"I remember you said that concentrating forces is a basic tactical principle as well as a strategic principle, is this a good thing? Before the country became independent, it first set about developing the strength of the surface fleet?"

The guest on the sofa thought for a moment and continued:

"Even if you design it, you don't have time to build these large warships. ”

Time, for the elf camp, the most favorable thing is time, and the most unfavorable thing is also time. Large warships are not submarines and combat vehicles, and it is difficult to carry out assembly line segmentation operations, starting from the freezing of drawings, laying the keel, cutting the first steel plate, and finally outfitting, and it takes more than half a year for small destroyers to be carried out -- this is still an ideal state premised on skilled skilled workers and sufficient resources, three shifts day and night, and no interference from war and terrorist activities. In real wartime, large warships that are expensive and have a long construction period are either dismantled on the slipway and reused to make submarines, or used to make floating batteries, which is really a waste of repeated construction and strict construction.

Finally, it is not easy to get the old grandfathers, who are full of land territory and have a sense of sea power that is only at the level of "overseas colonies and large quantities of precious metals", to agree to the budget for the construction of warships. Despite the lucrative profits of the overseas colonies, the security of the homeland was clearly more important, and with only a year to go to war, there was no interest in allocating a navy that would be of little use in the coming war. In the end, based on political instinct, some old grandfathers will still mess around......

Without urgency, without practical significance, this proposal cannot be could.

"They'll agree. ”

Stir with milk foam. Li Lin said calmly:

"In due course, the MPs will also be very reasonable and generous. ”

"When did the Senate become generous?"

Undisguised suspicion, as well as sarcasm. Ever since Freya first mockingly called the Senate the Senate, the military, police, gendarmes and other violent departments have privately called the Senate that, and more recently, the people have learned to do so.

Li Lin laughed, put the coffee and today's "Alfheim Daily" in front of her, and pointed to the tofu cube below the front page.

"That's why the old grandfathers are generous. ”

Eighty percent of the coverage of the Scott case was followed, and at the bottom of the inconspicuous line was the headline "The Principality's Funding Gap Widens." Seeking More Loans".

It seems...... Nothing to be surprised about. It's just a phased result of Li Lin's insidious plan to turn the duchy into a debt slave, a seemingly delicious victory, but it has little to do with the navy's application for warship construction.

Of course, sometimes it can be related. After all, few people would believe it. When His Majesty the Tsar and his government were unable to repay the loans. They will honestly take their pants off according to the agreement. When workers even sell their organs to pay back. The virtue of trustworthiness is rarely spontaneous, especially when it comes to economic issues. Whether the other party is a commoner, a nobleman or a tsar, when it comes to being unable to repay the debt. They will definitely choose to pay their debts, and they may only be more trustworthy than lawyers and bankers. So, in order to recover that money, Alfheim needed enough warships to sail into the Gulf of Lapland and collect debts with large-caliber naval guns......

But after all, that is a matter of the distant future, and it will be difficult for the elven camp to turn against the principality until the human camp is completely dealt with and this huge result is digested. One day, the Army and the Air Force will be able to accomplish this work, both of which have considerable experience in forced demolition, and their work efficiency is incomparable to that of the Navy.

Thus, the loans of naval warships and principalities, the two do not have zài can produce related elements.

"But Albion and Charlemagne are scrambling to lend money to the Duchy, which will lead to a fierce conflict, and then we will need warships. ”

Li Lin put down the coffee, and the corners of his mouth rose slightly.

"According to Stasi's intelligence, both Walsingham and Richelieu sent envoys to Stolypin in private, promising to provide loans to the principality on favorable terms, with the proviso that war must be waged against Albion or Charlemagne within six months. ”

Very interesting situation. The loans offered by both sides are about the same amount, the interest rates are about the same, and the terms are strikingly similar. The only difference is that Albion wants the Duchy to go to war with Charlemagne, and Charlemagne asks the Duchy to start a war with Albion again......

If there is an annual cold joke award, this triangle of "love and kill" may become the favorite to win the championship.

The guests on the couch don't think it's funny, the history of the intelligent species has always been like this, what they learn from history is that they don't learn anything, all kinds of strikingly similar cold jokes are always appearing, the question is how did it come to be like this?

"What happened?"

"Charlemagne's shipbuilding plan. ”

"Shipbuilding plan?"

The guest was stunned for a moment. She had heard about the incident, after the signing of the "Naval Armaments Agreement", Charlemagne adjusted the original shipbuilding plan accordingly according to the restrictions on the tonnage and performance of warships in accordance with the agreement. This month, Charlemagne's "treaty-type cruisers," the de Grasse-class cruisers, will be launched and outfitted, with only three of them numbered. That's not a lot, and there's no reason to stir the sensitive nerves of the people of Albion.

She thought for a moment and asked:

"What's the problem?"

"Charlemagne cheated too much. ”

Li Lin took out a few photos and put them on the table.

"Before the negotiations on naval armament control, Richelieu and the Admiralty approached me with the hope of building a cruiser of sufficient power to be used as a capital ship in wartime, according to the bottom line set by the negotiations. To put it bluntly, it's a loophole. We then designed the de Grasse-class fast cruiser according to the customer's requirements. ”

A "light" cruiser with 68 12-pounder guns, carrying capacity similar to that of the capital ship, the gun emplacements were designed according to the 24-pounder guns, and once the treaty expired, it could be replaced with 24-pounder guns used by battleships of the first class and incorporated into the battle line.

As you can imagine, the people of Albion were furious, and they immediately condemned it.

"'At a time when the Kingdom of Albion was in financial trouble. Deliberately exploiting the loopholes in the treaty and deliberately provoking an arms race at sea -- it has to be said that this is a rather serious accusation. ”

As a veteran maritime power, Albion always thought that she was the only one in the world who could be shameless, and when they found out that they were being slapped by Charlemagne, who was stupid in their eyes, they almost jumped to their feet and scolded their mother.

"The Albians were angry, but they lacked the means to retaliate, after all, on paper, Charlemagne was in compliance with the treaty. They could not and did not have the strength to go to war with Charlemagne for this purpose, but despite their financial difficulties, they could not sustain an all-out war. There is nothing wrong with propping up the principality and Charlemagne in a proxy war. ”

"Just like you. ”

The guest commented coldly:

And Charlemagne had the same calculation. Use the Duchy to contain Albion. Clearing the way for Charlemagne's expansion to the south and overseas colonies. The contradictions between the two sides intensified, and eventually turned into a war at sea, with the treaty completely nullified and the shipbuilding race restarted. ”

An era of naval arms race without treaty constraints. This in turn causes a series of chain reactions. Trigger an all-out confrontation that spans military, political, and commercial affairs. Eventually, it went to world war.

Unlike before, Alfheim can't just sit on the sidelines, as they did in the past, and they have to react to it. As the saying goes, "fairy fights." Mortals suffer", when Great Britain and the French Empire fell in love and killed each other, they would involve the rice country masters of the New World, openly plundering merchant ships at sea to catch the strong men of the rice country, triggering a "quasi-war", and even after the exile of the Short I, the British ghost animals still remembered to pull the list to settle old scores, sent an expeditionary force to raze Washington to the ground, set fire to the Capitol, and turned the building into a familiar color for future generations. Without the superior geopolitical environment of the human hope empire, there is no possibility for Yalfheim, who is in the land of four wars, to stay out of the world, and for his own independence and the national strategy after independence, he must plan early.

"As the old saying goes, plan ahead. ”

Li Lin took over the conversation.

"There are no eternal enemies, no eternal friends, only eternal interests. We know that, and so do other countries, and it's not a bad thing to be prepared. ”

At present, Alfheim and Albiang are still close allies, but at some point in the future, around the struggle for overseas interests and sea power, as well as the traditional national policy of Albiang uniting the second power on the continent to surround the first power, it is very likely that a major war will break out between the two countries, and Yalfheim will not be able to win the war only by submarines and mines, and large surface ships are also indispensable. At present, on the grounds of "preventing the principality from defaulting on its debts", it is necessary to carry out preliminary design and testing, and then build a number of test ships on a small scale, and after accumulating experience in ship construction and design and sufficient qualified personnel, Alfheim can use its strong industrial strength to quickly mass-produce warships and build a rookie navy strong enough to compete with the royal navy of Albion.

The rather prudent strategy of "running in small steps" is also very much in line with Alfheim's situation - after next year's war against Charlemagne, Alfheim will certainly gain several ports to the sea, and will have closer ties to overseas interests, and the risk of conflict with Albion will also increase. By that time, there will really be a need for so many warships.

Long-term vision, precise calculations, and amazing wisdom, but the guests are not interested in it.

"None of that has anything to do with me then. ”

"It is true that our pact is valid until the end of the war next year. ”

With his fingers crossed together, Li Lin replied with a carefree smile.

"Wait until our army suppresses Charlemagne, you ...... No, your people's wishes will be granted. For the sake of liberation from the journey of eternal life, for the sake of true freedom, please continue to assist us as you have done in the past, the honorable Miss Lyle Phoenix, the ancient species and immortal bird. ”

Said in a carefree tone.

Immortals, Phoenix, Bennu, Felix - there are many names for them, but this ancient species is more mysterious than the dragons, and almost no one knows the entity of this race. Even if the dragon clan was also of the ancient race, only a few high-ranking elders knew some inside information. The footprints left by the immortal birds in history are only occasional glimpses left by the sky and a cameo in the legend.

Mysterious, beautiful, and unworldly, this is the image of the immortal bird, but the truth is the opposite.

As the true ruler of this world, the Mother Goddess often interferes with and curbs the development of the intelligent species. At the same time as the interference is carried out. She has also been hidden behind the scenes, trying her best not to let the sapient species detect that she is being interfered with, so as not to trigger unknown variables and unnecessary resistance, thus constituting a circular world of infinite stagnation.

However, there is a contradiction in this.

In order to achieve the intervention operation as accurately as possible, the mother goddess must carefully observe her creations, and must observe the changes in the values and feelings of the creations in great detail, and only after a deeper understanding can she design more efficient and more hidden intervention strategies.

But on the other hand, the appearance of the mother goddess cannot be noticed by the intelligent society. Therefore, we can only learn indirectly through the church. It's just that the information isn't fast enough this way. The credibility of the information that has been relayed by the church also needs to be compromised. In order to solve this problem, the immortal bird was created zào out.

If the agent of divine will is the "hand of God" that the mother goddess directly intervenes in history, the immortal bird is the "eye of God" who observes and monitors the dynamics of the world. In the long history. Accurately convey all kinds of information to the Mother Goddess. So that the Mother Goddess can make timely decisions and set a signpost for the development of the intelligent species.

As a loyal "Vision of God", the ecology of the Immortal Bird Clan is also very peculiar. "That is, the individual. It's also collective. Even parents and sisters are different selves. In the journey of eternal life, the dream of Nan Ke is constantly repeated" - this contradictory statement is a true portrayal of this race.

In historical records and legends, the number of immortal birds is extremely small, and it seems that the fertility rate is even lower than that of dragons, but it is certainly maintained in a certain number to ensure the reproduction of the race.

In fact, it's a preconceived misconception. From the beginning until now, there has been only one immortal bird.

From the moment of birth, the immortal bird follows its instinct to find its prey, and after selecting a suitable object, it swallows the target's appearance, memory, personality, and life left on the "Root Record". The work of passing guò, which they themselves call "devouring time", is transformed into a "pseudo-object" that is indistinguishable from the Buddha-figure. While living and growing up in an intelligent society, through his own eyes, with the same eyes as intelligent beings, he carefully investigates and analyzes the development of society and civilization, as well as the changes in values, and then feeds back to the Mother Goddess. When the devoured "time" runs out, it will find a new target and start a new cycle.

This operating mechanism has been very effective, but there are also several problems.

First of all, in the process of "devouring time", the personality and emotions of the devouring target will be inherited and retained, and will not be wiped out as new prey is devoured. The continuous accumulation of personality makes it more and more difficult for the immortal bird to be called a single individual, and different personalities and experiences are precipitated in the body, causing her to deviate more and more from the requirements set by the creator, and even to develop a burnout and disgust with the set purpose, and then evolve into an impulse to break away from this reincarnation.

This is just an unstable mental state, and if you have enough patience to explain it, it is not impossible to solve it. But the second question is not so easy.

The base number jù carrier - in simple terms, is the so-called "soul". In the process of constantly turning into various artifacts, there is wear and tear, which in turn affects the physical body, and the symptoms of rapid aging appear, and the "soul" must be repaired through the time that guò often devours others, so that it can be maintained until the life of the physical body.

As for the object of devouring, although there is no specific rule, it is generally the younger the better.

"To me, the world is like a church full of candles, some of which are just beginning to burn, some of which are burning brightly, and some of which are coming to the end of their lives. But only the first two are what I can eat. ”

Theoretically, the younger the prey, the more time the immortal bird can grab, so Li Lin often regularly provides Lyle with money to buy children and babies - anyway, the guardians agree to transfer ownership, and there are no human rights groups to talk about it, so there is no problem with how to use it.

The only thing that can be considered a problem is Lyle's guilt.

Young beings, who do not even have a clear idea of what life is, are unwary and defenseless, grow old and shriveled up in their own hands, and eventually lose their weight and turn to dust.

"Those kids...... Smiled at me. ”

Every baby who is held in Lyle's arms laughs.

The babies couldn't have known what she was going to do to herself, and the innocent babies, coquettish, adoring, smiled at Lyle in warm, comfortable arms.

There is no scheming, no politeness, and no guilty smile.

In the blink of an eye, the baby's weight, body temperature, and that smile disappeared into his arms. The endless emptiness and sin overwhelmingly hit the body and mind, and the tears could not flow, and they could only let the torn pain torment the whole body.

"Sometimes I think if I were human, so that someone would take me to court, convict me, and give the souls of those babies and kids. ”

But that's just fantasy and escape. The reality is that if you can't even get the false peace, you have to continue to work for the Mother Goddess and accumulate new sins for it.

"Actually, if you want, I can help you clean up those unpleasant memories. ”

The sound of cups and cups touching overlapped with an indifferent invitation, and from that sound one could feel a certain temptation that would make the listener's body warm.

"In just a few seconds, whether it's the experience of reincarnation so far, or a specific memory, it can be formatted and then deleted. There will be no pain and no side effects. ”

The real yàn who digitized the memory had already achieved certain results before he was born, and the details of the relevant real yàn were in the database, and with the assistance of the operation system of this world, it was not difficult to completely delete some memories.

However, there are no side effects...... Not necessarily.

After all, the so-called personality is something that is formed on the basis of memory and experience, and the loss of memory will definitely have an impact on the personality. Of course, this is exactly what Li Lin needs.

A loyal spy eye with no sense of morality can have a great positive effect on his plans......

"No need. ”

Lyle flatly refused.

"I appreciate your kindness, but I only want to fulfill my only wish. ”

With sin and remorse, you can be freed from the endless journey in order to find eternal peace.

That is,

Die.

Death is peace, death is salvation, and death alone is the key to eternal hell.

The unique thinking of the suicide volunteer bloomed a sad smile on the girl's sad and resolute face.

"Acting on behalf of the transcendent species of God's will, you are only my death. If you are going to defile my journey and blaspheme my sinful karma up to this point, I would rather suffer God's punishment. ”

Only "that" doesn't want to be touched, and I don't want people to arbitrarily alter and delete it, and this is the only thing that will never be compromised. If you come hard, even if you know that it is futile, you have to fight back desperately.

"Huh-"

The red pupils narrowed slightly, and Li Lin smiled softly.

"Then please help us as before. ”

The cold air was divided into neat squares, and countless colored luminous particles danced within the frames, covering the real scene, and the same number of faces were depicted in hundreds of boxes.

Hundreds of different human appearances, men and women, young and old, tall, short, fat and thin. The time and place of the captured images are also different, and the angles and sizes of the drawings are also different, as if they were a large stack of portraits selected at random.

Looking at the figures, Lyle couldn't help but take his breath.

"And the same as before, the precious real materials will be troubled for you to take care of. ”

It's like a joy, as if mockingly announced, spit in the colorful office. (To be continued......)