vstars Chapter 603: Meaningless War
Chapter 603: Meaningless War
"Oh? Count Castori wants to see me."
In a mansion in the imperial capital, Count Reginale reclined on the sofa and yawned slowly.
People tend to feel sleepy when they get old, especially at noon when the warm sunlight pours in through the stained-glass windows, making their eyelids twitch.
He raised his hand and pinched the bridge of his nose. His cloudy eyes rolled around and he looked at the officer standing opposite him. He was wearing a neat uniform and his back was straight, but the fine beads of sweat on his forehead betrayed his nervousness.
"What was Count Castori's expression when he saw you?"
Count Reginale asked lazily, his fingertips tapping lightly on the armrest of the sofa.
The officer was stunned by this sudden question, then realized that he was trying to gather information.
When two big guys fight, the best option for a "working man" like him with no power or connections is to tell everything.
"My Lord, Count Castori is very angry."
The officer lowered his voice and looked out the window.
"It seems a rebel leader broke through the blockade and fled to Helderland..."
"Oh? To Helderland?"
Count Reginale raised an eyebrow and finally sat up straight.
He reached out and pulled the curtains to let in more sunlight, but this also made his shadow longer.
"He met my son-in-law? What did he say?"
"I, I don't know about that..." The officer shook his head.
"Hmm... So that's how it is. That's not surprising."
Count Reginale nodded thoughtfully, slowly stood up, and walked to the window.
This mansion originally belonged to a high-ranking official during Ludwig's time. Later... after "completely solving the headache problem of this high-ranking official in a physical sense", Count Reginale smoothly took this property into his own name.
He raised his hand to call the servant and said:
"Prepare five carriages. I want to go to the Noble Council in person."
When he got on the carriage, the driver whipped the horse and the wheels made a rumbling sound as they rolled over the cobblestone road.
Count Reginale leaned back on the cushions, closed his eyes and rested, but his mind was thinking about something else.
No matter how powerful Count Castori is, he has to ask him for help. After all, there are not many people in the entire Yoda Empire who can get in touch with King Helderan.
When he entered Count Castori's office, he immediately saw his old rival looking out through the window, his back straight like a sword drawn from its sheath.
"Good fellow, five carriages, are you afraid that I will send someone to kill you?"
Count Castori heard the footsteps and snorted coldly without turning his head.
"To be honest, a little bit."
Count Reginale was not polite either. He found a chair and sat down, even crossing his legs.
Count Castori finally turned around, his face so gloomy that water could drip out of it.
He strode to the desk and slammed the documents on the desk:
"Let me ask you, what did John tell you when you went to Helderland last time?"
"He didn't tell me anything."
Count Reginale shrugged, looking innocent.
"But I did give him a suggestion."
"What advice?"
Count Castori's voice suddenly rose, like an enraged lion.
"I see you're quite busy dealing with the affairs of the Noble Council, and your son-in-law doesn't want to be emperor. Why don't you let my grandson, John's son, be the emperor?"
Count Reginale said this with a smile, as if they were just discussing some family matters.
"you!"
Count Castori was so angry that he was shaking all over, his chest heaving violently, and he coughed for a while before he could finally calm down.
He glared at Count Reginale with a look that seemed to be filled with poison.
"How could you do this? He's the King of Helderland, and you're a Yoda noble! We overthrew Ludwig and saved this country. How could you sell it off, or even give it away, to an outsider?"
"When you mention this, I have something to say."
Count Reginale seemed to have opened his mouth to talk, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees.
"Let me ask you, why do we want to overthrow Ludwig's rule? Isn't it because he wants to seize our territory and leave us no way to survive?"
"After the conquest, you led the Noble Council and became the center of power in the Yoda Empire. But look at you now. Only three years have passed, and your body is almost broken!"
Count Reginale continued, his tone tinged with sarcasm.
"More importantly, even though you're working so hard, the war with Midland remains inconclusive, and domestic rebels are sprouting up like buds. What's the point of all this?"
"The war with Midland must be fought, and it must be won!"
Count Castori slammed his hand on the table so hard that the teacups on it shook.
"Otherwise, future generations will definitely be ashamed of us!"
"Come on!"
Count Reginale rolled his eyes.
"We've been fighting Mitlan for almost a hundred years! My mother told me stories about the war with Mitlan when I was a child. The original parties involved are long dead, and both families are almost down to the third generation. Continuing to fight a war started by our ancestors, and even passing it on to our descendants, is that really good for them?"
He stood up and walked to the window, with his back to Count Castori:
"I think we should call a truce sooner rather than later. Aren't we already getting the upper hand? Let's just call a truce on the current territory, and then have my son-in-law send someone over to take over. His officials handle things much faster than we do. You can go home and take care of your grandchildren straight away, how great!"
Count Castori opened his mouth, feeling as if he wanted to say something, but Count Reginali's words were so reasonable that he was speechless.
He stared out the window, his mind flashing through all the events of the past few years. He had put in so much effort to overthrow Ludwig, and how much gray hair he had turned gray in order to protect this hard-earned achievement... But what about now?
Rebellions broke out everywhere in the country, the nobles were divided, and even the war in Midlan was at a stalemate. If this continued, even if he died, the war could not be won.
He suddenly felt that everything he insisted on didn't seem so important anymore.
The room suddenly fell into silence, with only the occasional bird song outside the window.
After a long while, Count Castori slowly spoke:
"What conditions did John put forward?"
Count Reginale's mouth corners slightly raised:
"The various noble territories within Yoda remain unchanged. You will only govern the Viceroyalty and the Imperial Capital. As for official positions, you may choose any of them, except for the Military Commander and the Minister of Finance. Also, I will choose a girl of royal blood for my grandson Carl... After that, there will be no more."
Count Castori was silent for a long time, and finally sighed:
"Then tell John that I agree to his terms. However, you have to leave me the position of Prime Minister."