Act 57 Preparations for the Mission III
The residence Brando arranged for Prince Lenaret is located east of Valhalla, in a palace formed by hollowing out a tree trunk. This is one of Valhalla's abilities. You only need to pay magic power in the town hall, and this tree fortress can generate an unlimited number of holes inside. Of course, if you want to turn these holes into rooms, you also need decoration and To arrange the furnishings, Brando asked Antitina and Odum to design the palace in imitation of Fir Castle as a guest room in Valhalla. Nowadays, this luxurious guest room is exclusively occupied by the Cruz emperor's eldest son. Outside the room, there are Cruz knights with broken swords guarding the room day and night.
Most of these knights with broken swords knew Brando. After being notified, and with Lenaret's approval, they respectfully introduced him in. The entrance to this palace is very cleverly arranged. It is located on a terrace and is connected by a path made of vines. The other end of this path is connected to the second level of the treetop square above. The entrance is very remote and guarded by tree elf archers. ; Directly in front of the terrace is the main branch of this giant tree extending upward. In that direction are stationed the outpost of the tree elf archer and the tree house hidden among the branches. However, through the lush shade of the trees on both sides of the branches, it is still possible to see Being able to overlook the mountains in the clouds and mist to the east, it can be said that it is an excellent design that takes into account safety and does not prevent the owner of the place from enjoying the wonderful scenery.
At the entrance, there are rattans covered with green leaves hanging from the tree wall, as if forming a curtain. Behind it is the main hall of the palace. This main hall is also semi-open air. There is a giant crystal above the hall. You can filter in the light from outside, let the sun or moonlight pour on the magic fountain in the center of the hall, and let the sparkling spring water gurgling on the pebbles. When Brando and Antitina walked into the hall, they happened to see the eldest son of the Cruz people standing by the spring, looking down at the glittering golden water, wondering what he was thinking.
"Your Highness Lenaret, are you satisfied with your stay?" Brando walked not far from him, stopped and asked.
Lenaret turned back to look at them, nodded, but did not answer, just waiting for them to speak.
This guy is still as boring as ever, Bu thought. He took the initiative and said: "Your Highness Lenaret, the wind elves have started a war in the four realms, and the golden-maned lions are also gathering an army. It can be said that the holy war has begun. I wonder what your highness thinks about this?" "
When the Holy War began, the Silver Queen had to rely on the military nobles in the empire, and most of these nobles supported the eldest son of the emperor. Lenaret nodded silently after hearing this and asked: "According to the usual practice, the Temple of Fire should summon envoys from various countries to Rushta. I haven't had time to congratulate Mr. Earl on being appointed as the head of the envoy."
"His Royal Highness Lenaret has also lived in Tonigel for a while. Isn't it possible that he doesn't want to return to the empire?"
The eldest son of the Cruz emperor raised his head and looked at him with light blue eyes. His indifferent eyes seemed to say, could it be that you, a little Count Tonigel, also want to intervene in the battle for the empire's succession?
Brando spread his hands,
He smiled slightly and said: "Your Highness, it's not that I want to draw chestnuts from the fire. I am really forced to do so. I have no intention of interfering in the internal affairs of the Cruz people, especially the most troublesome dispute over the imperial line. But now that the matter has come to this, I have to think of something. In order to protect myself - this matter is good for you and good for me, so I hope to get some advice from you."
"What advice?" Lenaret asked.
"First of all, I want to know who are the people in the empire who will spare no effort to support you."
Lenaret frowned slightly, as if he was considering the value of this meeting. After thinking for a moment, he made a gesture to Brando - the gesture meant: 'Please come inside and speak', and then turned around Walk towards the study. Brando seemed to have expected this, and followed him with Antitina. Several people came to the study all the way. There were several light spirits in the study waiting for the instructions of the eldest son of the emperor. Lenaret asked them to decorate the room and put black tea and snacks-although these light spirits also listened to Brando's instructions. Order, but Brando was good-natured and waited for the Cruz emperor's eldest son to exercise his power, although his power was limited to this palace.
After a while, when several light spirits flew out of the room, the eldest son of the Cruz people solemnly replied: "Mr. Count, the Octavier family is the family to which my wife belongs, Duke Ludwig. Will support me no matter what.”
Brando really didn't expect that His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Emperor, would already have a wife at such a young age. However, this kind of political marriage is equivalent to taking sides in Warnd. It can be said that the Octavier family and Lenaret are both prosperous. , one loses and both lose, then Duke Ludwig can be regarded as the type of person in the Cruz Empire that the eldest son of the emperor can completely trust. "What else?" he continued to ask.
"The Nona family is my ally."
"What's going on?" Brando asked.
"Old Marquis Inonen once openly opposed the passing of the king to his mother, so he became enmity with my mother. This hatred will not be resolved with the passage of time, so the Nona family is the most enthusiastic about letting my mother abdicate. I have a secret agreement with the Nona family, and Marquis Enon promises to transfer part of Enon's mine shares to me and support me in seizing the throne without reservation." Lenaret replied calmly.
Brando suddenly realized, no wonder Mangrove was so anxious to come to Tonigel from the empire. The Imperial Legion is divided into four. The current Enoch Mangrove is the commander of the Black Legion. In addition, the Blue Legion is in the hands of the Ericic family behind Veronica and has ties to the royal family. The Nigel family, who are related by blood, controls the White Legion on the border of Hazel and the Red Legion on the border of St. Osol. These three major families are typical representatives of the northern military aristocracy. The attitudes of these military aristocrats are generally biased towards the succession of the emperor's eldest son - but this only represents an attitude. According to Lenaret, those who are really willing to contribute There should only be the Nona family.
Brando took note of this and continued to ask: "Is there anything else?"
"Old Chancellor Niedvin."
"Prime Minister Nidwin?" Brando was startled and asked again as if he was almost unconvinced. Niedwin, the old prime minister of the Cruz Empire, is no ordinary person. He should be over 150 years old now. He is a patriarch of the empire for three dynasties. It was with his help that the then Emperor Cruz returned from the temple a hundred years ago. Taking power back from his hands, if there is any legend among the Cruz people in this era, it should be the prime minister.
And with his identity and wisdom, or to put it more bluntly, how could an old fox choose to take sides easily?
Brando looked at His Royal Highness, the eldest son of the Cruze Emperor, suspiciously, and Lenaret replied slowly: "The Queen Mother favors the Parut family, in fact, in order to use the power of local nobles to suppress other forces in the court, the North The military nobles rarely intervene in government affairs, so her purpose is known to everyone - it is nothing more than the prime minister and the temple. The prime minister knows that the queen has no good impressions of him, so naturally he will not take that side. "
"But they may not be on your side." Brando thought to himself that the empire has many princes and princesses, and it is not enough that if there is one less eldest son of the emperor, the heir will be extinct; but the eldest son of the emperor is at least right about one thing, that is, no matter what When choosing which prince or princess to inherit the throne, it would be impossible for the old prime minister to side with the Silver Queen.
This is enough.
He silently estimated that the three parties mentioned by Lenaret came from distant relatives of the royal family, military nobles and ordinary nobles. The most hardcore party among them should be Duke Ludwig of the Octavier family. The Nona family is second, and the old prime minister Niedwin can only be regarded as a potential ally or not an enemy. Brando still remembered that he had offended the empire's daughter, the old prime minister's precious granddaughter, so much that he tried not to provoke her.
There are several forces on the surface of the Cruz Empire, including the royal family, military nobles, local nobles and the temple——
These four forces basically control most of the empire's land, population, resources, and army. The empire's land, population, and resources are of little significance to Brando. The most critical thing for his plan is the army. Among the empire's armies, four traditional legions are controlled by military nobles, and the royal family controls two of them through marriage. The patrolling cavalry and local garrison forces in various regions have always been the traditional sphere of influence of local nobles, which also includes the newly emerged navy. However, the local nobles are divided into two, with the influence of the royal family and the temple among them. Each has its own role. The royal family has a closer relationship with the autonomous grand duchy in the north, while the temple mainly affects the large and small lords in the south. Finally, the temple itself also has a military force that cannot be underestimated, including the most powerful Cruz people. The elite part of the army, such as the Bishops and the Knights of the Flame.
Brando thought for a while and suddenly realized that he had missed something, "Where's Veronica? Shouldn't she also support the prince?" He raised his head and asked Lenaret this question strangely.
The Cruz emperor's eldest son glanced at him and shook his head: "Mr. Earl, Teacher, she supports me because of her military honor and sense of justice, but the Erichko family behind Teacher may not be on my side. "
After hearing this, Brando understood what was going on, and couldn't help but feel awe in his heart. The names Lenaret mentioned before, including even the northern military nobles, could at best be called a qualified politician. But this female legion leader is the real soldier and knight of the empire.
He cracked his knuckles and began to analyze, while replying to Lenaret: "I probably understand, Your Highness, let's determine what our goal is now."
In Brando's heart, of course, what he most hopes to see is that His Royal Highness the Prince returns directly to the Empire and enlists his supporters to fight against Her Majesty the Queen. The slightest result of doing so is also a coup, but the more likely result is A civil war, of course, he just thought about this idea. The eldest son of the emperor was not a fool, and his supporters had not yet been affected by the aura of mental retardation.
The ultimate goal of a plan depends on the power they currently have. A beggar will not rashly aim to become a king. A farmer's long-term plan is probably to acquire a few more acres of land, rather than becoming a wealthy and powerful person. A giant businessman spanning the world. Brando's goal for Lenaret is to protect himself.
"Self-protection?" The Cruz emperor's eldest son chewed the word carefully: "Self-protection, first ensure that my supporters in the empire will not be wiped out by my mother. Does this mean?"
**, this is really a monster, Brando couldn't help but cursed secretly in his heart. Although he had heard about the brilliance and martial prowess of the eldest son of the Emperor in history, when he actually faced him, he couldn't help but feel that his IQ had been crushed by several levels. He discussed this plan with Antitina and Caglis several times, and finally finalized the details one by one and made the decision. Unexpectedly, the other party guessed what they meant just after hearing the name.
The Silver Queen has set such an ambitious goal of unifying Warend, and what she must do first is to gather the army; it is conceivable that she will definitely attack the Nona family first, and her previous suppression of the northern nobles was also to prepare for this day - ―The military nobles are not fools. They naturally understand the principle of prosperity and loss. Her Majesty the Queen's only way to deal with them is to use the peaceful period to reduce the army and reduce the power in the hands of these nobles. But the early arrival of the Holy War forced the Silver Queen to loosen her restraints on the northern nobles, because she knew very well that she still had many opponents in the empire. If she failed in the Holy War, then these people would be hiding in the dark. Opponents will jump out together to force her to abdicate.
She has been in the empire for forty years. According to the earlier agreement, she should have given up the throne long ago. If she wants to continue to rule this huge empire, she must improve her prestige and give herself a legitimate reason not to leave.
The best reason is that she can lead the Cruz people to victory.
And this is the opportunity for Brando and the eldest son of the emperor. However, at this time, not only can they not stand up against the Supreme Being, they must also close their hands and feet and try not to give her the opportunity to make mistakes. On the surface, the only army that Lenaret can control is the Black Legion, plus the local noble forces that Duke Deweg can influence in the north. But in fact, the army that the Silver Queen can control is not too many, only the red and white ones. Just a legion.
But compared to the eldest son of the emperor, she has more potential enemies. She is at odds with the Kirk family, the temple, and the prime minister. It is said that the Erichko family is very close to the Mosaic Leaf Leader, so she probably won't They firmly support Her Majesty the Queen. On the contrary, although they are not loyal allies of the eldest son of the emperor, they have no shortage of opportunities to turn enemies into friends - because at least they have a common enemy.
Brando's proposal to Lenaret was to first secretly connect his domestic forces in his name to assist each other, and then hide them deeply in the dark. This is a means of self-protection. Self-preservation is itself a kind of defense, but defense is also for counterattack. This holy war is an indescribable whirlpool for the Cruz Empire. The Temple wants to win, and the Silver Queen also wants to win, but the Temple is unwilling to make a wedding dress for the Silver Queen, and presumably the supreme leader of the empire is the same. idea.
The local nobles also have their own evil intentions. There are die-hard supporters of the Queen and the support of the temple. When the two sides compete with each other, the power possessed by the eldest son of the emperor becomes a decisive force. If he chooses to remain silent, then It can be said that the Silver Queen's plan to integrate the imperial forces to achieve a holy war victory was half failed.
Faced with this situation, it is no surprise that the old prime minister Niedwin would look on with cold eyes, and the attitude of the local nobles would become very different as time goes by.
Because of a very simple reason.
A newly enthroned Emperor has completely different powers in terms of governing ability than an iron-blooded Queen who has ruled the empire for forty years. No nobles anywhere will like an overly powerful Emperor. This is the case in Warnd. A truth that applies to everyone, so it’s self-evident who they will ultimately favor. When Her Majesty the Queen's prestige weakens day by day as she sinks deeper into the quagmire of war, the voices forcing her to abdicate will one day reach a consensus among all nobles.
At that time, Lenaret can justifiably return to the empire and accept the support of the nobles.
This is the final counterattack.
Of course, self-protection at this stage is also good for Brando. He is going to the empire to recapture the Azure Spear and Akane. It is conceivable that his enemies should be Her Majesty the Queen and the Temple of Flame. Therefore, the last thing he wants to see is a completely unified empire, whether under the name of the Silver Queen or the Temple. Therefore, what he has to do is to maintain the chaotic status quo of the empire and seek opportunities for himself with the help of multiple confrontations. At the same time, Lenaret's allies in the north can also provide him with necessary shelter, such as arranging a safe channel for him to escape from the empire.
At this point, he and the Cruz emperor's eldest son share common interests.
Lenaret listened carefully to Antitina's analysis and nodded silently. He finally looked at Brando, his eyes finally no longer so cold. He thought for a moment before replying: "Mr. Earl, thank you for your frank proposal. I think I can completely trust you. If one day I ascend the throne, then today your friendship with me will become a precious testimony. "
Brando smiled slightly and finally breathed a sigh of relief: "So happy to cooperate, Your Highness." He replied.
Lenaret nodded slightly to him as a gesture, but his straight face did not loosen at all. He thought for a moment and suddenly said: "As a friend, I have some personal suggestions that I can give to Mr. Earl."
Brando was stunned for a moment and asked, "What's your suggestion?"
"I know my mother's character and behavior very well. If your subordinate is in her hands, she will definitely use you and Eruin to coerce her into submission. I think Mr. Earl, if your subordinate's inner world is not If it is very indestructible, you'd better take some actions to give her some confidence." The eldest son of the emperor replied calmly.
As expected, His Highness the Prince knew the real reason why he came here, Brando thought, but he also immediately realized that the information Prince Lenaret provided to him was very deceptive. He thought about it and felt that with that Her Majesty the Queen, who never gives up until she achieves her goals, will most likely do this. Thinking of this, he suddenly felt that his trip was not a bad one, and he nodded hurriedly to the eldest son of the Cruz native. : "I understand what should be done, thank you very much."
…
(ps:) Just to correct you, yesterday’s scene 55 should be scene 56. Today I will post chapter 1, scene 57, and there will be another one later. I hope everyone enjoys watching it, and I also hope everyone will support it more and spend more monthly tickets. (To be continued)
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