I walked around the city again, and when I went back, I entered the Governor's Palace through the side door and went directly to my room at the back.
As for the envoys sent by the governor to negotiate with me, Carlos was receiving them in the front hall.
The reason why Carlos is asked to come forward to receive them first is because, on the one hand, the status of these envoys is not high enough for me to greet them personally; on the other hand, as Carlos, as the first choice to assist me in negotiations in the next few days, he can
Let’s get a rough understanding of our opponent through this reception.
According to the agreement, I was supposed to stay in the back room until the luncheon was over, and then Carlos would report back his thoughts on these envoys. But I finally couldn't hold myself back, and quietly approached the front hall with the rock, and looked at the window on the back wall.
Ge found a suitable angle to continue peeping - let me clarify, I don't think there is anything wrong with my behavior.
Magnificent decoration, dazzling array of food.
How shameful! The lunch they had in the front hall was enough for a battalion of soldiers under my command to eat with a smile. But what can be done! It is necessary to make sacrifices for the predetermined goal.
And my staff officer, Brigadier General Carlos, was holding a wine glass in his hand, with a "sincere" smile on his face, and a "no harm to humans and animals" mark on his forehead, and was getting close to the special envoys.
Carlos is older than us, and naturally has more experience in building relationships with these gentlemen than we do... Being a staff officer is not easy!
On the other side is Moya, who is accompanying the reception. Although he is also responsible for reception, this guy is not very good at talking, and he does not drink alcohol.
Even if the special envoys wanted to communicate with him, they couldn't find any topics to talk about. With a peaceful face, he sat contentedly in the most inconspicuous corner. Although his expression was exactly the same as usual, he was wearing a well-fitted and exquisite suit.
The golden armor of the Protoss made him the focus of attention among the special envoys.
"Brigadier General Moya, I have heard of your name a long time ago." A special envoy in his prime raised his glass and said, "I wonder if I can have the honor to drink with you?"
He knew Moya's name, and it seemed that Carlos had already introduced Moya.
"Sorry." The expression on Moya's face did not change at all: "I am on duty today, and according to military law, you are not allowed to drink alcohol."
"That's right." The envoy who persuaded him to drink was a little embarrassed, but he couldn't put down the wine glass, so he drank the wine in the glass himself: "Then it's hard to force the brigadier general."
"You have to understand our commander of the Moya Army. He has a very strong sense of responsibility." Carlos came over with a wine bottle to refill the envoy's wine and comforted him: "On the eve of this war against rebellion, His Majesty also hosted a banquet for us.
Our senior generals, Zhuang Xing, stood next to each other and drank to each other, but our commander of the Moya Army also rejected His Majesty with the words he just said."
"Haha, that's it." The special envoy nodded in relief: "Commander Moya is really a soldier who is loyal to his duty. I admire him very much."
I felt in my heart that what this guy said was wrong, but I couldn't figure out what the problem was for a while, but Moya, who always seemed dull to everyone, had already spoken.
"Rejecting His Majesty's wine is to serve His Majesty better." No matter what Moya was saying, the expression on his face would never change: "In my heart, Your Majesty's status is supreme, and I don't
I am proud that I refused His Majesty's drink at that time. In fact, I am deeply sorry to Your Majesty for this matter."
The special envoy laughed dryly, his intention to undermine His Majesty's prestige was exposed, and he had to drink two glasses of wine to cover up his embarrassment.
As a brigadier general, if he dares to refuse His Majesty, then His Majesty is no good either - this is the hidden meaning of the special envoy's words.
"Well said!" I cheered secretly in my heart.
In fact, Moya is a very smart guy. Because he has to take care of his younger brother since he was a child, he completely hides his feelings and never reveals his thoughts in front of others. Compared to his younger brother who has always been taken care of and doted on,
He gives people the impression of being unresponsive.
Think about it, can a really unresponsive child wander around in the wilderness for so long and still be able to support himself and a little brother?
The answer is of course no, so I’m sure that in the days to come, people will continue to be deceived by Moya’s appearance – and even pay a heavy price.
"By the way, Your Excellency, Staff Officer." Another special envoy put down the knife and fork in his hand and asked seemingly casually: "Why haven't you met Governor Cohen Keda of the Divine Blessing Knight? Another rumored legion commander—
—Brigadier General Helter is not here either!”
"Don't worry, everyone! Since we all met by chance and came together on the way here, it's normal for Commander Cohen and Commander Geert to go out for something." Carlos turned his head and replied with a smile: "That's right.
——As long as it is during wartime, Chief Cohen requires others to call him major general or chief. Please pay attention to this."
"Really?" The envoy who asked the question smiled lightly and played with the wine glass indifferently: "What will happen if I call you by another name?"
Carlos's face fell silent quickly and clearly. His rapid change of expression surprised me. Several envoys were deeply attracted by his expression, and the atmosphere in the front hall inevitably became tense.
Only Moya was still eating the bun in front of him, without even raising his head.
"Why, why do you ask such a thing!" Carlos lowered his head slightly, his words filled with incomparable pain: "The tragic scene... the bloody earth... the eyes full of pain and despair... those violations
There will be no more pain for those who have the will of the chief... ever..."."
Moya took the knife and cut the barbecue in front of him into thick and thin slices with great concentration...
With a sound of "Dang!", the wine glass in the hand of an envoy fell to the ground.
"Those who go against the will of the chief, they don't even think about it..." Carlos's eyes were blurred, as if he was still immersed in memories, and he murmured: "What kind of person is Chief Cohen? A divine blessing who is on an equal footing with the red priest.
Knight; a legion commander who hanged more than 300 officers from the temple when he first took office; a major general who was rampant in the divine coalition; a commander who beat the demon coalition and fled - against his will
, what will be the consequences?”
Over there, Moya forked another piece of medium-rare, bloody barbecue, stared at it approvingly for a moment, then put it in his mouth and tasted it carefully.
As the muscles on his face undulated and stretched, his peaceful face became ferocious...
"Gurgling", there was a sound in the throat of the special envoy.
"Ah... I'm really sorry. It's my fault. How can I let you hear my boring feelings?" Carlos seemed to suddenly wake up and smiled sheepishly: "That's all in the past, don't mind.
, please drink, drink.”
"Drink, drink." A special envoy glanced at Moya, who was wiping his mouth with a napkin, and said uneasily: "This is just a banquet, a banquet..."
I couldn't stand it anymore, so I pulled up the hem of Shi Yan's clothes and went back to the back hall. I couldn't laugh loudly all the way, it was so hard to hold it in.
To be honest, I was quite surprised by Moya's performance just now.
He, who is usually quiet, could actually cooperate with Carlos so well at the critical moment... I really underestimated him before.
In my mind, his character is still at the level where he is willing to endure everything in order to protect his younger brother, and he never takes the initiative when encountering problems.
This is a sign of growth!
I have to admit that the cruel war is very good at training people. I feel very happy when I see my partners growing up day by day. In comparison, my increasingly bad reputation becomes irrelevant.
After the lunch, I carefully discussed with them the negotiation strategy for these special envoys.
"Sir, I think since they can come, they have already obtained a baseline for negotiation from their respective governors, and what we have to do now is to find out the lowest baseline they can accept." Carlos said with a serious look on his face:
"In this way, we can achieve our predetermined goals at the minimum cost."
Moya on the side nodded: "We can also change the requirements."
"I have already thought about it. There is no need to meet with them today." I chuckled: "I discussed it with Haiert earlier and decided to hold a regiment-level military parade tomorrow. Let's meet at the military parade ceremony! Negotiation is a matter of time.
It’s settled.”
"Finalize it at once? Will it be a bit impatient?" Carlos was a little worried, because the steps we originally agreed on were negotiated separately by province.
"It doesn't matter. Since you have this opportunity, you shouldn't let it go. You can contact them separately tonight and briefly disclose our requirements." I sighed: "If we wait here for one more day, the enemy will
One more day to prepare – I can’t wait!”
"I understand." Moya asked softly: "Boss, do you need me to do anything?"
"Go and tell the logistics officer to exchange the materials in several warehouses in our city. The logistics transportation team will be mobilized to transport the materials from the staff camp to the city. After a short stop, they will be transported to the second place.
The army... goes round and round." I whispered: "We did it all night, we did it secretly."
"Why do you have to be sneaky?" Moya frowned: "With such a large scale of transportation, no matter how sneaky you are, people will find out."
"Of course." I snorted, "I just want them to discover that our army is secretly transporting a large amount of supplies."
"Let them think this negotiation is a ploy to confuse us?" Moya nodded: "I understand."
"Yes! Although we are anxious, we must not show it." Carlos: "Let them worry, and we will take the initiative."
Moya nodded and went out to make arrangements.
Carlos looked at Moya's back and said softly to me: "He has gradually matured."
"Well, what makes me even more gratified is that my staff officer is not overly familiar yet." I smiled and said, "Your performance in the front hall was really just right."
"Compared to us, you, boss, are the more worrying people!" Carlos picked up an official document: "Peeping through the window is not what a commander should do."
"Oh... sir, look, the weather today is really amazing!"
"Hello, sir!" A large group of officers saluted me from the horseback.
I dismounted and returned the courtesy, and walked towards the temporary high platform built on the hillside.
"Are you ready?" I asked as I walked: "The special envoys will be arriving soon. They are all old gangsters. Do you have the ability to scare them?"
"No problem, Chief Haiert has already made arrangements."
I climbed onto the high platform and observed the surrounding environment.
"Where's Geert?"
"Chief Helter is in the training unit." A regimental commander answered me: "He insists on leading the cavalry regiment."
"Really?" I sat down on the seat in the middle: "You don't need to accompany me, you go make arrangements!"
"yes!"
When the fog on the eastern horizon was dyed red by the rising sun, the convoy from the city carried the envoys to the high platform, and the envoys walked up accompanied by Carlos.
From yesterday afternoon to evening, Carlos had contacted these people respectively, which basically confirmed our previous inference - these people have been given full power to handle negotiation matters, that is to say, there is no need to discuss the details of the negotiations with them.
Contact the respective Governor.
As long as the bottom line is not exceeded, an agreement can be reached.
"Sir, Staff Officer Carlos and the special envoy have arrived." The duty officer reported loudly from the side.
"knew."
I stood up from my seat and turned around to face them.
"Major General Cohen Keda, good morning!" Several envoys saluted me in unison and addressed me with their military titles. It seemed that the "shadow" of yesterday's luncheon still shrouded them.
"Good morning everyone, no need to be formal." I said calmly, "I'm really sorry for asking you to come here so early in the morning to meet me."
"Where, where..." a special envoy said modestly: "The purpose of our coming here is to meet with you, Major General. Don't mention it here. Even if you are training troops in the desert, we have to follow you, right?"
"Haha..." I laughed: "You have an optimistic personality, I like it!"
"Where, where..."
"Everyone, sit down." I pointed to the seats next to me and asked them to sit down: "General, I don't like to talk in circles, and under such circumstances, I won't have many opportunities to meet you, so! Let's not say any more polite words.
"
"Yes, General."
"As for the current situation, I believe you all understand it well." I flexed my wrists: "I have clearly informed you of my requirements, now! Just give me the details."
Several envoys looked at each other, and one guy asked in surprise: "General, do you mean to negotiate here? Don't you want us to visit the military parade?"
"It doesn't matter! It's just that the venue is different." Carlos said on the side: "Originally, Chief Cohen wanted to discuss it with you separately, but because we were too pressed for time... no, it was because of cumbersome matters, so we had to meet together.
.Don’t be polite, just ask if you have any requests.”
"Yes! I also understand that being a governor is not an easy task, let alone a dilemma." I said to them gently: "Let's talk! As long as it is a reasonable request, I can do it.
…Then I can satisfy everyone.”
After listening to my words, several special envoys were doubtful. They probably didn't expect that multi-party negotiations could be carried out at the same time!
"So General." A special envoy said helplessly: "Where do you want us to start?"
Oh, it turns out that there is an opening sentence missing.
"Let's do this! I invited everyone here to avoid a possible war." I stood up and walked back and forth on the high platform: "Then let's first confirm whether some of you have the same idea as me."
"Yes, General." The special envoy who just asked the question said: "I am loyal to the family I represent, and my mission this time is to try to avoid war - but General, you also understand that peace is not wishful thinking, it requires both sides.
Put in sincerity.”
"Well said." I praised him and asked several other envoys: "Do you all think the same way?"
"Yes, General, we all mean this." Another envoy nodded and replied: "I personally don't want to hide anything. We have already exchanged views on the way here."
"Since you are so frank, let me tell you clearly. In the current situation, between Luman and me, you must choose to support one side." I glanced at Carlos: "Of course I hope you can support me.
I."
"Yes! The province you represent is right in front of you." Carlos beat the drum at the same time: "For our army, that is the inevitable path to advance. You are all people who know military affairs well, and you will not fail to do so.
Do you understand?"
"Of course we understand." Someone said: "General, please forgive me for the reality. You also know Luman's power. There are risks in supporting you. What advantages do you have to reassure us?"
"Haha, as I just said, your province is very close. Wouldn't it be more dangerous if you support Luman?" Carlos replied with a smile: "It takes less than ten days to capture two provinces.
Province, how confident are you in defending such an army? Maybe the special envoys don’t know that when we attacked these two provinces, there was no reaction from Luman.”
"It was defeated in ten days. Even if Luman wanted to reinforce, it was too late!"
"Yes, Lumann may have wanted to send reinforcements, but he didn't have time." Carlos' head turned quickly: "Your family is so powerful, so naturally you know a lot about Lumann. So, please tell me,
Have there been any changes to Luman’s troops so far?”
Several envoys did not speak.
"He has simply given up on these two provinces. Everyone should know it! The governors of these two provinces are Luman's close people. Such people have been abandoned. You can imagine the status of your families in his heart.
You know." Carlos struck while the iron was hot: "And our Majesty! His Majesty's character is very noble and he will not give up anyone who is loyal to him - no one doubts this, right?"
"But..." A special envoy hesitated and looked at me.
It's my turn to speak.
"Are you asking whether I, the general, can represent His Majesty?" I answered him softly: "I have full authority to represent Your Majesty in this matter, and His Majesty approves of the negotiation result."
Several envoys put their heads together and discussed in a low voice. Carlos and I looked at each other and smiled.
"Okay! General." They finally discussed it, and a guy looked over to me: "We have reached a unanimous agreement, now please tell us your requirements, General."
Just as I was about to speak, the star officer on duty had already ran up to the high platform...
"Report to the commander." He saluted and said loudly: "The preparations for the Second Army Parade Ceremony are complete. Please give the command, sir!"
"start."
"yes!"
I stood on the edge of the high platform and called to several special envoys: "Everyone, come and take a look! We can watch and talk at the same time."
On the distant horizon, the fiery red sun has just peeked out a little. (To be continued)