Matilda Augustus, one of the most outstanding children of Emperor Rosetta, is known as the flower of the empire and the most dazzling pearl of Aldernan.
These dazzling auras superimposed on her good temperament can make many people involuntarily awe her and dare not approach her.
But even so, she still has her own close friends.
The heir to the Wendel family who inherited the title of General Wolf is one of them.
"We have already met Li, you can relax a little," the imperial princess smiled and nodded gently to Andesa, "We haven't seen each other for almost two years, right? The last time you returned to the imperial capital , but I just happened to go to the fief to deal with things, and just missed it."
"The necessary rules still need to be followed," Andesa relaxed a little, but still stood upright, quite meticulous. "The last time I returned to the imperial capital... it was because of the failure of the confrontation at Paramel Heights. It was really not very honorable. I'm afraid I would be a little embarrassed when you and I met..."
"Paramel "I heard about the confrontation in the Ergao Highlands... I heard what happened," Matilda, who was dressed in a black dress, said with a little sigh, "We can't put all the blame on you. The battlefield situation is changing rapidly. Your judgment at least puts almost all the blame on you." The soldiers brought them back to Winter Wolf Castle."
"...It's really hard to describe," Andesa finally sighed as she recalled that rainy night.
The members of the envoy who followed Princess Matilda were quickly arranged to rest in the Winter Wolf Castle. Matilda and Andesa left the main hall of the castle together. Come to the high walls of the fortress, follow the roads patrolled by soldiers on a daily basis, and stroll along the forefront of this empire's northwest frontier.
The cold winter wind blew through the city wall, raising the flags hanging on the city wall, but this cold wind could not affect the powerful high-level transcendent in the slightest. Andesa, who was wearing armor and holding a sword, walked calmly outside the city wall with a serious look on her face, as if she was inspecting the fortress. Matilda, who was wearing a black palace dress, walked silently beside her, her gorgeous and light long gown The skirt should be completely incompatible with the cold wind and cold eastern border and the mottled and thick city walls, but on her body, there is no sense of dissonance at all.
The Pearl of Aldernan walked slowly on the towering walls of Winterwolf Castle, still as graceful and majestic as walking in the palace cloisters.
"You look like you are reviewing the troops, as if you are ready to lead the knights to the battlefield at any time," Matilda glanced at Andesa next to her and said gently, "At the border. Have you always been like this?"
"This place could become a battlefield at any time," Andesa said seriously, "The border cannot be relaxed."
There seemed to be a trace of helplessness in Matilda's eyes. She smiled briefly and then shook her head: "Tell me about the Cecil people, tell me your impression of them. I was ordered to go to that country, but all I am familiar with is the past. 'Anzu' - that new empire, and how big Anzu isthe difference? "
"Cecil...Cecil is far more dangerous than Ansu," Andesa paused for a moment, then continued to move forward, "Ansu is a decaying creature. The old beast was once powerful and prosperous, but it has become decayed due to the rigidity of its own system and the wear and tear of internal conflicts. Although it still retains the strength to fight back at the end, as long as it delays for a few days, it will be on the verge of death. ;
“Cecil is a new beast born from the flesh and blood of this old beast, and it develops and matures much faster than we imagine. It has a very smart, knowledgeable and experienced Ruler, and a very efficient official system to help him achieve his rule. From a military perspective only - because I am also most familiar with this - the military of Cecil's empire has achieved deeper reforms than ours.
"No, this statement is not accurate. It is not a reform, because the entire war system of the Cecil people has been rebuilt. I have seen their mobilization speed and execution ability. That is the old army no matter what. Efficiency that no reform can achieve - at this point, perhaps we only have a few legions of Beyonders that can match it. "
Matilda couldn't help but slow down and looked at Andesa with a slightly surprised look: "It sounds like... you are not optimistic about the situation at all? "
"I'm just stating the facts. "
"...Your temperament is really not suitable for staying in the imperial capital," Matilda shook her head helplessly. "The facts you frankly stated are enough to make you stand in the parliament. It has received numerous questions and criticisms. "
"Talking in parliament will not increase our army," Andesa said directly. "Ansu was weak back then. This is a fact. Cecil is very strong now. , is also true. "
"...In your opinion, is Cecil already stronger than us? Matilda suddenly asked.
Andesa did not answer immediately this time, but thought for a moment before saying seriously: "I don't think so." ”
“Oh? This is inconsistent with the string of ‘statements of facts’ you just made. ”
“I have been collecting their intelligence. Although the spies we placed there have been severely hit, they are still active today. With the help of this, my advisory team and I analyzed Sisi’s intelligence. "Our situation," Andesa stopped suddenly. She looked into Matilda's eyes, with a certain burning look in her eyes. "That empire is stronger than us in one way. They are stronger in a more efficient official system." and more advanced magic technology, but these two things will take time to transform into 'national power', and they have not yet completely completed this transformation.
"The order after the war needs to be reshaped, and a large number of officials are exhausted in this regard; a large population needs to be pacified, the destroyed land needs to be rebuilt, and new laws need to be promoted; the land has expanded rapidly and the relatively small number of Their military strength means that they must use a large number of soldiers to maintain domestic stability, and the newly trained troops have not had time to form combat effectiveness-even ifNo matter how easy the magic equipment is to operate, soldiers still need a learning and familiarization process;
“They have relatively advanced magic technology, but those drawings can only be queued up in the factory because the ore is not available in a short period of time. It can be mined, and steel cannot be turned into machines instantly. Their emperor established a new type of school, but how many students can be trained at the same time, and how many of these students can be successfully transformed into workers, officials, and soldiers?
“In the Paramel Highlands, a war fortress blocked our knights. We thought it was a trap prepared by the Cecil people early, but later intelligence showed that the war fortress The fortress probably arrived at Paramel Heights less than an hour earlier than we did! Before that, Changfeng Fortress simply didn’t have enough soldiers, nor did it have enough ‘Skyfire Devices’! "
Andesa said a lot in one breath, while Matilda just listened quietly and carefully without interrupting her friend. She didn't speak until Andesa stopped: "Then , what is your conclusion? ”
“The Cecil Empire is still weaker than us because we have several times as many professional extraordinary people as they do, as well as extraordinary weapons, griffon legions, mages and knights that have been reserved for decades. , these things can fight against and even defeat those magic machines.
“But it takes us more than ten years to train a mage, and it cannot be replenished in a short time after death. It only takes a moment for them to produce a machine, and the soldiers who operate the machine only need months or even weeks of training. , they only sent out one 'war fortress' last time, but I highly doubt that their second war fortress is about to come out of the factory! And do we have a second Iron River Knights?
"As I just said, Cecil's advantages are their magic technology and the system called the 'Government Affairs Office'. These two things cannot be immediately transformed into national power, but this is also It means that once these two things are transformed into national strength, we will never have a chance again! ”
Andersa’s tone gradually became excited.
In the cold wind of winter, on the wall of Winter Wolf Castle that has stood for hundreds of years, the man in charge of the Winter Wolf Legion The young female general clenched her fists, as if trying to grasp an opportunity that was gradually passing by, as if trying to remind the royal heirs in front of her, to make her and the royal family behind her aware of the brewing crisis, and not to wait for the last moment. It's too late to regret it when you miss the opportunity.
"I have already written to His Majesty the Emperor and stated my views in this regard to the Council of Nobles in Aldernan," Andesa said urgently. , "Cecil is very dangerous to the empire, very, very dangerous. I can feel it. I can feel that they are still preparing for war. Although they have been sending out seemingly peaceful signals, Changfeng The changes in the fort were visible on the frontier. I think there are problems in all the actions they are taking now - whether it is increasing commercial circulation, establishing embassies, exchanging students, railway cooperation, investment plans..."
This time, before Andessa became more excited, Matilda suddenly interrupted her friend: "I understand, Andesa, I understand what you mean."
Andesa stopped, and she finally noticed that there seemed to be something profound in the expression on Matilda's face.
Being solemn and helpless.
“Magical technology and the Government Affairs Office will rapidly increase Cecil’s national power, so they will soon become an extremely powerful enemy, and now may be our last chance to eliminate this enemy—— Otherwise, if the current development direction is maintained, the chance will become slimmer every day - this is what you want to say."
Andersa nodded slowly: " ...Yes."
"Similar conclusions have already been sent to the desk in Obsidian Palace."
Andesa looked at Mathil in astonishment. Da.
"Are you curious who came to the same conclusion as you?" Matilda looked at her long-time friend quietly, seeming to sigh a little, "You call it a 'talkative' 'The Council of Nobles, and the Royal Family's Direct Advisory Group
"The conclusion was reached three days after you last left Aldernan.
"Andesa, the advisory group in the imperial capital is much more numerous than yours, and the gentlemen and ladies in the parliament are not fools. There may be some selfish people under the triple spiers of the aristocratic parliament. They are not stupid or mediocre people."
Andesa opened her eyes wide.
Faced with this unexpected truth, she did not feel embarrassed or ashamed, because before these emotions spread, the first thing that came to her mind was the question: "But... why..."< /p>
"It's too late, just for this reason," Matilda said quietly, "The situation no longer allows it."
Andesa couldn't help but said: "But we still Occupying..."
"If there were only two countries in the world, Cecil and Typhon, the situation would be much simpler, but Andesa, the winter wolf you guard is not the only one on Typhon's border. "We missed the only chance we had, after you left Aldernan, and maybe even after you evacuated Paramere Heights." Matilda interrupted Andesa again. , we have lost the opportunity to easily defeat Cecil.
“Now, even if we still have the advantage, we will definitely be torn to pieces by those steel machines after we get involved in the war.
“In the south, the relationship between the Kingdom of Gaoling and us is not good, and there are also silver elves... You don’t think that the elves living in the forest love art and they also love peace, right? ”
Andesa fell silent.
She is just one of the frontier generals of the empire. She can sniff out some trends in the international situation. In fact, she has surpassed many people.
But she could only see part of it. The long border of the entire empire was too wide for her.
Next to her, Matilda said slowly: "We are no longer the only powerful empire in the human world, and there are no longer weak city-states and alien groups around us that we can annex. My father The emperor, your father, as well as the parliamentarians and advisors, are carefully sorting out the foreign policy of the Typhon Empire over the past hundred years, the current international situation, and some of the mistakes we have made, and are looking for ways to make up for it and be responsible. Earl Hallmark, who has been in contact with the Kingdom of Gaoling, is working hard on this - he goes to the Blue Rock Hills to negotiate not only to do business with the Kingdom of Gaoling and the elves."
A place on the city wall. The time became quiet, with only the howling wind blowing the flags, stirring endlessly behind them.
Matilda broke the silence: "Now, you should understand the meaning of my existence and the mission I lead, right?"
"Sorry, Matilda "Da," Andesa breathed, "I thought of some things too simply."
"Don't care - as a wolf general, you are just doing what you should do." "
Andesa nodded, but her face looked very ugly.
"What's wrong?" Matilda couldn't help but be concerned, "What did you think of again?"
"Nothing," Andesa sighed, "Awkwardness... came up. ”