newbobooks Chapter 277 The Coup: Robert's Murderous Intent
Chapter 277 The Coup: Robert's Murderous Intent
Chapter 277 The Coup: Robert's Murderous Intent
Therefore, after careful consideration, it was most advantageous for Evan to appoint Edsack Augustus, a prince who had been abandoned by George III, as the chief official.
Moreover, Evan was confident that George III would not specifically prevent him from becoming the chief official out of fear of Edsac Augustus, as this would also make it easier for George III to have his "own man"—"Evan"—help him monitor this equally troublesome "rebellious son."
Although George III had already regarded Edsac Augustus as a discarded son, he dared not rashly deal with this excellent third son.
Because killing one's father, even without reason, challenges the traditional public order and good customs of society and everyone's worldview. For the extraordinary individuals who act as "arbitrators," the written law is the pillar that supports them in building an edifice of order, while the unwritten public order and good customs are the indispensable steel bars in that pillar, and their quality must be strictly controlled.
Therefore, if George III wanted to deal with Edsac Augustus, he also needed to find a crime that no one could refute.
Even if George III were now a Sequence 1 Archangel of the "Lawyer" pathway, it wouldn't be able to avoid the fact that the throne he inherited was left by a Sequence 1 Archangel of the "Arbitrator" pathway.
The more Edsack Augustus thought about Evan's suggestion, the more reasonable it seemed. Doing so might not only give his former subordinates a buffer period, but it could also be his last chance to survive.
With this in mind, he was eager to contact his former subordinates, listen to their opinions, and work together to push this matter forward.
"Thank you for your advice, Evan. It's really important to me!"
Edsack Augustus gratefully clinked glasses with Evan again, almost breaking his glass in his excitement.
"It's nothing, as long as you figure it out yourself, that's fine. Let's work together!"
Evan couldn't simply accept Edsack Augustus's gratitude; that would be making an enemy, not a favor.
After downing the glass of red wine in one gulp, Edsac Augustus couldn't wait to leave. He wanted to take advantage of the opportunity presented by the gathering of all the nobles of Backlund at George III's birthday banquet to reconnect with his old subordinates. It was already afternoon, and time was running out.
Meanwhile, Triss, who was some distance away, noticed that after their conversation ended, she immediately followed Edsac Augustus like a clingy mistress.
She held his arm intimately, whispering something to him.
Seeing this, Evan smiled slightly. He believed that with Triss's support, Edsack Augustus would be even more determined to push forward the military reform process, and would also value and trust him even more.
Evan quickly withdrew his attention from the light and looked around again, only to find that his brother Robert had reappeared in the crowd at some point, talking to his fiancée.
Moreover, Evan discovered that not only Robert had returned, but also a group of high-ranking figures who had just left, including Duke Negan, Earl Hall, and Prime Minister Agusid, had reappeared here, chatting and laughing with familiar faces.
This unusual behavior made Evan frown, so he took a glass of red wine from the waiter's tray and went back to Robert.
"What are you two, the newlyweds who just announced your engagement, talking about? Could you tell me about it?"
Evan gave Robert and Princess Oriana a suggestive look, which made the little princess blush instantly.
Speechless.
"Greetings, Your Highness! I hope my arrival has not disturbed you!"
"No, I didn't disturb you!"
Princess Orianna seemed to have been well protected since childhood. She was startled by Evan's teasing and lowered her head, not daring to look at him, which surprised Evan.
Because he had never seen this type of girl in social settings before. The noble ladies he had met were generally well-educated and very generous in their dealings with others, some even overly so. He had never seen one with such a delicate and refined appearance.
Just then, Audrey, dressed in Backlund's most fashionable attire and carrying a folding fan, approached, curtsied to Robert and Princess Oriana, and greeted them. At the same time, she complained to Evan:
"Mr. Evan, you're really too clueless. Didn't you notice that everyone was intentionally creating a private environment for the newlyweds? Why did you step forward at this moment?"
Evan could only scratch his head with a silly grin, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, refusing to move an inch.
As a "hunter", observing the surrounding environment is a basic skill. How could Evan, as a top "hunter", not see the situation on the scene?
However, instead of discussing military reforms at the villa, the high-ranking officials all unusually returned to the banquet. This made Evan somewhat uneasy, so he could only pretend to be clueless for once.
"It's alright, Audrey. Baron Evan was probably just momentarily distracted. Besides, we've said what we wanted to say, and now I should return to my mother's side!"
Princess Oriana tugged at Audrey's hand, seemingly defending Evan, and then whispered to him:
"I suppose Baron Evan has something urgent to attend to, which is why he abruptly interrupted. Since Earl Robert and I have essentially finished our conversation, I won't disturb you any longer. We can formally introduce ourselves another time!"
Princess Oriana nodded to Robert, then took Audrey's hand and left. Audrey could only glare at Evan with some resentment before leaving as well.
Evan awkwardly touched his nose. He hadn't expected that the little princess, who looked so delicate, was actually quite timid. Her words had been a sarcastic jab at him, yet he couldn't refute her. He no longer dared to underestimate this princess who was being married off.
"Princess Orianna isn't as she seems, and you shouldn't underestimate her, or you might regret it in the future!"
Robert watched Princess Oliana and Miss Audrey leave, then solemnly said to Evan,
"You can't judge a book by its cover. This is the first time I've met her, and you've been there the whole time."
That's why I mistakenly thought she was just an ordinary, gentle person. I never expected her to be the type who's all bark and no bite. You're in for a tough time, bro, between the little princess and Ms. Amanda.
This incident was a lesson for Evan; he should consider the surrounding environment when judging people in the future.
According to the information we received, Princess Oriana is very fond of Robert and is satisfied with and approves of this marriage. This makes her act like a young girl in love when she sees Robert, whom she has only met a few times. This is why Evan misjudged her and was embarrassed by her.
"By the way, what were you two talking about just now? Otherwise, given her personality, she shouldn't have been so frightened by me that she was at a loss for words and couldn't speak coherently."
Princess Orianna couldn't help but tease Evan, clearly startled by his sudden interruption. Evan was also curious about what they had just been talking about.
"N-nothing, Evan, are you wondering why we didn't stay at the villa for the meeting, but instead came back here?"
Robert felt a little uncomfortable with Evan's question and quickly changed the subject. This made Evan realize that Robert and Princess Oriana's conversation might indeed be somewhat private, and that he had indeed disturbed them.
Although he was very curious, Evan was obviously more concerned about the villa, so he quickly nodded in agreement with Robert.
Robert's expression turned unusually serious. He looked in one direction and then said to Evan:
"The discussion broke down as soon as we entered the villa."
Today's successful demonstration by the aircraft has indeed won us a lot of support. After all, anyone with eyes can see that compared to airships, aircraft are indeed a revolutionary air combat weapon, so the formation of a professional air combat force is imperative.
But the Duke of Negan intervened, making things extremely complicated.
He agreed to establish an air combat force centered on aircraft, but at the same time stated that the production of airships could not be completely abandoned, arguing that airships could serve as strategic air logistics forces, contributing to the transport of the army's increasingly large and heavy artillery and ordnance.
In this way, the army would be even less likely to separate its airship units from its command structure. And given the current rate of development of air force units, there's no possibility of them becoming independent forces. This means our painstakingly planned arrangements could end up benefiting others.
Following Robert's gaze, Evan looked at Duke Negan, who was surrounded by many high-ranking officials and laughing heartily, and his gaze was equally icy.
As expected of a seasoned veteran in politics, his first move hit the nail on the head.
"The Duke of Negan comes from the navy, but this time he's siding with the army. He must have something to gain, right?"
Evan already had a guess, but he was still not entirely sure when he asked,
"That's right! Duke Negan certainly has his own agenda. He hopes to formally integrate the newly formed Strategic Support Force into the Navy's command, rather than vaguely labelling it under the Navy's name. This way, the resistance to military reform can be minimized!"
That's right, this can indeed minimize the resistance to military reform, but it also effectively bankrupts the military reform.
The deepest purpose of establishing the Strategic Support Force and the Air Force is to create a powerful third force within the military, to bridge the increasingly acute contradictions between the Army and the Navy, to curb the Navy's growing influence, and to put military power back in the hands of the central government.
This is true military reform, not just a temporary measure taken to adapt to war.
If the Duke of Cornigan's idea comes true, it will essentially distort the military reforms envisioned by George III and Robert, effectively expanding the navy and army in disguise, increasing their influence rather than diminishing it, and completely contradicting the original intention of the military reforms.
"The Duke of Negan just contacted me and said he is willing to support you as the commander of the Naval Strategic Support Force, and also hopes that I will support his suggestions on military reform."
Moreover, it wasn't just Duke Negan who approached me; even a group of high-ranking generals in the army, my former superiors, came forward, hoping that I would support Duke Negan's opinion!
Even Archbishop Snake of the Church of Storms subtly expressed his support for Duke Negan!
When Robert said this, his eyes were no longer cold, but filled with murderous intent.
The Duke of Negan clearly did a lot of work behind the scenes, especially with Robert's biggest supporters—the Army. He did a lot of work and made ample preparations, using incentives to make George III and Robert, who supported the Strategic Support Force and the independent formation of the Air Force, the de facto minority.
Duke Negan had no objection to the establishment of the Strategic Support Force or the creation of a new air force; in fact, he strongly supported it. However, both had to be placed within the framework of the Navy and the Army.
The navy, led by Duke Negan, did not take advantage of its century-long dominance to monopolize these two achievements. Instead, it shared the air force's share with the army, thus unifying the front to the greatest extent possible. Moreover, members of the Augustus family were likely involved in this effort.
Although the Duke of Negan himself may not have intended it that way, the development of events resembled a major counter-offensive by the military against the reformists' relentless pressure, and in a sense, a de facto coup against George III.
Faced with this situation, George III must have been extremely embarrassed, and it's no wonder that the discussions at the villa broke down in less than half an hour.
So much so that George III was unable to make an appearance at his own birthday banquet.
Evan glanced at Robert and knew that this time he really wanted to kill Duke Negan, not just because his own plans were in danger of collapsing.
For politicians, as long as they are alive, temporary setbacks are nothing; they can always win back next time.
What truly concerned Robert was that it wasn't just George III facing a coup, but also him.
Robert's base of support, apart from Awawa County, consisted mainly of the liberal and younger factions within the army and nobility.
The support from the liberal and younger factions prevented him from suffering a complete political defeat, and the influence of the Akhova local forces on Backlund was limited.
The Church of Storms regarded him as its next political representative, the successor to Duke Negan.
Therefore, the most important pillar supporting Robert's power edifice was the army he served in.
But the Duke of Negan bypassed him and spoke directly with the army's bigwigs, which threatened Robert's most sensitive sore spot.
So if Robert had any doubts before, Evan is now certain that Robert intends to kill Duke Negan.
Although the Duke of Negan could not truly gain the army's recognition and follow his lead, this still could not stop Robert from being determined to kill him.
Just then, Duke Negan seemed to notice Robert and Evan looking at him, so he smiled and raised his glass to them.
Robert and Irwin also composed themselves, smiling and raising their glasses in a gesture of respect!