"Smack, smack, smack, smack......"

There was a lonely but piercing applause in the hall.

The nobles frowned and turned their heads: the king was at ease, holding his hands up and clapping softly.

It's like enjoying a theatrical performance.

Tails felt a pang of discomfort in his heart: he remembered that bloody dawn six years ago.

At that time, Rumba was like this, clapping lightly, stepping out of the murderous army, and the victory was on the ground towards him and the little slippery head.

"Indeed, thank you for reminding me, Ian Ronnie," King Chaman clapped as he said lightly, "My vassals, there has been a little commotion lately. ”

"Many have nowhere to vent their energies," the king inhaled, and then slowly exhaled, his eyes shining coldly:

"So it's a great opportunity, isn't it? ”

"It's time for me to provide them with an opportunity to serve the country. ”

Behind the king, Cambida folded his arms and chuckled.

Ian reacted slowly, staring at the king in amazement.

He seemed to have expected it, but still refused to believe what he had deduced: "What, what do you mean?"

King Chaman didn't speak, he just curled the corners of his mouth and smiled like a vulture.

"As Your Majesty said," Viscount Kambida, the second assistant advisor to the Imperial Council of the Kingdom of Exeter, stepped forward lightly, "from the opening of the Star Prince's mouth...... No, it should have been since the emergence of the star army, and this is no longer a local conflict. ”

"It's not even a matter of who the covenant-breaking Liberal Alliance pledges allegiance to, it's not just a dispute between the kingdom of Exeter and its tiny vassals. ”

He grinned, revealing a bright and relaxed smile, but his words contained a message that made the nobles frown: "What you are facing in Qiyuan City is the honor and disgrace of the whole Exeter, and the dignity of our country in the face of the old enemy of the stars. ”

"As I said to Her Excellency the Archduchess in this hall a few weeks ago," said Kambida slowly, "our internal strife is insignificant in the face of Exeter's honour and disgrace. ”

Thelma remembered the meeting she had a few weeks ago, and her face turned pale.

Kambida snorted lightly, "Whether it's a small misunderstanding between the grand dukes, or a small dissatisfaction of the vassals against the king, you should stand aside, right?" ”

He opened his hands slightly: "This is the name of supreme, the war of the country, and the inescapable righteousness in the oath of co-governance." ”

"Some vassals of the Black Sand Territory, in the face of this great righteousness, if they dare to refuse His Majesty's conscription order, unwilling to conscript, unwilling to mobilize, unwilling to obey orders, if they are unwilling to come......"

Viscount Kambida seemed happy to see the people of Qiyuan City deflated, he shrugged his shoulders and deliberately whispered, "Hey, hey, hey-"

Bang!

Behind Kambida, Chloehi, who had seen him upset early on, knocked on the head of the assistant advisor mercilessly: "Speak well." ”

Viscount Cambida touched his head angrily and said nothing.

But no one pays attention to them anymore.

King Chaman's voice sounded again, this time especially chilling:

"Northlanders don't need cowards. ”

"Especially those people. ”

"Those who refuse to let go of their internal disputes in the face of the great righteousness of the country, who refuse to let go of their dissatisfaction with the king, who refuse to go out with all their blood, who refuse to die willingly—cowards," the king looked around the hall with a cold gaze:

"What reason do they have to occupy the name of nobility, the benefit of the title, and live in the world?"

"And as their lord, what reason do I have to be soft on them?"

The hall resounded with sighs and exhalations of unwillingness.

Tails watched all this coldly, his heart heavy.

In the name of defending against foreign enemies, they can eradicate dissidents......

As a ruler, you're pretty straightforward, Rumba.

At least the rulers of other places will still spend their efforts to whitewash one or two.

Thelma thought about her current situation, and then thought about the king's current situation, and she couldn't help but be taken aback when she understood something.

Ian froze for a moment.

The next moment, as if he had been hit head-on by a thousand-pound carriage, he shook violently.

The Death Raven frowned and held him up.

"No, no......" Ian was breathing heavily, and cold sweat was dripping: "You, you are going to use this war against the Freedom Alliance to cleanse your vassals?"

"Is this the purpose of the conscription order issued because of Xingchen's interference?"

No.

Ian thought desperately:

No, it won't.

How so, so?

At the other end of the hall, the envoys of Qiyuan City were immersed in sorrow.

The six Earls of Longxiao City stared at King Chaman, their eyes full of caution and jealousy.

But the next second, Ian suddenly raised his head, his eyes angry.

"Do you think you're going to succeed?

"Your vassals, they are all nobles, elites among the people, and their support and allegiance are the only ones who can secure the position of Grand Duke," he almost gritted his teeth, and even didn't care about the honorific title of the king: "And now, you are going to stab them, and you think that they will sit and wait for the army of the Rumba family to storm their castles, rob them of their wealth, and strip them of their titles? Do you think that the warriors loyal to you can really deal with the ...... of the entire Black Sand Territory"

However, what interrupted him was a faint sneer from the king.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha, ......"

At this second, King Chaman twisted his neck slightly and looked at the Grand Duke on the steps.

The Starfall frowned, and stopped in front of Thelma without showing any weakness, the hatred in his eyes never diminished.

Seeing that the other party looked like a great enemy, King Chaman narrowed his eyes, shook his head, and said in a playful tone:

"Didn't I tell you?"

"The Grand Duke of the Rebuilding Tower has already stated that once the stars really intervene in the affairs of the Freedom Alliance...... Then he will not sit idly by. ”

His words made many nobles nervous again.

"Pasius Trudida understands this, and he is happy to send troops to the aid of Qiyuan City. ”

"He and his army will come to the Black Sand Collar to join me, with the warriors of the Rumba. ”

King Chaman's words were very slow, and he whispered almost word for word: "Then let's see which traitors are in the Black Sand Territory who are unwilling to contribute to the country. ”

Ian froze again.

What the?

Rebuild the tower, and the black sand collar?

That is to say, if Rumba wants to clean up the nobles in his domain, whether it is name, strength, or timing, it is already ......

"Rebuild the tower, Trudida?" Ian sighed as he remembered something.

He finally closed his eyes in pain: "That bastard. ”

"Rebuilding the tower is closest to us," Cambida added with a smile, "and of course he understands our minds best." ”

Tails frowned deeply, remembering the cunning aristocrat with the image of the pot lid, his eyes flashing, and his words provocative.

Rebuild the Grand Duke of the Tower.

Pasius Trudida.

Even in the most urgent moments in Valhalla, when the great battle between Ronnie, Aletheus and Rumba was about to break out, he was just holding a short knife and hiding safely in the distance.

He.

Have you fallen to Rumba?

"You've calculated it from the beginning, haven't you," Ian said with a disillusioned face, "When you issued a new decree, the Black Sand Lords opposed it for the first time......"

King Chaman and his two men looked at him coldly.

"You don't care how your vassals will oppose your edicts, and you don't care if they contact foreign aid like Qiyuancheng, because you don't want to spend time with them and play this political game with them. ”

Ian said sadly: "Even, the move of the Freedom Alliance is not at all to hold back Qiyuan City, not to weaken the confidence of the opponents in foreign aid......

King Chaman looked intently at the people in the hall, as if he was watching an interesting play.

"You don't even care if Longxiao City sends troops, you don't care about the outcome of the war, and you don't care if Qiyuan City can fight quickly. ”

"You've made up your mind from the start," Ian muttered to himself, "to use the most direct, brutal, and easiest way to root out the disobedient old vassals." ”

"What you lack is just a name, a reason, a pretext written on the oath of co-governance, which will not arouse the anger of the people, and the consequences will be minimal, and the grandiose excuse will be ......" he bit out the next sentence bitterly:

"For example...... Kingdom of the Stars. ”

Ian looked at Tails in despair, but the prince just shook his head.

His Excellency sat down in his chair and looked no longer at anyone.

Like a defeated fighter in the Colosseum.

We, we pray for the city......

We are also foolishly co-opting the Grand Dukes, ready to condemn the king jointly.

We naively made a promise to the lower nobles of the Black Sand Territory, hoping that they would attack the prestige of the Rumba and break the king's authority.

Turn him into an empty king.

Now it seems that this chess game is ...... From the very beginning, we lost?

The Death Raven beside Ian sighed softly, his dead eyes glancing over Tails.

Lisban sighed heavily: "Therefore, if your vassals accept the conscription, it means huge expenses and countless manpower, and the expedition to the west means putting the population, combat power, heirs, supplies, and rear in your hands, and the lifeblood of these nobles." ”

"Maybe when they come back, the territory has been turned upside down, and even, maybe they will never come back......"

"Don't say it so badly," said Viscount Kambida, who seemed to have a bit of a headache, "After all, Your Majesty is just recruiting the troops in his domain and going to the Free Alliance to find a place to go." ”

Lisban shook his head: "However, if Your Majesty's vassals refuse to be recruited, you have the right and reason to use the combined power and strength of the Rumba family and the Rebuilding Tower, in the name that no one else can dispute, to deprive them of their titles, and even purge their family." ”

"Make the Black Sand Collar truly your one-man leader. ”

His Excellency the Regent sighed in a low tone, "Yes, Your Majesty. ”

Tails looked at Ian's distracted look, and looked at Lisbane's face, which seemed to be several years old in an instant, and his heart was gloomy.

Yes, he knew this feeling, he had experienced it before, and he would never forget it.

The previous verbal argument was just an appetizer for Charman Rumba.

But what is truly terrible about the killer is his methods.

The bloody siege in front of the Broken Dragon Fortress, the terrifying blow of the Calamity Night......

As always, as swift as thunder, direct, brutal, cruel, decisive, effective.

All that was left for the enemy was consternation and remorse.

King Chaman snorted.

"It's not that they don't have a choice. ”

King Chaman turned his gaze and met the elderly Lisbane head-on.

"They can choose to be loyal to the king, follow the decree, choose to continue to love Exeter, and they will all be happy. ”

The king said coldly, his sharp eyes seemed to hide an irresistible blade, and wherever he looked, the nobles looked away: "Instead of secretly associating with forces other than their feudal lords, hoping to escape their inevitable fate." ”

"Of course, it also sends a warning to those who have put their hands on my territory and meddle in their own affairs - keep to yourself, or I will come to you. With these words, King Chaman once again glanced coldly at the people in the hall.

Like a beast patrolling its territory.

The Iron Fist emblem on his robe, which represents the Rumba family, is so glaring at this moment.

Except for the aristocrats, who breathed at different rates, the hall was silent.

Tails silently looked at the depressed Ian, and a chill rose in his heart.

The regent of Lisbane first sighed slightly, and then said with a serious expression:

"You have no intention of keeping your hands at all, let alone the shame and bottom line of the nobility, right?"

Lisbane, the former prime minister of the kingdom, faced the king's more powerful eyes than before, and called him by his name without fear: "Charman Rumba?"

"In the face of traditional families who oppose your expansion of power, you don't just rise to the occasion. ”

"Mende, Devensian, Peruno, Ica, the Northland families we know well, these are the Northland families that we know well, these are prominent surnames that have been loyal to the rebellious kings since the time of Necajou, loyal to the Lomba family, and have a history of hundreds of thousands of years," Lisban lamented: "They thought that as usual, by uniting to force the palace, they could force the lord to take back his ......."

"But times have changed. ”

"Before your cruel methods, under your unsparing conscription orders, they will either recognize your decrees, bow their heads and compromise, and bow their heads to obey ......"

"Either there will be a river of blood and ashes. ”

With a hint of melancholy and resentment, Lisban's words also caused a lot of aristocrats to be annoyed.

Tails exhaled slowly, lost in thought.

In Longxiao City, Thelma trembled because of her status as a female archduchess, struggling to maintain her little prestige in exchange for the cooperation and obedience of her vassals.

In the Black Sand Domain, the Rumba bears the notoriety of a family killer and a reformer, ruthless with his sword and axe, and cleans the way with blood, leaving the vassals to bow their heads and obey.

Which side is better?

King Chaman pressed his old saber with his left hand and smiled coldly.

"There are so many people who want to serve the country, and a large part of them have no fiefs or titles," said the king's voice, which seemed to carry the cold wind even in the middle of summer: "My right-hand man, Lord Tulha, told me......"

He faced the nobles of the entire hall and said something that made them shudder: "In this world, there are still too many people who occupy high positions and have a vegetarian meal. ”

"It's not unreasonable. ”

Lisbane closed his eyes and did not answer.

There was a long silence in the hall.

The counts of Longxiao City showed a solemn look even in the face of the female archduke's willfulness.

"My God, there you are standing there," said Earl Hearst, pale, "what kind of king he is." ”

"The worst king," clenched his fingers tightly, "the terrible one." ”

"Hmph," Kirtson shook his head disdainfully, but his eyes were full of fear, "what scum." ”

The Count of Nazaire watched the king silently, but occasionally he looked thoughtfully at Prince Tyles in the corner.

"Long Xiao Cheng, now you understand. ”

King Chaman didn't care about the people of Longxiao City talking about his words: "If Qiyuan City really prepared an open letter for you to sign, instigating some unwise fools in my territory to continue to oppose me......"

The king looked up at the highest seat.

The girl who had been staring at him quietly, but had not said a word for a long time.

"It's a pity," said King Chaman, curling the corners of his mouth in delight, "because that doesn't make sense. ”

Ian lowered his head and looked at his knees, staring at his surroundings as if he hadn't seen them.

"I even want to advise you: there is no need to get involved in this war," King Chaman shook his head: "The Black Sand Collar has taken over, and there is no need for you to send troops." ”

At that moment, the three people led by Black Sand stood proudly in the hall, as if this was their home field.

The vassals of Longxiao City clenched their fists again, and their resentment and unwillingness burned in their hearts.

"Because it doesn't matter how long this war of the Freedom League will take. ”

The king's expression was a little hideous: "The outcome on the chessboard is already predestined. ”

Tails shook his head.

So, as expected, you jumped at your chance, Rumba.

You get what you want.

So......

From this moment on, Tails stared at King Chaman steadily.

What about your return?

In the next second, King Chaman seemed to sense Tails's gaze, he turned his head and looked at the prince, who had gone from expressionless to gradually cautious, frowning slightly.

Tails was still staring at him coldly.

The king's lips pursed upward.

King Chaman exhaled a long breath, "As for this prince, don't bother sending him to the city of Qiyuan, send him to the Black Sand Collar - as the one who really mediates with the stars, it is only natural that I have come to entertain Prince Tails." ”

Tails closed his eyes and breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

At that moment, he was obviously in Valhalla in Walton and in the Hall of Heroes of Necajou, but King Chaman arrogantly said to the vassals in the audience like a true master:

"Anything else?"

No one answered.

"Are you really going to the Black Sand Collar?" Whya looked at Rolf with a changed face: "This ......"

Tails chuckled in the corner and whispered to the two behind him: "Calm down, it's not over yet." ”

I called him in—the prince said silently, "I am not going to be a guest in the Black Sands.

But he noticed that Nicolai's gaze was getting colder.

From the very beginning, the Meteorite's gaze never left the Prince's body.

As if knowing Tails' role in this.

The hall was quiet and no one spoke.

In the chill brought by the king, everyone was thinking about the consequences of the sudden accident.

The game between Qiyuan City and the Black Sand Collar seems to have seen the results.

Where should Longxiao City go?

Until a crisp and beautiful voice sounded suddenly:

"Yes. ”

King Chaman's expression twitched slightly, and he turned in the direction he had thought there would be no accidents.

I saw that the nominal supreme ruler of Longxiao City, Selma Walton, lowered her head and said weakly:

"As you say, Your Majesty. ”

"I'm not going to send Prince Tails to the west, to the city of Qiyuan. ”

The ministers of Longxiao City frowned in unison.

King Chaman gave an approving expression: "You are a clever girl. ”

But the next moment, the Grand Duchess suddenly stood up:

"But listen, Your Majesty. ”

"He won't go to Qiyuan City," in the puzzled and surprised eyes of everyone, the female grand duke's expression was stern, and her tone changed sharply: "But he won't go to the Black Sand Collar." ”

Tails smiled.

Oh, yes.

She's a smart girl.

King Chaman was slightly stunned.

"Tails is a guest of Longxiao City, this is the common agreement of the six Grand Dukes in this hall six years ago," Thelma said coldly:

"He just stays in Longxiao City, and he won't go anywhere. ”

"Anywhere!"

King Chaman's face turned cold again.

Like six years ago.

But to the king's surprise, the girl who was trembling under his gaze six years ago now has a steady expression and a strong gaze.

In the silent confrontation, Viscount Cambida frowned, but Chloesy smiled.

"The mutual agreement of the six Grand Dukes?"

King Chaman snorted, "You are naughty, girl. ”

"That's a lot of ideas. ”

"Not only that," Thelma shook her head unflinchingly, "there's one more thing you need to know. ”

"No matter what Qiyuan City's attitude is, no matter what your attitude is, Long Xiao City will send troops to conquer the Freedom League - just like my father and ancestor personally pacified the Freedom League twenty years ago, this is the responsibility of the Walton family, and it is the dignity of Long Xiao City. ”

She stiffened her little face and said forcefully, "It doesn't change because of a person, whether he's a king or a beggar." ”

The atmosphere in the hall was completely cold.

The counts watched with mixed emotions as the confrontation between the king and the archduchess.

King Chaman regained control of his sword and pursed his lips.

Thelma stared at him without flinching.

Finally, after a few breaths, the king laughed coldly.

"An unmarried little girl, this is about to bear the honor of the dragon lance?" King Chaman looked around: "You experienced and powerful vassals, do they agree?"

I saw Selma take a step forward, her expression unchanged: "My vassals, each and every one of them ......"

"They all supported my decision. ”

Under the king's gaze, the princes of Longxiao City frowned in unison and looked at each other again and again.

At this moment, the Regency of Lisbane did not hesitate to take a step forward.

"The will of the Grand Duchess is our mission," said the Count of Lisbane coldly, "and she said that Prince Tails would not go to the Black Sand Territory. ”

"Then he won't go," his old colleague, Nazaire sighed softly, "the problem is solved." ”

Earl Curtson also snorted coldly.

"The lady also said that we are going to help Qiyuan City, the murderer," Curtson smirked, "Then we will sharpen our axes and bring our swords." ”

King Chaman frowned, and he looked up at Thelma on the heights—the Grand Duchess was still looking at him with a resolute face, her eyes not moving.

Earl Hearst looked at the Grand Duchess and nodded heavily: "The attitude of the lady is the attitude of Longxiao City." ”

"It doesn't matter which bullshit king gives us. ”

"If that king had any kind, he would have come to Longxiao City with his army and doglegs to strip us of our titles," said Count Lynne sarcastically, "who knows, maybe I will give it obediently." ”

Kierkegaard's eyes were cold, and his words were brief and clear: "Welcome to Longxiao City, Your Majesty. ”

With the words of the female archduke and the earl, the vassals of Longxiao City completed the unity of opinion in the eye to face.

With the same cold and unkind eyes, they all looked at His Majesty the King.

"You heard them," Thelma still stared coldly at King Chaman, "Do you have any questions, Your Majesty?"

For the first time, King Chaman looked at the maiden earnestly.

It's like looking at a weapon.

"That's nice, girl. He said softly.

I saw King Chaman with a deep chill and said softly: "But about the agreement between the six Grand Dukes six years ago, you are still a little wrong, girl. ”

In the next second, King Chaman turned to Tails, revealing a strange expression.

Tails tensed unconsciously.

Thelma was stunned for a moment: "What?"

With a wave of his arm, King Chaman turned sharply to meet the puzzled gazes of the entire hall.

"How do I remember," the king's chilling voice echoed between the columns: "Six years ago, in this hall, the truly legitimate, reasonable, and orthodox grand dukes ......"

"Only five?"

Thelma's expression froze.

At that moment, Tails' cheeks stiffened, and his pupils slowly contracted.

In the hall, which also changed color slightly, there were Nicolé and Lisbane.

(End of chapter)