It's better to conquer them than to command the steel torrent

Chapter 89 | Ultimatum
The advisory group will return home in the order of arrival? This is a very uncomfortable thing for Shang Ke.

He hadn't seen his fiancée for a long time and he really missed home.

At the end of the dinner, he was still in a bad mood.

Mingna carefully watched Shang in secret until he left.

Today I finally got the long-awaited opportunity. I should have been able to get some useful information from the chat, but this damn military police officer ruined everything.

Mingna is just a pseudonym. Her real name is actually Sophia Grishina, and she belongs to the Intelligence Bureau of the Imperial Internal Affairs Committee.

In the past month, the Second Bureau of the Hungarian General Staff seemed to have been stimulated and had been vigorously searching for any suspicious persons, resulting in the arrest of many people, so that the intelligence network was forced to go silent.

Grishina has been out of contact with her companions for two weeks. The top priority is to reconnect with others and try to restart the intelligence network.

Because a carefully prepared invasion is imminent.

Ivan Rus deployed hundreds of thousands of troops on the border with Hunsted, and Romania was also eyeing them covetously.

At this turbulent moment, Hunricane was like a small wooden house in a storm, and its days of peace and comfort were numbered.

"Greetings, Your Majesty. Over the past day, the fighting between the Varlanders and the Ivan Russians has remained fierce, and the Ivan Russians seem to have slowed their advance. Optimistically, the Varlanders may be able to hold their ground."

In the early morning, a palace attendant reported the latest battle situation to Sigrid.

Such reports made Sigrid extremely anxious. The terrible pressure brought by Ivan Ross had become a thick dark cloud gathering over Hunricane.

It feels like gods are fighting and mortals are afraid of suffering.

Military and political leaders were equally worried. No one knew whether Ivan Ross would take the opportunity to make some shameless demands.

The Hungarian General Staff even became a little neurotic, checking for gaps all day long, wondering if there were any omissions in the national defense line, and then deploying troops.

No, you only have so many troops. Why are you making trouble at this critical juncture?
Therefore, in Shangke's view, such frequent operations are like robbing Peter to pay Paul, which is meaningless and may even have negative effects.

Su Ji also couldn't stand it - such frequent troop movements could easily expose the whereabouts of the troops, and it would take time for the troops to familiarize themselves with the position when moving from one position to another.

Under the orders of the advisory group, Su Ji was sent to the 18th Infantry Division of the Royal Hungarian Army. This unit was responsible for guarding a defense line with a front width of about 9 kilometers in the upper reaches of the Tisza River, which was a deployment with a relatively high defense density.

Because once Ivan Rus invades, it will be the first to bear the brunt and will almost be at the forefront of the first wave of attack.

He took up his post calmly.

Before leaving, Shang Ke told him to be careful and silently wished the coffee shop god of war good luck.

In the evening, the routine training of the Royal Guards ended again.

Shang Ke gave everyone a three-day holiday for the first time, but not many people in the guard were happy about it. Instead, everyone was nervous about taking a holiday at this critical moment.

The next day, a court attendant came unexpectedly and stopped Shang Ke, who was about to go to the General Staff, and said that the Queen wanted to discuss something with him.

So Shang was summoned to the Buda Palace without any preparation.

Over the past few months, Shang and Sigrid had interacted occasionally and had become quite familiar with each other, but this was the first time she had invited him to visit. This ancient palace exuded the atmosphere of time, with stone-paved roads, medieval streetlights, and Gothic architecture.

The bright sunshine cannot dispel the haze in people's hearts, as if something bad has happened.

Sigrid's face was filled with deep sorrow. She forced a smile and said, "Good morning, Major."

Seeing her like this, Shang Ke looked around and asked in confusion: "What happened? Your Majesty, you seem to be in great pain?"

"The envoy, Ivan Rus, has sent a diplomatic letter requesting permission for their troops to pass through our borders," Sigrid said with a wistful tone. "They've given us forty-eight hours to respond."

Transit?

To the west, Hungary borders the Habsburg...Varland's Osterley region. If the army is allowed to cross the border, Varland will have to fight on two fronts, and the enemy may launch a surprise attack when passing by.

Before Shank could speak, Sigrid stared at him and said, "The government immediately refused. I completely agree. Such an impolite request is an insult."

Oh, you have already made the decision. So you are here to talk to someone and seek their approval?
Shang Ke laughed dumbly and said approvingly, "That's right. We can't give in at all. The Ivan Rus people have always wanted to take Sichuan and Chongqing, but they're still thinking about Gansu and Shaanxi. Anyway, we must remember the lesson of ceding five cities today and ten cities tomorrow before we can sleep peacefully."

"..." Sigrid was a little confused. After a second, she hesitated and said, "Mr. Advisor, let me think about it, but you have never ceded any territory to Ivan Ross."

Shang Ke explained awkwardly, "This is an idiom. Your Majesty, you can understand it as the Romanians obtaining Transylvania and then wanting to claim the Hunnic Plain."

"I understand." Sigrid nodded slightly and said seriously, "This peace, prayed for with weakness, is extremely fragile. People who have lost their dignity are no different from slaves. I know this very well."

Shang Ke didn't say anything, just gave her a thumbs up.

In reality, Shang Ke felt the Hungarian government was being a bit hasty and didn't need to reject it outright. Since the deadline was forty-eight hours, they could actually buy more time by delaying.

Clara, who was beside Sigrid, whispered, "Mr. Counselor, your country will help us, right?"

Shang Ke could not give a definite answer to this question. He could only say vaguely: "If necessary, yes."

Ivan Rus's demands on Hunsted were too excessive, which was something the Grand Federation did not want to see.

It can be said that Hungary is a forbidden territory for the Grand Federation. Although it sounds strange, it is the fact. After all, it is a strategic bridgehead that has been carefully managed for more than ten years.

Shank estimated that while he was talking to Sigrid, the Hungarian government was trying to seek support from the Controlling Government.

The multi-party diplomatic game should have already begun.

He met Sigrid's emerald eyes and stated, "However, the cold truth is that even if Ivan Rus invaded, we would not be able to send reinforcements now. We are far from ready for war."

Sigrid and the upper echelons of Hungary were well aware of this - they did not expect the Grand Federation to send troops on a long expedition, but it would be good to show some support and scare them.

"I believe things will turn out well, but we must also be prepared for bad situations." Her lips trembled slightly as she said this.

Shang Ke looked at his watch with a stern expression and said goodbye: "I have to gather the royal guards. Your Majesty, please treat me to dinner again when you have the chance. Goodbye."

(End of this chapter)