After the establishment of the General Headquarters in the Palace of Tiamat, the emperor's life was slightly more comfortable, at least in his own palace, Nicholas I could sleep in a familiar bed, and not in the office, as in the War Department.

But in case of emergency, the emperor still had to give up the enjoyment immediately, just like now, when the Minister of War Guderian hurriedly came to see the emperor, even the supreme of the empire had to put down the half-eaten lunch, and did not dare to delay for a moment to go to the conference room to listen to the reports of the officers.

"The Southern Legion on the south bank of the Lanz River has moved in the direction of Kisen?" the Emperor's thick eyebrows were twisted, and he looked solemnly at the marks marked on the map.

"Yes, according to General Cecil's report, the enemy has been showing signs of moving since early this morning, and is moving in a northeasterly direction one after another, and we judge that the enemy may be preparing to attack Kissen. "Minister Guderian, pointing to the area from Lantztown to Kissen on the map with his hand, "General Cecil and they have sent the latest report just now, about half of the enemy's forces have left the vicinity of Lantztown, and the defenders of Lantztown are monitoring the direction of the enemy's movement, but they do not dare to act rashly because they are afraid of being ambushed. ”

There is no need to calculate the scale, the emperor also knew that the distance from the town of Lantz to Kisen was less than twenty kilometers, and at the marching speed of the main army, it could be reached in half a day.

"You just said that the enemy is leaving one after another," the emperor said with a tense face, speaking very slowly, "when did the enemy's first troops leave?"

"According to General Cecil's report, it was nine o'clock in the morning, and it was supposed to be the seventy-second division. ”

"Nine o'clock in the morning...... "The Emperor's index finger tapped on the map, the rhythm of the beating was like a turning clock, "so you should have walked half the way, could it be an ambush?"

Guderian sighed, he had thought about this possibility. "Even if it is an ambush, we must send troops to rescue, after Munster's troops go to the town of Lands, at present Kisson only has 6,000 Yanwan troops drawn from Glamorgan, even if the enemy's original plan is to ambush our reinforcements, but once they can't wait for our troops to go to support, they are likely to attack Kisson immediately, Kisson will not be able to hold it. ”

Kisson's position was not as ideal for the Southern rebels as it was for the Landestown, but once breached, Landes would come under pressure from both the west and the south. Moreover, Kisson's troops and defenses are inferior to Landstown, and it is unlikely that he will be able to hold out like Lantztown, which has assembled heavy troops and excellent equipment.

"How long will it take for Mitsei's troops to reach Dweide?" The forces in his hands were stretched, and now the emperor had to count on reinforcements from the central provinces.

"It will take two days at the earliest, and although we have already dispatched a large number of trains to transport troops, there is also a great demand in the direction of Arles, and we cannot turn around. ”

"It can't be helped. "At this time, the emperor has no choice but to use the stupidest method," let General Cecil and General O'Brien lead their troops to support Kisen, and the imperial capital garrison continued to hold the town of Lands. Tell Sissel and O'Brien that in case of an ambush, they should immediately retreat to Lands Town, and there must not be too many casualties. ”

"Yes. A staff officer immediately received the order and sent a telegram to the Lanz defenders.

"Is there any news from Pritown?"

"Michel VII has gathered 80,000 men of the southern rebels and set out for Landes early this morning, and is expected to reach Landes by tomorrow evening at the latest. ”

"In other words, General Cecil, whether they succeed in holding off the Southern Army or must retreat, they must return to Lands by tonight, right?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. Once they are dragged by the Southern Army, then the Southern Army will not have to care about Kisen, and the town of Lands, which is only guarded by the Imperial Capital Garrison, will not be able to withstand the attack of 80,000 people. And once Pritown's army reached Lantztown, their strength was enough to completely encircle Lantztown, and Connaught and Munster's troops could not even enter Landstown. ”

The Emperor fell silent, although the good news from yesterday had made the Imperial Capital excited for a while, but this excitement did not last long before they found that their situation was even worse than before.

"Time!" the Emperor clenched his fists, "what we need most now is time, as long as our troops arrive, that traitor Michelle is just an ant at the foot of the Empire, how can he overwhelm us like he is now." ”

The emperor's anxious appearance made Guderian unable to speak several times, and after hesitation, he hesitated and said to the emperor: "Your Majesty, there is another news from the Kingdom of Leon. ”

Hearing the news that it was the Kingdom of Leon, the emperor's face couldn't help but tremble again, now it was very difficult for him to deal with the southern rebels, and there were still 400,000 tide-like desert people on the Badajoz Peninsula.

"Say it. Although he knew that it would not be good news, the emperor still allowed himself to accept it as calmly as possible.

"The principalities and provinces in the southern part of the Badajoz Peninsula have been conquered by the desertmen, and the Mahdian Empire is currently gathering forces in both directions of Badajoz and Toledo to advance on the capital city of León and Zaragoza. ”

The Emperor let out a long sigh, it seemed that the Kingdom of Leon would not last long. "How long can the Kingdom of Leon hold on?"

Guderian lowered his head and said in a low voice: "The desert people are currently waiting for supplies, and the supplies they want to support the 400,000 troops are astronomical, maybe the Kingdom of Leon can last for a month." ”

Guderian's words were obviously meant to comfort the emperor in some way, and the so-called "perhaps" was the best-case scenario.

"What about the blockade of the Rannal Strait, find a way to block the supply lines of the desert people, since we can't support the kingdom of Leon on land, then give them support at sea. ”

"Lord Dönitz reports that no desert ships can pass through the Lonal Strait, but the Imperial Navy on the other side of the Leviathan Ocean is powerless, and the Southern Fleet has been covertly delivering supplies to the Mahdian Imperial Army. ”

The Emperor rubbed the calluses on his knuckles and pondered. Although Michel VII has not clearly expressed his alliance with the Mahdian Empire, in fact, the two forces have shown a considerable tacit understanding, and anyone can see that there is some kind of secret agreement between them. The situation facing the empire is not a confrontation of a few individual enemies, but a full-scale confrontation, each of which is connected to each other. Although there are thousands of mountains and rivers between the town of Lanz and the Badajoz Peninsula, the battle situation in Lanz Town is closely related to the situation on the Badajoz Peninsula, and only the defeat of the southern rebels can cut off the material support of the desert people from the south and free up their hands to support Leon. Although the situation in Silesia is also urgent, the Hadrians have not officially declared war, and in the worst-case scenario, the Empire may have to abandon the Kingdom of Silesia.

"Send an envoy to Michel VII. The Emperor said suddenly.

Guderian was stunned for a moment, not understanding why the emperor would say such a thing.

"Just let Count Jericho go. ”

Guderian bowed his head deeply, he could probably guess the emperor's intentions. Although the final result may be difficult to predict, the appointment of Count Jericho as an envoy should be to test the attitude of Michel VII, and even the emperor may have the intention of making peace with the southern rebels.

"That's ...... Is this really good?" Although he understood that the emperor would say such a thing, he must have thought it through, but Guderian couldn't help but ask.

"Do you think Michelle will be able to stop us when our troops are assembled?" the Emperor asked his War Minister rhetorically.

"No way, the heroes of the empire are not something that these little people can compete with. Guderian shook his head decisively, he was confident in the Imperial army.

"That's right, before the desert people completely attack Cleon, Michel and these traitors will definitely be dealt with by us, but even if we can deal with these people, the Kingdom of Leon will not be able to save it by then. Rather than waiting for the war to stalemate before considering a peaceful solution, it is better to prepare now and save unnecessary time. Time, what we lack most now is time. ”

"But......" Guderian was still unwilling to accept such a thing.

But as soon as he spoke, the Emperor raised his hand and signaled that he needed no more. "Yes, the Empire has never spared traitors, but the situation is too critical today. In any case, the South has no claims that would be a substantial danger to the Empire, so there is a basis for the two sides to sit down and talk, but if the Badajoz Peninsula is taken away by the desert people, then we will always face a neighbor who will not allow people to sleep well. ”

But your name may live on in a way you don't want to. Guderian lowered his head and said deeply.

The emperor waved his hand, and the expression on his face was calm. "How can my reputation alone be compared to the foundation of the empire. The Gion's ability to lead the empire to the top of the world for hundreds of years is not due to the genius of the emperors, but to the consciousness of a clan. ”

Guderian sighed, since the emperor said so, there was no need for him to say anything more. "It's just, is it really appropriate to let that earl be the envoy?"

"What do you mean?"

"After all, he is too young to master such a crucial field as foreign affairs. And...... After all, he is also a southern nobleman!"

The Emperor chuckled, knowing that Guderian was worried about Count Jericho's fall. But the emperor was not worried about this problem. "That's right, I just let him go because of his identity. If he can do this for the Empire, then it's right to hand it over to him, and if he really gets along with Michelle, then he'll report my meaning to Michelle well, won't he?"

"Yes, I see. Guderian had no objection, "I'll go and ask His Excellency Menken to come over at once."

The Emperor nodded and watched Guderian go out.

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The attack on Deweide by the Prytown spies caused great damage to the imperial capital, although the government offices were relatively small because of the soldiers, but the other areas were very badly damaged, especially the Browning district, where the aristocracy and wealthy merchants gathered. Prince Pritown seems to have hated Swain to the core, and the spies focused on attacking Swain's mansion, half of which was destroyed by explosives and became completely uninhabitable, but fortunately Swain took Sophia to Viscount Jericho's mansion at that time, and the servants did not suffer any casualties.

But the house was completely destroyed, and now the situation in the imperial capital was so tense that many people's homes were destroyed by the attack like Swain's mansion, and for a while, the accommodation hotel was full of people.

Some families that did not suffer much from the attack began to accept the homeless, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and the luxurious homes were crowded into many civilians, such as the Metternich family, who provided rooms and food to the homeless in many slums. Of course, most of the nobles were so generous only after receiving orders from the emperor.

Without a place to live, Swin and Sophia were originally going to stay with Madame Jericho for some time, but fortunately, Viscount Jericho was still on the front line, which avoided embarrassment. However, when the emperor heard of Swain's situation, he quickly sent someone to invite Swain to Tiamat Palace to live temporarily. This treatment is not unique to Swain, in fact, the largest number of homeless people are now accepted by the royal family, not only Tiamat Palace, but also many royal palaces are open to people, and the emperor also takes money from his own private treasury to provide food and clothing for these people.

Since it was the emperor's invitation, Sven naturally couldn't refuse, but there was trouble in this way. Of course, the Emperor didn't invite Swain alone, he also invited Swain's family to go with him. Sophia, of course, was very willing to be with her brother, but Lady Jericho and Victoria were not. Viscount Jerichault's mansion was deliberately spared by Prytown's spies during the attack, so Madame Jerichault also opened her house to take in those who were in distress, so that she could not leave, and she preferred to help others rather than hide in safety herself. Victoria hesitated, but chose to stay at home with her mother, although she was very willing to be with her sister, but she couldn't rest assured of her mother, not to mention that Sophia still had Swain by her side, which made Victoria feel embarrassed.

In the end, the Jericho family parted ways. Swan and a slightly lost Sophia moved into the Palazzo Tiamat.

The treatment given to them by the emperor was quite good, and they did not crowd together with the general public, but lived in the inner city where the emperor's family members lived.

The inner city is isolated from the rest of the city, and this small city within a city is not large, at most about the size of the Jerichault family's mansion before it was destroyed. However, it is surrounded by high walls, which makes people feel like they are living in a cage.

The only children who received the same treatment as the Jericho siblings were the children of the royal guards who died protecting the emperor on the day of the attack on the imperial capital, some of whom were taken by their mothers, and some of whom were even lost to their mothers.

After spending his first night at Tiamat Palace, the next day Swain wandered around the gardens of the inner city, which were small but very well kept and quite chic, after all, to reflect the royal face and grandeur.

Swain wasn't interested in flowers and plants, he just walked around casually. For him, living in Tiamat Palace was no different from living in his own mansion, or that it was the same wherever he lived, and the night was still so silent. It's just that Sophia is very uncomfortable with changing her residence again, and in the half month since she came to the imperial capital, she has already lived in several places, so she can't settle down. So she didn't sleep well last night, it was almost noon, and she was still lying in bed.

After all, it is an inner city where members of the royal family live, and there are not many people here, even ordinary court attendants will not stay here, so the garden is quite quiet. The dense branches of wisteria trees block the top of people's heads from time to time, and walking on the path, all around are full of flowers and green colors, so that people can't see the road clearly.

After walking around a corner, Swain unexpectedly meets a young girl.

Princess Caterina who once had a relationship with him.

It is not accurate to say that they are one-sided, because they have a very close connection after they met for the first time, even if the two have not met again after that.

"Hello, Your Highness. Swain bowed first.

"Hello, Your Excellency. Lady Celestia lifted her skirt and bowed back to Sven.

"I didn't see you when I came to Tiamat Palace yesterday, I wonder if you're okay now?"

"As you can see, I'm fine. Princess Celestia smiled dignifiedly. "The attack on the imperial capital a few days ago did make me a little worried, but fortunately, Your Majesty, they are all fine. ”

"It's a blessing. This time, thanks to the grace of His Majesty the Emperor, I, a homeless man, have been able to live in the Palace of Tiamat, and I ask you to express to Your Majesty on my behalf the gratitude of our brothers and sisters. ”

"Why, haven't you seen Your Majesty yet?" said the Celestial Princess, with a slightly surprised expression.

"The current situation is tense, Your Majesty is naturally very busy, and I dare not disturb Your Majesty. ”

Although Swin was scolded by Princess Celestia and slapped in the ears of the palace attendants before, now Swin and Princess Celestia's performance does not look like a suspicion at all.

"Yes, if I have the chance, I'll pass it on my behalf. The eldest princess nodded, and returned to the standard smile of a princess, "Truth be told, I rarely see Your Majesty now." ”

"Is that so?" Sven nodded, moving a little closer to Celestia.

Swain almost clinged to Celestia's side, standing side by side.

After Swain got to his side, the eldest princess also took off her smile and whispered in Swin's ear: "Beria has not returned to Tiamat Palace for the past few days, and the Mr. Herbert you mentioned has been active a lot lately, and I heard from my father that the Marquis of Phil has complained recently that Mr. Herbert has not eaten with him. I want you to investigate what the hell he's doing. ”

"You're really fast. ”

"Hmph-" Princess Celestia sneered, "What's the use of making such a determination if you don't do anything?"