320 – Philolence Salvation Operation (3)
It is a natural thing for the commander of the Reich Imperial Army to give time to the commander of the Milan Allied Forces, who must work together for the time being.
The reason His Majesty mobilized 150,000 troops and sent them here was to save the Duchy of Philollens, which was in crisis, and in the process of achieving that goal, the Allied Forces and the Imperial Army supporting the Duchy of Philollens must work hand in hand and cooperate with each other. Do.
In the process of coordinating hands and feet, the strategic directions and policies of both sides must be aligned, which requires endless dialogue and negotiation.
However, since I have more important things ahead of me than discussing future policies with this person, I will have to postpone our conversation for a bit.
“We have just arrived at Philorence Castle, and according to etiquette, we must go to see His Royal Highness the Duke. So, why don’t we set up some time later and talk about it?”
Giuseppe answered with a smile that seemed like a good person but was dripping with pretense.
“Oh, I see. I was so anxious that I almost made a big mistake. I also have to go to see His Royal Highness Duke Philolence. How about we go together? “Your Majesty called me again just a moment ago.”
As a commander leading reinforcements from afar, it is customary and tradition for me to have my first audience with the duke alone.
When I enter the throne room, the young duke will thank me for not refusing a request for help from a principality in crisis in the far-off Reich Empire and for coming without expecting anything in return.
I believe that His Majesty the Reich Emperor’s in-laws, the Principality of Philollens, is in danger, so it is only right for me to come to their aid. It is essential to pretend to be comforting and friendly by saying that there is no need to be grateful and that I am sorry for being too late. Am.
But the Allied commander suddenly intervenes in this event? On the outside, he may seem like an idiot who can’t read the mood properly.
Common sense tells us that even if the scale is small, there is no way a nobleman who is the commander of a principality would commit such rudeness due to his lack of political judgment, common sense, and understanding of etiquette, so this would have revealed his intention to screw me and the empire. .
The guy’s thoughts are clearly visible.
When the reinforcements of the Milanese faction led by him arrived, he would have attempted to defeat the legions belonging to the Venetian faction that attacked the Duchy of Philorence and thereby completely take over the leadership of the Faroesia City Union.
I guess that’s because our sudden intervention created a new opponent to compete for the leadership of Perosia.
Captain Giuseppe smiled brightly and held out his hand.
“It is an honor to meet Captain Jaeger, a young war hero of the Reich Empire.”
“I am also honored to meet the renowned Captain Giuseppe of the Principality of Milan.”
As soon as I grabbed my outstretched hand, Giuseppe squeezed my hand a little tight, with the intention of keeping me in check.
I think that guy thinks I’m an evil guy who wants to come with an army of 150,000 people and eat a spoonful of food on the table they prepared.
Honestly, as someone who sketched, planned, and coordinated this war, that thought is an undeniable fact.
“I feel very reassured that His Majesty the Reich Empire is sending great reinforcements like Captain Jaeger. Now, let’s go together.”
That gentleman says he is reliable, but who will believe that?
I’m sure I was thinking to myself, ‘Why did you get involved for no reason? ‘It’s not worth it.’ You’re probably saying it back.
After that, the two of us did not talk at all and just walked quietly until we arrived at the throne room.
**
When Captain Giuseppe and I entered the throne room, in addition to the young duke, there was a man who appeared to be the regent.
The boy who appeared to be the Duke of Philorence seemed to be around the same age as Frederick, who was now 11 years old, and the man who appeared to be the regent was middle-aged, around 50 years old.
The young duke was sitting in a luxurious chair in a slightly dazed state, while the middle-aged man squared his shoulders and stood very proudly.
Even people who don’t know the political situation in the Principality of Philolence will be able to figure out who is in power just by looking at this scene.
As soon as the Duke, who was sitting in his seat, saw me coming in, he spoke in a trembling voice.
“Okay, you can raise your head.”
When His Royal Highness was the same age as the current Duke, it is said that he memorized all the lines and kissed each other in advance as if rehearsing for a play, but he was very dignified and proud at such an event.
But now, the duke is sitting trembling like a baby rabbit in front of a predator, so it is as clear as day what will happen to this principality.
The good news is that the young duke is not the monarch of our Reich Empire.
“It is an honor, Your Highness.”
After hearing what I said, the Duke began to stutter and recite the lines as if he were memorizing and reciting them.
“This time, due to my lack of ability, the Duchy of Philolence, which has a history of hundreds of years, was in danger, but His Majesty the Reich Empire sent over 150,000 troops and we were able to escape the crisis. “Bio, as the monarch and duke of this principality, I offer my courtesy with sincere gratitude.”
If an 11-year-old child is able to memorize and say these words accurately even though he is interrupted, he must not have a bad mind.
The person who sits in the position of a monarch, regardless of whether he or she is young or has a mental disability and cannot make sound decisions, is required to have the ability to protect the country by controlling, swaying, and controlling subordinates.
That young child is expected to be needed by everyone, and even if it is not his fault at all, if something happens, he will be blamed and blamed for everything.
Perhaps it was because it had already been more than three years since he had been placed in such an environment, and the child called the duke was watching the regent’s thoughts to the point where it seemed harsh.
“Thank you for your compliment. Your Majesty’s wife’s family, the Duchy of Philorence, is a blood ally of the Empire. We, the Reich Empire, mobilized our soldiers to protect morality and justice, and we will now do our best to fulfill that duty. Please watch.”
“Well, I’ll be looking forward to it.”
“I am very grateful, Your Highness the Duke.”
As soon as I finished my short greeting, Captain Giuseppe interjected, as if he was trying to secure his share of the situation somehow.
“Your Highness the Duke, we, the Duchy of Milan, have also maintained a strong alliance with the Duchy of Philollens for hundreds of years. “We have a relationship where we have sent soldiers to help each other in times of danger, so this time we will save you from danger and take revenge.”
It may not seem like a big deal on the outside, but these little words can have a big impact later when the war is over and you are claiming your share.
I feel bad knowing that this is happening to me, but I have no choice but to endure it for now.
Anyway, right now, we are colleagues who must fight hand in hand, and if we cause a needless conflict, we will cause trouble to His Majesty, so we must not act carelessly.
The Duke responded by nodding his head.
“I am always grateful for the help of His Royal Highness the Duke of Milan. I wish you all the best in the future.”
“It is an honor, Your Highness.”
After the short conversation, the regent spoke loudly this time.
“We were able to survive thanks to the fact that His Majesty the Duke of Milan and his allies have sent reinforcements several times so far. “As Regent of Philolence, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Captain Giuseppe.”
“No, aren’t we allies? “The Milan Alliance is a firm pact that has lasted for hundreds of years, and I simply carried out His Majesty the Duke of Milan’s orders to do what was most natural.”
“There are many countries on the Europa continent, but isn’t our Milan Alliance the only country that has maintained an alliance for hundreds of years?”
……. When I heard this, I had a general idea.
The regent of the Duchy of Philollens wants to use this crisis as an opportunity to further strengthen his power.
The Duke of Milan wants to use this opportunity to completely bring the Duchy of Philolence under his control, win the war, and gain greater territory and hegemony.
So, it seems like the intention was to make the regent, who lacked legitimacy, a pro-Milanian faction, guarantee Philolence real power, and use him as his own chess piece instead.
If the situation goes as the Principality of Milan wants, the reason why our empire came all the way here with a large army of over 150,000 will disappear.
While he was lost in such thoughts, Giuseppe from Milan and the regent of the duchy continued to talk among themselves, emphasizing that they had such a close and good relationship.
Thanks to the Reich Imperial Army’s support to Philolence, the Venetian Army quickly retreated, but the Empire’s contribution was belittled and there was no way to deal with it by belittling them by saying things like, ‘We’d do well on our own if you didn’t come, so why did you come?’ I think they’re trying to push it to that.
However, we expect that it will be difficult for us to impose sanctions due to this atmosphere.
Even if we are allies, it’s not like there’s no way to mess with the regent and your Royal Highness the Duke of Milan…
From noble mtl dot com
For his sake, as I was leaving my first audience, I asked the young Duke Philolence, who as commander of the Reich Imperial Army could hold and shake the board, to speak to me alone.
The regent protested, saying that requesting a private treaty was crossing the line, but I went ahead with the private treaty under the pretext of a personal request from the Empress, who was the older sister of Duke Philolence.
In fact, Her Majesty the Empress is only interested in maintaining her own power, so she does not necessarily take care of Her Royal Highness the young Duke.
So I only sent a few official letters of consolation and gifts…
This is a slight change in intention on my part with Her Majesty’s permission.