On the night of the 11th of the 11th month in Year 594 of the Sacred Light Calendar, Claude brought Eiblont and Beechlin into the war zone command center.
Bolonik and Skri, who had been under house arrest for half a month, had regained their freedom. They sat in Bolonik's office and waited for Claude's arrival.
It had to be said that the decree of Stellin XI delivered by the royal envoy dealt a huge mental blow to Bolonik.
Now, the decree was spread out on the desk. General Bolonik, who had finished reading the contents of the decree, was disheartened and his face haggard.
He knew that if the royal envoy was allowed to carry out Stellin XI's decree in the colonies, everything they had fought for the past few years would be for naught.
But after the three entered the office and closed the door, Bolonik said in a cold, dissatisfied tone, "Everything is as you expected. Are you satisfied now?
So, when are you going to declare the independence of the colonies and ascend to the throne, Your Majesty Claude? "
Skri, Beechlin and Eiblont didn't say a word and only looked at Claude.
The operation against the royal envoy was entirely planned by Claude. Eiblont hid and Beechlin didn't make it in time due to the long journey.
Skri, on the other hand, kept Claude's plan a secret and stood with Bolonik to welcome the royal envoy. In the end, he was also placed under house arrest in the war zone command center for more than ten days.
Claude, on the other hand, used the excuse of Blackstone Gunsmith Workshop in Port Vebator to avoid the welcoming ceremony and purposely didn't show his face in front of the envoy.
Otherwise, he would be placed under house arrest in the war zone command like General Bolonik and General Skri, which would greatly affect his plans.
Even though being placed under house arrest didn't mean that Claude had lost the ability to resist, no matter what he and his men did, it would be seen as a power struggle between the upper echelons of the colonies. He wouldn't be able to lead his troops to capture the royal envoy who coveted the Minsheng Bank's gold and silver like he did today.
General Bolonik's words also expressed his dissatisfaction. Damn it, you've already captured the kingdom's envoy.
You dragged the four of us down with you. Are you going to declare the independence of the colonies and ascend to the throne?
Claude shrugged helplessly. "To be honest, I didn't do anything. According to my plan, it would take at least another six to seven days for the kingdom's emissaries to take the bait. That would be the best time to deal with the kingdom's emissaries.
Let the people know that the kingdom's envoy is up to no good, greedy, and despicable. Let the people see our new king's attitude towards the colonies and his muddle-headed nature.
However, I didn't expect that the Kingdom's envoys would have such sharp noses. It had only been two days since I took over the warzone, but they already had their eyes on the Overseas Minsheng Bank.
It could only be said that the gold and silver in the bank had blinded their eyes, causing them to stand against the people of the colony.
Even though I wasn't the one who arranged it, the people of the colonies are already in an uproar. If they continue to cause trouble, there might be uncontrollable changes. That's why I came out to capture all the envoys.
Also, don't joke around. I don't want to rebel against the kingdom, so why would I declare independence?
The center of the world is Freia, not Nubissia. Even if the colonies are huge, becoming a king here is just like how the nikancha built their own country. Wouldn't it be a joke for people to close their doors and play house? "
Hmm?
Bolonik raised an eyebrow. "You don't want to declare independence, nor do you want to become king. Have you never thought of rebelling against the kingdom?"
"Of course. I'm a citizen of Aueras. This is still Aueran territory on Nubissia."
"Then, then why did you capture the kingdom's envoy? You could've discussed it with them …" General Bolonik was happy.
Claude was speechless. All he could do was shake his head. That was probably what it meant to be experienced in life.
Even though Bolonik was twenty years older than Claude, his way of thinking was rather naive and naive.
Bolonik was the kind of person who was loyal to the kingdom to the death. No matter how the king treated him, he would accept it silently without complaining.
In addition, General Bolonik was born a commoner and had spent his entire life in the army. He had never thought about the dark side of the upper class, the intrigues, and the various schemes and fights for benefits.
He had never experienced or seen it before, but he believed that humans were good by nature and that Stellin XI was only muddle-headed for a moment. The kingdom's envoys couldn't be disobeyed. As long as there was a proper discussion, everything in the colonies would return to normal.
As for his own authority and position, he didn't really care about it.
Claude, on the other hand, was different. He wasn't a native of Faslan. He was a transmigrator. As a descendant of the Yellow Emperor in his past life, the saying 'nobles are better off with guts' was etched in his blood.
He wasn't like the western nobles who feared the bloodline and lineage of nobles. Instead, he had seen too much of the shamelessness and darkness of the so-called nobles in the movies he watched in his past life.
Even though he was now an honorary viscount of the kingdom, he still didn't care about his status.
"I'm going to send this battalion and the envoys to Loki Mountain. They're lacking in miners there," Claude said.
"Also, I've ordered the local garrison to capture the marines on the seven warships that escorted the envoys. They'll be sent to Loki Mountains to mine gold for a few years."
"Y-you …" Bolonik jumped up in shock. "Didn't you say you wouldn't rebel against the kingdom?
Why are you still doing this? This is clearly treason! "
"No, you're wrong."
Claude chuckled. "This is just a protest against Stellin XI from our colonies, not an act of rebellion.
Of course, if His Majesty thinks this is treason, there's nothing I can do about it.
What can His Majesty do to us then?
Which corps is he going to send against us? Does he have ships? Does he have warships?
Can he transport an entire corps at once?
By the way, I shouldn't be discussing this. Instead, I should ask His Majesty if there's any money left in the treasury.
Can it support this crusade across Tranquil Ocean?
I hope His Majesty doesn't forget that ten of Shiks' standing corps were just wiped out by us in the war theatre. More than 500 thousand Shiksan captives are working as labourers in our theatre. He has to think about how many corps he'll have to prepare to deal with us rebels.
Boni, you're our friend and we know you want to be a loyal general of the kingdom. The same goes for us. We don't want to betray our kingdom.
But as the acting commander-in-chief of the war theatre, you should know who's worthy of your loyalty.
You've already seen the edict from His Majesty's emissaries. You should know that the future of the colonies will be dark if we carry out the edict.
Our rebellion isn't treason. We're just protecting Nubissia for the sake of our kingdom. This is the new territory Stellin X opened up for the future of the kingdom. Our mission is to protect it and ensure its prosperity and development. That's the mission of Ranger's elders and the mission Marshal Michelic left for us before he left.
That's why we can't let the muddle-headed Stellin XI trample and destroy it.
Think about the five million settlers living in the colonies. What's more important, their peace and happiness, compared to satisfying the selfish desires of a muddle-headed and greedy ruler?
Our colonies will be renamed as the Aueran Dominion. We will still be part of Aueras, but we will no longer accept any edicts from the muddle-headed ruler.
When the next wise king ascends to the throne, our overseas autonomous region will once again accept the kingdom's jurisdiction … "
Claude's meaning was clear. Being against Stellin XI wasn't against the kingdom. The colonies were currently in the lead and they would have to wait for the next king to ascend the throne.
If the next king was wise, he would naturally forgive Claude's rebellion and allow the colonies to return to the kingdom's jurisdiction.
If the next king was like the current Stellin XI, the colonies would still be able to hang on.
The kingdom couldn't do anything to the colonies anyway. They didn't have ships or money and the kingdom only had three ace corps. What could they use to deal with the two corps of the colonies?
Given Stellin XI's personality, would he work hard to take revenge on the autonomous region?
That was impossible. If he had the time, he might as well throw a few banquets and live a befuddled life. At the very least, he wouldn't be a laughing stock in his dreams.
Bolonik's expression flickered. He knew that Claude was speaking the truth. Given the war theatre's current strength, the kingdom couldn't even put up a fight, let alone attack.
That was the difference between him and Claude. Claude would use his own strength to fight against injustice, while he could only endure it.
He couldn't serve the kingdom even if he wanted to, because Stellin XI didn't care about the loyalty of a small general in Nubissia.
"Sigh …" Bolonik sighed deeply and turned to leave. "I'll leave this place to you, Claude. I'm going home."
Claude saluted. "Alright, go home and get some rest. The two of you have been through a lot lately.
Right now, the people from the various colonies are rushing over to Lanu City, preparing to hold an autonomous election in half a month. At that time, you will need to preside over it … "
General Bolonik's footsteps paused by the door. He wanted to turn around but did not. After a moment of hesitation, he nodded silently and pushed the door open. Under the protection of the newly recruited guards, he boarded the carriage and left the war zone command center.
"Claude, why don't you become an independent country like Bony said? I promise all three of us will be loyal to you and wait for you to bestow upon us the title of Grand Duke …" General Eiblont asked with a smile. General Scripp and General Birkin also looked at Claude curiously, waiting for his answer.
Claude pursed his lips and found a chair to sit down. He reached for a cup of water.
Eiblont reacted quickly. "Don't be in such a hurry. I'll get you a bottle of good wine. I know where Bonny's office has good wine."
After Eiblont poured everyone a glass of fruit wine, Claude savored it as he pondered. "My father once told me this before he died. 'If you want to wear the crown, you have to bear the weight of it.'
I lived in Whitestag when I was young. Back then, it was still Whitestag Town, not yet a city.
There's a temple in town called Mother Earth. There's a beautiful crown in the temple, made of real gold and silver and embedded with many precious gems.
You should also know the purpose of this pair of crowns. Every year, during the harvest festival in September, the town will choose the most handsome boy and the most beautiful girl. They will become the Harvest Prince and Harvest Princess. They will wear this pair of crowns and wear gorgeous clothes. Then, a parade and carnival will be held in the town to celebrate the harvest festival, which lasts for three days.
When I was a child, I wished I could wear the crown of the Harvest Prince and parade like a majestic king on a magnificent carriage.
My father knew of my wish. He found a time to bring me to Mother Earth Lake and brought me the crown. He asked me if I liked it and if I wanted to wear it.
Of course I did.
But my father said I could wear the crown, but I had to put it on for an hour before I could take it off.
At that time, I thought that one hour was too short. I wished that I could wear this crown on my head for three days and three nights like the princes and princesses at the harvest festival.
Then, I regretted it, because I didn't think that the magnificent crown would be so heavy, and that it would be so uncomfortable to wear.
Ten minutes later, I couldn't take it anymore and cried for my father to help me take it off.
You know, there's a clasp on the crown that covers my head. I need someone to open it for me to take it off.
But my father refused my request and sat next to me drinking tea while I cried and wanted to take down the crown ….
I don't know how I survived that hour. All I know is that it was extremely painful for me.
When my father helped me take off the crown after an hour, I was like a fish thrown into the mud, gasping for air.
That's when my father told me about it and explained it to me.
There's nothing in this world that comes without sowing. When I want something, I have to consider if I'm prepared to take on the responsibility and responsibility that comes with it.
The crown is a beautiful and precious symbol of power, but it also means that as a king, he has to take responsibility for his subjects and the kingdom.
It's easy to become a muddleheaded king like Stellin XI, but what meaning does that kind of throne have to our lives?
In the end, we'll just be deserted and leave a disgraceful mark in the history books. We'll become a muddleheaded king despised by our own people.
Right now, our war theatre has nine colonies. It's a little larger than the kingdom's mainland.
If we divide them according to the size of the prefectures in the kingdom, each colony can be divided into at least three to four prefectures, and nine colonies can be divided into around thirty prefectures. As for our kingdom, we only have twenty-seven prefectures left after His Majesty destroyed the newly conquered twenty-one prefectures and gave up four border prefectures.
Our entire colony is larger than the kingdom's mainland, but the population of our colonies is only around five million people.
The 27 prefectures on the mainland, on the other hand, have more than 20 million people.
Even if the kingdom's mainland is in ruins due to the civil war, as long as it settles down and the king is wise and reliable, the people will recover in less than five years. That's where the confidence of the kingdom lies. It's not something our sparsely populated war theatre can compare to.
Under such circumstances, only an idiot would try to establish an independent nation in the colonies and ascend to the throne.
Let's not talk about the fact that the two to three million immigrants have just migrated here from the kingdom's mainland in recent years. They still have deep feelings for the kingdom. Even if the kingdom has a wise king, it would only take twenty years to recover the population's strength and turn the kingdom into a powerful country. After that, our independent kingdom would become its mortal enemy. Why bother?
At the very least, I don't think I'm qualified to be a king right now.
Also, think about it. All of Nubissia is a colony of the various countries on Freia.
If we establish an independent colony in the war theatre, we'll become an anomaly on Nubissia.
We'll be the target of all the countries with colonies on Nubissia, which means they can declare war on us and turn our territory into their colony.
As an Aueran colony, even if we establish an independent colony, any country that wants to attack us will have to consider the kingdom's response.
Once we become independent, the other countries won't have to worry about that.
We can defeat the ten standing corps of Shiks, but can we withstand the combined attack of all the countries with colonies on Nubissia? "
None of the three generals expected Claude to say something so profound. General Skri gave it some thought and said with some shame, "You're the clear-headed one. You're able to think so far ahead.
Truth be told, when I was locked up here by the envoys, I was filled with resentment and wanted nothing more than to sever all ties with the kingdom once I was free.
We risked our lives to win the war for the kingdom, only to be treated like this by an incompetent king. I really can't take it lying down! "
General Eiblont and General Birkin nodded with a sense of sorrow.
Claude smiled. "When I was young, I read in a book that it's impolite not to reciprocate.
It means that when a friend comes to visit, we have to pay them a visit in return.
Now, the royal envoy, the marine battalion and the navy escorting them have been sent to mining. Stellin XI is definitely waiting for news from them and hoping they'll bring back some loot from our war theatre for his expenses.
That's why we have to tell him not to wait any longer. The royal envoy won't be returning.
I've already ordered 1st Folk to break camp and return.
When the election is over, Allen, you'll have to work hard and lead Thundercrash to the kingdom's mainland under the escort of the ocean fleet. Didn't you say there are a lot of refugees in the kingdom? Help us collect them and transport them back to our region. That'll solve a big problem for the kingdom. "