go, and finally fell down:

"Consolidate the defense zone and occupy it steadily. The Freedom Alliance can't stand it."

In the end, the military advisor lightly clenched his fist and slowly restored the situation of the battle. Then he also picked out two knights from the white chess piece, put them together with the black knight, and then pushed the latter down:

"Counting the enemy's attack on the heart and using it with one mind, the Liberty Alliance can't defend it."

Soduo took a deep breath, looked up at all the gentlemen present, and paused when his gaze passed Thales.

"Whether it is a strong attack, Xu Tu, or a surprise soldier, all three are good strategies."

Thales nodded slowly, glanced at Viscount Connie and Joke Man from the corner of his eye, and found that they both nodded in satisfaction.

Well, this is true, no one should be offended.

But the words of the military advisor changed immediately:

"But when three great options are put together..."

Su Duo's tone changed, and he was full of anger.

He nodded to the scar-faced man in the secret department:

The latter cleared his throat:

"Our intelligence is limited, and the specific decision in the Exeter military tent is unknown."

"But the besieged city has been going on for a long time, and the northerners who are impatient with delay finally chose-divide the troops into three groups and attack from multiple groups."

As soon as this remark came out, most people in the imperial meeting were taken aback.

Even Thales couldn't help frowning.

Among the crowd, only Gilbert sighed.

"Divide the troops? Or three ways?"

Viscount Coney was very puzzled, obviously unable to understand:

"The Liberty Alliance is small and weak, and there are no survivors. It is understandable to take risks and divide the troops, but the people of the North clearly have a large army and have an absolute advantage... Are they crazy?"

Amidst all the questions, Thord Red snorted angrily.

"The explanations given by the commanders are: firstly, it is to relieve the logistical pressure brought by the concentration of the army in one place, to rationally distribute materials for the general attack; secondly, to protect the rear supply line, which is in turmoil; Finally, we need to expand and consolidate the occupied area to facilitate local collection of food and grass.”

Thales was stunned.

All right.

Every reason is extremely justified, well-founded, even thoughtful, and irrefutable.

Covers the strong attack, Xu Tu, and Qi Bing just mentioned.

but……

Sodo snorted coldly.

"Kids know that you can only choose one multiple-choice question," he stared at the white chess pieces on the map, stretched out his hand with difficulty, and divided them into three groups:

"As an adult, you want to have everything?"

At this moment, the military adviser was conflicted. On the one hand, he was contemptuous and disdainful;

"Simply stupid."

"Death is not a pity."

Among the bewildered gentlemen present, Thales looked at one of the three moves of white chess with complicated emotions.

Here, no one has stayed in the North for such a long time and had such close contact with the Northlanders like him.

Disagreement—he vaguely knew the answer behind it.

But he was even more apprehensive and terrified.

is that so?

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