Anti-Qing: Starting from the Jintian Uprising

Chapter 477 Guo Songtao: I really want to improve (8K still 2)

Hearing this, Li Yi couldn't help but frown and said with a somewhat unhappy expression.

"This Bahadur Shah II is really a bit ungrateful."

Li Yi really didn't want to interfere too much in the Indian war.

If the cost of silence he had previously incurred was not so high that Li Yi could not withdraw directly from India, he would not even have fought a battle with the British army in Dhaka.

In addition, the cost that the Tang Dynasty would have to pay for fighting the British army along the coast of India is completely different from the cost of going deep into the interior of India and engaging in a decisive battle with the British army.

Compared with the former, the cost of the latter is doubled.

Fighting along the coast of India was already a huge expense for the Tang Dynasty.

If Li Yi had not used his personal prestige to force the court to pass the resolution, there would probably have been voices in the Tang Dynasty calling for withdrawing troops from India long ago.

As for fighting deep into the interior of India, even with Li Yi's prestige, he would probably encounter a lot of opposition if he wanted to push this matter forward.

Although if Li Yi pushes it hard, he will definitely be able to push it.

But why should he push this matter?

It's not necessary!

Seeing this, Zhang Zhidong asked hurriedly.

"Your Majesty, how should the Tang Dynasty respond to India?"

Li Yi still felt some pain in his head, he rubbed his brows to ease the pain a little, then started talking.

"Let Fang Haiyang and Zhang Guoliang warn Bahadur Shah II not to push his luck further."

"Also, the Military Affairs Council should review the merits of the various units in the Battle of the Bay of Bengal as soon as possible and make good on them as soon as possible..."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhidong immediately nodded in agreement.

Just at this moment, Wang Zhong came to report and Li Liang came in from outside asking for a meeting.

Li Yi raised his head slightly and ordered someone to invite Li Liang in.

Afterwards, Li Liang also came to Li Yi in a hurry and bowed to him.

"Report, Your Majesty, there is urgent news from the New World of America!"

"The Alaskan colony of our Tang Dynasty is in danger..."

As he spoke, he also handed a memorial to Li Yi.

Li Yi took the report and began to read it.

Then, looking at the contents of the report, Li Yi's expression began to become uncertain.

This memorial reported that the British army had sent troops from Canada to threaten the Tang Dynasty's Alaska territory.

At present, the Tang Dynasty has taken over Alaska from Tsarist Russia.

However, due to the short time, the development progress in Alaska is still very limited.

Whether it is population, city defense, or anything else, they are all very weak.

The British began to develop Canada in the middle of the eighteenth century, which means it has been nearly a hundred years.

After nearly a hundred years, Canada had already been developed by Britain.

The British Army has a fairly strong military force in Canada.

Well, at least it is much stronger than the Tang Dynasty’s military force in Alaska.

If Britain sent troops from Canada, it would really threaten the security of the Tang Dynasty's Alaska colony.

Looking at the contents of the report, Li Yi couldn't help but frown.

"What's the situation in Alaska? Can they hold on?"

Upon hearing this, Li Liang replied.

"Your Majesty, the British have mobilized a large force from Canada to attack Alaska."

"With the current strength of our Tang Dynasty troops in Alaska, I'm afraid it will be difficult to deal with it."

"Even if you insist, you won't be able to hold on for long!"

After hearing Li Liang's report, Li Yi showed a rare look of sadness on his face.

He couldn't help but ponder deeply, is it still too late for the Tang Dynasty to send reinforcements to Alaska?

But soon, Li Yi gave up this idea.

It is not difficult for the Tang Dynasty to send more troops to Alaska, but the difficulty lies in how to maintain the logistical needs of the army after the increase in troops.

You know, Alaska is really far away from the mainland of the Tang Dynasty. How much more than thousands of miles away is the journey?
Moreover, the level of development in Alaska is also very limited. Alaska itself is simply not capable of sustaining a large army in combat.

Even the needs for stationing cannot be guaranteed!
If we really want to transport supplies from the Tang Dynasty to Alaska, even without mentioning the losses on the road, the time required alone will be a huge problem.

Li Yi felt heavy-hearted and had an ugly expression on his face.

Because, at this moment, he was really helpless about the situation in Alaska.

He couldn't help feeling depressed. Could it be that he could only watch the British conquer Alaska from the Tang Dynasty?
Just when Li Yi was thinking about how he could send more troops to Alaska and keep Alaska.

Wang Zhong, who was standing by, came forward to report again.

"Your Majesty, Minister Guo of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs requests an audience..."

Li Yi, who had just taken the medicine, began to feel sleepy. When he heard that someone else wanted to see him, he subconsciously frowned.

But in the end, a sense of responsibility overcame his own willfulness, Li Yi said.

"Invite people in!"

Although Li Yi said this, he couldn't help but complain in his heart.

What the hell is going on?

so annoying!
He is sick and wants to rest!
Soon, Guo Songtao walked up to Li Yi, bowed, and then spoke.

"Your Majesty, the British ambassador to the Tang Dynasty, Bruce, has submitted a letter of credence to the Tang Dynasty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, hoping to negotiate peace with the Tang Dynasty."

"This matter is of great importance, and I dare not take the initiative to make it. Therefore, I would like to ask Your Majesty to make the decision."

Upon hearing this, Li Yi showed an interested expression on his face.

Thoughts arose in my mind.

Peace talks?

It seems that the British should have received the news from Alaska.

Otherwise, why would they take the initiative to seek peace talks with the Tang Dynasty?
As for the news about the Battle of the Bay of Bengal?

Li Yi had just received this news not long ago, and it was impossible for the British to get the news before him.

Thinking about this, Li Yi couldn't help but think of the situation in Alaska.

He thought that if the Tang Dynasty negotiated with Britain, Alaska might be safe.

Soon, Li Yi made a decision. He looked up and handed the report sent back from Alaska and the victory report of the Battle of the Bay of Bengal to Guo Songtao, and then said to Guo Songtao.

"Well, since the British want to talk, there's no harm in talking!"

"I'll leave this matter to you. Please take a look at this first, and then slowly discuss it with the British."

"By the way, after the peace talks, if we can successfully reach a peace treaty, then we will go to Nanjing to sign the treaty!"

Li Yi has always been a petty person.

During the Opium War, Britain forced China to sign the Treaty of Nanjing in Nanjing.

In this case, China must get up where it fell in the Second Opium War.

Therefore, this peace treaty must and can only be signed in Nanjing!

Guo Songtao took the report and read it. He was stunned at first, but then he understood what Li Yi meant.

It seems that the emperor is a little worried about Alaska and wants to resolve Alaska's difficulties through peace talks.

His mind raced for a while, and then he bowed.

"Wei Chen understands!"

"I promise to complete the task and not let His Majesty down!"

Li Yi waved his hand, signaling Zhang Zhidong, Li Liang, Guo Songtao and others to leave as he wanted to rest.

After everyone left, Li Yi yawned, got up from the recliner, walked to the bed in the hall and lay down on it.

……

Beijing!

The Office of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Tang Dynasty!
With a squeaking sound of brakes, a streamlined car painted entirely black stopped outside the government office.

The assistant sitting in the front passenger seat pushed the door open, walked to the back door, and opened it.

Guo Songtao, dressed in an official robe, stepped out of the car.

The assistant closed the car door, and another secretary who was waiting outside the government office came forward to greet him.

Guo Songtao refused his secretary's help and asked.

"Has the British Minister arrived?"

The secretary heard this and nodded in reply.

"In reply to the Minister, after receiving your order, we immediately sent someone to the British Embassy to invite the British Minister to come to the government office."

"British official Bruce set out immediately after receiving the news and arrived half an hour ago."

"I have already ordered someone to take him to the reception room to wait."

When Guo Songtao was in the Old Summer Palace, he called the government office and asked them to invite the British ambassador in advance.

Now that he has returned from the Old Summer Palace, it is a good time to meet him.

Guo Songtao walked towards the government office, speaking as he walked.

"Very good, lead the way!"

The secretary nodded in agreement and walked ahead to lead the way for Guo Songtao.

Soon, Guo Songtao arrived outside a reception room.

With a creak, the door was opened.

The reception room was filled with smoke.

Bruce sat on the sofa with a cigar in his mouth, the butt of the cigar flickering with red light.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Bruce subconsciously looked up.

Seeing Guo Songtao walk in, Bruce took the initiative to stand up and greet him.

"Guo, my dear friend!"

"It's been such a long time since we last met!"

Guo Songtao smiled, put a smile on his face, and spoke.

"Haha, Bruce, long time no see!"

"I wonder what is the purpose of your visit to me this time?"

Guo Songtao certainly knew the purpose of Bruce's visit to him. After all, he had just gone to the Old Summer Palace to inform Li Yi of the matter.

The reason why he asked this was actually to take a stance in the peace talks so as to control Bruce.

So that he can negotiate more favorable terms.

Bruce's expression twitched when he heard this, but he still spoke.

"Minister Guo, what am I here for today?"

"You and I both know what's going on, so let's not beat around the bush and get straight to the point!"

Guo Songtao smiled, raised his hand to signal Bruce to sit down, and then spoke.

"Alright!"

"So, Bruce, you are here on behalf of Britain to ask for peace and surrender to the Tang Dynasty, right?"

Bruce's mouth twitched again when he heard this.

"No, no, no, it's not about praying for surrender, it's about peace talks."

"We, Great Britain, will not surrender to any country!"

"Although Tang Dynasty currently has some advantages in India, our Great Britain has sent troops from Canada and has already entered Alaska."

"If the Tang Dynasty wants to keep Alaska, it is best to negotiate with Great Britain."

Bruce's tone was quite tough when he said this.

Well, you could also say that it's just about saving face!
Don’t be fooled by the fact that in modern history, people say that China is too obsessed with face and calls itself the Celestial Empire, which is a joke.

In fact, Britain at the same time was even more concerned about face than China!

Well, it’s not a bad thing to be too concerned about your reputation.

Because this is a common problem in empires.

Without a glorious history and a strength that can make people stay in a dormant state, you will never develop the habit of caring about face.

However, there is a time to save face.

Britain is obsessed with face, and has enough strength to back it up.

The obsession with face in modern China is a complete joke.

Of course, the modern idea of ​​saving face is a joke.

During its heyday, China was truly qualified to call itself the Celestial Empire.

The powerful Han Dynasty, the prosperous Tang Dynasty, and the Ming Dynasty during its peak period of five expeditions to the northern desert and seven voyages to the West, and even the middle and early Qing Dynasty, China at that time was the undisputed ruler of East Asia and the only true god in the Confucian cultural circle.

Is there any problem in calling yourself the Celestial Empire in front of the surrounding vassal states?
Who dares to say something wrong?
In modern times, it’s just that the timing was not right.

But the situation is different now.

Thirty years in the east, thirty years in the west, things change over time.

At this time, the Tang Dynasty had just won the Battle of the Bay of Bengal, dealing a heavy blow to Britain's maritime hegemony.

If Britain continued to save face at this time, it would naturally become a joke like the Qing Dynasty.

After hearing what Bruce said, Guo Songtao showed a slightly sarcastic expression on his face, and then said.

"I don't know where the Minister gets the confidence to say such things in front of me."

"Your Excellency may not know that in India, a naval battle has just broken out between our Tang Dynasty and your country in the Bay of Bengal."

"As a result of the naval battle, our Tang Dynasty won the final victory and severely damaged your country's Atlantic-Indian Combined Fleet."

"To be frank, if the Tang Dynasty continues to increase its troops in India, it can completely clear out the British forces from India."

"At this time, the only choice facing Britain is to surrender to the Tang Dynasty!"

Bruce was immediately annoyed when he heard this. He slapped the table and stood up and said.

"impossible!"

"This is absolutely impossible!"

The reason why Bruce came to the Tang Dynasty for negotiations today was because he received the latest news from North America.

British troops are approaching, threatening Alaska!
To put it bluntly, Bruce actually wanted to use the situation in Alaska to force the Tang Dynasty to withdraw its troops from India.

But he didn't expect that Britain would lose another battle in India!
Moreover, they were defeated in the naval battle which should have been the most promising one!

This result is really too serious.

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao said with a faint smile and a slightly sarcastic look in his eyes.

"You can't keep this kind of thing secret."

"There is no need for me to deceive the Minister with such a lie that can be easily exposed."

Bruce opened his mouth and remained speechless for a while after hearing this.

Guo Songtao picked up the teacup, took a sip of the tea in it, and then continued.

"And that's it."

"Your country wants to use Alaska to threaten our Tang Dynasty. You are simply blind."

"Alaska is a bitterly cold place with a harsh climate and scarce resources. It is impossible to cultivate it into fertile farmland."

"We, the Tang Dynasty, took Alaska for nothing more than to get some furs and minerals from there. If we lose it, it's lost. It doesn't matter."

"Our Great Tang is vast and rich in resources. We are not short of such resources."

"But can you, Britain, afford to lose your Indian colonies?!"

Guo Songtao's words were very impolite.

But it can also be said to hit the essence. For the Tang Dynasty today, Alaska has no market, no resources, and no population. In addition, the climate is bitter and cold, making it difficult to develop.

If it weren't for future geopolitical considerations, it would be a complete wasteland.

Britain wanted to use a piece of wasteland to threaten the Tang Dynasty to withdraw its influence from India, which was undoubtedly a blind idea.

You know, Tang Dynasty’s current investment in India is much greater than its investment in Alaska.

Bruce's face was obviously not good when he heard this, but he still spoke.

"Then I wonder what exactly the Tang Dynasty will do to get rid of India?"

For Britain, the biggest difficulty in quelling the Indian rebellion was not the Indians' resistance, but the Tang Dynasty's interference.

They understood that as long as they could deal with the Tang Dynasty and prevent it from interfering in India.

Then it would definitely not be difficult for Britain to quell the Indian rebellion.

Guo Songtao smiled and then said.

"India is a vassal of the Tang Dynasty."

"No matter what, our Tang Dynasty will never abandon our vassal states."

Bruce's face changed drastically when he heard this.

But soon, Guo Songtao said a but.

"But if the British are willing to pay a price, then it is not impossible for the Tang Dynasty to agree to divide India with the British..."

Bruce heard this, the anger on his face subsided a little, and he asked with a serious and earnest expression.

"So, what does the Tang Dynasty want?"

Guo Songtao put down the teacup in his hand and said.

"Australia!"

"My Tang Dynasty wants Australia!"

The reason why Guo Songtao proposed Australia was actually at the instruction of Li Yi.

There are many reasons why Li Yi wants Australia.

On the one hand, it was because he wanted the gold mines in Melbourne.

As far as Li Yi knows, with the development of history, it won't take many years for the price of silver to plummet, or even take a big dive.

After the sharp drop in silver prices, the gold standard will step onto the stage of history and all countries in the world will implement the gold standard.

The Tang Dynasty certainly cannot fall behind!

Otherwise, if someone takes advantage of the price difference between gold and silver after the sharp drop in silver prices to cash in on gold, the consequences will be disastrous.

If the Tang Dynasty wanted to implement the gold standard, it must have a gold mine with high reserves and low development difficulty.

Otherwise, if you don’t have enough gold, how can you have a gold standard?

Nowadays, the world's famous gold mines, apart from San Francisco in the United States, are in Melbourne, Australia.

Comparing the two, Melbourne is closest to Datang and easier to take over.

As for the gold mines in the Tang Dynasty?

Well, yes, there are gold mines there, but in terms of reserves and development difficulty, they are far inferior to Melbourne’s gold mines.

The second reason is Australia’s mineral resources.

Australia was later known as the country on the mine cart. It has rich mineral resources with many varieties, high quality, shallow burial depth and easy mining. Many minerals are even open-pit mines.

Among them, the proven economic reserves of iron, gold, lead, nickel, uranium, zinc and other minerals rank first in the world.

If Datang can take over Australia, the large amount of cheap minerals will inevitably further boost Datang's industrial development.

Well, as I said before, although these minerals are also available in Datang, both the reserves and the difficulty of mining are far greater than those in Australia.

In addition, Li Yi wants to give priority to the exploitation of overseas resources and leave local resources for future generations.

So that none of our descendants will fail miserably!
That's why he wanted to take over Australia.

As for whether the British will disagree?

Let’s put it this way, Britain had too many overseas colonies at that time.

In addition, Australia has not been developed yet, and many places are large tracts of wasteland.

Far less important than India!
If the Tang Dynasty uses the situation in India as a threat, Britain is likely to make concessions to the Tang Dynasty in Australia.

After Guo Songtao proposed that the Tang Dynasty wanted Australia, the expression on Bruce's face began to change.

Finally, he said.

"Australia is a continent. Great Britain cannot easily withdraw from Australia!"

When Guo Songtao heard this, his eyes lit up immediately.

What Bruce meant was not to withdraw easily, not that he could not withdraw.

This shows that this matter is negotiable for the UK.

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao sneered and said.

"is it?"

"But I don't think Britain has room to bargain with the Tang Dynasty at this time!"

"To put it bluntly, for the Tang Dynasty, losing Alaska is nothing more than a loss of face, but it has no practical impact."

"But Britain cannot afford to lose India!"

As I said, what you can’t get on the battlefield, you can’t get at the negotiating table.

Now that the Tang Dynasty has gained the advantage on the battlefield, it can naturally be more assertive at the negotiating table.

Bruce's expression became conflicted when he heard this.

But he finally spoke.

"Please give me some time, Minister. Australia is a state after all. This is a serious matter and needs to be decided by the Queen, the Prime Minister, and the House of Commons and the House of Lords of the United Kingdom."

Upon hearing this, Guo Songtao nodded calmly.

"Well, that's fine!"

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand to signal for the guest to leave.

Bruce stood up from the sofa, returned the greeting, and then turned and left.

Looking at Bruce's departing back, Guo Songtao's eyes flashed with an inexplicable light, as if he was thinking about something.

He couldn't help but think in his mind, if he could win Australia for the Tang Dynasty in the negotiations this time.

Then who knows, you might even be sent out to be a governor of a certain place.

Then, I can take a step further from the position of Minister of Foreign Affairs...

In the Tang Dynasty, there was an unspoken rule in the officialdom that everyone was aware of.

That is, prime ministers come from provincial governments, and generals come from the ranks of soldiers.

In other words, civil servants must have the qualifications to govern a region, and generals must have personally led troops into battle and be familiar with military affairs before they can be promoted to high positions.

As a civil servant and a member of the Executive Yuan system, Guo Songtao wanted to go one step further and join the cabinet.

He could even become the prime minister, exercise imperial power and rule the world.

Then, he must have the qualifications to be sent to a place as an official and be in charge of local government affairs.

Thinking of this, Guo Songtao couldn't help but feel a little overwhelmed.

He really wants to make progress!

……

Bruce walked out of the gate of the Tang Dynasty's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

A car has stopped in front of the government office.

Although the Tang Dynasty and Britain are currently at war, trade between the two sides has not been cut off.

After the Datang Automobile Factory came up with mature automobile products, the British also purchased a batch.

Among them, most were sent back to the UK for use by the Queen and local officials.

But the embassy also kept one for Minister Bruce to use.

The reason for doing this is very simple.

Well, because of face!

As time goes by, Datang Automobile's production capacity has now grown to nearly 200 vehicles per month.

After the increase in automobile production capacity, the cars were not only used to supply the consumer market, but the court also purchased a batch of cars for each government office in the capital of the Tang Dynasty to use as a means of transportation.

Under such circumstances, if the British Minister, as the representative of Britain in the Tang Dynasty, continued to ride in a carriage, wouldn't that be a sheer joke?
How did that sentence go?

Well, all the government offices in the Tang Dynasty use cars, but you British people still use horse-drawn carriages.

You British are so backward!
As the current world hegemon (quotation marks), the British cannot tolerate this injustice.

Therefore, although Datang’s cars are sold at very high prices, and although Britain does not want to give money to Datang.

But in the end, I gritted my teeth and bought a batch to decorate the store.

Then, Bruce smells really good!

An attendant from the British embassy stepped forward, opened the door for Bruce, and let him sit in the back seat.

Bruce sat down in the back row, threw his top hat on the seat, held the top of the cane in his hand, and looked solemn.

With the hum of the engine, the driver started the car.

The car moved slowly forward along the wide and smooth asphalt road in the capital of the Tang Dynasty, heading towards the British Embassy.

The scenery on the street quickly receded, and Bruce felt very heavy.

The attendant on the front passenger seat turned around and asked.

"Your Excellency, is the negotiation going smoothly?"

Bruce heard this and shook his head.

“It’s not going well.”

"The Tang people made a huge demand on the British lion during the negotiations, and wanted to seek Australia..."

Upon hearing this, the servant couldn't help but reveal a puzzled expression on his face.

"Your Excellency, didn't you say that Great Britain has gained an advantage over Tang in Alaska?"

"How can the Tang Kingdom still ask so much from my Great British Lion?"

The attendant is currently unaware of the news that the British Navy suffered heavy losses at the hands of the Tang Dynasty in the Bay of Bengal, hence his question.

Bruce heard this and said with a gloomy expression.

“It’s in India.”

"Our Great Britain's Atlantic-Indian Combined Fleet engaged in battle with the Tang Fleet in the Bay of Bengal."

"My British fleet was defeated and suffered heavy losses."

"That is to say, the Tang Kingdom has gained a huge advantage in India."

"The Tang Dynasty can afford to lose Alaska, but Great Britain cannot afford to lose India..."

Upon hearing this, the servant opened his mouth with a look of disbelief on his face.

Bruce saw this and spoke.

"Okay, Jeter, let's not talk about this anymore."

"Let's go back to the embassy first, and then send a message to the mainland..."

……

London, UK!
Buckingham Palace!

Queen Victoria lies on a deck chair, enjoying the sunshine and afternoon tea.

Beside her, Princess Beatrice, who is only two years old this year, was playing with a British Labrador retriever with the help of several servants.

The excited laughter of the children and the barking of the dogs combined together was somewhat harsh.

But Victoria didn't feel bored at all. Instead, she listened with great interest.

As a mother, in her eyes, everything about her children is cute.

Pick up a piece of dessert and take a light bite, and a sweet taste blooms on the tip of your tongue.

Unlike Chinese desserts which are not sweet, most British desserts are cloyingly sweet.

However, it is an exceptionally good combination with the slightly bitter black tea.

Victoria picked up the cup of black tea and took a sip.

The tea diluted the sweetness on the tip of her tongue, making Victoria reveal an expression of enjoyment on her face.

At this moment, a servant came running hurriedly from a distance.

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Palmerston is outside seeking an audience."

The Queen looked up at her attendant Brown and said.

"Well, send someone to invite the Prime Minister over!"

Brown agreed immediately and turned and left.

Soon, Lord Palmerston came before the Queen with a sad face.

Palmerston placed one hand on his chest in front of Victoria and then spoke.

"Your Majesty, bad news came from India. Our fleet was defeated after confronting the Tang fleet..."

As he spoke, Palmerston presented a memorial to Queen Victoria.

When Victoria heard this, her expression changed drastically and she was no longer as relaxed as before.

She sat up from the couch, took the report handed to her by Palmerston, and began to read it.

Looking at the lines of text on the report and the shocking figures of battle damage, Victoria could no longer keep a calm expression on her face.

"This...how is this possible?!"

"Good God, please tell me this is not true..."

Victoria was really shocked by the defeat and she was a little out of control.

You know, in order to ensure that there are no accidents in the war in India, Britain has drawn a considerable number of warships from the Atlantic Fleet to reinforce the Indian fleet in the battle.

The Atlantic-Indian Combined Fleet contained at least half of Britain's capital ships.

Although Britain did not send out all its forces in this battle, it can be said that it tried its best.

But even so, Britain still lost!
Victoria couldn't believe it!
Palmerston said with a sad face.

"Your Majesty, although I don't want to admit it, this is indeed the truth."

"The British Atlantic-Indian Combined Fleet was defeated by the Tang people in the Bay of Bengal..."

Victoria took a deep breath, and her plump breasts rose and fell violently.

"Damn it, damn it Elgin, he is simply the sinner of Great Britain..."

"This king must hang him on the gallows!!!"

"must!"

Palmerston was silent, for he felt the same way.

He also wanted to hang Elgin and hold him accountable for the defeat.

At this moment, another person came from the distance.

Prince Albert strode up to Victoria and spoke.

"My dear Queen, anger cannot change anything. For Britain today, the most important thing is not accountability."

"But what should we do about the situation in India!"

Prince Albert also received the news of defeat in the Battle of the Bay of Bengal and then rushed to find Victoria.

As soon as he was far away, he heard Victoria's loud and angry curses.

So, I came up to persuade him.

Upon hearing this, Queen Victoria looked at the two men in front of her with a slightly expectant look, as if asking for their opinions.

……

PS: I still owe five chapters after finishing this one...

(End of this chapter)