Chapter 424 Negotiation
The first thing Humboldt visited after getting off the car was the farmland, where he saw the "large farm tools" made by Rorschach's men.
During this period, Master Humboldt also wanted to take some soil to taste the saltiness, just like other places. Eating soil is one of the methods used by Forest Tower to check the soil condition, but Rorschach and Andre tried to persuade them here. After all, there are fertilizers and pesticides in the seedling stage. If ordinary soil is like vodka, then Kempson is now The soil is a "special cocktail" of organic matter and inorganic salts, and even the master will be confused when he comes.
Fertilizer is produced in Lanster, but there is no need to show Master Humboldt how it is produced. He is not a master of alchemy. You only need to show the finished product and results and ask him to evaluate it from the field he is proficient in.
The Archmage stood on the ridge of the field, letting go of his perception of nature. The condition of the land and the information about the creatures in it were constantly fed back to Humboldt's consciousness.
The soil is very fertile and contains toxins. The activity of bugs and microorganisms is lower than normal.
BASF's production results are very good, which is reflected in the test of Master Humboldt. However, from the perspective of the natural system, the current ecological environment of the fields is extremely abnormal. This is the result of the manpower and material resources spent by Rorschach and the farmers - only food crops are allowed to grow well in this area, and other weeds must be pulled out. , all tiny animals are poisoned or driven away.
When the druids were still around, it was likely that the extreme "nature guardians" inside would denounce this behavior. In the eyes of those people (especially the elves), this is fishing from the lake and desperately squeezing out the gifts of nature. Rorschach's actions wreak havoc on the balance of nature.
Humboldt ended his state of communication with nature, and his perspective returned to the people working in the fields, those traveling from far away, and those who were also working hard to survive. Those who were left among the refugees were all devoted to their new homes, whether it was wheat seedlings or factory production. The salary gives them great peace of mind.
Humboldt smiled and patted Rorschach on the shoulder: "Very good."
Later they walked and talked. To the Archmage's surprise, Rorschach also foresaw possible problems, such as acidification and alkalinization of the soil after fertilization, soil hardening, eutrophication caused by fertilizer flowing into water bodies, and the ban on Problems such as humus loss speed is greater than recovery speed after planting rotation.
This was the first time Humboldt had heard of some of these ideas. In any case, Rorschach was better than many mages because he could consider the consequences of new skills instead of just focusing on the good side.
“I hope that Forest Tower can cooperate more in the future to study the impact of agricultural activities and large-scale alchemy industry on nature, as well as explore ways to protect, manage and restore nature.”
"Definitely." The two shook hands in the spring field.
After biology and agriculture, Forest Tower may have an additional environmental major under the influence of Rorschach. At that time, Rorschach will definitely suggest that it be renamed "Forest Pit".
At the same time, Prime Minister Otto, who was in the palace, met the king as he wished.
King Albert, who used to be a Byrne, took the initiative to go to the imperial capital to participate in the social season and meet with a number of imperial secrets. The first person he met since the emperor was the prime minister who ran the entire country.
However, the situation seems to have changed today. The crown prince and his supporters, who did not have a harmonious relationship with the prime minister, gained power in the center of power. The prime minister's biggest supporter and trust, and the most important source of power, the emperor, was seriously ill and the war was lost. He had to act as foreign minister and internal minister at the same time and take action to stabilize the international and domestic situation.
Is the Kingdom of Byrne considered domestic or foreign? It becomes a delicate question now.
"Your Majesty, why did you allow His Highness the Prince to lead the troops back to the Kingdom? Without notifying the Empire in advance."
The two legions of the Kingdom of Byrne greased the soles of their feet, seizing the critical moment when the Imperial Army retreated and the boss of the Imperial Military Department was replaced. At that time, other frontline troops were also rotating, and the military headquarters did not have the means to restrain the Kingdom for the time being, so they first agreed to Beienne. The evacuation of the Legion. It is said that the final approval document was signed by the new marshal with a wave of his hand. Not only that, he also wanted other southern armies to return to their respective places of origin to rest and recuperate, so as to reduce logistical and financial pressure.
When the prime minister learned of this, he became furious and dissuaded the marshal from his subsequent actions, but the kingdom's legions had already returned.
"The kingdom's legion is just resting normally after the battle. We are already bordering Valois, so returning to the country is reasonable and approved by the marshal. Do we still need your permission for regular military dispatch?"
"Of course this is not my authority, but it should not be yours during wartime. It should be ordered by the military department and the General Staff, rather than the army taking action on its own and then reporting it." Judging from the speed of the withdrawal, the slipping away and reporting were done at the same time. Yes, that is to say, regardless of whether the military headquarters agrees or not, Byrne's soldiers will definitely return home.
Moreover, the new marshal did not realize that he had set a bad example by allowing Lord Byrne's will to take priority over the General Staff during the war. This was what the prime minister cared about. King Byrne is the nominal commander of the Byrne Army, and all generals of the Imperial Army must obey the orders of the General Staff of the Military Department.
Can the General Staff control the king of a country? This is a vague issue. Whether it is true or not, one party cannot accept it, but at least the withdrawal of the Byrne Army cannot be a precedent for other countries to follow. In that case, the efforts to integrate the Empire's Southern Army will fail.
Therefore, the prime minister would not relent on this issue: "No legion can mobilize independently before the military headquarters issues an order."
Albert is also very tough: "You, me, and His Majesty the Emperor all know that other countries are other countries, and Byrne is Byrne."
He stood up and walked to the map hanging in the conference room: "Even if we join the Imperial Parliament, we will not be completely dominated by the Kingdom of Marin. In my opinion, in the eyes of all Bayern people, the military and the general staff belong to the Kingdom of Marin. The members of the former Tam River Alliance are just following your orders under the threat of the Holy Kingdom. This is an emergency."
"They are all voluntary, just like voluntarily signing the Imperial Agreement, voluntarily accepting the protection of the Empire as an entity, and voluntarily accepting the stationing of mages and imperial troops to start a war. It was also approved by the Imperial Parliament, which is the will of all regions."
"You are right, I don't deny it. But now the situation has changed. The Empire's war against Valois has gone beyond the scope of self-defense. Even the king of Valois is gone. The next interference in it is for the purpose of invasion and plunder. If we want to divide the spoils, we should first agree on how to distribute the benefits.
"The interests of the empire belong to the empire, and Bayern should also strive for its own expansion. If the war is won, only the territory of the empire will increase, then I don't see the reason to send the army to the empire for dispatch. "
Neither side of the negotiation would deny the Empire's combat effectiveness. They believed that the first defeat was caused by underestimating the enemy, the second was caused by wrong command, and the Valois army was in high spirits due to the first victory. In short, the failure of the second battle was the accumulation of multiple factors, and these factors will be overcome after reorganizing the pace.
The period was the low point of the Empire's military power and a short period of weakness for the entire Empire.
After Rorschach eliminated the ills of the industry guilds and tapped the industrial potential of the Kingdom of Bain, the royal family found out after obtaining statistical data: Well. It turns out that my family can be so strong? In terms of steel production, it is still far behind the Empire, and Istani can't compare. , but they fought back and forth with Valois. Coincidentally, the Empire and Valois are also fighting back and forth on the battlefield.
Out of recognition of the strength of the Imperial Army and the fact that the poor performance of the Holy Kingdom in the early stage was engraved in his mind, His Majesty Albert did not accept the instigation of the Grand Master of the Tower of Mysticism. He chose to ask for more rights and autonomy from the Empire at this juncture, rather than directly challenging the Empire. The Bayern Third and Fourth Legions, equipped with new equipment, suddenly became a powerful bargaining chip on the negotiation table. It can change the Empire's attitude towards Bayern and can tilt the balance of victory on the battlefield.
"Do you want to achieve an equal status with the Empire?"
"Compared with the member states of the Imperial Parliament, Bayern is now more suitable to be an ally of the Empire, unless the Kingdom of Marin is willing to give up its leadership in the Imperial system and restore the old system of electing the emperor." In his own territory, Albert opened his mouth like a lion without changing his face or heart. At least now, his fangs are not disadvantageous.