A young general of the main battle faction said: "Lord Southgate, I recognize your merits, without you there would be no glory of the Empire.

But times are different now, you're old and it's time to retire! The more experienced a person is, the more likely it is to become overly sensitive and cautious!

I think His Majesty the Emperor should reconsider the choice of Foreign Secretary and give us young people some opportunities to make our foreign policy more aggressive! ”

"Good!"

In the midst of the cacophony, Sir Simon Galliene thought worriedly: (This is not a good situation...... Anger has triumphed over reason, it's not okay to go on like this, I have to help him quickly! So, he hurriedly got up and stood in solidarity with his old friend:

"Be respectful! Don't make a fool of yourself! You young fools! We're old and old, but we're not confused!

Lord Southgate was right! Use your brains! Sons!

You can't just rely on brute force to fight!

Strategy, human resources, equipment, supplies, and so on are all important. But for now, our overall strength is indeed weaker than that of our opponents, and it is very unwise to start a war in such a situation! ”

Seeing that someone had finally voiced his fears, Prince Leopold Schumacher was heartened and plucked up the courage to stand and speak:

"I support the views of the two meritorious veterans! And I would like to add,

Another very important point, unlike us, the kingdom of Solan has been at war in recent years,

The regular army on active duty alone has more than 700,000 men, not to mention the huge base of reserve forces and town militias, which are not as advanced as us in terms of equipment and training, but they are definitely not weak.

And what about us? After defeating the coalition forces ten years ago, we have never fought a decent large-scale war again!

A large number of experienced veterans and officers have retired from the service, the number of new recruits has also been reduced in order to reduce national defense expenditures, the atmosphere and discipline have deteriorated even more, gambling and alcoholism have become the norm, the phenomenon of driving errands has not ceased despite repeated prohibitions, the lack of maintenance of equipment, and the combat effectiveness of the troops is worrisome.

For example, the 11th Army, which has tens of thousands of soldiers on the roster, is actually only about 7,000! Many barracks were empty, and barracks became a breeding ground for cockroaches and rats!

The problem of cavalry is even more serious, in order to save costs, a large number of war horses have been transferred to participate in agricultural production, and the new cavalry can only ride mules and donkeys for training! All in all, if there is a war now, the consequences will be unimaginable! ”

Prince Leopold's speech had a miraculous effect, and the momentum of the main battle faction was greatly reduced at once.

The situation now prevailed with the Earl Southgate, Foreign Secretary, Sir Simon Gallieni, Mentor and Supreme Adviser to the Emperor, and Prince Leopold Schumacher, Commander-in-Chief of the Army, all three senior cabinet officials, speaking out against the declaration of war.

Due to the emergence of the main peace faction, the atmosphere of the venue gradually changed subtly.

There are many people who were originally in a state of vacillation, they have just been coerced by the public opinion of the main battle faction, and they dare not express their true thoughts, and now these people have finally found a suitable organization for themselves, and they have shouted the slogan: "No blind war!" Resolve this diplomatic crisis by peaceful means. ”

The two camps began to attack each other, and the argument gradually escalated into a quarrel and then into spittling name-calling.

A general of the main battle faction took off his leather shoes and threw them over, and the other party was not far behind, and returned a pair of shoes, which was completely messed up, documents were flying, all kinds of miscellaneous objects were used as throwing weapons, and a scuffle between the two political factions broke out in the conference hall.

Emperor Salantos couldn't bear it anymore, "Bang! She slammed the table:

"Quiet! If anyone dares to speak disrespectfully or act rudely, I will have the guards put such a person in a dungeon and make him sober up! Royal Guard! Enter the venue to maintain order! ”

At the Emperor's order, the door of the chamber was pushed open, and 30 guards wearing iron helmets, gilded cuirasses, and pistols and sabers hanging from their waists walked in.

Led by the captain of the guard, they marched in two neat columns, and most of the people in the hall instantly fell silent, and the eight people who were still scuffling or insulting each other were quickly pulled away by the royal guards and taken away in chains.

Later, several servants came in to clean up the mess, they took brooms and bamboo baskets, and cleared out the miscellaneous items such as glasses, wigs, papers, and leather shoes scattered on the carpet, and the people all stood up consciously to make room for the servants to clean.

By the time everyone had re-seated, the ground had been cleared, and the ministers and soldiers of the main battle faction spontaneously gathered to the seats on the left, and their numbers were seventy percent.

The Lords and factions were much smaller, but they were led by three high-ranking cabinet officials, and they were also imposing, gathered on the right hand side of the emperor's throne.

Emperor Salantos Midknight held the metal visor with an iron hook, rubbed his tired eyes with his right hand, and said:

"I understand your actions, we all love Valstad deeply, we all lost our temper for the sake of the country, I have listened to your suggestions, each has its own reason, after careful consideration, I have made a final decision."

In front of everyone's eyes, the emperor stood up and said clearly and slowly:

"I decided, in order to avoid war, to accept the conditions proposed by King Louis I of Solan, to release the four poachers and let the ministers of the Kingdom of Solan take them back."

Marshal Neulai, the general of the main battle faction, was so anxious that he was about to cry: "Your Majesty! What's wrong with you? You've changed! No longer the valiant king I knew! She is never timid in the face of strong enemies! ”

Hundreds of voices from the main battle faction exhorted at the same time: "Your Majesty! Think again! A policy of appeasement must not be adopted! Then the enemy will gain an inch! ”

The emperor was still unmoved, and said to Marshal Neulai unhurriedly: "Neulai, after so many years, you and I have been born and died, or do you only rush and fight, and never use your brain?" Do you know why I made a merciful decision? ”

Neulai's anger was still very strong, and he replied loudly: "I am a reckless man!" I don't have time to think about all those complicated things! Your Majesty, I know you, and you have never flinched in the face of even the strongest enemy! How can a war hero like you adopt a policy of appeasement? Please forgive me for not understanding! ”

The Emperor laughed and said, "If the Solan Kingdom really goes to war with us, what will happen to those neighbors who have been grudges with us for a long time? Who do you guess they will help? ”

At this time, Neulai was dumbfounded, slowly sat back, scratched his head, and said, "Maybe...... Well...... They should help our enemies and unite to fight us......"

In order to appease the emotions of the main battle faction, the emperor said:

"Gentlemen, my acceptance of the other party's conditions does not amount to surrendering to them.

In today's situation, it seems that conflict will break out sooner or later, and we might as well let those poachers go in exchange for some time to prepare for war. So please respect my choice and understand my difficulties. ”

Despite the emperor's words, more than a dozen hard-line fighters chose to stand up and leave the venue to protest in a silent manner.

One of the emperor's attendant military attachés stepped forward, grasped the hilt of the sword in his right hand, drew half of the blade, and asked:

"Your Majesty, those people left without permission, do you want me to lead someone to arrest these rude guys?"

Emperor Salantos shook his head: "Let them go, everyone has different ideas, no matter what, they will have different opinions, they are not aimed at me, they are all for the good of the country." ”

"Alright then, as you wish." The attendant military attache put his sword into the sheath and respectfully stood aside.

"Okay, let's break up if there's nothing to do, thank you for your hard work, go back and continue to enjoy your vacation."

The Emperor got up and left the venue, his tall and slender back limping from the old wounds on his legs and back, which made people's hearts ache in a particularly painful way.

Sir Simon Gallieri chased him down the corridor and asked with concern:

"My dear Salantos, I find you tired, take a proper rest, even if you are of divine blood, you can't help but work until the early hours of the morning! Occasionally go out and play a few times and keep the kids company! ”

"Thank you for your concern, Mr. Simon...... I can't help it, there are too many documents to review, too many problems to solve, and I don't feel at ease when I hand it over to someone else to deal with.

Now you can see that if I hadn't tried my best to stop it, those hot-blooded blind guys would always want to go to war, and I'm really worried to death! ”

Hearing this, Simon Gallieni couldn't help but burst into tears, no matter how old she was, in his heart, she would always be a child, and he regarded her as his own daughter.

He watched the child grow up little by little, personally taught her to read and write, and watched her grow into a princess with the best looks.

Watching her grow from a beautiful and brutal princess to the emperor she is today, and witnessing the countless battles she has fought in over the years, no one knows Sarantos Midknight better than him.

Simon knew that the child was very much like her duke's father, a strong-willed patriot.

For this country, for this nation, she paid her childhood, her youth, her freedom to love, her left eye, her left hand, and half a beautiful face.

This kid gave everything he had for Valstad, without complaint or regret, and never complained.

Now, looking at her scarred and exhausted appearance, it really hurt his heart.

Simon stroked the cold steel armor, how sweet this face used to be, and provoked the crazy admiration of men all over the continent, but now it is half ruined.

"My dear Salantos! You've grown up! Become sensible and not be as impulsive as you used to be.

Teacher I...... I'm really proud of you, and thank you for the decision you made today, and you saved a country in crisis once again.

I can't remember how many times this is...... Your father will be proud of you! ”

The emperor wiped away tears for his mentor and hugged him:

"Mr. Simon, to be honest, I don't like the way I am now, but I was born in the Midknight family, what choice do I have?"

"Hold me tight! If you want to cry, cry out! My poor good boy! ”

The emperor did not shed tears, but said firmly:

"There's no time left for us to be sad, Mr. Simon.

Now that the kingdom of Solan in the south is rising, it won't be long before King Louis will find other excuses to provoke, and there will be a second or third time in this situation......

We, the Valstads, are a proud people who value dignity and honor more than life.

There is a limit to the patience of the people, and my momentary concession can only delay the outbreak of war.

Therefore, we must always be vigilant, starting tomorrow, I will fully restart the army's training plan, recruit new recruits for the next two years in advance, and increase military spending by 500%. ”

Simon Gallieni kissed the emperor's right hand:

"Good boy! I wish my old bones would live a few longer! I'll do my best to help you! ”

The emperor smiled and shook the old man's dry hand:

"I'm so much more at ease to have you by my side, Mr. Simon.

Don't worry, I'll be the guardian of Valstad when I'm older.

A new storm is coming, and I will face all challenges with my head held high! ”