"Marshal, Marquis Landry, Minister of the Kingdom of the Franks, has come to visit."

Hudson was not surprised to hear the squire's words. In recent days, the Franks have been mediating the conflict between the Alpha Kingdom and the Five Steppe Kingdoms.

As one of the powerful factions in the kingdom, if the other party does not come to him, then there will be problems.

"Please!"

In the current diplomatic situation, the kingdom seems to have the upper hand, but in fact, it can't really do anything with the five countries of the grassland.

The Alpha Kingdom needs the five steppe countries as cannon fodder to buy time for their own preparation for war.

It seems that in the Union Parliament, they are charged with a lot of crimes, but it is precisely because the crimes are so big that they cannot be left behind.

Once the crime is confirmed, the magnates of the five countries of the grassland will not be able to mix in among the human race, so why should people fight hard?

In essence, the current battle on the prairie is a group of powerful people working for their own reputation and that glimmer of hope for the restoration of the country.

The kingdom is now biting their grip, mainly to exert pressure so that the magnates on the grassland do not dare to run away easily.

It would be even more perfect if they could receive their legacy.

……

"Marshal, the overall situation matters!"

In the face of the output of the Frankish minister, Hudson just drank tea calmly, and only said slowly after a while:

"Your Excellency Marquis, it is precisely for the sake of the overall situation that we cannot give up easily.

The current practice of the five countries of the grassland has made a bad start for our human race, if we don't punish it severely, what if everyone follows suit in the future? ”

Pretending to be stupid, he is a professional. The Five Steppe Countries are indeed very important to the Alpha Kingdom now, but the conditions still have to be discussed.

The farce set off by the five steppe countries in the Terran Alliance Council, on the surface, the Alpha Kingdom did not suffer a loss, but in essence, its international reputation was greatly affected.

Just because there is no evidence does not mean that things do not exist.

Affected by the farce, the perception of the Alpha Kingdom in the countries of the Northern Continent has changed. The original plan to integrate the military forces of various countries can only be put on hold for now.

One step slow, one step at a time.

Originally, Hudson had little confidence in integrating the military forces of various countries, and now the probability of success in this way is even lower.

It can be said that this immature political action of the five grassland countries is completely a lose-lose situation.

"Your Excellency, the Five Steppe Kingdoms have realized their mistake. Not only did they apologize to their two Majesies, but they also pledged to support them when they regained their relationship in the future.

At the same time, the five countries also announced that they would suspend all family visits during the Continental War.

I have come to visit you today, not only to reconcile the previous misunderstanding, but also to be entrusted by the five countries to negotiate the refugee issue. ”

The direct showdown with the Marquis of Landry made Hudson realize that the other party was prepared.

The Alpha Kingdom can buy the representatives of the two countries, and the other party can also buy the kings of the two countries, as long as the victims are not pursued, then the unpleasantness that happened before can be a misunderstanding.

The transfer of family members has stopped, and the accusations of "desertion" do not hold water.

The main reason why we can have the current negotiations is for the sake of interests.

There is a choice, no one wants to die. The magnates of the five grassland countries are even more reluctant to accompany the burial of the newborn country without much affection.

"Your Excellency Marquis, it is a good thing for the entire human race that the five countries of the steppe can be lost, and I am also very pleased.

It's just this kind of thing, you should go and talk to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, not come to me, the one who leads the troops! ”

Hudson was indeed interested in refugees, but the more he wanted to take over the people of the Five Steppe Countries, the more he could not show it at the moment.

When the other party found him, it was obvious that they wanted to use him as a bargaining chip and use him to put pressure on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"From your Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we will naturally talk. Today, on behalf of the five countries, I came to visit His Excellency the Marshal, mainly in the hope that the Marshal would be able to accept some of the refugees. ”

There is no shame in talking about interests.

Sometimes it is easier to reach an agreement by simply laying out the conditions.

"Your Excellency, there is no problem in receiving some refugees. But in my opinion, these are palliatives rather than cures.

What follows is only my personal opinion, and has nothing to do with the Kingdom.

The misunderstanding between us and the five grassland countries is easy to resolve, and the trouble is the aftermath.

The collapse of the Duchy of Shilon and the Duchy of Omega alone has caused hundreds of thousands of people to be displaced, and a large number of people have either died under the butcher's knives of the orcs or died on the long way to escape.

The current war situation on the steppe is very unfavorable to the five steppe countries, and the battle line may collapse at any time.

If there is a defeat, more people will be displaced.

Rather than waiting for the tragedy to break out, it is better to move ordinary people to the rear first and make proper resettlements.

When the five grassland countries are restored, these preserved manpower will also be the main force in the construction of various countries.

Considering the difficulty of population migration, as the closest major country to the Five Kingdoms, I think the nobles of the kingdom will definitely be happy to help.

Of course, for the specific operation and some details, I suggest that you discuss it with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom. ”

Hudson suggested with a smile.

Suggestions can be given, but he will definitely not intervene in the specific content of the negotiations.

It's simple to entrust the Alpha Kingdom to take care of the people of the five countries, but I'm afraid that until the end of the war, these people have become Alpha Person.

Return the population, just listen to it. If it really comes to concrete implementation, how can you spit out what you eat.

How much you can return depends entirely on everyone's discipline. Even if the population is returned, it will only be a group of old, weak, sick and disabled people who have lost their labor force.

It is almost inevitable that there will be disputes in the future.

Even in order to protect the interests in hand, it is not impossible for the kingdom to prevent the restoration of the five kingdoms of the steppe.

"Your Excellency Marshal, you just talked about the people's problems, but what about the armies of the five steppe countries?

We all know very well the current situation that the five grassland countries cannot be defended for a long time.

The Terran nations are busy with the continental war, and they are unable to provide them with more material help. Even if the orcs don't attack, it won't be long before the defenders will collapse because of their supplies.

Once strategic supplies are exhausted, evacuation becomes an inevitable option. ”

Marquis Landry asked with concern.

Compared to the serfs at the bottom, the big men paid significantly more attention to the army. These are all investments by the major forces behind the five grassland countries, and no one wants to go down the drain directly.

The most realistic problem is that the restoration of the country requires strength.

If you don't have soldiers in your hands, even if you drive the orcs out, a single king can't control the place.

"Your Excellency the Marquis, it is really time for the five countries to withdraw, and the continental war has also reached the most critical moment.

It can be said that every military force is precious to the human race, and naturally it cannot be idle.

Considering that the five steppe countries need to keep seeds to prepare for the later restoration, then the middle and high-level noble officers can leave with their families, but the ordinary officers and soldiers must stay. ”

Hudson said with a look of concern for others.

If you don't know, these soldiers are going to be adopted by the Alpha Kingdom, maybe they really think it's out of justice.

He wanted to open his mouth to refute, but when the words came to his lips, the Marquis of Landry took them back.

The matter has spread in the council of the Terran Alliance, and if the five countries of the steppe continue to evacuate with a large number of troops, I am afraid that the discussion of "desertion" will be put on the agenda again.

If you can't afford to do this, you have to keep the number of evacuees under control. At the very least, it should look like the outside world was a fluke, rather than running away.

The power that is destined to be discarded is also a good choice to fall into the hands of the Alpha Kingdom. The sudden collapse of the war situation on the northern continent affected the strategic layout of the Frankish kingdom.

"Your Excellency Marshal, it's not enough for middle and high-level officers, why do you have to leave some guards for the five monarchs to fill the façade!"

Marquis Landry said with a smile.

If you pay attention, you will notice that his fingers move a little, as if to imply something.

Hudson didn't answer directly, just laughed and didn't say anything. He naturally knew the bottom line of the kingdom, but it was impossible to leak it out in advance.

What kind of outcome can be negotiated depends on the next diplomatic game between the two sides.

……

Sending off the Marquis of Landry, before he had time to adjust his thoughts, he was dragged to the palace for a meeting.

"The Holy See naval fleet intends to go north!"

Focused on the war with the orcs all year round, the kingdom's maritime power is mainly derived from the private armies of the coastal nobles, and the kingdom's navy can be seen as a "presence fleet".

It's okay to fight pirates once in a while, but if you want to compete with the navy of the Holy See, the disparity in the middle is too great.

Even with the addition of the power of the coastal nobles, there is still a certain gap between the two sides.

Of course, if the Holy See fleet really kills it, it is not completely powerless to fight back as a land snake.

Gathering the kingdom's maritime military forces and mobilizing some masters to go over will still have a chance to inflict heavy damage on the Holy See navy.

What's more, the labor expedition consumes a lot of money, and the Holy See also has its own maritime interests that need to be protected by the fleet, and cannot stay along the coast of the kingdom for a long time.

Even at the worst of relations between the two sides, the Holy See did not form an expeditionary fleet to kill them.

In an instant, "military blackmail" came to Hudson's mind. This wave of actions by the Holy See is clearly supporting the Kingdom of Light.

After all, this country is full of a large number of descendants of the Holy See's elites, unlike several other countries, although the background is not small, but most of them are collateral children of each family.

"The Holy See has sent a note that they are fighting piracy and want to send troops to help us clear the ghost ships in the misty seas to ensure the smooth passage of the route."

As soon as Count Francis's words landed, everyone's faces turned ugly.

Although there is no claim of sea dominance in the Aslant continent, everyone still acquiesces to their respective spheres of influence, and the behavior of the Holy See has obviously crossed the line.

"Soft and hard, this is to force the kingdom to make concessions!

However, now is the time of the continental war, and the Holy See should not dare to provoke a civil war among the Terrans without authorization.

The search for the ghost ship must be accelerated, and if it is not found, the search must be suspended.

The negotiations with the five countries of the steppe must not be affected, threatening this kind of thing, as long as we compromise once, there will be countless times later.

The Holy See fleet wants to go north, so let them come up!

The Council of the Alliance is staring, even if the route is smooth, will the Kingdom of Light dare to run away? ”

The Prime Minister said with a sneer, the Grand Duke of Newfoundland.

Letting the Holy See into its own sphere of strength would be a great humiliation for the kingdom, but no matter how great the grievance is, it is better than a direct compromise.

In the absence of a fight, there is not much that the Holy See fleet can do other than show off its strength.

"Prime Minister, aren't we going to fight back?"

Caesar IV asked rather unpleasantly.

This kind of decision is not suitable for the king to make, but the prime minister's self-determination still makes him unhappy.

Of course, what made him even more angry was the provocation from the Holy See.

The kingdom suffered, and the first thing to bear the brunt was that the authority of the king was damaged. In the time of Caesar III, the Holy See had not done such a thing.

"Your Majesty, the overall situation is important!"

"Your Majesty, the situation in the kingdom is difficult......"

……

The persuasion of the ministers one after another made Caesar IV want to cry without tears. Isn't it just to vent my inner dissatisfaction, why is it endless!

Hudson pretended not to see the grievances of his own king.

In the past, the conflict with the Holy See was a confrontation between the two major forces, and to put it bluntly, it was all a public matter.

The two major forces are clamoring fiercely, but for the individuals in them, the impact is actually not so great.

At the center of this dispute are the descendants of the papal elites, who have already involved personal grievances.

What's more, the pot of the missing treasure hunting team is superimposed, which exacerbates the contradictions between the two sides.

Fortunately, the news of the artifact, the Holy See is just guessing, and if it is confirmed, their reaction will be even more intense.

What's more, the Holy See fleet going north is a humiliation for the kingdom, but it is an opportunity for him personally.

Since the ghost ship followed him, it hadn't sailed a meat game, and a group of ghosts who loved robbery were wronged.

I'm embarrassed to hack my own people, but he doesn't have pressure to pit the Holy See. Anyway, they all came to encircle and suppress the ghost ship, and it makes sense to be attacked by the ghost ship.

Having made up his mind to bring the people of the Holy See over, Hudson naturally wanted to add fuel to the fire and help them make up their minds.

"Your Majesty, the Prime Minister's proposal is very pertinent, and we must not compromise with the Kingdom of Light at this moment.

For the sake of the Kingdom's reputation, we must not only not lower the conditions, but also specifically raise the requirements for the Kingdom of Light.

It doesn't need to be too much, it's just a little bit higher than the others.

Maybe with such a stimulus, the other four families will directly reach an agreement with us, and the rest of the Kingdom of Light will not last long.

As for the fleet of the Holy See going north to destroy the ghost ships, then fulfill them.

Send someone to release the news that the ghost ship is lurking in the depths of the misty sea, and let them go in and search for it.

Even the most experienced captain is not guaranteed to enter and exit freely in the misty seas.

If they're unlucky and get lost inside, we can't be blamed!"

Listening to Hudson's proposal, Caesar IV was shocked, and instantly made up for it.

If the Holy See is doing something at such a time, the Terran Alliance will definitely interfere.

For the sake of the Kingdom of Light, they may not be able to withstand the pressure.

After all, the Alpha Kingdom is just fighting the idea of ordinary soldiers and serfs, and it will not hurt those second generations at all.

Even if a parent is angry, he will not immediately turn his face.

But when it comes to the "Scepter of Glory", it's different. Unless he hands over the artifact immediately, the people of the Holy See will come to him sooner or later.

Caesar IV, who was already weak-hearted, had already identified the news of the artifact as leaked out at this moment, but the Holy See was not sure that something was in his hands, so he made a temptation.

"The Holy See's fleet is heading north, and we really can't stop it. It's just that the Misty Sea is really so dangerous that it can bury a powerful fleet? ”

Caesar IV asked uncertainly.

Having professional knowledge involved, the Minister of War, the Grand Duke Efiero, stepped forward and replied:

"Your Majesty, the Misty Sea is not dangerous in itself, and there are no powerful sea monsters entrenched, the danger lies in the fact that the area covered by the fog is too large.

Once a ship enters it, all the means of navigation lose their effectiveness. Aside from a poisonous dragon island in the heartland, there is no reference point to be found.

Many times it seems to be heading in one direction, but under the influence of the fog, I don't know that I have gone astray.

Even with the same fleet entering it, the ships are able to get lost.

If the fleet of the Holy See goes deep into it, I dare not say that it will definitely get lost, but heavy losses are inevitable.

Of course, this is a case of unfamiliarity.

If there is a guide who is familiar with this sea area, and the mage who follows the ship to dispel the fog all the way, there is hope that he will escape with his whole body. ”

Hearing this explanation, everyone turned their attention to several coastal lords, hoping to get a definite answer.

"Your Excellency is right, under normal circumstances, as long as the Holy See is well prepared, it will be able to come out of the Misty Sea.

It's just that the situation is a little different now, and there are three extremely dangerous ghost ships entrenched in the misty seas.

Our people have seen them at the edge of the fog, and the coalition forces tried to go in and encircle them several times, but finally had to give up.

The fog does not affect the movement of these monsters, but in order to avoid accidentally injuring their own people, the magic crystal cannon on the ship is useless.

If the people of the Holy See dared to enter, they would definitely pay a heavy price.

After all, no matter how many magicians they have on board, it is impossible to disperse the fog of the entire sea, and there will always be a chance for the ghost ship to sneak attack.

No matter who wins or loses, there is one less hidden danger for the kingdom.

Even if the Holy See did destroy the ghost ships, the Holy See fleet would suffer heavy losses.

If we're lucky, we might be able to go up and make up for the final cut. ”

Earl Pierce said murderously.

The last time the "pirates" were encircled, the Dalton family suffered heavy losses. paid a terrible price, but in the end, he didn't get a single hair.

Pirates were cultivated by the Holy See, and this account naturally had to be counted on their heads.

Especially when the matter also involves artifacts, there is a conflict between the future kingdom and the Holy See, and the Dalton family must be the first to bear the brunt.

It is destined to be faced, and instead of waiting for the enemy to come to the door, it is better to make arrangements in advance and inflict heavy damage on the sea power of the Holy See.

Even if the Holy See wants to retaliate, it will have to build another fleet, and this time period must be measured in years at the shortest.

What's more, the enemies of the Holy See are not only the Alpha Kingdom, once the naval fleet suffers heavy losses, their overseas trade will inevitably be severely damaged.

Maritime trade will inevitably decline, and the amount of military spending that can be spent on the navy will also decrease.

After many maritime powers suffered a major defeat, they went into decline, not because they didn't want to struggle, but mainly because under the vicious circle, there was simply no way to recover their strength in time.

One step at night, the benefits were divided among others. The gap in strength between the two sides has widened, and the probability of getting back the original benefits is becoming more and more slim.

After a moment's hesitation, Caesar IV nodded anyway.

"Good!"