Gilbert looked at Thales deeply.

"I can't make any judgments."

Even if there are only two people face to face, the Foreign Secretary is still rigorous and restrained in his words:

"Maybe they do have old grudges, maybe they don't obey each other, maybe the king's orders have not been implemented smoothly in the Western Wilderness for many years, and it was just an accident..."

But Gilbert narrowed his eyes:

"But from the perspective of your father and your rule, Your Highness, are they colluding, is it a coincidence, or is it both, just a tacit understanding..."

"Does this still matter?"

Thales looked stunned when he heard this.

Gilbert took a deep breath and said extremely seriously:

"Xihuang, it is like a rough, uneven, soft and hard pie. Sometimes it is slippery, sometimes it is stubborn. It has hard stubble that is easy to knock your teeth, and it is also sticky that keeps cutting. No matter you chew it carefully, you can eat it slowly.

It’s still such a feast, it’s hard to eat from any angle, let alone digest it.”

"Compared to this, whether it's the desperate Arend in the north, the tough and fragile Nantriste, or the young and energetic Kevin Dill on the south coast..."

Gilbert shook his head, the fear and worry in his eyes only increasing.

"So, do you understand what Baron Williams means?"

Thales, who had not yet reacted, looked at him blankly.

Just listen to Gilbert chuckle:

"Yes, compared to his famous name in the desert, anyone who has really been exposed to the inside story knows that Legend Wing is arrogant, arrogant, difficult to get along with, has made countless enemies, and disdains friends with him because of his ability."

His choice of words is precise and direct.

"Even the Fuxing Palace doesn't like him. He has no respect for the nobility and no care for tradition. He can raise an army with anger and destroy the city with pleasure. He is determined to have his own way and the emperor's life is difficult to control..."

"Of course I don't care about the mere political tricks of Xihuang."

Thales froze.

In his mind, he pictured Roman pulling Nobu coldly and openly threatening to enter the Fuxing Palace.

[Next time, if they want to take my territory again and play some kind of political game to balance power...just wait until I go to Fuxing Palace to find them.]

Gilbert's tone contained a hint of disdain:

"And with the support of the royal family and the army, he became even more unscrupulous: no matter the toughness of the black lion, the sophistication of the crow, or the unpredictability of the four-eyed skull, overnight after the desert war, no one could defeat him in the Wings of Legend.

It pales in comparison to the madness and ferocity of the system."

Gilbert's eyes showed the excitement of a fox catching its prey:

"So, when a ferocious god who doesn't even pay the king's favor takes root in the complicated and chaotic Western Wilderness..."

He didn't say any more, just looked at Thales with a smile.

On the contrary, Thales looked at him in surprise:

"So what you need is not a Xihuang who is at odds with each other and entangled, but a Xihuang who is forced to work together under the pressure of being outside the rules?"

"So that you can hold on to the rope, grasp the key, and get rid of the trapped beast once and for all?"

"And Williams, that pressure?"

In front of him, Gilbert still smiled as before.

Williams, Falkenhauser, Croma, Bozdorf...

And now, it's Gilbert, and...

Kessel V.

Thales leaned weakly on the chair, rubbing his eyebrows in distress, feeling that his brain was about to explode.

After a while, he put down his palm.

"But does it work?"

"The nobles of the Western Wilderness, even the most radical ones, will not surrender just because there is a troublesome lunatic on their doorstep. On the contrary, they will only be angered, and even more..."

Thales couldn't find any good words, so he simply gave an example:

"Just like this time, Gilbert and the arrogant Williams almost burned through half of the Blade Tooth camp and stole all the supplies that the Lord of the West Wasteland had put here, but they..."

But at this moment, a terrible thought flashed through Thales' mind.

His words continued, but his speaking speed slowed down unconsciously:

"They...they...he..."

The prince paused in his words.

He looked at Gilbert blankly.

"Gilbert, if the Legend Wings are part of your plan..."

Thales looked at his old teacher in disbelief:

"Then how do you expect Xihuang to react?"

Gilbert realized something, and his smile gradually disappeared.

"Your Highness, it's getting late..." He cleared his throat.

But Thales seemed to be immersed in his own world, thinking about himself:

"I always thought that the Blade Tooth Camp was not your target, but a bait."

"And the nobles of the Western Wilderness suffered heavy losses and had to vomit out the camp. That is your result."

"But what if I'm wrong?"

Thales stared at the shattered meal on the plate.

Gilbert didn't speak, just looked at him worriedly.

"What if the Blade Tooth Camp is not even a bait at all? What if it is just a gambling table with rules written on it, allowing the nobles of the Western Wilderness who think they know the rules to carefully place their chips?"

Thales slowly calmed down his thoughts, reasoning and narrating. The more he spoke, the more frightened he became:

"What if this is the real bait until their chips are eaten by Williams who ignores the rules?"

"What if the result you want is not just to make the West Wasteland lords spit out the Blade Tooth Camp?"

"What if what you want is for them to be fooled and severely injured, forced to tear away their reserve under heavy pressure, and have no way out to fight back?"

Gilbert frowned and shook his head:

"This is why you are so worried, Your Highness, why should we..."

But Thales interrupted him again.

"Gilbert."

Thales looked at the dinner plate blankly:

"Follow you and Marius, the thousands of royal standing troops transferred from the interior, from the north and the central territory..."

"They are not going to change the anti-blade camp, and they are not here to greet me, right?"

Gilbert pulled up his face and smiled a little reluctantly:

"I don't understand what you mean. Of course they are here to welcome the heir to the kingdom."

Thales still stared blankly at the dinner plate and shook his head subconsciously:

"Perhaps they are here to fight the nobles of the Western Wilderness who intend to counterattack after a night of desperation."

This time, the silence at the dinner table lasted longer.

But Thales just froze in his seat, motionless.

Looking at the second prince's appearance, Gilbert sighed heavily:

"You are overthinking it, Your Highness. Nobles are not that stupid, nor are they that impulsive, even the most radical Bozdov."

Gilbert coughed hard:

"They have no confidence in defeating the Wings of Legend on the battlefield, nor do they have the leverage to force Fuxing Palace to make concessions, and then spit out the Blade Fang Camp. Why would they do such an unwise thing?"

After the words fell, Gilbert looked at the prince worriedly.

This time, Thales looked back at him blankly.

In the Mindis Hall six years ago, compared to the invisible Yodel and the unpretentious Jinnie, the polite and kind Foreign Secretary was one of the few people he trusted and admired wholeheartedly.

Over the years, whenever he thought about the years in Mindis Hall, he would have a clearer sense of belonging to his hometown and his way back, which were gradually blurring.

But I don't know why...

After six years in the North, after the aura of seeing old friends faded away...

For some reason, he felt that Gilbert's gaze suddenly became a little strange.
To be continued...