People in Terra, governing a bizarre little country

"If there's an opportunity in the future."

Vina, on the other hand, had nothing to fear. Wake up! The empire is already gone, the emperor is on the gallows, and she's just a figurehead with a title, all alone. If she's truly determined to live in anonymity for the rest of her life, what has she to fear?

The only fear is that one day Ernst himself will regret saying he changed his household registration.

Whether it's turning Victoria into Shiva'ish or turning Victoria into a vassal family of Shiva'ish, these are not things that ordinary people would dare to propose.

Hopefully, Ernst will have the courage to do the same for himself after learning the truth!

Vina pursed her lips, revealing a slightly mischievous, expectant smile.

That expression bore a striking resemblance to that of a beast lord who spent his days stealing tributes from Jeragund.

"So, should we help them or not?" Vina finally asked.

Ernst hesitated for a moment, then looked towards the door:

"Regarding this matter, I think we can ask for some off-field assistance."

"Aren't there a few people here who are quite knowledgeable about the opinions of the Duke of Wellington and Lady Abrahina?"

Chapter 156 Windermere's True Meaning

"The Duke of Windermere's idea is good, but to be honest, it's not very realistic."

Ahmoni shrugged, the slight upturn of her lips not a sign of mockery, but rather a hint of self-deprecation and wistfulness.

"The Grand Duke's joint advance into Londinium—well, it might indeed be a plan to quickly retake Londinium, but who cares about Londinium?"

She pointed at Ernst: "Do you care?"

Ernst nodded.

Ahmoni paused, then asked, "Why do you care about Lentinium?"

“The lives of the Lontinim are lives too,” Ernst shrugged.

Ahmoni rolled her eyes, not bothering to figure out whether Ernst's words were sincere or insincere. She turned her head and pointed to Vina beside her:

"Do you care?"

Vina, who was pointed at, stared blankly for a moment, then nodded:

"You...care about it quite a bit, don't you?"

Ahmoni was completely bewildered: "What do you care about Lentinium for?"

“Lentinium is my home,” Vina said matter-of-factly.

"Can't you feel a little more belonging to Sherag?" Ahmoni scolded, exasperated.

Vina glanced at Ernst, then let out a soft groan and didn't answer.

She really wanted to argue with Ahmoni. The phrase "Lentinium is my home" wasn't some slogan like "Terra is my home, everyone's responsibility to protect it," but a fact. Over a decade ago, her father was still sitting atop the tallest tower there, issuing orders. So what if it's a family-run empire?

But after thinking about it, I decided to forget it.

After failing to get a response twice, Ahmoni was starting to lose face. She glanced at the two people remaining in the room, Mandra and Rafishini, and finally decided not to ask any more questions.

To prevent Mandela from saying something foolish like, "I will expel every last one of the Londiniums."

Her mind raced, and she quickly added:

"The facts are just as you answered. If you ask a Grand Duke individually whether he cares about Lontinim or wants to reclaim it, he will definitely support him."

"But if you ask them all together, the dukes are a group of people who don't care about the city at all."

Londinham was indeed prosperous and wealthy, serving as the political and economic center of Victoria. However, Victoria had more than one political and economic center. The loss of one major center was not a bad thing for the smaller centers; on the contrary, it was a great benefit.

Because of the loss of Londinium's control, the regions gained greater autonomy, and the influence of the Grand Dukes in the areas was further strengthened. With each Grand Duke possessing power comparable to that of a small country, the stronger the centrifugal force, the greater the benefits they could reap.

In this situation, who would be willing to be the first to recapture Lentinium?

To put it nicely, this is a glorious feat of the "Reclaimers" in retaking the capital. But the capital is there, and the Sarkaz can't move it. Whether they retake it sooner or later, it's all the same. They might as well focus on developing their own territory first. Who wants to bring back a "Council" as a father just for a title?

Those backbenchers who knew nothing but proposed radical bills and waved their handkerchiefs, claiming to represent the people's interests and causing a stir throughout Victoria, were actually a relief to the Grand Duke by dying at the hands of the Sarkaz.

You disagree? Go ahead and protest to the Sarkaz. It's not like I'm after you.

"So if you were to ask me whether the Duke of Wellington would agree to the Duke of Windermere's plan to advance, my answer would be, let's wait and see."

"Wait until the time is right" is a polite translation that means "stop dreaming."

Ernst nodded knowingly: "And what about Ms. Abrahana?"

Ahmoni shook her head again:

"Lady Abrahana and the Duke of Wellington are aligned on this matter. The time is not yet ripe."

“Alright.” Ernst nodded slightly.

The fall of the capital without any aid might seem abstract to someone like Ernst. But considering this is Terra, it's not so hard to understand. Local separatism in Victoria is too strong, and even a Grand Duke like the Duke of Windermere, if he had the will, would find it difficult to succeed in such a harsh environment.

They don't even care themselves, so why is Ernst worrying about it for them?

However, since doing practical things isn't working, Ernst can still try to do something more abstract.

"Miss Ahmoni, do you think there's any possibility that the Duke of Wellington could participate nominally?"

Ahmoni, who was enjoying the Mandrake tea brewed by Mandrake, raised an eyebrow: "A nominal appointment?"

Ernst nodded: "That's right. To be honest, I didn't think that just a few words from me could make a Grand Duke like the Duke of Wellington get carried away and directly send troops to join the war."

A ruler should not raise an army out of anger, nor should a general wage war out of resentment. This is a famous quote from Sun Tzu's Art of War.

Although Terra doesn't have Sun Tzu's Art of War, the principles are the same. If Ernst, a prime minister of Scherrag, could persuade a grand duke who had experienced the Battle of the Four Emperors, destroyed the Gallo-Pacific, and whose military strength was now second to none in Victoria, to join an action that could lead to war, then what was the point of him being prime minister? He might as well shave his head and impersonate Yuri.

In relations between nations, the most important factor is self-interest. This is also true for a duchy that has essentially become an independent state. Without sufficient benefit, the Duke of Wellington would certainly not send troops. If Ernst could think of this, the Duke of Windermere and her staff certainly couldn't have.

But the fact that she offered Ernst, as a lobbyist, no weight on the scales speaks volumes.

Without tangible compensation, there can be no tangible help. But perhaps, what the Duke of Windermere needs isn't tangible assistance at all?

If she, known as the "Double Blade of the Empire," and the Duke of Wellington were to publicly declare their participation in this operation, the other neutral nobles would surely be inspired as well.

When Ernst heard Definite's words, he already understood and even felt somewhat gratified.

It's true that children learn a lot from being around their parents.

Ernst smiled and said, "The Duke of Windermere never expected that the Duke of Wellington would actually sail his high-speed warship, the Gastrill, to the walls of Londinium and point the cannons of the former imperial death knell at the capital's walls. No one could bear such negative public opinion. All she needs is the Duke of Wellington's nod and the collective wisdom of the neutral nobles."

Ahmoni pondered for a moment, understood Ernst's meaning, and a look of shock appeared on her face:

"you mean........"

"The Duke of Windermere doesn't have the guts to join forces with other grand dukes to march on Londinium. But he does have the idea of ​​using the march on Londinium as a pretext to consolidate the power of the neutral nobles and strengthen his own position. In fact, he has a strong desire to do so!"

Of course, it's not necessarily true that Windermere had no intention of retaking Lontinem.

But at least when she proposed this plan, retaking Lontinim was definitely not the core objective.

Was the Duke of Caesar's evacuation of the people of Lentinium a publicity stunt? For whom was it performed? The people?

In the Duke's eyes, the opinions of the people were never the primary concern. Her target audience was the vast Victorian region, home to independent lords and nobles.

Most famously, during the "Wandering in the Dust," Kal'tsit, a friend of Heidi's father, commented on Count Vincent, who "made himself moderate to protect the city." He was then courted by the Duke of Normandy, who even invited him to ride with him on a high-speed warship to inspect the outskirts of Londinium.

In addition, there is Earl Morning (from the Chord: Ahmoni module story). This earl's fief is located near Londinium. He is a military nobleman left over from the time of Aslan. Although his title is only earl, his military strength is enough to allow him to maintain a foothold in the army besieging the Grand Duke. He had previously remained neutral. The reason he sided with Duke Wellington in the original timeline was because Abrahina's Deeppool captured Horn Rita Scamanderos, the daughter of Earl White Wolf, during the Hillshire incident. Earl Morning and Earl White Wolf have always been on good terms.

These neutral nobles, though perhaps slightly less powerful than the Grand Duke in many aspects, are still a force to be reckoned with.

The Duke of Windermere could not stand by and watch them be drawn in by the Duke of Castle's constant political posturing. So she took a more attractive and influential approach.

Win over the Duke of Wellington and march on Londinium!

Ironically, the Duke of Windermere's actions were also a publicity stunt. And a publicity stunt specifically targeting the Duke of Castle's publicity stunts—you can keep rescuing them one by one here, I'm going straight to reclaim the lost territory!

This move certainly exposes the Duke of Caesar's hypocrisy, but in a way, it also exposes the Duke of Windermere's hypocrisy.

Because she ultimately lacked the capability to actually march into Lentinium—she offered no solutions regarding the rewards, the distribution of post-war spoils, who would be the first to surrender Lentinium, who would be the first to enter the city, and who would subsequently govern it.

But who can blame them when politics is such a hypocritical thing?

Ernst didn't know the extent to which young Defien understood what Anferis had said when he relayed her words. This was a source of conflict for him; he wanted Defien to be more mature and knowledgeable, yet he didn't want Defien to know too much.

"So, the invasion plan itself is also a means for Duke Windermere to contain Duke Castle, right?"

"A competition for neutral nobles? The Duke and His Highness would probably be interested in that as well."

Ahmoni rubbed her chin, then pouted thoughtfully.

“Well, if that’s the case, then it seems there’s something to discuss. I will convey your words and the Duke of Windermere’s intentions to the Duke of Wellington.”

After saying that, she resumed her usual "all smiles":

“Impressive, Prime Minister Ernst. If this really works out and you have the ability to persuade the Imperial Twin Blades ‘Alliance,’ your reputation might spread throughout Terra.”

“I do hope this reputation isn’t just a publicity stunt.” Ernst shook his head and sighed. “I genuinely care about Lentinium.”

The city of Lentinium, the people of Lentinium, the trump cards that the Lentinium Sarkaz might hold, and what Lentinium represents for the future of Victoria.

He cared about everything that concerned this land and the fate of Sherag.

Chapter 157 He is a relative of the Heavenly Emperor (King)~

Victoria, Duchy of Caster, bedroom in the Duchy's Palace.

As the Duke of Caesar tidied his slightly disheveled hair in front of the mirror, an untimely knock broke the brief moment of tranquility. He turned and glanced at the doorway.

"Just say it."

Even without permission to open the door, the man in the grey top hat outside still bowed respectfully.

"Your Grace, Ensiodis has replied."

“Oh, really? Then let’s get ready. I heard it’s quite cold in Shelag.” Standing up, the Duke of Kester walked to the wardrobe and selected a few magnificent winter clothes from his stash.

The man in the grey top hat outside the door paused for a moment, then stammered:

“Well, Your Grace, Ensiodes… Ensiodes refused.”

In an instant, the man in the grey hat felt a deathly silence fall inside the door. No sound could be heard, only a dull atmosphere began to seep out through the cracks in the door.

But soon, that aura vanished. It was replaced by the Duke of Caesar's calm voice:

"why?"

“Enciodes said that Tucarim is currently undergoing a complete reconstruction, and the entire city has been demolished and turned into a construction site, making it difficult to welcome a distinguished guest like Your Excellency. Once the city is completed, he will immediately send an invitation to Your Excellency.”

"hehe."

A soft chuckle came from inside the door. Before the man in the grey hat could continue speaking, the door to the Duke's bedroom opened, and the Duke of Caesar, dressed in magnificent robes, stood in the doorway, his gaze looking down at the man in the grey hat, who remained bowed.

"Did Enciodes say this, or Ernst?"

“Enciodes said it was his opinion,” said the grey-hatted man.

The Duke of Caesar pondered for a moment, then chuckled wryly: "These two brothers."

"Is the news about rebuilding the city true?" she asked.

The man in the grey top hat had anticipated the Duke of Caesar's question and immediately nodded: "It's true."

"Ernst Shivaesh contacted Rhine Life in Colombia and the contractors, and the reconstruction work on the entire Tukarim began two weeks ago."

"Does Shelag have the capability to build cities?"

"They hired a landship from a pharmaceutical company called Rhode Island to act as a means of transporting materials from Colombia."

"None of them sound like they're in the construction business," the Duke of Caesar said, somewhat speechless.

Rhine Life Sciences and Rhode Island Medical Center, one a Columbia University tech company and the other a well-known pharmaceutical company, seem to have nothing to do with the construction industry, yet now they're both vying for a piece of the real estate market.

So, is real estate really the ultimate destination for all entrepreneurs?

Actually, if Enciodes and Ernst were willing to seek her help, she would be happy to offer some assistance.

She was a smart woman; she could see a person's value, like Enciodes, whom she believed was perfectly capable of leading a small faction. Therefore, she was happy to give Enciodes some support and assistance so that he could become the leader of Sherag.

Ernst, in particular, outshone even Enciodes in his brilliance during this period.