in the name of the queen.

Chapter 311 Is She the Commander?

Whether words and actions are reasonable can never be viewed in isolation from the context of the times.

If Roland said such words in his hometown in the Internet age, he would be labeled a traitor on the spot and would be beaten to the ground.

But this is another world, the late eighteenth century, when the Industrial Age has just begun.

This sentence is not only not offensive, it is even full of sincerity.

At least DeSanders accepted his argument.

The old prosecutor's stern face gradually softened, and a smile appeared at the corners of his lips.

Whether Roland said that he thought Golden Kite was better than Sussex or Sussex was better than Golden Kite, it would cause disgust.

However, he cleverly avoided this death option.

It is enough to be a Jinyuan person when you are in Jinyuan.

De Sanders did not speak, but responded with rhythmic applause.

During Marco's chaotic regime, he worked hard to maintain the last dignity of the law under tremendous pressure, saved many lives, and enjoyed great prestige in the cabinet.

His statement also represents the attitude of many neutral people.

They don't care who is the prime minister or who is the head of state, as long as they are willing to work for Jin Yuan and can lead Jin Yuan out of the predicament.

Some ministers still harbored hostility towards Roland, but under the pressure of Alina's power and the general trend of public opinion, they could only helplessly follow suit and applaud.

After DeSanders, other cabinet ministers also raised some questions.

Most of them are inseparable from Roland's future plans for Jinyuan Kingdom and how Roland views the relationship between Jinyuan and Sussex.

Roland was naturally prepared for these questions.

"The Golden Kite Kingdom is vast, rich in resources, has a large population, and is home to many talented people. As long as it takes the right path, it will surely become a powerful country that is no less powerful than any other country."

Roland started by flattering her directly.

In fact, he didn't lie.

The foundation of the Golden Kite Kingdom is even stronger than that of Sussex.

In history, they have created the feat of conquering two continents with one country and taking on half of Rodinia alone.

Among the big countries today, which one has not been beaten by the Golden Kite Kingdom?
Roland’s identity is very delicate. He is both one of Jin Yuan’s “own men” and an outsider from Sussex, a powerful country in the world.

His reasonable praise is more easily accepted.

Whether you like Roland or not, how can you resist hearing such sincere flattery?

Applause started again.

Roland raised his hand, the applause stopped, and he continued to speak generously.

"To put Jinyuan on the right track, we need enlightened and fair laws and systems, talented people, and a safe and stable external environment."

"That's why Alina asked me to come."

After hearing Roland's words, the centrists and Alina's supporters, who were originally a little skeptical, nodded frequently.

No one doubted Roland's ability.

He took Sylph and fled to three overseas provinces, and regained power in just two years, which shows his political skills.

Not only that, he also demonstrated his military talent through the war against the Kingdom of Oden and showed his strong personal strength and determination to fight by expelling Angelina.

The Jinyuan people are proud in their bones.

They are OK with going along with the Sussex empire because they are not on the same page.

The bottom line of the Golden Kite people is that no one on land will be allowed to challenge their authority.

The ocean is big, they can share it with others, but they refuse to share the glory of the king of the continent.

Roland's position was right on the edge of their red line.

The rise of the Vladimir Empire and Sophia first harmed not Sussex but the interests and dignity of the Golden Kite people.

After several all-night conversations with Alina, Roland understood their mentality very well and naturally knew how to answer.

"Sussex and Golden Kite have a traditional friendship and common interests, but their future development directions are different. There is no fundamental contradiction that cannot be reconciled."

"More importantly, we have a common enemy."

Roland did not hesitate to praise Sophia by name.

"The barbaric Ruriks and their cold-blooded queen are our common enemies."

"We can talk and cooperate, but she will only tear apart all enemies and leave slaves who are willing to crawl at her feet."

"Would you like to be slaves?"

Roland did not raise his voice in an impassioned and high-pitched tone, but instead asked his soul-searching questions in a soft and low voice.

"I don't want to!"

The roar almost blew the roof off the government hall.

Roland was not surprised by this answer.

A country with a long history like Jinyuan has never lacked national pride and a sense of belonging to the country.

The Jinyuan people are born rebellious and want to be strong throughout their lives.

During the heyday of the Magic Empire, other "barbarians" were fighting for citizenship of the Magic Empire, but they were the only ones who picked up axes and fought desperately with the Magic Empire.

Repeated battles and repeated defeats, repeated defeats and repeated battles.

The Jinyuan people are romantic by nature and full of rebellious spirit. They are never afraid of struggle.

But under Marco's destruction and torture, many brave Golden Kite people died, and many people also wanted to protect themselves.

Roland just reminded them to stop fantasizing and pick up their weapons to prepare for battle.

As long as we agree on the general direction, the next things will be easy.

Roland took out a short-term plan and a long-term development outline, and used the simplest language to outline for everyone present a grand blueprint of advancing industry and agriculture in tandem and seizing both sea and land power.

Under the influence of his inspiring and magnetic voice, even those who did not support him were infected by his ambition.

More and more ministers recognized Roland's sincerity and ability.

They were willing to believe that Roland was serious about working for the Jinyuan Kingdom, and gradually accepted the idea that he was a Jinyuan person.

He is certainly a high-ranking official in Sussex, but he is also our Prime Minister and Earl of Leon.

Some people were secretly thankful that Miss Alina had tied Roland's legs so that he could stay in the Golden Kite and not miss it.

The few ministers who were unwilling to accept Roland felt even more uncomfortable.

The better Roland performed, the less chance they had of seizing power.

After Roland came up with a long-term plan, they became even more desperate.

It was no longer possible to deal with Roland through legitimate means, so they could only think of unconventional tactics.

After arousing the desires of the ministers present, Roland began to pour cold water on them.

"You are all experienced and capable ministers. Even if you do not follow my plan, as long as you can develop steadily, the future will not necessarily be worse than what I have planned."

"Unfortunately, we want peace, but some people may not be willing to do so."

This is what Roland wanted to say most today.

He needs to gain the support of both the war hawks and the centrists.

It is normal for a big country like Jinyuan to have factions. It would be strange to see it being united as one.

In addition to the war faction and the centrists, there are also the compromise factions.

The idea of ​​the compromise faction is basically the policy of appeasement.

The Vladimir Empire and the Golden Kite Kingdom are the farthest apart and have the longest supply lines, so even if they wanted to, they would not be able to annex the Golden Kite.

In history, the Kingdom of Jin Yuan once had a glorious record of attacking Fort St. Rurik, but it was soon defeated by the long supply lines and General Dong.

If the Golden Kite people couldn't defeat them, the Rurik people naturally couldn't defeat them either.

This is the inherent perception of many people.

After Roland made his statement about preparing for war with all his strength, the compromising faction couldn't help but jump out.

"Mr. Prime Minister, are you really on Jin Yuan's side?"

"Of course. General Vichy, what's your question?"

Roland's face was calm.

The change of name represents recognition of him, while questioning represents only partial recognition.

It is not easy to change the inherent cognition of the Golden Kite people.

Looking at the old general in the uniform of an army general, Roland couldn't help but frown.

He could accept the existence of compromisers, but he found it difficult to accept that the doves came from the military.

The last thing that should exist in the military is doves. If the military wants to compromise, what future does the country have?

But he did not refute directly, but waited for the other party's remarks.

The old Vichy general walked to the center of the hall and did not directly put forward his argument. Instead, he pointed at the floor tiles under his feet and fell silent.

After a moment, he slowly said: "Right here, the four generals, eleven lieutenant generals and more lieutenant generals of the army were sentenced to death by the traitor Marco."

"In order to ensure absolute control over the army, Marco executed a large number of senior officers and replaced them with his own people. After Ms. Alina put things right, she also executed these people in order to restore order."

"If we add the losses from the previous civil war, our country has lost hundreds of outstanding generals in the past three years."

"I don't want to blame anyone, but I must point out that our military system has been seriously damaged. Without these excellent generals who have experienced hundreds of battles, no matter how many troops there are, they will be in disarray."

"What's more, the ratio of veterans in our army is very low, and there are a large number of new recruits who have just joined the army. The combat effectiveness of the entire army is very worrying."

“Excuse me, how can these problems be solved?”

The old general straightened his back and looked at Roland neither humbly nor arrogantly.

Although the truth is unpleasant to hear, it is an unavoidable fact.

Roland could let the Golden Kite people fight, but he couldn't just send an army that had no combat effectiveness to fight.

All the ministers turned their eyes to Roland, waiting for his answer.

This question is not easy to answer.

If Roland made high-sounding remarks but did not propose practical solutions, he would lose the support of the army.

So he had to come up with the real thing.

Faced with the Vichy general's gentle but sharp questioning, Roland did not rush to answer, but asked another question.

"Let's look at it from another angle. What would happen if the Golden Kite Nation remained neutral or used other countries as a shield to buy itself some time?"

Vichy had never thought that Roland would interpret it from this perspective. After hesitating for a moment, he still answered with gritted teeth:
"The Wende Empire and the Sussex Empire are standing in front of us. Our country has at least three to five years to prepare for war, and then we will be able to help them."

"We don't have that much time. If the Golden Kite Kingdom doesn't take the initiative, the Vladimir Empire's army will be at the gates of the city in half a year at most." Roland poured cold water on Vichy without any hesitation.

"How is that possible? Those are two empires!" Vichy's eyes widened.

"According to reliable information, the most outstanding general of the Wende Empire has been killed in battle, and their veteran losses have exceeded 30%. The army's combat effectiveness is shrinking significantly." Roland said calmly: "Their royal family must either surrender or go into exile, or they will be liquidated. The most optimistic estimate is that the Wende Empire will not survive until spring."

Vichy obviously didn't expect the situation to deteriorate to this extent. He was a little confused, but he still insisted.

"Even if the Wende Empire is incompetent, the Sussex Empire won't be destroyed in a few months."

Roland chuckled, with a hint of sarcasm on his lips, "The Sussex Empire is a maritime country. Even if it tries its best, it cannot defeat the Vladimir Empire alone on land."

"Plus, the three overseas provinces have no strategic locations to defend. Whether they are willing or not, the best solution is to resist for a while and withdraw from the continent. Then Jin Yuan will face the northern giant bear that has swallowed up most of Rodinia alone."

"General Vichy, are you sure you can convince Sophia to give you three years to prepare for war?"

This sentence made General Vichy's face turn dark and he was speechless for a long time.

You can be tough, but you can't be unreasonable.

Convince Sophia? This is a joke.

But he still argued unwillingly: "Is the Sussex Empire willing to give up the continent?"

"Of course they won't accept this, so they will expand their markets overseas, gather resources, and use their powerful industry and trade to lock the Vladimir Empire on land."

"No matter how strong Sophia is, she can't use a bathtub to cross a strait that's hundreds of miles long. At least she can remain undefeated, but the Golden Kite Nation doesn't have that kind of luck."

Vichy's face looked very unhappy.

He wanted to use the Sussex Empire as a human shield, but he forgot one thing: no one knew how to sell allies better than the Sussex people.

If he dares to sell out his teammates, the Sussex Empire will dare to sell him back.

Don't expect the Sussex people to use their blood to pave the way for the Golden Kite people.

Faced with Roland's somewhat aggressive attitude, Vichy finally couldn't help but reveal his trump card.

"If your country withdraws from the continent, we will have no choice but to sign a contract with the Vladimir Empire."

"Are you planning to surrender?" Roland looked at Vichy with a half-smile.

"Mr. Prime Minister, please be careful with your words. That is not surrender, but peace in exchange for giving up some interests." Vichy's old face turned red and he responded hesitantly.

Roland did not continue to laugh, but asked: "If Sophia's condition for granting peace is to station troops in Jinyuan, control Jinyuan's finances and military, and take away everything except basic living supplies, what is the difference between this and surrender?"

Vichy's lips turned white and his hands trembled with anger.

He wanted to refute, but he couldn't find a reason to refute.

If Sophia really offers such conditions, how can the Golden Kite people resist when they have lost their allies and their army has not recovered its combat effectiveness?
Roland's words shattered Vichy's last bit of stubbornness. He lowered his head in frustration and remained silent.

After a long time, he finally chose to admit defeat, "Mr. Prime Minister, what do you think we should do?"

"Union, real unity."

Roland was waiting for this sentence. He said calmly, "The Sussex Overseas Legion has many grassroots officers and non-commissioned officers who have received formal military training. The Holy Temple of Light has a large number of outstanding generals. As long as we recruit more soldiers, we can quickly expand the army and form combat effectiveness."

"I suggest that the two countries form a joint force, establish a general staff to coordinate all affairs, and mix the military structures as needed, so that the combat effectiveness can be fully exerted."

Vichy's face changed drastically.

Roland, the little fox, has finally revealed his true colors. He wants to monopolize the military and political power of the two countries.

Considering that Queen Sussex is his wife and the Liberator of the Golden Kite is his lover, he even has the opportunity to unite the two countries and become the emperor of the new superpower.

His ambition is too great.

Even the neutrals were frightened when they heard Roland's idea.

What would they do if Roland established a new empire?
Even with their toes, they could tell that they were not Roland's confidants and were not in Roland's plan. They could only play a role in Roland's new blueprint.

cannon fodder.

No matter how grand Roland's plan was, they could not accept the fate of being cannon fodder.

An old man with a gray beard stood up and said, "Mr. Roland, I'm sorry, I want to know if you want to take this opportunity to unite the two countries. I hope you can swear an oath to the goddess of your faith."

His questioning was somewhat impolite, but faced with such a situation, he couldn't care less.

"I have no interest in worldly power."

Roland shrugged, spread his hands, and said with a smile: "Mr. Xiafei, you should know that I am a transcendent, and secular power does not mean much to me. After the sixth return day, I will gradually fade out of politics and embark on the road to the peak of power."

"The same is true for Sophia, Sylph, Alina and the others."

"The Golden Kite people and the Sussex people are completely different in terms of language, culture and blood. They are two different ethnic groups. It is wishful thinking to unite them into one country."

"I solemnly swear to the Goddess of Light that I have no intention of merging Sussex and Golden Kite to become the new head of state. If I break this oath, I will be rejected by the light and become the enemy of the Goddess."

Roland's oath was both heavy and light.

In the eyes of others, he was a knight of light, and it was reasonable for him to swear an oath to the goddess of light. If he broke his oath, the goddess would definitely punish him.

But in Roland's opinion, this oath had no binding force on him.

He had long been targeted by the Goddess of Light. As long as there was an opportunity, the goddess would punish him and kill him.

His oath and statement made the ministers present breathe a sigh of relief.

Once consensus is reached on the principles, the details will be easy to handle.

Roland proposed the establishment of the Rodinian Union and the formation of a coalition army with the aim of defending freedom, peace and the territorial sovereignty of the contracting parties.

Although it requires providing more troops to the alliance, this alliance will bring more benefits than disadvantages to the Golden Kite Kingdom.

There was something Roland didn't say explicitly, but all the ministers present could hear it.

If the Golden Kite Kingdom did not agree to the alliance, he would leave with his overseas legions without hesitation, return to Sussex to manage the ocean, and abandon the continent.

The losses were huge, but the Jin Yuan Kingdom could not bear the consequences.

It looks like a threat, and it is actually a threat.

Roland's attitude was very clear. If the Golden Kite Kingdom could give up some of its autonomy and join the alliance, Roland would be responsible for them to the end.

If you don't want to, then let's hurt each other.

Faced with the threat, the Jin Yuan ministers dared to be angry but not to speak out.

The Jinyuan Kingdom is at its weakest moment in history. They are unable to face the top powers alone, but are also unwilling to give up their status as a top power.

Roland's suggestion just touched their bottom line.

Not more, not less.

Either sacrifice some of your autonomy in exchange for an unbreakable alliance, or face the giant bear alone.

They were all a little frightened when they thought of the Ruriks' strength and the invincibility of Sophia.

When people fall into water, they will subconsciously grab anything they can touch, even if it is just a straw that cannot save their lives.

They can only hope that Roland is not a straw but a life buoy.

In short, they have no choice.

Although he had no choice, the old general Vichy still insisted.

Although the Golden Kite Kingdom lost many generals, their army tradition is far superior to that of the Sussex Empire.

At least we can fight for the actual command of the coalition forces.

He knew very well that Roland would focus on improving his personal strength and controlling the overall situation, and the specific military command would be delegated to capable generals.

Sussex had no shortage of outstanding naval generals, but no famous army generals, at least not of the same level as him.

He believed Roland would make the right choice.

Of course, even if you want to ask for power, you can't say it directly, you have to be more tactful.

The old Vichy general coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Mr. Prime Minister, you are the only candidate for the commander-in-chief of the coalition forces, but you have many responsibilities. I suggest that you choose a veteran general with high moral character and rich experience as your deputy general. What do you think?"

"General Vichy, you are right."

Roland saw through Vichy's little trick at a glance. He did need a commander, but not Vichy.

Vichy's abilities were undoubted, but there were major flaws in his character.

懦。

At the decisive moment when a fight requires bloodshed, his cowardly character will make him tend to make conservative choices.

When two brave men meet in a narrow road, the brave one wins. The duel with Sophia is a matter of life and death. There is no room for surrender or retreat.

Certainly not Vichy.

But the Sussex empire didn't have the right people either.

If the war had broken out ten years later, Delon and others might have grown up and been able to take on the task.

Unfortunately, there is no time.

Fortunately, Roland was well prepared.

"General Vichy, you reminded me. We must find a famous general with outstanding military qualities, experience in commanding large-scale military operations, and determination to be in charge of unified command."

With every word Roland spoke, Vichy's chest lifted a little higher.

Perseverance and determination?

Vichy thought he could be.

When the wind is favorable, he is indeed as strong as steel, daring to fight and kill; when the situation is unfavorable, he retreats decisively.

He fits the bill perfectly.

The old general's face was flushed as he waited for the honor to be bestowed.

He couldn't think of any other choice.

Although Roland is more inclined towards Sussex in his heart, he will not act emotionally at this time.

If he could serve as the commander-in-chief and join the alliance, it would be very beneficial to Jin Yuan.

Looking at Vichy's expectant eyes, Roland smiled and added:
"General Vichy, I do not intend to assume the position of commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. To ensure smooth military orders, the real commander should serve as commander-in-chief."

Vichy's fingertips trembled slightly, and his eyes were filled with surprise and joy.

He tried hard to maintain his posture and took a few deep breaths before adjusting his mood.

"Mr. Prime Minister, only if you are the commander-in-chief can..."

"It goes without saying that the army cannot have two commanders. It is my consistent style to trust people when employing them. I will not interfere with the commander's command, but will only give my full support."

Vichy thought of Roland's decisive decentralization in previous wars, and he liked Roland even more.

He originally just wanted to be a deputy commander with real power, but he didn't expect to become the real commander.
Hahaha.

"The Prime Minister is wise." This time his flattery was sincere.

However, Roland's next words took away all his joy.

"I have decided that the commander of the coalition forces will be the Saint of Light Christine."

Vichy's eyes went dark, and he barely managed to walk to the sofa next to him. He didn't hear a word Roland said afterwards.

Christine? Christine!

Haha, he is such a clown that he actually forgot that Roland has a lover.

(End of this chapter)