Will the kemonomimi encounter Alien Ranch Story?

After they were seated, neither of them spoke a word for ten minutes due to extreme awkwardness, creating a very strange atmosphere.

Because she had to pretend to be a high-ranking noble (Talulah: What do you mean by pretending?), Talulah couldn't speak at length. She could only sit there, maintaining a mysterious and proper smile. Patriot held a halberd behind her, and there were two shield guards on either side as bodyguards.

The actual reading of the lines was handled by Alina, who served as an attendant. Alina's voice was soft and gentle, making it difficult to feel any dislike towards her. However... the content of the clauses she read was different.

"This is extortion!" the Letanian angrily denounced. "Utter extortion!"

"Mind your place!" The silver-haired Long Mei raised her head. Unlike the queen who grew up in the deep palace, she was someone who had actually fought on the front lines, led armies, and handled government affairs on the front lines. Her unique dignity made the other party's expression freeze.

Queen Victoria, the Lion Queen, wore a strange expression, as if she were seeing her grandmother in her youth. No, more like the majesty of her father.

"The invaders' accusation that the victims' legitimate claims are extortion is truly eye-opening in terms of the 'honor' of the Letanian nobles!"

This role of playing the bad cop was left to Talulah. All she had to do was act like a normal, arrogant, aloof, and damn arrogant nobleman who was in a high position.

To put it bluntly, in the past, during the era of aristocratic wars, the victorious nobles would humiliate the defeated prisoners in whatever way they could.

This brilliant arrangement completely caught Letania off guard. They had prepared numerous lines for their argument, many of which were meant to mock Kazdel as peasants, lacking noble blood and the spirit of honoring contracts. They also intended to use their distrust of the peace agreement as bargaining chips and to provoke the Kazdel.

In negotiations, provoking the other party is also a viable strategy. It allows the other party to be blinded by anger and make concessions that would be impossible when they are calm. Simply put, it focuses the other party's attention and anger on the issue that is deliberately raised, and then lets go after dragging the issue to a certain extent, thereby gaining compromises in other areas.

After all, a bull blinded by anger is unlikely to make any clear-headed judgments; it will only treat this humiliation as a bigger issue than the actual benefits in negotiations.

At the negotiating table, not only are soft words a trap, but being amiable is also an act.

Foul language is also a trap, and rudeness and barbarity are also acting skills. The ultimate goal is to gain profit. Everything else is just a performance, or even a deliberate loophole.

However, to everyone's surprise, Kazdel actually sent one of noble blood, which not only disrupted the entire plan but also created a burden for him.

Nobles have to follow noble etiquette. If the other person is of higher status than you, you have to be careful with your words—which really stifled Letania—she couldn't swear, she couldn't yell at them, and she couldn't attack their birth…

So now the pressure is on Letania.

Chapter 43 The Behavior of the US

Chapter 43

"We reiterate that Kazdel and Letania have no territorial disputes, and Letania should naturally bear the enormous losses caused to us by its invasion."

War requires a just cause. Even a country as domineering as the United States should at least have a tube of laundry detergent to show for it, right?

Letania's reasons include that the current border area is disputed territory, and that Kazdel's unauthorized expansion on the border without Letania's permission has led to the war.

Furthermore, the Sarkaz attack photos, which were found from who-knows-where, prove that Kazdel attacked Letania's border cities first, and then they were forced to retaliate.

"As is well known, the Sarkaz Kingdom does not have its own fixed territory, and Kazdel has never made any claim to sovereignty in history."

Strictly speaking, Kazdel was part of the Kingdom of Gaul, and Letania inherited the Kingdom of Gaul, so it naturally had the right to claim sovereignty over Kazdel's territory..."

Letania took the concept of "unreasonable and sophistry" to its extreme. However, there was a basis for it: the Sarkaz genuinely lacked a historically verifiable claim to sovereignty.

They are a predominantly nomadic people who gathered around the Demon King, and the present-day Kazdel was indeed nominally part of Gaul in the past, or more accurately, only a small part was called "Kazdel".

As for the other places, they were unclaimed lands that were later developed by the Sarkaz, and Letania seized this opportunity.

Because of Talulah, many of the previous points of contention are no longer valid, such as the "atrocities" of executing nobles and confiscating land, as well as the behavior of distributing land to the commoners, which is not in line with Terran tradition, and a whole host of other unorthodox acts.

Moreover, the biggest reasons for starting the war, such as manipulating the financial system, causing widespread unemployment among Letanians, and stealing jobs, are all untenable.

Because which noble hasn't had this experience? Saying that makes it easy for Letania to be in the wrong.

The reason they brought this up before was because they thought the other side was a bunch of peasants, except for Kal'tsit who had a knighthood, and what were the rest of them?

A former Ursus captain, a Northern outcast who only entered high society by marrying a Swire daughter, and a former evil spirit—these are all people with some status. And then what?

Former mercenaries, Sargon's wanted criminals, street thugs from the Great Yan, rebels and exiles from Ursus, and so on—what kind of lowlifes are they? How dare they manipulate finance and cause such heavy losses to noble nobles? Shouldn't they be punished?

However, now that the other side has somehow found a descendant of a red dragon, many of their attack points no longer exist. As a superior noble, one has the right to execute one's disrespectful vassal, especially the Mudblood nobles under Theresis's command.

As for the confiscation of land, there's not much to say. The only thing they can talk about is this territorial dispute or controversial land, which greatly weakens the Letanians' voices and makes them almost unable to have any impact on the other side.

"How ridiculous! If you insist on this, then let the King of Gaul speak with me. Also, let's settle the ransom issue for the captured Gallic noble officers at the same time." So you're playing the separatist card, aren't you?

Playing with historical factors, huh? Playing with some dubious "plea of ​​innocent, persecuted nobles," huh? Then let the Gauls talk to me, and we'll see who cries first!

If the descendants of the Gallic royal family were to actually come and discuss the ransom issue of the Gallic noble officers with Kazdel, it would drive Letania crazy.

After all, most of Gaul's territory had been annexed by Letania. Given the nature of the nobility, it's obvious to everyone that Kazdel would probably have the Gaulish royal family exchange this territory for the captured soldiers and noble officers.

Then, hehehe, we'll equip these people with weapons, and then exaggerate the efforts of the Gallic royal family and the remnants of the old regime.

They might even have Kazdel's elite troops fly the banner of the Gallic Restoration Army, which would be a huge leap of reason for Letania.

So, if you can't reason with this kind of rogue logic, you can't reason with this kind of robber logic either. The first premise of robber logic is that you have to be the strong one. At the very least, you have to have the confidence and reliance to not be beaten to death.

The problem now is that Letania doesn't have the confidence to do so. As a de facto defeated nation, they can only hold onto the occupied territories on the border and force themselves to negotiate in a manner that resembles negotiations between two equally matched nations.

"Alright then, the war isn't over yet, so there's no point in talking. Let's just let you formally surrender as a defeated nation when this war ends."

Without her noticing, Talulah had crossed her legs and placed her hands on her knees, which made Queen Victoria take another look at her. Where did she learn this pose?

It's not that there's a lack of manners, but this gesture can also be done very elegantly, but that's a common way for male aristocrats to express confidence.

Since the two sides couldn't reach an agreement, it was Victoria's turn to step in. Victoria's goal was to prevent Letania from suffering too many losses and to allow them to withdraw from the battlefield gracefully and end the war. Otherwise, if Ursus and Kazdel launched a pincer attack from the north and south, they certainly wouldn't be able to withstand it.

"In order to maintain peace along the border and reduce the damage caused by the war, both sides could choose to back down and end this conflict in a relatively dignified manner."

“They have submitted a declaration of war, so this is no longer a conflict, but a formal war. If you want a ceasefire, you have to sign a formal surrender document.” Talulah shook her head, rejecting Victoria’s attempt to smooth things over.

"This..." Victoria was also troubled by the issue of declaring war. Why would you be so reckless as to declare war when you can't beat them?

I don't usually see you being so particular about the rules, why are you suddenly being so particular about the rules this time?

While it's easier for an undeclared war to become a handle for Victoria after the war, it's also easier to cover up the defeat by calling it an armed conflict.

"Leytania cannot accept this agreement. The infected in Kazdel are oppressing innocent civilians in the area. They are harming good and innocent people, and if Kazdel continues to rule the region, more people will die under the oppression of those infected."

“Uh…” Talulah looked at Alina, who was also looking at her with a somewhat blank expression. Who was she talking about?

"Therefore, we can take a step back and establish a jointly administered zone in the border area. For this, Letania can make some concessions on the ransom issue."

However, Kazdel must protect Letania's special interests and related demands, relinquish its sovereignty claims over the region, and take responsibility for allowing infected individuals to infiltrate Letania's borders.

The Letanians' demands left even the Victorian nobles, who considered themselves masters of aristocratic shamelessness, speechless.

Bro, you're the one getting beaten up. Although you guys are still occupying this area, it's only a matter of time before you're kicked out if the fighting continues.

Victoria's purpose in mediating is to prevent you from suffering too much loss here and being unable to withstand Ursus. Did you not think before you made this request?

The answer is: I thought about it.

In theory, Victoria's compromise proposal was more in line with Letania's interests and could end this completely unsuccessful war in a relatively dignified manner.

However, if they went back with this compromise document, which was still a surrender document, everyone present would be condemned as a traitor.

Moreover, neither the emerging noble capital nor the traditional feudal lords of Letania, who have already invested heavily, would agree to this demand. Not to mention the military nobles who have almost borrowed money to participate in the war, they will not only receive no spoils of war, but also have to pay a huge ransom, which will immediately bankrupt them.

Even Letania itself could go bankrupt due to war bonds. Of course, there is a way to salvage the situation, which is to make up for the losses on Ursus, but Ursus is not an easy opponent either.

The key point is that, compared to the transformed, lush Kazdel, Ursus's southern border is still a damn wasteland.

There are quite a few mines, but their profits are clearly not as high as those in Kazdel, which is the same size.

In other words, for Letania, not taking a piece of Kazdel would be unacceptable for the country, for individuals, and even for the nobles, big and small. It's like a gambler who has lost everything but has borrowed chips in his hand. Do you think he would quit the game on his own?

For Kazdel, the ideal partner for the Doctor and his team was not Letania, but Gaul. The extinct Gaulish restoration forces would sign an agreement to support them in establishing a government-in-exile and then lease them the border territories to settle down.

After that, the Sarkaz were allowed to do what they used to do: invade Letania as mercenaries, seize the border cities and lands on the other side, and then return them to the Gauls. Under these conditions, the remnants of Gaul would be willing to sign any agreement, no matter how treasonous it was.

Then, the captured Letanian soldiers were handed over to the Gauls. The next step was to incite the Gauls to fight against Letania and split Letania. Ultimately, if a Gallo-Kingdom could be established, a regime completely supported by Kazdel would have no choice but to be dependent on Kazdel.

“Then we have nothing more to say. Let the guns and cannons decide the outcome on the battlefield. I believe you have the courage to continue fighting until we break every bone in your body.” Talulah stood up, gave the Queen a slight bow, and then left without any further courtesy.

The Victorians could only make a helpless gesture, without even trying to appease Letania, who could only express her dissatisfaction by walking out of the room, but to no avail.

What cannot be obtained on the battlefield is even less likely to be obtained at the negotiating table. In fact, after Talulah appeared, some Victorian councilors even considered changing their investment targets.

Victoria's fundamental interest is to contain Ursus, not Kazdel. Kazdel is close to the Great Yan and borders Rembiton and Iberia, so they cannot fully commit to westward expansion. But Ursus is different.

Ursus certainly has many neighboring countries, but Ursus's two generals, Winter and Mud, can ensure that it is difficult for others to penetrate its core area, giving it full initiative in the war, while Kazdel does not.

Whether it's the grasslands in the north or the plains in the south, they can be easily breached. Only the hilly and mountainous areas in the central region can rely on the terrain for defense.

Inciting Kazdel to weaken Ursus and inciting Letania to weaken Kazdel are the same as inciting Ursus, except that the former will cause an imbalance of power on the continent, with greater risks and costs, while the latter is relatively safer.

Now it seems that Letania has little value left, so why continue to invest in a gambler who has already lost everything?

Therefore, after the negotiations broke down, the Kazdale delegation did not immediately return. Instead, they received numerous banquets and visits from Victorian nobles, who were trying to gauge their attitude and bottom line.

Kazdel, prisoner-of-war camp, "The labor squad whose name I read came here to report."

The manager produced a long list, and the prisoners put down their tools and looked at him.

Since being captured, apart from the noble officers who suffered a lot, most of the Leitanian soldiers have hardly been tortured.

Of course, these Sarkaz are indeed rude and barbaric, resorting to beatings and various forms of corporal punishment at the drop of a hat.

But at least they did not arbitrarily execute prisoners or torture them without reason.

Basically, as long as you follow their rules and work honestly, you'll at most get a few sarcastic remarks or a couple of punches.

Moreover, food and other basic necessities were provided, which reassured most of the Leitanian soldiers.

If these Sarkaz don't get beaten or scolded, they'll be terrified for a while. Who knows if they're planning to massacre them?

"All the Gaulish prisoners are here, while the noble officers are on the other side."

"Yes, I understand." The officer nodded. "Return their weapons to them, then notify the Gauls to come and collect their people!"

After contacting the Gallic restoration forces through Kal'tsit's divine connections, the Doctor prepared to give Letania some trouble.

Faced with this generous offer, the Gallic restoration forces struggled for several days before finally sending someone to make contact quietly. While Victoria mediated, an agreement was reached.

Kazdel released all the captured Letanian soldiers and officers, and the Gallic Restoration forces claimed that it was their efforts that led to the enemy's release of these people, thus gaining the support of the Gauls and some Letanians.

Gallic soldiers would have their equipment returned and become part of the Restoration Army, while ordinary Letanian soldiers would be released directly. The Gallic Restoration Army borrowed a sum of money from Kazdel using the fertile southern forests of the former Letanian territory as collateral, to cover travel expenses.

By winning people's hearts in this way, not only will the original Gauls support them, but even the Letanians will support them.

After all, the inaction of the Letanian nobles and the efforts of the Gallic nobles are two completely different concepts.

As for the issue of the territories that were sold out, those lands were never in the hands of the Gaul Restoration forces to begin with; to put it bluntly, they were all enemy-occupied territories.

Without Kazdel's support, they wouldn't be able to get it anyway, so they might as well trade it for foreign aid.

Besides, it was originally Letanian land, so it doesn't matter if it's sold, right?