Chapter 215: Twenty-fourth Episode: Chapter 7-1 (1/2)
Chapter 215: Twenty-fourth Episode: Chapter 7-1
Translator: EndlessFantasy TranslationEditor: EndlessFantasy Translation
In the beginning of the 5th month, just one week after the assassination attempt on Prince O'Neil, the continuous chaos of Vielonna had suddenly died down. The city guard had left barricades and important sections one after another, citizens and merchants had once again taken to the streets, and artists and bards once again played music, and the birds sang an aria of early summer.
After witnessing an unexpected religious craze, the days of lawlessness had now been reduced to that of mere imagination. It was only until the government came out to appease the different nation expatriates living in Titan had the people suddenly discovered how ridiculous hatred was. It was as bland as black tea left overnight, but with its color still red as ever, scaring the wits out of the masses.
Prince O'Neil received the representatives of the West Percy Chamber of Commerce and the representatives of the Engel's Chamber of Commerce in succession. This indicated that the ruler of Titan was finally going to give the government of both countries an explanation, placing the blame on the ”fanatical religious separatists and the insane pagans who were not right in their heads”. The Commercial Affairs Envoys of both countries were rendered speechless. They all knew just what the sudden incident of the previous period was all about. Facing down the Titan Prince's insincere apology, both parties were only left with the choice to accept it.
Finally, in the mid of the 5th month, the Military Intelligence Southern Sub-bureau finally made public the full story of the assassination incident, save for a single word on the cause and effects. All that the class of citizens knew were that some people were interested in the lives of the southern heroes, and most of the naïve nobles in the area were busy guessing just who would be so bold.
Actually, Catalina Don Holmes, the princess of West Percy, was not as brave as people imagined her to be. The first thing she did when she heard of the failed assassination was to take the only guards she had and flee into Faran. At least in the eyes of the Farans, this Princess was a trustworthy companion.
Oscar, however, only made light of the incident, leaving his subordinates all but baffled.
Even the Commander of the Guards made His Imperial Highness the Prince bear a grudge against him until today, but he was not very worried about the West Percy Princess' offense. The Head of the Southern Sub-bureau, Janin Sherman, already plotted out a series of retaliatory plans against the Kingdom of West Percy, but before any practical discussion was conducted, it was already overruled by His Highness the Prince. General Sherman had to remind the young prince, who could not care less, ”You are not young anymore, you have to take responsibility for your own life.”
Oscar nodded. He ordered his subordinate, ”invite Catalina out... and also the Prince of Engels.”
”Together?”
The Prince put on his proper clothes. ”That's right! Just let them sit together.” Thus, Oscar abandoned the crowd of officers and went out. No one knew where he would go.
At the southeastern border, only a stone's throw away from Narcissus County and Bodega, the Kingdom of Slovenia had assembled all the troops that could be mobilized in the region. This army only had a measly 100,000 people, and they had yet to be assembled together. Although the Kingdom's army cavalry still amounted to quite a considerable number, compared to the Narcissus Knight's camp, the Kingdom of Slovenia's cavalry knights were as inexperienced and childish as fresh university graduates.
When a group of countries were threatened, the group would usually split into two factions because of the interest affiliation or interest direction. One faction would be pro-war. They would advocate the total slaughter of the enemies that were invading indiscriminately (the views of the pro-war faction would forever be this pipe dream kind). The other faction, naturally, was pro-peace, which mainly sold national interests in exchange for the approval and sympathy from the invaders, to attain a peaceful environment for the country.
There was no need to pay attention to the pro-war faction. These people did nothing more other than leave their names in history, while in contrast, the pro-peace faction of the East and West were all collectives of conspirators, traitors, anti-war activist and opportunists. The things they did were much more practical than the pro-war faction, especially when a war was inevitable.
The operations of Titan's Military Intelligence Bureau in Slovenia were not very secret. The secret agents even publicly moved about in the king's court. This was attributed to the fact that the Slovenian authorities did not go against Titan's resolution. Based on this point, the Military Intelligence secret agents soon found a suitable spokesperson among the authorities in this kingdom.
On the 16th day of the 5th month, Marquis Raleigh Thomas arrived in Vielonna with a confidential letter, requesting for peace bearing the seal of the King of Slovenia. His Imperial Highness Prince O'Neil Andrew Morisette, as the official representative of Titan, secretly met with him at the ”Southern Bank Hostel”.
Marquis Raleigh Thomas was the Kingdom of Slovenia's Secretary of State and had the most say in the matter. Just as the Military Intelligence's Secret Agents described in past intelligence letters, Raleigh Thomas was an extreme religious rights activist through and through. He rejected the policy of religious freedom the most and literally spat at the bigwigs of other races that appeared in the palace, to which he had the king forbade him to on more than one occasion.
In spite of the spitting, for this reason, the Secretary of State felt as if he did not want to live anymore. He had gathered a group of lunatics that were ardent, religious believers and continued to create trouble for the other half of the country's founders.
One thing that was worth mentioning was that the freedom of religion policy had been implemented in Slovenia for centuries. Regardless of whether this system was a bane or a boon, at least it had a mild but tangible impact on the people. Even the dissatisfied zealots had no reason to escalate the confrontation between the two gods to religious terrorism. In contrast, such mild confrontations made up the internal affairs of the noble class. Take for example, two villages with differing religions on two sides of a mountain range. The two villages could carry out a long and drawn out blood fight for the ownership of a peach tree, with battles bringing hatred and resentment stretching over several generations. When one of the villages was supported by a noble bigshot, the bloodshed incidents would escalate to a village slaughter. On top of this, such things were actually common in Slovenia.
”So, if Slovenia wants to grow and acquire the same political status as the countries of the Westland, it must resolve the chaotic situations brought about by the freedom of religion policy!” Oscar said while eyeing the foreigner facing him.
Marquis Raleigh Thomas was already old. He kept a silver beard, his lips were chapped, and in his hands was a top hat. His face was fearful, and for everything the Titan Prince had said, he replied with only a word –”Yes” or a ”You are very right!”
Compared to a Titan prince, Slovenia had yet to have nobles that were on par with him. If the title of the Titan Prince was taken into consideration on top of the Head of the Andrews and Marshal of the Guards! Even the King of Slovenia would hurriedly kneel before O'Neil Andrew Morisette when he saw him.
Kneeling may be a bit of an exaggeration, but if a barrack that had two hundred thousand Narcissus Knights settled within appeared in front of one's house, and on the other side, one discovered a massive Army Group of a hundred thousand over soldiers of the Guards, let's not talk about kneeling, if he were to ask the King of Slovenia to throw himself into the sea, he would oblige. So, this king was not shrewd. He had already lost his ancestors' pioneering spirit and passion for war a long time ago. He had been frightened by the Andrews' unfriendliness and the imminent war that they were about to face. According to the pro-peace faction, if they were to have a falling out with Titan and the Andrews, Slovenia could only wait to be slaughtered at the Balgan Peninsula, the nook far from the center of the world.
No one wanted to be placed on the butcher's chopping board as they wake up in the morning. Even though the pro-war faction had raised a great number of war resources and obtained support from a portion of the people, the weak king and ministers, who hoped for peace, still prepared a peace treaty to surrender territory under humiliating terms, and sent out secret envoys to make peace. However, history always had the tendency to make jokes of itself, and it also enjoyed taking the people's fates lightly.
***************
The 16th day of the 5th month was a Sunday. Prince O'Neil signed his name onto the two similar copies of the ”Titan – Slovenia Permanent Peace Agreement Statute” without giving it so much as a glance. After that, he threw his copy of this document, one that symbolized peace, into the fireplace right before the Secretary of State of the Kingdom of Slovenia. Soon after, the peace turned into ashes in the flames.
”Ola...” Oscar spread his hands in satisfaction after he watched the peace go went up in flames. ”Since the issue of peace has been settled, let's talk about war!”
Marquis Raleigh Thomas was not too shocked. He kept the agreement safely into his briefcase. The task handed over to him by the king had been completed. The following things discussed had nothing to do at all with the muddleheaded ruler.
”How much time can this agreement buy for my attacking forces?” Oscar pointed to the foreigner's briefcase.
***************
The old Marquis deliberated carefully. He shook his head at the Prince of Titan. ”My king will believe the peace that you grant in the same way he believes in God. However, those whose views oppose yours… they control the majority of the Kingdom's army. I can only indirectly influence their deployment from the Kingdom's capital.”
Oscar was not satisfied with this answer. His eyes bored into the foreign envoy, scrutinizing him.
Sure enough, the old man who felt the invisible pressure finally gave in to the temptation. He edged closer to His Highness' ear. ”The frontline commander of the Maratore Fortress is my son-in-law. Although he is a staunch pro-war faction, he is, after all, my son-in-law. ”
”The frontlines of Maratore Fortress?” Oscar widened his eyes suspiciously. He cast a glance at the schematic of the Lighthouse Strategy spread out on the table. Maratore Fortress was not one of the Strategy's predetermined attack fronts. It was at the northeastern side of the Kingdom of Slovenia, facing the Great Plains of Anatolia that originally belonged to the Persian Mogadishu tribe. This area was not Oscar's main front of attack, but at the same time he used three hundred thousand over men to draw the attention of the Kingdom of Slovenia's main force, he had prepared a Red Tiger Front that just completed reorganization at the northeast of this kingdom.
”If you encounter tenacious resistance when launching a feigned attack in the southeast… and I'm saying this hypothetically, then the Army Group that you stationed at the northeast would not even be able to hold out for longer than a flash of light.” the shrewd old man had accurately read the Titan Prince's guesses from his countenance. Oscar raised his wine glass, refusing to comment, but when the wine touched his lips, the glass was lowered instead. ”You're saying that... Maratore Fortress' frontline assault can also encounter trouble?”
”No!” Marquis Raleigh shook his head, smiling, his manner resembling that of an old fox showing off its shaggy tail. ”Haven't I said so before? The commander in charge of Maratore Fortress frontline defense is my son-in-law. He is a member of the pro-war faction, but the person who gave him everything is I. If it were not for me, he will only be an ordinary captain of the ground forces for a lifetime. ”