Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

Chapter 41

In Victoria, at the council chamber, the sound of hurried boots echoed, followed by the forceful pushing of the wooden doors. The doors to the council chamber were exceptionally tall, with thick mahogany floors, reaching a height of about 6 meters, and flanked by reliefs of dragons and lions.

It is exquisitely crafted, but also extremely heavy. Normally, two dedicated servants are responsible for opening the doors.

The door was pushed open, and the furious Letanian envoy, barely suppressing his anger, greeted the noble gentlemen and then took his seat at the unique Victorian ceremonial round table.

Victoria's council style was based on the round table system. As the number of nobles increased, several arched seats were set up outside the round table, rising in tiers, directly opposite the Queen's throne, with people seated according to their rank.

This was one of the more important parliamentary reforms in modern Victorian times. It was important because it effectively curbed the behavior of nobles fighting and throwing shoes during arguments.

The Victorians were characterized by their ability to be both incredibly gentlemanly and incredibly thuggish, sometimes even more so than the gangs along the canals. This design meant that if something was thrown, it could potentially hit the Queen.

Objectively speaking, the Terran nobles, who were stronger than ordinary people because of their bloodline, had a positive influence when productivity was underdeveloped.

However, as Terra's industrial power gradually rose, various Originium devices, cannons, and giant ships were constantly destroying the foundation of this rule.

As the Queen's most noble bloodline, she was naturally quite powerful. Moreover, the true feudal aristocracy had one advantage: they still retained a martial spirit. As high-ranking nobles, swordsmanship, horsemanship, and even the use of newly emerging technological weapons were essential skills.

For example, one of the queens born into the Lion family was skilled in using the traditional broadsword and the Lion family's long-handled axe.

A hundred years ago, she could have single-handedly led her personal guards to fight her way in and out of the army seven times over.

Even thirty years ago, he could lead a charge and repel more than twice the number of enemies with his exceptional skill of wielding a musket with one hand while on horseback.

And now... we can take on five, no more than that, provided that none of those five people have Victoria's electromagnetic crossbow.

Otherwise, you can only fight one at a time. If you use one of the very few Supporter Rifles that have leaked from Kazdel, then you can't fight any at all—martial arts are meaningless in the face of fully automatic rifles.

Even Skadi, whose speed can approach the speed of sound, said that when faced with fully automatic rifle fire, she could only find cover and use the time while the opponent was reloading to get close and kill them. If there were more than two rifles that could suppress her alternately, then she would have no way to deal with it.

However, in any case, if something were thrown at the Empress, the person wouldn't even need to dodge; they could simply grab their ceremonial sword and charge in and out of the nobles. Given this situation, in order to protect the nobles and maintain the dignity of the royal family, this unique council chamber structure was designed.

However, the Letanian envoy who came seeking help had no interest in these anecdotes. He simply nodded politely to the gentleman who had shown him the Victorian council chamber and took his seat.

Since the Dragon Queen had lost power and did not attend the meeting, her throne, carved with red dragons, was empty, and the meeting was chaired by Aslan, the Lion Queen.

Therefore, it seems that Victoria's unique tradition of two queens ruling together is coming to an end. In a sense, it is not necessarily a bad thing for a country to have only one voice, especially in this era of great war.

Wearing a golden crown and holding a long-handled axe as a scepter, frankly, this image is a little rude.

However, considering the characteristics of girls from the Lion family, it is quite normal. Compared to the elegant Dragon family, the Lion family is obviously much more martial.

"Thump!" The Queen tapped the ground with the handle of her axe, announcing the start of the meeting.

"Your Majesty, how are you? What about the matter concerning Kazdel a few days ago?" The envoy had lost patience. If he delayed any longer, it wouldn't be Kazdel punishing him, but Kazdel punishing him.

“Victoria is also at war and can hardly spare any attention, and…”

The Queen looked at the "Hand of the King" (Prime Minister) on her right. The latter was also an Aslan, with his dark brown hair as unruly and flamboyant as all Aslans. His beard of the same color was connected to his hair, like a mane, making him look quite imposing.

“Victoria has already provided enough help to Letania, while Letania has done nothing for Victoria. Even if we add more, can you really solve Kazdel?”

"Enough help?" The envoy took a deep breath, barely managing to suppress the urge to beat the man by thinking that this was someone else's house and that if a fight broke out, they probably wouldn't be able to get out.

"What kind of help? Where were you when the Letanians fell like weeds on the land of Kazdel?"

“Mr. Ambassador, you seem to have misunderstood something. We have never intended to declare war on Kazdel. It was you who swore that it was nothing more than a shabby shed with a shiny exterior, which could be kicked down with a single step, wasn’t it?”

As a professional troublemaker, it would be strange if he could leave any ammunition for others to criticize, which immediately silenced the Letanians.

Indeed, Victoria joined Letania in declaring war, so it's already quite generous of them not to hold the Letanians accountable for dragging her into this mess.

However, without Victoria's hints and troop movements, Letania wouldn't have been so impulsive as to start a war.

Moreover, according to the agreement at the time, Victoria would provide assistance, and in return, Letania would be required to occupy or force Kazdel to make peace. As a beneficiary nation, Victoria would also have special interests in Kazdel.

Conversely, if Letania refuses to offer this special benefit, then Victoria will stop helping, and the more help Victoria provides, the greater the benefit will be—a part that Letania has painstakingly added a bunch of restrictions to.

They were absolutely certain that with Victoria's support, they could easily seize a large share of the profits by attacking from both sides. So, if Victoria were to inject capital midway and dilute their shares, wouldn't they be at a loss after fighting tooth and nail for so long?

"Furthermore, I remember we proposed that the boundary be based on the areas under our actual control, and the Letanians refused Victoria's help. How can it be that we didn't help them?"

This is also why Victoria remained inactive. On the surface, this agreement would be most advantageous to Letania if Kazdel were truly vulnerable, as it would allow them to leverage Victoria's influence, reap the biggest rewards, and prevent Victoria from expanding its power in the east.

However, when you're planning to ambush a seasoned troublemaker, it's best to consider whether you succeed or they turn the tables on you. Luckily, Kazdel is still quite capable.

Otherwise, Victoria would have to fund the other side, and it would be best to make Letania unable to hold on and give up some of its interests.

If Victoria agrees to "invest midway," and Kazdel proves to be exceptionally strong and drives Letania back, then Kazdel will suffer significant losses, allowing Victoria to reap the benefits.

What if Letania succeeds according to the original plan? Then Victoria won't lose out by sharing the benefits. After all, she wasn't the one fighting and dying in front of them. She only needed to chime in and take a break to get a share of the profits. Why not?

And if Letania really swallows up northern Kazdel, then Rembiton, Iberia, and southern Kazdel will have to unite. Then Victoria can stir things up again, and you'll see, the eastern front will be a balance of power on the continent, right?

"Ultimately, it's because your country's army is so weak and its retreat was so rapid that we couldn't come to its aid. It's truly..."

Aslan made a classic gesture: shrug, shake his head, and say, "I'm sorry, there's nothing we can do to help..."

This remark elicited a burst of laughter, but it also demonstrated that Victoria truly had no intention of getting involved any further.

Since Letania has proven that Kazdel is not to be trifled with, the probability of profiting from Kazdel is not high. Therefore, joining forces with Kazdel to take a loss from Letania is an option.

Of course, on one hand, they were allied with Kazdel to cut off Letania's flesh, but they couldn't cut too much, as they still needed them to resist the Ursus. On the other hand, they were allied with Rembiton to put pressure on Kazdel from behind, preventing Kazdel from rising and threatening eastern Victoria.

In short, Victoria is a friend to everyone, but not a friend to anyone. She is always willing to add to someone's good fortune, but she never offers help in times of need. In fact, she often does some "great good deeds" like "helping the weak and oppressed."

These words left the other party speechless. Kazdel might be a dilapidated house, but no one had ever said that a group of burly men were hiding inside. The idea that after kicking down the house, dozens of burly men would jump out and beat you up was something neither Letania nor Victoria had expected.

"However, Victoria can still do something for her allies," the Queen said. She had her clansman say this to put down the Letanian ambassador. He had gone to great lengths to persuade Victoria to send troops, even contacting the Dragon family, who had lost their power. This was something the Queen could not tolerate.

The Long family wouldn't mind using a war to regain their power. As for what Victoria's strategy has to do with them...

Of course, regardless of whether it's the dragon or the lion, and regardless of which one ascends to the throne or the previous dual-queen system is restored, the consistent policy of balancing will be implemented. The key lies in one point—

Before they came to power or were overthrown, they didn't care at all about going against tradition and betraying Victoria's interests.

"For example?" The ambassador finally felt a glimmer of hope, which was then ruthlessly extinguished by the Queen. "If we mediate for you, the worst outcome will be that you return to your starting point. Ideally, you can maintain your current area of ​​actual control." Letania cannot afford to expend too much energy in Kazdel; they still have to deal with Ursus.

"Mediation!?" The Letanians were finally able to accept this condition, after all, the worst that could happen was that they would gain nothing, and the best that could happen was that they could get something from Kazdel. As for whether they could be compensated for their losses, that was another matter.

However, given Victoria's attitude, there's no need to inform this "ally" of certain intelligence. Perhaps they would be more inclined to sacrifice Letania's interests after receiving the intelligence.

"Mediation?" The doctor looked at the letter and almost burst out laughing. "An enemy that has declared war on us is asking us to mediate the conflict between us and other enemies? How long has it been since I've heard such a joke?"

“I suggest you listen to this,” Kal'tsit said, arms crossed. “If possible, easing some of the border tensions will give us a breathing space in the larger war to come…”

However, before the higher-ups could make any decisions, the Sarkaz on the border heard about these events. This was information that Victoria deliberately spread, with the intention of turning these people, who were suffering from the ravages of war, into an ally in Kazdel to promote peace.

Under normal circumstances, after repeated back-and-forth battles, the border residents would have been exhausted and resentful of this newly established regime with no long history of rule. If handled properly, it could even have fostered a separatist force to separate Kazdel and Letania.

This weakened Kazdel and prevented Letania's expansion. Moreover, with such a buffer zone, many things could be manipulated. If Kazdel became too strong, they would unite with Letania to maintain these independent forces and try to carve out more territory from Kazdel.

The fact that Letania is too powerful has led to its support for the pro-Kazdel faction within it, which makes Letania feel threatened. This forces Letania to invest more in this buffer zone to contain Letania.

When necessary, they can be used as gifts to bring the two sides together and restrain Ursus. Since it's using other people's things as gifts, there's no way they're losing out.

However... even seasoned troublemakers can sometimes make completely wrong decisions due to habitual thinking.

Especially when dealing with forces whose ideologies differ greatly from his own, he was like Great Britain on Earth—he even miscalculated when it came to matters concerning a purely capitalist country like the United States.

"What?! Hand over our land and our people to those invaders? No way!"

The trenches were in an uproar. The news had indeed stirred up great resistance among the troops and towns on the front lines, and had also put the Doctor's grassroots organization and structure to a severe and terrifying test.

The difference lies in their demands. They believe that, given the past state of war and the constant warfare that has ravaged the land, the war-weariness of civilians on the front lines is rising, which would push Kazdel to accept an unfair treaty as the victor. If Kazdel does not agree, then to avoid further war, they might push for independence and neutrality to forcibly sever a piece of this land.

However, the reality is: "Go and report this to your superiors! We absolutely cannot do this; how can we face our compatriots back home!"

"That's right! I've been eating and drinking well every day and I've gained weight. You think you can take my house without a fight? Not so easy!"

"We absolutely disagree with this unfair treaty!"

"Who the hell came up with this bullshit peace proposal? Someone from your village? Believe me or not, I'll go and make peace for your whole family today!"

"Damn it! You barbarian, do you even have any sense of reason? If we break away, we'll lose our fertilizer and seeds, and the upstream reservoir will shut off the water. What will our village eat? Live off the Letanians? Have you been blinded by greed?! Who the hell slandered us? I'm going to challenge them to a duel!"

"Well, that makes sense—"

Those gentlemen sitting in the city might not know, but how could these native Sarkaz not know what this land used to be like?

Without the improved seeds and fertilizer provided above, we'll be back to eating mud like before in less than a year. What will we eat then? The Letanians or the Victorians?

As a result, the frontline command received tons of requests to join the battle. If discipline hadn't been maintained, junior officers would have deserted. Fortunately, the authorities quickly clarified the situation, stating that it was merely a mediation request from the Victorians and conditions from the Letanians. The higher-ups were still considering whether to accept the mediation, and even if they did, the Letanians would have to pay compensation!

"There's no such thing as winning a war and then losing money. But if you guys get agitated like this and give the Letanians an opportunity, then we might actually be the ones losing money."

This explanation finally persuaded the indignant ordinary soldiers and officers, as well as the leaders of various frontline villages and towns, to return home.

In some villages, the entire village, young and old, came with weapons, saying that if there were no soldiers at the front, they, who had previously gone out to plunder with the main force and knew how to fight, could fill in the gaps.

Under normal circumstances, it is difficult for residents of border towns to have a high degree of cohesion to the country, because the border line changes frequently. Today they are citizens of this country, tomorrow they are citizens of that country. In any case, they all pay taxes and produce grain, so it doesn't matter who pays the taxes.

The problem is, Kazdel is different. Although they pay taxes, the conglomerate and Kazdel's grassroots departments provide unique services. Like the previous argument—if we go independent, what will happen to our seeds and fertilizer? What will we eat?!

That's manageable, since they can still pay for it. But if the reservoirs on the border were to close their gates, given that the population of border villages and towns has more than doubled after several baby booms, wouldn't they start eating people?

Without water, the grasslands and farms will turn into deserts within a year. What will we eat then?

Should they eat Letania to stave off hunger or go to Victoria for food? These Sarkaz herders and farmers couldn't understand those grand principles of national righteousness. Even the Sarkaz soldiers in the army were mostly clueless. A sense of belonging to a country or a nation cannot be formed so quickly or easily.

But if you ask them about the problems of seeds, fertilizers, and irrigation after they become independent, they'll understand. That's nonsense. Anyone who dares to say they want to become independent or agree to this peace treaty will be beaten to death and thrown into the feed mixer to feed the pigs, let alone put pressure on the PhDs.

Of course, pressure was still applied, and this pressure turned into how to prevent the front line from launching a death charge. Although it was good that morale was high, the precedent of officers going off alone must not be set.

To alleviate this pressure, a large number of new television sets and communication networks were quickly deployed at the front, and many radios were also deployed. The next step was to announce Kazdel's peace terms.

First, Letania must cede territory from Kazdel. Kazdel doesn't require Letania to cede territory (since negotiations have failed), but reparations are mandatory, totaling 4.5 trillion LMD, with Letania allowed to pay in installments or as a customs deposit.

Secondly, Letania must hand over the war criminals who started the war to Kazdel for trial. Of course, to save face for Letania, the trial could be held in the neutral Lungmen.

Furthermore, Letania is prohibited from deploying more than 10,000 troops on its borders, and must notify Kazdel if reinforcements are needed.

Otherwise, it will be considered an act of renewed war, and Kazdel will immediately launch military sanctions against Letania.

In addition, there are some minor clauses that, from an overall perspective, seem somewhat harsh.

However, it was still a fair demand, since the defeated had no voice. In a sense, it left Letania with a semblance of dignity.

What if Letania disagrees? Then, of course, we'll make some tough moves: "If you don't agree, then we'll meet in Letania. The border people who have been hurt are more than happy to drag the murderer out of his house and hang him."

Of course, this was an exorbitant demand, and it's hard to say what the final settlement will be like. But at least it suppressed the intense emotions on the front lines, showed that the higher-ups would not betray anyone, and were even prepared to cut a piece of flesh for the enemy.

As for the issue of compensation, it was also announced in advance that the compensation received would be used in stages to build two large main railways and a large trading port on the border. Utilizing the abundant Originium resources on the border, new Originium refining and synthetic jade industries would be developed, which could provide more than 600 million jobs of various kinds for the border residents.

If it weren't for the fact that Kazdel's leadership consistently keeps its word, not only other countries, but even the border residents themselves wouldn't believe it—

At first, no one thought they would get a share of the compensation; they were just happy to maintain their previous welfare benefits—as for the dead? Dead people are normal!