When the officers exited in an orderly manner, Dalton, wearing a gold rose on his shoulder, passed through the crowd and entered the room.
Officer Andut, who still had a childish face, walked last and just passed him.
Before going out, Officer Andut couldn't help but glance back quickly.
In their impression, the cold and unapproachable black-haired Marshal went straight to the Queen's chair and whispered something to her. He was standing, the queen was sitting, and the shadow he cast enveloped her like an arrogance. But he bent down and bent his back, clearly in a posture of submission again.
"You are really good at winning people's hearts. Look at these inexperienced guys. They can go to hell and conquer demons for you." Dalton's words carried a subtle meaning.
"When did you have the problem of eavesdropping again?"
The queen tapped the end of the whip gently on his hand that was resting on the back of the chair.
"Where is the need to eavesdrop," Dalton held onto the thin whip and curled his eyelashes. His eyebrows are high, and his eyebrows are very deep. He usually gives people a cold and hostile feeling, but if he looks at people with lowered and half-closed eyelashes, the sense of danger will become another kind of dark feeling. "Their cheers can be heard across an empire."
"Admonish me not to set foot on the battlefield?"
The Queen looked at him for a while, then looked away.
"Why do you need to do useless work?" Dalton said softly, "No one can stop what you want to do. I just want you to know that I have no obligation to serve your successor."
—Not only will you not serve your successor, but you will also turn the gun around and make a hole in the forehead of that unknown person.
"You don't want to see that the empire has another governor who is independent of the port, right?"
—The wolf is a very arrogant creature. It will only bow its head in front of a certain person, follow around like a house dog, and always think about how to overstep and demand. But if that person is gone, the latecomers should not think that it can still become a domestic dog.
"It's not a good idea to threaten a monarch."
"No way, you always like to take risks."
"It seems that in order for the empire to have no more traitors, I should get the glory without incident?" The queen raised her eyebrows.
"That's it."
Dalton smiled unabashedly, kissed her hand holding the whip, and then handed the letter from the spy to the queen.
The Queen unfolded the letter.
"set sail."
After browsing through the letters, the queen stood up and gave a brief and forceful order.
…………………
end of April. early morning.
The winch rotated, and the iron chain was retracted with a "squeaky" sound. The sea fog filled the water, and warships sailed into the sea in an orderly manner. There was no storm, and the sea of heaven was as calm as if it was sleeping. The fleet sailed across the water, leaving long and interlaced water marks.
In the twilight, the sails are like drum shells, and the wooden pulp on the side of the ship is flying up and down.
The reconnaissance ship broke through the fog, and the experienced pirates stood on the high observation tower, concentrating on finding the slightest movement on the sea. From this moment on, even a seabird flying across the sky will be caught by sharp eyes. Because it was no longer just the Imperial Navy that sailed, but the entire Roland.
The queen is in the fleet.
In the fleet, there is one of the most brilliant royal flagships.
The main sail is painted with a picture of God being crucified, blood flowing into his feet and turning into roses. Angels are high in the clouds, holding sharp swords and shields, overlooking this scene. The image is framed by thorny vines of roses, topped with the motto of the Roland family, "Glory to the Lord". On the topsail is a painting of the Madonna surrounded by seven stars, and on the mizzenmast are Roland's patron saints.
When the flagship broke through the sea and moved forward, the portraits on the sails became vivid, as if the Holy Father, the Holy Spirit and the angels had really descended from the high clouds and came to this world and Roland's fleet bless them in the next war to win.
On the day Roland's battleship set sail, the sea was calm, the sun was gradually rising, and the sky was clear.
all the best.
Soldiers in full armor are jostling shoulder to shoulder on the deck, and the backs of the tireless oarsmen are gradually basking in the sun. The gunners checked the cannons one by one, and the captain of each warship was correcting the direction, striving for stability and precision.
Adele and Orsis gave the order to set sail almost at the same time. They abandoned the traditional sea route and took the secret route provided by the pirates. Under the guidance of experienced pirates, the huge fleet passed through the archipelago in the middle of the sea of heaven, bypassed the dangerous harbor where pirates roamed in the past, and braved the waves with an adventurous spirit.
They had no intention of giving the enemy time to seize a superior position.
When Roland's fleet and Root's fleet converged in the vast sea of heaven, Yager and the free commercial city fleet, which had left the protection of the shore-based cannons, were also driving on the sea.
The Archons of the Free Merchant Cities met in secret once again aboard the Command Flagship.
"Andret proposed to John VI to mix our fleet with Jager's fleet." Mahler Consul said in a deep voice, "Thank the gods, he refused."
Almost all the consuls had happy smiles on their faces.
They looked at each other knowingly.
"Don't put all your eggs in the same basket." It has always been the motto of a free commercial city, and it is also the foundation of these businessmen who use the ocean to build their own empire. This time is no exception - they don't yet know who the battle will be, but win or lose, they must try to keep their fleet as much as possible.
In other words, the Free Commercial City apparently obeyed the orders of the tyrannical John VI, but in fact had already made up its mind to be a fencer.
Andrete's mixed fleet can actually better utilize the strength of warships and avoid the chaos caused by each fighting. But, in this way, wouldn't the Free Commercial City and the Yager Kingdom be firmly tied to the same rope, so how to observe the situation
"Now, it's time to sign."
Consul Mahler restrained the smile on his face, and seriously pushed a document full of clauses to the center of the table.
This is a three-party secret agreement.
The above clauses have been studied by them no less than a hundred times in these days, but when they really want to sign, everyone still feels a little heavy - really according to the above regulations, they are equivalent to getting rid of a rough pig , ushered in a more unpredictable and treacherous alliance.
This is really not something to be happy about.
"If there is a choice, I really don't want to cooperate with them."
Someone shrugged and complained helplessly.
Consul Mahler sighed.
If Queen Roland's perseverance and determination were not so firm, and the conflict between the imperial ambitions under her leadership and the free commercial city was not so great, they might not have no other way out. It's a pity that there is no if, and now they have no choice.
"At least we can wait until the end of the war before handing over this agreement." Consul Mahler comforted, "We and Yager are not necessarily going to lose."
The first consul took up his pen.
When Free Commercial City signed the agreement with two mysterious allies behind John VI's back, the distance between the fleets of the two sides was already less than 200 nautical miles, and this distance was still rapidly shortening. The scout ships on each side are doing their best to find the enemy.
The decisive battle is very close to everyone.
… … … … … … …
It was not a very peaceful morning.
News from the scout ships kept coming back, and the atmosphere on each warship became tense to the extreme.
Everyone felt that the decisive battle was coming. The priests accompanying the army distributed rosary beads to the soldiers, and the soldiers began to pray every day, praying for the blessings of the gods. In Roland's army, the solemnity of this religion is even stronger, and the objects of their prayers are also slightly different—they have a "God Bless" queen.
A queen who has won the judgment of God, a living miracle walking on the sea, the effect on the morale of the army can be seen with the naked eye.
Even if the generals of the Root Empire wanted to stop it, they couldn't stop the soldiers from looking devoutly at the Roland Royal Flagship, which was painted with the picture of the bleeding of the Holy Father.
These things upset many people, except the Duke of Leicester.
He was in a good mood.
He received a final confirmation reply from the Free Commercial City and the Heinrich family, and the most difficult part of the whole plan has been completed. Maybe before long he would wear white flowers and attend the funeral of Orsis—who was actually a good emperor and a good friend.
It's a pity that Orsis has no descendants yet, and his younger brother, Prince Arthur, has become an "apostate" and lost the right to inherit the throne.
There is some guilt, but think about it, didn't Orsis's grandfather also use murder to take the throne from his elder brother
A little problem is that the Duke of Leicester is not the first in the order of succession to the throne, and there is a prince far away from the court ahead of him. This is not a bad thing, people have been wary of Prince Arthur and the other prince for too long, and can't help but ignore his humble heir to the throne... When the war is over, the other prince will also be killed. Prince Arthur's men were sealed in lime and made into statues.
—To be honest, if Prince Arthur’s identity as an “apostate” had not been widely known, the Duke of Leicester would not have the courage to cooperate with this lunatic.
The Duke of Leicester happily enjoyed the buttered bread and the well-cooked turkey, and finally pulled out a thin letter from a piece of slightly hard toasted bread.
He got up and went to his room.
The Duke placed the paper without any writing on the flame of the candle, and after a while, the writing appeared as if by magic. After reading it quickly, the corners of his eyes suddenly lit up with joy.
Tuk, tuk, tuk.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
The Duke of Leicester threw all the letter and manuscript paper into the fireplace, reached into the drawer, grabbed the gun, and asked in a steady voice, "Who?"
"Your Majesty the Duke," the visitor said politely, "Your Majesty, please go over there."
The Duke of Leicester glanced at the fireplace, the letter was almost burned.
After hesitating for a while, the Duke of Leicester put the gun on his waist.
Opening the door, standing outside the door was the chief of internal affairs he was familiar with. The chief of internal affairs bowed to him and asked him to go with him. The Duke breathed a sigh of relief, and asked His Majesty what he wanted him for, seemingly casually.
"The reconnaissance ship found the flag of the Yager people. Your Majesty invites you to attend the battle meeting."
The head of housekeeping replied.
The Duke of Leicester nodded slightly and said nothing more.
He calmly followed the head of housekeeping until he reached the door of a waiting room. The steward bowed to him and asked him to wait here first.
Just as the Chief of Internal Affairs bent down, the Duke of Leicester pulled out the gun from his waist, put it on his forehead without hesitation, and pulled the trigger.
…………………
Around two o'clock in the afternoon.
A series of gunshots came from the middle of the Root fleet, and everyone who was already tense jumped up almost immediately. The Rolands were a little farther away and couldn't hear them very clearly, but the Roots could clearly determine that the gunshots came from the direction of the main ship.
Before the commotion spread, the heralds rushed to the ships and told everyone:
It was just a small accident. A reckless officer accidentally went off fire. Fortunately, the gods blessed us, and it was a false alarm.
The commotion created by this little episode died down quickly.
—The lookout saw the enemy's sails.