Dust of History Chapter 35: The duke’s troubles

Asa returned to Bracada and heard that the new commander had arrived, so he immediately went to the city hall. The matter of the general and the five thousand soldiers must be explained to the Duke.

He came to the commander's room, but he saw a handsome, handsome and mighty knight in knight armor, with a clean face and neat golden curly hair, sitting on the commander's seat and staring at him very gracefully. Own. The appearance of this knight, which has nothing to do with this simple and rough garrison, is as neat as the one seen at his wedding not long ago.

Asa frowned and glanced at him, not hiding the disgust on his face, and asked, "Where's Duke Mrak?" It's time to hate him so much.

Clauvis' face was not very good, and he replied: "The Duke will take a step back because of something, and I will be in charge of the command for the time being."

Asa snorted coldly and said, "I would have known that I would be here a few days late. Now I am in a bad mood, and it will be even worse when I see people I hate."

For the first time, Asa felt that status was beneficial. I am the priest of the Magic Academy, what do you want?

Clauvis's face immediately turned livid, seeing that he had exerted a lot of effort to maintain his manners, and he said in a somewhat unnaturally businesslike tone: "I heard that the priest is chasing after those who arbitrarily incited the soldiers to leave. The general is gone, have you caught up?"

"Catch up."

"Then you have been with their troops all this time?"

"Yes."

"So what about their people now? Have you fought Oufu?"

"They're all dead." Asa didn't want to talk nonsense with this guy.

The corner of Clovis' eyes twitched, and he asked coldly, "Are all of them killed in battle? No one left?"

"Yes." Asa also replied coldly.

Clovis swept Asa up and down, and said, "Then how can you come back safely, my lord priest? You don't seem to be injured at all, and your clothes are not even torn. Could it be that those orcs Are you reluctant to hurt you?"

"Uh..." Asa was speechless, and couldn't really tell what happened. "I'm hiding elsewhere."

Clauvis did not speak, his blue eyes were still looking directly at the obvious liar. Asa also looked at him without showing any weakness. The two stared at each other. After a while, Clovis suddenly yelled: "Come here. Take this traitor down for me." Hearing the sound outside, a group of soldiers ran in, but they couldn't figure it out. They all recognized that it was the priest.

Asa yelled angrily: "What the **** are you farting?"

Clauvis's righteous words fell to the ground with a sound: "You are a priest, but you didn't command the priests to stabilize the morale of the army. This caused Sanders to stir up the morale of the army and lead the troops without permission. And if you didn't collude with those orcs, how could you But none of the 5,000 soldiers escaped and you were unscathed? According to reports from the scouts, the general’s troops have traveled hundreds of miles at least. How did you come back so quickly? The scouts just came The report said that an orc wyvern appeared ten miles away, but it flew away after only a shake, and then you came back at this time. How could there be such a coincidence? Don't these evidences prove that you are in collusion with the orcs?"

"This is...well..." Asa really couldn't explain it at this moment. He did come back with a Wyvern, and he really didn't consider these issues.

"I seem to have heard from them that the priest just came back on foot, and did not ride a horse..." A squad leader added fuel to the fire in doubt.

The soldiers were somewhat skeptical. Clovis completely took advantage, waved his hand and shouted imposingly: "Is this not evidence? Grab it, and if you dare to resist, you will be killed."

"Of course it's not any evidence." A man walked in from the outside in time, and a few words with full bearing had the effect of turning the world upside down. "Your Majesty has already ordered the troops to withdraw and intends to sign a peace treaty with Oufu. General Sanders and the five thousand soldiers ignored military regulations and laws, and attacked friendly countries without authorization for their own personal grievances. All of them should have been dealt with according to military law. Thanks to the priest. The hard work of mediation in it did not allow those misbehaving people to damage the relationship between the two countries, and did not cause a greater disaster of war." This person concluded emotionally. "I am truly worthy of being a compassionate and devout servant of God, a pillar of the country and a blessing for the common people."

"Your Excellency, you are here so soon." Clovis' expression was a little panicked.

"Of course it must be fast. If it weren't for the time to stop this misunderstanding. Fortunately, I heard that the priest is back as soon as I arrived, so I rushed over immediately." Duke Mrak waved his hand kindly, telling the soldiers to go out. He looked at Asa and smiled kindly, just enough to express affection and apology. "We are all young people, too impulsive, so sometimes it is inevitable that there will be a lot of offense between words. He doesn't know that we are actually people on the same front. It is not good for anyone to have mutual hatred. Please forgive me, my lord. ’” Turned to Clovis and waved. "Haven't you apologized to the priest yet?"

"Forget it. There is no one else here, so there is no need for boring etiquette. Everyone still doesn't know what's going on." Asa spread his hands. "Okay, I also know that this is not good for anyone. Fortunately, you are here, my lord. After explaining the things here, I will go back to the royal capital to find the bishop. I will avoid everyone here being young and impulsive. "

"That can't be done, my lord priest." The Duke's smile today is very kind and friendly. "The reason for my delay is because of this matter. Your Majesty and the Bishop have an important task to entrust to you. This is a very important task. The Bishop strongly recommends you, and you are the only one who can complete it. I An entourage has been prepared for you to accompany you on your mission to Oufu."

"Ah? What group?" Asa was puzzled.

"The entourage. Accompany you to Oufu to discuss and sign the peace agreement. You are now shouldering the glorious mission of bringing peace to the two countries."

Although it seems a bit troublesome, it is just an additional task, so it probably won't waste much time. Asa frowned and nodded reluctantly.

When Asa left and only the Duke and his deputy were left in the room, the Duke's face began to darken. After a moment of silence, he said coldly, "We must never attack him again."

"But... the evidence is enough. He can be executed immediately on the spot for the crime of collaborating with the enemy. In the 40,000 army, he will never escape." Clovis tried hard Justify your own impulses. "The existence of this person is too dangerous..."

"Killing him may also make us unbearable." The Duke's face became more and more gloomy, and his voice became a little impatient. The shrewd and energetic expression of the past is gone, and now the fat and kind face is full of frustration and anger, making him look like a businessman who has just lost a lot of money in business.

Clovis was surprised. Although he has been with the Duke for a long time, he has never seen the Duke with such an expression.

Being discouraged doesn't seem like a big deal. But the duke is such a sophisticated figure who is scheming, quick-witted and wise, the city is like the sea, and he walks on the cusp of political turmoil, unexpectedly, he also has such a frustrated look on his face. Clovis almost wondered if the sky was falling.

Of course the sky will not collapse. And now the situation seems to be very good, and there is nothing wrong with it. The Duke has now successfully taken over the military power. As long as the plan is followed, the next exciting drama can be staged immediately. So Clovis really doesn't know why the Duke reacted that way.

But curiosity is nothing but curiosity, but Clovis didn't ask. He had already seen some unusual gleams in the Duke's eyes, and he knew better that a good assistant would always talk less and do more. So he immediately went to inform the generals in the army to come and meet the new commander.

The Duke was alone in the room. Facing the empty room, the Duke sighed again.

Then he concentrated again, looked carefully, and listened attentively. After making sure no one was around, he kicked a stool against the wall and smashed it to pieces. At this moment, the kindness and grace that seemed to have become part of his appearance suddenly disappeared completely, and there was no longer the slightest smile in those slender eyes, but a cold light that could tear the person who looked at him to pieces. The majesty and murderous aura displayed on the chubby face was no worse than any general who fought on the battlefield, slashed his sword immediately, and killed countless people.

But the next moment, after venting, the Duke's face returned to its original state. When the other generals and Clovis returned after a while, they could see a very kind, kind, personable and friendly Duke. Of course, there was a trace of fatigue that could not be concealed.

According to the duke's self-cultivation, it is true that even if there are great setbacks and frustrations, he will never show them on the outside. And with his cultivation base and means, even if there are any difficulties, he can definitely deal with them without leaving any traces. So one of the reasons why he is so abnormal is that this setback is not just 'big', but a bit outrageously big.

The setback is that the agreement between him and Oufu failed because of this kid's intervention.

The duke's plans go back several years. When he learned from Sedros that he planned to establish an orc city-state, he immediately expressed his extreme support. The Duke not only needs to give Cedros a lot of material help, but more importantly, secretly find a way to block any news of the city's construction from reaching the imperial side.

Concealing the news of the establishment of a city-state completely, such a difficult task is extremely dangerous even for the duke. Although the two are friends. But for those who do great things, no friendship is greater than a relationship of interest. Since the Duke is willing to do this, it can only be because of greater interests and future.

At that time, the Duke had just received this incomparably noble title, but he also knew that his official career had basically come to an end.

Although he is indeed very capable and resourceful, all the bureaucrats in the empire will not be his opponent if they play tricks together, but his fame has indeed no way to advance. As a low-level nobleman with no background, it is already a miracle that he can reach his height, but no matter how many miracles there are, no background means no background, alone, no matter how brilliant the political means are, it is impossible to compete with those rich and powerful families struggle. Even if he married the Erni family, those hereditary nobles with deep concepts only wanted to use his abilities, and would not really treat him as one of their own.

As for the military, although according to his ability, it is possible to slowly reach the peak of power. But in the peaceful age, that speed was too slow, completely unable to satisfy his urgent and huge ambition.

If you want to rise to the top, there is only one chance, and that is war and crisis.

Only in the critical moment of the empire's survival can he fully demonstrate his superb ability. Oil and water.

And a city-state of orcs suddenly appeared out of nowhere on the wild highlands that had always believed to be the territory of the empire. This will definitely attract the attention of the military, which has always wanted to use military exploits as political capital, and war is absolutely inevitable. But as long as Sedros is fully prepared, as long as the orc army has a certain scale, as long as it is under the leadership of General Gru. The Duke believed no more that the troops of the Empire had a chance of victory than that eggs could eat people.

A complete defeat in the battle with the orcs will immediately plunge the government and the public into chaos. Taking advantage of this opportunity, I use my daughter to marry into the Erni family, and take advantage of my good relationship with the military. With the ambiguous status of being regarded as "one of my own people", coupled with some skills and well-known abilities, he can be entrusted with important tasks when the country's survival is in danger.

After taking over the army, the battle situation is purely show nature. As a condition for helping Sedros, what the Duke asked for was this kind of cooperation on the battlefield.

Of course the battle must be won, but it will never be smooth sailing, and injury and bloodshed are inevitable. The terrifying fighting power of the orc army is already well known, and it is the real general style to survive and reverse in the face of danger. But the dead, wounded, and defeated may all be those generals and troops who are not easy to control and hard to buy. Such damage is absolutely delightful, too.

Winning can't be too thorough, it's enough to recover from a crushing defeat. Sedros would never agree to lose the precious orcs he had tried so hard to keep. Those big-eared monsters that are not easy to manage are excellent cannon fodder.

After the armies of both sides had stalemate on the high ground for a period of time, the diplomatic strategy arranged by Cedros began to take effect, and the diplomatic pressure from various countries would naturally force those politicians to cease fighting. And at this time, I can use some subtle foreshadowing planted in advance to transform myself from a battle hero to a peace messenger, and promote the negotiation of a peace agreement. Of course, this kind of transformation requires ingenious performances and methods. With the cooperation of allies, the Duke will handle it without any trace.

In the end, of course, everyone is happy. The successful establishment of Oufu is no problem. With his own military power in his hands, his achievements are incomparable for a while, his political capital has increased dramatically, and his dissidents have almost been eliminated. It is a trivial matter for one person to be under ten thousand people, the key is to lay the foundation for bigger actions and broader prospects in the future...

This is really an incomparably grand strategy with a subtle and profound layout, a unique vision, and an absolute art strategy. Even the Duke himself is proud of the plan. There are many aspects to be considered in the implementation of this plan, the details to be taken care of are cumbersome, and the layout requirements of large and small must be carefully coordinated and taken care of. Looking at the whole world, probably only a sage of scheming and political means like the Duke can complete it.

But this is definitely an extremely dangerous operation. As long as there is any leakage of secrets and the arrangement is appropriate, one mistake will immediately lose everything. Neither the imperial government nor the Erni family will allow the existence of a person with such deep and dangerous scheming, just like no matter how generous a person is, he would never dare to live with a poisonous snake, even if his means are ten times better There is only death with no room for turnover.

So he implemented it carefully all the way, guarding like walking on thin ice, killing anyone who might leak the secret, and seeing Oufu build up day by day, looking forward to the perfect ending day by day.

But he never expected that just when he had put in countless efforts and was about to reap the fruits of success, a foolish and stupid country boy appeared out of nowhere, which made the whole plan a series of ramifications. A huge change that he can't even imagine now.

The Duke didn't care about this kid when he first came out, but he was just a deserter, so he just killed him. He has cleaned up this kind of irrelevant garbage a long time ago.

But I don't know if it should be called an incredible coincidence or what, the bishop actually intervened. The Duke was a little surprised, but he was not in a panic. The bishop has always ignored political affairs, and he probably just spoke for him on a whim. And with my own means, I can handle this kid properly with a few words, and he is still a waste, which will not have the slightest impact on the overall situation.

Going down again, I unexpectedly discovered that the relationship between the bishop and this kid was unusual. Now the Duke began to be a little interested, maybe this is not a waste, but a very good chess piece, a chess piece to win over the Bishop. But when he tried his best, the Duke was surprised to find that this guy was completely indifferent. Whether it can be used or not, and when it is destroyed, it is not dared to destroy it. It is obviously against the rules of the game, but it stands there, and the whole situation tends to become uncontrollable.

What happened next made the Duke even more dizzy than expected. The bishop, who has always been indifferent to political affairs, suddenly said that the emperor asked for peace talks, which greatly accelerated the arrival of peace, and made it too late for him to take over the military power to show his glory and make contributions to eliminate dissidents. That's not all, the candidate for the peace talks became that kid under the strong recommendation of the Bishop.

The plan that took so much painstaking effort to carry out at the risk of ruin turned out to be nothing~IndoMTL.com~ A person who is ten times more educated than the Duke may not be able to get angry. And that's not all, there are more headaches behind.

The duke wasn't very worried when the kid acted like he didn't want to get involved in the circle of power. But now the bishop suddenly wants to focus on training that kid. But this kid who can't be killed or won over has mastered his own great secret, which is undoubtedly the sword of Dakmoris hanging above his head. From then on, every move must be scrupled, restrained, refrained from doing something, fearful, and restrained... Such a situation is absolutely unbearable for the Duke. His subtle methods, A good reputation, so many foreshadowings, and endless ambitions...

So now the Duke is very depressed, annoyed, and irritable. He even wished he could tear that kid into small pieces with his own hands.

But a duke is a duke after all. No matter how bored and irritable he is, it will never affect his noble rationality, so once he arrives here, he uses supreme concentration and self-cultivation to suppress all emotions, and he is very graceful and skillful in handling tense scenes and The atmosphere is dissolved.

Emotions will never solve any problem. No matter how difficult the problem is, only carefulness, rationality and practice can finally solve it. It's just such a huge problem that the Duke knows he's going to be busy for a while.