Just as expected, His Grace the Duke shifted all the bla onto those so-called, hot-headed ministers. As for who exactly those ministers are, one can only infer.
After all, he didn’t specifically na anyone, and nobody would step forward in such a situation. The real instigator, His Majesty The Emperor, would certainly never admit it, which ans no one bears the bla, and everyone is happy.
"Won’t the Tang People retaliate against us? After all, we terminated the cooperation back then and reclaid our Hotwind Port." the reporter continued to ask.
The Duke did not avoid the question, but directly admitted a partial mistake: "Actually, there were so errors when we reclaid Hotwind Port at the ti, but through diplomatic efforts, we made up for our mistakes and restored a good relationship with the Great Tang Empire."
He was very adept at answering the reporter’s questions, paying close attention to his wording. When ntioning Hotwind Port, he used the word ’reclaim’, clearly standing from the position of the Elf Race.
Having long been used to such interviews, His Grace the Duke was ticulous, answering questions with as neutral a stance as possible, earning him the favor of many.
"This is actually very difficult, but so opportunists have rendered the efforts of the diplomatic departnt aningless. The relationship between us and the Great Tang Empire has plunged to the lowest point, countless young Elves are bleeding, which is sothing I do not wish to see." He brought the topic back to the declaration of war by the Poplar Empire against the Great Tang Empire.
After all, the two countries are still at war, and just yesterday the Great Tang Empire bombed several Elf cities, destroying factories and causing thousands of civilian casualties on the Elf side.
Factories cannot operate, cities are experiencing massive power outages, and people’s lives have been seriously affected, with discontent spreading.
The civilians who initially supported declaring war on the Great Tang Empire were few, as many Elves did not understand declaring war on the Tang People for the sake of the Dwarves, and those who could see the bigger picture of mutual dependency were even fewer.
For most people, they believe that as long as they maintain a good relationship with the Great Tang Empire, at worst, they could return the previously seized Hotwind Port, and cede so land, ensuring everlasting peace between the two countries.
Now, without any apparent reason, the country declared war on the Great Tang Empire, and the flas of war have reached their doorstep, with tens of thousands of Elf soldiers dying far from ho... Naturally, these events do not make people very happy.
Duke Leibert is the representative of these people, their voice. So he can say these words boldly, and even Emperor Poplar The First cannot do anything to him.
Even Poplar The First needs a character like him alive, to help the public vent their suppressed emotions, let them see the Emperor’s magnanimity, and hope their opinions will be accepted, thereby avoiding radical choices.
Thus, Poplar The First did not deal with Duke Leibert, and even let him be interviewed, to voice his opinions in the dia.
However, the potential impact of such voices on the national will and the determination for war are minor issues that Poplar The First has no choice but to tolerate.
"So, Your Grace the Duke, is there a way to stop this war, to let everything return to normal?" the reporter asked hopefully.
In her view, if the war could end and the two countries could return to their previous relations, it would be a good outco.
Leibert smiled wryly and answered with so regret: "I can only say, it was us who actively declared war on the Great Tang Empire... Now the other side has closed all negotiation channels, and the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire is visibly enraged. Until his anger subsides, we can only pray for the safety of our soldiers on the front line."
He’s not a fool; in fact, as such a noble, he naturally saw the outco long ago: anyone with a bit of political intuition can sense how enticing the temptation before the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire is.
It’s the ultimate dream no one could refuse, the goal no one would give up unless there’s no possibility! The aning of life for so many monarchs, now so close for the emperor far away in Chang’an!
Now the wheels have turned, and no one can stop the coming unification of the world! Even the Emperor of the Great Tang Empire himself would find it challenging to halt it.
It’s world unification! A future where there’s only one flag in the world, only one voice! How many are striving for this now? How could it stop just because soone says so?
Even Leibert knows, he knows! He knows even if he attempts to seek peace with the Great Tang Empire now, he will be ruthlessly refused.
Even if the Elf Race did not declare war on the Great Tang Empire, the final outco would not change. The only difference is, after the Great Tang Empire destroys the Ice Cold Empire, it would imdiately declare war on the Poplar Empire, impacting the justifications of the war only slightly.
Other than that, there would be no difference: the Great Tang Empire will annex the Poplar Empire, and no matter what, Tang Mo will make this decision. Following that will be the Suthers Empire, then the Laines Empire, next is Dorne, and the Empire of Nanla... none will be spared.
Resistance is just delaying ti, struggles are just unwillingness. As for success or not, it doesn’t matter anymore.
For the civilians of various countries, it might be said that the arrival of the Great Tang Empire could be a better thing. But for the monarchs of various countries, they cannot willingly beco kings of a fallen state.
So they must fight to the death, even knowing the result might not be ideal, they will still make this choice. After all, even soone drowning, knowing for sure they will sink, cannot help but splash around — it’s an instinct, an instinct to survive.
At this mont, anyone claiming they could stop the war is a madman, so Leibert cannot claim he could negotiate peace with the Great Tang Empire.
Although he has managed such tasks a few tis, he is clearly aware that this ti he does not have the ability.
So, he can only tell the reporter: "The soldiers on the front line are very brave, they have done everything they can for this country. Seeing these excellent young n die in a aningless war is a very painful thing for personally. But my abilities are limited, I can’t help them."
Just as the reporter wanted to ask sothing more, she suddenly felt the chair beneath her shaking. Before she realized what was happening, Leibert just furrowed his brow.
Soon, a distant, muffled explosion was heard; this was the first direct attack on the capital of the Poplar Empire during this war.
"Sorry, reporter miss, the interview may have to be interrupted. Ma’am... A severe explosion occurred in the distance." The door was pushed open, the butler walked nervously to the Duke and bent down to whisper: "Do you want to go to the air raid shelter to take cover?"
Before Leibert had a chance to respond, the city’s air raid alarms began to wail, now even the female reporter knew that sothing significant had occurred.
"Boom!" This explosion was closer, even the glass vibrated. The second long-range ballistic missile hit the Elf Capital, bringing Leibert’s interview to an end.
With the butler guiding, His Grace the Duke went to his own built air-raid shelter, possibly having a higher safety factor than the one in the Imperial Palace, to take refuge, while the beautiful reporter lady could only leave on her own.
There’s no way around it, affairs of gallantry do not exist here, reporters are not qualified for the Duke’s private security facilities.
The alarm continued to echo throughout the day, five ballistic missiles fell in the city area of the Elf Capital, causing massive casualties, and made all Elves realize that the war is no longer an overseas affair.
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Two Chapters posted together.
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