"I've never met you before. Arnold crossed his hands, leaned back on the sofa leisurely, and said to the Duke of Heslett very calmly, "The Lengshan Territory is too far away from the imperial capital, and even the Voliva Territory has few contacts, so it can be said that we, the eastern lords, are about to become people from other countries to Wangji, and there is almost no resemblance to the traditional Serodib people. I don't know much about the affairs of the Imperial Capital, nor do Northville and Tamská, so even if you ask me about my attitude, I have nothing to answer. ”

"Really? I see. Although Arnold did not make his statement clear, the Duke of Heslett understood what he meant, "So, although it is a reluctant request, can you please listen to our opinion?"

"Listen up. Arnold gestured please.

"Although the relationship between the lords and the royal family has not been very good since the signing of the "Fog Castle Charter", just like the ancestors who signed the "Fog Castle Charter" back then, we should still assist the royal family in the necessary moment of crisis in the imperial capital. The Voliva and Blackwater Lords will be fully prepared for war, as will the other counts who have already been contacted, not only for the sake of the dignity of the Empire, but also for our own survival. ”

"The people of White are not going to give us the status we have now, I know that. Arnold nodded, motioning for the other to continue.

"Yes, the threat of the White Ground is too great, more dangerous than the elves who once invaded Wanggi, but this is for us whose territory is around Wanggi, it is impossible for the White Ground people to threaten the White Horse City on the southern seaside, and they will not be able to conquer the notoriously difficult city of Vodahara, and this is what we are worried about, if someone mistakenly sees the invasion of the White Landians as a danger, then it will be an even worse danger. ”

The other party did not mention Lionheart, obviously this was to save face for Arnold, after all, Louis and the Duke of Æthelwolf did not sit here and listen to Heslet.

"I'm here now, just like you, to attend the Imperial Council and contribute to the defense of the Empire. ”

"But you've brought too few people with you. Duke Wollaston shook his head, and some stern gaze fell on Arnold, "No accusation, I believe you have come with the greatest sincerity and loyalty, and the Blood Cross and you yourself are the best proof of this." But we can't help but have some doubts about the loyalty of Tamska and Northway. ”

Sure enough, this is it. Although there had been some speculation for a long time, now that Wollaston had broken the point, Arnold was finally able to confirm his conjecture. Even if he said "no accusation", it was clear that Wollaston had included Fegraf in his suspicions, but it was too strange for Wollaston to suspect Arnold in terms of the identity of the questioner, and it would have been much more natural if the questioner had been Francisco or Iscario who could represent the royal family.

"This is also something that can't be helped, after all, the crisis facing the Eastern Territory is also very troublesome. Arnold knew what the evidence of the other party's suspicions was, "The Sky Mage Council and the Church have also confirmed this, you can't just watch the people of the empire suffer and be indifferent, right?" ”

"That's true. Before Wollaston could speak, Duke Heslett took the lead and said, "Personally, it is understandable, but after all, limited by the position I am in, generally speaking, I think that the imperial capital is more important than the east." ”

Wollaston, who had been robbed white, was slightly unhappy, he frowned and looked at Heslet, but Heslet did not respond to his gaze, just looked at Arnold.

"It depends on whether the imperial capital has this value. Arnold said something that surprised the Duke of Heslet, "Now that the forces of the Eastern Territory have been gathered to support the imperial capital, can the imperial capital really be able to defend it?" ”

"Oh? ”

This time it was Wollaston who grabbed the white.

"You are young, but you have experienced the war, so what do you think of this war? ”

"Yes, while it is not intended to offend His Highness Iscario, I think he is taking his ideas for granted. Arnold did not avoid the question, and simply stated his thoughts, "His plan is overconfident, confidently guessing the actions of the white people, and the whole plan is based on the white people acting as he expected. But what if the Baidiren did not act as he envisioned? The Jinghu Territory is not small, there are many paths leading to Wangji, and, more importantly, if the Baidiren sail from Jinghu by boat, pass through the broken belt of the Baijin Mountains, and attack the imperial capital from the northwest, then the decisive battle plan of the prince of Iscario can be said to be completely frustrated, and in turn, there is a risk of losing the imperial capital and being cut off by the enemy. So, in my opinion, this plan is too idealistic and there are too many things that I can't control. ”

Wollaston laughed, and it was not hard to tell from his smile that he quite agreed with Arnold's statement.

"This is also something that can't be helped, His Royal Highness the Second Prince has not experienced a war after all. Wollaston's words unabashedly revealed his contempt for Iscario, "Because you are young, it is easy to be inconsiderate, but your Excellency, Duke Arnold, although you are young, you seem to be quite experienced in military affairs." ”

Wollaston's eyes narrowed, and the scar on his face became sinister, which made Arnold feel a little uncomfortable, whether it was a compliment or a joke.

"However, even a man of your skill is no match for Lord Tiger on the battlefield, and to be honest, as a warrior, I would love to fight your father. ”

Arnold pursed his lips, which made him rather unpleasant, but out of politeness, he did not interrupt.

"The Empire is in danger at this time, and any necessary forces should be united, and I believe that the great warriors and generals of your father's are exactly what the Empire needs now. Why don't you let him come to the imperial capital to participate in the war, with his tactical level, at least he is much more experienced than Prince Iscario. ”

Arnold stared at the Duke of Wollaston tightly, the other party was half-leaning in the shadows, his expression looked a little blurred, but it also made people feel ill-willed, at least for Arnold, the sentence just now was quite ill-intentioned.

"You should understand how I will answer, it has nothing to do with the relationship between me and my father, it is not appropriate for Leng Shan Ling to let my father regain any power, Leng Shan Ling does not need him to do anything anymore, although we are all grateful for everything he has done for us. ”

"Yes, exactly. Heslett hastened to make a draw, and at the same time sent a slightly dissatisfied look to Wollaston, "Your Excellency Tegman's stay in Whitehorse City is the best situation, and no other place is suitable for him, I agree with you. Now let's talk about the current situation. ”

He coughed, trying to lighten the atmosphere that had been spoiled by Wollaston.

"Do you think that the Baidi people will cross the Mirror Lake and attack the imperial capital from the northwest? I have to say, this is a very interesting idea, but what are the possibilities? The Baidi people are a people on the snowy field, they have never even seen a decent lake, are they really capable of crossing the Mirror Lake like the sea?"

"A lake is a lake after all, and although Mirror Lake is big, it is still too calm compared to the sea. Surprisingly, Wollaston suddenly spoke on Arnold's side again, "If the White Lands completely control the Tiamat Territory, then as long as they mobilize enough ships, they can completely transfer a part of the troops, and at the same time send the remaining troops to invade the Mirror Lake Territory and confront us, the level of 300,000 people is difficult for us to fully detect, so it is best not to ignore this possibility." Don't forget, when the elves invaded Wangji back then, didn't they take advantage of the empire's misconception that 'elves can't have a navy' to achieve a huge strategic victory?"

As soon as he talked about the strategic failure of the empire when the elves invaded the war, Heslet's face couldn't help but change, even after so many years, this failure recorded in the textbooks still left a deep impression on the people of the empire.

"You have a point...... Duke Heslett backed, "then, His Highness Iscario's plan is not feasible, but how can we dissuade him?"

"It's not okay to tell him directly. Arnold filled his wine glass, took a sip and said, "Although His Royal Highness seems to be a person who will humbly listen to teaching, but command is a big problem, with an army of more than 300,000 people, who will our majesty give to command, and who will dare to give command?"

"Well, well, your eyes are much sharper than I thought. The corners of Heslet's mouth curled up, and Arnold's eyes became more interested, "So, let it go?"

"I don't have much responsibility for this war, so I'm happy to follow the actions of the two of you, after all, I'm just a junior. ”

Arnold put down his glass and looked at Heslett and Wallaston with an inexplicable confidence in his eyes, completely different from what he had said.

"I'm so flattered that you are so humble and trusting. Heslett really understood Arnold's words, he didn't care about Arnold's eyes, and smiled very satisfied, "However, I'm afraid you were also modest when you met Duke Æthelwolf." ”

"How could it be. Arnold shrugged, "He's the oldest of the six dukes now, and I have a lot of respect for him." ”

"Me too. ”

Heslett curled the corners of his mouth, and Wollaston watched coldly in the shadows.

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It was late at night when he parted with Heslett and Wollaston, and Arnold took advantage of the darkness to return to his inn, and despite the late hour, he could still feel the peeping gaze.

Obviously, in a place like the imperial capital, any big man will be closely watched by all forces.

Walking into the room, Arnold casually threw his coat on the bed, the fireplace in the room was blazing, and he couldn't feel the slightest cold without a coat.

Still, he felt something else.

"You're here. ”

He stood in the doorway, looking out of the window, and the moonlight shone in through the window, dragging the shadows of the people by the window for a long time.

"Long time no see, Arnold. Lily stood by the window with her hands behind her back, the smile on her face the same as when they parted a few months ago, "See you again." ”

"I thought I would see you on the way to the imperial capital, but I didn't expect you to wait for me in the imperial capital. ”

Arnold also walked to the window, looking out the window, where the moonlight was shining, and some shadowy tails could be faintly seen.

"There's no way, if I'm waiting for you somewhere else, I might miss it, so I'll have to wait for you where you're bound to go. Lily shrugged her shoulders and looked unconcerned, "You should know, my intention." ”

"It's not just about protection, it's about it. Arnold turned his face to look at Lily, the moonlight falling on his face with the chill of a winter night, making his face look a little colder.

"That's right, I'm here to convey Lord Astarus's request. Lily's eyes became a little serious, "Lord Asthalo asks you to ...... Kill the Chief Cardinal of the Church, Bishop Francis!"