Menken looked at the red curtain of light that reached into the sky, and his pale face was also reflected in the scarlet light.

"It's like hell, isn't it, Otto. The voice of the Marquis of Metternich suddenly appeared behind him, and startled the foreign minister, "I didn't expect to see this kind of situation again in this life." ”

"Have you seen it once before?" Menckon looked at the Marquis de Metternich in astonishment, this kind of wonder was unbelievable to him to see it once, and listening to the meaning of the Marquis de Metternich's words, he seemed to have seen it once before.

"Ah, that's right. The old marquis, on crutches, trembling to the window, stood side by side with Mencken, "I saw such a light on the battlefields of Silesia ten years ago. ”

"On the battlefield of Silesia ten years ago, ......" Menken's face couldn't help but twitch a few times, he was now more and more frightened, "You mean, this light also appeared on the battlefield of Silesia? Could it be that this is some weapon of the Empire, used against the enemy? Could it be that Beria took this thing out and wanted to deal with His Highness Alexander?"

Mencken thought wildly, after all, this kind of thing was too beyond the imagination of ordinary people, and he couldn't help but think of some inexplicable associations.

"What are you talking nonsense?" the Marquis of Metternich frowned, and reprimanded Mencken, as a senior and elder, he was fully qualified for this, "Anyway, you are also a cabinet minister, don't you think of something practical? ”

Reprimanded by the Marquis of Metternich, Menken could only smile wryly, unable to speak back. "It's not like a marginal thing, and I can't help but think in that direction. ”

The Marquis of Metternich sighed, shook his head and said, "Otto, listen, no matter how incredible it is, as long as you see it, then it is practical, nothing unthinkable. Even if we don't know anything about it, there's nothing to be afraid of, in this era, the whole world has been presented to us, what secrets are there that we can't uncover?"

"That's what you're saying. Mencken hung his head and whispered.

"I just told you that I saw this scene on the Silesian battlefield ten years ago, not that such a light also appeared on the Silesian battlefield. The Marquis of Metternich looked at the scarlet sky outside, a look of remembrance in his eyes, "I mean, this scene is the same as the battlefield in Silesia. ”

Menken was stunned, and seemed to understand what the Marquis of Metternich meant.

"It was the same back then, there were dead bodies everywhere, and there was nothing more common than death. The number of casualties on the report paper is just a number in our eyes, who would have imagined that it was once a living life?" the Marquis of Metternich approached the windowsill, and the red light shone on his old face, which made his face look much more rosy, as if his complexion had suddenly improved a lot.

"It's the same today, death, everywhere is filled with the smell of death, I seem to smell the stench of rotting corpses on the battlefield of Silesia again, and the bell of doom is ringing in my ears. Ah—of course, you shouldn't be able to hear it, you're young, not like me, you're old, and it's time to see death. ”

Mencken opened his mouth to say a few words of comfort to the Marquis de Metternich, but his lips were open for a long time, and he found that he could not think of a word that was appropriate for the time.

"It is probably an honor to die in such a view!" said the Marquis of Metternich, who laughed suddenly, but Mencken could see the sadness and sorrow in the old marquis's eyes.

"Father!" Joseph burst in and ran to the Marquis de Metternich in a hurry, "Why are you here? Everyone is ready, the imperial capital is too dangerous now, let's leave here together and take refuge east in Glamorgan." You are not in good health, but don't ......"

The Marquis of Metternich raised his hand and pushed his younger son away with all his might, but the old Marquis was old after all, and his body was also very weak after the serious illness some time ago, he failed to push Joseph's solid body, but instead stumbled back a few steps on his own feet.

"Father!" Seeing the Marquis of Metternich stumbling, Joseph hurriedly stepped forward to hold the old Marquis so that he would not accidentally fall.

"I'm not leaving!" said the old marquis, who opened his youngest son's hand with his cane, and kept him from coming near him, "I'm all a dying man, what are I going to do in Glamorgan?

"Father, don't make trouble!" Joseph leaned forward with a bitter face and begged the old marquis, but the Marquis of Metternich just didn't appreciate it, and whipped Joseph with his cane, although he didn't have much strength, and it didn't hurt to beat people, but Joseph, who didn't dare to disobey his father, didn't dare to fight back, so he could only let the old marquis beat.

"Your Excellency, Marquis, you should listen to Joseph. Menken also stepped forward and persuaded the Marquis of Metternich, "In any case, people should keep hope, even if the prospect is slim, they must not give up, isn't that what you just told me?"

"The prospect is bleak?" the Marquis of Metternich sneered, "I am not looking forward to it, and at my age, what prospects are there to speak of. ”

He pushed Joseph and Mencken away and walked towards the door. "Listen, I'm not leaving, and I'm not afraid of Beria's people coming to me or any goblin. I've seen enough demons and monsters over the years, and even if there are more weird-looking ones, what is there? Who can scare a Metternich!"

Joseph and Menken were speechless, although the Marquis of Metternich was indeed old, so old that even he was ready to die, but the Marquis of Metternich was the Marquis of Metternich after all, and the hardness in his bones could not be changed.

Joseph tried to continue to persuade him, but Franz appeared at the door.

"Joseph, forget it, just do what Grandpa says. He looked sad and seemed to have figured out the current situation, "Even if we leave with my grandfather, I don't know how many dangers there are in this city, can we protect his old man......'s family?"

"What are you talking about!" Joseph couldn't take it anymore, and suddenly rushed up and punched Franz, "what do you mean by this, to watch your grandfather, my father, just abandoned here, and let him die alone?

"This is Metternich!" Franz pushed Joseph away and roared loudly, "Don't forget, what we do! We are diplomats, and our nature of bargaining and seeking advantage and avoiding harm has long been imprinted in our bones, and if at such a time, we have to be unassertive because of calculations, what is left of our family?"

Joseph was stunned by Franz's yelling, and he didn't know how to refute him for a while. After being stunned for a while, Joseph's face turned angry again, he didn't know how to refute, but it didn't matter, he just needed to know what to do.

Just as Joseph raised his fist again, intending to punch Franz, the Marquis of Metternich spoke: "Joseph, Franz is right. ”

Joseph's fist slammed into the air, and he looked at his father with tears in the corners of his eyes. "Father, father......" he choked up, tears streaming down his face.

"Go and prepare a box of explosives, we should still have it in the basement, I just die, I can't die in obscurity!" The Marquis of Metternich walked up to Franz on crutches, looking at his grandson's face, the old marquis showed a rare smile of relief, "Franz, you are very good, now I can rest assured that this family will be handed over to you." ”

Although Franz said that the Marquis de Metternich also stayed, he was not without fluctuations in his heart. Having been given so much expectation by his grandfather, and carefully taught by the Marquis of Metternich, his affection for the old Marquis was incomparably deeper, so he felt even more sorry for doing so, even more sad than Joseph.

"Grandpa, I'm sorry, please forgive me......" Franz fell to his knees, he pulled the Marquis de Metternich's trouser legs, and wept silently.

The Marquis of Metternich sighed, his current body did not have the strength to pull Franz away.

"Otto, won't you stay with me?" he turned his head and looked at Mencken behind him, "As Foreign Secretary, you have always done poorly, and if you stay now, you may be able to leave a name in history in the future." ”

Menken was stunned, he did not expect that the Marquis of Metternich would say such a thing and openly want to die with him. After all, Menken was not a relative of the old marquis, and he might not even be a friend, so he was not so sad, at most he had some admiration for the Marquis of Metternich.

"Forget it, I don't want to die yet. Menken smiled bitterly, and said with a bit of self-deprecation, "I know what kind of person I am, I don't have much ability, and I can get to this point, or Emperor Lai Xian is worried that you will be too powerful and put you in the idle position, so he asked me to pick it up cheaply." I am a man who is greedy for life and afraid of death, and all I hope is to be able to live my life in peace and stability without any big mistakes, so I am far less loyal to the empire and the royal family of Kion than you are, nor have you such feelings, and for me the years of His Majesty Nicholas's reign are worth remembering, but I cannot give my life for them. ”

"I'm a small person, and if there is no risk, I am willing to covet some power, but if it threatens my life, I can't muster the courage to take such a risk. Therefore, when I fled from the palace of Tiamat, I deliberately avoided the direction of His Highness Alexander, because I did not intend to join His Highness in the first place, and I knew that His Highness Alexander must be the main target of Beria, and if I was with him, I might be killed at any time. ”

"Therefore, I cannot agree to your offer. I'm a little person like me who is greedy for life and afraid of death, I will definitely be laughed at by you, but this is also something that can't be helped, because, because I don't want to die......"

In the end, Mencken couldn't hold back his tears.

"I know that I am not as good as you at all, and His Majesty Nikolai did not fancy my talents at all to make me the Minister of Foreign Affairs, but because he knew that I was mediocre enough, so he gave me this position, in order to suppress the traces left by you. But who wants to be treated as a substitute for someone else...... No, I'm not even a replacement, just a cork to plug the big hole you opened. Oh, it's ridiculous, the hole you opened is the size of Silesia, and my cork is not as thick as a finger, I'm going to plug the hole you opened......"

Listening to Mencken's confession, not only Franz and Joseph, but also the Marquis of Metternich fell silent.

"In that case, you should try to survive. ”

The Marquis of Metternich turned and looked out at the red curtain of light.

"I'm about to become a historical figure, and as for you, it's up to you how far you can go. ”

—————————————————

Swain stared at Manfred in front of him, and red qi continued to escape from his body, merging into the light curtains that reached the sky.

"What are you doing?"

Manfred looked down at Swain.

"I'm talking to my compatriots. ”