446

Episode 446 I am truly an expert in negotiation. (3)

When Jiselle arrived in the capital, many people heard the news and came out to see it.

"This is the commander of the Northern Army!"

"He said he was removing all the cracks by himself."

"I said he is the hope of the kingdom."

Now, Giselle's name is widely known to everyone in the kingdom.

After the fissures and the plague, the kingdom's economic situation became worse than when the drought occurred.

If it weren't for Giselle and the Northern Army, things wouldn't have improved this quickly.

There, Giselle scolding the lords and distributing medicine was also something that the people of the kingdom cheered for.

At some point, Jiselle became the hero who would end this chaotic era.

Maurice greeted Giselle as she entered, receiving cheers. It was not common for him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, to come out and greet her in person like this.

"Is my nephew here?"

"… … ."

"Oh my, my nephew has had a hard time."

Maurice laughed heartily and patted Giselle on the shoulder.

To him, the Commander-in-Chief of the Royal Army, Jiselle is truly a blessing. She leads the Northern Army on her own and solves all the difficult problems.

Thanks to this, the royal army was able to be pushed back to the southern border and the duke's family was kept in check.

However, Jiselle was troubled by the question of when she became the nephew of the Marquis of Macquarie.

"Come on, let's go in. Everyone is waiting."

Entering the palace, where she was welcomed by the royalist nobles, Giselle was soon met by ambassadors dressed in magnificent attire.

The Marquis of Branford, the royal family's key ministers, and the leading nobles of the royalist faction had already gathered.

"Are you here?"

Giselle slightly bowed her head at the Marquis of Branford's words. Giselle clicked her tongue when she saw his face.

'It's not like it used to be.'

The Marquis of Branford had the same sharp air, but his eyes and face were filled with fatigue.

It was understandable, since things kept happening one after another. And since no one listened properly, didn't the Northern Army eventually resolve things by force?

'So, you're going to give me all the power and use it with a sword.'

Soon, the envoys from each kingdom and the nobles of the Kingdom of Rutania introduced themselves, greeted each other, and took their seats.

Envoys were sent from many countries, from the nearby Kingdom of Ceylon, which had brought Claude, to the far western Kingdom of Lombard.

Among them, the messenger from the Kingdom of Grimwell coughed and said.

"There are some kingdoms that haven't arrived yet, but we can't wait any longer, so let's start the discussion first. We can gradually bring them into the alliance. Aren't most of the major kingdoms here?"

The Kingdom of Grimwell is a powerful nation comparable to the Kingdom of Rutania. It was also the kingdom that first proposed the union of humanity in Giselle's previous life.

But now, since we are receiving tremendous support from the Kingdom of Rutania, we had no choice but to come when the Kingdom of Rutania called.

On the surface, they are pretending to accept the offer because it was made first by the Kingdom of Rutania.

In some ways, this could also be said to be thanks to Giselle.

The Marquis of Branford nodded.

"I don't think that the people who came here came here without thinking about it. We were the ones who suggested it first, but didn't everyone agree with it and come here?"

"That's right. Isn't this a disaster for all of humanity? We need to work together more closely than before to deal with the Salvation Church and the Cracks. I think everyone agrees on that. That's why we've prepared the draft first."

The messengers of the Kingdom of Grimwell handed over the documents they had written to everyone. They had prepared in advance to seize the initiative.

"Well, opening the borders and providing resources, sending troops and commanders, creating a union organization, creating a union council, electing a chairman… … ."

There was a lot of content, but nothing particularly special. It was about easing the restrictions between the kingdoms a little more and actively cooperating to create a unified system.

If we had to point out a problem, it would be that there were many parts that the Kingdom of Grimwell took the lead in.

But it wasn't a bad thing for the Kingdom of Rutania. In any case, everyone had to join forces to drive out the cracks and the plague from the continent as quickly as possible.

Isn't that why they provided a lot of food and medicine to other kingdoms?

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell said with a big smile.

"We are all grateful for the humanitarian support of the Kingdom of Rutania. Shouldn't we all work together to quickly resolve this situation? This is not a problem for anyone alone."

"That makes sense. Looking at the documents, does it seem right to appoint the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Grimwell as the Chairman of the Federation Council?"

"If you entrust us with the important responsibility of the union, we will lead the union well."

The Marquis of Branford also nodded. The Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Grimwell is also a person of considerable fame. He is more than qualified to be the chairman.

Dealing with internal enemies will not stabilize the Kingdom of Rutania. If everything else is taken over, it will eventually be forced to wage constant war.

The Marquis of Branford looked at Giselle and asked.

"What do you think?"

"I don't like it."

"hmm?"

The Marquis of Branford looked puzzled at those words. Up until now, hadn't it been Giselle who had been actively insisting that they should support other kingdoms?

This time, it was also Giselle's request to hastily gather envoys from each kingdom.

But now that he suddenly said he didn't like it, I couldn't help but wonder what he was thinking.

'This guy... ... is he doing this because of the chairmanship?'

It was a little strange, since Jisel had never shown any particular greed for status or power, and was obsessed with things like money and troops.

The envoys from other kingdoms were equally bewildered.

You suddenly asked me to meet you, and now you don't like it? What do you mean you don't like it?

I'm thankful that I've been able to breathe a little easier these days thanks to the many things I've received from the Kingdom of Rutania, but to be honest, I've never asked for anything first.

Jiselle opened her mouth with a calm expression.

"Actually, I was planning to do some calculations while we were here."

"Calculation… … right?"

"We are still providing a huge amount of food and medicine to each kingdom. However, we cannot continue to provide this support forever. Our resources are not infinite, are they?"

"… … ."

The messengers had nothing to say.

To be honest, other than the Kingdom of Rutania, almost all of the other kingdoms were being trampled by the Salvation Church and the Cracks. This was because they were not as prepared as the Kingdom of Rutania.

It's not that I had no intention of asking for more confident support by putting forward the name of the union.

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell coughed and said.

"I am very grateful for that. However, in the case of the small kingdoms, they are in a critical situation like a candle in the wind. If we do not help them, they will soon perish. Isn't that right?"

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell looked at the messenger of the Kingdom of Seiron. The messenger of the Kingdom of Seiron nodded hastily.

The Kingdom of Ceylon is a small country next to Rutania. Its total military strength is barely 100,000 men.

Even now, they were barely able to blockade the area around the capital, and without the support of the Kingdom of Rutania, they would not even be able to properly supply military supplies.

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell looked at Giselle again and said.

"We can hold out for now, but not all kingdoms are like that. So we can't just sit back and watch, can we? If other countries are completely occupied by the Salvation Church, the Kingdom of Rutania will also suffer great damage."

Jiselle snorted.

"Who doesn't know that?"

"Then what on earth are you going to do… … ."

"You have to pay a price for it."

The Marquis of Branford looked at Giselle with a strange look. It was Giselle who had told him not to approach her with the concept of a deal and that he should help her unconditionally.

But when he actually summoned the messengers, his words changed. It meant that he had a purpose from the beginning.

'Then that's right. There's no way he'd just give it to me.'

It seemed that they had intentionally scattered food and medicine first. They wanted to help put out the fire first, and then secure the leash before getting something from it.

The messenger from the Kingdom of Grimwell continued speaking as if he was frustrated.

"There are not many places that have as much food and medicine as the Kingdom of Rutania right now. I'm telling you that the smaller kingdoms are barely able to breathe?"

"I'm not asking you to pay me back with that. Bring me something else."

"What are you talking about?"

"First, please bring us as many jewels, artworks, and precious metals as we can support you with. Isn't that something you can do?"

"Ugh… … ."

The messengers groaned. Certainly, luxuries are of little use in these times.

But after the war, its value was sure to rise again. It would be a waste to give it away as payment for food and medicine that would eventually disappear.

But it wasn't more important than surviving right now. It would be difficult without the support of the Kingdom of Rutania.

"Ahem, can you adjust it to the current price?"

"Let's do that."

The envoys who had already received food and medicine could not refuse the offer. They might not have known if they had never tasted it, but they knew it was sweet because they had already tasted it.

When all the messengers agreed, the messenger from the Kingdom of Grimwell continued speaking hurriedly.

"Then, let's have a serious discussion on how to actually operate the union. We need to create a system and a policy to quickly recruit talented people from all over the place… … ."

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell wanted to stop talking about trade, so he suggested that they start seriously discussing the formation of an alliance, but Giselle immediately cut him off.

"army."

"yes?"

"Send reinforcements to us first."

The messengers all looked puzzled. They were all busy fighting the cracks right now, so how could they send an army?

Sending it to Rutania, which is in the best condition, is nonsense.

As everyone was dumbfounded, Jiselle continued speaking.

"Why? Doesn't uniting mean fighting together? I think the reinforcements are already in the draft you gave me."

"Oh, that's true… … but you want support from the Kingdom of Rutania? Aren't we fighting the best! The other kingdoms are in a difficult position right now."

"Is Grimwell still okay?"

The messenger of the Kingdom of Grimwell kept his mouth shut.

Certainly, they were better off than other countries. Although their initial response was a bit late, they had their own military power, and the royal family's power was overwhelmingly stronger than that of the nobles who had rebelled.

Still, I don't want to send the army. The cracks inside Grimwell haven't been properly resolved yet.

Jiselle looked around at the messengers and said.

"We're probably the fastest way to stop the rift from spreading across this continent."

"Yeah, that's right. I know it because it's famous."

"It would be a great help if our troops came to your aid."

The messengers smiled faintly at those words.

In fact, this was the biggest reason for forming the alliance. To receive help from the Northern Army of the Kingdom of Rutania, which was faster than any other army in dealing with the rift.

"But in Rutania, there is the Duke of Delphine who has joined hands with the Salvation Church."

The messengers' faces darkened at Jiselle's subsequent words.

The power of the Delphine Dukes was known to all the neighboring kingdoms of Rutania. Even countries further afield had their own guesses.

Jiselle continued speaking with a sharp look in her eyes.

"The Delphine Dukes are powerful. In addition, in order to take over the Kingdom of Lutania, the priests of the Salvation Church have come here in greater numbers than those of other countries. Let me ask you, would it be good for you if we were defeated?"

"Umm… … ."

Thanks to the Kingdom of Rutania, we were able to prepare an army and medicine, albeit in a tight manner. Rutania is currently the only country on the continent that can overwhelm the cracks.

In a way, the Kingdom of Rutania gave people hope that they could continue fighting.

But what if the Duke of Delphine, who joined hands with the Salvation Church, wins the civil war?

Other kingdoms will be greatly discouraged, and perhaps even the whole of humanity will fall into despair at its defeat.

Jiselle said, driving a wedge into the conversation.

"The Lutania army will be able to help you only if you deal with the Delphine Dukes first. So, any country that has even a little bit of spare capacity, please send reinforcements. Got it?"

"Ugh… … ."

The messengers looked troubled.

Actually, I didn't think about that. I first created an alliance and coordinated with the other countries to receive support in areas that would benefit each kingdom.

It was obvious that it would be a long and tedious task, but that was the nature of negotiation. All the envoys were people who were used to slow and difficult work.

But Jiselle didn't know that. She didn't want to know. She was determined to proceed in the fastest and most efficient way.

'In my previous life, I was struggling and the damage only increased.'

This is something I've already experienced once in my past life. Since everyone was only concerned with what would benefit their own kingdom, there was no way for negotiations to go smoothly.

By the time the conditions had finally been met, humanity had already been pushed back as far as it could go.

To prevent that, we quickly gathered the kingdom's envoys through the Marquis of Branford.

'Now, the priests of the Salvation Church have also participated in the war in earnest. It is different from their previous lives.'

Fortunately, in the previous life, the Salvation Church held on because they had kept their identity a secret and did not come out openly.

In a fight, the early momentum is important. You must definitely seize the initiative while the balance of power is still tight.

'We must somehow eradicate the Delphine Dukes and the Salvation Church from this side first.'

Giselle had absolutely no intention of giving in on this issue.

So if you want to join the alliance, you'll have to send reinforcements to Rutania first.