Chapter 544 Negotiation (Part 3)

"You said 'we'," Winters asked sharply, "then, can I understand that you have already discussed it with Colonel Skull and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias?"

"Discuss? Is there anything to discuss?" Gesa narrowed his eyes and replied in a rough voice, "As long as you agree and I agree, that's it? It's useless for anyone to object."

Winters understood that Colonel Gesar had not obtained the consent of Colonel Scull and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias, nor did he intend to obtain the consent of the other two in advance.

He politely expressed his opposition to this, "Important decisions should be made after full discussion."

Geza made a contemptuous gesture, "The more we discuss, the less we can get anything done! Aren't you from Veneta? You should know the principle of 'things come true'!"

"Even among the Veneta people, they only discuss it in secret, rather than not discussing it at all," Winters, who was already immune to regional discrimination, countered, "You probably haven't seen how the Seablue people elect consuls."

Colonel Gesa encountered a soft nail and was a little annoyed, but he also knew that if he didn't tell the truth today, it would be difficult to convince the stubborn horse in front of him.

"There is no need to discuss this matter at all," Gesa frowned and said firmly, "That little guy Matthias definitely disagrees, and if he doesn't agree, that old guy Skull can only disagree.

"We all disagree anyway, and we have to vote in the end anyway, so why is there any need to discuss it? If we want to get this done, we have to make a surprise attack and make the final decision. What's the use of discussing it in advance besides making them defensive? "

"Why are you so sure that they will disagree?"

"Why?" Colonel Gesar laughed with relief. He changed to a more comfortable sitting position, poured himself another glass of bitter beer, suddenly changed the topic, and asked in a nonchalant manner, "You should know, Ma Isn’t that guy Gashina planning to conquer Beilu Province?”

Winters answered honestly: "Lieutenant Colonel Matthias disclosed this intention to Captain Richard Mason during my absence."

"Look, he has never 'revealed' it to me. Doesn't he also want to stage a surprise attack and forcefully convince me?" Colonel Gesa smiled slyly, "But even if he doesn't say anything, I know he wants to We need to attack Beilu Province. And I also know that there is no need to attack Beilu Province.”

"Um?"

Seeing Winters' puzzled expression, Colonel Gesar suddenly felt a little happy in his heart. He smacked his lips and said, "You, you still don't know anything about the significance of the surname 'Matthias'.

"That's a surname that competed with Richard IV for the Duke of Plato's throne. It's the surname of the 'White Knight'.

"Now, Grove Magnus has made himself hated by gods and ghosts, and only the old, weak, sick and disabled are left in the army of the kings' castle..."

Colonel Gesa's eyes were glaring and he asserted: "With the prestige and management of 'Matthias' in Beilu Province, it is not impossible to directly change the flag of Beilu Province."

Winters nodded slightly.

"Boy, you might as well take a guess." Colonel Gesar asked meaningfully, "Since he can change the province of Beiji without any bloodshed, why does Matthias Corwin still plan to 'attack' Beiji Province?"

"Because uprising does not count as military exploits, surrender does." Winters replied calmly.

"That's right," Colonel Gesar snapped his fingers and glanced at Winters with a smile on his face, "Don't you know a lot about this?"

The next second, Colonel Gesar changed his expression, put away his smile, and said seriously: "Matthias Corwin, when we went to find the main force of the Puppet New Land Reclamation Army, he stayed behind in Bianjiang County, saying that he was in Defending the Bianshan Fortress is actually hiding.

"He must have never thought that the results of the battle in River Valley Village would be so great. He would never have thought that we could reach the point of establishing our own business and have the opportunity to become the new master of the Galloping Horse Country."

"So, he is very anxious now. He was not present at the Battle of River Valley Village, which automatically disqualified him from competing for the 'First Saber'.

"He must use another great feat to put himself back in the competition - conquering Beilu Province, which I think is good."

Winters frowned upon hearing this.

Gesa Adonis had a unique ferocity on his face. He raised his sword eyebrows and said without negotiation: "This kid is too selfish! More serious than me! We must never let him win the first place." A saber! Otherwise, the nonsense of Red Rose and Blue Blood Faction will definitely happen again!"

Colonel Gesa stood up, akimbo, pacing back and forth in the lounge like a beast trapped in a cage, and muttered:

“I’ve thought about it a lot, and it’s best for you to get this first saber!

"Although you have little qualifications, you have outstanding military achievements; although you are young, you do things fairly; you are not from Plato, but because of this, you will not be hindered by old friends and relatives; your character... I can trust you."

Winters listened intently but said nothing.

Colonel Geza stopped, looked at Winters, raised a finger, and said firmly: "The most important thing is, as long as I support you, it's useless for anyone to object!"

"I believe that." Winters finally broke the silence.

Colonel Gesa nodded with satisfaction, sat back in the chair next to Winters, and said sincerely, "So, no matter how difficult it is, we have to attack the King's Castle first. After taking the King's Castle, the overall situation will be decided. The rest is Every corner is irrelevant."

"The King's Castle is not that easy to fight." Winters' attitude was still very rational.

Colonel Gesar glared at Winters, "Is there any easy war in the world?"

Winters was not here to argue with Colonel Gesar, so he said nothing more.

"As for the 'pets' you keep in the buffer zone, you can do with them as you please," Colonel Gesa picked up the wine glass, turned away and looked out the window, saying to himself, "But there is one thing - don't want to The Republic officially accepts them, at least not for now. Everything else is up to you.”

Hearing this, Winters already knew the price of Colonel Gesar.

Geza Adonis and the Baishan County faction he represents are willing to support Winters Montagne to become the commander-in-chief of the new army. The condition is that the Tiefeng County faction supports Colonel Geza’s money-making plan and supports Colonel Geza’s attack. The plan of building the King's Castle also gave up the fight for the legal status of the newly reclaimed land.

To be honest, in Winters' view, not only was this transaction not a loss, it could hardly even be evaluated as "fair."

Because in order to prevent Lieutenant Colonel Matthias from taking over and the Blue Blood faction's return, Colonel Geza made a very big sacrifice.

As the most qualified officer to compete for the number one position in the New Republic's military, Colonel Geza chose to voluntarily withdraw from the competition, and at the same time pulled Lieutenant Colonel Matthias from his post.

In comparison, the financial compensation he sought was just a small profit.

However, since it is still in the negotiation stage, Winters still wants to fight for it.

After all, negotiation means talking more before making a judgment.

“When you say ‘not now’,” Winters asked pointedly, “does that mean ‘maybe later’?”

"We'll see later," Gesa replied vaguely, drinking beer.

Winters chuckled: "But there is an old saying among the sea blue people - 'There is nothing in the world that lasts longer than a temporary tax.' It doesn't work now, and it will only work even worse in the future."

"Boy, I'm just thinking about your reputation," Colonel Geza said angrily. "Do you know how the old Platoans will attack you if you really accept those Herds? How will you fight against the Herds? The barbarian hero turned into a fool and careerist who lured wolves into the house overnight!

“Our enemies, whether internal or external, will make a big fuss out of this matter!

"The battle isn't over yet! Can't you wait?"

Seeing Colonel Gesar's resolute attitude, Winters temporarily put aside the Waixin reclamation matter to avoid backfire.

He changed directions and asked tentatively: "Have you ever considered not electing the highest person in charge of the military? We can continue to make collective decisions in the form of a committee. In this case, many problems will no longer be a problem."

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Colonel Geza was really angry this time. "The army is not a messy guild! The army is a place where thousands of people decide whether to live or die! There can only be one head in the army! It doesn't matter. Shall I teach you?

"The reason why we are trapped in Maple Stone City now, constraining each other and unable to move, is because we don't have that 'head'!"

The more Colonel Geza spoke, the louder he became and the more excited he became: "If Colonel Bode was still here, we would have already broken into the King's Castle in one go! Is there any need to argue here?"

"But since Bode Gates is gone, no one can convince the crowd!" Colonel Geza's eyes were filled with the unique ferocity and brute strength of the Platoans. "In that case, let's use strength to speak for itself. Let’s speak with strength, which is also fair! Let’s speak with strength!”

"But this kind of fairness," Winters' voice was cold and flat, "may not lead to the results that Colonel Bode wants to see."

"Then what can be done?" Gesa looked tired and sad. "If you want to blame it, you can only blame that old ghost Bode for dying too early."

…

[Maplestone Suburbs]

[Matthew House]

[noon]

Although Matthias Corwin was also allocated an officer's apartment in the officers' residential complex in Maplestone City, he only lived there briefly for a few days and soon moved to another apartment under his name in In the manor outside the city.

Unlike the deserted Gesa House, Lieutenant Colonel Matthias's home was filled with guests.

Visitors' carriages filled half the courtyard. Those who didn't know it thought there was a dance party at Matthias's house.

The small waiting rooms on both sides of the foyer were filled with well-dressed guests, all eagerly waiting for the host's invitation.

It has to be said that Matthias Corwin is much more popular among the upper-class citizens of Maplestone City than the literally "hateful" Gesar Adonis.

If they lined up on a first-come, first-served basis, Winters might not be able to see Lieutenant Colonel Matthias until dark.

Fortunately, he was not an ordinary guest - the dignified "Wolf Blood" arrived, and Lieutenant Colonel Matthias immediately went out to greet him. This not only gave the Blood Wolf enough face, but also allowed the guests in the waiting hall to take a closer look.

"I finally understand why you want to move out of the officers' quarters." Winters was welcomed into the inner room and carefully observed the portraits in the corridor. "With so many guests, we really need a bigger place."

"Stay in the city, where people and cars are coming and going. I'm afraid it will disturb other people's peace." Lieutenant Colonel Matthias walking in front opened a door at the end of the corridor, with his usual friendly smile on his face, "Come on, here."

Inside the door is a very quiet study and living room. The desk is placed by the window. The rest of the space is occupied by a fireplace and a pair of soft couches in front of the fireplace.

There is a portrait in military uniform hanging on the fireplace. The figure in the painting has a similar appearance to Lieutenant Colonel Matthias, but judging from the shape of the armor, he should be a figure from the imperial era.

Compared to the splendid decoration outside, this small living room can be called simple - but only compared to the outside. The soft couch, desk and cabinets on the wall in the small living room are all impeccable in workmanship and materials. .

"This study is quite plain," Winters complimented half-heartedly.

The magnificence in the eyes of the Platuan people is undoubtedly excessive in the eyes of the Seablue people.

This is true even if Winters is a sea blue person who has never eaten or seen much.

On the contrary, this small living room made Winters's evaluation of Lieutenant Colonel Matthias' taste improve more than a little.

"Outside is a place for people to watch," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias said with a smile, "This is where we talk about business - what do you want to drink? Captain Montagne."

"Just water."

"I don't have any water here," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias opened the wine cabinet apologetically, "I forgot, you casters don't drink."

Winters smiled implicitly.

Lieutenant Colonel Matthias rang the bell on the table, and an old servant instead of an orderly opened the door.

"Captain Montagne wants some water," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias ordered softly.

The old servant nodded and quietly closed the door.

Winters looked at the portrait on the fireplace and asked curiously: "Is this the 'White Knight'?"

"Exactly," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias sat down on the soft couch, looked up at the portrait, slightly lost in thought, "He is also my father."

"Father?" Winters was shocked, "I thought it was..."

"You think it's your grandfather, right?" Lieutenant Colonel Matthias answered with a smile, "It's normal. My father didn't have me until he was fifty-six years old."

Winters apologized, "No one told me about this..."

"Of course no one will mention this deliberately," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias smiled and said frankly, "Because I am an illegitimate child."

Winters felt even more guilty now, "I'm sorry, Lieutenant Colonel."

"What's there to be sorry for? It's all old news." Lieutenant Colonel Matthias smiled heartily and patted Winters' arm, "And thanks to the Alliance and the Republic, I don't need special approval from the Pope. It has also been 'legalised'."

The old servant brought a kettle and a cup. Lieutenant Colonel Matthias waved the old servant away and poured Winters a glass of water himself.

"I will fully support you in the matter of foreign land reclamation," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias said with a smile, "I will also try my best to persuade Colonel Skull to support you. In this case, even if there is opposition, there will be no major opposition. No. You can rest assured.”

Winters didn't touch the glass. "I'm a little worried about the public reaction to this."

"There won't be any reaction. Even if there is opposition, it will only be a temporary thing." Lieutenant Colonel Matthias poured himself another glass of water, picked up the cup, and talked:

“Actually, there are many precedents in Plato’s history for subjugating the Hed barbarians for one’s own use.

"The Dukes of Plato in the past would recruit some guests from the wilderness, some of whom were runaway slaves and some of whom were nobles who had lost battles.

“No matter what kind of people they are, successive dukes will raise them up and then turn them around to deal with the Hud barbarians, or use them to suppress rebellion.

“Because these people have no one to rely on in Plato and can only rely on the protection of the Duke, they are extremely loyal and very useful.

"If we really want to count the days when the people in power in Plato deliberately drew a clear line with the Hed barbarians, it is actually only the last thirty years, that is, after the false emperor was overthrown.

"However, even in the republican era, our army will still often recruit some Hed people. The enemies of the Hed tribe we fight will sometimes take the initiative to help."

Lieutenant Colonel Matthias concluded confidently, “So, it’s not a big deal to accept foreign lands.

“Don’t be afraid of the alarmists who say that the Platoans will be furious about this.

“Of course the Platuan people get angry, but that’s just because hatred is a language easier to understand than reality.

“Reality is a language more powerful than hatred, so this anger goes away as quickly as it comes.”

Lieutenant Colonel Matthias patted Winters on the shoulder again, "As long as I support you, it's no big deal, so don't worry."

Winters smiled politely and picked up the water glass.

"Let's not talk about this anymore," Lieutenant Colonel Matthias smiled, "Let's talk about Hailan? After taking Beilu Province, you can go home at any time."

…

[Maplestone City·Office Residential Area]

[Skull House]

[afternoon]

"I will not collude with you in private, Captain." Colonel Skull's eyes briefly left the book in his hand, turned to Winters' face, and then quickly lowered his gaze. "If there is anything, wait until the meeting to make it public." Discussion, please come back.”

"You mean," Winters had no intention of leaving, "that you can only passively follow Lieutenant Colonel Matthias?"

Colonel Scull asked without looking up: "Why do you care about this?"

"In my eyes, you are the most rational person and the most reliable person in the four-person committee. I want to understand your thoughts and seek your wisdom."

"Why are you flattering me like this?" Colonel Scull glanced at Xue Lang suspiciously.

"Just telling the truth," Winters said without changing his expression. "Otherwise, among the four, who do you think is the most rational? Which one is the most reliable? Which one is the most wise? Could it be me?"

Colonel Skull sneered and closed the book in his hand.

He rubbed his sore eyes, pondered for a moment, and said slowly, "Sending troops to Beilu Province is a good military decision; attacking the kings' forts is a good political decision."

Winters nodded slightly, even though what the other person said was nonsense.

"but……"

Sure enough, there is a but.

“No matter where we fight, we must be able to win,” Colonel Scull said with a worried look on his face, “I just hope that the reorganization of the entire army will not be delayed any longer.

"[Don't think about selling bear skins until you kill a bear]. The top priority is to restore the combat effectiveness of the troops as soon as possible.

"Especially the artillery units and cavalry units must be integrated as soon as possible. The sooner they train together, the sooner they can form combat capabilities.

"It would be a most shameful waste to scatter the limited cavalry and artillery among the troops in the counties as now."

Winters continued to ask, "What do you think of the 'Wai Xin Reclamation Land'?"

Colonel Skull did not answer directly, but started another topic, "Your wolf cubs have proven how important a light cavalry that moves like the wind and is aggressive can play at the right time and place. "

Winters blushed, "That's their own fault, Colonel."

"Whatever you say," Colonel Skull obviously hasn't forgotten it, and he will probably never forget it for the rest of his life, but he still elaborates on his point of view, "but the results of the battle are the results of the battle, and they cannot be erased.

"Although there are doubts about the role these irregular cavalry can play when the main force battles. But the battle is not only fought by the main force.

"If we can recruit a reliable Hedian auxiliary cavalry, it will be of great benefit to our army."

"As for the non-military impact," Colonel Scull sighed, "I don't want to talk about it, and I don't know."

…

[Maplestone City·Office Residential Area]

[Montagne House]

[at night]

"Do you understand now?" Kai Morland said sincerely, "Each of them has something to ask for, and I am the only one who is here to provide you with a starting point to break the situation."

"Forget it, Mr. Kaye." Winters had been running around outside all day and really didn't want to be official at home. "Whatever you want, just tell me."

"Your Excellency is indeed very intelligent," Kai Morland said openly and with a thick skin, not shy at all, "I want the position of Speaker of the National Assembly."

"Including me, you only have three votes."

Karl Morland said humbly: "So I have to ask you to help me find another vote."

Winters remained unmoved and looked directly into the other person's eyes: "What if I can't find him?"

Being scrutinized face to face by the blood wolf, Kai Morland finally couldn't resist, "Then... I'll find a vote myself."

Winters didn't ask where Kai Moreland was looking for a vote. Instead, he asked bluntly: "What can you give me?"

Kai Moran puffed up his chest, "I can convince the gentlemen of Maplestone City to cooperate with Colonel Geza's plan to raise funds."

Winters burst out laughing, "They didn't cooperate, and they didn't hinder Colonel Geza's 'fundraising'."

"But if the citizens don't want to cooperate, there are always ways to not cooperate," Kai Morland insisted. "Believe me, Your Excellency Montagne, in the long-term 'cooperation' with the New Reclamation Army, the citizens have already Just found a way to 'survive'."

Kai Moreland quipped, "In fact, if you really know the inside story, you will find that not only is there an art to rule, but there is also an art to being ruled."

Winter stifled his cheeks, "Don't you just want to say that you have a way to make Colonel Geza dissatisfied?"

"No, no, no, on the contrary," Kai Moran shook his head desperately, "What I can provide you is a number that will make Colonel Geisa very satisfied, so satisfied that he cannot refuse any of your requests."

Kai Morland emphasized again in a seductive tone, "Any request."

Winters chuckled.

"So," Kai Moreland said, trying to sound calm, "what's your answer?"

Winters leaned out and came close to the tip of Kai Moran's nose, and spoke a few words in a seductive tone:

"Let's talk tomorrow."

…

[next day]

Kai Moreland came to the officers' accommodation area early in the morning and went straight to Winters Montagne's apartment.

But he was destined not to hear the answer he wanted to hear.

Because all the senior officers of the new army have received the message:

"The kings' castle has sent a negotiator."

[I actually wrote a little more than 2,000 words yesterday, but it was too little. It would be very incoherent to send it out directly. You may not be able to finish it if you stay up late to write it, and it will also disrupt your daily routine]

[To be on the safe side, I took a leave of absence]

[So, yesterday’s update was merged into today’s update and released as one big chapter]

[Thanks to book friends for their collection, reading, subscription, recommendation votes, monthly votes, rewards and comments, thank you all]