As early as the restoration of Sibia, the farms, fields, and villas within a hundred miles outside the Holy Capital City were all purchased by the royal family at market prices. Near the trade roads, everything remained in its original state, and people walking on the trade roads even
You can see an idyllic scene. But where pedestrians cannot see, there are military facilities established by the Royal Guards. More than ten large military camps formed two defense circles, tightly guarding the place.
In the capital of Biya, there are also training bases for the intelligence system and colleges and universities for various military services, as well as other mysterious institutions scattered in small military camps.
Such a land is completely free from spying. Any stranger who enters this area will always be discovered by countless pairs of eyes hiding in the dark, and the itinerary and steps will always be disrupted by the ensuing "unexpected events"
, they will always be "escorted" back to the trade route... If they don't return to the trade route, they will enter the imperial prison. Over time, the intelligence systems of various countries know that the defense outside the Holy Capital City almost exceeds the Holy Capital itself in some aspects.
.
In a small hidden valley more than twenty miles away from the Holy Capital, there is a medium-sized military camp with 3,000 troops stationed there. The military camp is built against the mountain. The barracks arranged like fish scales rise gradually along the mountain. A two-story wooden building on the mountainside is the military camp.
Headquarters. At this time, there was a person standing by the fence on the second floor looking anxiously into the distance. Behind him were two brigadier general-level officers, and behind them were a dozen personal guards from the Royal Guards - In Sibi
There are not many people in the Asian Empire who can be protected like this.
A carriage surrounded by a team of horses appeared in the distance. Not long after, it arrived at the main entrance of the military camp. After seeing clearly the style of the carriage, the people who were waiting anxiously looked happy and shouted: "Your Majesty is here." They were about to go out, but were stopped by someone.
The general behind him stopped him.
"My Lord," the general said, "Your Majesty has strictly ordered that you cannot go out, not even for a single step."
"I know, I didn't expect that I, Ivar Merlin, would live like this." The count looked at the general in front of him with a dull look on his face and full of complaints, "I am the emperor's father-in-law! This status is indescribable.
The empire has also made considerable contributions, but now it doesn't even have the freedom to go out to meet its son-in-law. You think this kind of protection is any different from being in jail!"
"My lord, please be at ease. Your Majesty said that you are a rare talent. Your talent is too important to the empire and there is no room for mistakes." Perhaps because he had heard such complaints often, the general replied with a smile, "Besides,
Yes, aren’t we always with you?”
"It's true that you are accompanying me." He stretched out his hand to avoid hitting the smiling man. The count could only grunt twice to express his dissatisfaction, "But you can't sing and dance. You are all wooden-headed. How boring!"
"We sing military songs every time before dinner! The sound is so majestic." The general spread his hands innocently, "Also, speaking of dancing! Sir, the training of thousands of people is no better than a few.
Don't you girls look good when you twist your waist and shake your buttocks? Did you know that when our regiment participated in the military parade and passed through the main entrance of the palace, those little girls were still whistling at us!"
"You...you..." After hearing the nonsense, the earl puffed his beard and glared, stretched out his hands and gestured in front of him, "If you were my son, I would beat you with such a thick stick!"
"You can hit anyone." Cohen, who was holding the little princess Qinlun, walked into the room and said to Iva Merlin with a smile: "But! I suggest you use a thinner stick, otherwise you will be tired!"
"I have seen your Majesty." Everyone in the room knelt down. Only Count Ivar Merlin, the emperor's father-in-law, had the right to avoid kneeling. He rushed forward two steps and took the little princess Qinlun from Cohen's hand, boasting.
He kept saying, "Our little princess is getting more and more beautiful. Well, her complexion is much better than last time. Remember to smile often! This is a little girl's privilege!"
"I have to rush back to deal with some things." His Majesty greeted the generals with a smile. It was a rare meeting and he patted everyone on the shoulder to show encouragement. Then he whispered, "We don't have much time, let's get started!"
"Your Majesty, please." Although he was usually full of complaints, when it came to business, Count Ivar Merlin was unambiguous and immediately led Cohen to a secret door. "After receiving your Majesty's order, we have already
Ready."
Behind the secret door is a prototype deep well with a diameter of twenty arms. It is so dark that the bottom cannot be seen. The count selects a few hanging ropes on the wall and pulls them one by one according to a certain pattern. There is a sound of a winch turning from underground.
, countless iron chains hanging in the well began to slide up and down, and a huge iron platform rose from above, and finally connected to the road below with a "Kang Dang" sound.
A group of people walked onto the platform, and the count pulled the rope again, and the platform began to descend at a constant speed. As the depth dropped, passages continued to appear on the surrounding well walls, and bright lights shone from inside. People on the platform could vaguely see the busyness in the passages.
Scene. Based on the depth it has descended, the platform has already descended to the bottom of the mountain, and is continuing to fall underground - that is to say, the entire mountain, and even the ground perpendicular to the mountain, have been hollowed out and utilized. In these
The number of people busy in the underground passage is no less than that of the people in the military camp!
"Your Majesty, it's already a little damp here, please be careful." The Earl, who was holding the little princess, said to Cohen, "This must be your first time here! The dwarves and sandmen are really good at doing civil engineering. This place is well built.
It’s perfect. We have been conducting three major series and twelve small series here at the same time, with a total of more than 100 experiments.”
"The amount of funds allocated to you by the empire is huge. If you don't do so many experiments, I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to explain it to me." His Majesty was in a good mood today and replied with a smile: "By the way, I have seen your accounts and the overdraft is quite serious."
"Well... that's because..." Speaking of the overdraft of funds, the earl was a little embarrassed.
"Your research overdraft is not a bad thing for me. It shows that we are doing research here with all our strength." Cohen looked at his father-in-law, "As long as you have good things for me, the allocation will be doubled next year."
"We have made a lot of good things." The Earl grinned, "But... the current experimental project has used up all the space, and the experimental field on the ground is even more tense. Your Majesty has to help me solve it."
"You really don't know how to be an official! How can you make requests to the emperor in advance? If you want to negotiate the price, you have to see the things before talking!"
When His Majesty Cohen finished speaking, the platform stopped with a "dang" sound, and a passage appeared in front of everyone. Ivar Merlin walked into the passage first, then turned around, his face filled with sincere pride, "This
This is a place I am proud of, an exhibition hall of the fruits of the hard work of thousands of people, Your Majesty, please come in!"
This passage is much larger than other passages. The winding passage is also divided into a dozen small halls by magic barriers. Each small hall displays some transparent cabinets. If you go closer and observe,
You will find that the transparent parts are all different kinds of magic barriers - in such a narrow space, so many magic barriers with different attributes can coexist. This is a miracle in itself. Magicians from other empires on the mainland can never imagine that.
The advanced magic skills they have pursued all their lives will be used by the barbarians in Sbia to make cabinets. This is simply the style of a prodigal!
"Your Majesty, please take a look." The count pointed to a plant in a cabinet, "Do you still recognize this thing?"
"Of course I recognize it. The savior of the dark province back then was wild cassava!" Cohen led the little princess over and said, "It's unpalatable and ugly, but it's easy to grow and very productive."
"Your Majesty has a good memory, but this cassava plant is different." The Earl smiled mysteriously, "In order to meet your Majesty's strategic needs, we have made every effort to improve it. This cassava now tastes great and can be used as an ornamental plant during the flowering season, but its vitality
It is very fragile, the cultivation requirements are extremely high, and the yield is very low. One acre of fertile land can feed a family of five at most three meals. We are going to export this cassava abroad, and the nobles will plant it in large quantities to improve their dietary standards.
"
"Bad guy." His Majesty nodded, "Continue."
"What's wrong with me?" The count shrugged, accepted the emperor's compliment, and went to the nearby cabinet. "This is also a cassava plant."
"Ah!" Your Majesty followed, "What's so special? Can you sing and dance at night?"
"I'm still thinking about it! It's better to have a soprano voice and a soft waist." The Earl introduced angrily: "This is an improved cassava that has reached another extreme. It has strong vitality. As long as you plant one in the ground,
After one month, the root system of this cassava plant can grow to three acres, and it will enter the maturity stage in two months, and it will be highly productive."
"That's all?" Cohen was a little dissatisfied. "Once this kind of thing is obtained by the enemy, it will do us more harm than good."
"If it appears at the right time, they will definitely use it to make military rations, but soon after, they will cry." The Earl nodded, "The key lies in the rotting period of the fruit, five days in the first quarter, the fourth
The second quarter is three days, the third quarter is just one day... After that, those who don’t want to starve to death have to guard the cassava all day long, and don’t even want to go anywhere. They have to run away to relieve themselves.”
"That's good, but what if someone sows the seeds within our own country? Then aren't we doomed?"
"Has your Majesty seen this little needle?" The count took out a small box from the bottom of the cabinet and showed a row of black thin needles to his emperor. "After being pricked by this kind of needle, the toxins on the needle will
It is transmitted through the well-developed root system of cassava, causing a large area of cassava to be poisoned and killed, and all of it is turned into excellent fertilizer within three days."
"Tsk, tsk, what a bad guy." Your Majesty was delighted, "Is there anything else you can show me?"
"Your Majesty, please come with me."
Ivar Merlin took the emperor to another small hall far away, and stopped in front of a transparent magic barrier. Looking through the barrier, he could see that the connected small hall was different from other places. There was only one cabinet in the hall.
A man with a wretched appearance and short stature but wearing a bachelor's robe was waiting in the hall. When he saw people coming from a distance, he quickly knelt down to salute.
Standing in front of the magic barrier, Ivar Merlin solemnly said: "My Majesty, strictly speaking, the things in this have exceeded my knowledge and my conscience. I have been saying to myself,
This is just a study. This thing will always stay here and will not appear anywhere else... If your Majesty wants to use this thing for something, please never tell me. I, I will not be able to bear it and will go crazy.
.”
"I won't tell you any big truths. You just need to know that a knife can kill people and save people." Emperor Sibia raised his head, "Is that person the leader of this research?"
"Yes, I promise to give him the title of bachelor, the status of an earl, and a beautiful woman with wealth." Although there was a hidden smile on his face, the earl commented straightforwardly: "Fundamentally speaking, this person is the same person.
It’s just scum.”
"As long as he is useful to me, then he is no longer a scumbag." Cohen took the lead and walked in. The look of majesty and perseverance coexisted on his face, so noble that people dare not look at him. "Count Ivar Merlin said to me,
Although you don’t come from a good background, you are still diligent in your work.”
"Yes, yes! My Emperor!" The man was so nervous that he didn't even dare to raise his head. "The villain is willing to do everything, no! Everything the villain has is given by His Majesty... The villain wants... to want
I want, I want... that... go to the soup or something..."
"You're too nervous, you'd better retreat first!" Iva Merlin walked up, "Your Majesty, please let me explain."
"Whatever, just make it clear." Cohen looked at the thick layer of soil in the cabinet, "This is what I got for spending a lot of gold coins? Can the soil grow a money tree?"
"Soil is ordinary soil." Iva Merlin stretched out his hand and pointed at the cross section of the soil. "Your Majesty, please look here. There is a layer of black particles here. When these small particles wake up and drill out of the ground, they will become
The thing that is synonymous with terror for any empire - locusts."
Cohen, who was still bending down to observe, was stunned. He straightened up, his face expressionless, "The most important result you told me should be this!"
"Yes, the research on this kind of thing is faster than any other project. I think it is because the vitality of locusts itself is very strong. Since we caught the female locusts overseas and started studying them, their changes are simply shocking."
Iva Merlin explained: "According to the requirements and ideas put forward by His Majesty, we have started branch research and tried to find ways to hybridize different types of locusts, and even hybridize with other species, and the sample in front of us is the most powerful among them.
One kind - it has small sacs secreting toxins in its body. Plants bitten by it will wither within half a day, but it only eats fresh ones, so it will choose another place to eat. It accumulates in groups, repeats itself, and has far-reaching destructive power.
Far more than any other kind of locust. Our experiment on the island lasted only one day, and except for big trees, the entire island was completely bare of vegetation."
"How to use it?" Emperor Sibia asked coldly.
"You only need to transport it to the destination in a concealed manner, bury the egg plate underground, and it will emerge from the ground in half a month." The earl's voice was shaking, "After that, thousands of miles of wilderness will be destroyed, and all life will be in ruins."
"Will it fly into Sibia?"
"It's impossible. The lifespan of this kind of locust is only one month." The count shook his head and said: "Because this thing has destructive capabilities, we were particularly careful when developing it, and finally found a way... to survive all the buried things.
There are no eggs that will hatch into female locusts. This is originally a characteristic of an ant. Only the queen ant takes special care of it, and a new queen will hatch from the egg. All other ants are male - another special feature.
, these locusts don’t eat cassava.”
"What if there is an accident?" After a moment of silence, Cohen continued to ask: "For example, what if other empires catch these locusts, study them, and finally successfully copy them to deal with us?"
"We have already considered that the poison sacs produced by locusts contain trace amounts of naturally grown magic elements, which belong to the dark system." Ivar Merlin took out a scroll like a magic trick, "This is an improved divine purification magic, a
The scroll can destroy all locusts within a radius of one mile."
"Although I asked you to do these studies, are the locusts studied this time really so powerful?"
"Multiple experiments have proven the effect. It is indeed a very powerful locust, more terrifying than an army. But Your Majesty, no matter how powerful it is, it is just a bug. It does not have the discipline and will of an army. It is not subject to our control."
At this point, the earl smiled bitterly, "Even if we tried our best when creating it, it still has many flaws. Even if we release a hundred thousand eggs, it may not be able to achieve the goal we hope for.
, if we succeed once out of three times, we are considered lucky."
"It's already very good to be able to achieve this step. As for the actual effect, it cannot be determined by hard work alone." Cohen turned around and looked at the locust researchers. He didn't say a word for a long time.
After that, he broke the heavy atmosphere and said, "You are a hero. I will give you a mansion, three villas, twenty beauties, and one hundred thousand gold coins!"
"Thank you... thank you..." The wretched man wearing a bachelor's robe kept saluting.
"But you, a bachelor, cannot enjoy these things for the time being." His Majesty Cohen squatted down and said in a voice that could not be refused: "Because the research on locusts must continue, and to study one kind, we must develop corresponding restraint methods.
Then we will study a kind of locust that cannot be restrained...restrain, counter-restraint, restrain again, counter-restraint again...This is a war, you have to win it for me!"
At the end of the sentence, Emperor Sbia's words had frightened everyone present. The wretched man was even more frightened and could not speak. He could only nod his head. Only the little princess was not affected. She lifted up Cohen's cloak and covered herself with a smile.
He hid inside, then emerged and made faces at Ivar Merlin.
"It's done." Cohen finished explaining, then turned around and picked up the little princess, "Give me something to enjoy."
"Happy." Iva Merlin thought for a while, "Your Majesty, why not go and have some snacks? I am very good at my old job." (To be continued)