"Comprehensive mobilization of the Alliance? Judging from the current situation, this is not a good idea, and even if it is mobilized, it will be too late. At present, the relationship between the Augsburg Empire and the Famini Empire and the Alliance has not substantially improved. The threat in our western region is still huge. The only thing that has improved is that the plundering of the northern nomads seems to have eased slightly. It is funny to say that this phenomenon also depends on the Luobei people being conquered by Li Wufeng. But the Luobei people are now Tang people With the support of the Tang Dynasty, it seems that they are also planning to join the Tang camp and serve as the vanguard of the Tang Dynasty's westward invasion. I'm afraid we in the north will not be at peace again."
The other wizened old man who was talking to him was gently massaging his body. He had silver hair and was quite energetic, but his age spots on his face made him look a little more stale. This is Duke Franklin, director of the Alliance's Tax and Finance Department, an influential nobleman in the Alliance, from the Principality of Salzburg, one of the Three Giants of the Alliance. The finances of the alliance countries are not unified, and they are still managed by themselves. However, a fee is required to be paid every year for the expenses of the alliance institutions. The internal and external tariff policies are formulated by the heads of the alliance through consultation and are handed over to the Alliance Tax Affairs Office for execution. .
"Then Lord Franklin, do you mean that we withdraw from Western India?" Marquis Salz was somewhat disapproving of this. He finally extended the alliance's power to the Central Continent, and now it is forced to withdraw it, after paying such a huge effort. The price was paid but there was not much valuable return. I am afraid that it is difficult to explain this to the alliance countries. The other parties should also understand this truth.
"No. No, in that case, I'm afraid none of us here will be able to face the leaders of the Allied countries, and I won't be able to go back to my hometown of Salzburg." Shaking his head, Duke Franklin objected. "What I mean is that the area of De'an in Western India is too vast. The defense line is too long. The existing strength of our army does not allow us to invest all our troops there, but the Tang Army has assembled heavy troops in that area, so this happened. According to this phenomenon, we can shrink the defense line. Give up some secondary areas, ensure one or two areas that are more important to us, and increase part of the military input. Ensure our presence in several key areas, such as Destin, which is our alliance Enter the mainland passage. In addition, we can selectively own one or two of the three provinces of Fahan, Dexin, and Maina. I believe that if we show our military strength, the Tang people should be able to compete with us. Reach a compromise. I heard that Li Wufeng's purpose is also to obtain an outlet in the Baltic Sea. If we meet his request and at least satisfy his appetite to a certain extent, they may accept our peace request.
"Duke Franklin, I'm afraid you don't know much about Li Wufeng. I'm afraid his appetite cannot be satisfied at the mouth of the Baltic Sea. Maybe the whole of India is his goal. If we retreat like this, maybe It will only whet his appetite." Marquis Salz shook his head. He did not agree with the other party's view. The other party had a strong say in many affairs of the alliance, but he did not know enough about the strongman in the East. The official did not realize how dangerous the other party was. On this point, Salz believed that he had more say than the other party, although he respected this politician who was very influential in the alliance.
"Marquis de Salz, in your opinion, what should we do? Fully mobilize the alliance? Will there be enough time? What will the people think? We have already obtained all the wealth we need in Western India and sown it. Having received the seeds of the Holy Spirit, now it is time to wait for the seeds to take root and germinate on their own, instead of blindly conquering them by force, which will only arouse greater resentment and anger among the local ignorant people. Let the entire standing army enter? Not yet Can we reverse the current disadvantage? We don’t have any mobile troops in our hands. If there is any change in the north or west, how will we respond?" Duke Franklin was very calm. He closed his eyes and asked calmly.
Duke Franklin's rhetorical question made the Director of the Alliance's Foreign Affairs Office a little embarrassed. The other party's question went straight to the alliance's current weakness. The princes and nobles of the northern and western countries are not very interested in controlling the land of Western India. Of course, they are still very eager to seize the wealth accumulated by the nobles of Western India for hundreds of years, so Only then would they take advantage of the development of the Holy Spirit Cult in Western India to take advantage of the opportunity to enter. However, the wealth has been obtained, their main purpose has been achieved, and their focus has returned to their own safety. The Augsburg Empire and France The heavy presence of troops on the border areas of the Mini Empire is what they are most worried about, and the threat of nomads to the northern countries has begun to spread again after a period of reconciliation. They will spare no effort to fight against enemies that endanger the security of the alliance member states. , but if they are asked to devote too many troops to West Indies, I am afraid they will not agree.
"I agree with Duke Franklin's opinion. There are six provinces in the West Indian region, and its land area is equivalent to one-third of the land of our allied countries, which is equivalent to the Duchy of Hanover plus the Duchy of Salzburg. The land area is extremely unfavorable for our defense, but the Tang army can launch attacks at will. However, there are many places in this land that are deserts and Gobi, such as Kerman, Farhan, and Maina. We are here Military operations in this area have been hampered by rebel groups from the local lower classes. They often create riots and attack our troops, but we cannot fight as regular enemy forces. They hide among the lower classes and rely on their The cover harasses us, especially in the two provinces of Kerman and Farhan. If we tighten the defense line, we can concentrate on clearing out these damn flies, and pay more attention to Destin and Dexin.
The influence of the Holy Spirit Church in the two provinces is also much greater, and it is easier for us to gain support in these two places. Controlling these two areas also ensures that the alliance still has a certain influence and voice in the Central Continent. "
The support of the military commander gave Franklin's opinion the upper hand. Although the Marquis of Salz was unwilling to do so, he could not but respect the other's opinion. What's more, in addition to the Principality of Hanover's strong support for sending troops to the West Indian region, the central and southern states of the alliance The country is more concerned about the harassment of Constantine and pirates at sea. The alliance really has too many security hotspots that need attention. In comparison, India is just a one-time treasure cave in their minds. That wealth After grabbing everything, it seems that they can just let it go. The secular princes and nobles are far less interested in civilizing the pagans in that land than the Holy Spirit Church.
A carriage quietly arrived at the most famous Kitena Manor on the outskirts of Goa. It is a famous exclusive leisure resort in the South Indian region. It was originally privately owned by the Tik royal family. However, after the Tik royal family fled, It was confiscated by the Governor's Mansion of South India of the Kingdom of Luzon and became a gathering place for senior officials of the Kingdom of Luzon in the South India region. The situation in South India has not been completely stabilized. The Luzon people still have a considerable number of security forces deployed around Kitena Manor. Today, the place seems to be more heavily guarded, but even the military commander in charge of security here is not Knowing the purpose of General Kloof's request to increase alert, he could only faithfully execute the order.
A series of drop-shaped lakes with an elegant environment are like springs sown by God on the land of southern India. According to Indian legend, this was the harvest goddess and the water god who wanted to show off their abilities when they competed for the right to enshrine this land. And when he spilled a few drops of holy water from the bottle of holy water he had on the land of South India, it became a lake that was deep and quiet, with water as clear as blue. Moreover, it changes into different colors with the weather changes and sunlight exposure, such as light green, turquoise, emerald blue, deep blue, light purple, and ever-changing. The lakeside forest is surrounded by vast and hundreds of years old trees. The guard's defense has never been breached, hence the name "Emerald Necklace" of South India.
Among the more than ten lakes in the entire Emerald Necklace, except for the largest Eternal Lake, which is open to the public and allows ordinary people to bathe in the holy water to wash away sins, the other ten lakes are strictly prohibited for outsiders to enter. The Tik soldiers have been faithfully implementing this policy until Lu After the Song people took full power here, they opened three of the more remote lakes to the public, allowing ordinary people to bathe here. This also won the Luzon people a lot of favor among the middle and lower class people in Tike.
But in a series of the most beautiful lakes near Kitena Manor, the Luzon people still followed the original practice of the Tik people and declared it a restricted area, prohibiting ordinary people from entering and exiting. Except for senior Luzon officials, only those who had surrendered Some of the Tik nobles in Luzon can now enjoy it.
The carriage drove into the Kitena Manor. The gate, which had not been opened since the Luzon people took over the manor, stopped deep into the manor. The soldiers on guard around were surprised to find that it was them who got out of the carriage. The great Marshal Frederick, the newspapers two days ago were still talking about inspecting the Cape Komini area, how could he appear here today? However, they were surprised, but no one was surprised. They knew that they should keep it secret, otherwise military law would be waiting for them.
The person who greeted Frederick outside the elegant unobstructed courtyard door was naturally the temporary governor of the South Indian region, his cousin Kruff. In order to prevent the news from leaking, he deliberately adopted various confidentiality measures to prevent the news from leaking out. Ensure this unexpected visit from his cousin, because here he will discuss several important matters with his cousin. He cannot make a decision alone and needs the other party to make a decision.