In the long-term depression, Duke Cullen was the first to sigh:
"I think dividing the troops was their second mistake?"
Thordor Red's face was tense and he kept silent.
At the top of the long table, King Kessel sat up straight, revealing his stern face from the darkness for the first time:
"Gilbert?"
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, "Cunning Fox" Gilbert, who had not spoken for a long time, looked solemn and nodded slightly.
"Maybe mentally, the Exeter people understand the pros and cons of this matter, but in action... they can't do it."
Thales' teacher had sharp eyes and began to analyze the situation:
"Qi Yuancheng's immediate interests and the most powerful motivation are to strive for progress."
"It's none of your business to guard the city. Be cautious and of course seek stability."
Gilbert snorted softly:
"As for Longxiao City, one is that the Palace of Heroes has a profound background and is feared by others, while the other is that the heroine Walton is in power and is looked down upon by others."
"The most embarrassing position is that I am in a dilemma."
Thales felt heavy in his heart.
"They tend to win by surprise and gain prestige, which is normal."
Gilbert sighed slowly:
"I think the consideration behind this choice has more to do with politics than with military affairs."
"A hundred wise men who are stubborn in their own opinions are not as good as a hundred fools who work together."
Thales looked at the split white chess pieces on the map, feeling confused.
No.
Selma, what were you thinking at that time?
"Speaking of politics..."
Juke Man interrupted this moment of solemnity and heard the financial controller puzzled:
"This war was started by the parricide. The war was in full swing, but Lombard didn't do anything behind the scenes? For example, on prices and food supplies, intelligence and public opinion? To instigate the Grand Duke of the Three Cities?"
Soduo looked at the scar-faced man in the secret department.
The latter put away the information in his hand and nodded:
"Since Charmaine's coronation, the Black Sand Territory has been stumbling upon the princes who do not respect the king's orders. This is normal."
But the scar-faced man’s tone changed:
"But this time it's very strange. From declaration of war to conscription, from departure to engagement, from spies to officials, the Black Sand Territory has almost stopped all internal and external means of harassment and obstruction. It has not interfered in the war in the three cities, and only concentrated on handling its own affairs.
To quell internal chaos."
All the gentlemen in the imperial meeting were stunned.
The king looked at the foreign minister.
Gilbert nodded, but he was worried:
"Yes, in terms of diplomacy, King Charmaine even issued notices and notes of support, condemned the Freedom Alliance, and fully supported the Three-City Expedition to the West to seek justice."
As soon as this statement came out, everyone was startled again.
Only Thales bit his lower lip.
"So this time," Prime Minister Cullen rubbed his chin thoughtfully:
"Not only did Lombard not use any tampering, but he also acted more like a generous and selfless good king than ever before?"
All the gentlemen looked at each other in confusion.
Until the king's words broke the doubts, as if throwing a piece of ice into the lake:
"He moved."
King Kessel clasped his hands, his eyes flashing coldly:
"In a non-moving way."
After the words fell, many people still didn't understand.
"Moving? Moving hands and feet? In a non-moving way?"
Viscount Connie was puzzled:
"Your Majesty, I don't understand."
"Are you saying that Lombard has some undisclosed private dealings with them?"
The king did not answer, but raised his eyes.
"Tiles."
The only boy on the long table subconsciously squeezed his knees.
But King Kessel’s voice still sounded coldly, entering his ears without any hindrance:
"Tell me why King Charmaine moved."
"How did he move?"
Thales felt a chill in his heart.
Why did Charmaine move?
All eyes were on him, and he raised his head with difficulty.
Thales met the king's eyes blankly.
On the other side, although Gilbert was full of worries, he still coughed lightly and encouraged him with his eyes.
Therefore, the words of Duke Thales of Star Lake were heard for the first time in the imperial meeting.
"After Nunn's death, the only driving force that can unite the three families of Walton, Ronnie, and Lecco is King Charmaine's unruly and ruthless methods, which makes them feel threatened."
The second prince took a deep breath, tried not to think about anything else, and spoke slowly:
"But when King Charman made it clear that he backed down and did not want to get involved in their affairs..."
Thales did not continue.
The ministers looked at each other with some understanding.
But the king's words sounded faintly again, with a sense of scrutiny and even questioning:
"anything else?"
Thales' knees tightened.
With great effort, he managed to loosen the grip on his knees.
"Originally, Long Xiao, Qi Yuan, guarding the three cities and joining forces to conquer the Freedom Alliance were just a move against the king."
Duke Xinghu spoke again. This time, everyone was listening to his analysis carefully:
"But after experiencing the scene of Lombard's surprise visit to Longxiao City on the day of the hearing, the whole country knew that the king had won a complete victory in the political dispute."
Listen to the government day.
Thales tried to dispel the shadow of that day:
"It would be meaningless for the three cities to use this war to fight against King Charman."
"They lost the greatest motivation to fight against the king, but they were limited by the fact that they could not take back the promises they made. In order to fulfill the covenant, they had to be forced to mobilize."
Everyone in the meeting whispered and nodded to each other.
Thales breathed a sigh of relief.
"anything else."
The king's words rang out again, and he seemed unwilling to let him go.
Thales was silent for a moment.
At that moment, he vaguely knew what King Kessel wanted him to say.
but……
Thales had an expressionless face and a confused mind, but he spoke instinctively:
"On the day of the alliance, Prince Xingchen, who was the hostage of Longxiao City, secretly colluded with King Charman..."
The ministers looked back and forth, their meaning unclear at that moment.
Thales breathed in a daze:
"Then he was suddenly kidnapped and disappeared without a trace."
"That not only disrupted the situation, but also caused the three cities that had made the covenant to lose trust... and become suspicious of each other."
Having said this, Thales felt empty inside.
Yes.
Everything is connected together.
It was his choice on the day of hearing that affected the battle situation in Fort Liberty, thousands of miles away at this moment.
Maybe this was what King Kessel wanted him to say.
Among the factors that caused the three cities to become alienated and the little slicker to fail...
There is him.
Thales felt a pain in his heart.
"In this way, this expedition is called Longxiao City, praying for the distant city for the benefit, and guarding the city for the sake of profit."
Thales tried his best to open and close his lips, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him:
"They have lost the greatest basis for sincere cooperation, and are left with only superficial harmony and alienation, each with their own hidden agendas."
"Whether it's disagreement or division of troops, it's all doomed."
yes.
Each has his own evil intentions, and his appearance is similar but his spirit is different.
Isn't this the biggest thing he has seen in the Northland in recent years?
Isn't it the most powerful weapon he used to counter Lumba on the Night of Dragon Blood?
After the prince finished speaking, his face became stiff and he remained silent for a long time on the long table.
After a while, Kessel snorted softly.
He rarely praised his son (perhaps for the first time in his life):
"very good."
On the other side, Gilbert sighed.
"The sky is high and the throne is far away, the enemy will eliminate the ghosts within."
The Foreign Secretary’s words were filled with emotion:
"In the far western border of the country, King Charmaine just deliberately remained motionless, allowing the previous events to slowly unravel, making the people of the North forget why they stood together and fought side by side."
Everyone in the Ballard Room was immersed in the unspeakable atmosphere of this moment.
Until Soduo breathed out a long sigh.
"Your Highness is right, and Count Casso is right too."
"This is not a war, not a military, not a game of chess," the military adviser said with fatigue in his eyes.
"It's politics."
"Perhaps at the negotiating table and in the banquet hall, facing the king's pressing pressure, with a common purpose, the Three Cities Alliance can become as close as brothers."
"But in this case, when the army goes out to the battlefield to command, and the actual stakes are life and death, the three cities have their own plans and are not under each other's control, and there is no strongman like King Nun to suppress..."
Soduo looked sad:
"Then it is inevitable that discord will arise, it will be difficult to work together, or even there will be differences in ideas and each will fight on its own."
Thales closed his eyes gently.
At that moment, what flashed through his mind was a fragment of memory from a long time ago, which seemed to be a few lines of ancient poetry:
【The army is not united in strength, hesitating and flying geese.】
Viscount Connie coughed:
"I felt something when I was walking in the Northland... When to take risks with strength, and when to retreat when showing weakness, every move of the Kinslayer King was made clearly, and he saw everything clearly. Your Majesty
Someone must make a decision."
On the other side, the scar-faced man from the secret department nodded.
"'Night Owl' Lhasa Kambida has entered the secret department's key list," he answered cautiously:
"We are paying close attention to his every move, whether he is meeting the king or returning to his hometown for vacation."
Viscount Connie nodded with satisfaction.
The king knocked on the table:
"continue."
After experiencing the emotions and sighs just now, the imperial meeting returned to its previous atmosphere, and Thordo Red's voice sounded again:
"After the troops were divided, Kierkegaard of Longxiao City personally led the army and attacked day and night along the Shanliu River, killing the only elite force of the Freedom Alliance."
He picked out some of the three white chess pieces and placed them next to the black knight.
Thales, who was in a sad mood, looked at the war simulation on the long table and suddenly remembered the first time he and Aixida met in Hongfang Street many years ago.
It was also a chess and card room.
The air magician also strategizes and moves the chess pieces.
It's just that time has passed and things have changed.
"It went smoothly at first, but as the battle progressed..."
The next moment, Soduo's pupils shrank, and several white chess pieces in his hand fell down one after another.
"One-arm is captured."
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
Including Taylor.
The next second, there was an uproar in the conference room:
"How did you do it?"
"That's Kierkegaard!"
"The elite soldiers and generals of Longxiao City..."
"Even without the support of the other two cities, we shouldn't lose to such an opponent, right?"
Facing the flood of questions, Soduo also had a solemn expression on his face, and he shook his head:
"Without intelligence, we only know: Whether it's coincidence or luck, it just happened."
The scar-faced man in the secret department nodded, agreeing with the military adviser's answer.
Thales's expression was gloomy and he recalled that Kierkegaard.
The one who was "the most capable of fighting under King Nun".
It is unbelievable that he would lose to a little-known army from a small country in a head-on confrontation, and even be captured by mistake.
The scar-faced man revealed the information:
"We only know that after the commander was captured, the troops in Longxiao City were demoralized."
"They were retreating steadily under the enemy's flexible attack with victory, and even their command failed at one point, and they could not look at each other from the beginning to the end."
"Even the Grand Duchess herself was lost among the rebellious army and her whereabouts are unknown."
"A group of dragons without a leader, almost like a walking corpse."
Lost in the chaos of the army.
Little slippery head.
The prince took a deep breath and tried to keep his expression unchanged.
Thales felt Gilbert's hand press on his palm, signaling him to calm down.
Soduo's words rang out again, replaying the battle situation thousands of miles away:
"At the same time, on the front battlefield, Qiyuan City's troops are on the front line. They want to take advantage of the emptiness inside the opponent and go all out to storm the city."
But the next moment, Thordo's expression darkened, and his fingers kept tapping next to the Freehold on the map, vibrating the widely different black and white chess pieces on it.
"The Exeter people suffered more damage than expected - this time, the soldiers and civilians of the Freedom Alliance risked their lives, were determined, and resisted very tenaciously."
"Qiyuan City cannot be conquered repeatedly."
The words were solemn, and the meaning behind them was even more heart-wrenching.
"Unbeatable despite repeated attacks..."
Gilbert repeated these words silently, as if he felt something.
Amidst the doubts among the ministers, Soduo coughed, moved the second set of white chess pieces to the flank, and continued to explain:
"As for the princes of the garrison city, they went to the surrounding areas to consolidate the front line, collect food and fodder, and maintain public order."
"But not only did they gain nothing, but they encountered desperate resistance from countless poor people. The morale of the army was low and it was as if they were in a quagmire."
The king at the end of the long table frowned and looked at the foreign minister:
"Bitter people?"
Gilbert raised his glasses and opened the notebook at hand:
"Most of the Freedom Alliance, the eastern part of the Beihai Kingdom, including the western part of the territory of Qiyuan City, these areas were originally part of the Xitao Province of the empire, and the aboriginal people there were called the 'bitter people' of Xitao."
"Although they are at the end of the Golden Corridor, most of them live in poverty and have a low status. Over the past few hundred years, whether it was the Exeter and Conmas people who took over successively, or the Free Alliance Senate established by the high-ranking nobles in compromise,
They are all quite harsh on them.”
When Thales moved, he remembered the story told to him by the heir of Qiyuan City, "Nasty" Ian, about the poor people of Xitao.
"I do not understand."
The Minister of Commerce and Trade, Viscount Coney, spoke out about everyone’s questions:
"When I visited the Golden Corridor, the troops and people of the Freedom Alliance... shouldn't be so strong? Let alone facing the Yankees?"
Soduo shook his head:
"No, it's because we are facing people from the North."
This time, Soduo looked at the cunning fox in the stars.
Gilbert sighed and opened the record again:
"Twenty years ago, Suril Walton, son of Nunn, led an army to conquer Freehold."
"After breaking the city, in order to avenge his dead subordinates, he massacred the city for three days, looting without restriction, leaving ten houses and nine empty, and the people were starving and eating each other."
Thales frowned.
This information...
In the records of the Exeters...
No.
Financial Controller, Juke Man nodded gloomily:
"I remember that incident. It is said that the Northlanders wanted to block the news at first - and even more evil people actually compared that inhuman beast with Prince Horace. It was just ridiculous."
Gilbert frowned and continued:
"The governor of the alliance even had his fingers cut off and dragged twenty miles around the city to his death. His body was hung as a warning to the public. His condition was so tragic that it shocked the surrounding area."
The Foreign Secretary put down his glasses and closed his notebook:
"And the current governor of the alliance is the grandson of the previous governor."
Thales looked at Gilbert's notebook.
The history on paper is understated, while the past in reality is heavy and depressing.
"So they have to resist."
Hearing this, Prime Minister Cullen sighed deeply:
"When tyranny reigns supreme, the people everywhere are naturally weak and ready to be slaughtered."
Perhaps this sentence hit something, the imperial meeting was silent for a while, and no one answered.
Only Gilbert nodded and sighed:
"Every cause has its consequences. What this war looks like today was actually doomed twenty years ago."
"Now, the Northlanders are just complaining about their previous cruel atrocities..."