I Will Be The Crowned King

South of the Dawn Mountains, the Grand Duchy of Thun, Jinshi City.

While the Isir and the Clovis were still outside Eagle Point, fighting to the death for control of the fortresses; and slaughtered in the hills east of Eagle Point Pass, the city that was close at hand was holding A grand welcome banquet.

The booming gun salute rang out on the city wall, and the melodious bells spread throughout the city along with the flying white doves; on both sides of the city's main road that was cleaned up, the well-armed Grand Duke's Guards served as the guard of honor; There are specially arranged enthusiastic people who hold flowers and colorful strips and are responsible for shouting "welcome" and "long live"...

Under the noon sun, the gate of Jinshicheng Palace slowly opened, and a brand-new red carpet traversed the square and garden from the gate to the banquet hall. The fountains poured cider and wine incessantly.

Amidst the solemn ceremony and music, the Grand Duke of Thun, Claude Francois, who was standing in front of the steps of the palace, smiled and greeted the ambassador from the royal court of Iser, surrounded by a group of Thun nobles.

As the most northerly country in the Seven Cities Alliance, and at the same time bordering the Iser elves, Thun and Iser have a very complicated history. They are in a situation where there is both hatred and friendship, and both are using and relying on each other.

For Iser, Thun is the bridgehead for their expansion south of the Dawn Mountains. In history, they attacked Thun through the Eagle Point Pass more than once in history. After failure, they began to try to infiltrate, so that there is another person under the Grand Duke Thun who does not belong to Thun. A side branch of the Lançois family, a count of elven blood.

For Thun, the existence of the Iser elves ensures that they do not have to worry about threats from the north and east, and can concentrate on economic development. Sacrificing some territory and interests for this is also a last resort for weak countries.

Especially in the past two years, the strength of the Iser elf that relies on the support of the empire has continued to rise, so that the right to speak in the Seven Cities Alliance has become much stronger. There are faint signs of turning the alliance into a vassal relationship, and it has begun to infiltrate continuously. And win over, and strive to build the "Eight-Power Alliance" with Iser as the core.

Of course, the premise is that Iser can block Clovis' invasion and turn defeat into victory.

In the splendid banquet hall, luxuriously dressed men and women danced gracefully under the dazzling crystal lights, and the tables on both sides were filled with countless delicious wines and delicacies.

As a distinguished guest from afar, everyone in the entire Iser mission was assigned to a separate area, and each elves were surrounded by graceful and pretty people of the opposite **** to snuggle up to accompany them, and the humorous gentlemen exchanged cups with them; Anything, you will immediately get a compliment of applause.

And the Elf Ambassador Iser himself was arranged at the side of the Grand Duke Thun, enjoying the meticulous service that was no less than the Grand Duke, and all the requirements would be 200% satisfied.

Even after the banquet lasted for an entire afternoon, the Elf Ambassador was personally invited by the Grand Duke to go to the smoking room next door to taste the top wines in the collection of the Francois family.

Facing the host's kindness, of course, the elf ambassador as a guest could not refuse, and accepted the invitation with a red face.

"This is the wine my grandfather made to celebrate his seventieth birthday when he was still alive in the sixty-first year of the saint's calendar."

In the quiet smoking room, Archduke Thun personally filled two glasses of wine and handed them to the elf ambassador sitting in front of the fireplace:

"Cheers to the eternal friendship between Thun and Iser."

"cheers!"

Lightly clinking glasses, the slightly drunk elf ambassador drank the wine in one gulp, keeping a slightly sober gaze as he looked at Grand Duke Thun who was slowly seated:

"Duke François, thank you for your hospitality, but you must already know my purpose."

"Is it finally time to start?"

Grand Duke Thun didn't change his face, just nodded ambiguously.

"I'm afraid yes." The elf ambassador's expression became serious:

"The Clovis people have already begun to attack the Eagle Point City fortress. They broke through the outermost fortress in just seven days, and established artillery forts on the original site and the surrounding highlands, gradually eroding it; at their current speed, the fastest one month The soldiers will come under the Eagle Horn Castle!"

"What's even more frightening is that according to rumors, there were less than 10,000 people besieging the fortress; there are rumors that the main force of 30,000 people of the Southern Legion has passed the Eagle Point City and is advancing eastward at the Eagle Point Pass. The Guard Corps, drive straight into the Iser court!"

"No?" Grand Duke Thun expressed his shock:

"I mean... how did they climb over the Dawn Mountains, that's impossible!"

"But it's already true, Grand Duke Francois." The elf ambassador shook his head regretfully:

"Even if the rumors are false, the supply line to reinforce Eagle Point City has been cut off; indeed, a large Clovis army appeared behind Eagle Point City."

"If the situation is allowed to develop without any action, it is only a matter of time before Eagle Point is captured."

"This will never work!"

Grand Duke Thun stood up abruptly, his excited expression startled the elf ambassador:

"Eagle Horn City is not only the gateway to Iser, but also the barrier of the Seven Cities Alliance and Thun! Once Eagle Horn City falls, the entire vast land will be exposed to the front of the Clovis; those crazy warmongers of war, they will throw their dreadful 'railway' all the way to Golden Rock for fertile land and a southward estuary!"

"Ambassador Mathias, you must persuade His Majesty Iser!" Grand Duke Thun put down his glass, hurriedly rushed in front of the elf ambassador, and held the opponent's shoulder with a "crack!" and looked at him:

"You must make him understand that this is no longer Ysir's own business, we are preventing a mad kingdom from destroying the peace and prosperity east of the world of order for years! Ysir must spare no effort to stop this, sacrifice It's worth more!"

"Thun, and the Seven Cities Alliance, we will all stand on the side of the Iser Elf and do our best to fight side by side with you!"

"Of course, of course!" The elf ambassador nodded again and again, his expression a little flustered:

"Grand Duke Francois, this is exactly what Your Majesty sent me here."

"In order to fight against the Clovis people, the strength of the Yisel elves alone is not enough, we need the assistance of the Seven Cities Alliance; not only to provide materials, but to form a coalition with us to smash Clovis in Eagle Point City. Uyghur ambition!"

"If we join forces, it will be enough to build an army of 150,000 people, equivalent to five legions! Combined with the empire's offensive, in three months... Clovis will be destroyed!"

"well said!"

The excited Archduke Thun poured two more glasses of wine: "Let's toast our future victory, Ambassador Matthias?"

"cheers!"

The elf ambassador was also very excited, and his cheeks were flushed.

"Then what are you going to do next?"

After drinking the wine, Grand Duke Thun's expression became a little more formal: "Although it is not appropriate to say this, it is not as easy as it seems to want the Seven Cities Alliance to reach a unified opinion."

"Some states in the north are even better, but in the south... These people can't see the stakes in their eyes at all. They can only see that the war will destroy trade exchanges. If there are not enough interests, they will not agree."

"Of course I understand." The elf ambassador sighed with a helpless expression:

"As long as the Kingdom of Clovis can be won, the Elf Isher is willing to give some benefits to her loyal allies."

"Like?" Grand Duke Thun asked casually.

"This matter is still under discussion, but His Majesty has basically settled on it."

The elf ambassador smiled mysteriously, approached and whispered: "Your Majesty is going to officially open the trading rights of Eagle Point City. From now on, the Seven Cities Alliance can share the benefits of Eagle Point City with Iser; of course, the premise must be Take the Seven Cities Alliance as a whole."

"Oh, really?" Grand Duke Thun's eyes lit up, but he didn't think so in his heart.

Let the Seven Cities Alliance do everything for the fortress of the Iser Elf, and even "form a coalition", but the benefits they are willing to promise are just a little bit, and even the Seven Cities Alliance?

The elf king of Iser... "Stingy" is no longer enough to describe him.

"Of course."

The elf ambassador nodded and smiled, completely ignoring Grand Duke Thun's fleeting expression:

"Thank you for your hospitality today, but I will leave Thun tomorrow to go to the next lord, tell them the news, and let the entire Seven Cities Alliance act as soon as possible."

"No." Grand Duke Thun said suddenly.

"no?"

"Yeah, you can't do that, because...it would be too inefficient."

Grand Duke Thun shook his head: "If it's the lords who have the same idea as the Thun people, maybe they will agree as soon as you arrive; but if it's someone else, that's not necessarily the case, maybe they will delay for various reasons. ."

"And in addition to the traditional Thun people, there are some countries whose system is republic or the so-called 'equality', and those small countries are the most difficult to deal with."

"I understand that too." An embarrassed expression appeared on the face of the elf ambassador:

"Can't we use the method of the minority obeying the majority?"

"I'm sorry, but it won't work." Grand Duke Thun expressed regret:

"The way the Seven Cities Alliance decides things must be unanimously approved. Otherwise, it is easy for a strong country to use this system to control a weak country. This system was designed because we didn't want to become a vassal of other countries."

"So I suggest that you stay in Jinshi City for a while. I will send a messenger to notify the other six countries that a meeting will be held in Jinshi City. You can persuade them in person."

"Although coercion can't be used, if most people in a room agree, the rest of the people will not be able to express their opposition because of face and relationship." Archduke Thun suggested:

"During the next time, you can temporarily relax in Golden Rock City. There are good hunting grounds and wineries nearby; I estimate that it will be ten days at the slowest, and we will be able to hear back."

"Ten days?!"

"This is only the worst estimate. If you are lucky, it might only take five days." Grand Duke Thun smiled and said:

"The Seven Cities Alliance follows the tradition. The sudden convening of the Seven Nations Conference requires serious preparation and discussion."

"But the Clovis people are already besieging Eagle Horn!" The elf ambassador widened his mouth:

"They'll be able to capture the fortress in a month at the soonest!"

"Ah...then I can only express regret."

Archduke Thun took a sip of wine lightly: "Could it be that with His Majesty Iser's elite guard army, even a hastily formed army of the Clovis can't beat it?"

"No? Ambassador Mathias, what do you say, no?"

"This, of course... Of course not! The Guard Corps is completely established according to the imperial military system, of course it is no problem to defeat the southern army that came out of nowhere!"

The elf ambassador hurriedly denied it, and immediately changed the subject:

"But speaking of the Southern Legion, I have recently heard some rumors that are unfavorable to Thun, Grand Duke Francois."

"On the way here, some people told me that a Clovis army had recently appeared in Thun's territory, and had received your hospitality at Golden Rock; it sounds like the Thun people assisted the Clovis people to cross the Like the Dawn Mountains."

"This...isn't true, right, Your Excellency?"

The expression of the elf ambassador became a little dignified, and his slightly drunk eyes stared at Claude Francois's every move.

"Of course not. How can we help the Clovis people while allying with Iser?" Archduke Thun smiled indifferently:

"Isn't that a shameless villain who rides the wall on both sides?"

"So it's not true?" the elf ambassador was still asking.

Grand Duke Thun shook his head: "It's just a misunderstanding."

"Some distant relatives of the François family came to visit some time ago, and I entertained them in Golden Rock City; because the banquet was held very grandly, and there were indeed a few distant relatives who were nobles of Clovis, it turned out to be false rumors. It became Clovis' army...haha."

"That's right." The elf ambassador said intently:

"Then where are they now?"

"Already left - they were just here to visit relatives, and went back as soon as they heard the war broke out."

Archduke Thun said without a strange smile:

"It may have arrived by now..."

"Dong dong dong."

A soft knock on the door interrupted him.

The cold-faced Archduke Tuen had to apologize to the elf master, got up and walked after getting the other party's understanding; opened the door~www.readwn.com~ The waiter standing in the corridor whispered a few words, and then A bottle of wine with the Iser logo is served.

The moment he saw the wine bottle, Duke Thun's complexion changed slightly, but he quickly regained his calm: "Okay, write a letter to tell them that they must pay attention to safety."

"As ordered."

The waiter turned away and closed the door.

Grand Duke Thun returned to the room, saw the "curious" expression of the elf ambassador, and raised the Iser wine in his hand with a smile:

"Gifts from my relatives, telling me that they've taken the path into the elven kingdom of Iser--so you see what a coincidence, you'll see them a day late if you leave."

Looking at the bottle of wine, the elf ambassador who wanted to continue asking questions had no choice but to give up, and then changed to a lighter topic to ease the atmosphere.

In the dimly lit smoking room, the unsuspecting elf ambassador did not notice that the cork of the bottle of wine engraved with the logo of the elf was wrapped in a flag.

A Scarlet Unicorn King banner of Clovis.