Thin snowflakes fluttered in the air, swirling in the air under the blowing of the north wind.

Snow...... Familiar temperatures.

In the North, spring is always so short and fleeting. Also fleeting, there are those people and stories. The camp in the north is quiet and orderly. Rhodes knew the purpose of Vladimir's visit, but to be honest, he had no intention of talking about his country and people with this great general. At this moment, the only thing that Rod remembered was Dennis. I don't know how my daughter is doing in Kislev City. Will it be humiliated by Katarina.

Let's be humble for a while, what family, country, people, those are all false. How many people are doing their own things in the name of their homeland, country and people, and wearing this skin to achieve their ulterior purposes. I only miss my daughter now...... Rod said to himself.

Soon, Vladimir, the commander of the Kislev Snow Eagle Legion, arrived at the barracks on a tall warhorse. The Northern Barracks is an unrivalled fortification, built like a makeshift fortress. The look of surprise on Vladimir's face can be seen. But the expression flashed across his weather-beaten face. The same age as Rod, the same bumpy experience as Rod, and even his son is about the same age as Rod's daughter. As soon as the two met, there was a sense of déjà vu.

Vladimir was dusty, wearing a bearskin cloak and heavy metal armor, and the armor on his body made a trembling sound when he walked. He held a steel sword in his hand that was longer than his arm, and his face looked vicissitudes and melancholy, and Rhodes saw another emotion in this face—exhaustion. This exhaustion is not only physical exhaustion, but also mental.

"Rod, Lord of the White Bear. ”

"The King of the North. ”

Vladimir stepped forward and spoke calmly. But Rod's men told him to change his mind. He was stopped by Rhodes shaking his hand. Because, if Vladimir recognized the king of the north, then there would be no need for him to come here.

"Before the Ice Queen Catalina was on the throne, Kislev had only one king. ”

Vladimir replied neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Rod just smiled, he didn't really care about the title, in fact, it was just a title. The king is not strong because he is named king. It's that he has strong enough strength, strong enough wrist and cohesion, and enough people to support him, believe in him, and be willing to shed blood for him. This is the true crown, more intimidating than a crown made of gold and precious stones.

"Let's get straight to the point, Marshal Vladimir. ”

Rod said politely.

He motioned for the commander of the Snow Eagle Legion to sit down and talk, and there was some food and hot coffee on the simple table. The coffee was already boiling and steaming. The first impression for Vladimir was that the lord of the North did a decent job of detailing. It doesn't use wine, it uses coffee. Coffee can be refreshing, it is a luxury, and it can be regarded as a display of strength. And wine only confuses.

"Straight to the point...... Yes, my theme is just not to war. Because you can't fight at all, my army is equipped with the most advanced weaponry in Kislev, and my soldiers grow in battle. We have more than twice as many troops. Moreover, this is only part of the story, there is also a shooting corps in the city of Kislev, as well as other armies from all over the south. This war, even if you win this war in stages, you will never be able to win it in the long run. ”

Vladimir picked up the cup, took a sip of coffee, and said seriously. He negotiated single-handedly, as there were only two retinues on horseback. With this spirit, Rod already admired him very much. He reminded Rhodes of the fact that when the Iron Hides invaded, he had ventured north like this. If it weren't for the opponent, the man in front of him would definitely be a brother worthy of deep friendship.

"Friend, General Vladimir, I call you a friend, because I don't want to be your enemy either. You are a brave general, a respectable general. If it weren't for our different positions, we could have been comrades-in-arms. ”

Rod said calmly - 398

"As for war, it's not what I want either. Do you know why the North is raising troops?"

Rod's question left Vladimir confused, and he didn't know what to answer for a moment what to do with the so-called King of the North.

"We are not fighting for the throne, but to give Kislev a better tomorrow. Tell me, General Vladimir, what are your ideals and aspirations? Let's start with a conversation between men and forget about simple wars and positions. ”

Rhodes asked.

The change in the subject caught Vladimir off guard. He shuddered, and calmly returned—

"I don't have a long-cherished wish, my ideals and everything are empty words. All I know is that I swear allegiance to Tsar Kislev, beginning with my father's generation and continuing with my children and grandchildren. ”

"No, you have ideals. Your ideals are the same as mine, and we have seen too many Kislev civilians living in poverty, hopelessness, and freedom, so we all want to change that. This is the root of the rebellion in the north. Don't deceive yourself, friend. If you really don't have ideals, you won't come to me, and if you really don't have ideals, you will directly take your army and fight me in a decisive battle. Because that's what you're doing. However, you did not do that, and you came to my camp before the war to negotiate with me, in the hope of getting some results, some of the results that you wanted, and that was – you also did not want the people of Kislev to be wounded and bloodied in this war. ”

Rhodes' words left Vladimir speechless. He wasn't an argumentative politician, he was just a general. A general who can shed his blood for the country. His starting point was so simple, and the military should have been so simple. But now, he's so complicated. There had never been a moment when his heart was so conflicted.

"As for the question of strength you mentioned, I think you overlooked one factor. ”

Rhodes said as he refilled Vladimir's coffee.

"You ignore a problem, friend, the combat effectiveness of an army is never measured by numbers. Or maybe you haven't studied how this army in the North has grown. Let me tell you, the north, is the northern barrier of Kislev. For a hundred years, the people of the north have kept Kislev at bay from numerous beastmen and barbarian invasions. We were originally raised in the midst of war. What you have faced, we have also faced. You've faced millions of greenskins, we've faced it too, and what you haven't experienced, we've experienced. While your army was ordered to return to the city to suppress the riots in Kislev, my warriors and I fought the Greenskins in the coldest mountains of the North. We've faced the murderous Grimug Ironskin, we've faced the Troll King Solonga...... These are things that you have not encountered, that you have not experienced. My warriors have grown up through countless births and deaths. Each of them was the toughest warrior in the country, and the northern army once defeated the Norsca army of more than 10,000 men in less than 3,000 men. There are so many such things, too many to count. ”

Rhodes said, Vladimir was visibly shocked, his cup hanging in mid-air and not falling for a long time.

"That's right, our equipment is a little rudimentary, and we can't even unify our costumes. Our food rations are a little worse because we are giving food to civilians who need it most. All the officers of the North have not enjoyed a single special treatment, and I think you should know what we are fighting for, right? General Vladimir. Don't think they call me the King of the North, I really want to be it. If the same situation were in front of you, what would you choose?"

Vladimir was speechless, the other party's words were completely unexpectedly before he left. For a moment, he seemed to understand why every previous rebellion on the border, or riot in the capital, had ended in failure. This time, however, the forces in the north are getting bigger and bigger. Thought offensive, this is an invisible sword, as long as this white bear lord is here, his deeds, his deeds, is an invisible and powerful cohesion. The people are willing to fight for him, and that's fundamental.

"Also, you say that you owe allegiance to Tsar Kislev. Well, if this tsar is a tyrant, if she is a traitor, a vampire, then, are you equally loyal to him?"

"Yes, don't be surprised, I'm talking about Katarina. She's been a vampire for a long time. Friend, do you remember the siege of Bandagar's palace launched by Grand Duke Cohen in the capital at the end of the Old Erengrad Rebellion?"

"Do you think those undead armies were really an accident? Even civilians are talking about it. It's just that Katerina forced it down. Friend, I respect your bravery and loyalty, but you should be loyal to your country, to Kislev, not to a vampire who plays with Kislev, who is using her status as a tsar to achieve her own goals, and you don't want Kislev to become a land of death one day, right?"

Rod said earnestly.