in the name of the queen

Chapter 171 Sir, times have changed

Just one sentence made countries that had nothing to do with themselves nervous.

The expressions of representatives from various countries present were a little unnatural.

Their faces were solemn and deep in thought.

The representatives of the Wende Empire, which borders the Vladimir Empire, looked even more ugly.

As neighboring countries with similar cultures, the Wende Empire and the Vladimir Empire had fought numerous wars in history, and their hatred was deep.

As long as they confront the Ruriks, the Wende Empire will definitely help.

They would rather cooperate with a country with a completely different culture than be friendly with the Vladimir Empire, which has the same roots.

When the Continental Convention was signed, the Wende Empire was at its most powerful period in history, annexing many surrounding weak countries, and then set its sights on the huge but weak Vladimir Empire.

If they hadn't needed to recuperate after years of fighting, they would definitely not have signed the Continental Convention.

Although William was standing on the podium and Sophia was standing in the audience, the way she looked at William was somewhat condescending.

William didn't like this feeling very much.

Of course, just looking at Sophia's mocking expression, you will know that the price of renewing the contract is not low.

William smiled and asked: "Before I answer, I have another question. Will your country choose to renew the contract after the end of the convention?"

Almost everyone believed that they would not renew the Continental Convention when it ended.

Sophia put a collective silence on the venue with just one sentence, and made everyone seriously think about who is the leader in this era.

“I suggest putting this matter on the agenda of the meeting until the future of the Vaal city-state is decided.”

Sif nodded slightly and handed the decision to William.

He turned his gaze to Sif with a questioning look.

The Vladimir Empire has developed rapidly in recent years, continuously expanding its sphere of influence on the edge of Rodinia and other continents.

Clearing his throat, William responded with a smile, "Dear Queen Sophia, what you said involves many countries and has nothing to do with the current meeting."

The Vladimir Empire's navy is weak, and their priority for expansion is of course its land neighbors.

Since there was no direct threat of war, Sussex would naturally not show weakness.

"If you are worried that ending the convention early will cause trouble to your country, I can guarantee that no conflicts will break out during the meeting."

He doesn't allow this to happen.

I would rather make one more trip to maintain peace in the last few months and say you are not afraid.

"Ending the convention will help everyone discuss the future of Vaal City State freely. I think it's better to ask everyone for their opinions."

If you don't accept it, there are many reasons, but the momentum suggests that you are afraid of the Vladimir Empire.

Most people guessed it was the Wende Empire or the Kingdom of Thalia, two weakened powers.

When the treaty expires, the Wende Empire is definitely the one most eager to renew it.

The price for their signing was that the Vladimir Empire ceded approximately 30,000 square kilometers of territory.

The land swallowed back then must be returned in full, and a lot of benefits must be paid.

It’s very frustrating, but the situation is stronger than the person.

Strong Sussex needs them together to maintain it.

The land ceded was not much, but it was extremely insulting.

His question seemed to be just a casual question, but it reminded other countries that the convention was the last chain binding the Vladimir Empire.

The matter has come to this, and any retreat would be an act of cowardice.

However, within a hundred years, the offensive and defensive momentum reversed.

Sophia appeared to be suggesting, but in reality she was coercing.

The representatives of the Wende Empire and Thalia Kingdom looked a bit unhappy.

There is still some buffer zone between Thalia and Vladimir, and the perceived threat is not too serious, but the Wende Empire is different.

Sophia smiled but did not give in.

If the convention ends early, the countries bordering it will be lucky.

By ending the convention early, countries would be free to declare war on each other.

The only suspense is who their next target will be.

The Vladimir Empire is now at its strongest period in history. On the contrary, the Wende Empire has successively produced many foolish kings, and most of its parliaments are corrupt and incompetent, leading to a continuous decline in the country's strength.

The Continental Convention automatically expires in a few months. It is normal to end it a few months in advance and then discuss renewal. However, the theme of the meeting will change.

They felt the biting chill from the winter land.

Restricted by the Continental Convention, they cannot expand at will in Rodinia.

William squinted his eyes and quickly understood Sophia's intention.

Although there are conflicts between the two parties in the distribution of power, their interests are consistent at the level of national interests.

Before Sophia could speak, the representatives of the Wende Empire started shouting impatiently.

"I firmly oppose it. The Wende Empire is the defender of the international order and will never tear up treaties casually. Even if there is one second left, the treaty is still valid unless someone does not care about the country's reputation."

Sophia did not look back, but simply said: "This is the first time I have seen someone say the most cowardly words in the loudest voice."

"I want to remind you that I am speaking to Prime Minister William, and interrupting rudely is an offense to me. I will remember the offense your country has done to me."

The expression of the representative of the Wende Empire changed.

The Ruriks' target was indeed them.

If Sophia's casus belli had been offended at an international conference, his head would have been removed by the angry emperor as an apology.

The representative of the Wende Empire looked ashen.

Sophia no longer paid attention to Xiao Xiami, but looked at William calmly.

"I refuse to answer, but I will review it based on the current situation of each country."

Impeccable diplomacy.

Refusal to answer is sometimes an answer.

Obviously, Sophia will never give in unless she gets enough benefits.

Where do the benefits come from?
Representatives from various countries fell into deep thought.

Either cut the flesh from your own body, or use the flesh from others.

Those present are all politicians, not philanthropists, and of course they are not willing to cut their own flesh.

However, there is a ready-made unlucky guy, the city-state of Vaal.

Everyone suddenly realized.

Sophia still wanted to get involved in the Vaal City-State, but she couldn't speak out because she was not a direct party, so she chose to end the treaty early.

After thinking about this, William calmly gave the answer.

"A few days earlier and a few days later have no effect on the Sussex Empire. Our country's interests on the mainland are defended by imperial soldiers with guns and guns, not treaties."

"I agree to end the convention early."

William spoke loudly and represented the attitude of the Sussex Empire.

If you want to fight, then fight!
Sophia nodded with satisfaction and turned her attention to the representative of Jin Yuan Kingdom.

"Mr. Edward, what do you think?"

"Her Majesty the Queen and Mr. Prime Minister agree. If I don't agree, it would be a bit unsociable. On behalf of the Golden Kite Republic, I will end the convention early."

The man called Edward is the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the Golden Kite Republic. He can decide national affairs alone.

Now that Vladimir and Sussex have recognized the convention as invalid, there is no point in others insisting.

Never show weakness at this time.

As the third most powerful country in the world, the Golden Yuan Republic is experiencing internal turmoil and cannot afford to lose in terms of momentum.

Any hesitation at this time may be discovered by potential enemies.

Seeing Edward's calm and composed expression, those representatives who were sure that Jin Yuan could not do it also hesitated.

The coup in Jin Yuan Kingdom is proceeding very quickly, and they have probably completed internal integration.

Even if there are still conflicts, they will not have a huge impact on the country's strength.

However, Roland knew that Edward was holding on.

The reason is simple, his attitude is too determined.

How could such an important matter be done without hesitation?

Sophia did not hesitate because she was the mastermind who had planned it for a long time.

William did not hesitate, because the Sussex Empire had a strong overall national strength and a powerful navy, so it was not difficult to protect the three overseas provinces. Back then, when the mainland countries united to deal with Sussex, they couldn't take away these three overseas provinces. Of course, he was not afraid.

Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the war fails in the future, as long as we give up the three overseas provinces, we can be self-sufficient with the rich resources of the rich mainland and colonies, and even blockade the ocean and trap the mainland enemies.

Sussex were invincible and they certainly weren't panicking.

Why is Jin Yuan Kingdom?
They can only hold on.

After William agreed, Sif narrowed her eyes thoughtfully.

Did this guy do it on purpose?
The three overseas provinces cannot fight against the powerful mainland alone.

Without local and colonial support, the three overseas provinces would be fat in the eyes of mainland countries.

This guy William shouldn't be looking forward to fighting a war and getting rid of the three overseas provinces as a burden.

Three overseas provinces fell, and Sif and Roland, who were in charge here, were not exempt from the blame.

Sif is the head of state and does not have to bear responsibility, but Roland cannot be exempted.

Either he will be punished with his head, or he will hand over all his power and go to jail.

At that time, Sif can only bow to the cabinet obediently.

She frowned slightly and squeezed Roland's hand tighter.

Roland used his little finger to draw an upside-down question mark on her palm.

Sif bit her lip and moved her slender fingers in Roland's palm.

"William is targeting you, bad."

In order to prevent other representatives from seeing her and Roland's little actions, she expressed in the simplest words.

Of course Roland knew what Sif was talking about.

He smiled slightly, swallowed the words he had prepared, and drew a smiley face on Sif's palm.

His confidence was passed on to Sif.

Sif's frown gradually relaxed, and she looked curiously at the representatives from other countries.

If the three major powers take a stand, it makes no sense for other countries to oppose it.

Any concession is a sign of weakness. If that's the case, then just go for it.

"The Kingdom of Tyrol, agrees to end the Convention."

"Kingdom of Pruden, agree."

"Weimar Confederation, Object!"

"Wende Empire, object!"

"Kingdom of Thalia, agree."

"The Kingdom of Nubia abstains."

With everyone taking a stand, the Continental Convention, which lasted for hundreds of years, came to an end.

Whether the Convention will be extended or not is of great importance and will not be discussed for the time being.

The theme of this meeting is still discussing the future of the Vaal city-state.

Although the focus of the participants is no longer here.

Those countries far away from the city-state of Vaal were eager to leave the meeting and discuss the impact of the end of the convention behind closed doors.

The meeting continues.

Representatives of the Vaal City State were called in.

William showed a kind smile, invited him to come to the stage, and asked softly:
"Executive Tony, you are the city representative involved in the recovery of the Holy Spring. I want to hear your vision for the future."

William was polite, but did not refer to the other party as the "country concerned" but the city concerned.

This was no slip of the tongue.

As a seasoned diplomat, precise word choice is a must.

To prevent ambiguities in communication, everyone present even communicated in the language of the Magic Empire.

This dead language is difficult to master. Except for diplomats and upper-level officials, ordinary people cannot learn it.

But the language is complex and precise, making it well suited to diplomatic situations.

Executive Tony's face looked a little ugly.

As a representative of a small and weak country living in the cracks between big powers, he is very good at observing words and emotions and listening to what is said.

He understood.

The Sussex Empire did not support the existence of the Vaal city-state as an independent state.

Although it is difficult for Sussex to maintain its status as the world's largest power, it is very simple to kill the Vaal city-state.

Tony took a deep breath and looked across the room.

He did not rush to express his position, but sang a song that was once very popular but not many people remember it now.

"Waal Lake".

The last Continental Congress was held on the shores of Lake Vaal.

The participating countries had cordial and friendly exchanges and unanimously agreed to retain the city-state of Vaal.

This song was also composed by a famous bard of that year to commemorate peace.

Under the constraints of the Continental Convention, small conflicts continued between countries, but no major war with more than 100,000 casualties broke out.

The Continental Convention kept the peace to some extent.

The city-state of Vaal is also known as the International City of Friendship.

Everything has changed now.

The Sussex Empire, which had fully supported the independence of the Vaal city-state, became the first murderer.

Executive Tony sang very movingly.

His singing skills are better than Roland's, but not by much.

All I can say is that he didn't run away.

There is only emotion in his singing.

Hot tears rolled down her cheeks, her voice was choked, and her eyes were slightly red.

The melodious singing echoed in the conference hall and echoed through the windows in the square.

The staff of various delegations who vaguely heard the singing all smiled.

This is the song of peace.

Listen, the singers were so moved that they almost cried.

You don't need to think about it to know that peace will come soon.

The city-state of Vaal is really lucky. Although this meeting is not on the shore of Lake Vaal, the result will not change.

This is a civilized era, and peace is the main theme.

People thought silently.

However, people inside the venue were not so optimistic.

Mr. Tony's emotional singing touches the softest part of people's hearts.

Some representatives bowed their heads slightly, some sighed, and some avoided Sophia's eyes and sang along.

Sif tapped Roland's palm and gently wrote "touched".

Roland asked with his fingertips, "Do you agree to retain the city-state of Vaal?"

"That's not necessary."

Sif's answer was straightforward.

"Touch does not mean support. From the perspective of national interests, it is in our best interest to dismember the city-state of Vaal."

Roland said nothing, but his mood was a little complicated.

If it were Sif a few months ago, she would have been so moved that she asked Roland why he couldn't keep the city-state of Vaal.

Now she can calmly sentence Vaal City State to death from the perspective of national interests.

There was a hint of coldness in the palm of my hand.

There is an illusion of holding ice in your hands.

Any growth comes with a price.

The innocent girl's heart that he killed with his own hands was the price.

(End of this chapter)