Baron McCool sat down on the floor of the inn lobby, leaning back against a fallen table, staring coldly at the man in front of him. He was shot in the arm, and blood soaked through his red uniform, staining the red uniform, which symbolized the glory of the empire, even more crimson.

He knew the man in front of him, Duke Edward of Corgas, and when this duke accepted the emperor's canonization, Baron McCool was only an ordinary guard of the royal guard, and did not inherit the title of baron. At that time, he could only look up at the Duke from the door of the Cape Cathedral, but now, he looked at Duke Edward without any look in his eyes, only contempt for traitors and pride in being a soldier of the Empire.

He brought with him a hundred Royal Guard guards to protect the Mission, and there were not many left. Although the enemy did not directly bombard the building with artillery for the safety of the eldest princess, after all, the difference in numbers between the two sides was irreversible, even if these guards were the elite of the imperial army, they all had the courage and consciousness to be loyal to the empire, but in the face of endless enemy troops, they still couldn't hold out for too long.

"I didn't intend to let both sides kill and injure so many people for a misunderstanding, but you are so stubborn, I can only do this. Duke Edward sighed and said, he was actually very reluctant to deteriorate relations with the Empire like this, but there were some things that even if he was unwilling, there was no way to change them.

"You said you misunderstood?" Baron McCool sneered and looked at the Duke with disdain, "Now you can say whatever you want, and I hope that when the flag of Corgas on Liegay is pulled down, you will be able to maintain such calmness." ”

The baron's words made Duke Edward frown, such a bitter sarcasm was really out of nobility. But after all, Baron McCool was a soldier, and Duke Edward was willing to forgive him for his offense.

Looking beyond the wounded baron, he looked at the Marquis of Metternich, who was sitting calmly on the sofa, and he had full respect for the old man.

"Long time no see, Marquis of Metternich. He walked up to the Marquis and bowed slightly. Although the Marquis was slightly lower than Duke Edward in terms of title, Metternich's reputation was too loud after all, and Edward also admired the great diplomat.

Franz, who was standing beside the Marquis, looked at Duke Edward warily, fearing that he would do something unfavorable to his grandfather. At this moment, Franz's heart was still quite nervous, it was the first time he had seen such a formation with his own eyes, his legs trembled slightly in the face of the soldiers with loaded guns, but thanks to the cover of the sofa, he did not show his cowardice in front of the enemy.

Compared to his grandson, the marquis did not have the slightest nervousness. He slowly opened his eyes, which had been closed, and his sharp gaze went straight to Duke Edward. "Did Michelle go mad? To do such a thing, hmph, the reputation of the Croixille family looks like it is going to die at his hands with Pritton. ”

Duke Edward bowed his head at the marquis's sharp words, and under the aura of the old diplomat, he could not utter a suitable rebuttal.

"However, he is going crazy to raise the anti-flag against the Empire. Forget it, it's useless to say that, tell me what you mean, although I can roughly guess it. ”

"We won't hurt you. Since the Marquis was so direct, Edward was not going to say anything about the scene in circles, "Including those who died in battle, we will bury them with ceremonies, and the wounded can be treated immediately." I just hope that you, Princess Caterina, Count Jericho, and others will be able to stay here for a while, and as long as His Majesty the Emperor gives enough satisfactory conditions, we will let you return to Deweide safely. ”

The Marquis sneered and looked at Edward with contempt. "An old bone like me should be reluctant to suffer in a small place like Pritown. But as for Her Royal Highness the Princess and Count Jericho, they have already returned to Dévelde. ”

"You're saying they're no longer here?" asked Duke Edward, frowning.

Franz, who was standing behind the Marquis, pursed his lips, he was quite dissatisfied with Swain's escape from the eldest princess, although his grandfather could not withstand the rush because of his age, but Swain did not discuss it with Metternich before taking the eldest princess away, which made him very dissatisfied. In his opinion, this is simply Count Jericho came up with this excuse to save his own life, and fled with the two princesses, and left them here to attract the attention of the enemy.

Duke Edward noticed Franz's expression, and although he could not see anything from the face of the Marquis, he still found some clues in the face of another Metternich. "Don't lie to me. He laughed, "Maybe those two left here, but I've already sealed off the city, and it's not so easy for them to get back to Germany with two feet." ”

The Marquis laughed contemptuously and looked at Edward with disdain, not caring at all what he had just said.

Duke Edward did not intend to look for answers in the presence of the treacherous Metternich any longer, he simply turned around and gave orders to his troops. "Immediately send out people to search for Her Royal Highness Princess Caterina and Count Jericho throughout the city, and never allow them to be harmed!"

——————————

"Your Majesty, General Cecil's body has arrived in Germany. The Minister of War Guderian solemnly reported to the Emperor that regardless of whether General Cecil's actions violated their orders or not, the veteran's integrity was worthy of Guderian's admiration, not to mention that now that everyone was dead, there was no point in unnecessary investigation.

The emperor nodded faintly, he did not have the same sense of identification with General Cecil's actions as Guderian did, but, as a monarch, he understood that it was not appropriate to investigate the fault of the heroes at this time, on the contrary, the empire needed to establish such a heroic image, and there were more battlefields waiting for the soldiers of the empire in the future.

"In a few days, we will arrange for the burial in the Cape Cathedral, and you ask Alexander to inform Archbishop Cuthbert and ask the archbishop to prepare first, and I will consider whether to attend according to the itinerary at that time." ”

"Yes. Guderian bowed side by side, and he could hear the faint displeasure of General Cecil in the emperor's flat tone.

Guderian walked to the door, and was about to leave the Emperor's study, when Prime Minister William Noe Pitt Jr. suddenly ran in in a hurry, almost colliding with the Minister of War.

Seeing his own prime minister in such a panic, the emperor frowned dissatisfiedly. "William, what's wrong, why do you look like you're bringing me bad news every time you come?" the prime minister didn't let the palace attendants inform him when he came in, and the last time he did so, he rushed into the Maduk chamber in such a hurry, and as a result, he brought the news of the Mahdia Empire's attack on the Kingdom of Leon.

Prime Minister Pitt didn't bother to apologize to Guderian, wiped his sweat hastily, and said to the emperor quickly: "Michel VII has captured our mission, and now the southern army has marched towards Lanz Town, it is expected that they will be able to join the southern army this afternoon, and the number of rebels will exceed 100,000." ”

This shocking news made the emperor's face change immediately, and Guderian, who was about to retire, also stopped. "What are you talking about!" the Emperor looked at the Prime Minister in disbelief, his face barely bloody, "How is Karin, has she been arrested?" His first thought was the safety of his granddaughter.

This is not clear, it is not mentioned in the telegram sent by Michel VII. He declared the armistice null and void, demanded the complete independence of the southern princes, and said that if we did not accede to his demands, the safety of the hostages would not be guaranteed. Prime Minister Pitt lowered his head and said, he knew very well how the emperor would react when he heard such conditions.

"That brute! he also deserves to be a nobleman, the face of the nobles of the empire has made him lose all his face!" the enraged emperor smashed the vase on his table, his huge fist was bruised, and the prime minister and the minister of war unconsciously took two steps back.

As if smashing a vase alone was not enough, the emperor began to look for something to do.

"Your Majesty......" Although it was best not to provoke the emperor when he was angry, Prime Minister Pitt still had to bite the bullet and speak, "Please also make it clear, how do we reply to Michel VII?"

"him!" the Emperor grabbed the lamp on the table and threw it at the Prime Minister, who quickly lowered himself to dodge, "I'm going to hang him—I'm going to screw off this traitor's head—"

"But what about the safety of Princess Celestia and Marquis Metternich?" Because Prime Minister Pitt had already fallen to the ground in embarrassment in order to avoid that, Guderian had no choice but to take over, "Although it is not clear whether Her Royal Highness Caterina was caught by Michelle, we still need to consider their safety." ”

Speaking of his favorite granddaughter, the emperor's face couldn't help but tremble. He fell silent, and rarely, the Prime Minister and the Minister of War saw the Emperor's hesitation.

He turned his back to Guderian and Pete. "What about Mittsey's army?"

"It should be there as soon as tomorrow afternoon, and I have urgently mobilized the troops of Glamorgan to support the town of Lanes, and it will not be a problem to survive these two days. ”

The Emperor's palm slowly patted the back of the chair, and there was only a silent clapping sound in the study. Although it should be the time to race against time, neither Guderian nor Pitt urged the emperor, and they could understand the emperor's current mood. To choose between war and the safety of his granddaughter, even a figure like Nicholas I, or because he was Nicholas I, it was difficult to make up his mind.

After a long silence, the emperor's hand finally slapped heavily on the back of the chair and held it tightly. "Refuse Michelle's request. Guderian and Prime Minister Pitt could see that the Emperor's hands were trembling slightly, and although the Emperor was already trying his best to suppress it, he still couldn't fully control his old body, "The whole army gathered towards Lanz Town to meet the rebels. In addition, the army of the Aral side was ordered to attack the south as soon as possible, without waiting for Belgre's army, and to send as many people as they had arrived in Arles, and the troops that arrived later would support the front-line troops according to the situation. Now that Michel has gathered all the main forces of the south to the town of Lands, their rear must be very empty, so that the Al-Front will cut off Michel's supply lines after breaking through the Duchy of Charolalene, and attack Pridden from Nanterel to outflank the enemy's rear route!"

"And which general is the commander-in-chief of the Alan Front?" asked Guderian, leaning over.

"It's up to you to decide. The Emperor said, he kept his back to the two ministers, and had no intention of turning back.

"Yes, Your Majesty retires. Guderian understood what the emperor meant, and knew very well that the emperor needed to be alone now. He glanced at Head Pete and withdrew.

When the emperor was the only one left in the study, he still maintained his posture with his back to the door, and did not move for a long time.

————————

Because the General Headquarters was moved to the Tiamat Palace, Guderian left the Emperor's study and went directly to the Provisional Headquarters, while Prime Minister Pitt returned to the Prime Minister's Mansion to give instructions to the Foreign Ministry.

When he walked to the palace gate of Tiamat Palace, Prime Minister Pitt raised his head and looked at the gate that was being renovated. The original palace gate has been destroyed beyond recognition, the sandstone gate has been blown to pieces because it could not withstand the power of the dynamite of its predecessors, and the carvings of the six Ionic columns and the reliefs on the columns, artistic treasures inherited from the time of Karin I, have been reduced to dust.

The new gate, which is currently under construction, has no intention of restoring the original artistic gate. The new gates were made entirely of steel, without any ornate ornamentation, and the only criterion for the new gates was their sturdiness. After experiencing this attack, the emperor also understood that no matter how beautiful the gorgeous and intricate ornaments were, they could not be worth the word practical, just like this steel gate, and now this era is no longer the era of the old aristocracy.

This era, this era, this era in the name of steel, too many things have been discarded by history.

Prime Minister Pitt, dressed in an old gentleman's attire, put on his top hat and cane hanging on his forearm, walked steadily towards his carriage. And coincidentally, next to the Prime Minister's carriage, a carriage from the Ministry of the Interior had just stopped here.

Beria stepped out of the carriage, carrying a large hat with a low brim, and the shadow obscured half of his face.

"Your Excellency, it's been a long time. Beria gently pressed the brim of his hat and greeted Prime Minister Pete.

"Hello, Your Highness Beria. Prime Minister Pitt also nodded at Beria, which was a greeting. As prime minister, he didn't have to bow to Beria, so a little arrogance was not undignified.

"Did something happen?" Beria asked, and in the current situation, when the Prime Minister came to Tiamat Palace, something must have happened.

Prime Minister Pete took a step closer to Beria and whispered, "Michel VII has captured our mission and is marching on Dew. "Beria is the Minister of the Interior and a member of the royal family, and it doesn't matter if this information tells him.

"Michelle did such a thing!" Beria was slightly surprised, but Prime Minister Pitt didn't fully believe his expression, "So what happened to the mission?"

Prime Minister Pete knew that Beria was asking about Princess Caterina, and he looked at Belia deeply, with something in his eyes. "It is not yet known, but I hope that your Ministry of Home Affairs will make a good effort to find out the information on the Pritown side as soon as possible. His Majesty the Emperor is very angry about this incident, and if the Ministry of the Interior disappoints His Majesty again......" Prime Minister Pitt did not finish his sentence, but his meaning was already obvious.

"Naturally, I'll do my best, and Karin is also my dear niece, isn't she?" Beria's expression didn't change, still smiling, as if he didn't care about the Prime Minister's faint threat, "By the way, I heard that Count Jericho is also in the mission. ”

"That's right. Prime Minister Pitt nodded, "What's the matter, are you worried about his safety?"

"I am certainly concerned for the safety of every member of the mission. Beria said so well that Prime Minister Pitt could not see his flaws, "It's just that if that Count Jericho falls into the hands of Michelle, it will not be a good thing for us." ”

Prime Minister Pitt frowned, when he and the emperor received the news, the first thing they thought about was the safety of the eldest princess, and they didn't think about what would happen to Count Jericho if he fell into the hands of Michel VII.

One of Michel VII's casus belli against the Empire was to declare the jurisprudence of Fort Midnight, and if Count Jericho was forced by Michel VII to submit to Pritton, then the last of the Empire's hold on to Fort Midnight would be lost, and the direction of public opinion would be unfavorable to the Empire.

Prime Minister Pitt looked at Beria, although because he failed to discover Pritton's actions several times, the ability of the Ministry of the Interior and Beria was questioned by other ministers, and Beria himself was beaten and reprimanded by the emperor, but Prime Minister Pitt knew that Beria could have today's status and reputation, not only because of his royal background and the emperor's preference, but also because Beria himself was also a figure that could not be underestimated. He was able to discover this when no one else expected it, although there was a reason why he didn't need to be so attentive to the eldest princess, but his ability could not be underestimated.

"You have a point. "Maybe we need to think about what to do, but at the moment I think we have more important issues to deal with." ”

Prime Minister Pitt is not the emperor after all, and in his eyes, Jericho and Midnight Castle are not so important.

"That's right, the main thing now is to deal with the rebels who are about to arrive in Landstown. Actually, I've already had some results. Beria laughed again, and this laugh made Prime Minister Pitt very uncomfortable. Of course he had seen this kind of laugh, and that was how the confident and fearsome Minister of the Interior before he was beaten by the Emperor laughed like that.

"Oh, is it?" said Prime Minister Pitt, trying to be as flat as he could, "have you made any progress?"

"Although no more intelligence on the enemy was obtained. Beria put his hand in his pocket, "But I've already made contact with Hekarim Novitin, the current acting commander of the Southern Legion. As long as we make a little effort, the balance of forces on the battlefield will change dramatically. ”

Looking at the document bag that Beria took out, Prime Minister Pitt's eyelids couldn't help but jump.

Sure enough, this man couldn't be underestimated. He thought to himself.