The small dispute did not affect the atmosphere of the reception, perhaps because the nobles were keenly aware of the tension of the approaching war, so they also enjoyed this rare time of peace. It was not until midnight that the people returned with their pleasure - although it was customary for the host to arrange the accommodation for the guests, the nobles did not seem to sense something and made the request recklessly. And even during the entire reception, the nobles were not able to say a few words to Yulian, but it was nothing. For a long time, the sudden rise of this young nobleman has made the surroundings a little uneasy, especially the power he has in his hands, and the relationship with the two great nobles are quite intriguing. And now, he was willing to hold such a drinking party, and invited those who had nothing to do with him, at least it showed that the young nobleman was still willing to abide by the rules between the nobles to associate with them, and it was enough for these nobles to know this. As for those more serious and troublesome matters, I will leave it to the representatives of the two major families to have a headache.

Moreover, the appearance of Celtic also gave these nobles a decent warning, after all, the nobles who were able to let one of the three major legions of the kingdom visit as an envoy were by no means ordinary people. You must know that this kind of treatment can be regarded as unprecedented in peacetime, even if it is a big noble, there will rarely be such an opportunity. Naturally, they couldn't understand why Yulian, a lord and nobleman, was so valued by the legion commander and the royal family, and in this way, the rumor that had been circulating among the nobles before, that young lord's relationship with the king was also credible. In the face of such an existence, they will naturally consider changing their attitude towards each other.

However, what Yulian didn't expect was that this drinking party also brought him unexpected troubles - nobles have always been typical of gossip, and the fact that there is no male surname in the Twilight Castle except for Yuren naturally has a more indescribable connotation in their eyes. It is precisely because of this that after this drinking party, the name of the most lustful lord was completely put on Yulian's head, and for a long time, there was no way to eliminate it, of course, this is a later story.

For most, the night is over, while for some, it's just beginning.

The soft brilliance emitted by the magic crystal illuminated the whole study bright and warm, Yulian sat at the desk with his hands crossed, carefully examining the letter in front of him, while Celtic sat quietly opposite him, his face was no longer leisurely before, replaced by the seriousness and solemnity unique to soldiers, the two sides had already gone through the first and second rounds of temptation, but Celt obviously did not have the upper hand in this regard. Now that the pre-dinner show is over, it's time to get into the main show.

"Is that what the king meant?"

After a long time, You Lian took his eyes off the letter and looked at the old soldier in front of him again.

"This is what His Majesty the King meant. ”

Celt frowned, then spoke to correct Julien's "slip of the tongue." Yulian didn't say anything about this, he just shrugged his shoulders, and then leaned back easily, leaning back on the Huamu chair, showing a relaxed and bored look.

There is nothing special about the content of this secret decree, or it is not unusual, it does not even mention Yuren's name, and it has only one content - the kingdom is about to face an unprecedented crisis, the army of the Sith Empire is showing its borders, and now, it is the time for the nobles to do their part for their country, brave warriors, and now is the time for you to gather your troops, wave the flag, and serve the country.

Literally, this was nothing more than a simple summoning order, and there was nothing particularly strange about it being sent at such a moment. But given the identity of the Courier, this is not so normal.

"This letter is certainly not just for me. ”

"That's right. ”

In the face of Yuren's mockery, Celtic nodded.

"In the next few days, the same letters will appear on the tables of the various great nobles, this is a summoning order, our war with the Sith Empire is inevitable, and the only thing we can do now is to gather as many living forces as possible in the shortest possible time. ”

"And then all of them?"

The corners of Yu Lian's mouth curled slightly, and there was a mockery on his face that could not be concealed.

"My Majesty, Envoy, I'm sure His Majesty would love to buy eggs and put them in one basket. ”

“........................”

Celt sighed and did not refute Euren's claim. From a political point of view, it is absolutely inspiring for all the warriors of the kingdom to come together and fight against the Sith Empire. But from a military point of view, the risks are too great. Once they have no way to resist the attack of the Sith Empire, then it means that all the promising resistance forces in the kingdom are nipped in the bud, and those brave people who have gained the current prestige and strength after a long battle will die in the blink of an eye, and in such a war, if they lose once, the entire kingdom of West will be greatly damaged. Why didn't Celtic understand this truth? Moreover, it is also a question of how many great nobles will support such a thing. The gifted knight is too powerful to be compared to ordinary people. The elephant is just an "exaggerated" metaphor and will never become a reality.

"So, what do you mean?"

Seeing Celtic's expression, Yulian didn't talk much nonsense, he waved his hand, threw the letter with the royal coat of arms to the side, and then asked.

"You are strong, young man. ”

Celt pondered for a moment, then spoke.

"Frankly, judging from the sword skills, I don't seem to have the ability to defeat you. I'm really amazed and curious about how you got to where you are. It's just unimaginable. But I understand you're not going to tell me the right answer......... Now I want to say that I hope to have your help. Go to the Crimson Fortress and fight with us. ”

"I don't have many troops, Envoy. ”

Yuren's smile didn't change at all, even when he heard the invitation personally sent to him by one of the three legions of the kingdom, as if what Celt said was not to invite him to participate in the defense of the Red Fortress, but to the menu for breakfast tomorrow.

"I can honestly tell you that the Twilight Forest is desperately short of manpower, my army is less than five hundred, and even these guys need more training to be able to do it. Therefore, even if I go to prepare for the defensive battle, I am afraid that I will not be able to bring too many men, after all, I have only a limited number of people. ”

“............... I see what you mean, Mr. Yuren. ”

Although Celtic is old, his brain has not become dull because of this.

"If you are willing to go to war, then I can mobilize an army at your disposal and use. ”

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Yu Lian's eyes widened slightly. It is clear that he did not anticipate this proposal from Celtic.

"Why?"

"Don't say dark words in front of the Ming people, Mr. Yulian, I'll tell you frankly. ”

Saying this, Celt adjusted his sitting posture and looked at Yuren seriously and seriously.

"To tell you the truth, before I came to the Twilight Forest, someone made some suggestions to me, and frankly, I didn't take them too seriously until I met you. But now, I think I might have to make some changes. Saying this, Celt suddenly clenched his fists and looked at Yuren quietly and solemnly.

"But I still have to say, Mr. Yuren, that is what I have in my heart. I don't think that one or two people can make a difference on the battlefield, even if they are strong and powerful, but war is never a war of one or two people. Although in every war, there are people who can play their important role, but these people are meaningless without the presence of others. I'm a legion commander, I'm a high-ranking swordsman, but I can't win a war alone. So, deep down, I don't agree with the practice of putting the outcome of a war in the hands of a particular person! This is irresponsible to other fighters! They defend their country with their lives and blood, and I can tolerate that such efforts will fail and will dissipate, but I will not tolerate such efforts being considered futile!"

Saying this, Celtic suddenly swung his right fist, and the next moment, he suddenly became quiet.

"But, but, that's just what we military think, we want to get the glory of war, we want to be able to get the glory of war. However, we are soldiers, we are soldiers, we are brave warriors. But until then, we are soldiers, and our duty is to defend our country, our land and our people. This is our glory, and we cannot abandon the very essence of our existence by pursuing those ethereal things. ”

Celt gritted his teeth, his voice trembling a little, and the old man seemed to notice his gaffe, and he stood up and hid his face in the shadows reflected by the crystal magic lamp.

"Young lord, I don't believe in prophecy, and I don't believe in stories about heroes, they're just legends. However, now we are facing the same dangers and obstacles that are comparable to legends, which is why I made up my mind to come here. That's when I'm going to extend an invitation to you, and that's why I'm here to make a promise to you. If you will, I want to be able to use you and your power to protect this country. ”

This time, Yulian didn't speak, and the smile on his face narrowed slightly, but it didn't become as serious as an old man.

"I can understand your thoughts, Envoy, and I understand what you mean...... Most of the meaning. ”

Yuren's voice didn't change at all, as if he was saying something that had nothing to do with him.

"Frankly, I don't have much interest in that. But I have to admit that what you said touched me, at least in some ways. As a nobleman, I certainly wouldn't refuse this request. However, I would like to warn you in advance that things may not go in the direction you imagined - life is always full of uncertainties, wishes are beautiful, and reality is cruel. ”

"Of course I understand, but right now, I need the power to protect my country, no matter where it comes from, from whom, and for what purpose. ”

With Celtic's words, the study fell silent again, there was no sound, only the icy cold wind blew through the window, and the constantly shaking branches of the trees knocked on the window, making a "da-da" sound.

It was only after a few minutes that Yuren's voice broke the silence again.

"Please tell me the exact time. ”

"After the Falling Moon Festival, within the twelve. ”

"I see, Your Excellency. ”

You Lian nodded slightly.

"I'll give you the answer you want. ”

Then, without saying anything, he stood up and made a gesture of please. Celt looked at Julien with a complicated gaze, then turned and walked out the door, and when the wooden door hid the old back, Julien's face sank, and then he walked to the window, looked at the bright full moon outside, and at the same time reached out and gently stroked the hilt of his sword at his waist.

"At any cost, let me see how determined you really are, Legionnaire. ”

Then, he whispered.

Early the next morning, Yu Lian conveyed the incident to his subordinates, and after hearing the news, everyone's reactions were mixed.

"Now, master, this is not a good time. ”

Charlotte was the first to shake her head in disapproval.

"There's still a lot of work to be done inside the Twilight Forest, and there are a lot of issues to be resolved regarding patrols stationed abroad, so we can't send more men to the Red Fortress to fight any protective battles. Besides, this is a problem for the Kingdom of West, what does it have to do with our Knights of the End?I think we should hurry up and work hard to build now, so that we can have enough self-protection forces before the Sith Empire reaches the Twilight Forest, and as for other issues, we can talk about it later. ”

"I hate war, brother. ”

"I hate war, Dad. ”

The twin sisters, sitting together and holding hands, also gave their opinions.

"Those boring battles are really boring. ”

"It's enough for us to be with Dad. ”

"Wars that have nothing to do with us let them go. ”

"They can't resist the gifted knights anyway. ”

"There is no point in struggling meaninglessly. ”

"There is no value in determining failure. ”

The girls crossed their fingers, and two delicate and beautiful faces were glued together, revealing the same smile.

"We have our own glory. ”

"We have our own strength. ”

"We were able to win. ”

"We will not fail. ”

"You don't need to rely on the power of others. ”

"You don't need to give strength to others. ”

"Isn't it?

"Isn't that right?

"What do you think?"

Instead of answering the Twin Sisters' question immediately, Julien turned to Judy - after all, in terms of position and status, she was the one who had the most say in the room. Hearing Julien's answer, Judy stood up, first straightened her legs and saluted the crowd before speaking.

"The words of Lord Messiah and Lord Seminya are not unreasonable, Your Excellency. There is only one report I can say - in the course of the current training, our reserve soldiers have not performed very well, but most of them have already met the conditions to pass the test. ”

“.................. I understand. ”

Although Judy did not make it clear who she supported, after hearing her report, Yulian's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Experience is important and I think it's a good opportunity. ”

Saying this, Yulian moved his gaze to the only person on the field who had not spoken.

"So, Miss O'Fariel, what do you think, should we take part in this operation?"

Hearing Yuren's inquiry, Ofaril looked up, a helpless wry smile on her face.

"From my standpoint, my lord, I very much wish to support your actions. Now, however, I have to say that this defensive battle is very likely to fail -- no, it is very likely to fail. ”

"Oh?"

Hearing this, everyone present was stunned, this sentence would not be strange if it came out of someone else's mouth, but it was completely different from the mouth of Ofaril, who had almost no contact with the military.

"How?"

"I don't really understand why the gifted knights are so powerful, I don't understand how strong the Red Fortress is, and I don't know the tactics of war, but as long as I know that it was West V who gave the order this time, then I can already predict the result - he used to be a man who seemed to have ideas on the surface, but never thought about and paid much attention to the details. And in many cases, it is precisely because of these loopholes in the details that the entire plan will fail. Take, for example, this announcement. ”

With that, O'Faryl picked up the letter.

"It's too brief, and if it's a bulletin board to reassure the people, then there's no need to worry so much. However, this appeared on the desks of the nobles, and the problem was very big. The recruitment of troops and the mobilization of forces need to be reviewed by all parties, and what is the limit on the number of troops? How can large-scale military movements not cause conflicts? What about the compensation of materials and the rewards after the battle? I do not see any of these in the letter, and I do not see any of them here under the conditions that should have appeared in the letter to appease the great nobles. Therefore, I am sure that even if those people really follow the order and lead their subordinates to the Red Fortress to assist in the defensive battle, then after that, a lot of problems will be exposed due to chaos. And on the battlefield, I guess such chaos is deadly. ”

"Well said. ”

Hearing this, Yulian couldn't help but clap her hands, it is true that O'Fariel is not familiar with military affairs, but this does not prevent her from thinking about it from a political perspective and making the same judgment.

"Thanks to your opinion, I have made a decision. ”

As he spoke, Yuren stood up, reaching out and gently stroking the hilt of his sword, then smiled meaningfully.

"We're going to take part in the defense of the Red Fortress, guys, it's time for you to get ready......... This time, we will reinvent our own path – and the future. ”

(To be continued)