As Solant's queen, Shanelli, was secretly sent to the Alinx Palace to be Queen Olina's maid, the news that Solant had been reclaimed by the Irus Empire spread like wildfire in Prandal.
Ever since the end of the second Chaos invasion, the Irus Empire had weakened, and Solant, Gris, and Ronicante had split up and become independent. The countries had been compromising with each other in the midst of constant friction, maintaining a delicate balance.
And now, this balance had finally been broken.
Solant's return to the Irus Empire had doubled the size of the Irus Empire's territory. After absorbing Solant's economy, population, and military strength, the Irus Empire had instantly returned to being the largest country in Prandal. This didn't refer to one aspect, but rather to the comprehensive strength of all aspects.
Even the Ronicante Kingdom's economy and the Gris Kingdom's military couldn't contend with the current Irus Empire. The Irus Empire fully deserved to be called the boss, and regained its position as the big brother.
This would probably be the biggest news of the year, and would definitely be recorded in the annals of history.
And now, the ones suffering the most were probably Stanley of the Gris Kingdom and Oscar of the Ronicante Kingdom.
What? Olina was the queen, so Oscar wouldn't feel bad? Would he take the initiative to submit to the Irus Empire?
What a joke …
You were originally a king, but now you might suddenly be demoted to a lord, or even unable to be a lord. You might only be a city lord. If it were you, would you be willing?
In any case, Oscar wouldn't be willing.
Even if Olina was the queen, that sis-con Oscar definitely wouldn't take the initiative to return to the Irus Empire. This had nothing to do with familial love, but rather a person's instinct to seek benefits.
Of course, if this instinct was used well, Oscar could still obediently return to the Irus Empire …
"Everyone, let's talk about our views."
In the Nanira Palace, Oscar sat on the throne with a constipated expression. Beside him, Queen Shikarin's expression was also very conflicted.
The last time he came to Nanilla, Tang En did not see Queen Shikarin. If Tang En was present, he would probably be unable to help but say something along the lines of how hopeless this sis-con was.
Because this Queen Shikarin looked somewhat similar to Olina...
Oscar must have chosen her to be his queen because of this.
"Now that Solant has returned to the Irus Empire, the Irus Empire is no longer the same as before. And as everyone can see, the Radiant Church is now completely on the side of the Irus royal family. They have made their stance clear, and there is not much room for us to do."
Oscar fiddled with a shiny crystal ball to calm himself down. He looked down at the ministers below, hoping that they could come up with some constructive suggestions.
The most difficult thing to solve now was how to deal with the relationship between Ronitant and Irus.
Oscar and Queen Olina were siblings. If the two of them were in power, it was not impossible for Ronitant to return to the Irus Empire. But now it was clear that Queen Olina was just a mascot, and the one who really controlled the Irus Empire was Tang En …
Yes, the one who had been in power was Princess Aurelia, but everyone knew that the person who really had the final say in that country was Tang En.
Without Tang En's technology, the Datang Chamber of Commerce would not have been able to develop at all.
Without the Datang Chamber of Commerce's economic support, that country would not have been able to develop so quickly.
Without the economic stimulus of rapid development, the Irus Empire would have collapsed a long time ago.
All of this was because of Tang En …
With a loud crack, the crystal ball in Oscar's hand exploded into powder.
When he thought about how that bastard could do this to Olina every night, his expression became even worse.
Oscar took a deep breath and tried to calm down. "Let's talk about what we should do next."
"Your Majesty, in my humble opinion, we only need to maintain our current relationship with the Irus Empire."
A minister stood out and said in a deep voice, "With your relationship with Queen Olina, that Prince Regent Tang En would not dare to deal with you the way he dealt with Klein, so you don't have to worry about your safety."
Of course I'm worried!
Oscar's face darkened. Of all the people present, he was the only one who knew what kind of person Tang En was!
Don't look at how amiable he was on the surface. He was a freak who did not play by the rules! If he did not follow his wishes, who knew when he would flip the table!
If that guy suddenly had a whim, he would stand in front of him tomorrow and point at his nose, asking him to immediately announce his return to the Irus Empire. That's right, Oscar did not doubt the possibility of such a situation happening.
The most frightening thing was that Olina had no intention of taking power at all. After the incident with Victor, she seemed to be very indifferent to everything. According to the information received, she did not even show up in public usually.
She gave everything to Tang En, and Tang En gave it to Aurelia for the time being.
On the surface, it seemed that Tang En intended to delegate power to Aurelia. If Aurelia took power, it seemed to be good news for Oscar. But what was more painful was that Aurelia had already announced that she would give up her right of inheritance, and had engraved it on the Holy Tablet of Light … This was an oath that could not be violated!
Now, the economy of the Irus Empire had completely taken off. Agriculture, industry, and commerce had all caught up with the Ronitant Empire in a straight line. According to incomplete statistics, just in the second half of this year, the overall net output of the Irus Empire had achieved a breakthrough. The grain output had increased by several times compared to last year. What was more frightening was that the economic level had also caught up with the Ronitant Empire in all aspects. Although it was only a little bit, it was the first time in a hundred years that the Irus Empire had overtaken the Ronitant Empire in all aspects!
Next, if the Ronitant Empire could not make any breakthrough, this gap would become bigger and bigger, until it was left far behind by the Irus Empire!
Without economic strength, the Ronitant Empire, which was already weak in military strength, was nothing! What could they use to compete with others?
At that time, perhaps even the headquarters of the Star Diamond Bank would be moved away from Nanira. Don't doubt, that group of greedy goblins would definitely do such a thing!
"It's impossible to continue with the current attitude."
Oscar shook his head. "The Irus Empire is no longer the same as before. Tang En will definitely ask us to lower our posture, or even show an attitude of submission."
"Then …"
Another minister said in a low voice, "Do we have to consider directly declaring ourselves subjects?"
"Bullshit!"
Oscar scolded. "If we directly declare ourselves subjects, why would I talk to you! I might as well directly announce my return to the Irus Empire! Then I can continue to rule my Nanira, and you bunch of trash can go home and farm! "
Once they heard that it was related to their own interests, the group of ministers began to think.
"Your Majesty, I suggest that we expand the scope of our cooperation with the Irus Empire."
"What do you mean?"
"Previously, although the Ronitant Empire and the Irus Empire had always maintained business relations, it was only a tacit agreement. There was no legal trade contract to restrict both sides. This also means that the trade between the two sides is free trade without any protection."
The minister paused for a moment, then continued, "We can take the opportunity to congratulate Queen Olina and publicly declare that we are willing to expand the scope of our cooperation with the Irus Empire, and we are willing to sign a formal trade contract with them. Your Majesty, you should understand the significance of this contract …"
Oscar's eyes lit up. It seemed like this could be done!
If there was no formal diplomatic relationship between the two sides, then no matter what happened, there would be no place to reason. But if the Ronitant Empire and the Irus Empire signed a trade contract, it meant that the Irus Empire had indirectly recognized the independence of the Ronitant Empire and recognized the legal diplomatic relationship between the two sides. The contract would also be protected by the gods.
With this layer of relationship, if Tang En wanted to do anything to them in the future, he would have to think clearly about the consequences.
"This is a good idea! Duke Domir, please continue! "
Duke Domir's spirits were lifted, and he continued, "I think that the Irus Empire has just taken over the Solant Kingdom, and they definitely need a lot of time to stabilize the situation in Solant. In the short term, I mean, at least for a few decades, they probably won't have time to deal with us. They definitely need a stable rear, so they will definitely be happy to accept this cooperation method."
The more Oscar listened, the more he felt that what Duke Domir said made sense. The Solant Kingdom's territory was larger than the Ronitant Empire. The sudden return of such a large piece of territory brought about a series of problems that needed to be solved. This was not something that could be solved in one or two years. It might take Tang En decades to solve the problem in Solant.
If they could form a stable relationship with the Ronitant Empire during this period, it would also be of great help to the peaceful development of the Irus Empire. There was no reason for them to refuse this proposal.
"Moreover, this proposal can also test Tang En Majesty's attitude. If he refuses this proposal, I'm afraid it means that he has plans to deal with the Ronitant Empire. We need to carefully consider our next course of action …"
The group of ministers laughed bitterly. Consider? What else could they consider? The Irus army was pressing on the border, and Tang En Majesty's strength was unfathomable. What could they use to fight back? With their faces?
"Most importantly," Duke Domir laughed bitterly, "we have now lost a major customer, the City of Silver. We can no longer afford to lose the Irus market …"
Everyone's faces stiffened, and the corners of their eyes twitched.
Without the City of Silver, the economic vitality of the Ronitant Empire was declining at a speed visible to the naked eye. Everyone knew that they used to rely too much on the City of Silver, but looking at the gold coins they earned every day, they were willing to numb themselves and continue to rely on the City of Silver.
Now, the crux of the problem had finally broken out.
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