Historically, many writers and politicians have gone around campaigning to inspire, encourage, and praise young people when their country is in a critical moment, hoping to mobilize the vast number of young people to fight for the cause they support and love. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 It is true that there is nothing to reproach in such practices and expectations, but it seems to be forgotten that in both a bloody revolution and a clichéd political struggle, there will be a greater advantage for the experienced, wise and action-oriented old men on either side. At any time, it is a very foolish thing to ignore an elder who has the immense wealth that time has bestowed.

June 25, 345 Continental Gregorian Calendar, Mastar, on the outskirts of Turin.

Baron Freitrick Fieldes, the former supreme commander of the Eastern Army of Mastar, is approaching the age of the sixtieth year this year. Like many old men of this age, the current veteran who was once a dominant figure in the era of the former emperor can only stay at home and tease his grandson.

After lunch that day, the Marquis of Norma Fieldes, the father of Leon Fieldes, the patriarch of the family, came to visit the cousin's domain. In fact, since Frederick's retirement, Noma has often come to visit him, because although Fitrey nominally retired with the reputation of being defeated and degraded, everyone in the Fields family knew very well that he had obtained this result for the sake of the family's consistent stance, and how to say that protecting Sigrani, who was still a princess at the time, was the best interest of the Fields family. Therefore, in order to compensate her cousin, Norma transferred several properties in her name to this collateral family at the behest of Sigrani, including a newly mined copper mine.

Today, however, the old Marquis of Fields is not just here to visit.

"Oh, it's Norma, how did you come up with it today?" Fitred, who was bathing his former mount in the stable, saw his cousin coming, and hurriedly handed over the work to the groom, who was waiting on the side, and went up to meet him.

"Hehe, I'm afraid that your old bones are all idle at home, so I came to drag you out for a walk." Old Marquis Felds said with a smile.

"What can you do when you go out in such weather? My body is still strong, and I am not afraid of the sun. I'm afraid you won't be able to stand it. ”

"Heh, the tone is still the same as before," the old marquis dragged his cousin to the door and looked up at the sky, "Today's sun is not too strong, how can I say that I have also been in the Central Army before, you old man rarely look down on people." ”

"Ha, say I'm an old man, aren't you an old man? I see how happy you look today, is there anything good? ”

"Let me tell you, I'm a grandfather." The old marquis was very proud.

"So soon, it's been less than a year since Leon and His Majesty got married. In this way, my nephew was already married to His Majesty before he was married...... It's better than I was back then. It's something to celebrate, haha, a boy or a girl? "The interest of the elderly in new life is definitely not lost to the interest of the miser in gold.

"It's a pretty girl, I see, let's go fishing today, find a big tree by the river, lay down in the shade after the hook, and have a glass of cold wine, let's talk slowly, what do you think?" The old marquis proposed.

"Good idea, I've hidden a lot of ice in the winter, let's go! Go get the fishing rod. ”

Half an hour later, the two old men, surrounded by the servants, came to the place where they used to fish, a small river not far from the baron's house.

After laying the bait, the two old men sat down in the shade of the tree.

"Ah, Frederick, it's like when we were children. I was a very young boy at the time, and of course you weren't much older. It was such a happy time, I remember that we were fishing for a big carp together, but both of us couldn't drag it, and we were dragged into the water by the fish, and it seems like it happened yesterday. ”

"yes, you were splashing in the water, and if I hadn't kicked you to the shore, you wouldn't have almost drowned."

"Didn't I climb ashore and call for someone to get you fished up?"

"Oh, you still say, that ......"

"What, haven't you had a ......," the two old men argued like children.

"Alright, alright, let's not fight." The old marquis took a sip of the cold wine handed by the servant, "Frederick, I see you brushing your war horse today, what's the matter, do you still want to go to war with this old bone?" Do you want to compete with the younger generation of the family for credit? ”

"I'm not old yet, even Ancelotti's old fellow is still fighting Her Majesty on the battlefield, I guess I'm younger than him." Frederick is clearly not convinced of old age.

"Baron Frederick Fielders, then." The old marquis's voice suddenly became serious.

Frederick sensed something from the change in his cousin's tone, and immediately stood up with the other party.

"Baron Freitrick Fieldes, now I am going to issue to you the decree of Her Majesty, and I ask you to prepare to receive it." The old marquis said, calling the servant who had been waiting for him for a long time. The servant handed the scroll with the decree in the hands of the old marquis, who unfolded the scroll, and Frederick, despite his age, bowed his head respectfully on one knee like a knight and waited for the mission that the emperor was about to give him.

"On this date, the Baron of Juventus, Frederick Fieldes, is appointed as the supreme commander of the Eastern Army, and urges his subordinates to act in accordance with the will of His Majesty the Emperor, and in case of disobedience, Baron Fieldes has the right to deal with them in accordance with military law. Chin this. June 25th. ”

When the veteran heard the news that he could return to the army, he had already burst into tears. For an old and strong soldier, it is great news that he can still serve the country when he is old, and he can put on his armor and return to the battlefield. "The old man is ambitious, and the strong man is in his twilight years, and he is ambitious." "I, Frederick Fieldes, will be summoned again by His Majesty today, and I will certainly live up to my mission."

"Frederick, I have already conveyed Your Majesty's will, so what to do, can you give me an explanation, so that Her Majesty the Empress who is far away in Regina can rest assured." The old marquis shoved the decree into his cousin's hands.

"The current commander of the Eastern Army of Mastar, Count Sarian Trapattoni, is a junior soldier, forty-three years old. Since joining the army, he has been serving in the Eastern Army, although there are few opportunities to go to the battlefield, but he has been operating in the Eastern Army for so many years, and he is not a person who has no foundation at all. Although he maintained a neutral posture in the current Mastar Civil War, as well as the Western army, it can be judged from the intelligence collected over the years that he himself has a deep relationship with the Marquis of Rossi in the south. Otherwise, it is difficult to explain that as soon as Baron Frederick Fields stepped down, the queen and prime minister of the Rossi faction, who were in the royal capital of Shurasa, immediately tried to promote this soldier with little experience in the battlefield to this position. The reason why the Rossi family is so anxious is very simple, although the 11th Army of the Eastern Army that participated in the attack on our country was completely wiped out, but the officers and soldiers of this legion of up to 11,000 people were finally redeemed by Empress Sigrani, and the original position of the Fields family gradually became clear, so the Rossi family must first ensure that the traditional force of the Fields family, the Eastern Army, will not stand on their opposite side. If they don't take such forceful action, the new commander of the Eastern Army will most likely be Leon Fieldes, who can still make the difference between victory and defeat despite having only one and a quarter of a legion. This time, Baron Fields went to take over the legion again, I am afraid that it would take some swift and thunderous means, if the civil war is not resolved as soon as possible, the instability on the side of the Western army will erupt in a long time. Saulgrande explained to Margaret his analysis of the situation in Marstar.

"So what are we going to do now?" The Queen asked.

"If things go well on Farsberg's side, the premise of this is that Chenna's judgment of the Marquis of Rossi is correct, then what we have to do is to build everything of our own as soon as possible within three years." Sogrend said.

"Aren't you afraid that Higrani will tear up the peace treaty?" China asked unceremoniously.

"If you have a problem with Marquis Rossi, we need to worry about it, but even then, Mastar is not capable of a full-scale war with us for the time being."

Two days later, the Eastern Army was stationed in Sardinia.

In the Commander's office, overlooking the fortress of Sardinia, Count Sarian Trapattoni received an order from Shurasa. The content of the order was very simple: "Friedrich Fieldes, Baron of Juventus, has been appointed as the Minister of Mission, to conduct a routine inspection of the place where your ministry is located on behalf of His Majesty the Emperor, and I hope that your ministry will do a good job in receiving you and greet this inspection in good spirits." June 23rd. ”

Trapattoni read the document that had been delivered yesterday over and over again, then poured himself a glass of wine and stood in front of the window of his office. The Commander's Office of the Fortress of Sardinia is well located and has a view of most of the entire fortress. The windows face the border between Mastar and Iberia, and offer a view of the fort's defensive façade and a school grounds.

On the school grounds, a group of recruits are undergoing basic training for a sergeant major. As we already know, at the beginning of last year, in the battle of the United Iberia on the eastern border of Farensi, the entire 11th Army Corps of more than 40,000 troops was completely wiped out. Although all 11,000 prisoners of war were later redeemed at the expense of the state treasury, it still caused serious losses to this front army, which had only two corps. According to general experience, it will take at least 5 to 8 years for the Eastern Army to recover to the combat strength of 344 years ago.

It is precisely because of this that Trapattoni did not act rashly in the slightest. In his opinion, the hearts of the Eastern Army were basically oriented towards the Shurasa and Fieldes families, especially after the group of prisoners of war were ransomed. It could only be said that most people had a favorable opinion of the Fields family, who had always been in the leadership of the army, but since the news spread that Higrani would rather sell her jewelry and clothes than ransom them under the appearance of a group of returnees, everyone has been very resolute in their favor with Her Majesty the current Empress. Second, the combat effectiveness of the Eastern Army has suffered a great loss, and Trapato estimates that the Eastern Army could not reach the west and north directions, and its unit strength was slightly superior to that of the Southern Army, and now it is estimated that even a corps of the Northern Army will not be able to resist in a field battle. So using his power to suppress the entire front army and not getting involved in the civil war like this is already the limit, and the petition from the 11th Army Corps to attack and reinforce Reggina has already been cleared three or four times.

Trapattoni recalled the letter from the royal capital, and thought to himself: "Well, what should come must come, and Your Majesty Sigrani may not be a three-year-old child." With such an official document, you can tell at a glance what Baron Fields is here for. Why put on a 'inspection' signboard? ”

At this time, there was the first knock of the day on the door. "Please come in."

It was the Earl's confidant chief of staff who came in, and of course the Marquis of Rossi who "deliberately" sent to his side, "Your Excellency, I heard that an official letter from Her Majesty the Empress was sent from Shurasa?" ”

"Oh, at the table, take a look." Without looking back, the Count said that he had no secrets about the chief of staff.

The chief of staff read the official document silently, and then said: "Your Excellency, it is very obvious that Sigrani is sending that old thing to seize our military power, you must prepare early." ”

"What can I do?" The Earl turned around and smiled bitterly, "We can't fall out with Shurasa openly, otherwise there will be a mutiny in less than three days, so when Baron Fields comes, we can only delay as much as possible, and we can delay one more day is one day, which can be regarded as a reward for the grace of His Excellency the Marquis." ”

"No, Lord Earl, this is only a negative response." The chief of staff had apparently already thought of a countermeasure.

"Looks like you have a better way, so let's hear it." The Count said as he sat down behind his desk.

After hesitating for a moment, the other party leaned into the earl's ear and said, "Since this official letter has just been conveyed to you, and you have not announced this matter to the subordinate officers, then we can ......" The voice behind him was even lowered, obviously the chief of staff did not want to give any third this a chance to hear these words.

The count's face changed with the rise and fall of the cheeks of the chief of staff, and it could be said that it was cloudy.

"No, it's too risky! The risk is just too great! "The Count was able to listen to it entirely because of his good personal cultivation.

"Please be quiet, do you want the entire fortress to know about this?" The chief of staff, An An, soothed the earl, "I can find a group of reliable people, and I will definitely not leak the slightest rumor before the matter is implemented." If it succeeds, then the command will be as if it never existed. As he spoke, the chief of staff gently tore the parchment on which the order had been signed to shreds and threw it into the wastebasket beside the table.

Trapattoni closed his eyes in agony, for as a well-bred and dignified nobleman, he would not be able to carry out such a conspiracy. But, likewise, as a well-bred and dignified nobleman, he could not live up to the trust of those who bestowed his grace. After thinking for a few minutes, the Earl said slowly: "Then this matter will be left to you, try to be as clean as possible, and don't live up to the expectations of the Marquis of Rossi." ”

"Yes, my subordinates obey." The chief of staff humbly bowed and withdrew.

Three hours later, on the avenue connecting Turin and Sardinia, a group of knights was speeding down the royal road.

"Lord Fielders, why are we in such a hurry! Just arrive within today's time. A young knight behind Frederick asked, the jolt on his horse's back causing him to speak in choppy.

"Huh? What did you say? Frederick apparently did not hear the words drowned out by the sound of horses' hooves.

"I said, why are we rushing so much, this is the third time in a row that we have changed horses!" The knight shouted.

"This is because, Her Majesty can no longer wait." The old baron replied.

Frederick set out on the same day he received the decree, because he had not yet taken up his official duties, so he could not send him any troops, and besides, there were no spare men to send to him. Therefore, the old Marquis of Fields selected some apprentice knights from his own domain, and together with Frederick's own retainers, he formed a team of 150 knights and rushed to Sardinia to receive the Eastern army.

"Phew—" Fitré reined in his horse, "who are you?" Why are you blocking my path? ”

"Below you are the chief of staff of the Count of Trapattoni, and we have received orders from Her Majesty the Empress, so the Count has sent me to meet the Baron." The chief of staff is still so humble.

"Oh, thanks to the Earl."

"That's your job, so please let me lead you the way."

Frederick narrowed his eyes and looked at the chief of staff, the other party's attitude could be said to be neither humble nor arrogant, calm and calm. Under normal circumstances, the people who came would definitely be relieved that the chief of staff would lead the way for everyone. However, it is a pity that today, this carefully calculated man was confronted by the old baron, who had long planned to use the thunderous means in disregard of the situation.

"Oh, I said that I sent the chief of staff, why did His Excellency the Earl come out to greet him in person?" Flattered was written all over Fettred's face. As soon as the chief of staff turned around, the old baron immediately drew his bayonet and drove his horse forward to stab him. The chief of staff looked back in surprise at the old baron's blood-splattered face, and was about to say something, but instead of reproachful words, thick blood came out of his mouth. He fell silently from his horse.

"It's a pity, I'm afraid I've prepared a trap a long time ago." Frederick took out his handkerchief and wiped the blood on his hands and bayonet, "Even calculating hunters can become prey, and such an official document is actually the best trap to use." ”

"Here's someone, cut off his head."

After more than ten minutes, the crossbowmen who were lying in ambush on both sides of the road saw that the head of their boss who had instructed them to move was hung on the long robbery by the person they were supposed to assassinate, and after a shout from the other party, they threw their crossbows into the middle of the road in good sense and quietly left their posts.

When Count Trapattoni heard the knock at the door for the second time today, he knew that the results had come out, and saw Frederick and his party appearing in front of him after "Please come in". The elegant count did not show much surprise, and waited quietly for Frederick to read to him the letter of appointment issued by Higrani.

"So, Lord Earl, do you understand Her Majesty's will?" Frederick asked, putting away the holy decree.

"I see, so please send someone to take stock of these things." When the Count of Trapattoni read the decree, he had put all the necessary seals and documents on the table.

"Your cooperative attitude is also a blessing to the Empire." The old baron said.

In the evening of the same day, at the end of the routine evening exercise, the reappointed commander of the Eastern Army issued a new order: "The whole army is dispatched, the 15th Army Corps is targeting Regina, and the 11th Army Corps is drawing two wings to target Lecce Port!" ”

The "robbery" that decided the outcome of the chess game had already been preempted by Sigrani.