Heart of the Castle

Chapter 430 Star mentor, eloquent

King Arthur XII's decision caused the important officials of the kingdom in the audience hall to look at each other in blank dismay. They all knew the temperament and disposition of His Majesty the King who bears the name of the Dragon King. The flame burning in his chest was not so much the king's Thoughtful, it is better to say that it is the blood and courage of a ranger.Arthur XII had always been unrestrained, and once he made up his mind, he would go his own way, and any persuasion would be of no avail. Therefore, although they all showed expressions of disapproval on their faces, no one expressed their opposition.

Li Wei was the only person in the audience hall who wanted to express his objection, but as soon as his body moved, he was grabbed by the shoulders of Grand Duke Raul who was standing beside him.Brother Wang's face was gloomy, and he shook his head slightly towards the Griffin Lord, his warning voice was as low as a mosquito humming. "Li Wei, Brother Wang has made up his mind. Don't think about being able to stop it. It will only arouse the anger of the Dragon King. Didn't you see so many important ministers in the hall, and no one spoke?"

"Then what should we do?" Li Wei frowned deeply and asked back, "Your Excellency, Grand Duke Raul, are you going to allow His Majesty to make such a hasty decision to conquest himself?"

"Of course not." Grand Duke Raul replied, "Brother Wang can't listen to other people's advice now, but it doesn't mean everyone is helpless."

Li Wei was still thinking about the meaning of Grand Duke Raul's words. Among the important ministers of the kingdom, the black-robed old man who had not expressed his opinion suddenly coughed and stood up from his seat. "Your Majesty, your decision is very wise. Although Xifeng County and the four southern counties fell, the people there will never be willing to endure the slavery of demons and the dead. As long as your majesty's banner is directed, they will definitely respond. King The news of His Majesty's personal conquest will surely terrify the demons and the army of the dead, and they will fall apart under your radiance, just like snow meeting the scorching sun in summer!"

Hearing the praise of the old man in black robe, Li Wei couldn't help the contempt in his heart. He shrugged his shoulders and said to Grand Duke Raul, "This is the person you call able to persuade and stop His Majesty? If I heard correctly, He seems to be flattering all the time, right?"

"The Star Mentor Satzi Enheer is indeed good at flattery, but what he is better at is euphemistically expressing what he wants to express." Grand Duke Raul explained in a low voice.

Sure enough, Satzienhell lived up to expectations and continued to praise with a mellow and wise voice, but the meaning in the words gradually changed subtly. "However, your majesty's actions should not be taken too hastily! You shoulder a huge burden, and the safety of the whole country depends on your majesty. You are responsible for the millions of people in the kingdom, and you are also responsible for the foundation of the kingdom for generations to come. Especially when When this country is in crisis, you should take care of your health. Your Majesty, you are not shy away from difficulties and willing to take risks. Although you have achieved the reputation of being a brave and invincible Dragon King, if anything happens, not only Xifeng County and the four southern regions The county falls into the hands of evil, and even the whole kingdom will be in jeopardy!"

There was no sound in the entire audience hall, except for the eloquent speech of Satzi Enher. He analyzed the pros and cons of the immediate royal conquest in a clear and coherent manner, and every sentence he said was so eloquent and thought-provoking.In front of the wonderful speech that Satzienhell came with the turbulent flattery, Arthur XII was finally persuaded by him, or he was tired by him, walked back to the throne, and then sat on it , mumbling helplessly.

"Well, Master Satien, your words are always so reasonable." His Majesty the King admitted, "I was persuaded by you that the personal conquest can be postponed, but you must immediately come up with a countermeasure for me. I will never allow the kingdom to sit idly by. The territory of the country is ravaged by evil!"

"The countermeasure is to let the Death Knights attack. Your Majesty, the Magic Mountain family has never failed your expectations. What was able to be done in North Orla back then, can be done in the four southern counties!" Earl Gregor said in a rough voice. Say.

"No, please let the Stilwell family take the blame and meritorious service. I am willing to recapture the line of defense. If not, let me die on the battlefield!" Count Leonardo stood up, shaking his sword clangingly, his face It's flushed red.

"In my opinion, it's better to wait for the news." Bamilian, the chief of the palace, also joined the discussion, "The members of Sleepless Eye have already set off for West Wind County and the four southern counties. As long as we wait patiently for a while, maybe a day or two There will be some good news coming later.”

"Wait?" Arthur XII said in a very unhappy tone, "The people of the kingdom will not be happy to hear this news. Westwind County and the four southern counties are in dire straits, and they are eager to see the rescue army as soon as possible. "

"Looking up at the light in the abyss, repenting of sins in sorrow, and praising our Lord Flandara." Cardinal Enoch Sebasta said in a compassionate tone. "They can pray to our lord, as long as they have the protection of the lord of light, Flandara, they can persevere."

"It's best not to say such things, Your Excellency the Cardinal." Fire Wizard Juno Ann Merister opened his eyes and said sarcastically, "What we are discussing here is a good strategy to deal with the current situation, not listening to your preaching."

After these words, there was silence in the audience hall, because everyone didn't know what to say.The fall of the west and south of the kingdom came too suddenly and without warning.Cities at the county level have established branches of the Mages Guild, but the few magisters in the south have not heard from them, and even the most vigilant Sleepless Eyes have not sent back a single word.It's as if there is a huge and thick fog lying there, completely blocking all news, making people feel a sense of oppression that can't breathe.

The torches on the walls on both sides crackled and crackled, the flames flickered, and the hall gradually dimmed.The palace servants hurried past, some replaced the torches that were almost burnt out, and some brought up the wine that had just been boiled and added a lot of spices, refreshing His Majesty the King and the important officials.However, except for Earl Gregor, no one expressed interest in the wine on the table, and the important ministers were all thinking about countermeasures—or, at least, pretending to be thinking about it.

Outside the window, the two moons were shining together, like two huge sea ships floating between the towers of the Ashes Fortress, spilling blood-red and silver-white moonlight on the open-air square of the royal palace and the audience hall.The nobles gathered there have been waiting for nearly three hours in the winter night. Although the climate in Fermeyer is quite warm compared to the northern region, and the night is clear tonight, it is definitely not so cold.But still it was unbearable for these pampered and wealthy sons and nobles, they rubbed their hands, stomped their feet, complained to each other about bad luck, cursed the damned devil, and more hated against those stupid hillbilly lords in the west and south.In their view, it was already a sign of incompetence for these hillbilly lords not to be able to hold their own land, and it would be even more sinful to let themselves be frozen in the cold wind and moon.

Contrary to the helplessness of the important ministers of the kingdom in the audience hall, the honorable children in the square outside have a thousand tricks and [-] good strategies to deal with the current situation, although most of those clever tricks and good strategies come from the heroes of the tavern bards Epic and Old Nan's bedtime stories, but it still didn't prevent them from gathering together in groups of three or four, discussing the situation in full swing.

These aristocratic children were all spitting, as if those demons and the deceased were like dirt and rotten wood, they could only run away in front of them, and let them get a lot of brilliant achievements.The successful example of Li Weiston made the hearts of many young aristocrats burn with fire. There is no reason why the noble sons of the royal capital can't do what a country bumpkin can do.

In the audience hall, His Majesty the King's face was covered with irritated anger. Looking at the silent ministers of the kingdom, the irritability became even more unbearable.He once again set his sights on the map in front of the throne. The exquisite and detailed map of the kingdom was spread on a table made up of several tables, surrounded by bright candles, showing every detail of the scenery on the map. .

If you use a non-serious metaphor to describe it, the shape of the Kingdom of Arthur is like an upside-down pear. The huge and round tail is the vast and barren northern county, and the capital of King Fermeyer is located in the middle. The tallest and most succulent places are the four southern counties.The land area of ​​these four counties is relatively small, but most of them are fertile plains, especially Queensland City in Ruhr County, known as the first granary of the Kingdom of Arthur, and the total grain output of one city reaches the entire kingdom. more than a tenth of that.

The pressure brought by the fall of the four southern counties to the Kingdom of Arthur was far greater than the loss of the country's land area. Although Arthur XII was not a very competent king, he was definitely a talented commander.When the news came, they immediately realized that this was a more serious situation for the Kingdom of Arthur than the demons attacking the city of Firmeyer.The necessity of immediately recapturing the four southern counties, and especially Queensland City in Ruhr County, is unmistakable.However, King Arthur XII was also very clear that the kingdom was not ready for a full-scale war at present, and rashly conquered in the absence of intelligence. If it failed, it would indeed bring more dire consequences.

This feeling of powerlessness made the Dragon King's heart burn with anger. He looked around the audience hall again, and then he threw himself into the throne, the armor and the solid back of the chair made a loud clang.

"It's useless, it's useless, it's all useless!" His Majesty the King waved his hand irritably, and swept everything next to the throne to the ground, making a loud noise. "Waste time and miss the opportunity to fight, it's not much better than attacking rashly, since this is the case... Bamiliyang!"

The palace steward hurriedly walked into the throne, bowed and saluted, "Your Majesty, Bamilian is waiting for your orders."

"Three days, I only give you three days, mobilize all the power in your hands, and at all costs, you must get the situation of the four southern counties! The more detailed the better!" Arthur XII said in a tone With undeniable coldness.

"Yes, Your Majesty." Bamilian replied without hesitation.

"Earl Gregor, Marquis Reeves!"

The sound of armor plates colliding with each other was heard, and then the two important officials left their seats, knelt on one knee, and replied in unison, "Your Majesty, I am waiting for your orders!"

"In the same three days, I want to see the Death Knights and the army of the Dreadfort make all preparations for the expedition, and then rush to Firmayer!"

Marquis Reeves's sharp eyes flashed in the deeply sunken eye sockets, and then he replied seriously. "Yes, Your Majesty." Earl Gregor seemed even more excited, he jumped up from the ground almost immediately, "Great, Your Majesty, the Black Death will not disappoint your expectations, his scythe will be stained with demons Blood!"

Arthur XII's face remained unchanged, but Li Wei found that he looked at Count Gregor with a hint of approval, but when he turned to Count Leonardo, he became stern again. "Count Leonardo, you leave here now and rush to the Thunder Light Knights' station! Do you know what your mission is?"

"Your Majesty, I know!" Earl Leonardo replied in the loudest voice possible, "My mission is to reorganize the Lightning Knights and regain the defense line occupied by demons!"

"All signs of cowardice and uncleanness must be eliminated, with iron and fire, no matter who it is!" Arthur XII warned him sternly, a golden ice flame seemed to be condensing in his eyes. "If I am still disappointed by the combat effectiveness of the Lightning Knights when I arrive at the front line, then your current status as a minister of the kingdom will be replaced by someone more competent!"

"Yes! Your Majesty! Leonardo Stilwell swears here, the gods are above, and Tomica, the god of the sky, testifies that the Lightning Knights will go to regain the defense this time, and they will die if they win!"

Hearing Count Leonardo make such a stern and decisive oath, the coldness in His Majesty's eyes was finally melted a little, and then he turned to other important ministers, his piercing gaze swept over every face. "Now, everyone, follow me out and meet Firmeyer's aristocratic elite!"

The door of the audience hall was opened, and a cold and fresh night wind swirled in, blowing the torches on the walls on both sides for a while, and the hall became darker, as if the dark night had already passed. Like infiltration.Arthur XII pressed the hilt of his sword and strode out against the cold wind, followed by the slender Marquis Osiris.Then came the tall and mighty figure of the Earl of the Magic Mountain, and the haggard and resolute Marquis of Reeves.Cardinal Enoch Sebasta walked in the back position with slow and solemn steps, while tilting his head and talking softly with the fire wizard Juno Ameriste.

Afterwards, calm was restored in the audience hall, only Count Leonardo remained kneeling in front of the throne, and his whole body was frozen like a stone statue.Li Wei, who had already walked to the door, accidentally saw his figure, with a trace of hesitation on his face, and then stopped.

"Lord Li Wei, what happened?" Grand Duke Raul couldn't help asking strangely when he saw Li Wei stop.

"It's nothing, I just think..." Li Wei said with some uncertainty, "Earl Leonardo is about to go to the front line to fight against the evil disaster, and I want to tell him something about the demon army. Once the demon army gathers After a certain amount, the combat power is very terrifying, and it is by no means something that inexperienced people can imagine out of thin air."

Grand Duke Raul could hardly hide his surprised expression. He carefully looked at Li Wei's expression until he was sure that the young lord was not joking. "Master Li Wei, your starting point is good..." A half-smile appeared on Grand Duke Raul's face, he sighed and shook his head and said, "Unfortunately, I don't think Earl Leonardo may be able to be thoughtful. Listen to your advice, his arrogance will make him misunderstand your kindness, which is... mocking his ignorance."

There was a bit of bitterness on Li Wei's face, "You are right, Your Excellency Grand Duke Raul, but I still want to try." Then he walked up to Count Leonardo, although his steps were a bit heavy, but firm Incomparable, without hesitation.

"Father, isn't Li Wei too stupid to do this?" Knight Hyde looked at Li Wei's back and shook his head in disapproval. "He obviously has a grudge against Earl Leonardo. Why do you still try to help him at this time? Could it be that..."

"Shut up, Hyde." Grand Duke Raul interrupted him with a low growl, "You don't have to learn from him, because what he did is futile, but you can't laugh at him either!" Looking at Sir Bona and Knight Hyde, they were a little dazed Grand Duke Raul said word by word, "Because this is the quality that a true knight should have." His voice gradually became lower and lower, and the last voice was like a raving, "...Politicians are not worthy. Laugh at the knight..."

In the end, Li Wei still failed to convince Earl Leonardo, but was pushed away by him, almost falling over.After Earl Leonardo left the hall with angry steps, Li Wei came out a little disappointed.I just heard the last words of His Majesty Arthur XII, "...I order that after three days, assemble the army and prepare to go out!"

"But...Your Majesty, the time is too short. Three days is not enough to put the whole kingdom in a state of battle, and the army of the nobles cannot be assembled." Sach Enhell once again demonstrated his eloquent skills , "There is also the collection and transportation of supplies and supplies, and the formation and training of auxiliary troops. These are not things that can be accomplished overnight. Your Majesty, I don't think it is too hasty. If you have a week, you must be able to prepare better."

But this time, the persuasion of Instructor Xingchen had no effect.Arthur XII stared deeply at the night sky, the silver and red moonlight intertwined on his face with a gloomy sternness. "If anyone puts luggage and provisions above the kingdom, let him come after a week!"

These words caused a hurt expression to appear on Satzien Hell's face, and the star teacher took a step back and bowed deeply. "Since that's the case, Your Majesty, as you wish."

The iron gates of the Ashes Fortress lifted up with a creaking sound, and the noble children and orderlies on horses almost rushed past the spikes below, and the streets and alleys of Fermeyer were followed by the sound of hurried hooves. .Countless carrier pigeons flew up from the tops of the seven guard towers, flapped their wings in the air, and spread out in all directions, delivering the king's orders to every corner of the kingdom.This night, there was commotion and uneasiness everywhere, and many voices were repeating the same sentence.

"The king has an order. After three days, assemble the army and prepare to go out!"

(End of this chapter)