At the end of the meeting, Edward had almost just left the palace and got into the carriage of the Minest family—evidently the other party had been waiting here for a long time, and Edward had no intention of refusing, but only hesitated a little, and followed the galloping wheels to the garden, which he had visited many times.

Sitting in the garden drinking mint tea, Holard Minest had obviously been waiting for Edward for a long time, and after seeing the black-haired knight approaching him, the old man actually took the initiative to stand up and welcome Edward's arrival, as if to welcome a distinguished guest of his status.

"I hope this invitation doesn't make you feel abrupt, dear Edward Witwood. Holard personally invited Edward to sit down, and the servants next to him immediately served snacks and drinks, and the smiling old man greeted him warmly: "For me, this meeting is also very necessary. ”

"Before we begin, allow me to explain one more thing. The old man's smile was very subtle, with a hint of regret: "Gavin Brindis...... I really didn't expect that boy to do such a terrible thing, I have always regarded him as a man of integrity, courage and determination like Lord Nafario, I did not expect that he would kill the entire Brindis family!"

Perhaps it was his determination that allowed him to turn hatred into a terrible atrocity – bigoted people always like to put the blame on others and consider themselves innocent. Edward continued, "You don't need to apologize for such a guy, he did that kind of thing. Naturally, there is a price to pay!"

"Looks like you're a lot more sane than I thought, dear Edward. It was just a turning point, and the old man's address immediately became much more affectionate. There is even a bit of direct casualness between the elders and juniors: "It seems that love can really change a person a lot, especially if it can make him really understand the importance of responsibility." ”

"You have done very well in front of His Majesty Horace today, and of course I don't understand why you would recommend Greene Turn, an old man. Holard said casually, "You know you're almost the only one, so why do you have to mention him?"

"Of course, I'm well aware of the friendship between the two of you -- in fact, Lusn and Grimm Turn, both of whom I grew up watching. There's nothing wrong with standing up for a friend. The old man sighed with great regret: "But for a knight who has just been discouraged, isn't it a better way for him to recover?"

"Not to mention that Green isn't married yet, and you're already a family man. He needs a wife just like you to understand what he really needs, and maybe then Green will really grow up. ”

"I thought that such a wise elder as the Marquis of Holard Minest would have understood. Edward looked aware and replied softly, "Maybe you just want to see what I'm for." Or is it just out of sympathy for dear Green?"

Holard only paused for a moment. Then he laughed as if he had figured it out: "It seems that compared to you young people, this old man of mine is already a person who is about to become obsolete - the future is yours, no matter how unwilling we are to admit it." ”

"You are so humble. The black-haired knight slowly put down the teacup in his hand, still with a slight smile on his face - Holard didn't understand what he was doing, it was the biggest joke in the world.

The last thing that can be accepted by any king, or even a ruler, is the "best people" who will always have to choose, if there is only one. Even if they agree, they can't feel that it's their own decision. Even a gentle elder like Horace. He is also the lord of the word!

Coercing a king in person is always the most helpless choice in the most unavailable situation.

For Horace, Greene Turn's heart is very indebted - this commander of the garrison regiment even blocked his life in order to complete his mission, but in the end he got an unspeakable ending, and even the title of knight of the royal family was deprived, and the apology in his heart made Horace inevitably feel pity.

"What's more, neither side can afford to keep Greene Tern in Turin any longer, and an expedition to the Vast Lands would be his best option - he really needs an experienced commander like him, and he is the best person. Edward's voice grew heavier and heavier, and his gaze at Holard became more serious: "And I can only be regarded as Your Majesty's alternative at best." ”

“...... This is indeed our negligence. Holard grew serious, and even his original blandness faded away—it was very difficult to get to the bottom of Horace's thoughts, and this time they had obviously failed, and the old man's brow furrowed a lot more at the thought of this.

If Horace intended to send Greene Turnten to the Territory in the first place, then their move to push Edward out was very subtle - most of the problem depended on what Horace would have thought of the matter, and cronyism alone was perhaps the most troublesome from time to time, and it was the most terrible thing if His Majesty the King doubted the whole thing.

"Maybe we should pay more attention to Green, in this case...... The young man gave a lot and sacrificed a lot. Holard changed his words: "But I still need you to be the most important member of His Highness Anson's army, and you need an army. ”

"If His Majesty Horace is going to go to the land to quell the rebellion, it won't be long enough to give me a chance to return to The Hague Fort to gather soldiers, even mercenaries too quickly. Edward shook his head, "Maybe I can try to fight for my place in His Highness's army, but that's all I can do." ”

"It can't be. Holard shook his head: "For Alan's sake, I'd better let you understand something, dear Edward - if you don't have even the slightest military power and plan to join the army of His Highness Anson, what awaits you will be nothing!"

"According to His Majesty's wishes, His Highness Anson's army will be recruited within two months - twenty wings in all, twenty thousand infantry and two thousand cavalry are expected, and all military supplies will be spent from the treasury, which will be a large sum. Holard said in a deep voice: "Therefore, the military expenses for recruiting soldiers must be borne from below. ”

"As you may know, even today the Kingdom of Turin still maintains some of the customs of the city-state era in the past, and each city has many citizens, who are reported to the local council, and are ready to accept the call of the kingdom at any time, and in exchange they can reduce a lot of taxes, and the number of such citizen soldiers in the Kingdom of Turin is not small, and this time it is clear that His Majesty Horace is ready to use them to become the main force of His Highness Anson's army. ”

"So, these military expenses will be borne by the nobles of Turin?"

"That's right—in the Kingdom of Turin, even the nobles who have never joined the army know that whoever spends money to build an army will have the command of this army, so if you plan to join the army of His Highness Anson like this, you will have no power!" Holard shook his head, "And I need you to have enough status to be an important part of the power under the command of the Duke of Hantu City." ”

"Then where should I get the army, if I don't recruit soldiers, and it's too late now!"

"So let's be strategic—instead of training a new soldier now, or recruiting a group of mercenaries who may not be obedient to you, we need an army that is already in place, a legion waiting for you to command!" (To be continued.) )