"With all due respect, Your Majesty, most of the Northern Protestants are heartfelt in their submission to you as the savior of their country, yet it is clear that there is now a small group of ill-intentioned elements who are trying to undermine Ireland's alliance with Germany, or even to divide Ireland, and you are the key to changing the situation in Ireland, and if they can get rid of you, their plans will be more than half successful. Pen? Interesting? Pavilion wWw. ｂiquge。 ｉｎfo”

While Charlotte was at her desk, O-Grady whispered these words to Natsuki. Before setting out to tour the north, the King of Ireland almost made his ears callous, but when the words came from the mouth of the Secretary of State, he felt something different. After all, O'Grady was not an ordinary Irishman, he came from the Gaelic aristocracy that once ruled the country. Over the past few hundred years, although the Gaelic aristocracy has lost its former prominent position, they have maintained a non-negligible influence in the Irish political circle through marriages with English aristocrats and the development of power in local councils, or abandoned politics and business, and used family wealth and network resources to transform into industrialists and traders.

With absolute control of the army, Natsuki is enough to sit on the throne of Ireland, but if you want to govern the country well, it is far from enough to rely on military power or political ****, and only with the support of all classes can the country run in a stable and orderly manner. Through large-scale infrastructure construction in the early stage, the expansion of foreign trade, and the operation of characteristic industries, the Irish government has created a so-called economic miracle, temporarily solved the livelihood problem of the Irish people, and won the support of the majority of Irish people. During this good time, many unresolved issues were overshadowed by the optimism that pervaded the country, such as the distorted concentration of land ownership, the existence of antagonistic religious beliefs, and the resistance and even hostility of vested interests to the new national policy. With the sound of a gunshot in Limerick, the undercurrent beneath the ice began to gush, and if it were not for the checks and balances of international political forces and the proper handling of emergency response by the Irish leadership, Ireland's domestic situation might have fallen into chaos.

With deep thoughts, Natsuki asked indifferently, "Then what do you suggest?" ”

O-Grady hesitated for a moment, but replied in a relatively low voice: "Your Majesty is merciful to his people, so he wants to eliminate the threat of the separatists to the country in the least amount of damage, and I can understand this. However, your tolerance has become a sign of weakness in the eyes of the enemies of the country, a kind of indulgence, which has only fueled their momentum. In fact, the army's previous strikes had been so effective that the remaining separatists would be desperate to risk an attack on heavily guarded Limerick. My personal suggestion is to continue to exert both military and political pressure on them, and I believe that it will not be long before this force loses its ground for survival and development in Ireland, and that the remnants who have fled abroad will not be able to make a big splash and will be much easier to deal with. ”

The previous phase of the raids by the Irish army and police did clear the Irish government of a number of unstable elements and served as an example, but strictly speaking, only a small number of these people intended to divide the country. In order to stabilize the overall situation, Natsuki recalled the invincible Royal Guard, and asked the police and the judiciary to review and interrogate those who were listed as quasi-suspects by the intelligence services through regular channels.

"So, you're suggesting I cancel this tour?" Natsuki asked rhetorically.

"To some extent, the operation to purge the separatists is an internal war, and for war, His Majesty is recognized as a genius," said the State Secretary quickly. In front of you, how can those of us who have never been on the battlefield have a say? ”

Natsuki roughly understood what he was trying to say, and if nothing else, his analysis and suggestions represented the opinions of the hidden aristocratic family behind him, and even the Gaelic aristocratic group.

This was an important consideration for Natsuki in the initial selection of him as state secretary.

Natsuki pointed to the sofa opposite the coffee table: "Sit." ”

Having been following Natsuki for more than a year, O-Grady was familiar with the young king's temper and conduct, so he sat down calmly.

"I have decided to tour the north this time, so that those who question me and oppose me will learn how powerful I am, and a man who can be fearless in the face of 13.5-inch heavy artillery attacks on the battlefield will not be intimidated by their despicable methods."

When he said this, Natsuki's tone was still calm, and his indifferent eyes and resolute expression were enough to make the people sitting in front of him feel his domineering spirit without being angry and arrogant.

Two years have passed since the end of the war, and international politics has once again become a stage for monarchs, heads of state, and politicians and diplomats to show their talents and tricks, except for a few famous generals, the vast majority of soldiers have returned to a low-key state of life, but those classic battles during the war are destined not to be forgotten, and every time they mention it, many people will talk about it, and when it comes to Jutland, Flanders, and the Faroe Islands, when it comes to the German navy, naval vehicles, and elite soldiers in land warfare, when it comes to strategic vision, tactical command, and extraordinary couragePeople usually associate a name, Joachim.

O-Grady said respectfully, "Your Majesty, I personally agree with your assumption. If the internal disputes persist for a long time, it will inevitably affect the development of the entire country, and it is best to solve the problem once and for all under the premise of ensuring your personal safety. ”

Natsuki said slowly: "Knowing that I will be publicly appearing in Belfast and several other places, those extremists are bound to take advantage of the opportunity. When these rats come out of their burrows, we will have a chance to uproot them completely! ”

As a state secretary, his daily job is to assist the monarch in all kinds of state affairs, and this does not include the core military secrets. O-Grady was not even allowed to enter the General Staff of the Armed Forces without the King's permission. If Natsuki didn't say it, he naturally wouldn't have been able to know about these military deployments that even most cabinet ministers didn't know.

Facing Natsuki's expectant gaze, O-Grady said with great awareness: "Thank you for Your Majesty's trust, I will never reveal these circumstances to the second person. ”

Natsuki nodded: "They may not be able to guess our thoughts, but the opportunity is rare, and I think they will be willing to take another risk." ”

O-Grady thought for a moment, and the expression on his face was a little complicated: "Your Majesty is still too risky in my opinion to use his body as bait. And as Your Majesty said, if they are prepared, they will reconnoiter and analyze our vigilance deployment, and find weak points from them, in that case, we may not only fail to achieve our goal, but also put Your Majesty in a dangerous situation. ”

Natsuki didn't deny this, he glanced at Charlotte, who was sitting at his desk writing a postcard, and whispered, "It may have something to do with my habit of taking risks on the battlefield." In fact, our intelligence services are trying to get as much information as possible, and the more they gain, the safer my situation will be. ”

The conversation between the two finally came to a critical point, Natsuki ruled Ireland with the strong support of the German royal family and government, like a strong dragon riding the clouds, the Gaelic aristocracy has been entrenched in Ireland for thousands of years, and after the British aristocracy has fully retreated, it is the most influential land snake in Ireland. The ancients said that the strong dragon does not suppress the head snake, and after Natsuki sat on the throne of Ireland, he did not take any measures to suppress the group of Gaelic nobles, but he also did not restore their former noble status as speculated by the outside world. Today, Ireland's legal nobility is limited to those Founding Fathers who have been awarded honorary titles for their military exploits, as well as a small number of government officials and private industrialists who have made outstanding contributions to economic and industrial construction.

O'Grady didn't shy away from the topic, and he pondered for a moment: "My family may be able to help in this regard. ”

In some parts of Ireland, the Gaelic aristocracy was not inferior to the local government institutions, but the overall ability of this declining group was certainly not comparable to that of the Irish government, which held the power and resources of the state, and the problem at hand was that a considerable number of officials in the Irish government lacked the ability and experience to govern, and did not have absolute approval of the king and the system of government under the king's domination - and there was no absolute loyalty to speak of. It is not surprising that there is a lack of effort or even deliberate avoidance of work on issues that may endanger one's own interests or personal safety. These problems have existed throughout the ages, Natsuki was not a master of Bismarck's easy control of the political situation, and it was already very good to be able to use the internal check and balance mechanism to ensure that the existing political system operated with a relatively clean style and high efficiency, and there was really no good way to get rid of these inherent troubles in a special situation, so he thought of borrowing the power of the Gaelic nobles to tide over the difficulties.

Natsuki did not answer O'Grady's statement positively, but brought out such crowned and vague words as "serving the country is the duty of every citizen". Next, he asks about O'Grady's family, primarily their historical honors. Although we had talked a little before, this time the secretary did not hide his pride in the honor of his family.

Natsuki nodded again, and then said in a serious voice, "An ideal monarchy should not only have reliable government officials, but also a group of loyal noble knights. ”

This was a golden word for O'Grady to revive the family, and he was full of hope, but he did not forget to glance cautiously towards the desk, as if he was worried about the British woman's identity and position were not entirely reassuring.

Natsuki was not without consideration for this, and the reason why he had no scruples in front of Charlotte was not only based on his own judgment, but also out of full control of his own environment.

"Then, please convey my respect to the leader of your family." Natsuki faded away from his message, and O-Grady understood and took his leave. As the trip to the north, the personnel on the special train were cut off from the outside world, and only official documents could be exchanged through a dedicated communication channel, O-Grady seemed to be unconcerned, naturally there was a way to convey the king's attitude to his family in a timely manner, and Natsuki was like a programmer, knowing that there was a loophole in the system, but there was no way to completely identify and plug it.

(End of chapter)