People in Terra, governing a weird little country

"If there's a chance in the future."

Vina had nothing to fear. Wake up, the empire had fallen, the emperor had been hanged, she was just a title, all alone, if she really made up her mind to remain anonymous for the rest of her life, what was there for her to fear?

I’m just afraid that one day, Ernst himself will regret changing his household registration.

Whether it is turning Victoria into Shivaash or turning Victoria into a vassal family of Shivaash, this is not something that ordinary people would have the courage to propose.

I hope that after knowing the truth, Ernst will have the courage to demand the same of himself!

Vina pursed her lips and gave a slightly wicked, expectant smile.

That expression was somewhat like that of a beast master who spent all day stealing tribute from Yelagund.

"So should we help with this?" Vina asked finally.

Ernst hesitated for a moment and looked outside the door:

"Regarding this matter, I think we can ask for some off-field assistance."

"Don't we have several people here who are very familiar with the opinions of the Duke of Wellington and Lady Abramana?"

Chapter 156: Windermere's True Intentions

"The Duke of Windermere's idea is good, but to be honest, it's not very realistic."

Ahmoni spread her hands, the corners of her mouth slightly raised were not mocking, but more of a self-mockery and sigh.

"The Grand Duke and his allies are marching into Londinium. How should I put it? This may indeed be a plan to quickly retake Londinium, but who cares about Londinium?"

She pointed at Ernst: "Do you care?"

Ernst nodded.

Ahmoni was stunned: "Why do you care about Londinium?"

"The lives of the Londinium people are also lives." Ernst shrugged.

Ahmonie rolled her eyes, not caring whether Ernst was sincere or false. She turned her head and pointed at Vina beside her:

"Do you care?"

Vina, who was pointed at, was stunned for a moment, then nodded:

"You really care, don't you?"

Ahmoni was completely confused: "Why do you care about Londinium?"

"Londinium is my home." Vina said as a matter of course.

“Can’t you feel a sense of belonging to Sherag?” Ahmonie scolded in frustration.

Vina glanced at Ernst, then purred and did not answer.

She actually wanted to argue with Ahmoni. Londinium is my home. This is not a slogan like "Terra is my home, and we all need to protect it." It is a fact. More than a decade ago, her father was still sitting on the highest tower inside and giving orders. What happened to your family's rule?

But after thinking about it, I decided to forget it.

After failing to respond for two consecutive times, Ahmoni felt a little embarrassed. She glanced at the two remaining people in the room, Mandela and Ravshini, and finally decided not to continue asking.

Prevent Mandra from saying something stupid like "I'm going to expel every last one of the Londinium people."

Her mind raced, and she immediately made up for it:

"The truth is the same as your answer. If you ask a certain Grand Duke individually whether he cares about Londinium and whether he wants to retake Londinium, they will definitely support it."

"But if you ask them all together, the dukes as a group simply don't care about the city."

Londinium was indeed prosperous and wealthy, and was the political and economic center of Victoria. But Victoria was more than just a political and economic center. Losing a big center was not a bad thing for those small centers, but a great good thing.

Without the control of Londinium, the local areas can gain greater autonomy, and the influence of the Grand Duke family in the local area can be further strengthened. When the power of each Grand Duke is not weaker than that of a small country, the stronger the centrifugal force, the greater the benefits they can gain.

In this case, who would be willing to be the first to recapture Londinium?

To put it nicely, this is the feat of the "Restorers" to recapture the capital. But the capital is there, and the Sarkaz can't move it. Recapturing it early or late is still recapture, so it's better to build your own territory in a down-to-earth manner first. Who would want to invite a father named "Parliament" back just for a title?

The backbenchers who knew nothing but proposed some radical proposals and waved their handkerchiefs, claiming to represent the interests of the people, caused a stir across Victoria. It was a relief for the Grand Duke that they died at the hands of the Sarkaz.

Not convinced? If you don't agree, go and protest to the Sarkaz. I'm not after you.

"So, if you want to ask me whether the Duke of Wellington will agree with the Duke of Windermere's plan of march, my answer is, let's wait until the time is right."

Wait until the time is right, is the polite translation of stop dreaming.

Ernst nodded in understanding: "What about Ms. Abrana?"

Ahmoni still shook her head:

"Lady Abramana and the Duke of Wellington are on the same page on this matter. The timing is not right yet."

"Okay." Ernst nodded slightly.

The fact that the capital was lost but no rescue was done was a bit abstract to people like Ernst. But considering that this was Terra, it was not hard to understand. The local separatism in Victoria was too strong. Even if a great duke like the Duke of Windermere had the intention, it would be difficult for him to succeed in such a bad environment.

They don't care about it themselves, so why should Ernst worry about it?

However, since it is not possible to do practical things, Ernst can still try to do something virtual.

"Miss Ahmonie, do you think it is possible for the Duke of Wellington to attend in name only?"

Ahmoni, who was enjoying the Mandela tea brewed by Mandela, raised her eyebrows: "In name only?"

Ernst nodded. "That's right. To be honest, I don't think that just a few words from me would make a Grand Duke like the Duke of Wellington so excited that he would send his troops to join the war."

A lord should not raise an army in anger, and a general should not fight in anger. This is a famous quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Although Terra does not have Sun Tzu's Art of War, the principle is the same. If Ernst, the Prime Minister of Kjerag, can convince a Grand Duke who has experienced the Battle of the Four Emperors, destroyed the Gaul Empire, and is now one of the most powerful military forces in Victoria to join an action that may lead to war with just a few words, then why should he be the Prime Minister? He should just shave his head and pretend to be Yuri.

The most important thing in the exchanges between countries is interests. This is also true for the dukedom that has basically become a country of its own. If the interests are insufficient, the Duke of Wellington will definitely not send troops. Ernst can think of this, and the Duke of Windermere and her staff will definitely not think of it.

But she didn't give Ernst, the lobbyist, any weight on the scale, and that says a lot.

Without actual rewards, there would naturally be no actual help. But perhaps, what the Duke of Windermere needed was not actual help?

[If she and the Duke of Wellington, known as the "Twin Blades of the Empire", could publicly declare their participation in this action, the other neutral nobles would surely be inspired.]

When Ernst heard what Dai Finn said, he understood and even felt relieved.

It turns out that the children who follow me have learned a lot.

Ernst smiled and said, "Duke Windermere never expected Duke Wellington to actually drive his Gastril high-speed battleship to the city of Londinium and let the cannons of the former Empire's Death Knell aim at the walls of the capital. No one can bear such negative public opinion. All she needs is Duke Wellington's nod and the collective wisdom of the neutral nobles."

Ahmonie thought for a moment, understood Ernst's meaning, and showed some shock on her face:

"you mean........"

"The Duke of Windermere does not have the courage to join forces with other Grand Dukes to march into Londinium. But he does have the idea of ​​using the excuse of marching into Londinium to gather the power of the neutral nobles and consolidate his own position. Not only does he have the idea, but it is very strong!"

Of course, you said that Windermere had no intention of retaking Londinium, but that is not necessarily true.

But at least when she proposed this plan, retaking Londinium was definitely not the core goal.

The Duke of Castor's evacuation of the people of Londinium was a show. For whom? The people?

In the eyes of the Duke, the opinions of the people were never the main thing. Her target audience was the independent lords and nobles in the vast area of ​​Victoria.

The most famous one is that in the story of the walk through the dust, Heidi's father's friend, Kelsey, commented on Count Vincent, who "became mediocre in order to protect this city." He was wooed by the Duke of Normandy and was even invited by him to take a high-speed battleship to patrol the outside of Londinium.

In addition, there is Count Morningen (from the story of the Chord: Ahmonene module). The earl's fiefdom is located near Londinium. He is a military noble left over from the Aslan period. Although his title is only earl, his military strength is enough to support him to gain a foothold in the army of the Grand Duke's siege. He has always remained neutral before. The reason why he turned to the Duke of Wellington in the original world line is that Ablana's Deep Pool captured Horn Rita Scamanderos, the daughter of Count White Wolf, in the Hillshire incident. Count Morningen has always been on good terms with Count White Wolf.

The strength of these neutral nobles may be slightly inferior to that of the Grand Duke in all aspects, but they are also a force that cannot be ignored.

The Duke of Windermere could not sit idly by and watch them be won over by the Duke of Caster's constant political showmanship, so she took a more attractive and influential approach.

Win over the Duke of Wellington and march to Londinium!

It's a bit ironic, but the Duke of Windermere's move is actually a show. And it's a show against the Duke of Caster - you just keep saving them one by one here, and I'm going to recover the lost territory directly!

This move does show the hypocrisy of the Duke of Caster, but to some extent, it also shows the hypocrisy of the Duke of Windermere.

After all, she did not have the ability to really march into Londinium - she did not come up with any plan for rewards, distribution of benefits after the war, who would be the first to accept the surrender of Londinium, who would be the first to enter the city, and who would be in charge afterwards.

But who makes politics such a hypocritical thing?

Ernst didn't know how much little Delphine understood when he relayed Amphillis' words. This was also a point of contradiction for him. He hoped that Delphine could be more mature and understand more, but he also didn't want Delphine to understand too much.

"In other words, the march plan itself is also a means for the Duke of Windermere to contain the Duke of Caster, right?"

"Are you competing for neutral nobles? The Duke and His Royal Highness should also be interested in this matter."

Ahmoni rubbed her chin and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"Well, if that is the case, there seems to be something to talk about. I will convey your words and the Duke of Windermere's intentions to the Duke of Wellington."

After saying this, she returned to her usual smiling self:

"That's amazing, Prime Minister Ernst. If this thing really succeeds, and you are able to convince the Empire's Double-Edge 'Alliance', your reputation may spread throughout Terra."

"I hope this reputation isn't just a show." Ernst shook his head and sighed, "I really care about Londinium."

The city of Londinium, the people in Londinium, the cards that the Londinium Sarkaz might hold, and what Londinium represents, the future of Victoria.

He cared about these things concerning this land and Kjerag's fate.

Chapter 157 He is a relative of the Emperor of Heaven~

Victoria, Dukedom of Castres, bedroom in the Duke's Palace.

As he was tidying up his messy hair in front of the mirror, a knock on the door came at an inopportune moment, disrupting the brief tranquility. Duke Caister turned around and glanced at the door:

"Just say it."

Even though he had not been allowed to open the door, the man in the gray hat outside still bowed respectfully and saluted:

"Your Excellency the Duke, Enthiotis has replied."

"Oh, really? Then let's get ready. I heard it's quite cold in Kjerag." Standing up and walking to the closet, Duke Kaister selected several gorgeous winter clothes from the wardrobe.

The man in the gray hat outside the door was silent for a moment and stammered:

"Well, Your Excellency the Duke, Enthiotis... Enthiotis refused."

In an instant, the man in the gray hat felt that the door had fallen into deathly silence. There was no sound at all, only a dull breath began to seep out through the crack of the door.

But soon, the aura disappeared, and was replaced by the calm voice of the Duke of Caster:

"why?"

"Enthiotis said that Tukarim is currently undergoing a comprehensive reconstruction. The entire city has been torn down and turned into a construction site. It is difficult to welcome distinguished guests like you, the Duke. Once the city is completed, he will immediately send an invitation letter to you, the Duke."

"hehe."

A chuckle came from inside the door. Before the man in the grey hat could continue speaking, the next second, the door to the Duke's bedroom opened, and the Duke of Caister, dressed in gorgeous clothes, stood at the door, looking down at the man in the grey hat who was bowing.

"Did Enthiotis say this, or did Ernst say this?"

"Enthyodis said it was his opinion," said the Gray Hat.

Duke Caister hesitated for a moment and laughed: "These two brothers."

"Is the news about rebuilding the city true?" she asked.

Gray Hat had expected the Duke of Caster to ask this question, so he nodded immediately: "It's true."

"Ernst Shivaash contacted Rhine Life and contractors in Columbia, and began the reconstruction of the entire Tukarim half a month ago."

"Shelagh has the ability to build a city?"

"They hired a landship from a pharmaceutical company called Rhode Island to transport materials from Columbia."

"It sounds like none of them is in the construction industry." Duke Caister was speechless.

Rhine Life and Rhode Island, one is a Colombian technology company and the other is a well-known pharmaceutical company. They seem to have nothing to do with the construction industry, but now they are both rushing to grab jobs in the real estate industry.

Sure enough, is the end of entrepreneurship all real estate?

In fact, if Enthyotis and Ernst were willing to come to her for help, she would be happy to provide some help.

She was a smart person, she could see the value of a person, like Enchiodis, she thought he was fully qualified to be the leader of a small faction. So she was happy to give Enchiodis some support and help so that he could become the leader of Shelag.

And Ernst, with the brilliance of his talents displayed during this period, even Enthiotis was somewhat overshadowed.