Miss Wang Weina, even your cousin won't do!

“But His Highness Wayne is still in Colombia. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered, let alone a group of audacious traitors!” Arthur raised his voice slightly to explain. “We should prioritize the safety of His Highness the Prince of Wales!”

"Well....."

Ernest was momentarily speechless. He realized that at this point, unilaterally starting a war didn't align with Vina's mission of "rescuing the Prince of Wales." However, being so refuted by his old subordinate made him somewhat embarrassed. He could only give Vina an apologetic look, silently taking a step back to indicate his concession and obedience.

Vina sighed helplessly.

This is probably why the older brother wanted to reform the Victorian army. Although Ernest was an excellent general, he was not perfect and had his own shortcomings. His shortcomings included being impulsive, somewhat impatient, and too stubborn in his own judgments, making him not very receptive to the advice of others.

This problem became more pronounced as he aged. In peacetime, this flaw might not be a big deal, since Vina and Wayne could be considered as a last resort. But what about on the battlefield? An impulsive general, in situations where there's no time to report to the rear and judgment is required on the spot, could make rash decisions that could lead to the annihilation of an entire army.

Ernest and the Norfolk are ultimately politicians who came to politics later in life. Accustomed to using force, they still have a long way to go on the path of political maneuvering and compromise. But Victoria is moving forward very quickly, and if he moves too slowly, he might be left behind.

Hopefully, he can put in more effort.

Vina turned her gaze to Winster, who was at the very end. Winster had been silent for some time, and only now did he finally speak:

“I tend to support Mr. Arthur’s idea, but it’s still not safe enough, nor does it adequately demonstrate Victoria’s inviolable authority. I think we should take a bigger step.”

Vina raised an eyebrow: "Oh? Tell me more."

“Your Majesty, I think that mere border friction is not enough. We should give the Colombians two choices: release the people or hand over the city.”

“The Unicorn will protect Prince Wayne in secret. The military can send a portion of its forces to intercept and surround the Columbian mobile cities near Victoria’s territory. I remember there are seven Columbian cities near Victoria, so give them seven days. For every day less, we will destroy one city.”

“Destroy?” Vina asked, somewhat surprised. Winster shrugged, answering matter-of-factly:

“Destruction is not necessary for Victoria to regain its former allegiance; the great empire must maintain its own position.”

Is this the reason for killing so many people in so many cities?

Vina still couldn't quite accept this, and she shook her head:

"Let's do it your way, change destruction to takeover. The people are innocent. Victoria's greatness lies not in slaughter, but in forgiveness. Rather than building an empire on a knife's edge, bearing the danger of being pierced by the blade, I would prefer Victoria to be built on law and morality. That's settled."

Vina finalized the plan, and the three of them bowed in approval. No one noticed the satisfied smile on Winster's lips.

Your Majesty, you've passed the test.

He glanced at Theresia, who sat silently listening by the window. Winster had assumed that this demon princess would convey to Her Majesty the same unhealthy vengeful ideas as her brother. After all, the newly appointed head of the Kazdel branch of the Military Academy, Theresis, was described in the Unicorn's investigation report as an out-and-out militarist and nationalist.

Therefore, although he also knew from the investigation report that Theresa and her brother had always been at odds, he was still somewhat worried about Theresa staying by Her Majesty's side, but now it seems that he was worrying too much.

Theresa, a demon, a Sarkaz, is a sister to a brother, yet they possess two completely different ideologies—it's truly amazing.

Is this why His Highness Wayne has taken a liking to you?

In the hearts of those who have lived through the Terran era, the Sarkaz people's reputation has risen slightly.

Chapter 53 Chianti: Me and My Final Backstab (4k)

Colombia, Federal Parliament.

Aside from the busy election season each year, members of parliament don't have much to do on a daily basis. Their work mostly consists of arguing with opposition members in the parliament building or figuring out how to make more money.

Some time ago, because of the preparations for the technology expo, it was necessary to present the image of the Columbian community working together in unity to the whole of Terra. The council was quiet for a while, but now that the expo has officially started and Rhine Labs has set a trap, they have naturally started arguing again.

There are many reasons, but the main one is the unequal distribution of spoils.

The "donkeys" felt that since they were the ones who came up with the idea of ​​checking and controlling Loken Water Tank and supporting Rhine Life, they should naturally get the lion's share of the money, as is customary.

But the "elephants" felt that although the idea came from you, they were the ones who had been busy with all the work. It would be too inappropriate for you to get the meat while they only got some leftover soup, so they refused very decisively.

The two parties argued for almost three days, to the point that Rhine's life was nearly exhausted, yet neither party came up with a mutually satisfactory cooperation plan. Such administrative inefficiency, if it were in Victoria, would have long ago led to him being labeled a traitor hindering the nation's development and systematically purged by the Unicorns.

Unexpectedly, when the chief judge entered the parliament building on time today, intending to announce the "opening of the market," he found the parliament hall shrouded in a strange atmosphere.

"What's wrong, gentlemen?"

The chief referee sat down in his seat with a puzzled look, glanced at everyone in the prototype venue, and asked curiously,

"Could it be that you all have already come up with a solution to the problem before I did? Then I'd like to hear it carefully."

The gentlemen in the council hall looked at each other in bewilderment. After a long while, and just as the presiding judge was starting to get a little anxious, one of the councilors finally spoke:

"...No, Your Honor, don't you know what happened last night?"

What happened last night?

The chief judge fell silent. What had happened last night? After the parliamentary session adjourned, he went home to change his clothes, and then received a Sargon Pasha who was visiting a technology expo in Colombia. It must be said, the Sargons were indeed barbaric; the Pasha's gift to the chief judge was a camel far larger than usual. Although such camels were supposedly kept in the Pasha's palace, and ordinary people considered it an immense honor to even see one, and were incredibly valuable, the chief judge had no use for it. Such an international gift couldn't be sold on the market; it would ultimately remain as a pet.

As a result, the chief referee had to build a garden for it, which was a huge loss for him.

After that, he saw Pasha off, lied to his wife that he had a social engagement that evening, and went alone to an underground arena to watch a deathmatch between Sarkaz slaves. Finally, he spent a fortune and returned to the inn satisfied, called a prostitute, and spent a pleasant night.

Because he was afraid his wife would find out, his personal cell phone was always switched off, and his work phone... who would be thinking about work while doing that kind of thing? Colombians have always prided themselves on "perfectly separating work and life."

"So, what happened?"

"There's been some trouble at the New York Stock Exchange; Rhine Life has been acquired."

"Huh?" The chief referee opened his mouth wide and quickly asked, "Who acquired it? The military?"

In his mind, the only force in Colombia with the audacity to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat in the political arena was the military. But he truly hadn't expected the military to act at this crucial moment, and specifically choose Rhine Labs.

How did they manage to do that? When did these brutes start plotting like this behind our backs? Are they trying to completely sever ties?

The chief referee immediately declared: "We cannot tolerate the cooked duck flying away when it's already in our grasp!"

"Initiate an inquiry with the military and demand that Rhine Labs be returned to us; it was ours!"

“But not the military…” the senator explained. “The person who bought Rhine Life was a Victorian businessman. The military seemed to want to make a move, but they were thwarted by Victoria.”

Victorians, how did this involve Victorians again?

The chief referee felt like he was going crazy. He had only relaxed for one night, so many things had suddenly come up. Rhine Labs, the cooked duck, had flown away. All signs indicated that the military had planned to hijack the political scene, but in the end, even they failed to do so. The two sides fought over the other, and the one who benefited was actually the Victorians who had somehow gotten involved.

The referee was furious, but reason told him it was time to calm down. He rubbed his forehead, sat down in his seat, and asked:

"Is there any way to get Rhine Labs back? Spending some money is no big deal; Rhine Labs is a very important piece in our game."

To support Rhine Labs in the face of Loken Tank's monopoly, they spent far more than a small amount of money. The connections of the councilors, the interests of various parties, the compromises made by the monopolistic oligarchs—the costs of ensuring Rhine Labs grew at their pace were immeasurable. Giving up now would mean sunk costs far too high.

The political world is like a gambler who has overconfidently invested too much in this seemingly sure-win game, and now that someone is telling him he has lost, he absolutely cannot accept it unless a gun is pointed at his head.

"That's the problem."

The congressman who had spoken sighed, his expression conflicted.

“Our people can’t get close to the New York Stock Exchange right now; it’s been sealed off by the military.”

"A blockade? What gives them the right?" The chief judge exclaimed, his eyes wide with disbelief. "They didn't submit an application to the federal congress, nor did they submit a contingency plan to the New York State government. What gives them the right to block the financial exchange? Do they even know what the consequences of doing this will be!"

A blockade is a terrible decision! Didn't those reckless fools consider the devastating damage a blockade of a financial exchange would do to its hard-won reputation?! Without the ability to maintain fair, free, and secure trading, how can Colombia ever establish itself in Terra's financial markets? The small share they painstakingly acquired from Lentinium will have to be returned intact!

The brigadier general had actually considered this. But the problem was, he was just a brigadier general. The military is a violent institution, and expecting a violent institution to merely "arrest two people" after being deployed is absolutely impossible. A tiger released from its cage, with no blood on its teeth, how could it obediently return to its lair?

"Their reason was that the Victorian businessman was carrying weapons of mass destruction."

The congressman replied,

"They refused to withdraw their troops."

"Damn it!" the chief referee cursed. "Send someone to the military to negotiate, defining this as a counter-terrorism military operation. Use our media channels to release this information. We're only giving them one day. If it's not resolved within a day, get out of here immediately. Otherwise, don't blame us for being ruthless... Also, send someone to the Victorian embassy to inquire about their stance. Remember, be tolerant. We can't afford to offend them..."

Before the chief judge could finish speaking, the doors of the Federal Parliament were kicked open. A man wearing a top hat and carrying a black scepter carved with a lion statue strode arrogantly into the parliament hall.

The person who came was none other than the ambassador from Victoria to Colombia.

"You don't need to look for me, I'll come to find you."

He glanced at the councilors who were puzzled, shocked, and somewhat guilty by his sudden appearance, chuckled, and then suddenly shouted angrily:

"You guys are in deep trouble!"

"Sir, please explain clearly, what serious trouble have we gotten ourselves into?"

They were being confronted directly, and although he felt guilty, he was even more embarrassed. The chief referee had no choice but to bite the bullet and step forward to ask.

Ambassador Victoria gave a cold laugh:

"You imprisoned a Victorian citizen at the New Amsterdam financial exchange?"

The chief referee's face darkened, and he retorted:

"Please watch your words, Mr. Ambassador. This is New York State in Columbia, not New Amsterdam in Victoria! As for the matter of the Victorian citizen you mentioned, I was just about to send someone to the embassy to inform you..."

The referee took a deep breath. At this point, even if it was just to save face for Colombia, he had no choice but to bite the bullet and cover up the mess the military had made.

"According to the investigation results of our military, there is sufficient evidence to suggest that your so-called Victorian citizen may be carrying weapons of mass destruction and went to the financial exchange with the intention of carrying out an illegal, inhumane, and heinous attack on an important location in our country. Our military has sealed off the exchange to protect Colombia's security. We ask that you exercise restraint and await the results of our investigation."

Perhaps the ambiguous phrases "waiting for the result" prevented the chief judge from making a definitive statement. He didn't know who the Victorian merchant was, but judging from the Victorian ambassador's angry expression, the merchant was likely quite influential, possibly even a figure or relative within the core city of Londinium. Such a person couldn't be completely offended, but Rhine Life couldn't be left unclaimed. Now, there was only one solution.

That means letting the military arrest him first, then having the political establishment negotiate with him, intimidating him to get him to hand over Rhine Labs, and then having the political establishment and the military jointly provide him with compensation to appease him. Finally, explain to the public that it was all a misunderstanding, just grab a death row inmate from prison to take the fall, and expel a few Ursus diplomats to divert attention. That should be about it.

But for some reason, after hearing the judge's official remarks, Ambassador Victoria not only didn't soften her stance, but instead laughed in anger, pulled out a recording pen from her pocket, and waved it at the judge:

“I have recorded all your statements. As the chief judge of the Federal Assembly, I have the right to believe that your statements represent the decision of the entire Colombian Federal Assembly.”

"Your Honor, you are truly a man of great courage. This recording will be released to all of Terra at a press conference held tomorrow on Victoria National Television, serving as irrefutable evidence that your Colombian Federation has not slandered, persecuted, or humiliated the Prince of Wales of the Victorian Empire!"

He sneered and growled:

"The end is near for Colombia!"

After saying that, he turned around and slammed the door shut as he left.

Behind him, the chief referee stood frozen in place, scratching his ear, his pupils contracting, taking a deep breath, and looking at the surrounding councilors, asking incredulously:

"My hearing hasn't been very good lately, so I must have misheard. Did you all hear clearly what the ambassador just said about who the Victorian was who was surrounded by the military?"

A deathly silence fell over the hall. No one dared to speak and say they had heard clearly. At that moment, the council hall seemed to have more than a hundred deaf people.

Seeing that no one answered, the chief referee had to sift through his overloaded brain to recall memories from a few minutes earlier, repeating:

"Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales, Prince of Wales..."

"Can someone translate for me, which businessman is the Prince of Wales?"

His face suddenly contorted, his beard, mouth, and eyebrows furrowing together. The next second, a roar nearly lifted the roof off the parliament building:

"Can someone please translate this for me? The Prince of Wales is a damn damn businessman from that damn company!!!"

The chief judge roared and questioned, not noticing the file that had fallen to the ground with his gesticulating gestures. The file described Wayne as an "ordinary Victorian businessman," and was signed by: Columbia Silicon Valley State Representative – Chianti.

..........