Age of Arcane

Chapter 291 Paving the Way
Luke picked up the teacup, blew on the cooling air and sipped the tea slowly, giving Agatha time to understand.

After Agatha knew that Mr. Luke was the meteorite, she mobilized all the forces of the Bureau of Secrets in the lower city to collect all the information related to Mr. Luke.Luke played his cards in the lower city, and even Jasmine deliberately let the insider know Dai'er's identity, so Agatha easily got all the actions of Mr. Luke in the lower city.

It's hard to imagine that Meteor took such a short time to complete the control of the lower city, and it was a vacuum period when Princess Dai'er was attacked.You must know that Princess Dai'er's attack was completely unexpected. At any other point in time, he would not have been able to complete such a big move without being noticed. Meteor has once again shown his ability to seize opportunities.

What's even more frightening is that his control of the lower city, unless the empire has the determination to destroy this slum, there is no effective way to deal with it.

Meteor's plan for the small commodity production industrial park in the lower city directly grasped the most basic livelihood of the residents in the lower city, and the empire can't come up with a reciprocal assistance plan at all.

It is impossible for the empire in war to spend a large amount of money to invest in the lower city, and the noble officials don't care about the life and death of the poor.In the entire empire, only Rage City can use international trade to bring a steady stream of orders to the lower city.

If the empire forcibly blocks this investment, it will inevitably lead to riots in the lower city, and then it will have to be suppressed.

Then the whole empire will be in turmoil.

Therefore, the layout of the meteorite in the lower city is unsolvable.

Agatha, who confirmed that she couldn't do anything, said helplessly: "I saw the scale of your investment in the lower city... I have to admit, that is simply a genius idea.

Taking advantage of the characteristics of the lower city gave them hope for life.It not only opened up a low-cost and concentrated special commodity production area for Raging Waves City, but also solved the crisis that could not be solved for St. Lun City.

If this matter is done by another person, I will definitely win him the highest medal of the empire.

But you are the one doing it all!

Let me remind you that the emperor has already murdered you. "

Agatha's thoughts on Luke at this time are very complicated. She believes that Meteor definitely has the ability to lead the empire to create a new prosperous world, but it may also be the gravedigger of the empire.

But no matter what, Meteorite's investment plan in the lower city is of great benefit to the country.Not only does it solve the employment problem of the huge population in the lower urban area, but it also means that once this model is successful, there will be solutions to the new problems caused by the new era.

The biggest problem that the empire is facing now is that there is a backlog of various problems, and there is no good solution?
Meteor proved his governance ability in Raging Waves City, and then proved his governance ability in the lower city.

All Agatha can do is to follow her heart, for the sake of this country, even if she ends up on the guillotine, so what?
Luke was a little surprised when he heard that Augustine had murderous intentions towards him, and then he figured out the reason.

The new era is sweeping the world with a new trend of thought, among which there are different understandings of "country".

Although Augustine the Great was considered an enlightened monarch, his traditional old aristocratic thinking made him value the "home" in the "country".Therefore, no matter how capable a subject is, as long as he threatens the rule of the family over the country, he must be eliminated.

Agatha, on the other hand, considers issues more from the interests of the country, so she can tolerate a person who is good for the country but not good for the family.

Luke understood why Agatha did not have such a strong desire for the throne.

Luke asked Agatha, "How did you know that?"

Luke's calm surprised Agatha, but now the Emperor of the Empire wants to kill you.

"I know my father, he suddenly changed his mind about marrying Dai'er to you, it must be a major change of mind for you.

Dai'er's coming-of-age ceremony ball has very strict protection measures, and many points are arranged offensively, which should be used to deal with Miss Weatherlight. "

Hearing the layout of the palace, Luke asked, "Your Majesty is determined to kill me and Miss Weatherlight?"

Agatha replied: "Probably not yet. After all, the aftermath of killing you is too serious, and the royal knights are not sure about besieging and killing Miss Skylight. I think the royal father should observe closely like this ball and evaluate the consequences of killing you." Risk and benefit ratio, and then decide whether it is worth the risk."

"What would he do if he decided to kill me?"

"The royal knights and palace guards definitely can't do it directly. After all, you are an important official of the empire, and you are related to the stability of Raging Waves City.

Poison!

Or arrange for outsiders to do it.

In this way, Miss Weatherlight will not have enough reasons to avenge you, and the risk can be minimized. "

"It seems that His Majesty doesn't understand my relationship with Miss Weatherlight."

"Probably in the eyes of my father, no matter how strong an individual is, he will not be able to fight against the entire empire. He values ​​Raging Waves City more. If you don't want to confront him head-on, you'd better find a way through this."

Through the information given by Agatha, Luke has a rough solution in his mind.

"Thank you for your reminder, Your Highness. I have something important to explain to you this time. Raging Waves City will form a city militia in the near future."

Hearing such explosive news, Agatha not only frowned.

She knew that there was a huge Ranger Team in the Bureau of Secret Affairs in Raging Waves City, and some of the Ranger Team were tantamount to Meteor's private soldiers.But after all, they are still under the banner of Secret Affairs Bureau, and they are helping to cover up, so they can be accepted by all parties.

But the establishment of an urban militia is tantamount to making this private army public.

"This will increase your risk of participating in this ball. You are angering my father, and he will definitely try his best to kill you at the ball!"

Luke certainly knew the risks involved, telling Agatha: "I have the worst possible response, and I have the confidence to deal with this crisis.

Your Highness, the Intelligence Bureau's intelligence should be able to find that the liberals have been very active recently, and some of them are receiving funding from the Art County United.In the near future, the empire needs a legion that can be pulled to the north to fight at any time. "

As he spoke, Luke took out a map from the briefcase he was carrying and spread it on the table between him and Agatha.

Luke pointed to the symbols and arrows on it and continued: "Now all the shipyards in Raging City are assisting in the construction of the first machine all-metal warship. It is estimated that in three months, the cape district anti-smuggling fleet and Raging City fleet will have The strength of the fleet to fight a decisive battle at sea.

At that time, as long as there was any change in the Northern Territory of the Yate County Alliance, the fleet with the No. [-] machine as the main force could go north to compete with the County Alliance Fleet for sea control.The militiamen of Raging Wave City will take the transport ship and carry out landing operations on the flank of the Allied Army in Yate County, which can greatly reduce the pressure on the Northern Army. "

Agatha looked at the map, thinking about the recent intelligence about her northern neighbors and the liberals.

As Meteor said, after the Confederation of Arte entered the civil war in the empire, their domestic military movement became active.Border frictions are more frequent, which is because the other party is testing the strength of the empire's northern defense line.

The liberals, who have always been severely attacked by the empire, have been gaining momentum recently.Their propaganda in some areas is almost a semi-public form, and it is obvious that some of the local governors have walked with them.

There is also the intelligence agency of the Art Confederation, which has also strengthened its penetration of the empire. They have provided liberals with a lot of money and arms.

However, because the northern army of the empire transferred a large number of elite soldiers to the southern front, the combat effectiveness of the entire northern defenders was severely reduced.Although the empire dispatched troops from various places to supplement the northern border, it will not be possible for the northern border to restore its strength in a short time.

When the northern border was attacked, the only ones who could support the northern border were the Bandit Suppression Corps on the Western Front and the City Guard Corps of the Imperial Capital.

The bandit suppression army on the western front must not be able to move, and it is impossible for the eldest prince to give Alec a chance to get involved in the northern border.The city garrison of Shenglun City guards the imperial capital and cannot be mobilized unless it is absolutely necessary.

Looking at the entire empire at this time, there is no elite army that can move to the front line in the first time.

Look at the strategic layout of the meteorite.

As long as the control of the sea is won, the urban militia of Raging Wave City can land anywhere on the coastline of Art County United, forcing the opponent to deploy heavy troops in the coastal city.The number of militiamen in Rage City does not need to be too large to contain a large number of troops from the Art County Union.

Even if it cannot completely gain control of the sea, having such a mobile elite army can change the direction of the battle at critical moments.

"What support do you need from me?"

"You don't need to give me any support, you can also show opposition and rejection. I tell you this, just to increase mutual trust between us.

Next, I will visit Fania and ask him to provide a regiment of instructors for the city militia of Rough City and help me train this army. "

Agatha understood what Luke meant, she nodded and said, "Fania has many excellent officers, and he can help you much more than me in training the army."

In the battle against the lurking abyss mage in the city of St. Luke, Luke fully saw the combat effectiveness of the fourth division of the garrison army.Although the Rangers of the Secret Intelligence Bureau of Raging Waves City have also undergone military training, they can handle public security battles well, and they still have a lot of shortcomings when they are brought to the battlefield to fight recklessly with the regular army.

Shelley is a good instructor and commander. She is already very good at training the Rangers to this level by herself.However, after the size of the militia increases, more professional military instructors are needed, as well as many officers at all levels.

For military officers at all levels, Luke can recruit excellent retired personnel from all over the world according to the corresponding strategy in the mobile phone.Before they are in place, the city militia of Raging Waves City needs a qualified instructor group to train them, preferably an instructor group composed of officers with combat experience in the northern border.

This can only be resolved with the First Prince Fania.

After Luke and Agatha talked about other things, they were about to leave. Agatha said at this time: "Before the ball, if you have time, you can come to my place. You can't be as casual as you are in the palace when you enter the palace. All opponents, you need to learn standard etiquette, and you also need to practice court dance steps."

Luke spread his hands: "I don't care about this, I never thought about marrying Dai'er."

Agatha smiled and said: "I care! You are my subordinate, if you make a fool of yourself at the court ball, it is me who makes a fool of yourself."

"Okay..." Luke said helplessly, "I will come when I have time."

After achieving his goal, Luke secretly left Tulip Manor, then returned to Copper Mulberry Avenue to show his face around, and summoned Yomington to arrange a meeting with the chief minister of the cabinet.

Finally, in the evening, Luke took his people straight to Silver Manor.

Governor Meteor's return to Raging Waves City was already considered an open secret in the imperial capital by this time. After all, he had summoned many officials and nobles in Sissai Palace, so the news naturally spread.

The eldest prince Fania was very happy that Governor Meteor chose his place as the first stop on his return.Silver Manor prepared a grand dinner, and only Luke and Fania sat on the dazzling dining table.

Fania's most trusted servant and butler were in charge of serving the tables, and no one else, including Sinclair, was allowed to disturb her.

There is bright red wine in the wine glass, and large grains of caviar on the dinner plate.The aroma of food is in the air, and the gramophone is filled with beautiful music.

Fania raised his glass and invited: "To the great emperor! To the great empire!"

Luke raised his glass and read: "To the great emperor! To the great empire!"

After the table etiquette process was completed, Fania asked Luke: "Your Excellency returned to Raging Waves quietly this time, and he must have done a lot of great things."

"I knew I couldn't hide it from the eyes and ears of the First Prince." Luke patted Fania's horse briefly, and then described some things he did when he returned to Raging City this time: "...only when I saw the first machine under construction Only when the metal battleship is launched, can I rest assured. Now the first model that has been built is undergoing sea trials. After the sea trials, it can be delivered to the Raging City Fleet and Cape Anti-Smuggling Fleet.

Next, the Raging Waves City Fleet and the Anti-Smuggling Fleet will jointly attack pirates and threatening sea targets, and firmly control this piece of sea area in the hands of the empire.

A safe route will attract more merchant ships; a strong fleet can open up more overseas territories for the empire and protect our maritime allies. "

Fania is deeply bound to the Imperial military because of its great interest in the military.

In addition to the mainland territory, the Golden Shield Empire also has many scattered colonies overseas.A powerful navy can strengthen the control of the colony, and can also support the expansion of the colony.

This has a very strong temptation for Fania, who is determined to be an emperor through the ages.

"Although I haven't seen the first-class battleship with my own eyes, I know that it is a new type of warship that surpasses other navies in the world by a whole generation. I believe that the first-class warship can bring the empire a large-scale overseas expansion.

If you need any help from me, please let me know.As long as it is within my ability, I will spare no effort to help you. "

Luke immediately proposed to form a militia in Rage City and needed Fania to provide an officer training group.

This was a bit beyond Fania's expectations.

"Form a city militia? Why do you have this idea? Raging City Marine Corps, can't you protect the safety of the city?"

Luke told Fania about his concerns about the northern border: "It is difficult to resolve the war on the southern front of the empire in a short period of time, and it cannot be resolved in a short period of time, and the situation in the northern border is already serious.

If the northern line of defense is broken by the Art County United, the hinterland of the empire will be completely open, and at that time the city guards of Saint Lun City will definitely be mobilized to go north..."

Fania asked: "Is the situation in the North really so serious?"

"The Bureau of Confidential Information has more detailed information. If Your Highness asks for it from His Highness the Eldest Princess, she will not hide such a big matter from you.

In fact, after a while, the northern border will also find clues. "

Fania thought about it seriously.

His greatest reliance on the imperial capital was that there was an army directly under him in the city guard.Once there is a change in the palace, he can directly lead the army to rush into the palace, forcibly take over the Royal Knights and the palace guards, and declare himself legally heir to the throne.

And once there is a crisis in the northern border, the only ones who can go north to fight against the Yate County United at the first time are the city guards of St. Lun City.When the war is stalemate, Agatha is the most powerful in the imperial capital.

Looking at the entire empire now, the only place that has the ability and financial resources to train an elite army in a short period of time is Rage City.

What's important is that Meteor's heart is for himself after all, and he wants to let the city guards of Shenglun City be stationed here steadily.

As for the hidden dangers of forming a militia in Raging Waves City, Fania felt that the advantages outweighed the disadvantages.As long as he sits firmly in the imperial capital and wins orthodoxy, both Meteorite and Raging Wave City will be in his pocket.

"I will organize a regiment of officers to go to Raging Waves City as soon as possible, and when the city militia is established, it will be put into training immediately.

But the size of the urban militia must be limited to less than five thousand. "

For Luke, the more militias the better, but too many will only lead to suspicion.Anyway, the Rangers of the Secret Affairs Bureau of Raging Waves City can expand their recruitment, and Fishbone Island can also train troops.As long as the [-] militiamen are trained well, if you want to expand the army in the future, you can just add people to it.

Luke held up his wine glass and invited Fania: "Thank you for your trust, I will definitely train an elite army for the empire."

The road to forming the urban militia in Raging City is considered paved, just waiting for Rachel's cannon to go off.

Fania then tells Luke about Princess Del's bar mitzvah.

This celebration is definitely a big event for the imperial capital. It not only dilutes the terrifying atmosphere created by the abyss mage in the city, but also promotes the national prestige of the empire.

Now every day, rich and powerful children from all sides arrive in the imperial capital, including princes from dependent countries.

"I don't know what the father is thinking, but he changed his mind temporarily. Maybe he just took this opportunity to consolidate the centripetal force of the empire, so that those hereditary nobles who have not expressed their views continue to remain silent; or he wants to get something from the vassal state, At least let them be honest."

Luke listened to Fania's narration while scooping up a spoonful of caviar.The caviar particles are plump, plump and round, transparent and clear in color, with a slight golden glow in the spoon, very beautiful.

Put it in your mouth and bite it, the taste is Q-bomb...the taste has a touch of wine aroma.

It's not as good as a grilled steak that is charred on the outside and tender on the inside.

Perhaps sensing that the Governor was dissatisfied with the caviar, the waiter at the side immediately bent down and whispered in Luke's ear the correct way to eat caviar.

Luke not only laughed loudly: "No wonder the eldest princess keeps reminding me to learn court etiquette. Fortunately, this time I made an embarrassment with His Highness. If I did such a disrespectful thing at a court ball, I am afraid that those noble children will be punished." Laugh with the princes.

As for why His Majesty changed his mind, it must be a correction made due to changes in the situation in the empire.The empire needs to show strength to maintain stability, and it also needs to allow the vassal countries to continue to maintain confidence in the empire.

Your Majesty has His Majesty's arrangement, we just follow His Majesty's will. "

Luke scooped a little caviar into his mouth again, spread it lightly on his tongue, and slowly crushed the caviar with the tip of his tongue, and then an elegant and delicate breath wafted away.

It is indeed much better than chewing.

"Well, it tastes great!"

Fania also laughed: "With the governor's current status and reputation, those who dare to laugh at you are mediocre people who have achieved nothing.

I heard from Sinclair that you don't have any requirements for food, and you can eat whatever you want in the cafeteria of the Secret Service.Sometimes food is delivered to the office and eaten while working.What you have achieved now is not only luck and ability, but also hard work.

This is what I admire about you.

If you can successfully marry Dai'er, I promise to give you more power and honor. "

Luke said: "The choice is in Princess Dai's hands."

Fania showed a thirst for talents, and actively introduced the delicacies on the table to Luke, looking like a benevolent monarch.

Now that the second prince, Alec, has left the imperial capital, Emperor Augustine seems to have given up the idea of ​​pursuing longevity after experiencing the last incident, and Governor Meteor is getting closer and closer to himself.

The stars are holding the moon, high-spirited, and Fania has the air of sweeping the mountains and rivers once he ascends the throne.

And Luke knew the day of the death of Augustine the Great, and he had time to play with Fania.

A dinner party went on late into the night.

Fania sent his own guard to escort Luke back to the copper mulberry road.

Kailinna didn't get off work. When she heard the door next door, she immediately came out of her office.

Luke, who had drunk too much wine, was a little drunk, and Karina, who came in, stepped forward to help Luke take off his coat, untied his shoulder straps, and poured him another glass of water.

Luke sat on the seat, unbuttoned the top of his shirt, drank all the water in his glass, and asked Karina, "It's so late, why haven't you rested yet?"

Karina replied: "My lord governor, there is an important matter that needs to be reported to you."

"what's up?"

"Master Yomington said that he has already arranged for you to meet Mr. Gabriel Chief Assistant.

At eight o'clock tomorrow morning, Lord Shoufu will be waiting for you in the Cabinet Office.These are the minutes of the meeting between Lord Shoufu and his lord, and they are mainly about expanding the jurisdiction of Raging Waves City and establishing the economic chain. "

Luke took the document, which was the main content of the meeting given by Gabriel.

Luke once expressed his desire to meet Gabriel through Yomington, but he never got a response.

This Chief Assistant's airs are not so big.

Now that it is brought up again, the response will come immediately. It seems that the battle to encircle and suppress the abyss mage has had a great impact on the cabinet.

Most of the intentions mentioned in the document are what Luke wants to talk about this time.In particular, the expansion of Rage City is an urgent need, and of course Luke needs to exchange some of his benefits.

Then let's meet and talk!

(End of this chapter)