Chapter 453 How to Deal with It

The worsening situation in the southern border is an unexpected crisis.

It's not that the Second Dynasty ignored the Cecil family in the southern border - in fact, since the foggy month civil strife a hundred years ago, the new royal family with hidden inheritance rights has never relaxed their vigilance against the southern border. , Cecil was the only family that declined due to the civil strife in the foggy moon. At the beginning of its decline, its remaining power was still enough to shake the foundation of the entire kingdom. The second dynasty was supported by the other three protector dukes. It took a hundred years to separate and suppress the southern border to the present situation, which is evident in the importance he attaches to the southern border.

After Gawain Cecil unveiled the coffin, this emphasis was even greater than before.

Francis II ordered the nobles in the south to increase the surveillance of Cecil's forces, but only got information that "the Cecils are doing potion business to buy slaves"; the aid team sent by the royal family to the south was also mixed with spies. , but these eyeliners soon stopped sending any information; the garrison of the rock fortress has actually increased by 30% in the past six months, but the increase of 30% of the soldiers has not come in any use; By investigating the Cecil family's employment of craftsmen in the capital, they estimated the progress of the construction of the Cecil Land, and concluded that the Cecil Land is still in a stage of insufficient housing - they never thought about those craftsmen. After arriving in the south, he was trained as a magician and a mechanic...

It can be said that Baiyinbao made all the correct responses, but did not get any correct feedback. The biggest mistake they made was to use the traditional aristocratic thinking to speculate that someone from another world, regardless of experience, knowledge or way of thinking, was the same as ordinary people. A very different "Satellite" action mode.

They misestimated the real intention behind each of Gawain Cecil's actions, misestimated the way the Cecil family rose, and finally, misjudged the speed at which the Rock Fortress fell.

In the wrong direction, any effort is just a waste of energy.

The situation has deteriorated to this point.

"Two dukes, His Royal Highness, I must tell the truth," Cromwell White Mountain said in a serious and solemn tone, "unless the Eastern Rebels retreat today, we will not be able to get the Rock Fortress back."

Another knight lord stood up and said the worst possible "If the Cecil family and the Roren family raise their troops to attack the capital, we can't win - just judging from the fall of the rock fortress, Sisi. Your army is a formidable enemy."

A nobleman at the scene couldn't help but say, "Are even knight lords afraid of enemies?"

Cromwell Baishan glared at the nobleman who spoke, "We are just stating the facts, if they really attack the capital, the Knights will fight to the last minute, don't worry about that.

"

"Calm down, gentlemen," Victoria Wilder interrupted the arguments, her voice cold and frosty in her eyes, "Duke Gawain Cecil has only taken the Rock Fortress—he hasn't made his way north yet. ."

"We must first determine the purpose of the founding hero," Duke Baldwin Franklin nodded and took Victoria's words, "I suggest sending envoys to contact the southern border."

The nobles at the scene whispered, but in general, no one objected to Duke Franklin's opinion.

"The Revolt in the East is approaching, and we can't take another shot in the south," Duke Franklin continued, "so as long as Duke Gawain Cecil is willing to talk, we should. We should be ready to admit Sisi. The legitimate rule of the Er family over the southern border, and the restoration of all the noble titles, honorary titles, historical fiefs, and noble privileges of the Cecil family..."

The discussion of the nobles became louder, and some people showed obvious stunned expressions on their faces, but more people just nodded gloomily. Wales Moen looked at the reactions of these people and sighed slightly.

"Your Highness," Duchess Victoria heard Wales' sigh, she turned her head and stared at the titular successor of the kingdom with eyes as clear as ice crystals, "do you have something to say?"

"I just think, whether we admit it means nothing to the founding hero," Wales Morn didn't want to speak, but he spoke slowly under the Duchess' gaze, "These things are already in his hands. Go—no matter what we say here, the reconstruction of the Duchy of Cecil is already a given, Archduke Franklin, are you going to give him what is already in the hands of Archduke Cecil as a gift?"

Baldwin Franklin's face didn't change in any way, he just nodded slightly and said lightly, "His Royal Highness's thoughts are right."

"We'd better think again and think about what leverage we have that we can use to compromise."

After saying this, Wales Moen lowered his eyelids and stopped talking.

Francis II's voice seemed to echo in the middle-aged crown prince's mind

"A king ruling a kingdom...is the art of compromise..."

the conference has ended.

The nobles left in order, and Wales Moen also left the hall in the company of the royal attendant. In the huge military hall, only two regent dukes were left sitting quietly in place.

After a long silence, Duchess Victoria looked at Baldwin Franklin, "What do you think our founding hero wants to do?"

"I hope he just wants to take back his family business, which is also the most logical, and the most consistent with the description of it in the history books," said the Duke of the Westland calmly, "but I don't rule out the worse possibility. Sex - don't forget the directory on Ansu's foundation stone, and the signatures on the oldest canonical documents in the Royal Library, in a way, his claim to the throne is no less than that of our 'Crown Prince' '."

"Wales? Moen..." Victoria said softly, she recalled the only speech the crown prince made in the meeting just now, "he is actually the most like Francis II..."

The Duke of Franklin shook his head slightly. "But because of the similarity, Francis II finally chose Edmund. Our king made a wrong decision in this regard - this country does not need an overly tough king."

Victoria raised her eyelids, took a deep look at the Duke of the West, and then stood up, "I will return to the north in the near future."

Franklin raised his eyebrows, "You want to mobilize your mountain army?"

"The Holy Dragon Principality is preparing to celebrate their 'Dragon Rising Sun', and the Violet Kingdom has been quiet recently. I can dispatch a part of the mountain legion to deal with the battle on the Holy Spirit Plain," the Duchess, who was covered in ice and snow, said as she watched To the Duke of Westland, "Where's your Westland Corps?"

"It's too far from the western border to the eastern front line, and the consumption of troops on the road is unbearable, and since the beginning of summer, the cultists and cultists of the Eternal Sleepers in the western region have not been quiet," Baldwin Franklin said. Said, pressing his forehead in distress, "I may be able to send a knights to defend the capital, but it is impossible to send troops to the east."

A few crystal snowflakes floated in the air, Duchess Victoria put on her white shawl, left her seat and walked towards the door "...The king doesn't need more knights, the Earl of Cromwell is enough to guard here, if you have extra power, just pay attention to the south."

The Duchess left, leaving only a few icy snowflakes flying in the air. Baldwin Franklin stretched out his hand to catch one of them. Feeling that the icy coldness gradually melted in his palm, he sighed slightly, "... Are those lunatics babbling... the darkest times..."

Four days later, the capital of the northern border of Ansu, the Winter Fort.

A team of griffin knights flew over the fortress, and the headed griffin landed skillfully on the platform on the top floor of the castle. Victoria Wilde jumped off the griffin, and the cold wind from the northern mountains blew through her long silver-white hair. She narrowed her eyes slightly.

Even in this midsummer season, there is still such a cold wind on the top of the mountains in the north of the mainland.

The "Dragon Blood Aristocrats" of the Holy Dragon Principality said that the cold wind was the breath of the sleeping giant dragons in the mountains, while the mages and scholars of the Violet Kingdom believed that the cold air came from the farther north of the mainland, from the area blocked by ice floes and storms. Opposite Wang Yang, from that eternal cyclone.

But Victoria didn't care where the cold wind came from. She just liked the icy aura. The clean cold air in the mountains was much more comfortable than the foul air filled with all kinds of odors in the capital.

The black-haired maid Maggie came to the platform, and Victoria nodded to the maid she trusted, "Go and gather my knight retainers, the Mountain Legion has something to do."

"Yes."

The Duchess had absolute authority over the land, and the Mountain Legion, loyal to the Wilder family, accepted the orders of their "Snow Queen" without any doubt, and after a brief military meeting, about a third of the Mountain Legion One's troops were drawn out and included in the list to support the eastern front of the Holy Spirit Plain.

After the meeting, Victoria did not return to her dormitory to rest. Although she had already experienced a long flight on the back of the griffin and had just held a meeting, she was still energized and flipped through the documents in front of her.

"Vicky, you need to rest."

The black-haired maid said next to her—when there was no one else, the black-haired maid called her mistress by a friendly nickname.

"I will rest," Victoria said casually, "Is there any unusual behavior in the Holy Dragon Principality recently?"

"The information from the northern outpost is normal."

Victoria exhaled slightly and calmed down a little.

The Holy Dragon Principality in the northern mountains... has always been a source of instability.

As early as the Gondor period, humans who claimed to be descendants of dragon blood established this kingdom in the extreme north of the continent. They claimed that they were vassals of the giant dragon. Therefore, the supreme ruler of the country was not the king, but the so-called "Dragon Blood Archduke". , they are closed, xenophobic, indulged in the mountains, and never liked the Ansu people who suddenly appeared in this land seven hundred years ago.

Seven hundred years have passed, and this closed and mysterious country is still using "uninvited guests" to describe Ansu, which has been established for seven centuries.

But fortunately, after so many years of running-in, a compromise and balance have finally been reached between the Duchy of the Dragon and Ansu. As the general guardian of the north, one of Victoria Wilder's responsibilities is to always be vigilant against the sensitive, closed, and xenophobic country, and try to avoid a war between the two sides as much as possible.

After she finally finished processing the documents in front of her, Victoria Wilder stretched out. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly to ease the accumulated fatigue in her body, and the black-haired maid stepped forward. Come on, while gently pinching the hostess' shoulders, he asked in a low voice, "Are you going to rest?"

"No, there is one more thing," the Duchess closed her eyes and paused for a long time before continuing, "Get ready, I am going to the tomb of the ancestors."