Chapter 3 Chapter 3 A Spring Full of Disasters

On this day, the 26th of April, an unexpected early summer storm swept through Karrodza, the capital of the Kingdom of Zrunagra; it was caused by the joint efforts of nature and human beings.The forces of nature filled the sky with black clouds, the rumble of thunder pierced the ground like spears, and the last torrent of rain poured down in furious torrents.As for humans, a Mafar messenger rode through the gate of Karroza in the rainstorm, and his voice seemed to be dripping, and told the officials in the palace: "The ambassador, Duke Zaychel, was killed. The Mafar government determined that the prisoner was a rebel from Zrunagra's country."

Amidst the flashes and bangs of thunder, the palace was already threatened by nature; and with the addition of this ominous report, the palace and its interior seemed even more precarious.The envoys rushed around in this storm, ordering all the nobles to go to the palace to gather for a meeting.Although this order was issued in the name of King Danilo IV, the king is currently sick in bed, and the grown-up princes are not in the palace. announced thereafter. Emperor Mafar Karman sent an envoy to the kingdom of Zrunagra.In terms of time, it was only half a day behind the messenger of Zrunagra's own country.The special envoy Count Vasoy passed through the gate of Karroza and asked to see the king who was sick in bed. After being refused, he only threw down the autographed letter of Emperor Karman II, and immediately turned and returned home.The content of this autograph book is as follows:

"Please immediately identify and arrest the prisoner who killed Ambassador Zrunagra in Mafar, and send the prisoner to Mafar. Wait for your country's quick answer and disposal." With such a high-profile request, the two positions of the victim and the perpetrator are all pushed to Zrunagra.Moreover, in order for Mafar to accept it, Zrunagra had to find the prisoner himself, which was simply impossible.Because the real culprit was not in Zrunagra at all, but was watching the turn of events from an unrelated place. For the Kingdom of Zrunagra, this is undoubtedly a disaster that came from outside.Although on the whole, before the domestic discussion was unified, Duke Zaychel made arbitrarily proposed political marriage proposals to the Mafar royal family, which is indeed untenable in theory, but from the beginning In the end, there was no malicious conspiracy against Mafar.Noble ministers in Zrunagra were unable to respond rationally when they encountered such a situation.

"If His Majesty the King had been a little more cautious in his words and deeds before, this kind of trouble would not have happened." Some of the nobles and courtiers raised this opinion, but it is useless to say it now.Danilo IV has many heirs, which means that there are many chess pieces that can be used for political strategy and marriage, which is advantageous diplomatically.It is precisely because Zrunagra's courtiers have such an idea that they have more approval of the king's love style in the past.And their king had always done his duty as ruler well, so no one especially blamed this.

The important courtiers and nobles of Zrunagra gathered together, some were nervous, some looked embarrassed, and the whole conference room was full of discussions: "Damn Mafar, this hungry wolf in the north, I think they just want to find a reason so that they can take advantage of the chaos in our country to achieve their ambition of annexation." "Yes, that must be the case. It is simply an excuse to say that Duke Zaychel died brutally!" "If I had known this earlier, when there was civil strife and cold damage in Mafar last year, we should have taken advantage of the chaos and captured them!"

Someone even shouted so loudly.But at the end of the day, this is nothing more than empty talk at the conference table.For the Mafar people, last year was the coldest summer they have ever encountered since the founding of the country.If the Zrunagra soldiers who are accustomed to the warm climate want to invade Mafar, they will probably freeze to death in the end! After scolding Mafar bitterly, the courtiers and nobles in the court still had to use their heated heads to think about how to respond. The territory of Zrunagra is divided into eighty states with a population of 22 million.Among them, the standing army is 300,000, mainly infantry.To put it bluntly, Zrunagra's army is simply a weak group compared with the Mafar army.Although in addition to the standing army, the nobles also have some private troops, but even if the number of peasant soldiers is added, it is only about half a million; Never mind.

The land of Zrunagra is warmer in climate than Mafar, with a vast ocean to the south.The cold damage in the climate is rare once in more than ten years, and the soil is fertile, and the crops and catches are very rich, so there is no natural environment for breeding strong soldiers.Because of this, Danilo IV has always adopted a foreign policy of harmony and worked hard to safeguard the interests of the country. As for the temporary countermeasures that the courtiers and nobles of Zrunagra must take now, it is to send envoys to Mafar several times to explain the handling of this incident in Zrunagra, so as to stop Mafar from sending troops.In addition, on the one hand, it is indeed necessary to investigate the criminal who killed Duke Zaichel.Although the whole situation was very strange to the Zrunagra people, they never thought that the real prisoner was Lasalle of the Yerudi Kingdom.Therefore, they can only repeatedly arrest and investigate those who oppose Duke Zaychel in the country.

"At this time, should we unite with Yerudi to fight against Mafar?" It is really a kind of sadness that someone makes such a claim.Because doing so is tantamount to teaming up with real criminals, if anyone in this world can see through the truth, they probably can't help but smile wryly. "When the situation is urgent, there is a way to ask the royal family to take refuge in Yerudi temporarily. So from this point of view, we should bring Yerudi in to fight against Mafar anyway, right?" While such voices were rising, someone sternly rebutted. "This kind of proposal is absolutely impossible!"

The person who said this was the chief secretary of the court, a man named Juraj.He was about forty years old, his eyebrows on the left and right were connected in a straight line, and his thin cheeks looked fierce from any angle.But he was deeply trusted by King Danilo IV, and he was a capable and diligent official. Although he was originally a commoner, he has now been awarded the title of baron.He never speaks very often in meetings or gatherings, but whenever he speaks, everyone will listen quietly and carefully. "Even if His Majesty and the royal family avoid Yerudi, it may not be safe. Once Yerudi feels danger, he may betray His Majesty to Mafar. For Yerudi, what obligation do they have to fight with Zrunagra What about suffering together? Not at all!"

This should be the correct statement.That's right, why should Yerudi share the fate with Zrunagra? This is just the wishful thinking and naive expectation of the Zrunagra people.If the whole situation was reversed and Yerudi had to gamble his life and death with Mafal to fight to the death, Zrunagra would probably just stand by and watch. Yerudi is unreliable.In this way, of course other countries cannot rely on it.For Zrunagra, the night that should come will still come, but how long will this night be? If King Danilo IV was present, he might be able to summarize the discussion at this time.But the king has been bedridden since the past few days.He vomited blood, and the blood was dark in color, and there was a hard tumor on the upper end of his stomach. The imperial doctors in the palace were all helpless, and the haze on his face was even more gloomy than the cloudy sky in winter.

In order to suppress the pain, the royal physicians mixed the medicine extracted from the seeds of hemp in the mead that the king drank.The king has no appetite, and if he is forced to eat it, he will only vomit, so he can only rely on milk, gravy, juice and raw eggs to supplement his nutrition. Even so, the amount the king can take is pitifully small . As the king, who had always been so vigorous, and was known as an incomparable lover, all the attendants were sorry to see him so weak.For this hearty and frank king, they really liked it from the bottom of their hearts. However, these attendants also felt indignant on the one hand, that is, the indifference of the prince and princess to the king.Even Princess Anderhodo, who was originally planned to be betrothed to Karman and become the wife of Emperor Mafar, seldom showed her face in front of her father's hospital bed, but hid in her room all the time.Although the princess's beauty is praised by thousands of people, the attendants don't think she has a sense of responsibility as a member of the royal family.As for the other princes and princesses, when the national calamity is imminent, they are still indulging in sensuality, singing, drinking, and playing hunting and gambling games enthusiastically. Members of the royal family are unable to accomplish anything, so the burden of the entire national destiny must be carried by the courtiers.However, when these courtiers received Kalman's second notice and were told: "If Zrunagra is not sincere, then Mafar has no choice but to use force to seek compensation." up. "Should we simply cede territory to appease Kallman's anger? Maybe cede ten states and he will be satisfied." "No, what Karman wants is the entire territory of Zrunagra. Not to mention ten states, even if thirty states are ceded, he still won't agree to make peace. There is no other way except for a war." "If we fight, will we have a chance of winning?" "Sometimes you still have to fight even if you know you can't win! And now is such a time." "It would be too irresponsible to fight if there is no chance of winning. What we should do now is to delay the deadline for the answer as much as possible and wait for the situation to change." "There is a practical problem here. Then Mafar suffered serious civil strife and cold damage last year, and his national strength was severely damaged. Now, will he really have the spare power to send troops to attack Zrunagra?" "No, it is because they have overcome the serious civil strife and cold damage, so they are more confident. After all, they are a country with strong soldiers, and it is not difficult to fight against them!" The meeting was going on enthusiastically, and the conference room was full of people's voices, but no matter how much it boiled and boiled, it still failed to make any mature conclusions. The originally gloomy face of the court secretary, Juraj, looked even more gloomy at this time.He sighed deeply: "There is a saying that is right, Zrunagra's comments are nothing more than a group of people talking in plain language! But at this moment, it is impossible to respectfully ask the king to come down to make a decision, alas..." If awakened from sleep, Danilo IV's mind can be said to be clear and philosophical.But the pain from inside his body was constantly eroding him, often making his thoughts unsustainable, and the imperial doctor had to use medicine to keep him asleep.The king was so ill that it would have been cruel to burden him with so many sorrows. The court has been divided into more than a dozen factions, and they fight against each other, drag each other down, and don't care about domestic political affairs at all.What will happen to the country after the current King Danilo IV dies?Just thinking about it is depressing. Juraj didn't trust anyone in the royal family.If you compare it with Duke Zaychel, who acted arbitrarily and ended up killing himself, then the two have the same views on this point: "When a ship with a hole in the bottom is about to sink, it's useless to blame the storm. The first thing to do is to block the hole quickly. But the king's sons, who are not good enough, still stick out their upper bodies from the holes , beat each other with sticks..." It was like saying to the neighboring countries: "Come on! Come conquer us!" In this world of the jungle, Zrunagra could not protect himself.While thinking about this, Juraj was devoting himself to thinking about how to ensure the self-reliance of the country. This was the difference between him and Duke Zaychel. "In any case, the most important thing right now is to get the army in order as soon as possible, but it should not be too obvious, so as not to bring unnecessary stimulation to Mafar. In addition, all possible diplomatic means must be adopted at the same time." In this way, a meeting that is not considered a meeting at all has no choice but to come to a half-tone conclusion, and the conclusion itself may change at any time, but it is not yet predictable. In Zrunagra's army, the main leaders are General Lado, General Ypsilante, and General Brashwu.Since they are all soldiers, they often advocate the main battle theory, but after careful examination, they can't blindly boast of their bravery. "If we fight Mafar, can we win?" That's the problem after every meeting. Ypsilante said to the other two generals: "There is only one conspiracy that can win by surprise. Although it may not be reliable, I plan to try it in an emergency. We can't just sit and watch our country fall into the clutches of that Kallman!" From his shining black eyes, the other two generals understood that Ypsilante had made an unusual decision in his heart. The so-called fate is just an ironic thing-once said so, the fact will become so.If there is no entanglement in the human heart, then the whole history may be shrouded in a bleak, lifeless gray, and sink into an endless decadence and inertia! But in fact, the history of mankind is not like this. This is because every ten years or so, there will be some rebellious and ambitious people. In their eyes, the so-called fate is not as important as a feather. And always want to break through the obstacles of fate.Lasalle, the ambassador of the Kingdom of Yerudi stationed in Mafar, is such a person.He was in the imperial capital of Mafar, the great enemy country, trying to use his hands to set off a big storm across the three countries of Yerudi, Mafar, and Zrunagra. Because of this, Yerudi's capital, Presun, was the same as Zrunagra's capital at this time, and encountered a big storm in spring.After Lassalle's deputy envoy Gunnar set off from Mafar with the ambassador's secret letter, he deliberately did not pass the road connecting the two countries, but crossed the mountainous area of ​​the national border in the middle of the night, and finally arrived in the territory of Yerudi. After receiving the secret letter written by Lasalle, King Jigu Morton of Yerudi immediately held an imperial meeting.After some discussion, most people reached an agreement and decided to act according to Lassalle's advice for the time being, but at this time someone spoke: "Please wait a moment." stood up. This person is one of the nine-pillar generals that the Yerudi Kingdom is quite proud of, named Obrahit.Thirty-six years old this year, he has a gentle appearance. Not only does he not look like a soldier, but he looks like a literati.When he stepped forward to speak, the right sleeve of his clothes fluttered in the wind, but the sleeve was actually empty. "The one-armed general..." The people around whispered in fear.Fourteen years ago, during the battle on the banks of the Manvia River, he personally chopped off his right arm, which was shot by the poisonous arrows of the Mafar army, which shows the staunch character of this person.Although unimaginable from the outside, he is indeed a fierce general, and his reputation has already spread throughout the neighboring countries.In the past two years, he served as the commander-in-chief of the Guards and did not often appear on the battlefield.However, when this man named Obrahit fixed his extremely calm blue eyes on Guennar's body, it was even better than others stabbing Gunnar's body with a white knife. It made him even more nervous. "I have a question to ask Deputy Envoy Gunnar, what kind of position does our ambassador La Salle take on this incident? I want to confirm this first." "what do you mean?" "I mean, what is the ambassador's connection to this incident? Has the ambassador been on the sidelines?" Although Obrahit's eyesight and voice were not particularly sharp, and he kept a calm and calm attitude, the sense of oppression he exuded made Guennar's tongue stiff and uncontrollable, and he kept his mouth shut. Dare to answer rashly.Indeed, even the same experienced and wise people sometimes have different opinions.Although it is impossible for Gunnar to know all of Lasalle's plots, he has one thing in mind and must not answer carelessly. Obrahit's bravery surpassed all of Yerudi's army.As soon as his figure appeared in front of the formation, the morale of the soldiers would immediately increase by 30%, which was not even comparable to Lasalle.So for LaSalle, perhaps Obrahit is the biggest obstacle to his achievement of supremacy. Although Gunnar didn't think so deeply, for him, he absolutely couldn't say anything to slander his boss: "Emperor Karman II of Marfar is an unfathomable figure. Even an ambassador has difficulty guessing his true intentions. So..." "That's not an answer at all, is it? Deputy Gunner." At this time, the king gently raised a hand. "Obrahit, all in all, let's make preparations for sending troops first. I will leave this matter to you, and be on standby at any time after reorganizing the army. Anyway, in the next few days, Emperor Mafar will probably have Let’s get in touch and formally decide our attitude at that time.” This is the order of the king.Obrahit had no choice but to bow respectfully and accept the king's appointment, but his eyes still had strong doubts that could not be erased. As for Mafar, the young emperor, who was regarded as a demon king by the two neighboring countries, was facing a major event in his life at this time. That night, the courtesan Ephemia entered the emperor's living room, but Karman didn't notice it right away.This was certainly because he was sinking into his own thoughts at this time, but on the other hand, it was also because Ephemia was originally a docile and quiet woman.And that's what Kalman likes about her.Kalman got up from the chair he was sitting in when he became aware of her presence. "What's the matter? Ephemia." When Karman asked, Ephemia lowered her head, her fair cheeks were flushed red. "You look like you have something to say, don't you? Do you want something? Just say it and have a look!" Effimia would never ask for anything if Calman didn't induce her to say it.But at this time, Ephemia looked up at the emperor as if she had made up her mind. "Then ask the emperor to give me clothes for the newborn baby." "What? Baby clothes? You mean..." "Yes, I am pregnant, Your Majesty." Effimia spoke in a low voice, but her whole body was full of strength.Probably the strength brought by the child in her womb to her shy personality.Kallman was a little dazed for a moment, but after the surprise receded, a warm current gradually surged in his heart.He held Effimia's white slender hand, pulled her to him, and expressed his inner feelings very simply: "Well done, well done, Effimia." "But, can a person of low status like me give birth to a royal heir for Your Majesty?" "What is this nonsense!" Karman smiled at her.In fact, Effimia's worries are not without reason.Since ancient times, in order to cut off the source of the struggle for the throne, I do not know how many court ladies have been forced to have abortions.But Kalman didn't mean that.The joy of being a father is really deep and serious. "Have a healthy child, preferably a boy, oh no, of course a girl is fine too, as long as it's a gentle child like Effimia." Such an ordinary tone does not look like a generation overlord at all.Effimia felt relieved, and she, who was always respectful and polite, made a rare joke: "What about twins, Your Majesty?" "Twins? It's okay!" After the tension between each other was eliminated, Kallman faced Ephemia's smile and said in an almost hearty voice: "Don't say it's twins, it doesn't matter if it's triplets. In order to prevent the children from having any problems with the inheritance of the territory in the future, it seems that my generation should first expand the territory of Mafar!" Effimia is not an official concubine, but a little female official. Although what Karman said in order to win her joy is a bit of a joke, it is also half serious.Because if it's just a joke, then the arrogance in it is really too strong. Karman hoped that Effimia and her children would be happy, but he could not officially make Ephemia the concubine.Because for the king of a country, marriage is a part of politics. As a king, he must always consider what kind of impact marriage will bring to his country's diplomacy and strategy.Because of this, Kalman told himself that no matter what, the happiness of Effimia's mother and child should be maintained. After letting Ephemia retreat, Kallman was still immersed in his personal joy for a moment, but the full tide will always recede.After Karman half-relyed on his own will to temporarily suppress his personal joy, he summoned the entourage military officer Ferenz and ordered him to summon Lacusta, the Duke of Steel Sparrow. In the past few days, both Lakusta and Dragon Tooth Lord Oda have been on standby in the palace, following the emperor to formulate a strategy for Zrunagra, who will send troops in the near future.After the young and powerful courtier bowed respectfully to the emperor, the emperor called out his name: "La Costa, no, Duke Bronze Sparrow." "exist." "This time, I will entrust you with the responsibility of guarding the imperial capital. I hope that there will not be any uneasiness in the rear during my crusade against Zrunagra, so I will leave it to you!" There seemed to be a thin cloud of dissatisfaction floating on La Costa's youthful expression.Because he actually hopes that he can be a brave man on the battlefield.Although Kalman knew this, he still entrusted him with the responsibility of staying behind. Of course, there are good reasons for this decision.The emperor lowered his voice and explained the reason to his trusted courtiers.After listening, La Costa understood, so he respectfully accepted the emperor's order, but suddenly tilted his head and said: "As far as I know, Yarudi's ambassador, Lasalle, is like a wounded jackal and is highly dangerous. Is it appropriate to let him do whatever he wants?" La Costa's words sounded quite sharp, and Karman couldn't help but narrowed his eyes slightly and began to meditate, but after only a moment, he told La Costa: "Let's just let him go for the time being. There are no soldiers around, and Narasal has no way to do anything big in the enemy's camp. Besides..." "Well, what's more?" "Lassalle's head will be handed over by the Yerudi people sooner or later!" Kalman affirmed confidently: "What is more important, the life of La Salle or the fate of the Yerudi Kingdom? King Yerudi will then have to make a choice between the two. Before that, Just let LaSalle play what he likes." Kalman's eyes flashed with sarcasm: "Anyway, in the end that fellow will find out that the tune he's playing is his own funeral!" "Your majesty, your foresight and foresight are beyond the reach of my servants. But please be more cautious no matter what, your majesty, and don't be drawn into the vortex of that guy's desperate struggle. Because just a drop of venom may pollute all the spring water. " "You really know how to describe, I will remember." Karman nodded with a smile, and then changed the subject.Karman told his trusted courtiers about Ephemia's pregnancy, and hoped that he would pay full attention to avoid letting a third party harm Ephemia.La Costa, who widened his eyes in surprise, expressed his congratulations to the monarch. The emperor nodded and reminded him: "There is no need to publicize this matter for the time being, you know?" Kalman is really busy.But half of it was actually found by him.In order to conquer Zrunagra, he has now started to use the army.And because of this troop dispatch, the political marriage between himself and Princess Yadelhodo of Zrunagra became even more important.To completely dominate Zrunagra, one cannot simply rely on force alone.In order to stabilize the hearts of the people, it may be necessary to elect Princess Yadelhodo to become the queen of Zrunagra on the surface. After Lacusta, the Duke of Bronze Sparrow, stepped down, Karman fell into deep thought again.He completely buried his slender body in the emperor's throne, and then closed his eyes.At this time, the military attache, Filence, was standing by the wall to protect the emperor, his eyes were shrouded in a cloud of smoke, and this cloud of smoke was a reflection of the young man's heart. "Have you heard that our Marfar Empire will join forces with Yerudi to attack Zrunagra!" "Oh, I heard that the tragic death of Ambassador Zrunagra was caused by people from their own country, right? It's too daring to do such a thing in Mafar's country!" "They must be punished well." "But having said that, this time we may have to join forces with Yerudi, our old enemy for many years! In the end, His Majesty's thoughts and actions are not something we mortals can predict." All kinds of rumors spread around the court, especially those from the Wu family, who talked excitedly.Strictly speaking, Mafar's traditional ethos is more advocating martial arts, which happens to be in contrast to the ethos in Zrunagra.Therefore, people like Munchell are easily dismissed as weak in Mafar. Although there was no formal announcement of the expedition to the people at this time, the armies of the principalities had already arrived in the imperial capital, and there were marching troops on the streets, so most of the people already knew that the battle was approaching. But at this moment, Lidwan couldn't make himself happy naively.As a government official, I can't help but think deeply about everything. Because of this tendency in thinking, I sometimes feel very tired.Lidvan is also aware of this, so no matter what, he wants to keep himself away from the official position as much as possible. This idea that he has held for a long time, Lidvan only once mentioned it intentionally or unintentionally to Elder Almoxiu, the Duke of the Black Sheep.It was about the first ten days of May, when Da Lao first came to the imperial capital Onogur. Elder Almoxiu listened seriously to what Ridvan said. "According to your thinking, Grand Duke Karman, no, His Majesty the Emperor is not a person who covets the reputation of the victor." "Yes, I dare not speak nonsense..." The old man nodded: "I also agree with your opinion. Although His Majesty the Emperor has always been a heroic man, he did not abuse force casually. Rather, he worked hard to suppress the expansion of violence..." Almosio used to go in and out of the court frequently when he was the Duke of the Empire, so he even knew about Kallman's existence earlier than Ridwan.And he had also met Kalman's two elder brothers.In comparison, the youngest brother Kalman seems to be more outstanding, and of course the two older brothers are by no means ordinary people. Although Elder Almoxiu's eyes were already blind, they were glowing with the brilliance of the old era. He seemed to have temporarily thrown himself into the lake of memories.But not long after, a voice that sounded bitter came out from his aging lips: "You should know that war is actually an ominous event, and the army is the weapon that promotes this ominous event. His Majesty Kallman from I understood this deeply when I was young. He is a brave man, but he is definitely not a violent general..." Elder Almoxiu cut off his own words and fell into deep thought again. Soon after, he changed the direction of the topic: "It is true that Zrunagra has an opportunity now. Even I have heard the news that Danilo IV is bedridden, and he is terminally ill." Although Danilo IV has many children, none of them can match his father's talent and capacity.Among the officials hired by the king, although there are many capable people, they are divided into many factions, which hinder each other.At this time, Danilo IV's state of mind must be that he will not rest in peace!For the king of a country, the greatest misfortune is that there is no one to inherit after him.For example, Almoxiu himself had the experience of being annoyed and regretful because he made his nephew Stursa his heir.So this is not just someone else's matter, Almoxiu also has a deep understanding. But in any case, to use force to conquer other countries is actually a very domineering thing, and one must have extremely intense and ruthless psychological weapons.It is absolutely impossible for people who are gentle by nature or weak in personality.In addition, for a person who is obsessed with righteousness, it is definitely not easy for him to cross the border and invade other countries. How on earth did Kalman overcome these psychological hurdles?Although he overthrew the violent Draconson last year, he made the six imperial princes all kneel before him, and then won the throne of the emperor.Although these superficial things gave him a lot of self-confidence, it is impossible for a person to change because of this.Instead, he seems to be trying to regain a piece of psychologically unknown lost ground, and he is forcing himself to do some things.Does this have anything to do with the sudden death of the late emperor Boguda II?When this thought crossed his mind, Elder Almoxiu actually felt a shudder, even though he had already experienced many battles in both political and military strategies. "You can't just say things without basis. Now that His Majesty the Emperor won't change his mind, then we can only find a less unfortunate way for all the soldiers and civilians in Mafar. Speaking of this, um, Ridvan." "Yes, sir." "I hope you will lead 30,000 Black Sheep Army on my behalf to assist the Emperor's Army." "Boss, I'm not an official official of the Black Sheep Principality. I'm afraid I'm not qualified for this task." "Oh, what do you mean you want me, a blind old man, to lead troops to conquer foreign countries?" Elder Almoxiu frowned slightly, then smiled.Lidwan was of course speechless. The Black Sheep Principality, which ruled the ten states, dispatched 30,000 soldiers.The Golden Crow Principality, which ruled fifteen states, mobilized 45,000 soldiers. Princess Angelina was ready to go into battle, but one day, in the original library, she faced Lidwan said: "It's really strange to say it now, but I have a question in my heart, and I can't let it go. What crime did Zrunagra commit, which is so serious that he wants to be punished? And if Zrunagra conspired against our country , what are the benefits?" Angelina couldn't help but have such doubts in her heart.Because she is indeed like what her brother Montchel said when he teased her. Although she is a brave princess, she is not obsessed with fighting. Pal was lying on the long chair and fell asleep with his head resting on the princess' knees, and Angelina covered the baby's shoulders with her shawl. What a sweet and tender scene! "In Zrunagra's court, there are so many factions ready to move that you can count on the fingers of two hands. His Majesty the Emperor seems to have seen this point." Lidwan replied like this. "Well, so the thumb of the right hand and the little finger of the left hand are also fighting each other, right?" There was also civil strife in Mafar last year, and the domestic forces were divided into two.Since the Zrunagras are not necessarily smarter than the Mafars, it is not impossible for the same thing to happen. "By the way, Lied, about the ugly men who attacked us a few days ago." "Have you found out your true identity? Princess." "You know I won't ignore it!" Angelina believed that in the battle a few days ago, although the swordsman was defeated in the end, he should not be an unknown person who was able to be almost on par with Lidvan during the battle. generation.So she entrusted Holdy to find out the true identities of those assassins. Holdy was indeed a man of exceptional ability, and this need no longer be confirmed.He accepted the princess' commission, but not without conditions. “或许会需要一些费用也说不定唷，您真的要调查吗？公主？” “没关系。把这个拿去好了。” 安洁莉娜同样也具有不拘泥于金钱、财物的个性。她既是身为公国的公主，身边当然随时都会有些珠宝饰品。这时刚好镜台上放了一对红玉的耳环，所以她就顺手拿起来抛给霍尔第。 “这样够吗？” “办起事来或许会有点不顺，不过我会想办法用这些预算来做做看。” 事实上根本不可能不顺，而且还会剩个一百枚以上的金币，不过那就算是霍尔第的外快了。而且霍尔第也很圆满地达成了任务，所以安洁莉娜也很满意。 “黑羊公国里面，曾经有些在斯吐尔萨的手下专做坏事的人吧？” “有不少，所以我才会进行全公国的扫黑行动。” “可是有部份的余党，据说已经和虎翼公国那对贵夫妇连手了。” 安洁莉娜所谓的“贵夫妇”，指的就是前虎翼国公伊姆列的未亡人格尔特露特、和她的情人西米恩这两人。公主如此的口吻当然是有些不怀好意。 “利德宛大人，这件事情你多少也要负一些责任啊！黑羊公国也好、虎翼公国也好，谁叫你不赶快接受国公地位，明明有权利却又不这么做，徒然教那些小人们疑心生暗鬼罢了。” “我哪有什么权利！” 利德宛一番苦笑之后，正想就此打住这话题，安洁莉娜却不容许对方逃避，立刻又追击地说道： “黑羊公国的阿尔摩修大老希望你能够成为下任的国公，那你打算怎么做呢？” “当然是打算要婉拒。” “哼！懦弱！” 这可真是严厉的一句话。利德宛有些出乎意料地眨着眼睛。金鸦公国的公主瞪着他，脸颊上泛起了一阵红潮，端正秀丽的嘴唇紧紧地闭着。她那双眼充满了生气盎然的光彩，在在都证明了这名年轻女子的非凡容姿，其实是发自其内在的。 “你似乎对于自己不眷恋权势而感到自豪，但是我想却根本不是这么回事，你不过是想要逃避身为国公所必须负起的责任罢了，不是吗？” 利德宛此时确是无言以对。安洁莉娜用她那对像宝石般在阳光下闪闪发亮的眼眸，深深地看到这男子的眼睛深处里去。 “阿尔摩修大老之所以希望将你收为他的养子，倒不是特别有什么感伤。大老只是想让黑羊公国的民众在他身故以后，仍然能过着平稳的生活。你既然明白这一点，却又修饰表面似地拖延回答或者想办法拒绝。你想想这么做对谁又会有好处呢？” “就算公主不说，我也明白阿尔摩修大老的用心。” “那么就不要再拖延或拒绝了。如果你根本没有能力来接掌国公的地位，皇帝和民众也会弃你而去，到那时，就算你不愿意也得和权势绝缘了。” 安洁莉娜发出了悦耳的笑声。利德宛不得不认同公主的意见的确是正确的。看来这位公主不仅仅是勇敢，而且还具有能够正确掌握事物本质的敏锐。 “这一次出征，如果我方有任何为害兹鲁纳格拉之平民百姓的行为，那么身为金鸦国公妹妹的我，绝对不加以饶恕！” 安洁莉娜并不是刻意要装模作样，而只是肯定地断言说道： “利德，如果是你率领黑羊公国军队的话，应该就不会让士兵们胡作非为。这一点比什么都重要。至于作战致胜的方略，就交给陛下和我哥哥去想办法好了。” “……这么说来的话，蒙契尔国公也会出征啰？” “好像会在陛下身边，一起参与幕僚运作的筹划。这有什么不对吗？利德宛大人好像有些在意是吗？” 单从安洁莉娜使用“利德宛大人”这个称呼，就知道这个问题是她故意耍坏心眼的。利德宛又再度无言以对了。这世界上确实有太多微妙的问题不适合从嘴巴里面说出来。安洁莉娜看了看陷入沉默的男子，回过头来抚摸幼儿枕在她膝盖上睡着的头部，然后一边用美丽的声调讽刺地说着： “真是的，做父亲的人怎么一点都不像孩子呢。如果能够稍微学习一下孩子的大度量就好了。” 金鸦国公蒙契尔在皇帝的御前会议结束之后，来到帝都里的一座宅第，拜访未来将成为他妻子的那个女孩。 晚春的午后，帕萨罗威兹侯爵的宅第正埋在一片丰富的绿意和多彩的花朵之中，显得十分静谧。虽然这宅第坐落在帝都奥诺古尔的城内，却是一块不属于繁华的土地，而且也不像其他有势力的大贵族那样，门前总是挤满一长列的访客。在庭院的树木间飞来飞去的鸟鸣声，交织成一片自然的乐章，打破了原有的沉默。 “真是一片闲雅的好气氛……对我来说似乎太高尚了些。” 蒙契尔骑着马钻过那绿意盎然的树丛之后，那栋温室和阳台朝南方建造的二楼宅第已经将它的全貌展现在蒙契尔的眼前。阳台上有个小小的人影晃动着。 “蒙契尔先生！” 人影和声音同时跑了过来。轻快的动作就像是在草原上跳跃的兔子，金鸦国公对着这个精神抖擞，一头茶色的头发和同色眼眸的小人影笑着说道： “你好吗？依德莉达公主。” “好，蒙契尔先生呢？” “托公主的福，我也很好。” 蒙契尔从马背上下来，和小公主面对面，这小公主的年龄应该还算不上少女，只能算是个小女孩。蒙契尔用一只脚跪在草坪土，让自己的视线和依德莉达在同样的高度，然后用温和的表情把一个小小的盒子放进小小的手掌里让小公主握着。 “这是给公主的礼物。如果你收下来的话，那我会很高兴的。” “谢谢。不过依德莉达真正高兴的是蒙契尔先生你……不、您能够到这里来。” 小小的盒子里放着用水晶雕琢而成的可爱手环。小公主欢喜地再度向蒙契尔道谢。蒙契尔看着小女孩的眼睛，一半像是自言自语地喃喃说着： “公主的眼睛好清澈、好漂亮。” “你的……嗯，您的眼睛颜色也很漂亮唷！依德莉达好喜欢蒙契尔先生的眼睛。” 经小女孩儿这么一说，这位统辖十五州领土的大贵族不禁轻轻地笑了起来。 “我真是个赛过天上神仙的男子哪。我的眼睛应该没什么漂亮的，不过让公主这么一夸奖，我也很高兴。” 蒙契尔张开自己的双手，公主便天真无邪地把身体靠近蒙契尔的怀里。金鸦国公从草坪上抱起公主小小的身体，然后住宅第走了过去。依德莉达从金鸦国公的头上开口说道： “蒙契尔先生，今天会在这里吃过饭再走吗？” “这个嘛，公主的父亲大人大概会允许我坐上餐桌吧……” 蒙契尔笑了笑，然后把视线转向宅第的方向。只见一个比金鸦国公年长大约十岁，中等身高的人有些犹豫地走近他们。这人便是宅第的主人帕萨罗威兹侯爵，有着一副骨瘦如柴的体格，是个有智慧的人，无论外表、或者内在都是个十足的文人。 “金鸦国公阁下，承蒙您拨冗前来，实感惶恐。” “不，我擅自前来，还感到过意不去呢！” “非常感谢您日前对小女所作的提议，我们实在感到非常地光荣，可是小女实在还太小……” 侯爵的话说得有些太心急，让人感觉他似乎有拒绝的意思，蒙契尔于是拐着弯问道： “大概是我不够格当您的女婿吧，侯爵大人。” “不，正好相反。” “……哦？” 蒙契尔把依德莉达的身子放到地面上，然后转过身来面对着帕萨罗威兹侯爵。依德莉达天真地对着父亲和求婚者绽放无邪的笑容，然后就精神抖擞地朝着花岗岩所建造的阳台跑去。作父亲的目送着女儿的背影，然后将他那稍微显得怯懦的视线重新放回到蒙契尔身上。 “我、该说是帕萨罗威兹家，虽然是继承皇室血统的世家，但是代代从未曾参预过政事或军事，今后也不打算接近权势或是武门之家。” “真是了不起。” 蒙契尔低声说着，声音里并没有丝毫讽刺的成份。 “金鸦国公，我自知这个要求有些过份，不过是不是请您再重新考虑一下您与依德莉达的婚事？” 对着沉默的金鸦国公，侯爵接着又说道： “请容我说句僭越的话，像蒙契尔国公您这样的人，大可以和一国的公主结婚不是吗？” “嗯……您把我估得太高了。” 蒙契尔笑着说道。那清澈无阴影的笑容，令人很难以想像这名青年的心中竟然怀藏有篡夺皇位的野心。依德莉达公主的歌声从阳台的方向飘扬了过来，让国公与侯爵之间充满了春日跃动的音符。蒙契尔仍然保持着笑容，他启动嘴唇说道： “请恕在下不才，难以了解侯爵究竟有何忧虑，但是请让我对您作一个承诺，我一定不会作出任何让依德莉达公主陷于不幸之中的事情。” 这个委婉的拒绝表现出蒙契尔坚定的意念。蒙契尔对着呆立不动的帕萨罗威兹侯爵展颜一笑，便应依德莉达的呼唤声，朝阳台走了过去。 而史称“兹鲁纳格拉继承战役”在几天后便展开了。