Why did the lord rebel

Chapter 99 Frost Maple Ridge Diplomacy
The rising sun shines on the brand new Phoenix Camp.

Everything looks golden.

Tent cloth hastily sewn from variegated fabrics, fence wood with broken branches that have not been cleaned up on the surface, and material boxes that are piled high and have not been completely stored...

Everything in this wasteland seems to be in the grand tune of "Thus Spoke Zarathustra," with a golden radiance of new life radiating from its surface.

But in the big central tent of the lord, it was extremely dim.

Because here, several high-level executives of the Igor family are having another secret meeting.

The lord sent someone to wake up from the bed, and when they first entered the tent, Katerina, Master Laurie, old Joel, and the three generals Alice, Clement, and Cousins, who were still sleepy when they first entered the tent, listened to Xia Houyan. After repeating Rocky's words, his complexion changed, and it was as gray as if he had just sipped a bowl of ecstasy.

——There are only a few high-ranking nobles in the empire, including the Grand Duke of Houston and the Grand Duke of Rosario...

But these two masters, one wants to stab in the back, the other wants to use the power of the Igor family to suppress the bandits and use them as spearmen...

In the sinister political environment, the horses of the Igor family couldn't help but feel no sympathy.

And the reason why Xia Houyan wanted to organize this emergency meeting was not because he was too eager to speak like those little leaders in power, but he really needed to discuss with everyone. After this incident, Shuangfengling, in the end, How to deal with the relationship with the Grand Duchy of Rosario!
As he expected, after listening to his account of the whole thing, all the participants fell into a brief silence.

However, Mayor Joel asked:
"Where is that spy Karim Lodge now?"

"I put him under house arrest and sent Chris and the others to guard it." Xiahou Yan said solemnly, "He is a working man who spreads a message, let's focus on the matter of the Archduke Rosario first - we must first make sure that the Archduke is Our friend, or our enemy, this is the primary issue of territorial construction."

Silence once again enveloped the lord's tent.

Tom Lawrence, who came from a declining noble family, could read and write, and also served as a meeting recorder, carefully selected the wick of the lion oil lamp, and did not dare to take a breath in the tense atmosphere.

Since the content of the meeting was at stake, even An Jie, the maid who was extremely close to him, was kicked out by Xia Houyan.

Now, the only people he can really trust are these high-level territorial leaders and the few living dead guards who have proved their loyalty.

——After being deceived by Rocky once without pain or itching, he can be regarded as developing deceived PTSD.

"That, Lord, I have an immature idea..." In the end, Mayor Joel carefully raised his hand after careful consideration.

"Just say what you think, it's all your own." The Lord urged.

Mayor Johnson Joel nodded cautiously, cleared his throat and began to make his point.

The former mayor of Eagle's End, though at times, due to his advanced age, speaks with old-timer ramblings and fragmented memories, his basic argument is simple:
The current Frost Maple Ridge should not rashly become an enemy of Archduke Rosario!
As for the reasons, Mayor Joel believes that there are three:

First, according to what Rocky said, the reason why the lord was able to survive and not be executed by His Majesty the Emperor was because the Grand Duke Rosario really did his best;

In addition, the information on Luna Village provided by the Archduke asked Loki, although it is not completely accurate, but it did help the lord to rescue Miss Katarina - that is to say, even if the motive is impure, the Archduke Rosario has no idea about Iraq. The Gore family also has a great kindness;
Second, as the ruler of Frost Maple Ridge, the lord has the natural responsibility to exterminate bandits, appease the wasteland, and maintain a safe and stable southern situation.
From this point of view, one day, Shuangfengling is going to exterminate bandit cottages like Moon God Village. Grand Duke Rosario did not ask the Igor family to do any extra work that is not part of his duty. ;

The third and most important point is that the Archduke of Houston is now showing his fangs, and even the entire northern trade route in the Land of Soul Splitting may be strangled by the ruler of Rock Creek City!

Under such circumstances, if you offend Grand Duke Rosario and offend the two imperial nobles in one go, the external environment facing the development of Frost Maple Ridge will be a bit too harsh...

——Although Archduke Rosario did have some ingenious things, but adhering to the basic diplomatic rules of far-reaching, close-attacking, and combining vertical and horizontal, Mayor Joel insisted that the current limited strength of Shuangfengling, at least with the The Rosario faction maintains an apparently friendly relationship.

This kind of diplomatic strategy elaborated by Mayor Joel quickly gained the support of Master Laurie and Clement.

And Aaron Cousins ​​and Alice Comstock quickly spoke out against——

Their opinions were equally simple: the famous Archduke Grim Rosario was a decisive soldier and a powerful politician, but he was not a philanthropist full of women's benevolence!

Yes, that's right, Grand Duke Rosario has indeed provided a lot of help to Frost Maple Ridge;
But there is no such thing as a pie in the sky!
Every gift that Shuangfengling got in his hand might have been secretly marked by the Goddess of Fate!
As we all know, Archduke Rosario is an outstanding soldier who has devoted himself to the empire. His biggest dream in life is to flatten the orc land of the Eastern Federation for the empire. Sweep the hole!

For such a character, whether Shuang Fengling is alive or dead, it will always be a tool in his hand, or even a bargaining chip that can be discarded at any time without any hesitation!
Today, Archduke Rosario can induce the lord to remove the demon camps that invaded the empire for him;

Tomorrow, he might send the people of Frost Maple Ridge to the bloody battlefield, or even to attack the Demon Race and the Federation Orcs!

In addition, the location of Soul Splitting Land is extremely dangerous, and Cousins ​​even questioned with reason. If the Demon Race really does something as the Grand Duke said, Frost Maple Ridge and the Igor Family will definitely do it. The archduke Rosario was regarded as the vanguard of the slaughter and gully filling the gully!
——In order to survive, Frost Maple Ridge and the Igor family must not become a watchdog raised by Rosario!

After Cousins ​​finished speaking, he sat back in his seat with a breath of anger, while Alice nodded slightly hesitantly in agreement.

Master Laurie and Mayor Joel, who were refuted, looked at each other with a wry smile and said nothing.

In Alice Comstock's mind, it is obvious that only the lord she is loyal to. This female swordsman does not want the lord to risk his death for Grand Duke Rosario. This mentality is also very understandable;

As for Cousins, even the two old men had to admit that his sonorous judgment was very reasonable.

However, this kind of "Lily Knight" who ignores the interests of the empire and mankind, only considers the gains and losses of his own family, and has absolutely no "dedication" in the knight's oath, is really rare...

Of course, no matter who is very clear, there is only one person who can make the final decision here.

So, all eyes looked at Xia Houyan expectantly.

The lord turned to Katarina, who had been silent for a long time, and asked softly:

"Katrina, what do you say?"

——For the senior officials of Xiahou, the opinion of their dear sister is actually more important than anyone else.

As a result, Katerina just shook her head at him with a gentle smile:

"I'll listen to you."

Xiahou Yan lowered his head silently, licked his lips, and then looked at everyone present.

"Everyone." He said solemnly, and the horses in the tent were all refreshed, "Except for being stabbed in the back by the old Houston thief before, the matter of Archduke Rosario this time is our encounter in Frost Maple Ridge. When it comes to the first diplomatic issue; and in the issue of diplomacy, there is one principle that is eternal: there is no trustworthy covenant between a lion and a man, neither do wolves and sheep have a common desire, and the diplomatic table is always for the strong. And the victor is prepared!"

Everyone nodded in agreement with the useless nonsense of the lord.

"So, the policy orientation of our Shuangfengling will always aim at our own development and growth, and always aim at protecting the lives and interests of the Igor family's citizens." Xia Houyan continued, "This time we will go to Luna. The village owner, Karen Lepegue, reminded me: if you are weak, you will be enemies, if you are strong, you will serve the world. Instead, we must continue to become stronger! Therefore, the core question about how to treat Grand Duke Rosario is how to do it to bring us the greatest benefit!"

"So..." Master Laurie muttered.

"That's why the Empire and Grand Duke Rosario want Lao Tzu's Shuangfengling people to work hard to guard the frontier for them, and make his mother's dream of spring and autumn!" Xiahou slapped the table and said sharply, "The emperor of the empire cut him off. My father, who killed my mother, if they still want me and my people to contribute to the empire for no reason, they are all wishful thinking! We Shuangfengling people only live for ourselves, only for ourselves I will never sacrifice for the benefit of others without compensation! And I will only be responsible to my own people!"

"So, you don't plan to treat Grand Duke Rosario kindly or help him?" Cousins ​​asked hurriedly.

"No, I mean, I have to pay more!" Xiahouyan said angrily.

The crowd was in awe.

"If Rosario proves that he can bring enough benefits to Frost Maple Ridge and my people, then I can totally consider a relationship with him - but 'he is worth it' is the premise of everything!" Lord The lord gritted his teeth and said, "I helped Rosario pull out a demon bandit village this time, so he had better send the so-called 'start-up capital' to me exactly! Malebe , I'm really going to piss me off, I fucking let the corpse tide in the infected area out, no one fucking thinks about it!"

The terrified and frightened people stared at Xia Houyan for a long time, and finally determined that the lord was talking in anger.

"So, it's time to collect the debt!" Xia Houyan looked around and snorted, "We have to contact Rosario to see how much he can benefit us - and his sincerity will determine Shuangfeng. Ling Miku's attitude towards him!"

As soon as these words came out, Cousins ​​suddenly jumped up like an electric shock.

"Why?" The lord squinted at his knight commander.

"Do you want to send someone to contact the Archduke?" Cousins ​​said excitedly, rubbing his hands together, "That's great, Lord Lord, I happen to know that there is a genuine diplomatic talent in our territory!"

Xia Houyan was stunned for a moment, then looked at the participants in the tent.

He always felt in his heart that there were too many "talents" in his own territory.

(End of this chapter)