Chapter 320
EP.320
It is a natural thing for the commander of the Reich Imperial Army to give time to the commander of the Milan Allied forces, who must move hand and foot in unison for the time being.
The reason His Majesty mobilized 150,000 troops and sent them here is to save the Duchy of Philolence, which is in crisis, and in the process of achieving that goal, the Allied Forces and the Imperial Army supporting the Duchy of Philollens must work hand in hand with each other.
In the process of coordinating hands and feet, the strategic directions and policies of both sides must be aligned, which requires endless dialogue and negotiation.
However, I have more important things ahead of me than discussing future policies with this person, so I think we should postpone our conversation for a while.
“We have just arrived at Castle Philolence, and according to etiquette, we must go to see His Royal Highness the Duke. So, why don’t we set up some time later and talk about it?”
Giuseppe answered with a smile that looked like a good person but was dripping with pretense.
“Oh, I see. I was so anxious that I almost made a big mistake. I also have to go to see His Royal Highness Duke Philolence. How about we go together? “Your Majesty called me again just a moment ago.”
As a commander leading reinforcements from afar, it is customary and tradition for me to have my first audience with the duke alone.
When I enter the throne room, the young duke will thank me for not refusing a request for help from a principality in crisis in the far-off Reich Empire and for coming without expecting anything in return.
It is only natural for me to come to support the Duchy of Philorens, the in-laws of His Majesty the Reich Emperor, as they are in danger. It is essential to pretend to be friendly by saying that there is no need to be grateful and that I am sorry for being too late and pretending to be friendly.
But the commander of the Allied Forces suddenly intervenes in this event? On the outside, he may seem like an idiot who can’t read the mood properly.
Common sense tells us that even if the scale is small, there is no way a nobleman who is the commander of a principality would commit such rudeness due to his lack of understanding of political judgment, common sense, and etiquette, so this would have revealed his intention to screw me and the empire.
His thoughts are clearly visible.
When the reinforcements of the Milanian faction led by him arrived, he would have attempted to defeat the legions belonging to the Venetian faction that attacked the Duchy of Philorence and thereby completely take over the leadership of the Faroesia City Union.
I guess that’s because our sudden intervention created a new opponent to compete for control of Perosia.
Captain Giuseppe smiled brightly and held out his hand.
“It is an honor to meet Captain Jaeger, a young war hero of the Reich Empire.”
“I am also honored to meet the renowned Captain Giuseppe of the Principality of Milan.”
As soon as I grabbed my outstretched hand, Giuseppe squeezed my hand a little, with the intention of keeping me in check.
I think that guy thinks I’m an evil bastard who’s trying to bring an army of 150,000 people to eat the dinner they prepared.
Frankly, as someone who drew up the outlines and planned and coordinated this war, that thought is an undeniable fact.
“I feel very reassured that His Majesty the Reich Empire is sending great reinforcements like Captain Jaeger. “Let’s go together.”
That gentleman is saying he is reliable, but who will believe that?
I’m sure I was thinking to myself, ‘Why did you get involved for no reason? ‘It’s not worth it.’ You’re probably saying it back.
After that, the two of us didn’t talk at all and just walked quietly until we reached the throne room.
**
When Captain Giuseppe and I entered the throne room, in addition to the young duke, there was a man who appeared to be the regent.
The boy who appeared to be Duke Philollen looked to be around the same age as Frederick, who was now 11 years old, and the man who appeared to be the regent was middle-aged, around 50 years old.
The young duke was sitting a little dazed in his luxurious chair, while the middle-aged man was standing very proudly with his shoulders squared.
Even people who don’t know the political situation in the Principality of Philolens will be able to figure out who is in power just by looking at this scene.
The duke, who was sitting in his seat, spoke in a trembling voice as soon as he saw me come in.
“You can raise your head.”
It is said that when His Majesty the Crown Prince of the Empire was the same age as the current Duke, he memorized all his lines and kissed them in advance as if rehearsing for a play, but he was so dignified and proud in such an event.
However, now that the duke is sitting trembling like a baby rabbit in front of a predator, it is as clear as day what will happen to this principality.
The good news is that the young duke is not the monarch of our Reich Empire.
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
The duke heard me and began to stutter and recite the lines as if he were reciting them from memory.
“This time, due to my lack of ability, the Duchy of Philolence, which has a history of hundreds of years, was in danger, but His Majesty the Reich Empire sent over 150,000 troops, so we were able to escape the crisis. “Bio, as the monarch and duke of this principality, I offer my courtesy with sincere gratitude.”
An 11-year-old child may be interrupted in the middle of saying something like this, but if he can memorize it and say it accurately, he must not be so intelligent.
The person who sits in the position of monarch, regardless of whether he or she is young or has a mental disability and is unable to make sound decisions, is required to have the ability to protect the country by controlling, swaying, and controlling subordinates.
That child must have been expected by everyone out of necessity and blamed for everything that happened, even if it wasn’t his fault.
Perhaps it was because it had already been more than three years since he had been placed in such an environment, but the child called the duke was watching the regent’s thoughts to the point where it seemed harsh.
“Thank you for your compliment. Your Majesty’s wife’s family, the Duchy of Philorence, is a blood ally of the Empire. We, the Reich Empire, have moved our soldiers to protect morality and justice, and we will now do our best to fulfill that duty. Please watch.”
“Well, I’m looking forward to it.”
“I am very grateful, Your Majesty the Duke.”
As soon as I finished my brief greeting, Captain Giuseppe interjected, as if he was trying to secure his share somehow.
“Your Majesty the Duke, we, the Duchy of Milan, have also maintained a strong alliance with the Duchy of Philollens for hundreds of years. “We have a relationship where we have sent soldiers to help each other in times of danger, so this time we will save you from danger and take revenge.”
It may not seem like a big deal on the outside, but these little words will have a big impact later when the war is over and you are claiming your share.
I feel bad knowing that this is happening to me, but I have no choice but to endure it for now.
In any case, we are now colleagues who must fight hand in hand, and if we cause unnecessary conflict, we will be a nuisance to His Majesty as well, so we must not act carelessly.
The duke responded by nodding his head.
“I am always grateful for the help of His Royal Highness the Duke of Milan. I wish you all the best in the future.”
“It is an honor, Your Majesty.”
When the short conversation ended, the regent spoke in a louder voice this time.
“We were able to survive thanks to the fact that His Majesty the Duke of Milan and his allies have sent reinforcements several times so far. “As Regent of Philolence, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Captain Giuseppe.”
“No, aren’t we allies? “The Milan Alliance is a firm covenant that has lasted for hundreds of years, and I simply carried out His Majesty the Duke of Milan’s orders to do what was most natural.”
“There are many countries on the Europa continent, but isn’t the Milan Alliance the only country that has maintained an alliance for hundreds of years?”
……. When I heard this, I had a general idea.
The regent of the Duchy of Philollens wants to use this crisis as an opportunity to further strengthen his power.
The Duke of Milan wants to use this opportunity to completely take the Duchy of Philorence under his control and win the war to gain greater territory and hegemony.
So, it seems that the intention was to make the regent, who lacked legitimacy, a pro-Milanian faction, thereby guaranteeing Philolence real power and using him as his own chess piece instead.
If things turn out the way the Principality of Milan wants, the reason our empire came all the way here with a large army of over 150,000 will disappear.
While he was immersed in such thoughts, Giuseppe from Milan and the regent of the duchy continued to talk among themselves, emphasizing that they had such a close and good relationship.
Thanks to the support of our Reich Imperial Army in Philolence, the Army of the Duchy of Veneta quickly retreated, but ‘Why did you come when we would have done well on our own even if you didn’t come?’ By treating them poorly in this way, it seems like they are trying to denigrate the contribution of the empire and create an atmosphere in which there is no way to deal with it.
However, I expect that it will be difficult for us to impose sanctions due to this atmosphere.
Even as allies, it’s not like there’s no way to screw the Regent and your Highness the Duke of Milan…
For that purpose, when I leave the first audience, I ask the young Duke Philolence, who as commander of the Reich Imperial Army can hold the reins and shake the table, to speak to me alone. did.
The regent protested, saying that requesting a private treaty was crossing the line, but I went ahead with the private treaty under the pretext of a personal request from the Empress, who was the older sister of Duke Philolence.
In fact, Her Majesty the Empress is only interested in maintaining her own power, so she does not necessarily take care of the young Duke.
So, I only sent a few official letters of consolation and gifts…
but this was a slight change in intention after receiving His Majesty’s permission.
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