The Amber Sword

Brando's residence for Prince Leonarette is located east of Valhalla, in a palace formed by a tree trunk excavation. This is one of Valhalla's ability to create an unlimited number of holes inside this tree fortress by paying magic in the town hall, and of course, to turn these holes into rooms, decorating and decorating, Brando asked Antitina to work with Odham to imitate Cold Cedar Castle and design the palace as a room in Valhalla. This luxurious room is now exclusively occupied by the Crowdsman's eldest son, and outside is guarded by the Crowdsman's Knight Folder Shift, day and night.

Most of these knights knew Brando, and after being briefed, they respectfully led him in with Leonarette's approval. The entrance to this palace is cleverly arranged on a terrace connected by a small path made up of vines; the other end of this trail connects the second floor of the treetop square above, the entrance is remote and guarded by a tree elf archer; directly in front of the terrace is the main trunk of this giant tree extending upwards, with a tree house hidden between the tree elf archer's post and the branches, but through the bush shade on both sides of the trunk, it is still possible to see the mountains in the eastern clouds, arguably with both security and without hindering the owners of the place from enjoying the wonderful scenery, which is an excellent design.

At the entrance, a cane filled with turquoise leaves draped down the tree wall, as if a curtain were formed, behind it was the main hall of the palace, which was also semi-open, and above the hall there was a giant crystal that filtered in the light outside, allowing the sun or moonlight to pour over the magic fountain in the center of the hall, allowing the sparkling spring to flow through the pebbles. Brando and Antitina walked into the lobby and saw the crown prince of the Cruz standing by the fountain, looking down at the golden stream, wondering what he was thinking.

“Your Highness, are you satisfied with your stay?” Brando walked not far from him and stopped to say hello.

Leonarette looked back at them and nodded, but no answer, just waiting for them to say it.

This guy is still as bored as ever, thinking. He spoke voluntarily: “Your Highness, the Wind Elves have begun their battle in the Four Realms, and the Golden Lions are gathering in the army. Jihad can be said to have begun. I wonder if His Highness has any opinions on this? ”

Since the beginning of the jihad, the Silver Queen has had to rely on the military nobility of the Empire, most of whom support the Crown Prince. Leonarette nodded in silence and asked: "As is customary, the Temple of Fire should convene envoys to Rusta, and I have not had time to congratulate the Count on his appointment as Head of Mission. ”

“His Royal Highness Leonarette lived in Tonigal for a while. You don't want to go back to the Empire, do you? ”

The Croatian prince raised his head and looked at him with light blue eyes, and his desperate eyes seemed to be saying, "Is it possible that you, the younger Earl of Tonigle, also want to intervene in the empire's inheritance struggle?"

Brando stalled and smiled slightly: "Your Highness, it was not that I wanted to take chestnuts in the fire, but that I was helpless. I had no intention of interfering in the affairs of the Cruz people, especially the most troublesome battle of kingdoms. But now that this is happening, I have to do something to protect myself - it's good for you, it's bad for me, so I want some advice from you. ”

“What advice?” Leonarette asked.

“First of all, I want to know who in the Empire will spare no effort to support you. ”

Leonarette frowned slightly, as if thinking about the value of the meeting, and for a moment, he made a gesture to Brando - a gesture that means, 'Please come inside’ and turn to the study. Brando followed Antina, as if he had expected. Several people came all the way to the study, where several light spirits were waiting for the royal elder son's orders, and Leonarette had them set up a room with black tea and refreshments - spirits that, while also obeying Brando's orders, waited well for the royal prince of the Cruz to exercise his power, even though his power was confined to the palace.

A moment later, after a few glittering flights out of the room, the Croatian prince solemnly replied: "Mr. Count, the Octavians are my wife's family, and the Duke of Ludwig will spare no effort to support me. ”

Brando had no idea that His Royal Highness had a wife at a young age, but this political union in Warnde was tantamount to standing in the ranks, and the Octavian family could say that it had been proud and damaged with Leonard, so Duke Ludwig could be considered the type of man the Crown Prince could trust in the Cruz Empire. “What else?” He continued to ask.

“The Nona family is my ally. ”

“What's going on?” Brando asked.

“Old Enohnhou publicly objected to the transmission of the first king to his mother, so that this hatred would not dissolve over time with my mother and queen, and therefore was most eager to withdraw her mother from office was the Nona family. I have a secret agreement with the Nona family that the Marquis of Enone promises to cede some of Enone's mine shares to my advantage and unreservedly supports me in taking the throne.” Leonarette replied calmly.

Brando suddenly, no wonder Mangrove was so anxious to come to Tonigal from the Empire. Apart from the Imperial Legion, which is divided into four parts, the incumbent Innocent Homangrove is the leader of the Black Legion, the Green Legion is in the hands of the Erichik family behind Veronica, and the Nigel family, which has blood ties to the royal family, controls the Red Legion on the border between the White Legion and St. Osor. The three great families, the typical representatives of the military nobles of the North, are generally biased towards the heirloom of the Crown Prince - but only represent an attitude in which, according to Leonaret, only the Nona family should really be willing to contribute.

Brando wrote this down and went on to say, "Is there more? ”

“Old Chancellor Nederwen. ”

“Chancellor Neville?” Brando was frightened, and some dared not ask again with certainty. The old Chancellor of the Cruz Empire, Nederweyn, is no ordinary man. He should be over 150 years old today. He was the three dynasty elder of the Empire. It was with his help that the then Cruz Emperor regained power from the Temple a hundred years ago. If there is any legend of the Cruz people in this era, it should be this Chancellor.

And in his capacity and wisdom, or frankly, an old fox like that, would it be easy to choose a team?

Brando looked suspiciously at His Royal Highness, the Crown Prince of the Cruz, and Leonarette replied slowly: "The Mother trusted the Parut family in order to use the power of local nobility to suppress other forces in the Chapel. The military nobility of the North rarely intervened in government, so that her purpose was known to the world - nothing more than the Prime Minister and the Temple. The Chancellor understood that his mother had no affection for him, so naturally he would not stand on that side. ”

“But not necessarily on your side.” Brando thought that it was the prince and the princess who were in the empire, and that without a royal eldest, the heir would be extinct; but the royal elder prince was at least absolutely right, that regardless of which princess was chosen to succeed the president, the old prime minister could not stand aside from the Silver Queen.

That's enough.

He reckoned, silently, that the three forces Leonard spoke of came from distant royal relatives, military nobles and nobles in general, the most ironic of which should be the Duke of Ludwig of the Octavian family, the Nona family, followed by Old Chancellor Ned Man, who could only be regarded as a potential ally or as not an enemy. Brando remembered that he had offended the empire as the prime minister's daughter, the old prime minister's precious granddaughter, so he could not provoke and try not to provoke.

There are several forces, royals, military nobles, local nobles and temples on the face of the Cruz Empire ——

These four forces essentially control most of the land, population and resources of the Empire, as well as the army, which means little to Brando, most critically to his plan. Of the Imperial army, four traditional regiments are held by military nobility, two of which are held by the royal family by means of marriage. In contrast, the patrol cavalry and local guard forces of the various regions have always been the traditional sphere of influence of local nobility, which also includes the emerging navy, yet the local nobility is divided into two parts, the royal family and the temple have one of the influence, the royal family is more closely related to the autonomous Grand Duchy of the North, and the temple mainly affects the lords and lords of the South; finally, the temple itself has an immense military force, which includes the most elite part of the army of the Cruz people, such as the Order of Bishops and the Order of Flaming Knights.

Brando thought about it and suddenly found himself missing something, "Where's Veronica? Shouldn't she also support His Royal Highness?” He raised his head and raised the issue with Leonard somewhat strangely.

The crown prince of the Cruz looked at him and shook his head: "Mr. Count, she supported me because of the honor and justice of the military, but the Erichko family behind the teacher did not necessarily take my side. ”

It was only after Brando heard it that he understood what was going on, and he couldn't help but salute the names that Leonard had mentioned earlier, including even the military nobles of the North, who, at best, were qualified politicians, but this woman Legion Leader, the true soldier and knight of the Empire.

He knocked on the knuckle knuckle knuckle and began to analyze it, answering Leonarette, "I think I understand, Your Highness, so let's now determine what our goal is. ”

In Brando's mind, of course, the most desirable thing is for His Royal Highness to return directly to the Empire, to pull these supporters of his against the Her Majesty's Chamber, and to do so with the slightest result of the coup d 'état, but the more likely result is a civil war. Of course, he is just thinking, the eldest son is not a fool, and his supporters have not yet been affected by the retarded halo.

What is the ultimate goal of a plan depends on the power they now have, a beggar will not hesitate to become a king, and the farmer's vision will mostly be to pack a few more acres of land instead of becoming a huge business with a vast array of money. And Brando gave Leonard a specific goal, which was self-preservation.

“Self-preservation?” The Crown Prince of the Cruz chewed the word carefully: "Protect yourself, first of all, and make sure that my supporters in the Empire are not swept away by my mother, does that mean? ”

Shit, this is evil. Brando couldn't help but scold. Though he had heard of His Royal Highness the Elder Prince's wise divine martial arts in history, he could not help but create a feeling that his intelligence had been crushed by the other side on several levels when he was truly opposite him. The plan was discussed several times by him and Antina and Caglis. Finally, the details were determined, the slate was decided, and the other party didn't expect to hear a name, so they guessed what they meant.

The Silver Queen set such an ambitious goal of reunification as Warnde, and the first thing she had to do was to muster up the army; imagine that she would surely be the first to open the knife with the Nona family, and that she had previously suppressed the northern nobles, also in preparation for the day - the military nobles were not fools, naturally aware of the truth of prosperity and loss, and that Her Majesty had to deal with them only by using the time of peace to cut the army and reduce the power in their hands. But the early arrival of jihad forced the Silver Queen to release herself from the constraints imposed on the aristocracy of the North, because she knew very well that she still had many opponents in the empire, and if she lost her way during the jihad, these hidden opponents would all jump out and force her to retreat.

Forty years after her reign in the Empire, she was long overdue to cede her throne, as promised earlier, and if she is to continue to rule this vast empire, she must enhance her prestige and give herself a reason not to go along with her fame.

The best reason is that she can lead the Cruz to victory.

And this is the opportunity for Brando and the Crown Prince, but instead of standing up against the High One at this time, we have to keep our hands together and try not to give her the chance to make mistakes. The only army Leonarette can possess is the Black Legion, plus the local aristocratic forces that the Duke of DeWiggle in the north can influence, but in fact the Silver Queen does not possess much of the army, but only the Red and White Legions.

But there are more potential enemies for her than the Crown Prince, who has fought evil with the Kirk family, fought evil with the Temple, fought evil with the Chancellor, and the Erichiko family is said to be very close to the flower leaves, and I don't think they will be able to support Her Majesty with an iron heart. Instead, they are not loyal allies of the Crown Prince, but they do not lack the opportunity to befriend him - because at least they have a common enemy.

Brando's offer to Leonard was to connect his forces in the country in his name, to help each other, and then to hide in the dark, which was the means of self-preservation. Self-preservation is a defense in itself, but it is also a defense to fight back. This jihad is an elusive vortex for the Cruz Empire, and the Temple wants to win, and the Silver Queen wants to win, but the Temple is unwilling to dress the Silver Queen, and I'm sure the Supreme of the Empire thinks the same thing.

And the local noblemen, also pregnant with ghosts, the Queen's supporters of iron rods, and the clusters of temples, when the two parties are angry with each other, the power of the eldest prince becomes an important force. If he chooses to remain silent, then the plan of the Silver Queen to integrate the power of the Empire into the military victory of Jihad can be said to have failed in half.

In the face of this situation, it is no surprise that Old Chancellor Nederweyn will turn a blind eye, and the attitude of local nobility will change dramatically over time.

Because of a very simple theory.

It is self-evident that a new emperor, His Majesty the Iron Blood Queen, who has ruled the empire for 40 years, possesses a totally different power to govern, and nobility anywhere would prefer an overly powerful emperor, which is a one-size-fits-all logic in Warnde, so who they will eventually favour. When Her Majesty's prestige diminishes every day as the mud of war plunges deeper and deeper, the voice that compels her to withdraw will one day reach consensus among all the nobles.

By that time, Leonarette will be able to return to the empire in good faith and accept the crowds of the nobles.

This is the final counterattack.

Of course, self-preservation at this stage is also beneficial to Brando, who is going to the Empire to retrieve Tianqing's gun and Sy, and imagine that his enemies should have Her Majesty and the Temple of Fire. He was therefore most reluctant to see a fully united empire, whether in the name of the Silver Queen or the Temple, and all he had to do was maintain the chaotic status quo of the empire and seek opportunities for himself through the adversarial manifold. At the same time, Leonard's allies in the north can also provide him with the necessary refuge, for example, by providing him with a safe escape route from the empire.

At this point, he shares a common interest with the Croatian prince.

After listening carefully to Antina's analysis, Leonarette nodded silently and finally looked at Brando and finally stopped being so indifferent. He thought for a moment before answering: "Thank you, Count, for your frank offer. I think I can trust you completely. If one day I take the throne, you and my friendship will be a precious witness today. ”

Brando smiled and finally felt relieved: "So happy to cooperate, Your Highness.” He replied.

Leonarette nodded slightly at him as a gesture, but the face on the board was not loose at all, and he thought for a moment and suddenly said: “As a friend, I have some personal suggestions to share with the Count. ”

Brando stood still slightly and asked, “What advice? ”

“I am well aware of the character and character of my mother, your subordinate is in her hands, she will surely use you and Eruin to intimidate her. I think, Mr. Count, if the inner world of your subordinate is not quite indestructible, you'd better do something to give her some confidence.” The Crown Prince replied softly.

His Royal Highness knew the real reason for coming here. Brando thought of it in his heart, but he also immediately reacted to the information provided to him by Prince Leonarette. He thought about it, thinking that eighty-nine out of ten people would really do it with the character that Her Majesty did not want to stop. With this in mind, he suddenly felt that his trip was not a loss, and nodded to the prince of the Cruz: “I know what to do, thank you very much. ”

……

(PS:) Correct me, yesterday Act 55 should be Act 56, and today we'll start with Chapter 1 Act 57, and later there will be another one. I hope that you will feel comfortable and hope that you will devote more time and smash more monthly tickets.