Bad news keeps coming.

Two more cities were lost in the northern part of Gyeonggi Province, including two still functioning military factories. For this reason, the cabinet ministers were criticized for being bloody, which is simply treason.

This defeat caused another panic among the people of the Holy City, and many began to flee south. In fact, the flight to the south began long ago, and now it is the wealthy who own a lot of real estate that are beginning to flee south.

On the Western Front, after occupying the provinces of Santiago, Quenal, and Sitya, the Bilisians finally won a decisive victory after holding the Western Front under Lewis for four months.

The Imperial army was losing ground one after another, and the Bilisian vanguard even reached the northern bank of the Long River at one point, where they tended to outflank the hinterland of Europa and join forces with the Assyrians in the Holy City. Every day, there are horrific human tragedies in the north.

The brutality of the Bilisians was not under the Assyrians, and for the Bilisians, it was the first time in history that they had invaded the heart of Europa, and their national self-confidence was bursting, and they invested more resources in the conquest of Europa.

Defeatism is rising in the land of Europa.

Some wanted to close the door and pretend not to hear what was happening outside the door, while others wanted to make peace with the Bilisians. And those who do not give in are still fighting.

For the people of Rena, it was an instinctive choice to close the door. As Sean said, the empire was never truly united, and when the real test came, they chose to flee, just as the Ott Mountains stood in the way of eternity.

To this end, the Genoese convened an improvised Estates-General.

The delegates at the conference were arguing.

The nobles and landowners, led by Viscount Brandon, clamored for the protection of the Emperor and the sacred Europa, and they wept and accused the Emperor of the incompetence and dereliction of duty of his close courtiers, believing that if they were united and a stronger army was formed, they could defeat the hateful invaders.

Businessmen believed that the Emperor had never really cared about the lives of the Genoese, and that the Emperor had only used the southerners as his cash chest. They agitated for the cessation of paying taxes to the Holy City, and even thought of a good reason that the taxes could be used to raise an army to defend Genoa. This call was very demagogic and appealed to the appetite of the Genoese.

Liberals jumped up and down, preaching patriotism and devotion but separating patriotism from loyalty, believing that Europa was Europa of the Europa, not the Europa of the Saurons. They were idealists and full of patriotic fervor.

The Church, on the other hand, remained silent, and in fact had become more and more quiet in the political life of the Empire since the Council of Dignitaries had been forced to compromise last year, lest it become a target for the food of all classes. Cardinal Charkle himself was on the spot, and he was silent and worried.

The conglomerates, on the other hand, did not give up every opportunity to make a profit, and they were fundamentally in line with the interests of the business community, and some even wanted to issue their own Genoese currency. Except for some nobles, no one wants to tie their net worth to the royal family.

In this case, Sean's every move is extremely scrutinized, regardless of whether the views of the delegates are-for-tat or not, even if they are as stubborn as Viscount Brandon, Sean's opinion is extremely respected.

In the past two years, those aristocrats have also made a lot of money with Sean, not to mention the consortium and the business community, as for the liberals, they are inextricably linked to Sean.

Sean became the uncrowned king.

Sean patiently listened to the delegates at the meeting, and everyone was waiting for him to have their say. Within a few days, Sean received a large number of love letters, both from conference delegates and people from all walks of life outside the venue.

Finally, on the fifth day of the conference, Sean gave his own speech.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the situation in the north is already tense, and it is a complete waste of time to argue fiercely here with no agreement. ”

"As you can see, we Genoese are still enjoying peace. Peace is not innate, nor is it something we are inherently meant to be free. In the past, because of the existence of the Empire, the northerners held back the threat. Now this barrier is gone, and the lips and teeth are cold. So, throw away the illusions and prepare for war!"

There was an uproar in the venue, but it was also expected. Someone immediately stepped forward:

"Dear Earl, do you advocate the formation of an army?"

"Indeed!" said Sean, "if you seek peace through struggle, you will live in peace." If you seek peace through compromise, you will die peacefully. Don't be under the illusion that the Bilisian or Assyrians will respect our borders and wealth through negotiations, and what you can't get on the battlefield won't be obtained at the negotiating table, only the strength of steel and gunpowder is the most reliable. ”

"I have all the Count's claim, but there is a question, if this army is formed, if you are the commander, where are you going to use it?" someone asked.

"Defend Genoa!" said Sean, "and that's what it does." Of course, the scope and limits of the future use of force will be determined entirely by the Estates-General. ”

Sean continued: "It was necessary to form Genoa's own army, because we could not count on the distant victory of the Northern Empire army. For this reason there was a proposal to withhold tax revenues, which I also agreed that would be used to recruit soldiers, who, yes, were paid salaries, not poor allowances, which were the reward that soldiers deserved for their dangerous work. ”

"As for some people's claims, it's too dangerous. In spite of all the differences between us and the North, just as they call us Southerners with their nostrils turned to the sky, we also call us Northerners.

But taking the initiative to distinguish ourselves from the North is a matter of accelerating the dissolution of our Europa national cohesion, which our enemies are happy to see. If the north and the south are suspicious, or if they hold each other back, the enemy will become our masters without much effort, and the vast and sacred and beautiful territory of Europa will become our prison.

The door for people to enter and exit was locked, and the hole for the dog to crawl out was open, and a voice shouted:

Climb out and give you freedom!

I longed to be free, but I knew deep down—

How can a human body crawl out of a dog's hole!

I hope that one day,

The fire underground,

Burn me with this living coffin,

I deserve eternal life in fire and blood!"

Sean's speech was exciting. The delegates chanted:

"No, we need to be our own masters!"

Sean was pleased with the results and continued:

"In times of crisis, unity is strength, not only within the Genoese, but also with the northerners. ”

"We are forming our own army, not to break with the Holy City, nor to pursue independence, objectively this is a manifestation of our self-improvement, if we can do it, we can even contribute more to the defense of Europa.

This is what I have repeatedly emphasized, that we are not only Genoese, but also part of the Europa nation. For we alone cannot obtain peace on our own, and if anyone thinks that peace can be resolved through negotiation with the aggressor, then send him to the front to meet with the enemy, and I am willing to pay double the fare. ”

"Selfishness, self-interest, and cowardice are our enemies!"

"Fighting, only by fighting can true peace be obtained!"