Chapter 335：

In the capital city of Jingyao, there is a tense and joyous atmosphere everywhere in the streets and alleys. In a few days, it will be Holy Advent, and every household is preparing for the festival. Big merchants are also taking the opportunity to walk around the streets and sell their goods. The insurrection in the far south seemed far away to most people, except for those families with loved ones who served in the military, prayed for their safety in thoughts, and greeted the new year with anticipation.

In the chamber of the palace, the atmosphere of celebration outside the palace was completely different. It was full of seriousness and uneasiness. What happened in Sihanoukville was reported to Jingyao, which caused a shock at the top of the government. King Rodney convened a group of ministers including Earl Rupert and Merlin to discuss countermeasures.

However, what they are discussing now is only the assassination of the high-level navy stationed in Westport, and they still don't know anything about what happened after that.

According to the available investigation information, the servant who "assassinated evil" that night - let's call that kind of self-explosion an assassination - was an old servant who had served General Parker's mansion for many years. Someone who can do that crazy move.

Of course, this is not the most important thing. After all, knowing people, knowing faces but not knowing their hearts, he may be coerced by irresistible factors, or he may be tempted by huge interests. It is not too difficult to make a person degenerate.

The most important and weirdest point is, how could a good big living person suddenly explode, and even kill a large circle of people around him, how did he do this? It was really unheard of. The Government Affairs Office of Sihanoukville sent alchemists to investigate, but no suspicious substances were found.

As for the loss of the navy's combat power, it is secondary. The navy of the Aldo Kingdom was established a long time ago to eliminate pirates. After the pirates disappeared, there were only tasks such as anti-smuggling. Lay off, save money to increase the strength of the army.

His Majesty the King was still at a loss after discussing with the ministers for a long time. Rodney looked at Earl Merlin, who was in charge of intelligence, and said, "Your Majesty Merlin, you have been silent just now. Do you have any guesses in your mind?"

Earl Merlin was stunned for a moment, then quickly nodded slightly to the king, and said, "To be honest, Your Majesty, what happened in Westport reminded me of something that happened last year."

"Last year?" Everyone looked at Earl Merlin.

The count looked around at everyone: "Do you still remember the fire in the granary of the royal capital last year?"

"Of course I remember."

The fire in the granary delayed the dispatch of the counter-insurgency army for nearly a year. It took a lot of effort just to raise food and grass, which was still fresh in the memory of everyone present.

Merlin continued: "The situation at that time was like this. The warehouse management officials who usually worked **** weekdays actually set the granary on fire with their own hands, and the side murder case in Westport was also the same. The loyal old servants on weekdays formed..."

The count pondered for a while, "Being a tool for murder, I can't help but connect these two things."

Rupert stroked his beard and pondered: "You mean, the black hand behind it is the same hand?"

Earl Merlin nodded: "That's right, and... this black hand also possesses mysterious powers that we don't know about."

The participants whispered. After a year, the inner circle of the government knew about the investigation of the granary fire last year. Bart, the official in charge of managing the granary, was usually a cautious person and was very responsible for his work. However, the investigation found that , some time before the granary caught fire, his behavior at home was weird enough.

Suddenly, a side door of the meeting hall was opened, and a guard walked in quietly and handed King Rodney a roll of paper.

The king trembled in his heart, and his intuition told him that something bad had happened, so he slowly unfolded the letter with some reluctance.

Amidst the din of discussions, only Rupert, who was closest to the king, noticed the change in the king. His majesty was holding the letter paper tightly with his hands, and his shoulders were trembling slightly.

"Your Majesty? Your Majesty? What happened?"

Rupert called softly to the king.

"Rupert, see for yourself. Navy...Navy has..."

The palace minister finished the letter, and the information in the first two lines set off a huge wave in his heart-"Pirates invaded, and the navy has been wiped out"

"This... this..." The Prime Minister's hand holding the letter began to shake.

The letter from Sihanoukville was quickly circulated by all the ministers present.

"This is a conspiracy! Together with the assassination of the high-level navy, this is definitely a serial conspiracy!"

"Aldo has been invaded! Take revenge, we must take revenge!"

Earl Merlin: "The west coast of the kingdom—at least the area directly under the royal family—has been free of pirates for a long time. According to the information in this letter, the number of pirates who invaded this time can reach as many as a thousand. Such a large pirate group It cannot be formed quietly and on the spot, it should have come from far away."

Rupert was convinced, and the Prime Minister twirled his gray beard: "The mastermind behind the scenes is not necessarily foreign. Judging from the current situation, Giles is the most suspected one. His army is currently in the Fougères area. It is getting worse and worse, and it is very likely that he will take actions elsewhere. Moreover, his territory is connected to Jiaowan, and it is very easy to contact and hire the pirates there This letter is written by the mayor of Westport, According to his own law, after realizing the pirate invasion, because the opponent was really powerful and the navy could not count on it, in order to prevent the government officials representing the king's authority from being captured and humiliated, he had to lead the staff of the government affairs office to transfer to Westport. A town in the east. At present, pirates are still entrenched in Westport, and they have sent troops to plunder around Westport.

Everyone discussed over and over again, and felt that the most important thing now was to organize an army to take back Westport, annihilate this **** pirate, or at least drive them into the sea. However, the main army of the kingdom is currently facing off against Giles' rebels in Fougères under the command of Princess Catherine, and the army can only be recruited temporarily.

The king asked: "Rupert, who do you think is more suitable to lead the army?"

The Prime Minister thought for a while, came up with a candidate, and replied: "I think the eldest son of the Abbott family—Harrison Abbott can take on this important task."

"Abbott? That Earl Abbott who married a prostitute? His son?"

A look of reluctance flashed across Rodney's face.

"Your Majesty, this is an extraordinary time, and Harrison's mother is also from a famous family, a noble of pure blood."

"Ah—well." The king agreed.

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