Yes, Madam Prime Minister

Page 167

After saying that, Ronan stood to the side.

After the explanation, the important part began: the Prime Minister wanted to know Queen Ambrina's true attitude.

It is common knowledge that Villa is about to launch a war against Weyland.

This has little to do with the fact that Villa caused all sorts of trouble at home and abroad to perfect his pretext for declaring war and thus made a big fuss. The main reason is that the national organization and mobilization efficiency of this era is low. To launch a major war against another country, it would take at least two or three months of preparation beforehand. However, there is constant trade between the countries of the Western Continent. As long as you are not deaf and blind, you would know after a few months.

In most cases, the other side already knows you're going to attack them before you even declare war, so it doesn't matter whether you declare it or not.

Ambrina was just getting into the flow when Ronan gave her a look, and she immediately clutched her stomach.

"Uh, my stomach hurts, the baby is kicking me. Prime Minister, you can talk to Ronan, he knows what I mean. The afternoon meeting will proceed as scheduled. I have to go." With that, Ambrina left.

Ambrina clutched her stomach, but her steps were quick and steady.

A baby that's only two months along can already kick? Your Majesty, can't you at least pretend to be serious?

The Prime Minister looked at Ronan, who spread his hands and then covered his head with his hands. "I'm sorry, Prime Minister, I drank all night in a tavern last night and my mind is a bit unclear. I really can't remember what His Majesty meant."

The Foreign Minister's eyes widened in disbelief. He thought to himself, "How can you two be so inconsiderate? One of you is pretending to have a stomachache, and the other is pretending to be drunk. At least you could have sprinkled some alcohol on yourselves. There's no smell of alcohol, but there's definitely perfume, and more than one of them."

"Then let's leave it at that." Alexander didn't press further; he already understood.

Ronan's mention of the pub was an implication that the two of them would have a private discussion there that night.

The imperial council meeting ended hastily.

In the afternoon, Ambriina received the diplomatic corps from both countries.

Ronan, the king's husband, as well as the prime minister and the foreign minister were all present.

First came the delegation from Villa. The head of the delegation instructed his men to carry the gifts into the palace, and then began to read a letter, "By the Father, King Villa..."

Ronan thought to himself, "Holy crap!" and began his incredibly long surrender speech.

The King of Villa in this world, while not having as many titles as the King of Spain and Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire from the Haborg family in his original timeline, still has quite a few. He holds several royal titles within Villa alone, which is very similar to the King of Spain in his original timeline. Both are dynastic unions where one king holds multiple titles, in addition to a host of foreign duke and count titles. This is very Haborg-like.

After reading for a long time, he finally finished, “...to King Fass…” and then began again.

Ambrina has quite a few titles.

The Kingdom of Fas is a semi-feudal, semi-civil society, so Ambrina does not hold any other domestic lordship titles. She only has three titles in the country: King, Leader of the Alliance, and Supporter. The title of King is self-explanatory, and the title of Leader of the Alliance means the leader of all nations.

The Phas Kingdom in this world is quite different from the France in Ronan's original timeline. The Phas people's place of origin and the Île-de-France are the same land.

In Ronan's original timeline, the Île-de-France was established because Duke Hugo Capet of France became King of the Franks and founded the Capetian dynasty, which occurred in the 10th century.

In this world, the Phas people truly rose to prominence in the sixth century. This martial and hunting people used spear and shield formations, along with heavily armored knights who carried bows and axes, traveling on horseback and fighting on dismount. They grew stronger with each battle, eventually subjugating their surroundings and becoming the leader of a group of peoples.

As for supporters, they refer to believers. Almost all the kings of the Western Continent have this. The saying that everyone has a God-father and filial sons is not just a casual remark.

Only after Ambrina's full name has been read can the real content begin.

The content is quite long, but the meaning is very simple.

In short, we in Villa are preparing to attack Weyland. We'll be using the Netherlands as a transit point for our expedition, not to attack you. Don't be alarmed. Of course, if you're planning to join us, that would be even better. Our army won't be deploying too many troops. Weyland is no good, you know that better than I do. I hope you won't do anything that hurts your allies and pleases your enemies.

Once it's finished reading, that's it.

The Kingdom of Fas has a civil service system, and the king's orders are issued through the civil government. There are no scenarios where the king meets with envoys and then directly expresses his views to them.

The delegation from Villa came and went, and next came the delegation from Weyland.

The task of reading out titles came up again, but fortunately, King Wieland was still quite poor, and since the three islands had become one, there weren't as many titles.

The spectacle of one string of titles greeting another has ended, and the main event begins.

Unlike Villa, which hopes the Kingdom of Phos will remain neutral, Wieland hopes to form an alliance with the Kingdom of Phos. In that case, Wieland will provide the funds, the Kingdom of Phos will provide the manpower, and they will send troops to threaten Villa's homeland.

When the meeting ended and the delegation was leaving, Alger, one of the delegation members, who was the one who had negotiated the bone china deal with Ronan in the New World, invited Ronan to be his guest.

Although such behavior of befriending foreigners was very common in the Western Continent, and even the kings were related by marriage, so what was the big deal? Ronan still refused, on the grounds that he was not only Ambrina's husband and the Marquis of Rhine, but also an official of the Ministry of the Interior, and the Ministry of the Interior was different.

That night, inside the tavern.

Ronan met with Prime Minister Alexander.

“Your Excellency, speak, what exactly happened?” Prime Minister Alexander addressed Ronan with a mocking title.

He was extremely displeased at the moment. Regardless of whether he remained neutral, allied with Weyland, or even allied with Villa, it was not to the point that even the Foreign Minister and the courtiers could not know that there was another scheme at play.

"Neutral, but in reality we plan to launch a surprise attack on the Rhine region of the Will Empire."

Ronan answered calmly.

Pfft, he almost lost his composure. Cough cough cough, Alexander choked and coughed for a long time before he could recover.

Chapter 382 They're all laymen; they can't even understand wordplay.

Stopping his cough, Alexander looked at Ronan with a questioning expression. "Are you kidding me?"

Could the border regions of the Will Empire be undefended? Would you really let them launch a surprise attack so easily?

Ronan continued calmly, "The plan is to feign a deployment of troops in the north to guard against Villa's army in the Netherlands. Once the battle between Villa and Weyland officially begins, we will suddenly turn around and attack the Rhine region. The General Staff has conducted simulations and it is feasible."

"Is this considered a surprise attack?" Alexander asked.

Ronan smiled as he ate the snacks in front of him, "There won't be too many enemy troops on the border. The Will Empire is called an empire, but it is actually an alliance of lords. In peacetime, it usually only has the small force of one lord. When we have already defeated them, they will start to assemble a large army."

"What if they see through your plan?" Alexander asked again.

Ronan now understood that the Prime Minister, like himself, was a military layman. He had asked the same question to the staff officers in the General Staff through Ambrina.

Their answer was that the other side had no money and the feudal lords were not united. If they gathered a large army to defend the border in advance, they would not be able to afford the loss of a wasted effort if we did not attack.

Conversely, if we have money, and the other side really amasses a large force on the border in advance, without the intervention of Villa and Weyland, then we can just go for it. We're not afraid of losing.

Ronan used the words of his staff to explain.

To be honest, the Kingdom of Fass was a real hodgepodge, with church influence, feudal manors, civil service politics, military advisors, and so on. It was a mix of German, French, and English elements.

Alexander nodded slightly. "Will this battle be profitable?"

“We can make money. We’re not going to occupy land; we’re going to force them to sign a coal supply agreement,” Ronan replied with a smile.

Alexander tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.

After a long pause, Alexander devoured a crisp slice of baguette with shrimp paste, chewed and swallowed, and then slowly spoke, “Promise the Villars that we will never interfere with their military operations, much less send troops against them. Ask the Weylanders for some benefits and tell them that we will definitely cause some trouble for the Villars.”

The promise not to interfere with Villa's military operations does not mean that troops cannot be deployed on the border in a defensive posture, so it does not constitute a violation of the promise made to Villa.

Heading north into the Rhine region would indeed cause trouble for Villa, which could be considered as fulfilling a promise to Wieland.

Although the royal family of Villa is not the Habau family of Ronan's original timeline, and the king is not the Holy Roman Emperor, they still have close ties with the Will Empire. To be precise, they are actually in cahoots with the old religious lords within the Will Empire, while the Kingdom of Fas is actually a Protestant faction.

This is why Ronan is certain that a "Thirty Years' War" will still break out in this timeline.

"A word game?" Ronan asked.

Alexander, speaking to Ronan on the island, said, “Mr. Viceroy, wordplay is simply a part of diplomacy.”

“That’s true. I’m not an expert in diplomacy, so I won’t get involved,” Ronan said. He had to admit that the Prime Minister was quite adept at this, making promises to both sides, getting benefits from both sides, and leaving no excuse for attack afterwards.

Ronan then added, "However, I still want to make a name for myself in this diplomatic activity, to come and visit occasionally, to show that I am involved."

The Prime Minister frowned, not immediately guessing Ronan's intention, but soon he realized it.

Ronan is trying to "catch fish".

Alexander looked at Ronan, “The new king has just ascended the throne, and with new laws being enacted and military operations underway, it would be better for the central government to remain stable.”

Whether as prime minister or as himself, Alexander hoped to maintain political stability amidst so much to do.

"If someone isn't corrupt and doesn't always seek personal gain, how could they be caught? Prime Minister, you are a rare example of an incorruptible official. In any case, you must have a strong disapproval of those kinds of people."

Ronan said.

Alexander smiled helplessly, “Before becoming prime minister, I never thought I could sit in this position. Years ago, when I was promoted to the Ministry of Finance, I thought I would be transferred or even fired within three months at most, because everyone else was corrupt, but I wasn’t. I just wanted to manage myself and fulfill my duties. That was true before, and it is true now.”

"Never thought about changing?" Ronan asked.

"Can it be changed?" Alexander asked rhetorically.

"You can't change it, a dung beetle can't change its habit of piling up dung," Ronan replied, adding that corrupt officials are just like dung beetles.

“Good that you understand. What I’m worried about is that once that lady gets carried away with killing and becomes bloodthirsty, it will go on and on, even though her eyes are already red.” Alexander rarely showed humor, telling a dry joke.

This is also the fundamental reason why he disagrees with the Ministry of the Interior.

“Rotten flesh must be cut off, even if it will grow back, even if it will cut off good flesh along with it,” Ronan said. “I’ve said some things before, but it may be necessary to repeat them. This era is an era of competition between nations. If you don’t progress, you fall behind. To progress, you must reform. To reform, you must exclude those who have different opinions.”

Alexander said calmly, "Those who support your reforms are not necessarily good people, even now, and they won't be in the future."

Ronan laughed. "Are there any good people in this central government? They don't have the guts to reform, but they do have the guts to use reform to make money and seize power, and they're quite bold. Don't worry, I know these people too well. After a successful hunt, the hunting dog deserves a reward, but if the hunting dog swallows a piece of the prey without its master's permission, that hunting dog is not far from death."

"I hope you, the hunter, can handle it."

Alexander said.

"We're hungry, we have to hunt. Whether we can succeed is no longer a concern. This is just the beginning. Let's win this small step first."

After saying that, Ronan got up from his seat and went downstairs to pay the bill.

After leaving the tavern, Ronan headed straight for Alice's house.

Alice's place was in a good location, near the palace, but the house was very small, occupying less than a hundred square meters, with two floors and no yard. Elena spent a lot of money buying houses for her relatives and lending money to people to do business, yet her own house was still quite large. Alice's house, on the other hand, was much smaller. The reason was simple: Alice was a rare example of an incorruptible official.

Compared to Elena, who made a lot of money during her two years in the colony, Alice really didn't have much money. Many of her clothes, shoes, and socks were gifts from Ambrina.

Ronan knocked on the door, but to his surprise, when the door opened, it was Gran who stood before him.

"Didn't I buy you a house?" Ronan asked Gran.

"Is it wrong for the younger sister to come and stay with her older sister occasionally?" Golan retorted.

From inside the house, Alice's disdainful voice came through, "I didn't invite you, you'd better get lost."

Ronan looked at Gloria and said, "Your sister and I have important business to discuss."

Granda remained unmoved, instead raising her head and staring wide-eyed at Ronan, "I know about your relationship, and I want it too."

Ronan closed the door first to prevent anyone outside from hearing, "Stop fooling around, you should seriously consider finding a good family to marry into."

As soon as the words left her mouth, Golan burst into tears, leaving Ronan completely speechless.

Chapter 383 Face Change, Reasoning, Sisters Fighting

After crying for more than ten seconds and seeing that Ronan had no reaction, Golan's expression changed instantly. She let out a long sigh and then lamented, "Time waits for no one. Crying doesn't work anymore."

Ronan rubbed his temples; his penchant for being mischievous hadn't changed at all.

"Since you don't treat me like a child anymore, let's talk about adult topics." Golan took a few steps and sat down on the sofa armrest cushion. "Are you really okay with me marrying just anyone?"

Alice watched from the side, and that damn familiar feeling returned. Her sister, Grand, was speaking in the same tone, wording, expression, and posture as Ronan's own daughter. They were so alike.

She once had a nightmare in which she had a daughter with Ronan, but it turned out to be like her sister's. She woke up suddenly and couldn't fall back asleep for the rest of the night.

At this moment, Ronan was at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

“I know a lot of secrets,” Grand continued. “I’m not afraid to tell you, they were all told to me by my sister Isabelle.”

Ronan wasn't surprised at all that the two were hooking up; in fact, he almost laughed. "Sister? You're a year older than her."

Isabel is twenty years old now, and Grand is two and a half years younger than Alice, both being twenty-one.

"That's not the point. The point is that I'm now with the Security Bureau and I know a lot of secrets. How can I just marry anyone? What if I leak secrets? The best option is, of course, to be your lover." Golan said this without batting an eye, offering to be Ronan's lover.

Ronan looked at Alice.

Alice's face was full of displeasure. "Why are you looking at me? She's always had you backing her up since she was little. When has she ever taken me seriously? Now that she's grown up, do you expect me to take care of her? You might as well pray to God to appear and get rid of this little devil."

Ronan poured himself some water and gulped it down. "Gollan, I'm not a good person."

"Whether you're a good person or not isn't up to you to decide, it's up to me to decide," Golan said firmly.

Not to mention that in her twenty-one years of life, Golan has never met anyone better than Ronan, even by moral standards.

Even if Ronan is a wicked person, so what? In the darkest moment of her life, it was Ronan who reached out to her, raised her to adulthood, taught her to read and write, guided her in the basics of magic, gave her a happy life that countless people could never have in a lifetime, and even sent her to the best magic academy in the south-central part of the kingdom.

Ronan was truly at a loss.

He realized early on that Golan had feelings for him, and thought that after sending her to the magic academy, she would meet more outstanding men of the same age and things would change.

Unexpectedly, some things were not diluted by time, but instead fermented and became even more intense.

"I promised Ambrina that I would have to get her consent before having a lover."

Ronan said this.