"Oh …"
Alright, the maidservant with the tri-point pattern on her body shocked the usually calm second prince. He turned around and gave Laurist a knowing look. His face was filled with a flirtatious expression that all men could understand. "I finally understand why you're dressed so skimpily instead of formal attire. Isn't it rather troublesome to take off your clothes?"
Laurist didn't expect the second prince to say something like that. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Your Majesty, this is the Platinum Beach, and those are the maids of the Kenneth Family. Even if they don't mind having sex with you, can you do it in front of so many people?"
The second prince shrugged. "I believe you'll find a way. There are so many shelters on the beach, so it should be a place for you to relieve yourselves. But to be honest, their attire is really pleasing to the eye, and it matches well with the seaside scenery … "
The second prince was a few centimeters taller than Lollister, and both of them had the same fit figure. However, compared to Lollister, who was covered in sword scars, the fair, tender, and handsome Second Prince attracted the attention of the maids more, especially after knowing that he was the king of the Andinac Kingdom. The eyes of the maids who came to serve him were almost spewing fire. Even when they were delivering fruits and snacks, they liked to rub their hands against the second prince and throw flirtatious glances at him, as if they could not wait to drag the second prince to the tent next door to do it.
The second prince was also helpless against the attentions of the maids. Laurist could only watch from the side, and the other nobles were a little far away. After all, the second prince had said that they were all here to have fun. Everyone, make yourselves at home. Locke will accompany me. No noble would be so blind as to cause trouble for the two most powerful people in the kingdom. They might be discussing something important …
After the maids had finally served the food, Laurist waved them away. The second prince smiled bitterly. "Locke, do you like to watch me make a fool of myself that much?"
"No." Laurist denied firmly. "You're the king, and these maids are rarely seen, so it's understandable that they're especially enthusiastic. Not to mention, you're not bad looking, much better looking than me. I was so jealous just now. They've never taken care of me so attentively before. "
"Hehe, Loke, you really like to tell jokes." The second prince laughed dryly and changed the topic. "By the way, Locke, I heard that the Norton family has borrowed seven million gold fords from the Grand Duke of Vorendor to develop the economy of Yungesandra province for ten years. Is this true? "
"It's true. If Your Majesty wants to borrow money, then I'm sorry, but you're too late. The Norton Family is really out of money now." Laurist was not surprised that the second prince had received this news. He did not intend to hide the fact that he was partnering with the Fulundor Family to develop the Yungesandra province. News of this had long spread.
"It can't be. Seven million dollars is enough to empty the Norton Family's treasury? What I don't understand is, if you lend me the seven million gold coins, I'll pay you back in ten years. "The second prince stared at Lollister's face.
Laurist crawled up and sat cross-legged. "Your Majesty, don't joke like this. You know very well that I will never lend you the money, even if you are the king. "
"Why?" The second prince asked with a frown.
"Your Majesty, the Grand Duke of Vorendor borrows money to develop the economy of the territory and the people's livelihood. Ten years later, the products produced in our family's territory will have a developed province as a market. But Your Majesty borrows money to develop armaments and prepare for war. This is very risky. If we win, we may be able to recoup our losses, but if we lose, we'll have nothing. Just as Duke Kemus said, if I lend him the seven million, I can at least double it in three years.
But doing business is like fighting a war. Most people think of making money, but they don't think or are willing to think of the possibility of losing money. Just like in the first half of this year, when our family reorganized the redundant production workshops, many merchants and nobles who blindly invested in expanding production lost all their money. Three even committed suicide by poisoning themselves because they owed a huge amount of money to the usury. That was the key reason why Duke Kemus only traded and did not invest in production.
Sometimes, producing too much but not selling it can also become an economic disaster. This is why our family is willing to borrow money and spend ten years to develop a market, just to sell more things. The most important thing is that investing in the Vorendor family's economy and the people's livelihood is not like lending them seven million at once. Our family can't afford that much money. This seven million is invested in several batches over five years … "
The second prince raised his golden goblet filled with fine wine and toasted Laurist. He said in amusement, "Alright, don't give me a lesson on the economy of the territory's development. Don't worry, I'm just saying. I won't really borrow money from your Norton family. Moreover, you won't give me face at all. If you're willing to lend me the money, I won't ask for it. Although you make me worry the most, what I admire the most about you is that you pay special attention to the development of the territory. You've always been very generous in this area. From this point of view, I, as the king of the kingdom, can't do better than you. "
"Uh … Your Majesty, you flatter me." Laurist hurriedly raised his silver goblet in return.
"But Loke," the second prince put down his goblet and stared at Laurist, "do you really not think highly of my army's preparation? You know what I'm talking about. To be honest … "
Laurist shook his head, "From the current situation, the Ford Commercial Alliance has become a real big and powerful country. Our Andinac Kingdom compared to it is like the Commercial Alliance and the Christen Empire a hundred years ago. We are in a weak position. Your Majesty, you should have received a lot of information about the Commercial Alliance, right? "
The second prince nodded and did not speak.
Laurist continued, "I believe that the result of the battle between the Commercial Alliance and the Southern Kingdom Allied Forces must have been unexpected, Your Majesty. The war that lasted more than four years did not drag down the Commercial Alliance. Instead, the Southern Kingdom Allied Forces underwent a huge change. Not only did the Commercial Alliance gain an ally in the Chigda Kingdom, but they also sent people to mediate the conflict between the Chigda Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom Allied Forces.
Whether it was from a strategic point of view or a tactical point of view, the Commercial Alliance was the biggest winner of this war. It once again annexed three countries, broke up the remaining Southern Kingdom Allied Forces, and obtained the Chigda Kingdom as an ally. It also achieved the original goal of the war. It reopened trade routes in the various kingdoms of the central and southern regions, expanding its sphere of influence.
In terms of high-end combat power, the Commercial Alliance now has a Storm Sword Sage guarding the country. At the same time, the entire Commercial Alliance also has close to a hundred Great Swordsmen. In our Andinac Kingdom, there are less than twenty Great Swordsmen. Be it Level One, Level Two, or Level Three Great Swordsmen, we are at an absolute disadvantage.
The seven giants of the Commercial Alliance and the seven chambers of commerce now each have a regular field army. After more than four years of fighting against the Southern Kingdom Allied Forces, they have become elite armed forces. The remaining chambers of commerce of various sizes in the Commercial Alliance can also pull out two to three hundred thousand men. We can estimate that the Commercial Alliance now has no less than five hundred thousand men.
His Majesty has been preparing for war in the eleven provinces of the central region for the past three years, but he has only trained a little more than three hundred thousand men. Including the Royal Guards in the Imperial Capital and the White Lion Legion in the Madjik Province, he has at most five hundred thousand men. Even if we include the family armies dispatched by the Grand Dukes, we only have about seven to eight hundred thousand men.
If these seven to eight hundred thousand men were to attack the current Commercial Alliance, we would at most gain a slight advantage. It would be impossible to completely defeat the Commercial Alliance. If the Commercial Alliance uses high-end combat power to launch a surprise attack on our command system, we might even be defeated. Thus, I believe that our kingdom's strength is currently insufficient, but it is more than enough to protect itself. I still suggest that His Majesty develop peacefully for ten years. After strengthening the kingdom's strength, we will think of a way to recover the occupied provinces. "
After listening to Laurist's long speech, the expression on the second prince's face changed. After a while, he recovered his determined expression. "No, Loke, you are wrong. There is a good opportunity that calls out to me now, and I cannot miss it. Moreover, if I focus on developing the people's livelihood, the Commercial Alliance will also recover its strength faster and stronger than our kingdom. I have to seize back those provinces before the Commercial Alliance pays any attention to us, and restore the empire's territory and glory! "
"Oh, a good opportunity?" Laurist was a little curious about the second prince's so-called good opportunity.
"In fact, regardless of whether we can seize back those occupied provinces and territories, the Commercial Alliance will still view our kingdom as an enemy." The second prince was right. Back when the empire was divided into three kingdoms and seven grand duchies, the Commercial Alliance still treated the Andinac Kingdom, the legitimate heir of the Chrison royal family, differently. Trade blockades were everywhere, and the second prince also had deep enmity towards the Commercial Alliance.
"You also know the situation in the central and southern parts of the continent. The Commercial Alliance has yet to reach an agreement with the Chigda Kingdom and the Eight-Nation Alliance. Moreover, four of the Commercial Alliance's seven Chambers of Commerce's armies are stationed in the Chikder Chamber of Commerce's territory. As a threat to both sides, they are thousands of miles away from the Commercial Alliance. If we wait until a peace agreement is reached next year, three of the four armies will return to the Commercial Alliance, and they might even be stationed at the borders of our kingdom. "
The second prince looked at Laurist. "It's very simple. You've forgotten one thing. When the Andinac Kingdom destroyed the four central duchies, the Madras Duchy, and the Iberian Kingdom, the Commercial Alliance's trade routes to those places were also cut off by us. Thus, I believe that when the Commercial Alliance is free, they will definitely mobilize their army to force our kingdom to accept their demands. And you know my temper. I will never bow to the Commercial Alliance. This war is not something I can avoid even if I want to. Since we are going to fight, why don't I make the first move?
I can accept the Commerce Union's request to open a trade route, but they have to be fair to us. Recovering all the lost and occupied provinces and territories is my bottom line. I can also sign a peace treaty with the Commerce Union, but they have to fulfill my wish and return the occupied provinces to us. Otherwise, I would rather fight them to the death! "
Laurist had to admit that the second prince's words made sense. His mind was very clear, and his analysis of the Commercial Alliance was very accurate. But the problem was, why did the Norton Family want to participate in this war? Only a fool would sacrifice the Norton Family for the sake of the second prince's dream of unifying the former Crisen Empire. Furthermore, the Norton Family could no longer be promoted, be it in terms of title or territory. They could not risk their lives to be cannon fodder just because of a few words of praise from the second prince …
"I do not want to participate in this war," Laurist said in a low voice. "I only want to develop my territory and let my subjects live a happy and healthy life. This is the promise I made when I left Morent City and returned to the north to inherit my family's territory and title more than ten years ago. I only want to accompany my wife and children to live happily in the family's territory and watch them grow up …
I am sorry, Your Majesty. Even if you managed to persuade three of the four northern families to send troops, I do not want to participate. I believe this is a war that is not beneficial to the kingdom or our family. If it is the Commercial Alliance that invades our kingdom, I can send troops to defend against their attack. But I personally think that provoking them is not a wise move. "
Laurist's rejection made the second prince feel a little embarrassed, but there was no one else around them. The maids and nobles were far away and did not notice what the two were discussing. The second prince must have been mentally prepared for Laurist's rejection. He knew that Laurist wouldn't be so easily convinced. He quickly smiled and raised his gold cup again. "That's right, Loke. We're here to have fun today. Why let's be in a bad mood because of military affairs? Come, let's drink a few more cups. I heard that you are good at swimming, can you teach me? "
"Of course, Your Majesty, I would be happy to help." Laurist also drank the rest of the wine in the silver cup.
In the next few days, the second prince was very busy visiting the other nobles. Although Laurist was on vacation at Platinum Beach, he felt that the atmosphere was starting to become solemn. Even the families of the nobles who were playing on the beach gradually lost their cheerful and relaxed mood. Some of the nobles even started to pack up and prepare to go home. Their expressions were solemn, and there was only one possibility for such a situation, and that was that war was coming.
Laurist felt a little strange. Although it was not yet September, August was almost over. It would take at least two or three months to mobilize the army for war, and it would already be winter by then. Did the second prince still want to launch a surprise attack on the Commercial Alliance in winter? That was impossible. Even if the second prince made winter clothing from all the major monsters' fur that he had bought from him to protect the soldiers from the cold, he could only gather twenty to thirty thousand men at most. Relying on these twenty to thirty thousand men to deal with the Commercial Alliance was suicide, not an attack.
Duke Kempis, Duke Phelim, and Duke Shahin came to see Laurist again. From their expressions, Laurist could guess that they had reached an agreement with the second prince.
Laurist said to them, "Do not talk to me about this war. I have already rejected the second prince, and do not want to hear any news about this war. If you want to participate, that is your business. I will not send troops. "
… …
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