As the capital of the Serodib Empire, the imperial capital of Teturin has not enjoyed the honor it deserves for a long time. Since the signing of the Charter of the Fog Castle by the royal family and lords in 304 A.D., the capital has lost its unique supremacy, and the dukes entered the city no longer with a cautious appearance, but with their pride, they entered the capital on an equal footing with the emperor.

The Imperial Council was originally used by Emperor Henut the Great to force the lords to meet and pay tribute, but after the signing of the Charter of the Fog Castle, this meeting became a disgraceful meeting for the dukes to show off their might to the emperor and force the empire to bow to the dukedom. Now, it has become a means for the emperor to beg the dukes for help in a low voice.

During the time of Henut the Great, the Imperial Council was held in the Skras Hall of the Royal Palace, but after the signing of the Charter of the Fog Castle, it was transferred to the Bafepe Chamber of Chambers.

The Hall of Szrass is a typical hall of audience, where the Emperor sits on his throne and the Duke who comes to the audience salutes the Emperor in front of the steps. The Bafepe Chamber is a round table hall, and both the emperor and the duke will sit at the same round table, and the emperor cannot reflect his status as a monarch, so he has to be on an equal footing and bargain with the dukes.

Now, three of the seven seats in the Bafepe Chamber have welcomed their owners.

"Isn't Your Majesty able to preside over the meeting?"

Sitting in the first seat on the right hand side of the main seat, Duke Wollaston Kierkegaard, the Duke of Blackwater, tapped his fingers on the table with some impatience, and the dissatisfaction on his face was undisguised.

The duke, who was over forty years old and tall and thin, probably because of his youthful work in the countryside, had a darker complexion and obvious signs of exposure to the sun. Because of this characteristic, at first glance this duke seems to be no different from an ordinary farmer, but the scar on his face is a constant reminder of his opponent what a vicious man this duke is.

"Ahem, Your Excellency Wollaston, I'm very sorry that my father can't preside over the meeting in person, but it's really because of the heavy government affairs recently, which makes my father too tired and has to recuperate for a while. ”

Prince Francisco, who presided over the meeting on behalf of Emperor Harold III, replied apologetically that since Harold III suddenly fell ill ten days ago, government affairs were basically undertaken by several princes separately, and the third prince Francisco was responsible for the most thankless affairs of the Imperial Council.

"Tiamat had no time to wait for him to recuperate. ”

On the right hand side of the Duke of Wollaston, Scripps VII, the Duke of Tiamat, who had just taken over the dukeship from his father Scripps VI, said in a calm face and in a muffled voice. Although his voice was not loud, the whining meaning in his words was quite obvious.

"Your Excellency, Duke Scripps, please need not be worried. ”

Directly opposite Scripps VII, on the second seat to the left of Prince Francisco, Duke of Voliwa, spoke out in comfort. Although he was the same age as the Duke of Wollaston, the Duke of Heslett, who exuded the air of a suave scholar, was almost two extremes compared to Wollaston.

Unhurried, he said to Scripps VII in a very reassuring and elegant tone: "Ling Zun is a very good soldier, and he is one of the most powerful generals in the entire empire, not to mention that Tiamat has a famous general like Marquis Stewart, he will not be defeated so quickly." In case the situation is really critical to the point of overturning, the forces on the side of the imperial capital will immediately go north to rescue, even if the people of Feglaf, Northway, and Tamska have not yet arrived, we have the strength to stop the people of the White Land, at least, it will not be a problem to stop them from continuing to advance. ”

Duke Heslet's words could not relieve the sorrow in Scripps VII's heart, but they could alleviate it somewhat, and hearing Duke Voliva's assurance, Duke Tiamat smiled reluctantly, and accepted the other party's kindness.

"But, then......" Wollaston took over after glancing at Heslet, "and the three dukes are really slow." The envoys sent have been on their way for more than a month, and even the farthest eastern territory should have received the news, why haven't they replied yet?"

"Maybe it's because I heard the news that the people of Baidi are heading south, so the three dukes are also in a hurry to prepare for battle, so they delayed the journey. Prince Francisco tried to smile, though he knew in his heart that such an explanation was utter nonsense.

Figlaf, Northway, and Tamska probably didn't want to make this trip to the troubled waters at all, and everyone here knew that, but they wouldn't say it. In any case, those three dukes are half of the seats of the six dukes of the empire, and if half of the six dukes do not participate in this war, then the blow to morale is too great.

"I think we should really be ready for war without them. Duke Heslett lowered his eyes and said this very calmly, "The most urgent task now is not to keep the Tiamat Territory, but to find a way to rescue the people of the Tiamat Territory and the Kasyiya family." ”

Duke Wollaston couldn't help but look at Duke Heslett again, he wondered why the Volda family was so keen to help others, he would not forget how the Volda family changed from the Earl of Naguye to the Duke of Voliva decades ago, and the history of this family's fortune is a naked history of conspiracy.

Scripps VII, who sat to his right, was somewhat moved and helpless, although he also wanted to save his people from this crisis, but he knew that it was impossible.

"Thank you very much for your kindness, Your Excellency Duke Heslett, but I am afraid this will not be possible. Scripps VII sighed and said with some sadness, "The Cassiyah family is Tiamat, this cannot be changed, we cannot live without the land as a root, and it is because my father fully understands this that he insisted on letting me come to the imperial capital and defend the Tiamat territory by himself." ”

Prince Francisco pursed his lips, he knew what Scripps VII meant. The Tiamat people were originally a branch of the White People, although they have been naturalized in the empire for hundreds of years, but the customs of the people still cannot be changed, and after leaving the land as their homeland, they may no longer be the original people. What's more, without the authority of the duke, the Casyiya family will probably become a burden.

"In fact, the vanguard of the White Lands has reached the northern border of the Mirror Lake Territory, blocking the road to the Tiamat Territory. I think the whitelands must have gained an overwhelming advantage in Tiamat by now, and are besieging the city of Kasyia. ”

Prince Francisco said that he had completely rejected Duke Heslet's proposal.

"Where's the Valley Collar?" Wollaston asked, "Is there any news over there?"

Hearing Duke Wollaston's question, Prince Francisco's face suddenly sank.

"They expelled the emissaries we had sent, refused to provide reinforcements, and although they did not directly declare their independence from the imperial capital, judging from the current situation, they probably have surrendered to the White Diren. ”

The deep valley territory is a county south of the Tiamat territory, because it is surrounded by high mountains in the keel mountain system on all sides, and only the north side has a mountain pass connected to the Tiamat territory, so when the Tiamat territory is controlled by the white people, the deep valley territory is also surrounded by the white people, and it has lost the direct connection with Wangji.

"Still as timid as ever. Scripps VII snorted, rather disdainful of the Fukaya Collar.

"Being in their situation is unacceptable from my standpoint, but it's somewhat understandable. "Duke Heslett is still so rational, even if he is a coward who has defected to the enemy, he still evaluates it as objectively as possible.

"So, that means we don't have any information about Tiamat's territory now, right?" Wollaston didn't judge the performance of the Deep Valley Territory, but was concerned with more practical things, "I can't even know if Kasyia City has fallen now?"

"Even if the information from there can be transmitted...... Prince Francisco pursed his lips, his expression not very good, "I'm afraid it will take a few more days, after all, the Tiamat Territory is now in a situation where it is blocked by the White Places, and if we want to cross the blockade, our scouts will have to spend a lot of work." ”

"The initiative is always in the hands of the white people. Wollaston frowned, the scar on his face became hideous, "We have always been passive, even intelligence, if the people of Baidi suddenly go south to the Mirror Lake Territory now, I'm afraid it will also take us several days to react, right, Your Royal Highness the Third Prince?"

Prince Francisco was taken aback by Wollaston's sudden momentum, and replied resignedly, "Yes, that's ......."

"How can you fight like that!" Wollaston suddenly roared, slamming his fist on the table, "War is not child's play, it's useless to sit here and discuss! We must strike first, now is the time to send troops, if we don't send troops now, then when the White Lands capture the city of Kasyiya, we will not send troops, and then what is the point of rescuing Tiamat at that time?"

"But if you want to send troops now......" Prince Francisco looked bitter, "Northway, Fegraf and Tamska have not yet arrived, and the comparison of combat power is too unfavorable for us......"

"War is not just about numbers, Your Royal Highness the Third Prince. Wollaston stood up and looked at Francisco condescendingly, his eyes looking as if he were contemptuous of an ignorant child, "The whitelands blocking the borders of the Mirror Lake Territory means that they don't want us to support the Tiamat Territory, in other words, they don't want to fight us head-on in the Tiamath Territory, whether they are besieging the city of Cassia or what they are doing, we should seize this opportunity to interrupt their strategic intentions." Think about it, what will happen if we keep standing still and let the other side complete its own strategic deployment?"

Heslett sighed, he could fully understand what Wollaston meant.

"The people of the White Land could not be satisfied with just one Tiamat Domain, and while it was indeed of extraordinary significance to them, it was impossible for them to be satisfied with such a small gain with such a large army mobilized. Therefore, it is inevitable that we will continue to move south, and if we cannot interfere enough with their attack, then we will have to face the fully prepared army of 300,000 Baidi people at Wangji. ”

Prince Francisco held his cheek like a toothache, and even though he didn't know much about military affairs, he understood how difficult it would be for the royal family to win in that situation.

"So, please go and discuss with the other princes now, or better yet, with our Emperor Majesty. Wollaston continued to look down at Prince Francisco, "Let's discuss whether we should send troops." ”