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There is also a mysterious faith in the Shepherd of All Things waiting for you to discover!

The other "Eagle of the South", the Archbishop of Miragliano, is obviously not a heretic enough to do such a thing. He might as well hang himself and go to see for himself whether Mirmidia is still there.

Therefore, in order to deal with this crisis, he had no choice but to launch a grand holy war to pull back Estalia, who seemed to be about to (in fact had already) changed his allegiance, and first ensure that the castle would not be breached by outsiders, and then consider whether it could defend against future earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions and the like.

This time, the Grand Council will most likely decide the future direction of the relationship between the two countries. In simple terms: peace or war?

The church is obviously a staunch hawk, because what Aiel is doing is digging up their roots. A church "without" gods, or a church where gods no longer interfere in the mortal world and do not bless or protect their believers, obviously cannot defeat the various monsters and demons in the medieval world. In a better scenario, if beliefs like Mannan and More take over and become the mainstream, the War Church may have a relatively decent ending.

If the Empire's God-Emperor faith squeezes in and takes over, you should know that those fanatical bald heads are all quite hostile to Myrmidia, because they believe that there has only been one mortal who has ascended to God from beginning to end, the Eternal Lord of All Hosts, the God-Emperor Sigmar.

But the War Church believed that Myrmidia also ascended to God from a mortal, which "tarnished" the uniqueness of the God-Emperor. The Grand Master of the War Church in the Northern Empire initially planned to set up his headquarters in Altdorf. After all, a permanent capital and political and cultural center was much better than the ruins of Middenheim.

However, it was fiercely criticized by the Church of Sigmar, which triggered two major debates and caused great headaches for the empire, which was in ruins at the time and needed to be rebuilt. It was impossible to punish these devout people who fought the whole great war for humanity, for the empire, and for the belief in order. After communication, they could only let the War Church down and let the latter move to Middenheim, the headquarters of the Knights of the Flaming Sun, and join forces with the Church of Ulric, with the former providing financial support and the latter providing a stable territory.

Moreover, if the faith of Sigmar spreads, the influence of the Empire will inevitably follow. There was a period of time in Miragliano's history when it was controlled by the Empire and Bretonnia in turn. The experience from the powerful neighbor in the north is still fresh in their memory. If it were not for the absolute necessity, they really don't want to experience that again.

Therefore, only people like Mannan, Mor, Tal, and even the White Wolf Urik (the Wolf God and the Goddess of War are somewhat hostile to each other) have a chance to obtain the missing piece of faith cake of the Southern Kingdom if the Goddess of War is really gone.

But the above is for the people and kingdoms in this area, not for the war church!

They will absolutely, absolutely not allow the Goddess Kingdom, which they have worked so hard to establish as a dominant faith, to be lost from their hands!

They are clergy, rentiers, and vested interest groups. In the special environment of the Southern Kingdom, they are also bureaucrats, merchants, landlords, and feudal aristocrats...

Once the War Church loses its position in the south and is replaced by churches of other gods, they will lose everything. Even if they encounter a gentle change of ownership, the church can retain its property and wealth, and even continue to preach and win people to believe in the "dead" Myrmidia, their status will be far from what it was before.

What Al did was digging up people's ancestral graves, kicking widows' doors, and destroying people's descendants. Anyway, for the Church of War, it was the most evil, worst, despicable, shameless, and abominable thing in the world.

If Al had not decisively replaced the Grand Patriarch with Gregory, who seemed neutral but was actually his own man, his work of usurping the throne and preaching would not have been so easy.

Of course, the most important thing is that the Estalia people who have suffered so much have lost their faith in Myrmidia. Their hearts are empty and they urgently need a new faith to fill it.

The church's hostile attitude towards him is absolutely unchangeable. Even if Al completely defeats them and then pretends to be magnanimous and accepts the War Church, it will be difficult to change the latter's hostility towards him.

A grand council seems to have many factions and forces, but in fact there are only two real proposals:

Talk or fight?

.........

As the bells in the tower rang, all the representatives took their seats. The Grand Master was still standing on the pulpit in his samurai-style clergy attire, and behind him were the religious warriors wearing swords and armor rather than ordinary attendants, which was obviously a statement of his attitude.

As the host, Miragliano sent out a large number of troops to guard the entire venue. While the protection work was done to the utmost, it also made some people murmur in their hearts: A large parliament with a thousand members has been held before, so is it necessary to be so cautious and strict?

What is somewhat controversial is that the host, Prince Miragliano, Rodrigo Visconti Miragliano, was the last to arrive. Before his arrival, his wife, who was covered in black and looked almost as white as snow, was a waste of beauty. At the same time, people wondered if the "Shadow Prince" had some quirks in this regard, otherwise why didn't he want to show his wife's face to outsiders?

She calculated the time almost on time. When the prince just stepped into the gate of the temple, she walked inside the door, held the hand that the prince extended, and gave a light kiss. Then the couple kissed on the cheek and walked into the venue hand in hand.

"Your Highness Rodrigo!"

The guards shouted in full-throated voices, informing the Great Temple and everyone in the temple of the identity of the visitor.

Everyone present stood up, the men touched their chests, and the women took off their hats, saluting the most powerful and noble man in all of Tyrell.

"Good day, everyone."

"Good day, Your Highness!"

The prince has a rather gloomy face, no beard, and looks a bit unbecoming of his age. He can be said to be a gloomy handsome man.

It is worth mentioning that his height is not outstanding. If the latter had not taken off her top hat in advance when he was arm in arm with the queen, he would have been obviously taller than the prince.

It is said that when the prince of the Visconti family learned that he was going to marry a woman six years older than him, he was somewhat dismissive of this because she was the descendant of a legendary figure, claiming:

I don't need to rely on marrying the daughter of a hero or saint to increase my fame and power - if that were the case, why don't I propose to the hero or saint directly?

He expressed his pride and made a joke at the same time, but after the first meeting, he said, "I was talking nonsense because there were so many people outside. I'm hungry, give me a hug." Of course, there was definitely no such thing as the latter part. It was someone's own imagination.

He began to pursue the great-granddaughter of the besieger, but because of his previous jokes, the lady was dissatisfied with him and set nine tests for Rodrigo to take. In the end, he passed all of them and won the beauty.

If Al saw this scene, he would definitely develop a good impression of this potential enemy whom he met for the first time.

Soulmate!

The older sisters are the best!

Hey buddy, let's stop fighting each other. Let's defeat the war church and the local separatist forces together. How about I become your deputy king and govern your area?

Of course, this possibility is probably extremely low, no more likely than that Al suddenly wants to try what it feels like to have his shit kicked in and what it feels like to have a man's ass kicked in the back door - and then not be pinned to the ground and hammered by the centaur girl, but be caught and fixed on a rack to be used as a human massager.

People with the same sexual fetish kill each other. How many more tragedies like this will happen in this troubled land...

The prince held his wife's hand, and the two sat on a separate throne. Six elite guards in full armor were guarding them from all sides at any time, holding shields and halberds that could block arrows and projectiles. The scene was solemn and murderous.

It's just that he was a little bit different at the venue.

There was inevitably some discussion among the crowd, but everyone was used to the behavior of the Miraglianos, and they themselves strongly supported the prince's various protective measures of "fearing death and cherishing life". After the besieger died in his own bathroom, his kingdom fell apart. For the Miraglianos, that experience was no less painful than the greenskin invasion.

Therefore, they attach great importance to having a stable rule, and the most important thing is naturally that the ruler can live a long life, so as to stabilize people's hearts.

The Grand Council is not convened like the Citizens' Parliament in the United Kingdom, where proposals are presented, and each party makes speeches, debates, and finally votes.

Instead, they simply state their respective opinions and ideas, and then debate with each other for a few sentences without putting in too much effort, because the actual result and who supports whom have already been decided beforehand.

It is obviously not possible to expect a group of highly independent vassal states to engage in democratic deliberation and politics. Negotiations and various interest transfers from a practical perspective are what can truly decide everything.

As the one with the biggest and strongest fists and pockets, Prince Miragliano, who has a lot in common with Al, has obviously made all the preparations.

In the end, there was no need for a vote. With a simple show of hands, the people present approved the Queen's proposal with overwhelming approval:

Send a large delegation, with representatives from each principality, to have a good talk with Tyrell's neighbors, or at least make the best effort for peace.

As for the big mistake made by the second son of the Visconti family, the prince was not vague. Unlike the Grand Patriarch, he completely avoided talking about it and sincerely proposed that he would do his utmost to make up for the consequences of the incident and try his best to minimize its impact on the negotiations. All expenses would come from the private treasury of the Visconti family and his people would not be asked to bear it all.

The prince's credibility was still guaranteed, so everyone began to discuss where the negotiations should be held.

Going to Margarita is not a good idea. If the negotiations break down, the next step will most likely be a war. Although I believe in the character of the king, he is a pagan, and the public opinion in Estalia seems to be very unfriendly to their neighbors, so don't take this risk.

However, inviting them to negotiate in their country still had some "unfair terms" in their nature - the demands made by the Tyrell envoys were not so exaggerated as to be tantamount to a provocation to go to war. Although the original intention was similar, it was relatively tactful and the steps were not so big.

For example, the opening of colonial garrisons is a response to the daily unrest and frequent looting problems in overseas colonies formerly belonging to Estalia in recent years (although the Tyrells were involved), so based on the strategic partnership, it is hoped that both sides can deepen cooperation and share their resources. After the garrisons are opened, the Tyrell fleet will take on the task of protecting the ships and colonies of both countries when the friendly navy is in decline.

It actually sounds much better when you put it this way, but when it was spread out, some people may have only taken part of it out of context.

If we insist, it is true that "Tyrell's envoys asked the United Kingdom to open up colonies to each other and obtain the right to station troops", which is not a lie.

Then Alessandro did something outrageous. He was in the wrong first, and with the overwhelming public sentiment behind him, it would be of no avail even if he came out to explain that the negotiation terms were not like that.

But it is obvious that the Tyrells went there with the idea of ​​taking advantage. In their understanding, Estalia was attacked by the main force of the greenskins, and then relying on a tribe of beastmen who came out of nowhere and were said to be led by an orphan of their own country, they miraculously turned the tide and defeated the invading greenskin coalition.

The subsequent developments were even more unexpected.

The young beastman chieftain, whose origin and identity were very mysterious, actually sat on the throne of a king. The triumphal procession of Margarita, wearing a white robe and ascending the throne, was not only a carnival for the people of Margarita, but also a grand occasion witnessed by many foreign people who ventured to come and resume exchanges after the South was basically stabilized.

A famous Tyrell scholar who studied in Margarita and was later introduced to a high-level academic research group with close exchanges with members from all over the world, including the Elves, the Empire, and Bretonnia, wrote in his travel diary:

"They cheered, they danced, the streets were full of people and flags, the procession was endless, I only heard a faint voice of 'The King is crowned!' from the front, and the people in the whole audience immediately boiled over, as if dynamite was thrown into a furnace... Everyone moved steadily and neatly towards the end of the parade, where they would witness a great king ascend the throne. This was my first time, and also the first time for the people. The throne was not based on bloodline or power, but entirely on his personal virtues and abilities, and most importantly, his contributions to the people!"

This society had a name that Al was very familiar with.

"Council of Scholars".

Of course, not all members are omniscient believers. Many of them are truly ordinary people, mortals, who don’t even understand magic. They join in just for academic research and mutual discussion.

But this Tyrell scholar is indeed a believer in omniscience...

This kind of story is quite legendary and can easily spread everywhere.

As Tyrell was once Estalia and is now a neighbor of the newly born United Kingdom, it is natural that they are very concerned about this. However, after paying so much attention, the knives in their hands that were originally prepared for mobilization and self-protection after the collapse of Estalia - (crossed out), and ready to rush thousands of miles to support their neighbor in fighting the green war, suddenly become restless.

This happened when Al was serving as regent and the veteran "fighter" Bull Harrington of the National Salvation Association led a group of people to openly oppose this. Originally, they contacted neighboring countries to gain support in the fight against the greens, but now the idea has begun to grow when they hoped to gain support to overthrow Al.

As the royalists gradually lost power, most of their forces fled abroad, and the best target was naturally their neighboring country Tyrell, which posed little threat of war and was out of reach of Aiur, making it convenient for them to launch a "counterattack."

In the subsequent purges, most of the people who were exiled or fled abroad chose the nearby Tyrell, observing the situation first and then making long-term plans. As time went by, the royalists and the evil elements purged by Aiel joined forces and raised the banner of opposition to Aiel in Tyrell. The worst behavior was to spy on domestic intelligence, then hire pirates to rob and kidnap people ashore to expand their manpower.

The enraged Al once considered offering a reward for these guys' heads, because the Ministry of the Interior was already overwhelmed with various internal affairs at that time, and the Bunny Girl's Shadow Watch had not yet been established. Al did not want to use precious manpower to carry out assassinations. Moreover, assassinating the leader of the opposition in the territory of a neighboring country was easy to bring bad reputation, which would not only surprise friendly countries, but also sound bad.

Therefore, he did not dwell on it too much. He simply carried out a process of public trial and execution for the spies who were caught spying for the royalists after screening. At the same time, he made the whole process public so that all the exiled opposition parties would bear the infamy. At the same time, he sent people to negotiate with the royalists' strongholds, the Principality of Tobaro and Miragliano, hoping that they could restrict these guys who could only gossip and cause trouble. This did play a certain role. After all, at that time, Ai'er was regarded as the orthodox regime of the neighboring country. Although he was exercising power on behalf of others, he was also a regent.

The Tyrells still hoped that the "Lord Regent" would make an effort and solve the greenskin threat alone, so they were willing to help. They gave the exiles a little warning and warned them not to drag their feet at the most critical moment of their country's war of resistance, otherwise they might be expelled from the country - or sent back to Margarita and handed over to the Regent, which made these guys stay quiet for a while.

However, after Aiel ascended the throne, the growing strength of the royalist exiles and the fear of the new regime in Aiel on some levels caused the overall public opinion in Tyrell to begin to shift and become hostile to the royal power of Aiel.

Then gradually, a kind of advocacy:

Estalia is now controlled by pagans and aliens, and is no longer our kingdom of fellow believers!

The clergy and nobles of Estalia are unable to protect their people. The Tyrells should take the initiative to attack the outsiders and restore order to the world in the south.....

This sound appeared.

In fact, they were thinking of taking advantage of the turmoil and equity changes in the neighboring company, and that the newcomer seemed ignorant and easy to bully, so they could take advantage of him and wipe out the whole family.

After all, the two countries were not particularly friendly in the past, as they had long arguments over trade and colonial conflicts as well as arguments over who was "orthodox".

Moreover, the "Hordes" and "Air" who are in power now, the Tyrells have cut them off from Estalia, so they have no psychological burden at all when taking action.

Chapter 26: Risks and Returns

Not long after the great council of Miragliano was convened, the envoys of both sides met again.

The United Kingdom immediately accused the Tyrells of disrespecting the wise king, and the conditions were a humiliation to a sovereign kingdom.

They even covered up the crime of blasphemy and secretly sent Alessandro Visconti, who committed such a crime, back to the country... All these actions show no sincerity at all. What's there to talk about? If they want to start a war, then start a war!

Then the Tyrell side tried to appease, refute, and quibble. After a while of arguing, the two sides finally agreed on behalf of their respective countries to hold a high-level and very grand formal meeting.

There must be someone who can make the final decision. This conference will determine the direction and development of the future relationship between the two countries. Both sides have no objection to this. Although they are frantically laying out their cards and making all kinds of foreshadowing in private, they still have to appear to be "working for international relations, for the people, and for peace" on the surface.

This way, if we lose the battle, we still have something to wash (bushi).

However, there was a slight disagreement on the location of the negotiations. Because the people of Margarita were in a state of turmoil and were not friendly to the Tyrells, the Tyrells proposed to hold the meeting at sea. The United Kingdom was sarcastic: "There are too many pirates in the southern seas now. I don't know where they came from. It's not safe to negotiate at sea."

It's no secret that the Tyrell privateers have been rampant recently due to the United Kingdom's stretched naval power. It's just that the United Kingdom didn't want to fight before, and it was not easy to talk about it openly. Naturally, the Tyrell envoy could only pretend that he didn't understand what he was talking about, and then said that he could go to Tobaro, which was close to both sides and the stance was still anti-war. The overall atmosphere was very suitable for diplomacy.

But the United Kingdom's envoy said: "It's close? I know a place that's even closer, Tobaro Avenue, which is a straight road that goes back and forth and belongs to both sides."

Finally, the two sides agreed to hold the talks in the middle section of Tobaro Avenue one month later.

This place is located in the middle of the Abascar Mountains. It seems that Khorne had hit it with an axe, leaving a groove in the middle, which was used as a land passage. Estalia used to go east through here to go south to Tobaro and north to the Withered Swamp. Conversely, Tyrell could directly enter the rich southeast plains and reach Margarita through the Tobaro Avenue.

Later, when wars broke out between the two sides, the nature of this road became very important. The Estalia built a fortress called Tamoto to block this side of the Abascar Mountains. In response, the Tirells also built a fortress on the other side.

After the news reached Margarita, Al personally came forward and said:

"Peaceful development, mutual assistance and common prosperity are the mainstream of the times... my personal honor and disgrace... for peace..." blah blah.

I appeased the people and made a strong gesture. You see, I am a king, but I was harassed in court and I didn't even ask for punishment. Instead, I still tried my best to maintain peace and the lives of the people when the other party was so rampant.

If a fight breaks out, you really can't blame me, right?

The citizens were also very moved. Look at our Majesty, who loves the people like his own children. Even when facing insults, he still thinks of peace and is unwilling to destroy the precious peace.

If Tyrell continues to push his luck, I'll fight them!

The Tyrells on the other side were also preparing for the peace talks.

Preparation for war.

Miragliano's fleet has stopped leaving the port and started to repair. The famous legions such as the Dogs of War, Besiegers, and Sharpshooters have either returned to their bases or disappeared quietly from the public's sight, and no one knows where they are going.

Following the proposal of the leading brother "holding an olive in one hand and a sword in the other", other principalities, whether advocating war or peace, also began to carry out a certain degree of mobilization work.

Ai'er knew all this, and the Tyrells had never concealed their ambition to go to war for their own benefit. After all, in their eyes, going to war against the new United Kingdom was a "sure win" and "sure win."

The United Kingdom, with its weak naval power, could hardly compete with Tyrell's fleet on the sea. They could only retreat to the port and serve as a "fleet of existence".

On land, King Aiel might indeed have some powerful legions that want to attack Tyrell's homeland, but it is a fantasy. The fortress at the end of the Tobaro Corridor will become an insurmountable natural barrier. Without sea transportation support, it will be a very scary thing to carry out long-term troop deployment in the terrain of the Southern Kingdom.

Therefore, the Tyrells claim that they have no worries in their homeland.

Their goal is not to attack the homeland of El, but the colonies scattered overseas that once belonged to Estalia but are now mostly confused about who to take their surname from!

With the mainland that has changed its flag and even its religion? The United Kingdom?

Or is it the "orthodoxy" that has gone into exile overseas and gone to colonies and neighboring countries to stir up trouble?

A group of overseas wanderers who were working hard found out that their hometown had been robbed by a group of thugs and their parents were about to die. They also heard that a strong man came from the sky with a group of strong men to defeat the thugs and save their family - but their father had already passed away.

I remarried without thinking clearly and stopped flattering the goddess of war. Come, children, there are four kind mother goddesses who will protect you, and a wise little father to lead us!

This made it difficult for many colonies to change their mindset, and they could only follow the old rules. Now that the routes have been restored, although the risks are a bit greater, they continue to do business as usual, and send treasure ships back as usual - this was the old tradition. For the ports and cities directly controlled by the kingdom, the governors would send large ships loaded with wealth and treasures back to their homeland every year or every few years to demonstrate their loyalty and tribute.