XII

June 8, 1666 MDay +68 Kengler Provisional Command of the Western General Army

After twenty-six hours of cleaning, the Free Army finally freed Kengler's teleportation locator from layers of rubble and magical traps.

The mid-level mages of the Western Army followed the operating procedures, contacted Lennie's colleagues, and then began to test the stability of the teleportation. They threw a rabbit in, then a raccoon, then a boar, and finally an imperial captive. After these teleportation experiments were passed, the teleportation mage at the Free Army headquarters teleported over and announced to the person in charge that within an hour, Lennie's envoy would come at the risk of teleportation magic failing and turning into living amber.

This statement clearly illustrates the importance and determination of this special envoy, and the senior responsible persons of the newly established "General Army of the West" immediately became busy. Lieutenant General López donned his own general's gown, and Colonel Luthor, who had no gown, put on his own political battle uniform, the crisp uniform of a parliamentarian. Of course, everyone knows that the deputy commander of the General Army of the West and the commander of the Lenny Army will soon have his own dress, which may be a major general, or even a direct lieutenant general.

It's been a long time since there has been such an exhilarating battle. Within a few months of the outbreak of the war, the Free Army, which had lost a large number of vital forces in the Directory Incident, suffered its greatest defeat in more than 80 years, losing a quarter of its population and nearly a third of its territory at a much faster rate than the previous three Freedom Wars. The Central Army and the Eastern Army, which had high hopes, were repeatedly repelled by enemy forces, which had a double superiority in numbers and qualities, and one important city after another and electoral districts fell into the hands of the enemy.

But in the past week, the whole situation has changed completely. On a front of more than three hundred kilometers, one of the Empire's combat armies was swept away, two were repulsed, and the resulting gap was large enough to accommodate a nation. In this miraculous battle, the southern detachment of the Fort Stillburg Army was the brightest star. Compared with the successive defeats of the Central and Eastern armies, the combat operations of this army in the last three months can only be described as "outstanding": the forcible capture of Fort Still, the lone south, and the reversal of the tide of the war......

The entire provincial council was amazed at the fighting power and action of this unit, not to mention that the head of this force was a politician who had just been converted to a military position, and although he didn't seem to have been a politician for long, he sounded like his own after all. In response, politicians and bureaucrats made some nominally inconsequential changes with the fastest speed, the ones that best met the expectations of the bureaucracy, such as the change of the "Western Army" to the "Western General Army" and the reorganization of the "Southern Detachment of the Fort Steele" to the "Lenny Army". As long as the southern cluster of the empire is annihilated or defeated, a glorious future is in sight. Many people have begun to secretly discuss the election of the next speaker of the House of Representatives after the victory in the war, and more than one party is secretly sending a message to the war hero. The Protestant churches also launched a great religious activity, thanking the gods for their grace in protecting the free nations and the noble sentiments of His Highness the Deacon. The desk of Colonel Luthor, the dear bishop, was inundated with praise from all sides, and almost every letter was written with the headhead "Your Excellency the General" or "Your Excellency the Bishop" and "Your faithful supporter and friend" or "Your devout believers and parishioners." History looks like it has completely changed for the better.

For all these reasons, Bonnie Seiffel and her partners are now very happy. She pinned her councilor's badge and the Order of Freedom III for the liberation of Fort Still, adorned with a lace ribbon glowing with purple and red magic, and waited for the envoy in front of the teleporter with her happy companions on behalf of the entire Western Army.

Anne, who was standing behind her, took out her pocket watch and looked at it: "It's been more than ten minutes, it's a little slow." Does it take so long to prepare for teleporting a few people?"

"After all, it's a teleporter. If it weren't for me, the bishop, they probably wouldn't have chosen this dangerous way. ”

Bonnie replied, not taking her eyes off the portal of the teleportation location. In order to prevent interference, the fifty meters around the teleportation locator are empty, and no one is allowed to stay. All emissaries traveling via teleportation are usually very lean, as the sheer number of them necessitates the resurrection of an unfortunate dignitary who has been teleported incorrectly into a wall, floor, or ceiling on the spot. In the mid-seventeenth century, teleportation magic was not as deflectable as it was in later generations, and most people risked their lives before traveling with teleportation magic and locators, and professional teleportation mages were a high-risk profession. Fortunately, this time everyone knew that there was a bishop on the scene, and as long as he was not too unlucky, he could be rescued.

"I don't know how many people there will be......"

Anne was still grumbling when the door was suddenly pushed open. The envoy who came out looked familiar, and Bonnie recognized him at a glance and greeted him with a smile on her face.

"Colonel Hull Tedwood, Chief Staff Officer of the Central Army and Executive Secretary of the General Staff Council, it is a pleasure to see you again. ”

The envoy was indeed Hull, who had been transferred to the Central Army. Hearing this unfamiliar voice, he raised his head and carefully looked at the greeter in front of him, but he couldn't remember seeing this councillor with a magnificent medal there. "I'm sorry, sir, ...... you?"

"Don't you remember? No wonder, the last time we met was at a group reception. I was just a banker at the time, and Mr. Chief Staff probably doesn't remember me. Bonnie lowered her voice, "Miss Balus Yui often talks to me about you, and she is very optimistic about your future in the Free Army. It seems that this is the case. ”

Hull's eyebrows raised, he wouldn't forget the drinking party and the half-vampire female agent. "Your Excellency, are you the political spokesperson of that group?"

"No, now it's a military spokesperson. Bonnie snapped her fingers and saluted, "I'm Colonel Pluto Luthor." Welcome to the General Army of the West, Your Excellency. ”

Hull's gaze flickered in surprise. He cleared his throat and said solemnly, "No, no, I'm not an envoy. Your Excellency the Special Envoy is behind me—"

The door opened again.

"You young people may think I'm old-fashioned, but I just can't believe in this teleportation magic. But for the sake of this, I can live with this risk. ”

The majestic gown and rank dazzled everyone's eyes, and they all cheered up at once, and the sound of heels clashing rang out, only Hull's voice continued to sound.

This is Field Marshal Conti Fawkes, the authorized envoy of the Joint Parliament and chairman of the Free Army Staff Council. ”

The gray-haired old marshal looked prepared. He saluted back and called out Luther's name.

"Congratulations, Hero of the Republic, Major General Luther. ”

Bonnie, who heard the word "Major General", blinked, suppressed her mood and walked forward quickly. Field Marshal Fox took out a pair of epaulettes and a medal of freedom of the second degree and solemnly stuffed it into his hand.

"The Council of Staff has agreed, and you deserve it. ”

Bonnie accepted the medal and gave another military salute. "I'm sorry, but it was a remiss on our part to let you, Marshal, come at the risk of teleportation. ”

"Actually, the biggest responsibility should be myself in charge of the Central Army, after all, the road to Lenny is blocked by the enemy. Thankfully, thanks to your efforts, this situation won't last long. The marshal waved his hand, "Don't waste any more time here, the chance to settle the war in one fell swoop is now! Take me to General López, I will listen directly to his report." ”

Of course, Clad López was also already in his staff ready to meet the envoy. Behind him hung two huge military maps, one for Nanjulok and the other for Nanfatees. As soon as the door to the staff opened, there was a slight surprise on both sides: Clad was surprised to see his immediate boss come in person, while Conti was surprised to see a map of Phaethus.

"Welcome to the General Army of the West, Your Excellency Marshal. Clad saluted, "Your body looks healthier." ”

Conti casually returned the salute and walked briskly over to the two maps. "You don't have to be polite. Looking at these two maps, you've done your analysis and planning, General López. There are unexpected factors to report on this battle in Kengler, right?"

"Yes, let the person report it. López nodded, gesturing at Naimon and Anne, "Tell Your Excellency the Marshal about the situation in the air battle." ”

"Lieutenant Naimon Soleyton, Junior Magical Certification, Operational Staff Officer of the Lenny Army. ”

"Second Lieutenant Anne Sefir, Intermediate Magic Certification, Lenny Army Logistics Staff Officer. ”

Fawkes turned around and sat down at the table, his tone appreciative, "These two are the heroes of the Brave Emperor." Although the Emperor was not killed, it took a lot of courage to dare to carry out this mission. ”

Naimon and Anne looked at each other, and finally Anne spoke: "The problem is that, contrary to our expectations, the Emperor did not come to Kengler......"

Anne described the incident but did not mention anything about Denica. In her description, the only person who came to Kengrad was an emperor's stand-in, who saved the first princess they were holding and then fled, making no further effort to fight at Kengrad. After listening to the process, Marshal Fox tapped his fingers on the table and was silent for a moment.

"You mean to say that man is not the emperor at all, and the emperor has not set foot on the battlefield of Kengrad from the beginning to the end?"

Clad nodded: "Yes, that's just that can't be explained. In this situation, we all agree that Kengal is the key to the whole occupation, but the opponent does not seem to think so. They even brought with them 'Might' and the Silver Dragon, which proves that their plan from the beginning was 'to make us think that the Emperor had come to Kengrad'. If it weren't for our men fighting hard, we might not even have been able to find out about this. ”

"If we don't take Kengrad, the Fort Stills Army and the Western Army will not be able to join forces, and the situation will be completely different from what it is now. Naimon pointed to the map and said, "With the material savings of the Imperial army near Lenny, it is impossible for them to fight back, and with the number of troops of the Imperial army on the northern front, it is absolutely impossible for them to fight back." We all know the importance of this place, but why doesn't the emperor know about it?"

"There's really only one problem. Where is the Emperor, and for what? There must be something more important than the victory or defeat of Kengrad. The wrinkles of wisdom on Marshal Fawkes's forehead were huddled together and trembled slightly, as if he were calculating and thinking. "The Eastern Front, preparing for a counterattack, desperately attacking Lenny? Yes, there are only two core issues, troops and logistics. ”

López stood up and walked to the map. "The Eastern Front is more likely, and Southern Feates can provide ample supplies. If he takes the whole of Southern Feates and joins the army of the Duchy of Figota, things are still very promising. But no matter where it was, it must be a place where he didn't need a scepter or a dragon. Do you want to inform Admiral Betsy first?"

"Notice, he's under a lot of pressure right now. Don't forget to inform Interray's Great Red Fleet Command as well. Kengler's smile was worried, "When the Imperial Army moved south, the situation was even more favorable than we are now, but can they think of today? The greater the pressure, the greater the reaction that may be provoked. Total collapse is always harder than we think, and negotiation is always simpler than we think. ”

June 9, 1666 MDay+69 Orthodox Ecumenical Church First Holy City of Taranto

Twelve acropolises guard the twelve-sided walls, and twelve cathedrals surround twelve minarets.

The path of the twelve-pointed star bypasses the gate where twelve statues lead to the twelve-winged gate, and one hundred and forty-four twelve-sided pillars support the twelve-story central shrine.

At the top of the central shrine is a twelve-sided negotiating table, on which the eyes of twenty-four idols are constantly watched, and six attendees from each side of the negotiator sit opposite each other on the two wings.

Taranto is the first holy city of the Orthodox Church, where the great saints and the elect of the gods negotiated the final version of the Holy Covenant through the first four Catholic councils. It was not so much a sacred covenant as it was a massive negotiation that established the principle of peaceful coexistence among the religions of mankind, prevented the outbreak of the imminent religious wars, and laid the foundation for the reign of the only holy empire. In commemoration of this sacred covenant, for more than a thousand years, human kings, princes, and generals always signed important treaties here, and even the armistice of several free wars was finally signed in Taranto.

However, this twelve-sided hall is the first time that negotiations between humans and elves have been held. Legally, the battle between the Elven Empire and its human slaves never ended. But now, the two sides of the negotiation are none other than the most powerful human beings in the world at the moment, and the most powerful elves.

"Welcome to the Holy Empire, Venerable First Citizen. The Duchy, the Orthodox Ecumenical Church, and the Magical Arbitration Society have warmly welcomed you. For me personally, it's an incredible job. ”

The Foreign Secretary, Count Covey Hugh Eaglewing, welcomed the other side on behalf of the Empire. Strictly speaking, this is the first time that the Earl of Eagle Wing has performed the work corresponding to his title. The negotiations between the Corman Empire and the rebels in the south were not diplomatic activities, but only internal affairs of the state, and the same was true of the negotiations with the colonies and principalities. In the eyes of the Holy Empire, the only one who can barely be regarded as an equal object is the Old Elven Empire, which is now the Holy Forest Alliance.

"Each other, each other. I really didn't expect that I would sit in Tarantosti, the former first holy city, to negotiate with His Majesty the Emperor. I was not yet fifty years old when I fought with your Rangers on the Eastern Front, and in my youth I participated in the three sieges of Saniti Figna, and the Great Twin Island Retreat felt like yesterday to me. Of course, these things may be history for you, but not for me. ”

First Citizen Texlour Laremion crossed his hands in front of him and responded in a slightly haughty voice. Representatives of the other two families, Mandriel and Filiadiel, sat on his left and right hands, and beyond him were the three chairmen of the Senate. The Saints have reason to be proud, and although they have fallen, the declining empire that has lasted for thousands of years has its pride. It looks like St. Sen's will continue to exist in the history to come.

Archbishop Ingrid, who was sitting on the main side, frowned, interrupting him before First Citizen could tell a more unpleasant history.

"For us, that's not history, but the Orthodox Church and the gods believe that no matter how great the hatred is, there will be a day when it can be resolved, and no matter how cruel history is, there will be a solution that will be acceptable to both sides. Thirteen hundred years of blood is enough, and there is no need for us to let it continue to flow. ”

The Holy See is now in a state of flux, and the prophecy of victory looks like it is about to come to naught, and the entire Orthodox Church is forced to start a crisis management work. The results of the prophetic magic were indeed very encouraging, but the end result was something that no one expected. In order to salvage the situation, the Cardinal Church and the Cabinet hit it off and urgently organized the meeting when the war was on the verge of collapse.

"But we need to restore it to its former glory first. Frankly, I'm here to risk opposition from within the Senate. I believe that the obstacles encountered by His Majesty the Human Emperor are only temporary, and our strength is very limited, and I am afraid that we cannot devote ourselves to useless places. If the Empire needs it, we are willing to do our part to protect the safety of the Elves and Half-Elves in the southwestern territories of the Empire, and we are willing to do our part for their autonomy. Of course, we would also like to be able to discuss the issue of elf and half-elf autonomy within the Duchy of Soma. ”

The price of the first citizen is clearly opened. He knew what the empire was for, and he knew what he didn't want to sell. The elven army will not engage in hard fighting, but can only play a diversion role. Moreover, these lands were to be loyal to Hunrinasti after the war.

Hearing this condition, Prime Minister Ekorsagen von Tsarinburg finally could not sit still: "Your Excellency First Citizen, I think that the autonomy between the Duchy of Soma and the Holy Sen is their internal affair, and His Majesty the Emperor has no right to interfere. ”

Teslo did not back down: "Over the years, the Dragon Knights of the Duchy of Soma have had many misunderstandings with us. If we don't solve this problem, our glory ......"

"Enough. Put away your glory. ”

Gustav's scepter slammed on the edge of the twelve-sided table.

"Your Excellency First Citizen, tell me what you want. The venerable Duke of Soma has given me carte blanche to give you whatever you want, and what I can accept. What I can't accept, you won't get a result from talking about it again. The situation is urgent, and we can back down a lot, but we have to be fast. ”

There was an extreme sense of intimidation in his words, and for a moment the other eleven people stopped breathing.

The spokesmen of the Mandriel family trembled and were about to stand up: "No one has ever negotiated so diplomatically. He didn't behave like the emperor of a great empire at all......"

Teslo reached out and pressed him. "Forget it, that's fine. Foreign Affairs Committee, give our draft to His Majesty the Emperor. ”

The process of reaching an agreement is actually faster than the process of testing each other. By the time the sun had set, the two sides had come to an agreement and translated it into what sounded grandiose.

"The state of war between the Holy Koman Empire and the people of the Holy Grove and the Senate for 1,300 years shall end with immediate effect. This armistice applies to all principalities and colonies that owe allegiance to the Holy Koman Empire, and to all autonomous territories that send territorial representatives to the Senate of the Holy Forest. All hostilities should cease immediately. ”

- It's no longer time for both of us to continue fighting.

"In the name of His Majesty the Holy Emperor and First Citizen of St. Sen, the Governments of Teresa and Hunrinasti are willing to deepen the unity of their peoples, while respecting each other's history, culture and traditions, in order to create a solid foundation for the future of the civilized world. ”

- This is an alliance treaty, based on immediate vital interests and a common enemy.

"The Emperor renounced his claim to jurisdiction over the territory of Dagonia nad Soma and the city of Pioneer (Flonasti), and the Senate of St. Senate renounced its claim to autonomy over Saniti Figner and the Northern Twin Islands. ”

- Each side recognizes the area occupied by the other, and the empire cedes part of the proceeds of 200 years of aggression.

"The Emperor renounced his suzerainty over the thirteen states of New Koman, the islands of the New Continent, and the seven trading ports of Mureman, and gave them the right to freely elect their own representatives and send them to Hungrinati. The Senate of the Holy Sen allowed Imperial ships equal access to all Elven Overseas Territory ports. ”

- Redeem all the colonial sovereignty of the Empire for the right of passage overseas and the support of the free ports of St. Sen.

"The Imperial fleet is free to sail on the endless oceans, and the St. Mori fleet is free to sail on the continental sea, and neither side is allowed to interfere with the other's navigation. If a third party interferes with the navigation of one side, the other party's ship should provide unconditional assistance. ”

- The fleets of the two sides must join forces to have a chance to overcome the huge sea power of the republics.

"The Holy Koman Empire and the people of St. Sen will work together on military operations to weaken the rebel forces in southern Koman, and St. Sen will provide appropriate supplies, transport, and military support for the Imperial Army. Any overseas territory or elven or semi-elven territory loyal to the rebel forces in the south may recognize the suzerainty of His Majesty the Emperor or send a representative to Húrinasti to gain autonomy if they wish to renounce their position. ”

- The part that is not on the mainland, whoever fights down counts whom.

"St. Sen shall provide to the Holy Empire a war loan of eight million platinum denari (one hundred and twenty million gold marks), in the form of empty crystals and platinum coins, and shall receive not less than eighty-six percent of the nominal amount, at an annual interest rate of eleven percent, from which shall be deducted from the military expenses of the operations of the Saint-Sen Navy. The empire will use the autonomy of Saniti Figna and the Northern Twin Islands and the fiscal revenues for the next twenty years as collateral for this war loan. ”

- St. Sen offers a loan to buy land for the Empire, which uses more land as collateral.

"With immediate effect, the Peace Treaty of Taranto enters into force in the name of Gustave Hugh Corman I, Emperor of the Holy Empire of Mankind, and Mr. Tesla Laremien, First Citizen of the Holy Forest. ”

The First Citizen and the Emperor stood up at the same time, signed the treaty before them, and stamped their coat of arms.

"Well, deal. Hopefully, our hatred that spanned 1,300 years will be bridged. May the cooperation be happy. ”

The Emperor stood up and held out his hand. The elven nobleman on the opposite side hesitated for a moment, and also stretched out his hand.

"May our handshake span the next 1,300 years. "I didn't expect our glory to be returned in this way," said First Citizen Teslo Larimien, "with a sincere face on his face. ”

"I don't have such high expectations, as long as this handshake lasts until the end of your life. If that doesn't happen, I can make it to the end of my life. There was a hint of sarcasm in Gustav Hugh Kirman's tone, "I don't want to say those hypocritical lines - I wish you a prosperous business, First Citizen." ”

Tthlo laughed and took his copy in Elven language. "I wish us a prosperous business, Your Majesty the Emperor. ”

Gustav suppressed the feeling in his heart and coped: "Yes. ”

He personally watched the First Citizen and his party leave the room, and he stood in front of the huge stained-glass window. Some of the old full-length images of the Holy Empire hang in the middle of the glass windows on both sides, as touching as the history that has just happened.

"Did you say I did the right thing, Sid? Did I betray Duke Soma, who trusted me, and my loyal subjects?

"But we have no choice. The Minister of Security bowed his head, "Your responsibility is immensely admired by Wechen. I believe that absolutely no one on the other side could have guessed that you and Duke Soma would be able to make such sacrifices. They can't count on it now, but we at the Royal Department of Security can make them have to throw themselves into the war. We follow you and we will win!"

Gustav sighed, "But it was too badly a victory. Even the rebels in the south are the Cormens. That's how I made their territory fifty percent larger. Tie them up, Minister of Security. ”

"Yes, Your Majesty. Sid didn't know what to say, so he changed the subject, "Your Majesty, we just received news from the Imperial Guards that the Third Army has converged with the Guards. The losses were smaller than expected. In addition, Your Majesty, it seems that you have some household matters to attend to. Our report is vague, but it seems to be related to Her Royal Highness the First Princess. ”

Hearing Olya's name, Gustav seemed to regain some of his spirits. "She should have done a good job, right? ”

Sid was embarrassed and didn't seem to know how to speak. But in the end, he decided to fool the past. "Yes, she is waiting for Your Majesty at Fortiburg. ”

"Fortiburg. Now there are four corps there. The Emperor looked up at the map, thoughtful.

"Our biggest weakness does seem to be Kengler, but that's just the appearance. The reason why Kengrad will become a weakness is due to the lack of troops on our northern front, and the lack of supplies on the southern front. The Emperor slowly raised his fingertips and pointed at the fortress located east of Lenny, "To solve this problem, reopening the ground supply line is considered a solution, but there should be more than one solution. ”

It is one of the top 10 deep-water harbors in the world, the theoretical third staging ground of the Great Red Fleet, and the outer harbor of Fortiburg, once used as a base for the Directory Army.

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Welcome the majority of book friends to come and read, the latest, fastest, the hottest serialized works are all here!