Although the two prairie guests have noble status, their skills are sharp, fierce and unambiguous. Their wrestling and grappling skills are skillful and deadly. They have obviously been trained in actual combat.
Firstly, the martial arts style in Serli Grassland is completely different from that in the West Continent. Secondly, the guards and servants who came to the scene did not dare to take heavy blows. Therefore, they tried several times but failed to suppress the two people who were using real fire.
Several enthusiastic guests who acted bravely were injured.
"It looks so familiar, it reminds me of a royal banquet."
Looking at the chaotic corner of the banquet hall, Thales said warily: "Is this it? If someone is killed, the kingdom's secret department can use it..."
"I don't think so," Zhan, who was paying close attention to the situation, shook his head. "The grassland people know that this is their own hatred, and the conflict between foreign guests does not involve Kevin Dill. And the Emerald Celebration brings together guests from all over the world.
It’s not surprising that there are such disputes after drunkenness every year. To say the least, even if there are serious consequences..."
Zhan stopped and glanced at Thales.
"The Emerald City has its own laws, which are fair, strict, and convincing. This is known to all parties on the routes and trade routes. As long as we handle it properly, no one will blame us."
After hearing this, Thales couldn't help but sigh as he thought of his own experience.
"It makes sense. If there was a judge like Brennan in the royal capital, then Anke Bailar wouldn't have no way to turn to me and come to my banquet to kidnap and coerce him."
And you won't give him that sword to trouble me.
Thales held back his unspoken curse.
"I know you are scolding me in your heart."
Zhan En's expression remained unchanged, distant and indifferent:
"But you actually know very well that that is simply not a problem that one or two well-trained inquisitors who adhere to principles can solve."
Thales pursed his lips. Zhan's words reminded him of Cohen's career as a vigilance officer in Yongxing City.
While he was thinking about it, the conflict in the banquet hall changed again. A nimble figure squeezed into the ranks of the guards and instantly joined the battle between the two prairie guests!
Boom! Bang!
The newcomer did not show any superior strength or skills, but he was very lucky. Cha Cha Ka entered the battle just before the offensive of the two parties was about to subside and the new round had not yet started. He was short and received the punch, turned around and swept his legs. The two of them
The guests fell to the ground hard one after another!
The onlookers exclaimed.
The two perpetrators were still angry and were about to stand up, but when the newcomer raised his hand, a sheathed sword flew from the side and fell into his hand.
The next second, the newcomer knocked the two prairie men unconscious with two unceremonious bangs.
The guards saw the gap and hurriedly stepped forward to separate the two men, then helped them up and treated their injuries.
Perhaps it was due to the atmosphere, the surrounding guests cheered and applauded, and the nearby performer also played a "Conquest Song" at the right time.
The conflict was resolved, and the newcomer also turned around and sheathed his sword gracefully. Hearing a tearing sound, Miranda stood barefoot on the ground, frowning and looking at her torn skirt, feeling a little embarrassed.
"Not bad at all, but," Zhan hummed and glanced at Thales, "It's a pity."
Thales was thinking about what to say to show his masterful demeanor, "Oh, no wonder, all my subordinates are at this level." When he heard these words, his expression froze:
What is a pity? How is it a pity? Where is it a pity?
Don’t just tell half the story!
At the scene of the incident, Mallos appeared behind Miranda mysteriously, handed out his coat, and at the same time replaced the eagle in her hand. This made a group of red-eyed people around them eager to take off their coats or coats.
The men let out sighs of disappointment.
"The sword came at the right time, my lord. It's just that I kicked off my shoe just now," Miranda looked at her bare feet with an awkward expression, "could you please..."
Before he finished speaking, Mallos automatically moved out of the way: Glover and Paul struggled to push through the crowd. The former had a button knocked out and a left shoe was returned awkwardly, while the latter had a smile on his face.
With a smile and a stain that he didn't know when he got it, he handed out a right shoe in a graceful manner.
"When did you find it?" Miranda took the shoes in surprise.
"When did you kick them off?" Mallos said expressionlessly.
Miranda smiled and thanked them one by one.
The atmosphere in the Star Lake Guards became more harmonious until D.D, panting, pushed his way through the crowd and held out the third women's shoe flatteringly and expectantly.
"What? It's not this one? Ah, that's it, hehehe, it doesn't matter! Nixi is still behind, lying on the ground looking for it inch by inch..."
When the crisis came to an end, the two prairie visitors in question also woke up and their anger was mostly gone. Maybe it was because they lost face after being knocked down in public, or maybe because the person who took action was actually a girl.
However, one of them broke away from the servant angrily and rushed in front of Miranda to accuse him. However, the Star Lake Guards were not to be outdone. D.D took a step forward, held Glover with his left hand, and pulled Paul with his right hand, protecting Miranda with great courage.
The guest touched the red and swollen place on his forehead and spoke angrily to Miranda in Donglu Prairie dialect. The people next to him quickly translated: The guest wants to know this girl's name and address when he rides on his horse to fight in the future.
After conquering ten tribes on the Giseli grassland and saving ten pieces of pasture, he returned to the Western Continent and gave her five pieces of grassland as a betrothal gift.
Miranda couldn't help but be stunned, trying to understand the other party's words, but the other perpetrator snorted coldly, pushed the waiter away and came forward.
With blue eyes and a red face, the guest straightened his messy clothes and said to Miranda in the common language of the Western Continent. "This girl is beautiful, brave and capable. Will she be willing to come back to the capital with him?"
Seri Grassland, if he is willing, he will swear an oath to his honorary sword now. If he becomes the Khan of the tribe in the future, she will be his concubine. Together they will rule the tribe and Megatron Grassland. If he fails to become
If the Khan unfortunately dies early, the girl can take away half of his cattle and sheep and find another hero to remarry.
As they came and went, the two guests separated by Miranda began to yell and curse again, not knowing whether it was for the girl, or for "Gisseri" or "Duceri". They were about to roll up their sleeves and beat them up, but they were beaten by a pair of
Black-gloved hands clasped shoulders.
"Tell them that I am not a tool for them to compete for appearance."
"As for Caochang and Khan, it's meaningless to me." Miranda couldn't mend her torn skirt, so she simply wrapped it around her calves as leggings, hugging their necks and laughing, "Because I
It’s the Khan on the Snow across the sea of Khan!”
The two prairie guests were startled at first, but when they understood, they looked at Miranda with even more enthusiasm. They were gesticulating and chattering, wanting to become brothers and sisters who were not related by blood, but who were more holy.
Mallos appeared at the right time and praised the skills of the two guests with a smile. He pointed at the plates and dishes on the ground that were affected by their fight. At the same time, he waved his hands. Next to him, the two Exeter guests said "Khan on the Snow"
Before commenting on the meaning of , let everyone pull Miranda away.
The situation calmed down and the warm atmosphere of feasting and celebration returned to this corner.
"It is indeed a good sword."
Zhan on the lookout looked at Miranda, his eyes showed approval, and he spoke again:
"It's sharp and powerful, and it may have miraculous effects."
Thales and Yourong Yan adjusted their collars and straightened their backs in a dark corner where no one could see clearly.
But Zhan changed the subject:
"It's just that the sword has a double edge and it's easy to hurt yourself. If you're not strong enough, it's better not to swing it carelessly."
"Don't worry," Thales curled his lips, "I'm not like someone who carries a sword every day and goes to other people's banquets to give it away."
Speaking of old grudges, Thales and Zhan looked at each other and turned their heads in unison.
"Well, at least we are sure of one thing," Thales exhaled. "My father will not attack the guests from the grassland during the competition banquet, and the knife will not fall from here."
"Well said," Zhan En said sarcastically, "Now the only things we need to pay attention to are the hundreds of other guests. This is like a sudden enlightenment, which greatly reduces the difficulty of our work."
The two were silent for a while.
"Can we stop mocking each other?" Thales sighed, "To be honest, this has greatly increased the difficulty of our communication."
Zhan En chuckled lightly and picked up the hookah.
"Tell me, Thales, what secrets have you and your people uncovered in the Emerald City these days?"
Thales' heart skipped a beat.
"Feel sorry?"
Duke Iris snorted:
"Stop pretending. In the past few days, your subordinates, including that Arlend, even took off their military uniforms to attend the banquet. They tried every possible means to dig holes in the Emerald City and infiltrated the city, searching for everyone from the nobles to the common people.
, commerce, trade, security, military, law, history, and even my sister’s affairs, you are inquiring into every corner... But you yourself can spend my entertainment funds, wandering around the city, looking for trouble everywhere. Do you really think I am
Don’t know what you want to do?”
Thales' expression froze.
Oh oh.
"I thought I had an agreement with you, Thales: in the Emerald City, we will be honest and honest."
Facing Zhan's burning gaze, Thales coughed as he was exposed.
"Well, I, we are busy these days, and you are not free, so I didn't have time to visit your bedroom at night. Well, I can't tell you in private..."
But Jenn ignored his boundaries and continued aggressively:
"But you are making small moves behind my back, trying to find ways to defeat me?"
The Duke of Nan'an put down his cigarette holder and exhaled a puff of white smoke, making his expression even more bizarre.
Thales was a little embarrassed and rubbed his hands.
"Yes, I sent people to investigate and reconnoiter to understand the current situation of Emerald City and search for the weaknesses of Emerald City, because this is what I should do!"
The prince adjusted his mood to sound confident:
"Since we want everyone, especially my father, to see the two of us in conflict and hostile to each other... isn't this normal, appropriate, or even necessary?"
Zhan narrowed his eyes.
Thales turned around and waved without any doubt:
"Since you want to pursue thorns and achieve results, then follow through to the end!"
Zhan En didn't answer, just looked at him silently.
The other party's silence lasted for so long that Thales felt a little embarrassed and had to put down his sore arm.
"well said."
The Duke of Nan'an looked at the Emerald City outside the observation deck and snorted coldly:
"As your apparent enemy, I should also use all my strength to fight against you, block your channels, embarrass your subordinates, hinder your life, and never make it easy for you, to show that we can indeed fight you to the death.
If you don’t reveal any flaws, how can you deceive others, right?”
Not to be outdone, Thales:
"What? Are you threatening me now? Don't forget it."
Jenn continued: "How about just cutting back on your daily meals?"
Food...
Thales promptly put on a friendly smile and changed the subject:
"Don't forget we are just acting!"
He chuckled:
"Oh, acting is just a means after all. It's not good to be too serious and get too involved in the drama. It will seriously affect the efficiency of our cooperation. After all, we still have our biggest enemy!"
Zhan let out a disdainful snort, and then took a puff of his cigarette.
"So, Your Highness and your men have worked hard these days and found anything in the Emerald City?"
Amidst the smoke, the Duke of South Bank looked directly into Thales's eyes:
"For example, is there anything noteworthy that can be used as a handle to overthrow Kevin Deere's house with a fatal blow?"
Thales paused and smiled awkwardly.
"Well..."
Enough to topple Kevin Deere's house, eh, the secret sauce for barbecue?
"We thought we agreed to be honest and honest?"
The next moment, the Duke's momentum changed, and his eyes were filled with murderous intent:
"Tell me, Thales, if you were the king and your majesty, how would you deal with the Emerald City to seize power from Kevin Dill?"
Thales' smile froze.
If you were a king.
How to seize power...
Thales?
The prince looked back at each other silently.
And Zhan En just smoked silently, waiting for his response.
At that moment, many thoughts flashed through Thales' mind.
You are the king.
You are His Majesty.
what will you do?
For a moment, he seemed to be back in the Fuxing Palace again and saw the back of the young man with the crown.
The young man just moved his fingers, and the whole kingdom started to move like a machine, uniformly, like an arm moving his fingers.
his kingdom.
Thales had to reach out and pinch the covenant in his pocket, relying on the bone spurs on it to bring himself back to reality.
The two people on the observation deck faced each other in silence. On one side of them was the banquet hall filled with people singing and dancing, and on the other side was the panoramic view of the Emerald City that was dotted with stars from above.
Finally, Thales sighed softly:
"Yes, I have sent my men over the past few days and indeed learned some information about the Emerald City."
Zhan put down his hookah and looked at him seriously.
"As far as I know, a large number of goods from the entire kingdom are gathered here, assembled, processed, classified, and traded in the Emerald City."
Thales looked serious:
"Then transport it to Gonghai City and go out to sea there, leading to the north, the east continent, or south to the Shark Sea, and vice versa."
This was the topic that Glover finally got to when he came back from the canal area and told a lot of scary stories about water ghouls and cannibalism on the pier, as well as the sea legend of Tide Hunters.
After hearing his words, Zhan En's eyes changed.
"As for those merchants, craftsmen, and handicraft owners, they don't go anywhere. They only believe in the Emerald City and Kevin Deere, and the order and rules here." Thales shook his head. "The secret science can threaten a wine merchant to rebel.
Maybe we can influence some industries through him..."
"Rebellion?"
Zhan was thoughtful.
"That wine merchant, do you really think that the secret science can influence certain things through him, or someone who looks like him?"
"Maybe, just maybe," Thales shook his head, "But the key is that they can't force so many people to defect at the same time, they can't change everyone's impression of the Emerald City, and they can't cut off your already established financial lifeline.
"
Zhan En didn't speak, just nodded silently.
"In addition, the Kevin Deere family has many armed merchant ships in which it has a stake, such as the pirate, um, ex-pirate, Tanganga's Sea Wolf Ship Group."
Thales continued calmly:
"Of course it's still a merchant ship in name, and it belongs to different ship owners. Its scale is not as large as that of the Kingdom and Huigang Navy anchored in the East China Sea Territory, and its combat effectiveness is unknown... but it is enough to ensure your transoceanic trade."
This was the information that Huaiya and Conmuto brought back after visiting various major guilds through Gilbert's reputation.
"As for the Emerald Legion, this is another pioneering work. They have only been established for a long time, have not been exposed to war, and have insufficient training. Their combat power and scale are not as good as the royal standing army. They may not be able to withstand Alaka Mu's Fury Guards charging two
back and forth."
This is the conclusion that Glover, including Miranda, and several good-looking local officers "tried their hands" behind the scenes.
"That's an exaggeration," Zhan suddenly said. "I know how much those cuckolds weigh. If they can withstand half a trip without being overwhelmed, they are worthy of their salary."
Facing such a frank Duke, Thales was a little embarrassed.
"But they have unified command and take this as their job. There is no disadvantage of recruiting soldiers," Thales continued. "If my father uses a method similar to the way Legend Wings disrupts the Blade Fang camp to deal with you, I'm afraid it will be difficult.
At least there are not enough excuses and reasons."
Jenn smiled.
He looked at the young man with interest and seemed to be encouraging:
"anything else?"
Thales also looked back at him.
Zhan looked very calm.
Are you confident?
Or are you ready to go?
"Citizens here."
Thales continued.
"They are different from Yongxing City. In fact, they are different from the citizens of most places I have seen. They are all kinds of workshop owners, including industrial owners, ship owners, merchants, as well as workers, craftsmen, cart drivers, trackers,
There are so many sailors that they are too numerous to count, including the various guilds, guilds, and chambers of commerce that they have formed, so much so that the Emerald City has set up a notary office to handle their matters.
"The same goes for grassroots officials. This is the first time I have seen so many people in the Police Department. The number is ridiculous. They don't think there are enough. They have to recruit voluntary assistants from good citizens. Most of them are ordinary citizens, and their families have property in the Emerald City.
Industry."
This is information that Conmuto obtained through his connections with the Police Department and through finding some old friends here.
Of course, there are also D.D. and Nexi, a group of them who were having fun in the city and found out about it. Of course, it was funded by the public funds of the Emerald City.
"In other places, farmers, herdsmen, and craftsmen depend on the land for a living in the countryside around the lord's castle. If there is no harvest or food shortage, they may protest and revolt. In order not to be overwhelmed by them, the lord may also get involved and cause conflicts.
Ascend to the level of Guardian Duke."
Thales sighed softly and looked at him strangely:
"However, these citizens from all walks of life who have left the land... want to incite them to oppose you and overthrow Kevin Deere. I can only say that it is not the time yet."
Zhan En’s smile continued:
"It's not surprising. Yongxing City, Huigang City... big towns all have such characteristics."
But Thales shook his head.
"After I came here, rumors spread all over the streets of Emerald City. Although the versions are different, the common point is that once I marry your sister..."
Speaking of sensitive information, Thales couldn't help but raise his head and observe Zhan's expression to prevent him from impulsively pushing him down.
Fortunately, although the Duke of Nan'an frowned slightly, he did not act too violently.
"Rumors say that once I marry the Duke's sister and become Kevin Deere's brother-in-law," Thales said cautiously, "then the Iris family will have to bow their heads in the face of the royal relatives named Canxing.
, the royal merchants under the royal family will flock to the Emerald City..."
"To share the market and profits?" Zhan asked with raised eyebrows.
"No, Emerald City is not afraid of anyone coming to divide the market. In fact, you welcome and encourage merchants to come, thinking that this can drive circulation and promote prosperity," Thales denied, "But you spread this rumor, yes, I know it is you.
What I want to let the citizens know is that someone, some big shot, is going to change the rules of the Emerald City from top to bottom."
Zhan En raised his eyebrows.
Yes, this is a rumor. This is the news that Rolf heard in the street wine shops by pretending to be deaf and mute. He relied on the advantage that no one cared about it.
Thales leaned on the railing and looked at the lights of thousands of houses below.
"As a Duke, you can introduce specific administrative agencies into the Kongming Palace, you can willingly pay fines to the trial hall, and you can humbly apologize to the judge. This means that in the entire South Bank Territory, no one is protected by his status and power.
A Duke dares to break the rules that even Iris must abide by."
Thales looked at him:
"It is these rules that the Kevin Deere family took the lead in creating and maintaining, which have shaped the unique order of the South Coast Territory: outside businessmen bring their goods in with confidence, without fear of turmoil or power; local citizens carry a
Even if you have a bag of gold, you dare to go out on the street without worrying about safety or loss; even the rich and powerful aristocrats have to move their chips to place bets on this gambling table according to the dealer's instructions."
"In short, here, no one needs to fearfully observe the mood preferences of the lords, be subject to the randomness of the rulers, and worry about possible unrest. For example, in Exeter, if a king dies, a new one must be replaced.
A new limonite contract?”
Zhan stopped smiling. He stared at the prince closely without saying a word.
Thales changed the subject:
"But once I become a relative of Kevin Deere, and someone naturally higher than Kevin Deere appears in the South Bank Territory, then the established rules can still be followed, will they still be followed? Once the greedy nobles of the royal capital, the Queen
If the merchants follow me and Bright Star to the Emerald City, will they still respect order? Will they not take advantage of their naturally stronger royal power to take advantage of it?"
"For example, with the previous arrest of Dagory Moss, what you want the whole Emerald City to see is that the Bright Star royal family is protecting the businessmen of the Central Territory, and that 'the royal family wants to change the rules you live by'?"
"
Thales sighed:
"This is your purpose for spreading this rumor, and I am a northerner who grew up in Exeter. Oh, I forgot. For the South Bank Territory, the area north of Muhe, including Yongxing City, is considered 'barbaric'.
north'."
Zhan En looked at him with an increasingly strange look.
"I guess, as a result, almost all the merchants, owners, craftsmen and workers in the Emerald City, which can be said to be the vast majority of ordinary citizens, will spontaneously reject me, hate me, resist the entry of the royal family and interfere with the stupid earl who wants me to duel.
I won’t go into details, but the Sunset Priest who expressed dissatisfaction with my marriage a few days ago, I guess he reflected and reflected the wishes of the general public? "
Thales sighed in his heart: On this point, the prince's butts have lost.
"Therefore, go to hell with any bullshit marriage," Thales sneered. "If I really set the goal of marrying your sister and think that I can safely get involved in the Emerald City through the marriage between the royal family and the Duke, then I will be really blind.
Eye."
"Not bad, Your Highness," Zhan En hummed, looking at him with admiration, "Not bad."
Thales took a deep breath.
But that's not all.
Far more than that.
"As for the entire South Coast Territory, from the Duke on down, the traditional high-ranking vassals, whether they are real or honorary nobles, earls, viscounts, barons and their families, all have business and roots in the Emerald City, and their relationships are intricate and cover all walks of life." Tai.
Charles continued.
This is the news that D.D and the dandies in Emerald City have come back from having fun.
"For example, Karabiyan in the Vola Territory and Rasia in the Zeland. These nobles either partnered with a businessman to provide guarantees, or invested in a certain industry to receive dividends, or simply took the initiative to open up a trade route on their own..."
Well, there are also the two Karabyan twin sisters... In order to find out the family business relationship behind it through the Tailors' Guild, Commuto had no choice but to be robbed of 224 gold coins. Fortunately, he had just passed Miranda
Resolved.
“…so their profits and income no longer depend on their traditional lands, but depend to a large extent”
"The prosperity of the Emerald City." Zhan took over the words calmly.
Thales nodded with a solemn expression:
"The prosperity of the Emerald City depends on trade re-exports, rules and order, the governance and protection of the Kevin Deere family, and the prestige you have accumulated in the South Coast Territory for a long time.
"This makes you safe and sound in the traditional ruling order: when the baron and his subordinate villagers are forced to have no other way out by the land, no one will listen to them when they bring out legal principles and cry in the court hall, not even a significant vassal.
When you are willing to arbitrate for him, it will be even less possible for my father to use these people to subvert the land conflicts and debt disputes like Bailar and Doyle at your royal banquet. Not even a single wave will splash here.
, even if there is, it is only a matter of Judge Brennan’s hammer.”
Thales thought of something and was silent for a while before continuing:
"So, the Grand Dukes of Exeter may unite to oppose Charmaine Lombard; the Forrest and Zemuto families in the north may covet Arend because of short-sightedness, pride, and greed.
There is a backward power vacuum; the ministers in the Western Wasteland, including Chroma of the Wing Castle and Bozdov of the Soul Castle, may also be separated from Duke Falkenhauser due to different positions and political views."
Thales only felt that the words he said were extremely heavy:
"But here, the great vassals of South Bank have been involved for too long, are too involved, and are too dependent. Not only can they not be bribed by my father to oppose you, but they will only surround the Emerald City and be tied up by the entire South Bank system.
Together, support Kevin Deere and resist the royal invasion."
"Really? Are you sure?"
Zhan's eyes became sharper and sharper.
Thales stared at Zhan, feeling something deeper in his eyes.
"As for the final counterattack force," the prince spoke slowly, telling the information that Gilbert had compiled and came to him through Huaiya, "as early as the year your father died and you succeeded as Duke
, it was completely wiped out.”
Zhan's eyes moved.
"Nearly ten years ago, that is, in 669, Viscount Gonghai City Sona Kevindir hired a murderer to assassinate your father."
Zhan took a deep breath.
"Your uncle, Viscount Sonar, succeeded half way, but after the conspiracy was exposed, he died in prison," Thales sighed. "I think that was the last counterattack of the traditional land aristocrats of the South Coast Territory."
Of course, if this happened to Exeter, the Northlanders would probably choose Sona Kelvindir as king.
The night wind blew across the observation deck, and Zhan En's eyes were deep.
"It is better to be a friend than to die because of an enemy."
He put out the hookah and put the pipe back into the pot:
"But my father never thought that this sentence could be applied to his own brother."
Thales said nothing and gave the man in front of him a little respect.
"Last point, it stands to reason that in such a big city, there should be only a few more slums like Lower City," Thales continued after a few seconds, "in the Emerald City."
"There are indeed quite a few," Zhan nodded. "It's the new suburb here, and its area is still increasing year by year."
Thales shook his head:
"But it is far less chaotic than the Royal Capital. In contrast, there are many citizens in Yongxing City, but there are more poor people. The area of the Lower City District is several times that of other districts. It can be managed by dividing it into three districts. If they call it
manage."
Thales couldn't help but frown when he thought of the past in the sixth house.
"The Emerald City is rich, with many businesses, various industries, and many jobs. As long as you have hands and feet and are willing to work, you will not starve to death. As long as there is hope, there will not be many people who take desperate risks," Thales sighed.
, "Even the Brotherhood and the Blood Bottle Gang must be cautious under such an order."
"Therefore, it doesn't seem feasible to make decisions from the bottom of the city."
After the words fell, Thales was silent for a long time.
Zhan En didn't speak either. It seemed that at this moment, the two of them were tasting the same thing in tacit understanding.
"This is all the information I know about Emerald City."
Thales sighed:
"In short: I haven't found Kevin Deere's so-called weakness at all."
Zhan En looked at him, his eyes changing several times.
"I really admire you, Jenn, I really do."
The prince's eyes were dark:
"As far as I can see, from military to finance, from politics to systems, from commerce to public opinion, from ruling relations to the bottom society, every part of this city and this territory is tightly connected, interlocking, watertight, and impeccable.
."
"As long as you are still on this land, whoever dares to touch you and the rule of Kevin Deere will be touching the rules of this city, its order, its interests, and its foundation, and they will inevitably have to bear the consequences.
From top to bottom, from inside to outside, people from the entire South Bank made a concerted effort to fight back."
Thales walked to the lookout and knocked on the stone railing of Kongming Palace:
"It's not as thrilling as the Northern Territory, not as rough and toothy as the Western Wilderness, and not as authoritative and heavy as Yongxing City, but it is a real iron and copper wall that is as solid as gold."
The prince looked at the town in front of him and couldn't help but sigh:
"The Emerald City is known as the City of Queens, but some people also call it the 'Queen of the City'."
He turned to Zhan and pointedly said:
"You know, the outcome on the chessboard depends on the life or death of the king, but in fact, the queen is the strongest piece."
Zhan En remained silent for a long time.
"Are you overestimating us? You know, we don't even have a city wall."
Thales smiled.
He patted the railing and felt his palms hurt:
"Yes, without a city wall, its expansion rate cannot keep up with the influx of residents to settle, but..."
Thales thought of the past scene and said with emotion:
"A mediocre monarch builds his city walls with earth and stone. Foreign enemies cannot invade and the castle cannot be destroyed..."
But before he finished speaking, Zhan interrupted him:
"A wise monarch uses the human heart as his city wall, and he is always victorious and undefeated and prosperous forever."
The Duke of Nan'an read this sentence and was slightly lost in thought.
Thales was startled:
"How did you know?"
Zhan looked at him:
"Of course, The Supremacy by Honorable Count Al-Ruhsan."
"He was a military strategist a hundred years ago, a Tuo Luo man with no strength, but he became the military adviser to the wise king Mindis III and the de facto supreme commander of the Star Army. He could even hold a sword.
Since you quoted the words of the Immovable ‘Swordless Marshal’, you should know that, right?”
ah?
"Supreme Strategy"?
Ruh what?
What the hell?
"Oh, Ru, Ruhsang, well, that's right," Thales, who looked confused, had to pretend to be calm, "That's him I'm talking about."
But Zhan seemed to see through him, and saw the Duke chuckle.
"Ruhsan was the commander of the 'Glorious Battle' in the Fourth Continental War. He overturned many established operational thinking and combined naval warfare with land warfare, city defense and field warfare, and coast and plains to formulate strategies. Although he did not
The glorious victory of the Battle of Borasco in Yuan Sail, which stained the sea water red, also made the Morrowind fleet of the Humble people and the Liguban fleet return without success, and the so-called "million army" of the Eastern Continent people was so aggressive.
If the landing fails, we can only withdraw our troops and return home in despair."
"It was also from him that military advisors became a permanent and important position in the Imperial Council, and the Royal Academy of Knights also added strategic planning to its curriculum."
Zhan En changed the subject and his smile disappeared:
"But in his later years, after Ruhsang retired and lived in the Emerald City, his military thoughts became conservative and backward. He was criticized and ridiculed all the time, saying that he was too old and unwilling to make progress. He was frightened by the nightmares of illness.
Courage, the glory is no longer there.”
""Supreme Strategy" is his unfinished posthumous work. Compared with his other works on strategizing and discussing war, this book is not about how to fight, but how to avoid fighting. These days, not many people are willing to read it.
Already."
A loud chorus came from the banquet hall, and it seemed that the competition banquet had reached its climax.
"Uh, yes, that's right," Thales coughed, "That's it, uh, it's very consistent with the current situation of the Emerald City. You don't have to fight, you can't take risks, you can't afford big things, but you let everyone who wants to take advantage of this
The jackals, tigers and leopards cannot eat the bones."
Well, isn't it a bit disrespectful to describe the king like this?
Zhan En's face was as dark as water and he remained silent.
It seems like a century has passed.
"not me."
Zhan finally spoke.
"What? What is not you?" Thales asked doubtfully.
"I mean, it's not just me. It's not even just my father."
The young Duke came to Thales and looked with him at the lights of thousands of families under the Kongming Palace:
"What you see today is from the Golden Age of Stars started by the wise king a hundred years ago, from Duke Federico, the 'parrot' who was laughed at and clumsy by everyone and said he was parroting, through six generations of Kevin
Deal, the seven Dukes of the South Bank, and countless people with lofty ideals worked together. They stayed in one corner but had a long-term vision. They kept a low profile and kept a low profile for a century, and they built the Queen's City."
a hundred years.
Six generations.
Seven Dukes.
Thales changed color slightly.
He understood something.
"The Parrot" Federico, "The Swordless Marshal" Ruhsan.
turn out to be……
Wise Lord Mindis III.
He was not the only great man in that turbulent era.
"Your heart is complicated," Zhan En raised the corners of his lips and raised his arms towards the entire Emerald City, "but this palace is empty and bright."
Zhan glanced at Thales coldly:
"It is compared to your glorious and long-lasting Bright Star Royal Family, compared to Yongxing City that has descended since the Xianjun, compared to the Fuxing Palace that is difficult to rise from..."