Divine Kingship

Chapter 576 The Joyful Upper Class of the Kingdom of Bolen and the Sorrowful Land

Rand's face darkened.

His office was filled with envoys from other countries, who demanded a ceasefire between the Frostmoon Kingdom and the Bolen Kingdom.

No, are you the Torch Church at its peak, and you're here to mediate and put pressure on us?

Although RAND had fully anticipated the pressure from these countries, he was still somewhat embarrassed when they actually came to his side.

And Rand had another problem: he always remembered Marcus saying he would withstand all diplomatic pressure.

What about others?
Oh, he's filming a commemorative drama.

So Marcus's ability to withstand all the pressure is to make Rand withstand all the pressure?
Rand had to admit that at this stage, the follow-up work related to the photojournalism did indeed require Marcus's full presence.

However, Rand also realized that it was a waste to have a king who could be used as a scapegoat work full-time as a director.

"What are your demands?" Rand asked the messengers.

The messengers all looked at Rand.

They had all seen Rand's portrait, but when they actually saw Rand's excessively young, almost boyish face, they still felt a sense of disorientation.

This young man is already the Grand Duke of the Moon Phase, the Hand of the King of Frostmoon Kingdom, who has led the destruction of the undead, the counterattack against the orcs, and the expulsion of the evil demigod Grand Duke Vladimir.

In addition, countless other achievements were accomplished by this excessively young Grand Duke, who clearly cared nothing for these legendary feats of his...

Duke Land didn't even bother to wear any military-related medals on his lapel.

The commander-in-chief of the Frostmoon Kingdom's decision to destroy the Bolun Kingdom, the marshal, actually disdained to wear the medals that represented his merits and honors in the military camp.

The young duke with black hair and black eyes looked at them with scrutiny and arrogance.

The past deeds of Rand, along with Rand's gaze, exerted pressure like a mountain, making these messengers breathless.

Some messengers even wished they could forget all the preparation they had done before meeting Rand. If they hadn't known so much about Rand, they might not have lost their composure in front of him.

Rand had no idea what the messengers were thinking, and he simply asked impatiently, "Who wants to speak first?"

An envoy from a country that appeared to be a desert region spoke up: "We hope that the Frostmoon Kingdom and the Bolun Kingdom will cease hostilities and return all the land they have seized."

Rand had no objections, signaling Olena to write down the country's demands, and then signaled the next person.

This desert country is too far from the RAND, so it will be minimally affected by the RAND's military and economic influence. The RAND really can't do anything to them.

However, since the impact on both sides is minimal, Rand could actually boil the envoy in a pot. This would certainly affect the reputation of Rand and the Frostmoon Kingdom, but not by much.

Therefore, Rand admired the messenger who dared to make these unreasonable demands; he was indeed somewhat fearless.

Fortunately, Rand was kind enough that when the messenger trembled with fear, Rand simply ignored him and did nothing to him.

The next messenger to speak came from a country not far from the Frostmoon Kingdom.

Being close to the Frostmoon Kingdom meant being more susceptible to the influence of Rand, so the envoys from that country were much more polite and made more reasonable requests.

They still hope the Frostmoon Kingdom will withdraw its troops, but they will supervise the Bolun Kingdom to pay war reparations to the Frostmoon Kingdom, and will not demand that the Frostmoon Kingdom return too much of the land it has seized.

The messenger also received no reply from Rand.

Rand neither defiantly asked, "What would happen if I refused?" nor hypocritically said, "I need to think about it for a while."

After Olina wrote down the request, Rand calmly said, "Next."

The envoys quickly finished explaining their country's demands.

Rand picked up the form Olena had written down and looked at it. All of them demanded that the Frostmoon Kingdom and the Bolen Kingdom cease hostilities, while the other additional demands varied.

"So why does your country think... we would choose to cease hostilities?" Rand asked helplessly.

The envoys' brows furrowed slightly with delight: "The land of the Kingdom of Bolun has belonged to the Kingdom of Bolun since ancient times. Without the claim of the Kingdom of Bolun, no country would recognize the Kingdom of Frostmoon's rule over the Kingdom of Bolun."

This falls under the category of legal theory, which, in Rand's eyes, is utter nonsense.

Jurisprudence was only popular in the world a few hundred years ago, and now it is considered somewhat rubbish.

In any case, it meant nothing to Rand.

If judged purely by law and bloodline, then Rand would never be qualified to become a nobleman.

Rand naturally stood on the opposite side of legal theory.

"The capital of the Kingdom of Bolun is a magnificent city, and the Kingdom of Bolun also has the advantage of a navy. Even with the strength of the Frostmoon Kingdom, it may not be able to break through the capital of Bolun. On the contrary, it is possible that the war will drag on for too long, depleting the country's strength, and in the end, it may even be countered by the Kingdom of Bolun."

This argument is from a tactical perspective, suggesting that the Frostmoon Kingdom might not be able to defeat the Bolen Kingdom.

Especially when there is pressure from other countries.

This probability is indeed not completely zero.

But Rand would never allow that probability to occur.

In fact, Rand felt that even with the current level of the Kingdom of Bolen, it might not be able to seize such an opportunity.

“Even if we defeat the Kingdom of Bolun, it might not be a good thing for the Kingdom of Frostmoon.” Another envoy offered a similar reason.

"The Kingdom of Bolun is not much smaller than the Kingdom of Frostmoon. Even if the Kingdom of Bolun is destroyed, it will be very difficult for the Kingdom of Frostmoon to rule it. Governing a country that is not much smaller than itself and has a completely different culture might actually be a burden for the Kingdom of Bolun."

This will lead to a decline in national strength. The Bolen Kingdom's fleet will continue to harass the Frostmoon Kingdom, and we will not recognize the Frostmoon Kingdom's rule over the Bolen Kingdom.

After conquering other lands, the country became bogged down in the governance of those lands, which in turn led to a decline in its national strength.

This has happened quite a few times in the history of Rand's previous life.

It is indeed a problem that needs to be considered, but to withdraw troops now because of something that may not even happen in the future would be utterly ridiculous.

The vast lands of the Kingdom of Bolun would bring countless benefits.

“Okay, I understand.” Rand narrowed his eyes. The threat these envoys claimed their countries did not recognize the Frostmoon Kingdom’s rule over the Bolen Kingdom was essentially limited to providing military aid to the Bolen Kingdom and attempting economic sanctions against the Frostmoon Kingdom.

But to be honest, economic sanctions in this era are hardly threatening.

As for military aid... military aid means that they won't actually send troops to confront the Frostmoon Kingdom head-on, so there's not much to be afraid of.

There will definitely be an impact. Transporting grain, armor, and ships to the Kingdom of Bolun will make it even more difficult for the Kingdom of Frostmoon to conquer this mighty city.

Many of these southern countries believe that the Frostmoon Kingdom is not yet in a position to secure victory.

Some countries even genuinely believed that the Frostmoon Kingdom would withdraw its troops due to international pressure.

Rand didn't care at all.

If that's all there is to it, Rand sat back in his luxurious velvet chair: "Let's give a unified response: This is a war of revenge. The Kingdom of Bolun sided with evil and assassinated the King of Frostmoon. Our attack on the Kingdom of Bolun is solely for honor and justice, and does not involve any legal encroachment. This is a just war, and I hope everyone will persuade their countries to support the justice of the Kingdom of Frostmoon."

Before the messengers could speak further, Rand dismissed them.

The envoys were asked to leave Rand's meeting room.

After the envoys left, Rand, who had been quite dignified just moments before, transformed into an unidentified creature slumped in his chair.

"It seems they think we'll have a hard time breaching the capital of the Kingdom of Bolen," Berlan sneered.

When Berlan sneered, it was exactly like her sister's, making Rand even have the illusion that Ellie was right next to him.

Olena, also in the room, wore the same cold smile. It was very rare to see a cold smile on Olena's face, as she always appeared gentle and serious.

Rand is feeling some pressure now, as it seems that his own people are very confident about this war.

Having confidence is certainly a good thing; generals and commanders should give their subordinates the confidence to win.

But Rand can't just think about winning.

Consider defeat before victory.

Berlan noticed Rand's somewhat embarrassed expression: "Why do you, the marshal, seem less confident than I am?"

"Although I also believe we will win, we still need to consider how to handle failure. Blind confidence is not advisable," Rand explained helplessly.

"Then come again next time." Berlan smiled, revealing his kingly demeanor.

Even if they were defeated, they could try again next time. Berlan believed that even if Rand was defeated, he would soon be able to regain his footing and make a comeback.

Rand has the resources, and whether as Ellie or Berlan, she will fully support Rand. Rand no longer needs to worry about what will happen if she loses a few times.

Olena did not suspect Berlan's sudden change in demeanor. Ellie was someone who could have a regal air, but when Olena and Rand were around, Ellie preferred to be a girl.

……

Just as Rand was feeling somewhat disgusted after dealing with the first group of envoys from other countries who had come to pressure him.

Inside the besieged capital of the Kingdom of Bolun, the new king and his ministers had already begun their meeting.

They received specific replies from various countries, and envoys from other countries also entered the capital through the port to deliver messages.

"Our allies, those nations that sympathize with us and are aware of the evil deeds of the Frostmoon Kingdom, have condemned the Frostmoon Kingdom and are pressuring it to withdraw its troops and reclaim the occupied territories," the new king announced with confidence and joy.

"I had anticipated this long ago." The new king was very pleased with his prediction. "With international assistance, the Frostmoon Kingdom will be nothing but an insignificant insect, a mere shell of its former strength and weakness! That somewhat clever Rand will also expose his foolish nature under the valiant fighting of our warriors and the joint suppression of our allies."

In the eyes of the new king, Rand was nothing more than a commoner without noble blood. He had gotten to where he was today entirely by luck and some insignificant cleverness. It was hard to understand how the nobles of the Frostmoon Kingdom could tolerate a commoner with no background being on equal footing with them or even superior to them.

Utterly foolish! Lacking any noble manners, it's no wonder the throne of Frostmoon Kingdom has fallen into Marcus's hands!

Fortunately, the Frostmoon Kingdom is finally going to pay the price for this!
Now, if we can hold out in Bolun for a little longer, the surrounding countries will launch an attack on the Frostmoon Kingdom.

"Please tell us, envoy, how your country plans to send troops to show the Frostmoon Kingdom the consequences of their evil deeds," the new king said, looking at the envoy.

The envoy was immediately embarrassed.

The country represented by this envoy certainly did not intend to send troops to the Frostmoon Kingdom.

They had already witnessed how barbaric the Frostmoon Kingdom was. With such a barbaric country having a terrifying marshal like Rand, no one could imagine the horrific consequences of their unauthorized military intervention.

The envoy was unaware of what he had done that led the new king of the Kingdom of Bolun, who appeared somewhat unkempt and aged, to believe that his country would send troops to attack the Kingdom of Frostmoon.

Therefore, he had no choice but to say, "Many countries, including ours, have already put pressure on the Frostmoon Kingdom, and the Frostmoon Kingdom will probably withdraw its troops soon."

A standard irrelevant answer.

Avoiding the main point and giving irrelevant answers are among the skills that envoys must master.

In this world, the succession of power does not take into account intelligence; it is ultimately based on bloodline inheritance. This leads to a situation where the intelligence and abilities of the high-ranking officials in many countries do not match their positions.

Therefore, envoys often encounter inexplicable problems, which is when they need to utilize their professional skills.

The new king of the Kingdom of Bolun was not satisfied with this answer. He wanted more than just the withdrawal of the Frostmoon Kingdom's troops; he wanted to retaliate against the Frostmoon Kingdom and even annex it.

The Frostmoon Kingdom's attack on the Bolun Kingdom will inevitably consume a large amount of manpower and resources, which will also inevitably lead to the Frostmoon Kingdom's internal weakness and exhaustion.

By the time the Frostmoon Kingdom realizes that it is difficult to breach the great capital of the Bolen Kingdom, it will be too late. At that time, the warriors of the Bolen Kingdom will make the Frostmoon Kingdom realize the price of their foolish actions.

And it seems that the envoy's country is not so enthusiastic about sending troops to wipe out the Frostmoon Kingdom.
It seems this country isn't very smart either.

They couldn't even seize the opportunity to divide up the Frostmoon Kingdom.

The king did not let the atmosphere become dull, and continued to talk about how to deal with the evil Frostmoon Kingdom.

Another moment passed.

The new envoy arrived at the council hall of the royal city.

He was an envoy from the Kingdom of Lenza, from the Dandelion family of Lenza.

(End of this chapter)