The Sun King's Evidence

Katalin's manor is located in a relatively remote place outside Marienburg, about fifteen kilometers away from Marienburg. It is not particularly safe, but the threat to Katalin is actually very small. As a Could it be that a strong man from the Holy Realm would be afraid of the wild beasts and swamp-dwelling monsters wandering in the wild? Or those greenskins from the Jinte Mine?

After her attempt to recapture Kislev failed, Katalin took her last followers to Marienburg. She declined the invitations from Reikland, Middenland and Osterland. The female tsarina was quite a bit Frustrated, after consecutive failures, she gradually began to understand that with her military talents, perhaps regaining Kislev was a luxury.

Schulz offered her a high salary, and she became one of the guardians and guest wizards of Marienburg. After repeated elimination and careful selection of the Romanov Guards, 300 people were left. All the rest were demobilized, and the originally huge palace was also reduced successively. In the end, only forty or fifty people were left, as well as the Ice Witch Coven, which was not as powerful as before. These five hundred people stayed at Schulz's gift. Within the large manor.

This stay lasted for 7 years, from the year 2516 in the Imperial Calendar to the winter of 2523 in the Imperial Calendar.

At first, Katalin had great expectations for the countries of the Old World. She believed that Kislev had done everything to protect the old world. Now millions of Kisler wives were displaced, relying on generals and ice witches. , Boyer and the bloody battle of Kislev warriors, the disaster of Motkin's invasion was delayed to a great extent. Without Mrs. Kisler, the empire would not have time to set up a defense line, and the entire northern part of the empire would be plunged into a cloud of chaos. Under this situation, the tragedy of the great jihad will be staged again.

Therefore, in the face of Mrs. Kislev's sacrifice, the countries of the old world should naturally appreciate it, provide support and assistance, and assist Kislev in restoring his country, or at least say that the hero is immortal, right?

However, although both the Empire and Britannia recognized Kislev's tenacity, there was really no help. The Empire was unable to do so. Emperor Karl-Franz and Countess Emmanuel gave several funds. , there was no sound after that, and Britannia simply became more desperate. They established the Northern Army, supported Archduke Erlengrad, and recruited Kislev's last field army-Rokossovsky. That winged cavalry regiment.

The Tsarina seemed forgotten.

To make matters worse, in reality, the escaped Mrs. Keesler did not get the welcome she imagined and lived a miserable life.

After these refugees entered the empire, they occupied and replaced the low-end labor market in large numbers. Under the involution, not only did Mrs. Keesler live a miserable life, but even the living environment of the native people in the empire was deteriorated. Regarding the job situation, the conflict between the two sides escalated instantly, and soon there was hostility and hatred until bloody conflicts. The conflict intensified until it developed into widespread discrimination and hatred.

If these were just hearsay to Katalin, then the living conditions of the demobilized Kislev soldiers and veterans were directly displayed in front of the tsarina.

She saw with her own eyes a former company captain who was about thirty years old and came to the talent market in Marienburg to look for a job. The sweet-looking female receptionist asked: "What will you do?"

"I can command a company, a phalanx, or if necessary, I can go into battle myself as a mercenary, guard, or anything else."

"What a pity, we have too many people like this here." The female receptionist opened a scroll, and the long name on it followed the parchment and hung directly to the ground and rolled out more than a meter long: "You don't have the equipment yourself, we Regardless, even if you have a full set of equipment, there are still 6,324 people lining up before you. Do you have a horse? If you are a knight with a horse, we can arrange work for you now."

"I don't have a horse." The veteran said dullly, "I don't have any equipment either."

"In addition to military and martial arts, do you have any other skills?"

"I can go to the dock to work as a worker, go to the workshop to work, go to the street to deliver goods, go..."

"Then the daily salary is only 2 copper coins, and it is open all year round except Mannann Holy Days and Sundays. Can it be done?"

"……able."

Two copper coins! Even eating black bread, hard beans and rotten cabbage twice a day in the cheapest and crappiest restaurant costs two copper coins!

Katalin couldn't help but intervene, and the veteran told her the cold truth.

"The money is gone, we need to live, I have sold my jewelry, my cart, my armor, my fur coat, my saber, my bearskin hat, my medals, sold My everything, my lord, and now my children are starving on the wet basement floor and I have nothing left to sell.”

At that moment, Katalin finally realized that the once strongest and most tenacious country in the old world had been reduced to ruins, and this was just the beginning of all the suffering. And what caused all this tragedy, besides the damn chaos, was her. The biggest responsible person.

"Your Majesty the Tsar? My Majesty the Tsar, are you listening?" Beria's voice came from far to near.

Looking at the Ersun medal shining on Beria's chest, Katalin shook her head vigorously and barely regained consciousness.

This is not the Bocaha Palace, nor is it her ice palace. Now a reception room of only more than fifty square meters is where she usually meets guests. The Romanov royal family has accumulated some treasures and wealth over the past thousand years, but the distance The grandeur of the Bocaha Palace was already far behind. Katalin sneered. She had no comment on the "restoration plan" proposed by Beria: "Okay, I know what you said."

Beria was a little disappointed. The Ugor looked up cautiously and found that Katalin was not very angry. He felt a little relieved. As a descendant of the Romanov royal bloodline and Miska's ice bloodline, Although Katalin's appearance is not as good as that of Queen Surya, she can still be considered a beauty. Sitting on her throne, the Czarina is wearing a winter turtleneck striped sweater, an ice crown, a bokaha cloak, and a hidden t-shirt. Wearing a long cyan skirt and a pair of brown leather boots, she looks like an aloof and arrogant ice beauty.

Even though she is no longer the Czarina, she is still a high-level ice wizard in the sanctuary! Beria warned himself.

"Beria." Katalin leaned back on the chair. The Tsarina motioned for everyone to go out. She sighed: "Beria?"

"The foreign minister is here." Beria quickly straightened his posture.

"Beria, tell me, I have inherited my father's throne for so many years and I have made so many mistakes, but no one dares to admonish me?" Katalin pursed her lips. The tsarina took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She laughed a few times with a self-deprecating smile: "I have torn apart the team that my father left for me. Felix, Lev and the others, why don't they be more resolute?"

"It is extremely difficult to rule Kislev, a country in the ice and snow. As a king and father, the invasion of chaos cannot be resisted by human beings. Your Majesty does not need to blame yourself too much." Beria put his hands on his knees. On the top, the Ugor man considered his tone: "As for the ministers and generals, they have done their duty. Dimitri, Fedosov, and Konev have all died fighting for their country. Constantine also tried his best, and the soldiers who died in the battle have all done their duty, please don’t blame yourself, Your Majesty.”

Beria really couldn't understand why Katalin suddenly asked this.

This question was very difficult to answer, and Beria immediately decided to follow Talleyrand's instructions.

"If you don't blame me, do you blame the Empire and the Kingdom of Knights?" Katalin smiled bitterly and shook her head: "It's me, it's all me. After I succeeded to the throne, those ministers and generals were always teaching me how to do things, but I finally I hate being directed by others. I am the blood of Queen Miska. I was born with all ice magic and was born to be the leader of the ice witches. So I don’t like being directed by others. I replace them, and then replace them, until I change them. You are obedient, but I did something wrong. Over the years, how many people have I wronged and how many loyal ministers and generals have I harmed? Beria, you are also a party involved. How did you get through so many grievances and so much tyranny? ?”

"Bokaha comes from Kurgan. We people have been bathed in the favor of the Romanov royal family for generations. We can only treat His Majesty with respect and sincerity. We have no other thoughts." Beria paused for a moment and revealed a little bit. Aggrieved expression: "If His Majesty really can't tolerate us, we have no intention of confronting His Majesty. It's nothing more than... leaving our hometown and going to make a living elsewhere."

"Alas, Lavrenti, I have heard these words too many times since I took the throne." Katalin shook her head slightly, and a very bored expression appeared on the Tsar's face: "It's nice to say it, but it's useless at all. I heard it before. I will be very happy if you say this, because I feel that I did nothing wrong, but this won’t work now, it won’t work at all, Beria, do you think this can get rid of the problem?”

Beria's expression changed slightly, but the Ugor man did not lose his composure. He thought that after so much, the Czarina had finally changed.

Indeed, it’s time to add some dry stuff.

"Your Majesty said this, so the foreign minister had no choice but to tell some unpleasant truths."

"Say~speak, it doesn't matter how ugly it is, I forgive you." Katalin nodded repeatedly.

"Kislev was founded around 1500 in the Imperial Calendar. It has a history of a thousand years. Under the leadership of Queen Miska, we settled in a place that was actually unsuitable for human habitation. The queen defeated the Ugor people. Integrating them, the Kislev nation and country have since been formed." Beria said slowly: "The entire kingdom is like a pair of brothers establishing it, with three cities and hundreds of boys, surrounded by darkness. Surrounded by packs of wolves, every step of Kislev's journey was full of hardships and sufferings, but we proved that we are the most tenacious people in the old world, and we are a family that will flourish here."

"Yeah." Katalin nodded.

"The millions of creatures living in the ice and snow are like the children of the family, and the Tsar is like the grandparents in the family. As for us generals, boyars and ministers, we are like the daughters-in-law of the family. Everything can be done. Do your best, obeying the orders of your grandparents and taking care of your children at the same time. This is a hard job. If there is no other way, you can only consider the requirements of your grandparents first and temporarily sacrifice your children." Beria He said slowly: "The people who stayed generally think this way and do the same thing."

"Yes, yes, because the children have been wronged, it's okay to say that if the grandparents are not satisfied, they can change the wife. The wife does not want to be changed, so she can only try her best to meet the grandmother's requirements." Katalin pursed her lips, the Tsarina's With tears in her eyes, she thought of everything she had done since taking the throne, the ministers who had warned her so hard, the marshals and generals who died in battle, and the Krim guards and ice witches who had sacrificed their lives to cover her escape. A vivid face flashed before her eyes, but it was already frozen.

"Yes, it's me, it's all me. I didn't take care of my country, and I didn't be a good grandmother." Tears had blurred Katalin's vision, and her slender fingers wrapped in white lace gloves clenched the seat. Then she gently let go of the handle, and her usually stern and commanding tone finally softened. She raised her hand, and her thick nasal voice sounded along with her trembling voice: "But...but now I understand, what's the use?" ?The country has perished. Those great names and soldiers are either dead or dispersed. I am really not suitable to be a tsar. I am an excellent ice witch, but I am just an ice witch."

With hot tears streaming down her cold face, Katalin finally cried. The Czarina gritted her teeth hard and breathed hard: "Beria, I know I made a lot of mistakes, a lot, but...but sometimes I really I don’t understand, can you tell me what I did wrong?”

"Since His Majesty asked, let me tell you a little bit." Beria sighed again.

Katalin finally woke up, just a little late.

"Your Majesty, as we all know, Kislev is actually not a very suitable territory for human life. It is too cold and remote, and we are always faced with threats from the north." Beria said slowly: "Especially During the Great Holy War, Kislev had been completely defeated once. Although the Great Holy War was victorious and the kingdom was rebuilt, it was immediately followed by the horrific rule of the bloody Queen Katrina that lasted for decades. Let me briefly explain Let’s break down the dilemmas Kislev will face after Katarina’s bloody reign ends.”

Beria made his point clear, breaking the dilemma down into seven categories.

One, the threat of chaos, two, the decay of the army, three, financial depletion, four, corruption and infighting among the nobles, five, the ice witch embezzling national interests, six, the barren land and harsh environment of Kislev, and seven, the low-level civilians are overwhelmed.

"First of all, the most important thing is the threat of Chaos. As Chaos is the only way to go south, as long as Chaos cannot be stopped, everything will stop." Beria said first: "Only by guarding our territory can we survive. possible."

"Since you want to defend your territory, you must have a strong army. Kislev actually does not lack brave and capable soldiers and excellent generals, but the army has no weapons and armor, no walls and camps, no logistics or weapons, no wages, and no food. , how can we talk about combat effectiveness?"

"So if you want to have a strong enough army, you must have money."

"But the kingdom's finances have been exhausted. This is the problem of three, four and five. The first is the corruption of the nobles. In addition, Kislev's basic national policy is Boyer Autonomy. We cannot collect taxes from the nobles. The third is the ice witch. Yes, Your Majesty, you must be very aware of how far the Ice Witches have diverted the country's finances and resources." Beria said seriously.

"...Yes." Katalin nodded painfully.

"But maintaining the army, the Boyer aristocracy, and the ice witches are the foundation of the country. This cannot be easily touched, but the finances have been exhausted, so we can only increase taxes on the civilians." Beria shook his head: "Although the increase Most of the taxes cannot go into the national treasury, but this is the only way. Then there are the sixth and seventh problems. The poor land means low productivity. If the taxes are increased too much and the tax burden is too heavy, the kingdom cannot support it at all. If this continues It’s just a vicious cycle, Your Majesty.”

Katalin understood that this was an almost unsolvable problem.

Attack the Ice Witch Sisterhood? No Tsar would be stupid enough to do this! Furthermore, if there is no Ice Witch, who will deal with the Chaos Wizard?

So take action against the Boyer system? Wouldn't that be tantamount to directly challenging the chivalry system in Britannia?

From the State Duma to the country house, up and down, in all aspects, the Boyers control money, channels for advancement, land resources, food crops, and even church public opinion! Bloody Queen Catalina was successfully overthrown by these people!

Your Majesty, do you want to rebel again?

"So, Your Majesty, sometimes things really can't be your fault." Beria shook his head: "Although your ability is not as outstanding as Red Tsar Boris, you are by no means an incompetent monarch in the history of Kislev. , it’s just bad luck, you happened to encounter Motkin’s invasion.”

Yes, I was just unlucky and not good enough. Katalin finally stopped crying. She agreed with Beria's view from the bottom of her heart.

"But Your Majesty, I know that you have made many mistakes and are not suitable to rule Kislev. But besides you, except for the blood of the Romanov royal family and the blood of Queen Miska, who else can rule Kislev?" Where's my husband? It's impossible for you, and it's even more impossible for others!" But Beria suddenly said sharply: "If you give up, then everything will really be over!"

"But, what should we do?" Katalin was already confused.

"Mrs. Kisler will remember the outstanding contributions that the Bokaha family has made to Kislev over the past hundreds of years. Don't ruin this great family just because of your own weakness!" Beria immediately Striking while the iron is hot, he said seriously: "You just need to do as I say. Haven't you seen the power and power of the Sun King? This is your only chance, Your Majesty!"

"But...but, my noble Bokaha royal bloodline, as the last blood descendant and heir of Romanov, I actually..." Katalin was still struggling.

"Your Majesty! If you are not willing to save Kislev and the Roman royal family, then who else will come?" Beria was angry: "Can those insects govern the country well???!!!"

There was silence in the house.

Finally, Katalin's hesitant voice sounded.

"Then just as you said...let's give it a try."