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Chapter 1348 1346. The Women in the Plantagenet Palace (Part )
Those who are familiar with King Louis know that it is very difficult to persuade His Majesty to change his mind.

He has his own understanding of how the world works. Because of his identity, status and experience, the king's understanding of the world is deeper than most people. Few people can surpass him in this regard, let alone convince him with logic.

But for King Louis's bedmates, they knew that their husbands were not without flaws.

He also has a very realistic side.

Especially when Louis realizes that one thing cannot be changed, he will quickly change his mindset and seek as much benefit as possible for his side while accepting the change.

Of course, all politicians have similar shortcomings or advantages. Don't expect them to be as tenacious and fearless as heroes. A sufficiently flexible body is a necessary skill for all good politicians, and a more flexible moral outlook determines whether this politician can break through from "excellent" to "outstanding."

Therefore, in the face of King Louis' uncertain questioning, Countess Margaret did not appeal to his emotions or reason, but emphasized decisively and directly:
“There is indeed suspicion of betrayal, but Count Lyon’s choice is undoubtedly the best solution at this moment, Louis.

I saw with my own eyes the Xiko Hades Army entering East Prussia, and I also saw the sun ship floating above the land of suffering. The most warlike foreign army under Governor Murphy is now in Banks City, and they are led by General Kudel.

The general participated in the entire defense of Banks City. He saved many people and the legend of the Nantes Ranger, which had been circulating in that place for a hundred years, made him very popular among the people.

In this situation, all the Transians need to do is raise their voices. No matter how hard the officials of Banks City try, they will not be able to stop the surging public opinion. More importantly, as far as I know, the officials in that city are basically not competent.

The vampires didn't even need to intimidate them, they would kneel at Murphy's feet on their own.

The fall of the eternal night forced at least one-third of the people of East Prussia to hide in the city of Banks. Once it was occupied by the Transians, East Prussia would essentially become a frontier of Transia.

All we can rely on there is the crippled pioneer corps.

General Soros was loyal, but his legion, which had suffered heavy casualties, was powerless to fight the Transians.

Let me put it bluntly. Under such circumstances, the kingdom has essentially lost control of East Prussia, and Count Lyon is the last force we can count on."

"Indeed, Louis."

Queen Elizabeth also whispered:

"I just received the battle report from General Buck. I saw that when Banks City was under siege, Count Lyon stayed at the Pioneer Fortress and gathered most of the people in the northern part of East Prussia. He led them through the eternal night and participated in the ascension ceremony of the God of Light. This made him the most prestigious leader in the northern part of East Prussia.

Coupled with the Capet family's terrifying influence and control in the Cato region, he is indeed the only force in that area that can currently confront the Transians.

There is nothing wrong with Margaret's description.

Of course, I think you are right. I think all this was arranged in advance by Count Lyon. The Capet family must have planned it long ago, but this Eternal Night disaster brought them a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and the Count seized it accurately. "

King Louis held his daughter in his arms without saying a word.

He was thinking carefully and temporarily putting aside his personal likes and dislikes, looking at the current situation from the most rational perspective.

As his wives looked on, the haggard king spoke:

"You mean that instead of letting the Transians occupy East Prussia, it would be more in the best interest to establish it as a buffer zone between the two countries?"

"More than a buffer zone, Louis."

Margaret shook her head and said:
"The Transians have actually taken over East Prussia. They are unwilling to let go and there is nothing we can do. This is very shameful to talk about, but now we have to consider how to make this matter public.

Once the people know the truth behind the Eternal Night, even if there are martyred martyrs like Loren to use as propaganda, the majesty you have built up over the past thirty years will still be weakened and even affect the country's reform and stability.

In this situation, we must take the overall situation into consideration. According to the proposal of Count Lyon, making it a duchy vassal of the kingdom can obviously cover up the facts, or at least minimize the bad impact.

We certainly didn't win this battle against the Transians, but perhaps we can change our way of thinking about 'defining victory'!
From the most utilitarian point of view, since the traitor in Lyon dared to make this arrogant suggestion to you at this time, it means that he must have already established connections with the Transians. As long as you give the order, the Transians will withdraw from East Prussia and accept the existence of the Grand Duchy of Capet.

In this way, the kingdom will not legally lose that area!
It was only because the generous king was grateful for the outstanding performance of the Capet family in the Eternal Night that he granted them East Prussia as their family fiefdom. The performance of the Capet family in those three disastrous days was indeed worthy of this honor. As far as I know, their family's army resisted the ratmen and evil creatures at the border of Anjou for three whole days. If the old guards had not arrived in time, the power accumulated by two generations of the Capet family would have been completely wiped out.

It was precisely because of the determination of those private soldiers that the power of the Lord of Darkness did not spread to the core area of ​​the kingdom, the province of Anjou. Once there was chaos there, the entire country would be affected. "

This statement made King Louis raise his eyebrows. Queen Elizabeth beside him carefully looked at her husband's expression and said softly:

“This can also serve as an example, Louis.

You have made up your mind to explore the new world to gain more benefits and territory for the kingdom. It is not an easy task and requires the concerted efforts of your subjects. This is a major event that will determine the future fate of the kingdom and can even be called a 'century-long plan'.

It would not be a bad idea to take advantage of the events in East Prussia at this time to demonstrate your generosity and determination to your subjects.

Although the Count of Lyon was a traitor, this does not prevent us from setting him as an example.

Use his deeds to convey your will, that is, anyone who is willing to contribute to the interests of the king and the kingdom will be rewarded, and the territory of the New World is too far away from the mainland. Even if it is really obtained, it can only be managed in a colonial style by sending a governor!

In this case, there is no harm in having the Count of Lyon set a precedent.

Moreover, even from the weakest perspective, Count Lyon is a member of the royal party. Although he has done unforgivable things, the strong pressure from within the royal party will force him to go only this far!
It is impossible for him to actually do anything to split the country, and it is even more impossible for him to actually wear that crown.

As long as he does not claim to be king, he will still be your subject. The legal constraints brought about by this are the greatest advantage of the king. "

The queen squeezed her husband's shoulders and whispered:

“It’s like the game between the kingdom and Hermes Island, Louis. As long as the ruling legal system of East Prussia is still in the hands of the royal family, we have enough time to accumulate strength to weaken the Capetian family and eventually take it back by the king’s means.

However, if East Prussia was allowed to fall into Transian control, there would be no way to get it back in the future except through war.

Even though I am a woman, I know the terrifying power of the Transians in terms of war. An outstanding ruler like you would never bring an unwinnable war to your country at this time."

King Louis fell silent. He stroked his daughter's hair and looked at his two wives, then said:
"Count Lyon saved my little princess and Margaret. I can understand that Margaret would speak to him in favor of him, but Elizabeth, I am very curious, what price did Lyon pay to persuade you to stand on his side even at the cost of revealing this disguise of thirty years?

Is it not just my subjects who betrayed me today, but also my wife?"

The queen didn't know how to start, but the countess next to her explained softly:

"Because Lyon has made an offer that Elizabeth cannot refuse. Louis, Lyon invites your son William to serve as the Grand Duke of Capet, and is willing to make this Grand Duchy a direct territory of every crown prince, so that its ruling legal system will always remain in the hands of the royal family, and the Capet family will only manage that land on behalf of the royal family.

He carefully transformed himself from your subject to your servant.

Although we all know that once you give the order, it means that the three provinces will be completely owned by the Capetian family, but as long as the crown prince is still the Grand Duke of Capetian, the people will not think that we have lost the three pieces of land.

What a cunning guy.
I heard that some people call Leon the 'black-footed fox'. Now it seems that this nickname is very accurate. That guy is an old fox who can read people's minds all night. He has you and Elizabeth in his control.

I know that you and Elizabeth have been playing an unspoken game, but after William was born, Elizabeth had actually separated herself from those Issa people who were eager to restore their country.

The reason is very simple.

Elizabeth's heart is all about her son's future. Since her child can become the co-leader of the Issa people and the Sealand people, why should he choose between the two factions?"

"Yes, Louis." The queen lowered her head in shame and whispered:
"This is all for the sake of the children. I admit that I deceived you. I am an unqualified wife and a queen who is unfaithful to the kingdom. So before I confessed today, I was prepared to endure your anger.

I have chosen for myself a monastery on the outskirts of the foggy city, where I shall spend the rest of my life.

But I will not give up the Queen’s crown.”

She looked at Countess Margaret with complicated eyes and said:

“I cannot let this crown fall on anyone else’s head. It would bring division or other disasters to the two races in the kingdom. Just as Margaret represents the nobles of the Sealand people in your court, I am also a representative of the Isha people.

I don't want the country you have worked so hard to maintain to fall apart because of two ignorant women."

"I lost my marshal, I lost an old friend, and I also lost the frontier that I had won after ten years of war, which means I had wasted the past ten years."

King Louis closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and said:
"At least today, I don't want to lose anything else, so, let your monastery go to hell. I will let Buck take people to demolish it soon. As for the rest of your life, we will discuss it later. There are churches in the palace, although they have been abandoned for a long time.

Margaret, write a letter for me and convey my reply to Leon.
Scold him for me, rebuke him for me, curse him for me. Finally, in my name, invite the Regent of the Grand Duchy of Capet and the heroic lord of the Eternal Night to come to the Fog City at the appropriate time to attend William's crown prince ceremony.

I want to talk to him face to face.

If that traitor had the guts to stand before me!"

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This answer made the two ladies look at each other.

They knew that Louis had made his decision, choosing the one with the least possible impact among all the bad things that could happen.

This does not mean that King Louis swallowed his anger. He just suppressed his anger and released it at an appropriate time. But it is certain that after this incident, the Capet family will replace Transia as another enemy in King Louis' heart. But this does not prevent the king and his traitorous ministers from chatting and laughing in the court.

That's complicated politics.

If you are not willing to drink with every tiger, leopard, jackal and wolf who wants to tear a piece of your flesh off, then you will not find any friends in this world of fame and fortune.

The king sent his maid to summon his son to the garden. He took his little daughter's hand and walked and talked in this sunny area, comforting his poor little daughter who had just survived a disaster.

At the entrance to the garden, two relieved ladies sat in the gazebo enjoying afternoon tea as if nothing had happened.

"Sax is useless. The resources invested by the kingdom in recent years are not proportional to the returns. The mountain people have been making trouble all the time. Moreover, they have received support from the Transian Ancestral Forest. They have been truly armed and are becoming more and more aggressive and ferocious.

That is the kingdom's negative asset.

Louis had been planning to find an opportunity to get rid of it. When Count Lyon was ordered to go to the Scarlet Castle for negotiations, the Saxe region was the bargaining chip.

Therefore, in this matter, the only ones who really made Louis feel distressed were East Prussia and Catto. However, the Catto region had never been truly ruled by the kingdom. Even the children on the street there knew that the Capet family was the real "King of Catto".

As for East Prussia
It should have been the perfect border for the kingdom and the future frontier for the struggle with the Nords. However, after the rise of the Transians, continuing to own East Prussia became a risky thing.

Louis was able to make the decision so quickly not just because of our persuasion. Perhaps during his journey to the Songhai Empire, after he had truly come into contact with Murphy and witnessed the strength of Transia's army, he actually had this premonition and had done enough psychological preparation.

But as a king, he could not take the initiative to give in on such matters.

Perhaps Count Lyon's desperate attempt helped Louis solve his long-standing troubles, allowing him to no longer worry about revenge and war from the Transian people and focus all his energy on truly important things.

The world is big, bigger and richer than we realize, the treasures are out there, and Louis is determined to get his hands on some of them.

Oh, this man
It’s a real mystery.”

Margaret held the teacup in her hand and watched her husband carry their daughter on his shoulders. She smiled and said to Elizabeth, who remained silent:

“I only have six years left to live. Every day after that will be the last day I must live seriously. Therefore, I will not stay in Green Island for long. I have selected several excellent teachers for Bridget. I hope to see my daughter become the most outstanding lady in the kingdom before I close my eyes.

In the future, she might become a scholar and inherit the choice of the ancestors of the Lorraine family.

I hope you can take good care of Louis while I'm gone."

"I have a question, Margaret, and I want you to answer it truthfully."

Queen Elizabeth was flipping through her favorite book, Capetian Travels, and she whispered:

"What made you turn back from your wrong path? Was it really because of love?"

"Maybe it's because of fear."

The Countess drank her tea and said:

"I have always been insecure in the first half of my life. Louis was not the first man to swear to protect me, but he was the one who insisted the longest. I enjoyed the time with him. That is the life a person should live, instead of staying in the dark sewer and participating in things you are not interested in.

If I could do it again, I would never take that one-way trip.

This message goes to you, Elizabeth.

Congratulations on your timely extrication from a dangerous vortex, and wish you can accompany this man we love until the last moment of his life.

Louis still doesn't know the 'surprise' Murphy has prepared for him after his death.

Alas, he will eventually pay the same price for that war as Marshal Loren."

“That’s what I’m confused about.”

Queen Elizabeth put the book aside and said doubtfully:
"Governor Murphy could have used many methods to accomplish the punishment that the Transians wanted, even using such a shameless method as sending assassins, but he never did so."

"Are you wondering why Murphy is so restrained?"

The Countess laughed and asked:
"Do you really think Murphy cares about those past grudges? When he was transformed into a vampire, the Ten-Year War had already come to an end. Logically, he should hate the war that ruined his life, but what is the reality?

I even suspect that if the Transians' will for revenge had not been so strong that he, as the governor, could not ignore it, Murphy would probably not bother to spend time on these things.

He has a clear distinction between love and hate.

He hated Loren simply because Marshal Shortman had used the plague in Transia, he hated Wolfsbane because Cecilia had destroyed Cadman City, and he let me go, as I made clear, in large part because of Bridget's wonderful friendship with the Stranger.

However, at the dinner party of the Songhai Empire, he had a great conversation with Louis and the Wolf Girl, and even showed his admiration for Louis and the Wolf Girl, and that was not even a false disguise.

That man only has the future in his eyes; the past is not worth lingering on for him.

he.
He didn't care about these things at all, and acted like a rational bystander, making prudent decisions every time, never abusing his power but never giving in. He could have occupied East Prussia but he reached an agreement with the Count of Lyon so easily, as if he had thrown away a hot potato that he didn't care about at all.
I can't see through him, I can only say that he is another mysterious man. "

(End of this chapter)