madnovel Chapter 225 Duke Negan blocks Robert's marriage to Lu Augustus.
Chapter 225 Duke Negan blocks Robert's marriage to Lu Augustus.
Chapter 225 Duke Negan blocks Robert's marriage to Lu Augustus.
As the ancient royal family of the Kingdom of Rune, the Augustus family has close ties with the military, and each branch within the family even has its own territory within the army.
The advantage was that it expanded the royal family's control over the army and maintained the rule of the Augustan family.
The downside is that it gives each faction within the royal family corresponding influence in the military and creates special interest groups.
Every reform of the military directly affects the royal family, who are all related by blood. Those who have long-term influence are all descendants of demigods or even angels, making them very difficult to touch.
The fundamental principle of the feudal imperial system was to treat the country as one's home, and blood ties were the most solid form of order.
Establishing a professional air force outside of the army and navy would involve significant changes to military organization, budget allocation, and many other issues, affecting the interests of too many people.
The crucial aircraft in Ivan's feasibility study was still under development, which explains why so many people opposed it.
However, although many people have doubts about the aircraft under development, the air suppression of the Fusak Empire is a reality that cannot be ignored.
Therefore, the suggestion to establish a professional air force was rejected, but the Department of Defense was allowed to reconsider the aircraft mentioned by Ivan and conduct a feasibility study.
If the Department of Defense reviews the matter again and approves of the aircraft research, it will certainly allow investment, and Ivan's previous investment will not have been in vain.
"Although the first proposal was rejected, the second report was approved, so we can say that we have achieved a self-target."
Robert smiled, blew on his cup, took a sip of tea, and then said, clearly quite pleased with his methods.
Robert submitted two reports at the same time, which is equivalent to endorsing both reports simultaneously. Since the first report was rejected, if the second report is also rejected, it would be a blatant slap in Robert's face.
There are indeed many people in the political arena who dislike the young Robert, but to completely break ties with him regardless of everything is a very politically risky move, not to mention that King George III has clearly expressed his support for these two reforms.
Robert's reckless charge forward, regardless of the risks, earned him the strong support of King George III.
Slapping Robert twice in the face, and incidentally slapping George III twice in the face as well, is something even the Duke of Negan wouldn't dare to do.
Therefore, the second proposal to establish a directly subordinate mobile force was approved by the royal family, parliament, and the military in just a few days.
"The current point of contention is whether this mobile force is affiliated with the Ministry of Defense or the royal family, and whether it officially belongs to the Army or the Navy."
Evan's eyes darted around, and after thinking for a moment, seeing that there were no outsiders around, he spoke directly:
"Our proposal to establish this directly subordinate force is not for the sake of the Kingdom of Rune, but mainly so that we can truly control an army ourselves. Relying on the royal family would leave a deep imprint of Augustus, which would be detrimental to our plans."
"I understand that, but if we rely on the Ministry of National Defense, it will be difficult for me to arrange for you to be the person in charge of building this unit."
Robert's primary role was chairman of the Congressional Military and Intelligence Committee, responsible for military spending and intelligence work. He was the army's financial backer and head of the intelligence department, holding a high position of power.
It may seem that the Ministry of Defense is subject to him, but in fact, the two sides are mutually restraining. Since the parliament is in charge of the money, it cannot directly interfere with personnel changes in the military. Otherwise, would the country still belong to Augustus?
If the newly established mobile force is affiliated with the Department of Defense, it will be difficult for Robert to interfere with the relevant personnel appointments. After all, many people see the formation of this force as a lucrative position and want to get a piece of it.
On the contrary, by being associated with the royal family, Robert could potentially have direct influence over the royal family and have Evan form the unit.
"Since the key issue now is the Minister of Defense, and since the Ministry of Defense is currently without a minister due to the corruption case, Robert, you should take your time and discuss the relevant candidates with Duke Negan. Don't rush, take your time."
Evan frowned, realizing he had underestimated the situation. It was inconvenient that the Minister of Defense wasn't one of their own, but fortunately, the Ministry of Defense didn't have a minister yet, and the Military Intelligence Committee had the right to nominate candidates for Minister of Defense. Everything was still undecided.
Robert understood the implication in Evan's words: he wanted him to delay the appointment of the Secretary of Defense, but what was the point?
Robert's previous push for General Bahrain to run for defense minister was merely an attempt to persuade Duke Negan to increase the army's share of military spending; he was not confident that he could actually get General Bahrain into the position.
Judging from Evan's current intentions, he actually wants to use some means to take over the position of Minister of Defense in the future?
But on what basis? Robert went to great lengths to get Bahrain to become a candidate, so what means does Evan have to get Bahrain to take the position?
"The position of Minister of Defense has always been held by an admiral due to the navy's strength over the past century, coupled with the support of the Church of Storms, and the one in charge of all this is Duke Negan."
This kind of thing isn't just Evan's problem, so he had to tell Robert some things so that he could be prepared and avoid being caught off guard.
Upon hearing this, Robert's expression hardened. He looked Evan up and down, then asked seriously:
"You're not thinking of doing something stupid, are you?"
Political assassinations are very bad practice, and they only occur when conflicts are irreconcilable. As a high-ranking political figure and an extraordinary "arbitrator," Robert naturally dislikes such methods.
Evan chuckled, shook his head, and then said:
"I wouldn't be so stupid as to leave any possible evidence. The fact that the mastermind behind Zilingus has never been found is itself a very suspicious thing."
Even the demigod of the Death Path who silenced Qilingus could not ascertain his name or origin, and the entire case came to a standstill.
These circumstances indicate at least two things: there are high-ranking powerful individuals watching Duke Negan, and there is a very powerful organization behind Ziringus that wants to eliminate Duke Negan.
In this situation, I believe it is highly probable that Duke Negan will be assassinated again. Moreover, the Church of Storms may ultimately be unable to protect him, as there is no such thing as perfect protection without any oversights.
Therefore, I suggest you delay the announcement of the appointment of the Minister of Defense, in order to stall for time and wait for things to change.
Robert recalled his spiritual intuition from that day, about the high-sequence extraordinary Death Path user he thought he couldn't defeat, and thought of MI9's report on the assassination of Duke Negan, which they had been unable to submit for so long. He finally nodded in agreement with Evan's conclusion that Duke Negan would be assassinated again.
In fact, Robert had always been very interested in the unexpectedly appearing demigod of the Death Path, but he had been too busy lately. When he had some free time, he would probably start looking for this powerful figure to see if he could win him over or cooperate with the organization behind him.
Robert strongly believed in Russell's political philosophy: politics is about making more friends and fewer enemies.
The Einhorn family, the royal family of the Fursac Empire, is a formidable behemoth, not to mention they possess an empire spanning the northern continent and a formidable Church of War (I feel the Warrior path is severely underrated because of the God of War. Another point is that I personally don't really like the Warrior path Sequence 4 "Witcher" setting).
Robert wanted to unite all possible forces, and even though the mysterious Grim Reaper was trying to kill Duke Negan through the organization behind the demigod, Robert did not give up his intention to cooperate with them.
The assassination target was Duke Negan, not him. As long as there was no life-or-death conflict between them, he felt no psychological burden whatsoever.
Moreover, the assassination of Duke Negan is not necessarily a bad thing for him. Any unexpected event can bring both great risks and opportunities, and if he can prepare in advance, it could bring great benefits.
Robert had just established himself as the third-ranking figure in the Conservative Party and should have taken the time to consolidate his position before aiming for a higher rank in a few years. However, after learning that George III wanted to be universally deified, Robert became restless.
Time was of the essence. If George III were to become the "Black Emperor," the Augustus family would be able to dominate both the "arbitrator" and "lawyer" roles. Furthermore, since Robert himself had always been a vassal of the Augustus family, he would be forever subservient to them, which was something he absolutely could not accept.
Therefore, Robert also needed to speed up his pursuit of power. It was under these circumstances that Duke Negan once again stood in his way and became a major hindrance.
Robert was initially troubled about how to bring down Duke Negan.
Because the Duke of Negan, through the Earl of Hall's mediation, made him the de facto third-ranking figure within the Conservative Party, this was seen by outsiders as a sign of the Duke of Negan's magnanimity and tolerance towards the ever-restless Robert.
Therefore, if Robert were to take action against the Duke of Negan again, it would give the impression of being insatiable, incite resentment and opposition from everyone, and make him a target of public criticism.
But if the Duke of Negan were indeed assassinated, then Robert would not be in this dilemma.
Robert, having made up his mind, plans to work on easing the tension in Backlund after returning from Tingen, creating a relaxed and safe environment, and making Backlund a city where people feel comfortable and safe.
"As for this mobile force, I also suggest giving it naval designation, rather than army designation!"
Evan was unaware that Robert had already made a decision. Seeing that Robert was silent, he assumed that Robert did not like to discuss the Duke of Negan, so he changed the subject.
"Why? Because both the old count and I came from the army and have deep connections within it. Adding our army credentials would greatly help in building this unit!"
Evan simply shook his head slightly and said solemnly:
"Precisely because you have deep connections in the Army, you can't do that, because it would give the Navy the impression that this mobile force is essentially still the Army, which would create many obstacles."
Don't forget, this force is a mobile force; it needs its own warships. Without naval assistance, it's virtually impossible to cut in line and get a capital warship from the shipyard.
Robert chuckled. Evan hadn't even formed an army yet, and he'd already boarded the main warships of the Pritzker shipyard.
"So young, yet so ambitious. A capital warship? What are you thinking? We'd be lucky to get a secondhand warship! A capital warship? How about the next ironclad aircraft carrier?"
Evan raised an eyebrow, somewhat unconvinced, but knowing that Robert was referring to the details, he ultimately said nothing.
However, Evan was clearly not interested in secondhand sailboats and warships; even though he knew there were better options, he could only settle for second best.
This isn't like Evan's style; at the very least, it should be a ghost ship.
Thinking of ghost ships, Evan remembered that Alger, the Hanged Man of the Tarot Club, had a ghost ship. Should he give that idea a try?
"Hey, what are you thinking about? Why are you suddenly so quiet? You really want an ironclad warship that badly? Take back your drool!"
This time, it was Robert who woke up Evan, who was suddenly lost in thought.
"Don't even think about the ironclad warship. That's the latest naval flagship, a revolutionary naval weapon worth millions of gold pounds. If you dare to take that ship from the navy, tomorrow the navy will have the Pulitzer Port warships bombard the Earl of Ahova's mansion! Even if the king comes, it won't help."
Evan wiped away the drool that was about to spill out, smiled and didn't argue. Although he really wanted the ironclad warship, he could also recognize reality and not pursue it excessively.
"By the way, with the funeral taking place these past few days, I've heard some rumors that King George III is planning to marry the princess to you. Is that true?"
Evan suddenly remembered the rumors he had heard in the past two days and then asked.
Robert's face stiffened, and he nodded somewhat awkwardly, as if feeling a little guilty, before saying:
"It's true. That day I submitted your report to George III, and after reading it, George III was very impressed with it and brought up the matter."
Evan sensed Robert's guilty conscience. It wasn't that Robert was guilty for taking the blame for drafting the report—that they had planned beforehand—but rather that Robert seemed guilty for being caught doing something wrong. Evan quickly understood the situation and teased him with ill intent:
"Ms. Amanda must know about this!"
Robert glared at Evan, who was looking gloating, and said irritably:
"I'm taking the blame for you, and you still have the nerve to laugh! If you laugh again, I'll tell King George III directly that you wrote this military reform plan and shift the blame onto you!"
"don't want!"
Upon hearing this, Evan shouted that George III must not know the truth, because George III knew that Evan was essentially a "sealed object," a pawn in his hands.
If he knew that this plan came from Evan, it would likely give him the impression that Evan, this sealed object, was unreliable and difficult to control, which would not be beneficial to Evan's infiltration at all.
Conversely, George III might even consider using Evan as a thorn in his side and actively support him in taking control of the mobile force, since in his eyes, if Evan controlled the army, then he himself controlled the army.
"George III wanted to marry the princess to you, partly to enhance your status and increase your importance, so that you could continue to be at the forefront of reform."
On the other hand, it's also about strengthening control over the Horn family, since the Horn family has declined somewhat in the last two or three hundred years.
They didn't have a marriage alliance with the royal family, and they finally produced an old count, who also got married early.
Now that you, brother, are so outstanding, inheriting the old count's resources and thriving, the royal family naturally wants to strengthen ties through marriage.
By pushing me forward now, you're giving the royal family the impression that you don't want to strengthen your relationship with them.
"Besides, you are now the head of the Horn family, so you must know the Horn family's secrets. Doing this might even make the royal family think you resent them, which would be detrimental to our future plans. So, brother, just give in!"
Evan kept explaining the pros and cons, eager to persuade Robert to abandon his plan to push him to the forefront.
"So, for the sake of our future plans, I have to marry that princess? You're the one who caused this mess, why should I take the blame?"
Upon hearing this, Robert raised an eyebrow and said...
"That's what happens when you're the older brother! Older brothers are born to take the blame for their younger brothers."
Evan said shamelessly, which made Robert so angry that he wanted to curse out loud, but in the end he could only laugh it off and shake his head helplessly.
"Which princess does His Majesty wish to marry to you? The sixth princess or the youngest?"
Evan dared not mention Amanda again to avoid provoking Robert, and could only ask for more details.
"I don't know. George III only mentioned it briefly, and I changed the subject at the time. But as you said, George III certainly won't let this opportunity pass, and the Augustus family won't give up their plan to regain control of the Horn family. A marriage alliance is inevitable."
Robert nodded with his finger in annoyance, unsure how to tell Amanda. After all, Amanda was the most promising "Summoning Master" among the vampires, a woman of noble status. How could she possibly tolerate Robert marrying another woman?
Just thinking about all this made Robert feel like his head was about to explode.
While Robert was agonizing over this, Evan shifted his attention to what could be used in this marriage alliance. First, the alliance could reassure the Augustus family about the Horn family, and it could also increase Robert's influence in the Kingdom of Rune, making it easier for them to act in the future.
Even Evan harbored a great ambition: if they were to actually conquer the Fusac Empire in the future, could Robert and he, in turn, use this princess to influence the Kingdom of Rune?
A son-in-law is like half a son. Sometimes a son-in-law can be more reliable than a son. If a son has the right to inherit, then a son-in-law should also have the right to inherit!
The successor cannot be chosen based on blood ties, but also on the depth of their relationship. If George III were to offer the Kingdom of Loen as a dowry, Evan wouldn't even mind Robert becoming his son-in-law.
Thinking of this, Evan suddenly realized that the queen who cared for the third king came from the Castilian royal family of the Kingdom of Fennepot.
In other words, the princess Robert is going to marry has the blood of two royal families and two angelic families: the Augustus family of the Kingdom of Rune and the Castile family of the Kingdom of Feneport.
This—this—this is so valuable. In the past, even marrying a princess of noble lineage wouldn't have been of much use. But whether it's Adam's scheme, George III's ascension to godhood, the arrival of the true creator, or anything else, all these things indicate that a world war that could involve all the true gods is inevitable.
In this situation, a princess with royal blood from two great kingdoms, even if this princess is not an extraordinary being at all.
"Evan, you have more experience with women, so how do you think I should bring this up with Amanda?"
Robert asked Evan about scumbags with difficulty, which stumped Evan, because he had never faced this situation in either his past or present life. However, he was someone who had lived through the era of entertainment explosion and quickly thought of many scumbag quotes.
For example, something like: "I know my actions have deeply hurt you. Please give me a chance to make amends and win your heart back."
My dear, I had no choice but to do this. The thousand-year mission of the Horn family is too heavy, so heavy that I can only beg for your forgiveness and have to do this.
Darling, if you're still not satisfied, just kill me and end my painful dilemma. But even if you kill me, you'll never make me say the words "break up"!
"Cry, make a scene, threaten suicide. Basically, show your difficulties and your struggles to prove that you are really in pain. Kneel down, hug her legs, and beg for her forgiveness, asking her not to leave you. In short, make yourself look pitiful and in pain to arouse a woman's maternal instincts. Sometimes maternal instincts can be all-encompassing. Maybe if you sell her, she can still count the money for you."
Robert, who was taking notes in his notebook, looked at Evan with embarrassment. He felt really awkward about kneeling down and hugging her legs, and he also felt a bit resentful that Evan had said it so directly, making him, the older brother, feel a little embarrassed. But he also felt that there was some truth to it, and he didn't want to give up these suggestions, so he handed Evan a pen and paper and said:
"I'm going to the restroom. Write down all your experiences here, make sure nothing is missed."
Remember, Amanda herself and the vampires behind her are forces we can win over; they're very helpful for what we need to do in the future. If we mess this up, it'll be a disaster, you understand?
Robert also reminded Evan to take this matter seriously with his future plans, and Evan, of course, knew the importance of it. He racked his brains to think of the Korean dramas he had watched with his grandmother in his previous life and helped Robert write various contingency plans.
The railway from Backlund to Tingen was running smoothly, and Robert Irwin and his group arrived at Tingen station in just a few hours.
Outside the station, many important figures lined up to welcome them, including many noble ladies and young noblewomen, all eager to see the most famous pair of eligible bachelors in the Kingdom of Rune.
Unfortunately, they only met Robert and not the younger Evan, because Evan had already run away to Blackthorn Company.