Black Iron’s Glory

Chapter 436 Negotiations (above)

Claude did not expect that he had spent five days aboard a boat from Port Vibato to disembark at Battle District Command in Lake Lan City, under the direct authority of Amphiston, and found that there was still no agreement between the war zone and the Nikanca embassy, and that both sides were trapped in endless peeling and bargaining...

“What's going on? Didn't we explain the demands of the White War Zone? What exactly do those Nikanths mean?” Claude was somewhat strange that, according to a pre-negotiated plan, the theatre had developed a broad strategic and tactical programme that the Nikanchas were required to carry out as required by the strategic plan only when they arrived for help in order to prepare for the war.

General Bolognick replied with a grin: "Those Nikancas are asking us for more advanced firearms, and they want us to equip the Obash 3 type firerope guns, not the Hicks firerope guns, which have almost the performance of the captured weapons. They also want us to sell artillery and ammunition and send someone to teach them how to use artillery and build regular artillery units...

In fact, this is what we expected, so long as they were willing to pay, we could respond to their demands and even help them form a regular army, giving them some fighting power. Instead, the Nikansas, on the pretext of their financial difficulties, were unable to pay their bills in full and offered to pay their bills on credit or in instalments for a period of 10 years.

Moreover, these Nikantha reject the strategic plan put forward by our theatre, arguing that our unilateral vision of war disregards reality and the independence and dignity of their Nikantha nation. The war, which took place on the territory of their country, would have a significant negative impact on the lives of their various Nikancha communities, so they insisted on rejecting hostilities outside the borders. ”

“Reject beyond the border?” Claude stunned for a moment, some unknown, so: "Are those Nikancas out of their minds? Can you make that request? They don't want us to go to the Rodex Bay colony in the Fox Islands UK for a big duel with the 10 Standing Legions of the Kingdom of the Hicks..."

General Bolognick shook his head with his mouth, apparently amused by Claude's words: “That is not to say that the Nikanca envoys have not yet had this fever. If they do say that, it means they're hopeless. Our theatre will not hesitate to abandon any cooperation with them and to reach an agreement to watch them vanish.

If you look at the map, the Nikanca envoys suggest that they are willing to give way to the eastern and northern mountainous areas within thirty miles of the border with the colony of the Gulf of Rhodes, to allow troops from our theatre to set up defensive fronts, and that our theatre forces are responsible for guarding against Hicks attacks, while they provide us with logistical support... "

“That's a good idea. Let's put the war zone in the front and get them out of the way?” Claude was all laughed at: “Why do these Nikancas have the guts to come up with such a defensive plan? Do they think our battlefield is a muddy doll, let them set it up? Let our battlefield troops guard the battle against the Hicks within 30 miles of the border mountains, so they can watch the show behind them and enjoy it, at no cost? ”

“Alas...” General Bolonik sighed: "You don't know, the Nikancas received information from the colonies of the West Coast that the Kingdom of Hicks had lent the colony of the Gulf of Rodex more than 600,000 troops from 10 standing regiments to continue this colonial war with our immediate battlefield in order to avenge three tragic defeats.

So these Nikanths think they're being implicated in our immediate war zone, and if the northern coastal mountain areas of their country aren't blocked between the Rodex Bay colony and our immediate war zone, then they don't have to worry about being attacked by the Hicks. Unfortunately, they were caught in our war zone and among the Hicks.

These Nykancha envoys said that they were willing to help us deal with the Hicks this time because of their good relations with our immediate war zone and their close cooperation with each other. Otherwise, they would simply have to abandon the northern coastal mountainous areas and allow the Cairo Dex Bay colony access to the direct territorial war zone, so that the Hicks could drive straight into the direct territorial area of Port Vibato. ”

“Did these Nikantha envoys really say that? Can I see it as a threat to our war zone?” Claude grinned and asked General Bolognick: “Where did they get the courage to dare speak such a thick language in front of our battlefield? I've always heard that Nikantha people are slippery. I haven't really seen it. This time it's a big sight. Do we really need their support in this war?

It is they themselves who face the danger of extinction, but they want to pass it on to the heads of the war zones under our direct jurisdiction. Let the troops of our immediate war zone fight the Hicks for you to die while they sit in the fishermen's favor. I am sure that, if we accept their request, we will even have to pay them exorbitant tolls and labour costs in order to ensure logistical supplies on the front line, otherwise these logistical armaments will disappear for no reason and remain unaccounted for. ”

“Actually, Bick and Skerry both believe that time is already running out to discuss the level of support and assistance with the Nikancha envoys. As long as an agreement is reached between the two sides, the Nykansas state will have to contribute to resisting the Hicks offensive together on the defensive front, and the Nykansas will be desperate at this juncture of life and death.

After all, several of the first standing legions of the Kingdom of Hicks to arrive in April will be landing in the colony of Rodex Bay. Our theatre needs to hurry to map the terrain along the eastern and northern mountainous borders of the Nikanca nation. From our war zone to the eastern and northern mountain borders of the Nikancha nation, it takes at least twenty days, and it's really tight. ”

General Bolognick expressed some hesitation that, as the longest defensive general in the theatre, he was well aware of the importance of a well-equipped defensive front against enemy offensives. Arrival at the destination requires sufficient time to construct a line of defense.

“Suspend the negotiations with these Nikantha envoys and let them go for three days…” Claude said coldly: "We cannot leave them alone and listen to their call. All they have to do is implement and implement everything we ask of them in full accordance with our pre-defined strategic plan! Otherwise, let us watch them perish, and they will regret it when the Hicks have killed their country and their men and women are young and strong as slaves.

Tell those Nikancas that I will take over the negotiations from today and that I will not admit to any other agreement on the terms reached with them. If they want our artillery and advanced fire rope guns and help them form a regular army, then all of this has to come out with real gold and silver and refuse credit. Our immediate battlefield is not a homeland, and for this colonial war, we have all broken our own lives selling iron, and we do not have the capacity to help them for free.

These three days are for them to calm down so they don't make unreasonable demands again when I negotiate with them. The defeat of the Hicks and their annihilation can be guaranteed only if implemented in accordance with our strategic plan programme. At the same time, our zones of direct jurisdiction guarantee the territorial and sovereign integrity of their countries by agreement. Once we have won the victory over the Hicks, we will withdraw from their country and not continue to stand. ”

“You'll be upset with Bick and Scully...” General Bolognick said helplessly, but he still agreed to Claude's request: “I'll send deputy officers to notify them to stop the negotiations with the Nikans, reject all Nikans' demands, and tell the Nikans that the negotiations will resume in three days, and it's up to you. ”

This is already General Bolognick's greatest support for Claude, who knows that very well. He also held the post of Commander-in-Chief of the theatre and was well aware of the difficulty of General Bolognick's acting for him. More often than not, General Bolognick needs to deal not with solutions, but with balancing the contradictions that arise in all aspects of the theatre.

Claude is glad he's not sitting in this seat right now, and looking at General Bolognick's half bald head and two pale hairs for a while, he can tell how hard it has been to be acting Chief Commander of the war zone these past few years. Resettlement of military immigrants, rejection of the request of Grand Prince Hansback, wave of disarmament, military spending, Governor and Superintendent of the insurgency, disconnection from the mainland of the kingdom, relocation of the Nikancas, and after all this dust had settled, the Hicks came back...

“It's okay, the two of them aren't happy right now. It's better than regret.” Claude explains: "General Bitchklin is also influenced by his idea of setting up a deep defensive front in the northern coastal mountains, and he is pleased that the Nikanchas are now willing to hand over the eastern border mountains to our theatre as well. The troops entrusted to our theatre are always much more reliable than the Nikanchas, so as not to fear that the defensive front will be seized by the Hicks to open a breakthrough for thousands of miles.

As the chief logistics officer in theatre, General Skerry is responsible for military expenditures and rising deficit budgets in theatre. The main objective of his negotiations with the Nikancas was to reserve gold and silver ingots in the Nikanca country, which he hoped would be used by the Nikancas to pay for the arms trade in order to reduce our military expenditures. The Nikantha wanted to tie us to their chariots by credit and instalments, which he had not considered.

Obviously, if we agree to the Nikans' credit or the 10-year instalment, then we must take the initiative to help the Nikans deal with the Hicks. Because once the Nikantha nation dies, who should we collect this from in the war zone? This concerns millions of gold kroner, not a small sum of money, and I'm sure those Nikanca envoys must have promised us the high price of the weapons without bargaining... "

General Bolognick's face was a little ugly, and he came to his senses. The high price of the Obash 3 type rope guns, which the Nikancha envoys had reported to the war zone under the direct administration, was a one-mouth promise, apparently hoping that the higher the final total price, the better. All they had to do was pay a down payment, and the zone of direct jurisdiction would naturally go to the Hicks for the millions of gold kroner in arms deals and to guarantee the security of the Nikanca nation. Otherwise, the Nikantha Nation will be destroyed by the Hicks, who will pay for it in the immediate battlefield...

“We do not need a defensive front in their eastern and northern border mountains, we need a strategy that will allow the Nikancas to carry out a complete clearance of solid walls in their mountainous areas. And our defensive front can be set in the middle of the mountains, which can shorten our logistical supply and reinforcement distance. In the same vein, the Hicks' offensive has become more troublesome, with the enemy needing to cross the mountains in front to reach our defensive front before launching another offensive, creating difficulties for their military support and logistical supplies.

In addition, our small units can carry out raids on enemy backroads in the mountainous areas ahead, and if the Hicks want to secure their logistical and heavy supply corridors, they need to set up a complete defensive front, like us, to seal off the entire mountainous area in front of them, as well as enough troops to detain them. Doing so would only drag the entire war into confrontation, which would be very bad for the logistically strained Hicks, and I'm sure no commander in the Kingdom of Hicks would be happy to see it happen... "

Claude picked up his hat and he was ready to go home: "Tell General Bitchklin what I said, and he will soon understand what I mean. I will rest at home for the next three days without seeing anyone. Tell the Nikanchas that the negotiations will resume at 9 a.m. three days later. I will only give them one day, if they do not accept the strategic plan we have drawn up, to invite them back, and our immediate battlefield will suspend all cooperation with their country and watch them be annihilated by the Hicks. ”

Three days later, at the last minute of nine o'clock, Claude, a closed-door thank you, stepped into the big conference room of theatre headquarters at the last minute when a small handful of crystal colored sand fell in the hourglass.

The General Assembly Chamber is already full of all the participants from both sides who have come to the negotiations. Compared to the elders and chiefs of the four or fifty Nikancha nations sent to serve as envoys, the theatre commands came only to General Bolognick and General Albert, as well as several senior officers and documentaries. General Bitchklin and General Skerry deliberately excused themselves from participating in the negotiations, not knowing whether they were hiding or fearing that their presence would mislead the Nikancha envoys into arguing over several provisions reached between them some time ago.

Claude came to the table of the General Assembly and was interrupted when he said that I would preside over the negotiations. A very strong Nikanca leader rose up in anger and shouted, "General, are you not afraid that we will abandon the northern coastal mountains and allow the Hicks to drive straight into Port Vibato? ”

Claude Haha laughed, “No, I'm not worried at all, even I can't help it. The simple truth is, I'll beat the Hicks back as soon as I get here, and our two regiments in the war zone are ready for battle, and the Hicks can't wait to get here. For our soldiers, these Hicks are the battle merits and rewards that come to our doors.

As for the northern coastal mountainous areas, which you Nikantha countries voluntarily renounced, we can effectively occupy them after the Hicks have been expelled. Perhaps we could add another direct coastal mountain jurisdiction to the battlefield. It can also be connected directly to the Rodex Bay colony, which is really good news for our immediate war zone. ”

“But the Hicks have ten standing legions, more than 600,000 troops, you, how many men and women you have in the war zone, how can you simply drive the Hicks away! You, you are merely bragging..." The Nikantha leader dreamed that Claude would not have answered that question. Instead, the threat became a case of ceding the northern coastal mountain zone to the battlefield for direct control. The disparity in strength was only cited when he was in a state of desperation.

“Well, it looks like you finally know that the Hicks have 10 standing legions, over 600,000 troops...” Claude doesn't seem to see so many people in the Hicks kingdom at all: “But can you guarantee these Hicks will attack our battlefield first? They're only attacking our war zone, not interested in your country at all? ”

The Nikantha leader stuttered and couldn't speak. But an older elder next to him stood up: “Dear General Claude, I would like to remind you that the newspapers of all the colonies on the West Coast say that the Hicks are renting the Rodex Bay colony this time in order to continue this colonial war with your immediate battlefield, so your immediate battlefield will be their number one target..."

Claude shook his head with a smile: "It seems you do not understand that we are enemies of the Hicks, so they are coming to fight us, which is a matter of obedience. But in the eyes of the Hicks, you Nikancas are merely slaves, rebel slaves, and occupy their colonies to build an independent nation. This is a great disgrace to the Hicks. They will not consider you enemies, because it is an insult to them, so they will not say war with you, in their eyes, to destroy you only to quell the rebellion of slaves..."

The Nikantha elders were silent and seemed to know for themselves what Nikantha was like in the eyes of the Hicks.