When most of the people of the stars think of the Exeters, their first reaction is always: "hard, hardy". Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

The second reaction will be different.

Civilians will rub their heads in confusion and say "savage" or "rude", while merchants will probably laugh and say "good faith, good business", and mercenaries and adventurers will smile mysteriously, telling you that they are the first choice whether they charge or break back.

And the veterans who had fought with them would frown, sigh in the deep memories, in the ale and tobacco, and leave a sentence: they are not to be messed with.

But as far as Tails reads about the history of the continent, at least the nobles and lords of the stars have a completely different and complex impression of their powerful northern neighbor.

As the number one power in the Western Continent, Exeter has a formidable army and amazing records, and is both a credible and solid ally in the event of a continental war, as well as a terrifying dragon in the face of the three great powers of the Western Continent.

Compared to the rhythmic, orderly and delicate kingdom of the stars, this is a powerful country full of romance and rebellion, martial style and heroic plot, and its tradition is even earlier than the ancient empire.

From the distant era of ignorance, the "Alliance of Ten Thousand Beasts" concluded between the king of the north, Takmu, and the orcs, to the "last line of defense of mankind" that the Iron Blood King used his heroic sacrifice to resist the orcs. In this northern territory of mankind, the most bitter cold wind once blew up, waking mankind from the weak and ignorant era.

Then in the period of the kings, in the decisive battle of Quurgour, 2,000 human iron horsemen marched forward and launched a decisive attack on the 20,000 orc heavy infantry army array. The land of the north bears witness to how the single thin sword of mankind has become the sharpest edge in the world.

During the Imperial Era, the righteous act of the "Rebel King" Quesuo of the Northland Province against the tyrant was not well-known in the Star Kingdom, which considered itself to be the true lineage of the empire, but Tails had read that the rebel king was on the side of Lone Old Peak, with only 300 remaining people to attack the three major legions of the empire, and finally died in the military formation, evoking the seemingly powerful empire, the accumulation of diseases and dark wounds everywhere in the body, and opened the prelude to the first civil strife of the empire.

The closest thing to the modern kingdom of Exeter is that in the final battle of the earth, the hero Nekaru and his knights fell from the sky in the darkest and desperate moments, and went straight to the center of the enemy army, igniting the hope of the Northland Province and even the whole world to resist the "Reverse the Cold Wind", saving the precarious northern and western war theaters, not to mention the chaotic post-war continental fission, he and his loyal ten knights jointly created, the legend of the founding of Exeter.

More recently, the legendary adventures of the heroes of Exeter, Sarah, the prophet Kaipeng, and Midil, the Oath Keeper of the Stars, and their ability to turn the tide in a decisive battle against the Eastern Continent Coalition during the Second Continental War, are still the stories of the Errol world, at least in the West.

Compared with the Kingdom of Stars, which is like an old gentleman, burdened with the heavy orthodoxy of the empire, and even the founding story is full of sadness and bitterness, the Kingdom of Exeter is full of heroism and resistance, more like a prime-age warrior full of hope and blood.

Just as Tails saw the Exeter.

Exeter's emergency envoy, Baron Russell Vida, stood proudly in the Fuxing Palace, second only to the Hall of the Stars, unconcerned about the unkind gaze of the starry officials and nobles in the hall.

He stood casually with his hands folded in his arms, looking down at the ground, only occasionally raising his eyes to sweep around, but he did not look indecent or rude in the slightest, as if this was what he should be, but the smile on his lips made the onlookers frown.

Russell looked to be only in his early forties, and he was holding the red dragon lacquer scroll in his hand, not only was he fearless, but even his face was proud, and when the people in the hall were swept by his warlike eyes, they all had the illusion that they were not looking at the envoy, but the Exeter standing in the council hall, looking at them arrogantly.

At this moment, Tails pursed his lips tightly and stood with Gilbert, hidden by the throne of stars above several steps, inconspicuous.

In the hall, from the six noble dukes with different looks, the earls of the thirteen noble families, to the members of the Imperial Council: Morat Hansen, the chief of intelligence, Jocco Man, the minister of the exchequer, and the military adviser Sodor Rader, etc., all stood quietly on the side of the throne.

The highest power center of the entire Star Kingdom is waiting for Kessel V on the throne to speak.

And the sky-blue eyes of Kessel V were also carefully looking at the emergency envoy sent by Exeter after the assassination of the Moral prince.

Being able to cross the border from Longxiao City non-stop and gallop to Yongxing City in the six days after the incident shows the urgency of the matter and the attitude of this envoy.

"What have you brought, messenger of the northern dragon?" Cassel's voice rang out.

"I, well, I personally didn't bring anything. The emergency envoy of the Exeters, Russell chuckled, and his eyes instantly turned cold: "But soon, the whole country of Exeter will bring their sorrow, their despair, and ......"

"Their wrath!"

The whole hall fell silent.

Baron Russell stared straight at King Kessel without flinching.

In the suffocating silence, Tails wondered who should get to the point first.

Kessel V broke the silence.

"I know you. ”

The king spoke slowly, and a deep voice echoed throughout the hall: "Twelve years ago, Charman Rumba, now Grand Duke of Black Sands and then Earl of a city, visited the stars on behalf of Exeter as the son of the Grand Duke—and you led his horse in that legation. ”

"Huh?"

Russell frowned at first, a little surprised by Kessel's memory.

But then he chuckled.

"What an amazing memory, Your Majesty," Russell smiled, full of uncomfortable irony, "I remember very well that at that time, Your Majesty, you were only the fifth prince, standing alone in the corner. “

He put his hands behind his back, took a step forward, and continued:

“...... Looking at Charman Rumba, he 'strongly' suggested to King Eddie, who was full of gray hair, drooping old age, and suffering from rebellion, that the territory of the five counties that should belong to us Northlanders and belong to Exeter be returned to their masters......"

Exeter would generously send troops south to help his neighbors for more than 600 years quell a growing rebellion. ”

Many frowned.

Suffering from the rebellion - the year of blood?

But Tails noticed that the envoy put "us Northlanders" before "Exeter".

What does this mean?

"I remember King Eddy politely rejecting the so-called 'offer' of the Grand Duke of Rumba," the Duke of Falkenhause laughed, "but even so, you 'generously' sent troops south...... What a touching neighbor!"

Russell smiled mysteriously and didn't reply.

"The Archduke of Rumba is probably not very literate," said Count Zemutto, whose eyes were on fire, "the five counties you are talking about, ruled by the families of Arend, Zemuto, and Forrest, and which our ancestors have owned since the beginning of the kingdom of the stars—they are the territory of the stars, irrefutable. ”

To Tails' surprise, Russell chuckled.

In the angry eyes of the full hall, his chuckle gradually turned into a laugh,

"In the past few years, the cold winds in Exeter have become stronger and more bitter, and our shepherd boys and hunters have to grit their teeth and go out against the bitter cold that can freeze their tears, and when they come back, they will constantly use the snow to freeze their hands and feet to prevent them from freezing and freezing. ”

In the puzzled eyes of everyone, Russell sneered: "In this way, in years, decades, we can turn a pair of trembling hands with a bow and whip into a pair of strong and solid hands suitable for wielding a big sword." ”

Russell paused, looked around, and laughed without hesitation, "In contrast, the climate of the stars is only warmer and more comfortable, especially suitable for the weak who will only gasp on the belly of a woman - this is the offspring of Midil the 'Oath Keeper'!"

There was an uproar in the hall!

Tails' eyes widened: how could an envoy who refused to cut to the point, but insulted the envoy of the visiting country in the second sentence?

But he immediately reacted that in the matter of the assassination of the prince, Xingchen was completely inferior, and when it came to military strength, the number of troops that Xingchen could gather at present - just look at yesterday's national meeting.

Whether to be accountable, when to be accountable, how to be accountable, the initiative of the whole thing, is in Exter's hands.

Tails sighed softly.

Count Forrest pressed the sword on his waist with a "snap", and said angrily: "What do you mean by this!"

But Kessel V raised his hand with a blandly gaze and waved away many of the nobles who had come out in anger.

"I mean—when will even the lame excuse of 'my grandfather own that land' be the criterion for dividing territory?"

Russell strode around in a circle, his eyes burning in return to the nobles and lords of the stars.

"Whether it is Exeter or Xingchen, every inch of land is conquered, the strong get the war and leave, and the weak hand over their chips to protect themselves, this is the law of the world," only to hear Russell say coldly, his face was cold and unkind: "As the Fengwang Chen Jian of the Eastern Continent said: Only the capable live in it." ”

Only Gilbert and a few others narrowed their eyes slightly, thinking about his intentions, while King Kessel looked at the aristocrats in the hall with deep thought in his eyes.

"Please be careful, Your Highness Tails," Gilbert whispered to Tails, "in diplomacy there is no pointless quarrel or discourse - this is a temptation and a change of step before the sword, and the other side is testing our steps and reality for the last moment of the sword. ”

He didn't rush to the point, saying that he might not have a bottom on the direct terms, or he might have found a better negotiating point. ”

"But so far it was his ruse: to plant a seed in us by provoking us and drawing the conversation in the direction of the law of military affairs, of force, of strength and weakness, and by seeing our reactions," Gilbert whispered, "and, when he brings out the real issue, we will unconsciously begin to think about war, of the costs of war—and comparatively ignore the other options." ”

Tails frowned: Do we have any other options?

I saw Russell take a step forward and look at King Kessel with burning eyes: "And the stars, is it capable of defending your so-called territory?"

The anger of the nobles in the hall has reached its peak!

The Earl of Zemutto in the north slapped his northern uniform angrily and shouted, "Let your army let your horses go—"

But he was then interrupted by a more majestic and calm voice!

"Okay—"

Val Arend smiled calmly, and his deep voice overshadowed Zemuto, echoing throughout the hall: "It just so happens that as the Duke of the North, I am also worried that our territory is not big enough!

Listening to the Duke of the North's rebuttal, Exeter's emergency envoy frowned slightly, but then smiled.

"The Duke of the North has dealt with it very well," Gilbert said solemnly to the traverser, "but the words of Count Zemutto may have exposed some information to the other party. ”

Tails nodded, he understood: in the face of the provocation, Zemutto angrily asked his opponent to let his horse come, but Val smiled and said that he also wanted the other party's territory - the hidden meaning and reality behind the resignation, the attitude and determination in the face of the invasion, suddenly appeared.

At this moment, a young girl's voice interjected into the conversation.

"In that case, your Grand Duke of the Black Sand should rise up sooner rather than later, kill your King Nunn, and take the throne himself. ”

Just one sentence made Russell's face change color!

"Because I think he's better than King Nunn, ......isn't he? Why not give it a try...... Maybe it will work. ”

Under the astonished gaze of everyone, the fifteen-year-old Duchess of the Blade Leader, Lyanna Tebak, stood like a lonely flower on a cliff, standing in the midst of a group of male lords, and said coldly:

You might as well bring this sentence back to the Grand Duke of Rumba in the Black Sand Collar - as the Feng Wang Chenjian said: Only the capable live in it. ”