Chapter 28: Is the end of the War II
3rd Pov
In the fields of Virion, a territory that would be neutral for negotiations between the Representative of the Duchies and the Lord of the Lordship of Duloc, to end the war once and for all.
The soldiers of the Duchies who went to protect the Count of Amberkeep were trembling in their armor, looking at the troops in the distance, which were the Dulocian troops who went to protect Joseph-Maximus von Farquaad.
The Dulocians were completely serious, just waiting for someone to try to attack Joseph so they could turn the soldiers of the Duchies into a pile of bodies.
John Di Acciai, Count of Amberkeep, the representative of the Duchies, soon went to meet Joseph, who was going to him on his horse, in addition to bringing 2 Personal Guards.
Joseph, who was with his 2 Personal Guards, who were wearing white uniforms, quickly stopped his horse and got off it, he looked seriously ahead before going to the table that had been placed in the middle so that he and the Count could make peace negotiations.
When he sat on the chair that was set for him, he faced the Count, who remained silent for a while before speaking.
"Lord von Farquaad, I am here on behalf of the Duchies to make peace negotiations, I am John Di Acciai, Count of Amberkeep" John said seriously as he looked at Joseph, who nodded his head.
"Joseph-Maximus von Farquaad, now, leaving aside such formalities, we can begin the negotiations, yes?" Joseph asked as he looked at John, wanting to finish the negotiations as soon as possible, to which John nodded.
Joseph then took the documents that were being guarded by his 2 Personal Guards and placed their documents on the table.
"By signing such document, the Lordship of Duloc will annex the Duchies, with the titles of Duke of both Duchies joining the future title of Grand Duke of the Grand Duchy of Teutonia, now, over the Fiefs of the Nobles of the Northern Region of the future Grand Duchy...." When Joseph was going to continue talking about the contents of the documents, John interrupted him.
"Lord von Farquaad, regarding the Northern Fiefdoms, we were the ones responsible for removing the vile Duchess Di Aiello from power, while I understand that you may have doubts about us, especially in terms of loyalty, after all, we removed our sovereign from power, we swear that we will fully commit ourselves to your government, we know more about the Northern Regions of the Duch-I mean, the future Grand Duchy, we can help control such region... besides that, we are willing to pay compensation for the war that was caused by our side, which is guilty" Said the Count of Amberkeep with a serious expression on his face, but inside he was worried that Dul-future Teutonia wanted to strip the Northern Nobles of their titles and Fiefdoms.
Hearing what John Di Acciai said, Joseph stops for a moment and looks at him with a raised eyebrow, he thinks about it for a long moment, weighing the pros and cons of accepting such a request.
"Hmmm....very well, Count of Amberkeep, the Northern Nobles may continue to govern their territories, however, they will have to respect the new laws that will be imposed, in addition to obeying the restrictions they will receive involving Militias and Private Armies, there can only be one Army and one Law Enforcement Force, which is the Teutonian Royal Army and Teutonian Police, in addition we will later specify in future negotiations with all the Nobles how much they must pay the Government, understood?" Joseph asks seriously as he looks at John, who nods calmly, but you can see from his eyes that he is relieved.
With that out of the way, Joseph signaled to one of his Personal Guards, with the guard writing down what would be put in the new peace document, with that our protagonist and the Count talked for a while before standing up and shaking hands, thus finally declaring the end of hostilities.
After that, Joseph climbed onto his loyal Steed and then, together with his Personal Guards, went to the still Dulocian troops who were waiting.
"My loyal soldiers! Prepare to return home... the war is over! We have won!" Joseph said as he drew his sword and pointed his saber high, striking a glorious pose while mounted on his Steed, which neighed as if it had been waiting for this, even momentarily standing on two legs.
Upon hearing this, the soldiers began to shout with joy, with several raising their muskets with bayonets raised, with the Cavalry that followed throwing their busbys high into the air.
Joseph saw this but did not care; these soldiers fought, bled, and killed for him, so he would not mind if they left Discipline aside this time; it is good for the heart and soul to celebrate, especially a victory in a war.
After the soldiers finished celebrating, everyone prepared to return to Duloc, with the troops beginning to sing as they marched happily, knowing that the war was finally over, and with that, they could finally have some peace for a moment.
Wir ziehen so froh so voll heiterem Sinn,
So frisch und so frei durch die Fluren dahin.
Durchs Tal hin, das rauschend die Welle durchzieht,
Von lachenden Auen und Gärten umblüht.
Dort glänzen die Berge im goldenen Schein,
Da spiegeln die Seen so blau und so rein.
Die Wälder, sie atmen den köstlichen Duft,
Die Matten umfächelt die würzigste Luft.
Das ist mein Heimatland, mein teures Dulocianerland,
Wo meine Wiege stand, mich führt der Eltern Hand,
Und zieh ich auch dereinst in weite Ferne fort,
Bleib ich ein Dulocianer dort,
Ein Dulocianer dort, ein Dulocianer dort.
Wie seine Berge hoch und unerschüttert stehn,
Soll immer auch mein Sinn nach Recht und Wahrheit sehn.
Ich will durch Wort und Tat
Zu zeigen mich bemühn,
Daß ich ein Dulocianer bin,
Ein Dulocianer bin, ein Dulocianer bin.
Duloc, mein Vaterland.
Dir auch weih' ich Herz und Hand.
Herz zur Lieb, die Hand zum Streit,
Beides dir in Freud und Leid.
Herz zur Lieb, die Hand zum Streit,
Beides dir in Freud und Leid.
Tralalalalalalala...
Tralalalalalalala...
As the soldiers marched and sang, Joseph listened with a smile on his face, seeing that the troops were singing war songs that he had borrowed from Earth, with him only changing a few lyrics to fit the context of his Army.
'Kärntner Lieder-Marsch...Anton Seifert really did a work of art, this is a beautiful song' Joseph thought as he rode on his Steed.
Meanwhile, from afar, the Count of Amberkeep looked at the future Teutonian Troops marching and singing, with him having certain complicated feelings regarding the Peace Treaty, but it didn't matter much, what mattered was that he managed to ensure that the Fiefdoms of the Northern Nobility were intact... apart from the loss of autonomy that they would probably have, in addition to no longer being able to have Private Armies and Militias, in addition to the economic compensation for Joseph.
John sighs before getting on his horse and starting to leave the place, with the soldiers of the Duchies that went with him following close behind, marching in silence, some even with their heads lowered.
In the end, Duloc, future Teutonia, will be remembered for having achieved a feat that many would consider impossible, winning a war against 2 Duchies while it was a mere small Lordship, which will now become a Grand Duchy.
Joseph's fame will spread with this, receiving the attention of several important people... and also some with ill intentions.