When Emerson and Cumberland pushed open the door to the King's Audience Room, they noticed a heaviness in Todd's expression that he had never seen before.

Cumberland was stunned for a moment, and then asked, "Your Majesty, ...... you?"

Emerson kicked Cumberland in the shin with his toes, motioning for him to shut his mouth.

Emerson walked to the front of his desk and cleared his throat: "Your Majesty, according to your will, we are ready to use troops in the east. ”

Todd nodded, opening his mouth to speak, but his voice was unexpectedly dry and hoarse.

"How's the Protestant asylum going?"

Emerson replied, "We have sent a delegation of Protestant emissaries, who will be responsible for contacting and evacuating the people of the major Protestant kingdoms as soon as the war begins. ”

"Where's the logistics?"

"With the Holy Acropolis as a rallying point, all the grain, grass and equipment have been put into storage and sealed. ”

"What about domestic public opinion?"

"Churches, universities, theaters, town halls...... Many public places, according to your plan, have been conducting non-stop actions to criticize the church for months. Through the victims' appearances, dramas, and the display of relics, there has now been a wave of condemnation of the Church of the Father in China. ”

Todd turned his gaze to Cumberland, "How's the army doing?"

"The Knights of the Twilight West sent out twelve thousand men, including two hundred and thirty rifle companies, two thousand two hundred xenomorph soldiers, and twelve regiments of soldiers. Cumberland touched his chin and said slowly: "There are a total of forty-six warships dispatched by the navy, including five armed gunboats and eleven ballista ships...... Oh, by the way, the xenomorph warship Wayne is building will also be in battle, but it doesn't seem to be finished yet......"

Todd took out a roster from the drawer of his desk and said, "In this campaign against the Papal States, I plan to let the Holy Religious Army also participate, and the total strength is controlled at three thousand. ”

Cumberland's brows furrowed: "Your Majesty, with all due respect, in this battle, the strength of the Dusk West Knights is already fully capable of dealing with various situations, and they do not need the support of the Holy Cult Army. ”

Todd put the roster on the table and slowly pushed it forward: "Victory is only one of the purposes of war, politics is the ultimate goal. ”

Looking at the stunned look on Cumberland's face, Todd smiled and said, "You taught me this sentence." ”

Emerson whispered to Cumberland, "Your Majesty wants to use this war to coordinate the relationship between the races of the kingdom. ”

Cumberland pondered for a moment and asked, "Your Majesty, who is the commander of the Holy Sect Army in this battle, and who has the final military decision-making power?"

Knowing what the old knight was worried about, Todd replied, "The commander of the Holy Cult is Ackerman, but the commander of the operations is you. ”

Cumberland shook his head: "That's not appropriate. ”

"Your Majesty, the Holy Cult Army is actually your personal soldier in a sense, and I have neither the right nor the ability to command this army, forcing it to do so will only increase the contradictions within the army, and even cause discord between the warbands. ”

Cumberland pondered for a while, and then proposed, "I suggest that the Knights and the Holy Cult soldiers be divided into two ways and given two different combat objectives, so as to minimize the ......."

"To do that would be the opposite of what I had originally intended to be. Todd patted the roster with his hand: "There has never been such a thing as a private soldier, the Holy Religious Army belongs to the kingdom, and the object of their service is this country, it is their faith. ”

Todd looked at Cumberland and comforted him, "Before the Holy Cult Army leaves, I will tell them who is the boss in command in this war. Also, I will have the shaman's leader, Lady Minnie, travel with the army. If you are still worried, in the event of any controversy over command, you can always enter the kingdom of heaven and call me, and I will help you preside over the overall situation. ”

Cumberland was stunned: "Your Majesty, you don't plan to go out with the army?"

"I have more important things to do. ”

Cumberland hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, you may not understand the significance of this war, if we capture the capital of the Papal States, the city of Taylor, in one fell swoop according to the predetermined strategic objectives, then the thousand-year-long religious dispute can be completely ended. From now on, there will be no more Church of the Father and the Most Orthodox Church, and the people who believe in God will be converted to one denomination, and you, as the supreme spiritual leader of the Unification Church, will invisibly rule over hundreds of countries throughout the Northern Continent. ”

Cumberland looked at Todd and said in an accentuated tone, "Your Majesty, it's better for me to be more straightforward." At the end of this war, as soon as you are the first to enter the city of Taylor, you will be able to make history through the ages and become the first person to unify religion. ”

"Cumberland, you don't understand. Todd shook his head slowly and said, "Unifying religion, making history, and spiritual leadership are all trivial things to me, and they are not my goals at all. For me, the only thing I want to protect is the land under my feet and the people who believe in me and are willing to entrust everything to me. ”

"In the far south, a catastrophe is taking place like never before. Although these signs may seem very far away from the Kingdom now, their consequences threaten to completely reverse the results of our efforts so far. ”

Cumberland asked, "Havoc, Your Majesty, what do you mean?"

Emerson glanced at Cumberland, motioned for him to look in the direction of the sea outside the window, and whispered, "Look over there, look at those strange mermaids and sharks, there must be a reason why those sea races have abandoned their homes and come to seek refuge in the Dragon Kingdom, right?"

Cumberland looked at Waiheke Island in the distance and said with a sense of understanding, "You mean that something is going on in the south to force these sea races to flee to the north?"

Todd sighed slightly: "Regarding what happened in the south, I have issued a strict order forbidding anyone to leak the news, just for the sake of the turmoil in the hearts of the people within the kingdom. ”

Emerson nodded in agreement: "Your Majesty's decision is right, there are enough troubles for the kingdom to deal with right now. ”

Cumberland sighed, "In that case, then I will take on the role of commander-in-chief and try my best to coordinate the relationship between the Knights and the Holy Cult." ”

"Remember, taking the capital of Taylor is only the first step, and how to deal with the relationship between the church, the secular royal family, and the nobility is the most important thing in this campaign," Todd said. I would like to be able to secure a stable, friendly occupation zone that will put minimal pressure on the Dragon Kingdom to deal with other more important matters. ”

Cumberland nodded.

After saluting the king, Cumberland took the roster on the table, followed Emerson, and walked towards the door of the audience room, and the old knight walked to the door, and suddenly remembered something, and turned to Todd and said, "Your Majesty, about the matter I mentioned to you before......

"Rejected. ”

Todd said to Cumberland without hesitation: "When it comes to fighting in the whole kingdom, no one is better at fighting than you, and now is not the time for you to retire!"

Perhaps thinking that his words were too strong, Todd slowed down and said in a half-joking tone: "Cumberland, think about it, if you are far away from the army and do nothing all day long, that kind of life may make you more uncomfortable than death." So, cherish the present day, perhaps...... Perhaps you will dedicate more time to this country in the future than I am as a king......"