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Section 102 Advantage

"She's about to quit the stage...... Even if Garunas was reborn, it wouldn't save her!" Byron said viciously. After speaking, he raised the wine glass in his hand and took a big sip.

At this moment, he was in a castle of his own. The Duke of Byron was a hereditary nobleman of Gruny, who was born with a rich land, great wealth, and a prominent position. It was a castle on the edge of his domain, or more precisely, a "fortress". Once here, he can stop and slowly think about his next move.

It must be said that his return this time was undoubtedly very successful purely in terms of the "retreat" itself. But that doesn't hide the fact that he's failed overall. At this moment, the Queen's order had been delivered - according to the order, the Duke of Byron had committed the great sin of treason, and as a result was deprived of all wealth, domains, titles and official positions.

Of course, at the moment this order is not carried out by anyone. In fact, as is known, during Byron's retreat, the forces of all parties along the way did not leave any difficulty, but vied with him to make overtures. But this is by no means a reason to relax. You could say that everyone was deaf and dumb when they heard the news, but you can't deny that it was a resounding slap in the face for Byron, a prospect of failure.

In fact, with his keen sense of smell, Byron had already sensed that his subordinates were a little unstable, and some people had even begun to plan to step on two boats. Everyone knows that although the Queen's orders cannot leave the Eagle Falcon City at the moment, once General Rafa, Duke Byron's sworn enemy, takes the lead in responding to the Queen's orders, then things may go out of control.

On an even scale, an extra chip on either side – even the smallest and most inconspicuous – can instantly throw the scales out of balance. The winners rise high, and the losers fall into the dust.

That's why Byron convened this banquet here, naturally for the purpose of making everyone aware of the situation in the midst of high-minded talk, and especially to firmly follow his determination - every politician knows the truth that a thousand-mile embankment is destroyed in an anthill. In addition, he also took the opportunity of rewarding meritorious deeds to gather a group of people and prepare for the next move.

"That's right, the current little queen, even if she doesn't even have the money to give a reward to her subordinates!" someone said, and then he laughed loudly. This one was none other than the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Byron's most effective friend.

"It's not just this, this month...... There is a loan of 600,000 gold olli due to maturity. Someone on the side joined in the fun and said, "I'm afraid that raising this fund will be enough for our queen to have a headache." ”

Everyone laughed gloatingly. For the past few days, the little queen has not done anything further than to issue the order declaring Byron a traitor. That alone can tell a lot.

"Essien, I remember you were once interested in the military?" said Byron, slightly drunk. It must be explained here that in today's meritorious deeds, Essien is the biggest beneficiary. Although he "acted ineffectively" and let the little queen run away, this aspect was too unexpected after all, so he did not receive too much reprimand. On the contrary, in the process of breaking off, because of his effective measures and ingenious methods, the Duke of Byron praised him greatly.

"Lord Duke, I am a person...... Not good at clerical work. Essien replied subtly. "So I can only use my sword to serve you. ”

After this "break", Essien was highly praised by Byron. Although there are cold words from time to time, and many people make comments such as "I will do it after this break", "this is just a risky gamble", etc., but this cannot change the Duke Byron's opinion. Byron is still sober-minded in this regard, and even if he disagrees with the actual strategy adopted by Essien, at least he is deeply impressed by his attitude after taking the initiative to ask for a break at a critical moment.

"Well, I'll keep it in mind. Byron said. Unlike when he was in Eagle Falcon City, he didn't immediately seal the official and make a wish this time.

The feast gradually came to an end. Essien rose from his position and went to the courtyard of the castle, wanting a little fresh air.

There was already a person in the courtyard, and it just so happened to be none other than Clio.

"Essien," Cleo recognized Essien. "What a coincidence, you're coming out too? It just so happens that the Duke has told you that our group will stay in the evening, and there is an emergency meeting. ”

"Oh, I see. ”

Two people stood side by side in the courtyard. Although it is a military fortress, it is also a livable city. At least there's a pretty nice garden in this courtyard.

The moonlight is clear tonight, and there is an indescribable special artistic conception sprinkled on people.

"Essien, I don't know what's going on in Eagle City. Clio whispered. I was already accustomed to living in that royal city, and when I suddenly came here, I inevitably had a wonderful longing.

"I don't know what to do. Essien replied. "It shouldn't be messy for the time being...... For the time being, it's the same as in the past. But this is only temporary. Our Lord Duke is ruthless. He shook his head slightly. "Take away or kill most of the officials in the city...... These professional administrators are gone, and now ...... Our little queen should be frustrated by the lack of suitable manpower. ”

"Hehe, I think so. But the manpower side of things...... It's always going to work out. How can I say that it is also a royal city. Clio replied. "Essien, what do you think...... Is what the Duke said before?"

"It's a bit of an exaggeration, but it's basically true. Essien replied as if he were a friend. In fact, the two of them first met completely because of their work relationship, but for some reason, the two unexpectedly like-minded.

It's a bit strange to say. Essien was a mercenary who was brought in as the queen's personal bodyguard by chance because he was accidentally taken along. Cleo was of noble birth and became Byron's subordinate on the recommendation of his relatives. These two people are very different from each other regardless of their origins and life experiences, and they shouldn't have much in common, but they don't know how to make friends. In fact, even Byron didn't know that the two of them were so close, and often sent Creo to supervise Essien's work.

"I feel the same way. Well, I'm afraid that the Duke is really worried not about the little queen, but about Rafa in the distance. A Little Queen...... It's easy to deal with, and one Rafa can beat it, but if these two are combined...... I'm afraid things won't be good. ”

"Will they become one?" asked Essien. "After all this, I think the little queen will be in charge of the government, rather than finding another regent for herself. Well, of course, if she can organize a ...... for herself The Cabinet, a royal council. ”

"The inevitable result, in desperation, she will definitely do this, and she can only do it. I'm guessing she'll hold on for a while and then ...... That's what it does. ”

"How long do you say, how long will the little queen last?" asked Essien.

"I don't know what to do, but it won't fall for at least a month. Clio replied. "In this regard, the Duke is actually exaggerating. ”

"Oh, but isn't there a loan of 600,000 Quioli due this month?" replied Esin. "This is money borrowed in the name of the royal family...... Will the little queen be in debt?" he chuckled suddenly. "It's the privilege of the strong. ”

"I won't be in debt. And it's simple to solve...... Wouldn't it be enough to kill a few of the local merchants who were close to the Duke and confiscate their property?" replied Cleo. "This kind of thing should be easy to see. However, this is only a temporary measure...... As long as the time drags on a little longer, the little queen will definitely have a crisis. Although the little queen relied on her throne to temporarily win, this throne also became a shackle that bound her. She can't adopt...... Violent means to solve this financial difficulty. Unless a stable source of money is obtained, ......"

"Does she have this opportunity?

"Theoretically, naturally, there is. Clio replied. "It's as if theoretically anyone can get rich. He shrugged. "If this were the case, there would have been no poverty in the world for a long time. ”

"Oh, by the way, Essien, what do you think of this meeting today?"

"What's your opinion? It's just a plan for the next step. To tell the truth, the overall situation has been decided, and there is no choice at all, it is probably just a matter of details such as specific task assignments. ”

"What kind of big picture has been decided? I always thought that the next step would be to fight. Can you tell me more about it? ”

"It is possible to fight, or not to fight. The Duke has lost his position as regent, so the whole idea now has become...... Well, it is to combine the strength of all the nobles in the south to resist the pressure from other quarters. I guess that's right, because the big picture is decided. ”

"Essien, I didn't expect it to be very level. ”

"Hehe," Essien smiled, and in the moonlight, he could see a hint of loneliness in his eyes. "I'm a man...... You've had a lot of hard work...... Of course, it's just on paper. ”

"Can you tell me how you came to this conclusion?"

"This ...... You also know that the entire Gruni Kingdom can be roughly divided into four regions: northern, central, western, and southern. The north has always faced military pressure from the barbarians, so the lords of the north have always maintained a relatively strong army, not only do not need to pay taxes, but can also receive military subsidies from the royal family. In addition, the royal family also has direct troops stationed in various fortresses to assist the lords against the barbarian invasion. Now it has become the camp of General Rafah. And our Duke of Byron, on the other hand, has great influence in the south...... As for the central and western regions, they cannot be regarded as the strength of either side at the moment...... It's the object of everyone's fighting. ”

"Well, it does. ”

"It's one aspect. On the other hand, the entire kingdom of Gruni has large and small ...... Thousands of lords with independent military power. Of course, most of the lords only had a force of 100 people, but there were dozens of powerful nobles among them. On the contrary, the direct territories of the royal family were scattered. These are all legacies of history. That's the key for the future...... No one is a fool, and under the example of our Lord Duke, over the years, these nobles, especially the great nobles, have paid taxes...... But it's almost cut off. When the Duke was the Regent, it was a hidden danger, but now, it has become an advantage. ”

"I get it, that is...... The royal family, with its normal means of taxation, will immediately cause a backlash from the aristocracy. At this critical moment, it is equivalent to pushing them to our side and increasing our strength. Conversely, if not...... It is equivalent to automatically giving up financial resources. Oh, sure enough...... It turns out that our Lord Duke doesn't need to fight at all. ”

"That's not what I said. But in the way of our Lord Duke...... Since he occupies such a favorable position, he must hope to use the noose of money to slowly hang the enemy. In short, I don't want to talk about force for the time being, and I guess the Duke will definitely find a way to contact the church and ask them to intercede to buy time...... When the time comes, it will be your chance to make meritorious contributions. ”