After Michel VII declared war, the railway from the imperial capital to Pritown was discontinued. However, after more than a week of suspension, another train passed by the route, and the royal train was to carry a group of envoys to Port León to negotiate an armistice with Michel VII, who had been there for the time being.

Unlike ordinary trains, the Royal Train has many carriages, it only has a few short carriages to provide passengers with services on the journey, and the carriages are absolutely luxurious.

Swain sat in a red velvet cushioned seat, and the armrests that supported his arms were trimmed with gold, giving him a very different kind of comfort. He had never enjoyed such a high-grade thing in the Tiamat Palace, and the Giang family kept a simple style of life for themselves, but they would never be stingy when it came to embodying royal style.

"Last night General Cecil was killed in battle. The eldest princess, who was sitting next to Swain, said worriedly.

This time the mission was urgent, and they boarded the train the day after Swain learned the news, and he didn't have time to hear a lot of news.

"Was it an ambush?" he had heard a little about the situation at the front, but he could not say that it was very clear.

"The specific situation Baron O'Brien has not yet sent an official report to the imperial capital, so I think they should be preparing for the defense of Lands Town now, and they don't have time to do these paperwork. ”

Swain's index finger tapped on the armrest of the chair, and the sound of the tap drew Celestia's attention. In her impression, the young earl rarely made such small movements, and such movements obviously showed that Swain must be in a very uneasy mood at the moment. Why?, Princess Celestia guessed. Is it because of the imminent arrival in Landstown?

"Can I trouble you with that?" said Sven suddenly.

"Speak, please. Celestia turned her face and looked at Swain with interest.

"I won't get out of the car later, but I'll go and see Baron O'Brien, I'm going to sort out the materials again. ”

Celestia looked at Swain for a moment before she said, "Okay, I'll take care of them." ”

Sure enough, she didn't want to see Viscount Jericho? Princess Celestia narrowed her eyes slightly, as if she wanted to see this person completely.

Swain nodded, not saying anything more.

Seeing that Count Jericho didn't talk about sex, the eldest princess also felt a little bored, so she simply stood up and went to the carriage of the Marquis of Metternich to discuss with the old marquis how to pacify the defenders of Lands later.

The Marquis of Metternich did not go to Pritten alone, he was also going to Hadrian, and such a long journey was quite difficult for the old man, so his grandson Franz accompanied him in order to take care of the marquis.

Before the eldest princess walked to the carriage where the Marquis de Metternich was staying, she met Franz in the aisle, who was smoking a cigarette alone. The relatively young Mr. Metternich was leaning against the window, his expression rather bored.

Hearing the footsteps, he didn't pay much attention to it, just glanced at it casually, but he didn't expect to see Princess Caterina in the court dress of the Crinoline.

"Your Royal Highness, Princess!" Franz, who was startled, hurriedly straightened up, his posture just now was indeed too unsightly, like an uneducated gentleman, if the marquis saw him like this, he would definitely be scolded to the blood. However, because he was so flustered, when he withdrew his hand from the window, he did not grasp the cigar cigarette in his hand and dropped the cigarette butt on the ground.

He hurried to extinguish the cigarette butt, but the ugliness had already been seen by Princess Celestia.

"10. I'm very sorry, Your Highness Princess, I was too rude. Franz lowered his head, his face flushed. is obviously over thirty years old, but like a schoolboy who has made a mistake, he can't think of any way to resolve the embarrassment at this time, so he can only honestly admit his mistakes.

"It's all right, Monsieur Metternich, please don't worry about it. Celestia waved her hand graciously, not showing her displeasure with Franz's faux pas, "It's just that I didn't expect you to smoke—I've heard that the Marquis de Metternich has always been very strict." ”

Franz smiled bitterly, the eldest princess was not wrong, the marquis is indeed very strict. "It is true that my grandfather has always pushed us to the highest standards, but smoking is an indispensable skill in diplomacy, so he did not criticize us in this matter. ”

"Oh, is it?" asked Princess Celestial curiously, "why is smoking an indispensable skill in diplomacy?"

"In the field of diplomacy, we need to look at the environment. Although I don't know why Princess Celestia suddenly cares so much about smoking, Franz doesn't have the courage to offend her like Swain, so she can only say in a respectful tone, "A relaxed environment is more conducive to communication, so in some relatively private meetings, cigarettes can help to shorten the distance between each other, just like wine, in this environment, we are most likely to make others feel our kindness, and there are many topics to talk about." ”

The eldest princess nodded slowly, she really didn't think that diplomats would have so many doorways. "But it's not a diplomatic occasion yet, is it?" she smiled slightly, with a little childish playfulness, but a bit of a sign for her age.

This made Franz feel even more embarrassed, and unconsciously crushed the cigarette butt twice. "Actually, I'm just distracting. ”

"Distracted?"

"Ah, yes. Let's be honest, we've been in some trouble lately. ”

"Why, is there any trouble that gives Metternich a headache?" Princess Celestia's smile remained the same, and it still didn't make people see the slightest malice, but only made people think that she was really just curious.

And being asked by the eldest princess like this, Franz's expression really became more and more embarrassed. Princess Caterina's words can be said to be both praise and ridicule of the Metternich family, just like the emperor's attitude towards the marquis, which is so relied on, and in the current situation, the marquis is once again invited to lobby Michel VII and Hadrian, and carefully guard against them once again having too much influence.

"Actually, that's the case," after all, the other party is a princess, Franz finally confessed honestly, "because of the rebellion in the south, the iron ore and coffee beans and other cash crops in the south have been affected, and most of the factories in other parts of the empire are very dependent on the iron ore in the south, and now these factories are more or less affected, and those enterprises, whether they are industrial or bank, are also disturbed by this situation." In the past week or so, we have lost a lot of money in the bank and stocks invested in by our Metternich family, not to mention that the imperial capital was attacked again a few days ago, and our current expenses are a little tight for a while. ”

As the eldest princess listened, she followed Franz's words and imagined the raging wolves in the market of Deweide now. She doesn't like or hate Metternich, to be precise, she shouldn't judge a person or a family because of her personal feelings, it's not a political game, although her grandfather, Emperor Nicholas I did it, but she has to endure until Princess Catalina reaches the heights of Nicholas I.

She could not talk about gloating or sympathizing with the troubles of the Metternich family, the imperial capital was more miserable than them, and the troubles of Metternich now were a luxury that those poor people would not even dare to have in their lifetime. But there was something else she could get from Franz's complaints. Obviously, the financial market of the imperial capital is now very hidden, the Hadrians, the desert people, and the rebellion in the south, a dangerous shadow has been lurking in Germany before the emperor and his ministers are aware of it, and if this war drags on any longer, then it is likely that the empire's economy will collapse on its own before the army decides the victory.

After secretly writing this down, the eldest princess put away her contemplative expression, smiled again, looked at Franz and said, "Thank you for being willing to tell me these things, I want to meet the Marquis first." ”

"Ah, of course. Franz immediately moved out of the way, "But please don't mention it to your grandfather." He lowered his eyes and said with a look almost pleading.

"Ah, no problem. Princess Celestia nodded happily.

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The royal train only stopped in Lanz Town for an hour, and this time the eldest princess also brought supplies specially prepared by De Weide for the front-line soldiers, including tobacco, alcohol, fresh meat, and Imperial Geer. Most of the soldiers cheered "For the Empire!for Silul!" and happily accepted the supplies of these rewards, while others, overwhelmed in grief by the loss of their friends and brothers, were indifferent to material compensation. Connaught's army, in particular, was lifeless after a defeat and the loss of its commander, General Cecil.

Princess Celestia brought Baron O'Brien and Viscount Jericho the Little Blue Sun Medal, which was specially prepared by the Emperor, and then awarded them on the Emperor's behalf. The ceremony was brief, but Baron O'Brien happily accepted the medal. Although he had his men desperately snatch Connaught's army and General Cecil's corpse back yesterday, a good commander would not carry his grief to the next day.

Compared with Baron O'Brien, Viscount Jericho did not have a little expression when he accepted this medal, which made Princess Celestia think of Swain, although the father and son were not in harmony, but their tempers were quite similar.

After the award, Princess Celestia listened to Baron O'Brien recount in detail about the events of yesterday's battle, including General Cecil's last.

"General Cecil...... Alas - what a pity. "The medals for General Cecil were originally prepared and held in the palm of the eldest princess's hand, but now they can only be buried with the old general.

Baron O'Brien and Viscount Jericho listened silently and did not speak.

"Please, send for the body of General Cecil to be sent to the imperial capital, for his loyalty and deeds deserve a solemn funeral for him, no matter what. ”

"We will do our best to serve the Empire. The baron bent over and said, he was a relatively pure soldier, and he was more impressed by the courtesy that General Cecil had received after his death than Viscount Jericho, who had come from the Ministry of the Interior.

The eldest princess nodded in satisfaction, this is what she and the emperor want to see. Although General Cecil was given very high treatment and was specially allowed to be buried in the Cape Cathedral, in fact, after listening to Baron O'Brien's account, she was quite dissatisfied with the old general. Although the Baron's statement that "I would rather die because I am unwilling to make peace with the enemy in this way" deeply touched the eldest princess, from the most rational point of view, a soldier like General Cecil is the last thing the empire wants to see.

But of course, she didn't show this kind of thought on her face, she just nodded, and then turned her gaze back to Viscount Jericho, who had not said a word. This was the first time she had seen this viscount, and Franz's position was not as high as this viscount, but after all, he was from the Metternich family, and even if his position was low, the chances of meeting a member of the royal family were still much higher than that of someone like Viscount Jericht.

"Mr. Jerichault, you and your troops have done an excellent job in this campaign to defend the town of Lands, and Your Majesty has considered giving you an official knighthood. Of course, this is groundless, the emperor may have said such a thing in a joke, but he must not have consulted it with his cabinet members. However, Princess Celestia was well aware of Swain's intentions and didn't mind doing him a small favor, and this kind of "white lie" didn't cost anything anyway.

"Thank you very much. Viscount Jericho bowed slightly, and thanked him briefly.

The eldest princess could see that the viscount didn't care about such a reward, it wasn't what he wanted.

What did he want? Princess Celestia didn't mention a word about Swain to Viscount Jericha, but when she saw Viscount's face that resembled Swain, she always thought of Count Jericha.

What did he want?, Princess Celestia asked inwardly.

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When Michel VII was on his way to the front line in Landstown, various accidents came and entangled him in Port León.

The first was the report of the Southern Corps, who had suffered a defeat in the town of Lands, so they turned to Kissen, ambushing the pursuing enemy forces on the way, and achieving a victory. The war report spoke of a great victory, and also said that "the enemy has lost the fighting spirit", but this was obviously an exaggeration, and Michel VII could see it at a glance.

Moreover, the prince was very dissatisfied with the unauthorized actions of the Southern Army, and his order was to attack the town of Lands, but the officers of the Southern Army collectively decided to turn to Kisen, although they ambushed the opponent and won the victory, but they did not ask the prince for instructions before making a decision, obviously did not regard the prince as their supreme commander. This alone was enough for the Prince to consider changing the water in the Southern Legion.

But then he received a telegram from the emperor, asking for an envoy to be sent to negotiate peace talks, and asking the southern army not to attack the envoy.

The emperor's sudden request for peace made Michel VII unable to react for a while, which was completely different from the emperor he remembered. In his opinion, even if Nicholas I was the only one left in the end, he would fight to the death with the other party, how could he sue for peace so quickly? Michel VII could not understand the emperor's consideration of seeking peace at this time, but he could still see some clues from the identity of the envoys he sent.

Princess Caterina came in person to represent the sincerity of the emperor, although it was not the two princes who came, but as a member of the royal family, the eldest princess has enough weight. And Swain's identity is worth pondering, this time the envoys are two young people, although they are accompanied by an old diplomat like the Marquis of Metternich, but the marquis did not come as an envoy, so the emperor's selection is obviously based on identity, not talent considerations. In this case, the intention of sending the Earl of Midnight to envoy needs to be carefully weighed by Michel VII.

"Your Royal Highness. Singild, a member of staff standing behind Michel VII, quietly patted the prince and pulled him back from his thoughts.

The prince who came back to his senses was still a little flustered, and his eyes were still a little blank when he looked at Duke Kogath. After a while, his eyes slowly gained focus.

"I'm sorry, I'm lost my mind again. Michel VII said apologetically, as he had been in trance more often lately.

"You have to take a break. Edward, Duke of Corgas, smiled and shook his head, indicating that he didn't care.

"Where did we just go?"

"Count Jericho's business. ”

"Ah—Edward, what do you think the Emperor's intentions are in Yang?" said the prince kindly, Edward, Duke of Corgas, was his friend and the most supportive of the southern princes in this war, so when he received the telegram from Deweide, he immediately consulted with the duke.

"I think the key lies in the title of Earl of Midnight of Jericho, which is supposed to imply that the County of Midnight must remain under the direct jurisdiction of De Weide. ”

Michel VII nodded approvingly, his opinion was similar to that of Duke Edward. "So where do you think their bottom line is? Since they want Midnight Fort, they should make concessions somewhere else, after all, it's us who have the initiative now. ”

"The title of Governor of Orknis is out of the way - congratulations on that. I think the emperor will also recognize some of our privileges, such as the independence of the judiciary in the south. The right to appoint the commander of the Southern Legion may also be given to you, after all, it is useless for the Emperor of this legion to take back his hands now. ”

The prince listened and nodded incessantly. Although he agreed with the duke's words and used them well, for some reason, he was always a little uncomfortable in his heart.

"After all this situation, he still doesn't want to hand over Midnight Fort to me, what's the use of him taking Midnight Fort yet?"

Duke Edward lowered his head, he couldn't say anything about this, and judging from the emperor's insistence, he always felt that something was wrong with this.

"Join me in the negotiations to-morrow, and I hope to do my best to secure the county by midnight. Of course, if it doesn't work out, forget it. ”

"What about the other dukes?" asked Edward.

Mihir VII frowned tightly, he had a deep understanding of the arrogance and caution of these southern nobles these days. "Let them put their troops in order, and if the negotiations break down, they will be able to use their men. “

"Negotiations break down?" asked Edward, confused. The current situation was already the best for them, there was no big loss, and the conditions were suitable, if he really pushed the emperor into a hurry, he didn't feel that his side had enough chances to win.

"Ah, nothing. Michel VII turned his head to hide his expression, and he didn't know why he had just said it.