For the two factions, there was no objection to reclaiming the Eastern Region or destroying the church, which had already been included in the plan during the previous meeting.
The only disagreement was when to retaliate against the Kingdom of Dawn.
Because of Roland's previous diplomatic attitude, no one suggested to take a step back and let bygones be bygones. However, the City hall officials still hoped to negotiate with Roland "justifiably" after the coronation ceremony, and they did not rule out the use of force. Obviously, the future planning meeting during the Months of Demons had given them enough temptation and motivation. They all wanted to support Prince Roland to ascend the throne as soon as possible and become the true King of Graycastle. At the same time, they could also become real ministers of the kingdom from local officials.
If they wanted to fight in the Kingdom of Dawn, not only would they need to mobilize a large number of troops and resources, but the coronation ceremony would also be affected. No king would send out his own elite generals to complete the coronation ceremony hastily, which would not be good for anyone.
Of course, the final decision was still up to Roland.
During the three days, he just watched the discussion and did not show any obvious preference. He was completely different from the tough attitude he had when he was dictating the diplomatic letter. It was precisely because of his silence that the people had the space to debate intensely.
It was not that he had changed his original intention, but he was waiting for an opportunity.
An opportunity to gain the most benefits with the least cost.
In the evening, someone knocked on the office door.
When he saw that it was Andrea, he heaved a sigh of relief.
Finally, she came.
If she did not come to him, he would have to find her himself, which would undoubtedly be much less effective, and it was hard to say whether he would succeed or not.
"Here, dried fish." Nightingale appeared and handed her a piece of honey-roasted fish. Apart from Vendy, Andrea was one of the few witches who could share snacks with Nightingale.
Perhaps this was the mutual attraction between the nobles?
"Thank you." But Andrea did not seem to be in high spirits. She took the dried fish and put it in her pocket, then put her hand on her chest and bowed. "Your Majesty, I..."
Halfway through her sentence, she stopped again, as if she didn't know how to express herself.
"You want me to save your childhood friend, Otto Luoxi, right?" At a time like this, Roland couldn't let Andrea hesitate any longer. If she changed her mind, wouldn't he have wasted these days?
In addition, he also vaguely guessed the other party's hesitation. There was one thing he was sure of, and that was that the relationship between Ao Tuo and her was a one-sided crush. Because of this, she didn't know what position she should use to make this request. Childhood playmates? After so many years, Andrea did not miss her past in the Kingdom of Dawn. After all, when Earl Quinn found out that she was a witch, he did not protect her and directly faked an accidental death. This kind of memory was really not very good.
When Otto visited Neverwinter last winter, Andrea's behavior was very clear. She obviously did not want to be associated with the past. Now that he had come looking for him, it was probably because he was simply kind and apologetic.
"Yes …" She took a deep breath and nodded slowly.
"But in the meeting, you also heard the discussion. If we want to force Appen to submit, we need at least more than 3,000 troops. Including the troops attacking the Holy City, the number will increase to about 5,000, which is already 80% of the strength of the First Army."
Despite the disagreement, City hall and the General Staff Department still made a rough plan. As there was no water system directly connected to Graycastle in the Hermes Plateau and the Kingdom of Dawn, they could only rely on carriages and manpower. The number of people in the logistics team was astonishing. Moreover, the remaining 20% of the troops had to stay in various parts of the kingdom, so the First Army had no spare troops to garrison and could only leave after the battle. All in all, it was definitely a loss.
"This is just the manpower. If we include the materials … all kinds of wear and tear, the cost of carriages and horses, the expenditure of provisions —" Looking at Andrea's increasingly embarrassed expression, Roland was about to add fuel to the fire, but his voice suddenly stopped.
"Your Majesty?" The blonde witch could not help but be stunned.
It was not because he noticed something wrong, but because Nightingale pinched him hard on the back and then said in a voice so low that only he could hear, "Don't force her. Can't you just say it?"
"Ahem … it's nothing," Roland coughed twice. "This is just an objective situation. With some subjective efforts, it's not impossible to turn the situation around, but … it depends on how much the three big families are willing to do."
"The three big... families?"
"Obviously, the king no longer trusts them. We may be able to save Otto, but this will also cause a complete break between the Moya royal family and the Luoxi family. Even if Appen is removed from the throne, will the next King of Dawn forget all this? " Roland touched his chin and said, "Facing a strong enemy like the demons, I can't invest too much energy and manpower in the neighboring countries. In the end, it's them who decide the direction of the Kingdom of Dawn."
Andrea seemed to realize something. "Please continue."
"Someone must replace the Moya royal family," he said word by word.
"…" Andrea was silent for a moment. "I see. Do you have a plan?"
"She is indeed a woman from a big family," Roland thought to himself. She can remain calm in the face of the overthrow of the royal power, which will undoubtedly make the following conversation much easier. He asked straightforwardly, "Are you interested in becoming the King of Dawn?"
"Your Majesty?" Andrea finally showed a look of surprise this time. "No … I don't want to leave —"
"Leave what?"
She bit her lip and said, "No, nothing … I mean, I'm not interested in the throne of the City of Glow."
Roland was a little surprised. It was not that she did not want to become the King of the Kingdom of Dawn, but her expression clearly showed that she was worried about personal gains and losses, which was rare in Andrea, who was always full of a sense of elegance.
Was there anything more tempting than becoming the king of a country?
Roland calmly took a sip of tea. Fortunately, he had a backup plan.
"What about your father? Is he willing to step forward? "
The reason why the Quinn Family was the best choice was not only that it was stronger than the other two families, but also that Andrea, who was favored by Otto and Oro, was also the key. It could be said that her opinion, in a sense, represented the three families more.
According to the education level of Neverwinter, the number of people trained was not enough for the kingdom. It was not realistic to completely control the Kingdom of Dawn, so it was more convenient to support a regime that was more inclined to Graycastle. If Andrea agreed to this plan, he would not have to pay too much and would still be able to get the resources of the neighboring country.
"Of course, the other two families won't be left without anything. This change of power will make all the participants winners. More importantly, the threat above your heads will no longer exist." Roland said slowly, "In this way, Neverwinter doesn't need to spend a lot of money and troops. You just need to help the Quinn Family complete this change."
This time, Andrea did not hesitate for too long. After thinking for a while, she agreed. "I think … my father will agree."
After a short pause, she repeated, "No, he will definitely agree."
When she said this, Roland knew that she completely understood what he meant.
The time was ripe.
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