The doctor suffers from amnesia, but not complete amnesia.

Chapter 114 You Must Prove Your Worth to Evil Spirits

The old man's eyes dimmed for a moment, but the gloom did not linger; it was quickly replaced by determination.

"So, those there are descendants of the former King of the Victoria Red Dragons?"

"Yes, I guess he's the only one left. I also saw that ring—the key used to open the underground of Londinium, the resting place of the kings."

Qiao Yelan spread out his hands.

"This is probably the only real red dragon I've found in a long time—seriously, is King Gael's bloodline really that easy to hide? I feel like there's something fishy going on here?"

"Are you really sure that after King Gael was assassinated, his descendants who escaped from Londinium really escaped all the subsequent pursuit by Aslan and the unicorns—you should know how powerful that unicorn in the council is."

Wellington stroked his sword with its unusual hilt without uttering a word.

"Forget it, forget it. Anyway, we agreed back then that if I could find a red dragon with the surname Gale, you would do me a favor—that deal is still valid, right?"

"efficient."

The old man finally spoke.

"Alright then—if we really can't find it, do you want the Victoria Red Dragon or not?"

"When we really can't find it, using a Victoriadrak as a sacrifice to declare Tara's independence is a last resort—I still have decades to live, so help me find King Gael's bloodline first."

However, Wellington eventually relented.

"Well then—but seriously, after running around with Victoria, you're really not in a good position."

Qiao Yelan changed the subject, speaking in a tone that was half teasing and half joking.

"Hmph, I'm used to it."

Wellington's words weren't arrogant at all—as a Tara, he was genuinely used to being treated this way.

He was known as the "Iron Duke" because the windows of Wellington's residence in Londinhem were constantly being smashed by protesters outside. Eventually, he ordered his servants to replace them with all-metal shutters, and he has been called that ever since.

"The Victorians don't like you, and as for another group..."

The man raised his chin, gesturing towards the south.

"A Gaul? The Grand Duke of Normandy?"

Wellington frowned slightly.

"You two used to be friends."

"We only cooperated when we were beating Letania—there's no room for friendship during the Four Emperors' War."

His tone was as firm as ever.

"Just be prepared. I've received quite a bit of intelligence—there are serious issues with the steel trade volume in the Grand Duchy of Normandy."

“I have never let my guard down against him. Only those politically savvy Victorians would believe that the Grand Duke of Normandy has truly submitted to them.”

It was a biting sarcasm, but it was also true.

"Windermere, Normandy, Cavendish, and Caster, plus the Electors of Letania to the west... Are you sure that having enemies on all sides is really a good thing for your [Tara Restoration Plan]?"

Qiao Yelan asked slowly.

"This plan has been dragging on until now, and it's likely to continue to be dragged on for the foreseeable future. If you live after this country is established, nothing will happen. But if you die and lose the awe-inspiring name of the Imperial Death Knell, can the newly born Tara really withstand the wolves around it?"

"I will certainly take care of all this before I die."

"Kill them all? Conquer them?"

Qiao Yelan countered with a question.

"—Just like Victoria did with Tara and Gaul?"

The Duke of Wellington swallowed the rest of his sentence.

"...Do you have any good ideas?"

“I think you should try to use some non-military methods to deal with your relationship with your neighbors—Lungmen Dollar is a good starting point.”

"For your sake, I won't object to this Lungmen Coin, but I don't think it will be an opportunity for Tara."

The old man frowned.

The Duke of Wellington's economic abilities were probably slightly better than the Black Serpent's; at least he could understand things within his own territory—but that was about it.

"Trade and circulation—it doesn't feel good to patch up your fleet with the output of your own territory."

"Hmph, I'm not some warmonger who has to be responsible for the people in my territory! This is just the growing pains of a transitional period. Over the decades, the Duchy of Wellington has gradually become capable of supporting such an army."

"The cost is the decline of the military manufacturing industry. Even the high-speed warship production docks are now less than a handful usable. The senior ship engineers we have have to be leased out to earn foreign exchange. In a few years, I'm afraid we won't even be able to maintain the fleet."

Qiao Yelan ruthlessly burst that bubble.

"What exactly are you trying to say? Are you planning to cancel our deal? Wellington's senior engineers are one of a kind. If I could afford to support them, I wouldn't be lending them to you!"

Wellington glared at Qiao Yelan. If he hadn't been so weak-willed, he would never have done such a thing—watching the Ursus Empire's warships rampage across the battlefield, the most distressed person was probably not the attacked country, but the old man in front of him.

Those were originally his people, his fleet, his war!

But what could he do?

After the Four Emperors War, his identity as a Tara was inexplicably exposed, and the "Tara-Victoria Equality Policy" he had previously implemented in his territory was directly distorted and interpreted as a symbol of treacherous intentions and a plot to overthrow King Aslan's rule.

Well, strictly speaking, it wasn't a case of being distorted, but rather correctly understood.

This further fueled Emperor Frederick III's discontent with the Grand Dukes, who was already wary of them. He completely lost trust in the Grand Duke of Wellington, who commanded the strongest army, and allowed rumors and demonstrations within Londinium, as well as other Grand Dukes' attempts to ostracize Wellington.

The result of this was that the Duke of Wellington was forced to leave Londinium forever, no longer participate in any political decisions within Victoria, and instead stay within his Duchy of Wellington, focusing wholeheartedly on maintaining his fleet and territory.

To the north lies Windermere, another border duke; to the south, the Grand Duchy of Normandy, which harbors deep resentment; to the east, Letania, under the reign of the sorcerer King Hercules; and to the west, a coalition of hostile Victorian political forces.

Wellington felt a surge of anger whenever he thought about it. He hoped that the guy who had revealed his identity would be caught, and that he would be more than satisfied if he could just throw him into the main gun of his flagship and shoot him out.

Qiao Yelan frowned and suppressed the urge to sneeze.

Hmm, I guess I caught a cold from traveling so much between the north and south lately, with such large temperature differences.

The fact that Wellington's identity as a Tara person was leaked back then was actually a clever trick that Qiao Yelan provided to Frederick—the Qiao Yelan of that time never intended to dismantle Victoria.

At least not right after the Four Emperors' War ended.

The Great Tranquility of Iberia occurred in 1038. At that time, Qiao Yelan was unaware that such a terrifying power was hidden in the southern ocean. Therefore, the original plan for the Lungmen Coin was not intended for the Great Yan, but was actually intended for Victoria, which had a unique geographical advantage.

But that would require a powerful ruler to emerge in Victoria.

[Glory] Queen Elizabeth was indeed such a powerful ruler, but unfortunately she has passed away, and her son, Frederick III, remains to be seen.

The Four Emperors War was just the first step. Frederick III threw himself into the war without hesitation, which pleased Qiao Yelan. Therefore, after the war ended, he made one last test of Frederick—if the other party passed this time, he would help him integrate Victoria and establish himself as the hegemon at the center of the world.

That would expose the identity of the Grand Duke of Wellington as a member of the Tara tribe.

If Frederick III had been calm enough, he would have realized that this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—he would have the chance to bring Victoria's most renowned war commander and his elite army, the best in Terra, under his command.

All you need to do is continue to bestow titles upon the Duke of Wellington, and then reach a secret agreement with him—the Duke of Wellington's territory will be transferred to the newly incorporated Gaul region, while the Tara people will be allowed to migrate freely, and a promise will be made that the Tara will be allowed to become independent in the future, existing as a Victorian Union state with a high degree of autonomy.

Frederick III would gain a vast duchy with a strong industrial base and a well-functioning system, as well as the sworn loyalty of a legendary commander and his army—all he would have to give up were some newly conquered Gallic lands that were unlikely to fall into his hands, and the Tarra people who were already giving him a headache.

Even the local pacification problem that was difficult to deal with after conquering Gaul was solved, because the Duke of Wellington was willing to bear all the infamy and pay any price in order to open up new living space for the Tara people.

At the same time, including the Duke of Cumberland and the Duke of Windermere, there was no position for the Grand Duke of Normandy – Aslan would have complete control of more than half of Victoria's army, as well as almost all of its high-end forces, including the Steam Knights and the Wellington Fleet.

Given that the princes of Kast had just risen to prominence through the Colombian War of Independence and Gaudottin had been repeatedly crushed by the Iberian Navy in the Krasnodar Sea, how could they possibly have enough strength and courage to play any tricks of feigning compliance with Frederick III?

This is an opportunity given to him by Qiao Yelan, and also a test for him.

Unfortunately, he didn't seize the opportunity.

Frederick III chose the most politically motivated, and also the most foolish, approach – he chose to isolate the Archduke of Wellington.

He felt that excluding the Archduke of Wellington from the ranks of archduchesses was a victory, completely forgetting the saying, "The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Therefore, Qiao Yelan immediately gave up all expectations of him.

He turned to Emmanuel, who was then the leader of the resistance—now the Grand Duke of Normandy—and through sweet talk, taking advantage of the dukes' mutual obstruction and their shared fear of Wellington, he helped establish this deformed and enormous duchy in the south of the Duchy of Wellington.

Gaul's hatred for Victoria was also accumulating there, as a pawn that Qiao Yelan might use.

Of course, as a comrade-in-arms who had fought side by side during the Four Emperors War, Qiao Yelan, as a champion of justice, was filled with righteous indignation and felt it was his duty to "go to great lengths" for the Duke of Wellington, who was now surrounded by enemies.

Offering help in times of need is always more memorable than adding to someone's success.

Never mind who brought the snow, just tell me whether the charcoal was delivered or not.

At that time, the Duke of Wellington, who was completely unable to bear the pressure of military expenditure, grasped Qiao Yelan's hand with tears in his eyes.

After that, the blueprints for high-speed warships, the lathe equipment for factory construction, and the skilled workers for construction and repair—materials and personnel that were impossible to buy outside—flowed into Vladimir's territory through Letania, which was then signing a non-aggression pact with Ursus, under Qiao Yelan's secret arrangement.

The wheat, crude oil, red gold, and countless other supplies flowing out of Ursus also helped the Duchy of Wellington through its most difficult time.

As for why Vladimir was able to come up with so much money and supplies, that's because—

He won even more wars.

What, you think Qiao Yelan would pay for it himself?

As for how Vladimir transformed these resources so quickly into actual combat power for the Ursus army...

Wellington would never tell anyone why a large number of junior and mid-ranking officers and operations staff retired at the same time after he returned home, and why they did not return to their hometowns after retirement, but instead returned to their families several years or even decades later with countless riches and medals that were not awarded by Victoria.

Of course, sometimes, the only thing that comes back is a large sum of compensation.