Chapter 387 387-Persuasion
Laurent said, "I am always pleased to see a monarch who possesses an appreciation for the arts." Howard smiled, "You understand this as well?"
Laurent shared his views on music and lavishly praised Moka's compositional talents, proclaiming Moka to be a grand musician with a broad definition of musical prowess.
Howard gestured in the air, mimicking the leaps of musical notes, "You see, these ingenious notes hit just the right spot, capable of captivating the audience completely."
Laurent quietly spoke to Howard, "Your Majesty, forgive the interruption, but was your reaction to the queen just now related to Venice's Nia?" "As far as I know, you seemed quite close to Nia."
Howard assured, "Don't worry, after I titled her Countess of Traves, we've had no personal contact."
"I'm in the capital, and she's in Venice, separated by the distance of one or two ducal lands."
Laurent, somewhat skeptical, said, "Oh, if that's the case, then it's fine."
Howard added, "I merely appointed her as a direct vassal to infiltrate a small portion of Markhan's Duchy of Venice. Rest assured, I've moved past it, and there won't be anything between us."
Laurent mentioned, "I've heard that the Emperor of Phrus, Frederick, hasn't been well lately. Your Majesty, should we start preparing early?"
Howard inquired, "After Frederick's death, who will his successor be?"
"Do we have any connections with any of the potential Frederick family members who might inherit?"
Laurent said, "We don't have much information from Phrus. Logically speaking, members of the Frederick family all have deep aspirations for the future of Phrus. It's unlikely and improbable they would cooperate with us. I suggest, Your Majesty, to abandon this approach and start considering our national policy towards Phrus directly."
"It's time to act against Phrus and begin preparations for defense."
Laurent agreed, adding, "On the imperial frontier, apart from the spiritual leader of the continent, the Teacher Nation's territory, several areas in the 'Naples' region always seem a bit out of sync with the rest of our kingdom. Moreover, with the Teacher Nation obstructing, passage is not smooth."
Howard said, "I am not yet so cruel as to act against the Teacher Nation, Grand Teacher. Let the residents of the Naples area use the sea route. Our nation is not short of ships."
A week later, Frederick passed away, and William ascended to the throne.
William was an ambitious man but was used to the iron-fisted governance of Phrus's Prime Minister Bismarck, leaving the reins of power to Bismarck.
Howard decisively changed the policy towards Phrus, canceling the alliance with Phrus and instead forming an alliance with the Ing Empire.
The Ing Empire and the Sulann Kingdom had been on and off, uniting and separating.
But now, they had finally reunited, and under Elizabeth's political acumen, forcibly united during her tenure to form the new Ing Empire.
Howard primarily valued the naval strength of the Ing Empire, hoping that even if the Ing Empire did not provide ground forces, they could at least secure some naval assistance to blockade the ports of adversaries.
The trade ships of Milan had indeed disappointed Howard during the conflict with the Osland Kingdom.
This alliance with the Ing Empire was sought in hopes of ensuring naval dominance in future conflicts.
The frail Milan had been marked with a label of hesitation on Laurent's diplomatic map and presented to Howard.
For now, Howard's interactions with Milan were kept to a minimum, maintaining necessary trade without reduction but sidestepping discussions of conquest and warfare.
As Howard's envoy, Bosiden would jovially shift conversations to other topics whenever such matters arose.
After several such instances, the governor of Milan understood the current stance of the Oli Kingdom towards Milan, leading to a stagnation in relations between the two states.
This was part of Laurent's preparatory measures, as in the political landscape he navigated, a nation not allied on the map was considered an adversary.
Howard sent a letter of persuasion to the small region of Sirei, hoping it would join the Oli Kingdom just as Venice had.
After much deliberation, considering the current political climate where small powers had little standing, the governing officials of Sirei decided to send a diplomatic delegation to negotiate directly with the Oli Kingdom.
Coincidentally, Queen Catherine had recently expressed a desire to travel, so the royal court of the Oli Kingdom relocated from the capital to Guzz.
Guzz port holds a traditional significance for the Oli Kingdom.
During the reign of the Habsburg family, Guzz served as the sole maritime province within the Oli Kingdom.
Before the Oli Kingdom had unified the Oungria region, it could only envy the powerful Venetian navy from afar, especially given the historical significance and vibrant commercial atmosphere of Guzz port.
Upon the delegation from the Sirei region arriving in Guzz, they were welcomed by Bosiden and Vettel and brought before Howard.
Howard was lounging under a large umbrella on the beach, soaking up the sun, while Prime Minister Laurent of the Oli Kingdom was tasked with negotiating with the visitors.
Inside a spacious, makeshift house situated two hundred meters from the beach, the Sirei region's governor expressed distrust towards the governance under Howard.
"Grand Teacher Laurent, I trust you. You are a seasoned politician from the Fran Kingdom, a man of your word. But Howard, after all, is relatively inexperienced in my eyes, which makes me somewhat distrustful of him."
Laurent glanced at Bosiden, seated to his left, and responded to the governor, "You jest, governor. While Howard may be young, calling him inexperienced would be an exaggeration. This entire Oli Kingdom, I had no hand in it; it was all his doing."
The governor from the Sirei region still appeared somewhat hesitant.
Bosiden tapped the table and said, "I am a direct descendant of Lord Howard. I have been following him since he was merely a knight in Yami Village. Please, governor, choose your words carefully."
The delegate cast a wary glance at Bosiden before shifting the conversation, "Grand Teacher, both our Sirei region and the Oli Kingdom lie within the bounds of the Imperial Road, and the people of our nations are already quite accustomed to each other's ways of life. If the Sirei region were to be incorporated into the Oli Kingdom, naturally, the adjustment would be swift."
"However, my court advisors tell me that although your nation is named the Oli Kingdom, it essentially usurps the nest of another, with its foundations in the Oungria region."
Laurent responded, "To be precise, as Bosiden mentioned earlier, Howard started from Yami Village, located in the middle part of the imperial territories within Count Nok's domain, a small and inconspicuous village."
The governor of the Sirei region, puzzled by Laurent's point, furrowed his brows and said, "Is that so? But whether it's components of the imperial territories or the Oungria region, neither is the Oli Kingdom component we desire. If I were to merge the Sirei region under your control, how would my people view me?"
"I still care about my reputation, please don't put me in a difficult position."
Bosiden slammed the table and exclaimed, "How can you be so ungrateful! Look at the map; your Sirei region is down to its last two pieces of land, barely standing up to a traditional ducal principality in terms of historical and legal standing. How dare you be so aggressive towards our Oli Kingdom?"
The face of the Sirei region's governor turned from pale to red, and he made a motion to leave, standing up and saying, "If that's the case, then our modest Sirei will no longer embarrass itself here."
Laurent called back the Sirei delegation, standing with a row of teachers behind him, presenting an indeed solemn appearance that involuntarily lowered one's guard.
After Laurent's persuasion and explanation, the Sirei delegation sat down again to resume negotiations.
Taking a sip of tea, Laurent addressed the governor of the Sirei region, "Let's return to the previous issue."
"The reason I mentioned His Majesty Howard's earlier experiences was to illustrate that, if you look at it from another perspective, His Majesty managed to conquer the Oli Kingdom, the Oungria region, the Balgen Peninsula, and even Constantinople Castle. Are the barriers between nations truly that significant?"
"Or rather, can the barriers between nations really help you withstand the changes in the political landscape?"
Faced with such significant matters, the governor of the Sirei region felt compelled to understand every word spoken, so he asked for clarification.
Laurent, with eyes that seemed to see through everything, said, "To put it simply, you're only thinking about how the people of the Sirei region and other ethnic groups have different customs, yet you're overlooking a territory conquered by Howard."
"How many ethnic groups are there within this territory? Aren't they all still well and good?"
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