It was dark, the two children were already snoring slightly, Miller quietly hugged his son Bob, looking out the window, the gloomy sky, he knew that his wife was not asleep either.

After a long time, Miller finally said, "Betty, why don't I join the army." ”

In the night, Betty's face moved, and the hand holding her daughter couldn't help but tighten, but then relaxed, and did not answer Miller's words, as if she was really asleep.

His wife's silence didn't stop Miller, he knew that his wife didn't want to take risks, but as a husband, as a father of two children, he really didn't want his wife and children to go hungry.

The nobles and lords in the royal capital issued a notice to repair fortifications on the city wall, two potatoes a day, and if they joined the army, they were the most ordinary cannon fodder, and there were also four potatoes. Many civilians and refugees in the city have gone to join the army and build fortifications.

If there is this food, plus relief food, the children can grow up healthily, and the wife can also replenish her body.

As if determined, Miller reached out and took his wife's rough but still warm hand with his left hand. Betty didn't speak, and Miller's hand, which she held tightly, was her answer to her husband.

This is the current situation of the vast majority of families in the city of Charlottes, many responsible and burdened Charlotte men have chosen to join the army, they are not saying how much they love their motherland, they are just to earn a bite to eat for their wives and children.

。。。。。。

The slightly dilapidated royal city of Otis was brightly lit at this time, because His Majesty felt too cold and ordered the whole palace to be lit up.

In the main hall, the gray-haired current King His Majesty was draped in a blanket, curled up on a luxurious throne, and his cloudy eyes looked at the arguing groups of nobles in His Royal Highness.

Our Majesty looked like he hadn't washed for a long time, and his greasy hair and smelly skin could be seen from afar, but fortunately, the rich Charlotte was not short of money, and all kinds of precious incense were sprayed around the king's body, which still preserved the honor of His Majesty.

There was one more person who was out of place with the arguing nobles in the main hall, and that was the middle-aged man who stood in front of all the nobles, closest to His Majesty the King, and whose noble robes were more complicated and exquisite than the rest.

Although the nobles in the main hall were noisy, a discerning person could see that most of these nobles were just clowns, and everyone's eyes looked at the big man standing in front of them, and His Majesty the King wearing the crown of thorns on the top of the main hall.

Perhaps it was the quarrel of this group of nobles that made our King a little irritable, and the dry arm covered with stains was just raised, and there was no sound in the hall at once. Everyone looked at their King in awe, and everyone knew that the lion had not yet fallen, and even his fangs were still sharp.

More than two months ago, the desperate King Charlotte sent two of his most elite blood-red troops, but they gained very little, and all they got was a 'Princess Faustin, who could die. 'The result.

A good 'possible death', not only did not get any substantial benefits, but instead broke a lot of blood-red soldiers, and even one of the captains in the lead was cut off from his hand.

Looking at the old man sitting on the throne, most of the nobles standing here had a feeling of trembling, when did His Majesty the King become like this, two months ago, this His Majesty was only a little old, but he still did not give up. Now this old man is going to kill and behead at every turn.

Don't look at his unkempt appearance at this time, just yesterday, this majesty personally issued a royal decree for the execution of two counts and four viscounts, because these nobles had fornicated with Faustin and wanted to abandon the city and escape.

They are arguing so much now, and it is just for show, to show their Majesty the King, to show that they are still working for Charlotte's recovery, to show that they will fight Charlotte until the last moment.

The heavy crown of thorns, pressing on this old man, seemed to crush this thin old man at any time, but the truth is, no.

"Philip, tell me what's going on. The king said in a hoarse voice, and the spit out of each syllable was as if it were grinding a piece of iron, which was unpleasant.

Everyone looked silently at the man standing in front of them, dressed in a magnificent robe and with an extraordinary bearing, Marquis Philip. It was this who, a month ago, led the remnants of Charlotte to the south, forcibly broke through the encirclement of the outer lion legions, and entered the royal capital of Charlotte. With this marquis, there are also a full 15 magic crystal cannons.

Marquis Philip, who was standing in front of everyone, just cleared his throat, attracted everyone's attention in the hall, and said in a deep voice, "The Faustan army outside the city has gathered nearly 100,000. ”

As soon as the words fell, everyone in the hall reacted differently, some showed bitterness, some were surprised, some were like ashes, and some were incredulous.

His Majesty the Aged King sighed, "I have to admit that Faustin has greater war potential than us." "A pessimistic atmosphere came.

The Marquis of Philip then continued, "I heard that the Likian Alliance in the south of Faustin was also ready to send troops to aid Faustin, but the king of Faustin refused. ”

There is much help for the righteous, but little help for the unjust. Faustin refuses to pay attention to outside help, while Charlot is hated by the surrounding countries, and everyone thinks that the country is finished.

"It's useless to say that, let's talk about it, how prepared is Odis City. Then came the king's voice.

As one of the three pillars of Charlotte, Marquis Philip, known as the "God of Wealth", as soon as he arrived in the royal capital, he took over many positions such as Chancellor of the Exchequer, Minister of the Interior, Minister of Military Affairs, etc., once the royal family may still be suspicious of this marquis, dare not let him control too much power, but now it doesn't matter, Marquis Philip can enter the king of Beijing at the last moment, which shows the Marquis's loyalty to Charlotte.

"The recruitment process is still ongoing, and now 15,000 soldiers have been recruited, and these soldiers have been dispersed into the four city walls, plus the original defenders, each city wall, has a defensive force of nearly 10,000. Marquis Philip continued.

"There are plenty of equipment to defend the city, so there is no need to worry about it for the time being. The soldiers' weapons and armor were relatively scarce, and now the city's blacksmith shop has been built for the soldiers day and night. Marquis Philip didn't say when it would be enough to fill the weapons and armor needed by more than 10,000 recruits, and the king didn't ask.

"As for the food。。。。。。 Marquis Philip was silent for a while, gritted his teeth and said, "It's only enough for the people in the city for half a month." ”

Not only did His Majesty the King hear this, his cloudy eyes were a little darker, and many of the remaining nobles jumped up directly, "How is it possible? Isn't the grain reserve from a month ago enough for half a year?" Several outspoken nobles couldn't help but call.

"That was a month ago!" replied Marquis Philip, "and it was calculated according to the minimum per capita standard, and you should ask yourselves why the grain is falling so quickly!" said Marquis Philip at the end, almost shouting.

Less than a tenth of the month's food was distributed to the city's civilians and refugees, and the rest was either filled by the nobles or deducted from it.

As for what to do with it, it is nothing more than to recruit people with food, and at this time, the most valuable thing in Otis City is not jewelry and famous paintings, but food, and manpower.

At this time, lying on the streets of Otis City, the refugees and civilians who could not survive were all hidden wealth. I don't know how many nobles, under the guise of attention, waited for Faustin's army to break through the city, and exchanged the lives of these low-level scum for their own precious lives.

Faced with Marquis Philip's questioning, every nobleman who was stared at by him couldn't help but be intimidated, and his eyes were evasive.

"Don't make any noise, each nobleman will give me the corresponding grain before tomorrow, and I will see that the granaries of the army are full!" said the king categorically, although his voice was weak and vicissitudes, but the unquestionable tone made every nobleman dare not disobey his wishes.

After His Majesty had finished speaking, the Marquis Philip went on to introduce the other facilities and logistics in the city.

Until the end, the Marquis of Philip did not mention the magic crystal cannon he brought back, and His Majesty did not ask. This kind of strategic weapon can be hidden and tucked in the best, and no one dares to guarantee that among the nobles here, none of them have secretly defected to Faustin.

At the end of the meeting, the king's attendants declared the meeting adjourned. The nobles walked out of the hall in twos and threes, leaving only Marquis Philip alone without moving his footsteps.

Gradually, only the king and the Marquis Philip remained, as well as some attendants and court maids.

"How many magic crystal cannonballs are there?" asked His Majesty the King when the surroundings were quiet.

"126 rounds. The Marquis of Philip gave the exact number, "Now Master Maris is leading his apprentices to do it." ”

The raw material of the magic crystal cannonball is the magic beast crystal nucleus, and only the magic core above the middle level can be made into a cannonball, Charlotte's magic power is worthy of being the top among the surrounding countries, and only the masters of their country have the strength and technology to call out the disordered elemental power in the magic crystal, and gather and release it.

"Got it, go ahead. The King nodded, curled up on his throne, and the attendants around him filled His Majesty with a blanket. Since a month ago, King Charlotte has begun to eat and live in the Great Hall, and it is also this month or so that this old man, who was only a little old, has become a thin appearance.

Marquis Philip slowly withdrew from the main hall, and the moment the door of the main hall was closed, the light from outside shone on the face of His Majesty the King in the center of the hall, which was a pale, persistent, wrinkled face.

All the nobles in the royal capital don't know why His Majesty's temperament has changed so much in the past month or so, and even become like this. At present, it is estimated that only Marquis Philip himself knows the reason for this incident.

For this reason, he can only rot in his stomach, one of the three pillars of the kingdom, the Marquis Campbell who has died in battle, the patriarch of the Campbell family, and the wise general who has worked with him in the court for more than 20 years, in fact, is the illegitimate son of their King Majesty.