A black carriage without any markings drove along the gravel road, entered the white marble and black iron gate of Shannon Manor, and stopped in front of the steps of a small brown building. The porch of the small building
On the way up, a butler who had been waiting there quickly walked down the steps and opened the car door.
Eugene got off the carriage, looked up at the small building in front of him, and his eyes flashed slightly.
"Master Eugene, Madam, please go directly to the living room. She has been waiting there for a long time." The housekeeper leaned over and said respectfully.
Eugene nodded, looked back and signaled to the coachman and several attendants to wait outside. Then he followed the butler into the small building.
Passing through the corridor and going up the stairs. After a while, Eugene had walked into a living room on the second floor that, although not spacious and luxurious, was extremely elegantly decorated. As soon as he walked into the living room door, he saw Qiao wearing an emerald green dress.
Mrs. Essence, smiling, stood up from the sofa and curtsied.
"General Eugene is really a punctual man. He doesn't miss a minute or a second."
Eugene returned the gift, handed the coat to the butler, and said calmly: "This meeting with Madam is related to Lulian's life and death, and I dare not neglect it at all. Besides, if I can't make it to the appointment on time, I think Madam is also very worried."
It’s hard to believe I would keep any promise.”
"The General's words are serious," Mrs. Joyce waited for Eugene to come around the sofa, stretched out her jade arms, and asked Eugene to sit down. Then she gently stroked the hem of her skirt with her hand, sat down, and said, "Joyce is a prostitute.
, has little knowledge and cannot bear the responsibility of Lulian’s life and death.”
"Deserving it!" Eugene got straight to the point and said seriously, "And besides Madam, I don't think there is anyone in Munich who can be so important."
There was an unnatural look on Mrs. Joyce's face, but she covered it up with a smile by reaching out to pour coffee for Eugene.
The two were silent for a while.
Eugene considered it carefully and said softly: "Madam, since we are sitting here today, let's be honest. If you have any thoughts or concerns, you may as well speak up. I am all ears."
Mrs. Joyce drank tea. Her long eyelashes were drooped. After a long time, she whispered softly: "General, can you tell me what General Fano's chances are of winning this battle?"
Eugene nodded. He knew that this was the core of all the problems.
"Talking on paper is actually useless. But if Madam wants to know my opinion, then I think..." Eugene said solemnly, "Our winning rate will not exceed 30%."
As if she did not expect Eugene to be so honest, Mrs. Joyce looked up at him in surprise. After a moment, she smiled slightly and said: "The general is indeed an honest man..."
She sat up straight, folded her hands in front of her lower abdomen, and said: "Since you can speak frankly, I will tell the truth. These days, we have been studying the situation on the front line. And your judgment just now is different from ours."
The judgments made are roughly equivalent.”
"Since February, Fei Lie's army has accelerated the pace of troop transportation. According to intelligence, thousands of Fei Lie soldiers are landing in major coastal port cities every day. The comparison of the enemy's and our forces has reached two to one.
In addition, Archduke Adolf and the main force of Lulian led by him are trapped in a tight siege..."
Having said this, Mrs. Joyce smiled bitterly and shook her head: "Actually, even a 30% winning rate is already overestimated."
Eugene was deep in thought and suddenly asked: "So, Madam, does she know what our chances of winning were when the Battle of Medin City just started?"
Mrs. Joyce was stunned and shook her head.
"At the beginning, the Fifth Army abandoned us and tried to cross the Shire River and attack the rear of Philip's army. However, they exposed us under the city of Meiding as a bait to lure the enemy. At that time, our chance of winning was less than 10%.
"
Eugene took a sip of coffee, looked at the wall lamp on the opposite wall with a faint look, and said coldly: "At that time, Fei Lie's forward was no more than ten kilometers away from us. If they are entangled, Lulian's main force will have to be forced to stay in the United States.
Dingcheng will engage in a decisive battle with the opponent. Without the Fifth Army, it is impossible for us to be the enemy's opponent. Therefore, we must take the initiative to retreat before being entangled by the opponent.
The rear army withdrew, the coalition forces of the Lords withdrew, the Coast Mercenary Regiment, and the two battalions of the Munich City Guard all withdrew. In the end, the only ones left were the Bavarian Knights and the ragtag army that had been sacrificed.
.”
Eugene said, turning to look at Mrs. Joyce and said: "The subsequent results, Madam, you should be very clear about. Not only did we win, but we also completely annihilated the forward troops of the Philip Army. We also ambushed them in advance, and when they followed up
The main force was bitten hard. It was the greatest victory the empire had ever achieved since the outbreak of the war..."
"But that's just a coincidence after all, it's luck!" Mrs. Joyce said anxiously, "Where are we now? Miss Sophia is far away in the imperial capital to form a new army. Archduke Adolf and Lulian's most elite main force are trapped in a tight siege. Now the front line
The only ones holding it back are the Munich City Guards..."
As she spoke, her blood rose and her tone became more and more excited: "Under such circumstances, how can we still expect a miracle?"
"The outcome of the war can only be known if we fight it," Eugene said solemnly, "Although we are at a disadvantage, it does not mean that we will definitely fail. We still have a chance..."
"Opportunity?" Mrs. Joyce sneered, "Even if there is a chance, can we seize it? With the coalition we have now?"
As she spoke, she suddenly stood up: "To be honest, General Eugene. I do not agree with General Fano's plan from beginning to end. It is true that it is our responsibility as courtiers to rescue Archduke Adolf, but we also have to
Face reality.
If the Munich City Guard had stayed, and the Red Leaf Knights and the Twelfth Army had been allowed to shrink to the Munich defense line for defense, coupled with our full support, Lulian would have had a glimmer of hope. But General Fano insisted on going his own way, and it was very difficult for him to do so.
We need to put all our few troops into the bottomless pit south of Meiding City..."
She raised her chin, tried hard to calm down her emotions, and said word by word: "This is definitely a huge mistake!"
"No, madam." Eugene retorted, "In my opinion, General Fano's decision is not wrong. If the Munich City Guards do not take the initiative to attack and stop the enemy's offensive, the Red Leaf Knights on the left and the 10th on the right
The Second Army is afraid that it still cannot gain a firm foothold, and once the city of Medding is lost, the city of Munich will directly face the enemy's attack. Without the constraints of the mountainous terrain, Fei Lie, who was originally good at cavalry,
The army can march straight in. In addition to being trapped in the isolated city, we will lose all the surrounding territories..."
As he spoke, he also stood up. He emphasized: "Besides, although Archduke Adolf is surrounded by enemies, the Bavarian Knights, the Coast Mercenary Group, and the main force of the early noble coalition are still in his hands. As long as we can attack Fiji
If the Liejun maintains enough pressure, they might be able to find a chance to break out!"
"But all this is your imagination, isn't it?" Mrs. Joyce said coldly, "War will not follow the planned route."
"But if we give up our efforts from the beginning, then we will have no chance at all," said Eugene, "What's more, Madam, you also know what it means to Lulian if Archduke Adolf is killed. And to His Majesty Edward.
What does it mean..."
Mrs. Joyce turned her head to one side and remained silent.
The room fell into dead silence again.
Eugene looked at Mrs. Joyce in front of him. He had known her for a long time, but he didn't have much communication. They were not familiar with each other. All he knew about her came from the gossip spread among the nobles.
.
In the eyes of many people, Mrs. Joyce is a very complicated person.
She has a charming appearance and superb communication skills, and is good at dancing. Many people in the aristocratic circle are her subordinates. She is smart and capable. After the death of her husband, her territory was under her management.
It became increasingly prosperous and its power grew stronger.
She was always at the top of Archduke Adolf's guest list. She was one of the lords whom Archduke Adolf valued most, and she was also a frequent visitor to the Grand Duke's residence.
Except for the scandals that a single woman cannot avoid, there are not many rumors about her. At least in these years, Eugene rarely hears people accusing her behind her back of any mistakes that are contrary to her aristocratic status and morals. On the contrary, she is happy to
She actually has a very good reputation for helping.
But this time, she was clearly standing at a tangled crossroads.
She is a woman, not a knight. It is difficult for Eugene to use the principles of knights to ask such a woman to survive in the intrigues of the aristocratic circle. It is also difficult to make her understand that this war is not what she usually comes into contact with.
Like a business, profit and loss risks can be calculated.
In fact, the reason why the nobles never openly rebelled or broke up with each other was because Joyce did not want to do that.
Although she defected to the Lanlithians, she still retained her loyalty to Archduke Adolf and the moral bottom line a nobleman should have. It was these that made her feel torn between reason and emotion.
The reason why she agreed to meet today also proves this point.
Eugene knew this very well. He knew that persuading Mrs. Joyce was his only chance. If he could not bring back this key figure in leading the nobility, it would trigger a series of domino-like reactions, and this would
Completely destroy the entire southern part of the empire.
"Madam," Eugene slowed down his tone and said sincerely, "I am not here today to force you to make a choice. I just hope that Madam can think about it clearly. Your decision not only affects millions of people in Lulian, but also
It concerns the empire, the life and death of Archduke Adolf, and the honor of you and your family."
"Tomorrow is the day when General Fano's rear army goes out to fight, and they are in urgent need of food and grass supplies. On the front line, the soldiers are fighting fiercely day and night, and people are dying every minute and every second. They are defending our homeland, and we are in the rear
, are you so indifferent, or even... adding insult to injury?"
Seeing Mrs. Joyce's silence, Eugene paused and said: "We are not saints. It is only natural to consider our own interests. However, sometimes, some decisions have nothing to do with interests. Above interests,
There is also our glory, and our bottom line. Even if we really lose this battle, at least we have fought, and we can straighten our spines so that the family coat of arms will not be shamed because of our cowardice and betrayal.
…”
While Eugene was talking, suddenly, there was a burst of rapid footsteps, sharp shouts and the clash of weapons from downstairs. Immediately, the door of the living room was violently pushed back, and two guard knights holding long swords rushed in quickly.
He came in and said to him, "Sir, leave quickly, this is a trap!"
Eugene and Mrs. Joyce were both stunned when they heard this.
Eugene slowly turned his head and looked at Mrs. Joyce with disbelief. The latter's expression changed, and she quickly walked to the window and looked down.
I saw that around the small building, I don’t know when, I was surrounded by dozens of knights. They were riding horses, holding torches, and galloping over. Each of them held a long sword and looked ferocious, like a group of evil men who had broken into the sheepfold.
The wolf trampled the grass and flowers into a mess.
In the foyer downstairs, several guards who had followed Eugene were forming a team to resist. Two people were already lying dead on the ground, and the rest were covered with scars and blood.
This scene made Mrs. Joyce's head buzz and she felt dizzy.
As if all her strength had been drained, she turned back, looked at Eugene who was staring at her from behind, and opened her mouth, wanting to explain something, but nothing came out.
"Boom!" There was a loud noise, and the wall of the living room suddenly exploded, causing bricks and stones to fly everywhere.
In the dust, two glorious knights with flying battle rings walked in side by side.
"My lord, leave quickly!" Eugene's two guards shouted sharply and rushed forward, trying to give Eugene a chance to escape.
"Seeking death!" The glory knights who broke through the wall snorted at the same time. A man on the left took a step forward and punched out fiercely.
A punch broke through the air, and eight battle rings spurted out from the fist. The golden light turned into a huge fist and slammed into the two guards.
The two guards, both of whom only had two stars of justice, were hit by this punch. They let out a muffled groan and were thrown backwards like kites with broken strings.
Seeing this situation, Eugene flashed his figure and arrived in front of the two guards. He put his hands on their backs to neutralize the power of the glorious knight, and then released them with his backhand, letting them down.
.
"Sir..." One of the guards breathed rapidly, with a trace of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.
"Okay, stop talking," Eugene looked up at the pale Mrs. Joyce and sighed, "They have already planned it. I can't escape now even if I want to."
As he said that, he turned to look at the two glory knights who had broken through the wall. There was a hint of desolation in his calm voice: "Let everyone downstairs stop, we surrender."