my wife is a consul

Chapter 907 Learn from the barbarians and learn skills to control the barbarians

The "first batch of steel" came out smoothly, and the quality was excellent. Under the witness of Academician Philip, the first batch of molten steel emitting terrible heat was tested. Of course, it was not the electrochemical method or even the sensing technology of later generations. For testing, it is relatively primitive nowadays to forge it into a billet shape to test its hardness, material, etc.

After a busy day, Academician Philip left with great satisfaction.

This good news will naturally be quickly passed on to several major shareholders.

As for the "Huanghe Industrial Machinery Factory" which is very close to the steelmaking field, the first batch of orders will be for the production of steel rails for steam trains.

The longest railway in the empire will be built from the imperial capital to North Cedon Castle, the capital of the Principality of North Cedon, with a total length of more than 300 kilometers.

The Duke of North Cedon was an extremely enlightened nobleman, as he supported Academician Philip in establishing the Mechanical Department at the university and participating in the "Yellow River Industry". The long-distance railway from his principality to the imperial capital also received his strong support.

Of course, currently, the start of construction of this railway line is still a little far away.

In fact, the empire's first railway, which is about to be built, will run from Huanghe Industrial to the "Lu Gongguan" manor, more than ten kilometers. It can be regarded as a kind of experimental product, an accumulation of experience, and it can also be regarded as a kind of propaganda.

During this process, we will pass through several small towns and villages, and some of the workers recruited from these villages will be the first batch of regular customers.

"Oh, Director Yuan, I heard that you are the first heir in your hometown city-state?" Grand Duke Conrad asked with more interest.

Nowadays, it pulls ten carriages full of passengers at a speed of 14 kilometers per hour, which means it takes almost an hour to get from the starting point to the end of this railway line.

At the end of the exclusive carriage, there is an area separated by a door, which is the guard area, several rows of very compact seats, and space for placing various firearms and ammunition.

Even the elderly Emperor Falcon came to join in the fun and take a ride in this "steel carriage".

In fact, this armed force cannot be called a "musketeer team".

Lu Ming smiled slightly: "It's a technology from my hometown. My hometown has some expertise in the production of firearms because of its long-term fight against Soul-Eating Beasts."

"Director Yuan, your subordinate's musket looks very small..." Kang Ruide looked at Debaya who was standing not far behind Lu Ming.

He was in his forties, in the prime of life, and having a daughter like Princess Constance, the most beautiful woman in the empire, he was naturally a handsome man.

Although the locomotive was nominally imported from the Styx Empire in the north, Lu Ming actually made improvements. Of course, it couldn't be too out of the ordinary.

With bang, bang, bang, and billowing smoke, the train struggled to walk on the railway line.

……

From this, "Director Yuan" entered the empire to travel.

Until the weather has changed dramatically in recent years, the number of soul-eating beasts has been greatly reduced. Last year, the passage between the empire and the southern region was finally opened, but the marauders did not want to take the opportunity to attack the principality of Fort Linton in the southernmost part of the empire, causing the principality to suffer huge losses. , and it was with the help of this "Director Yuan" that the looters were defeated.

Grand Duke Kangruide nodded understandingly and smiled: "Director Yuan brought fresh air to our imperial capital first. No matter what, I want to thank you and express my support for your career..." After thinking for a while, he said : "I am going to grant you the title of Marquis of my Snow Lion Grand Duchy. Are you willing to accept it?"

His status is second only to the Duke. But it cannot be passed down to future generations.

Moreover, the titles under this ancient system have long since disappeared in the long river of history.

But compared to the hand-held firearms of this third continent, this pistol is very small. It's no wonder that Grand Duke Conrad is curious.

The long blue glass table between Lu Ming and him was filled with various rare fruits and delicious pastries.

Diba Ya was dressed in a military uniform that looked like a vintage British Redwood Army aristocrat, but the style was for women. She wore a dark red military uniform skirt and an extremely thin waistband. In the holster was a Han Empire "Type 79 automatic pistol" , this kind of pistol is not the kind of small pistol produced by the Han Empire that is only used for personal use. It has an effective range of meters and is relatively large. It is the "big fat" among pistols.

Just like the eight slave guards on the vehicle today, not only are they all equipped with long and short guns, short guns, micro-ramps, and long guns and fully automatic rifles, they are also equipped with grenades and other individual weapons as standard. This combat team also includes snipers, heavy machine gunners and other combat units.

He is open and honest, and when he has questions, he asks them, and he is not a spy or a hint.

But he may not have seen the wind and rain outside. He grew up in a greenhouse, and his father had extremely high standards for his moral character. He is indeed as honest and kind-hearted as the rumors say.

In fact, the current slave musketeers have been purchasing slaves from the seventy-two city-states for expansion and training. Now they have more than 2,000 people. They are almost a regiment of special forces. The weapons are not even from the second continent, but from the first. The equipment of the special operations forces of the Han Federation Empire on the mainland. There are ten helicopters parked in the hidden part of the manor, not to mention the ones in "Longyuan Realm". In addition, there are some improved motorboats used as air tools. Motorboats derived from the technology of the Han Empire, such as The safety, mobility, etc. during wartime are no longer the same.

Now Lu Ming was in the extra luxury carriage, and sitting opposite him was Snow Lion Grand Duke Kang Ruide. Until now, because many principalities have not reached a consensus, he has not yet obtained the official status of crown prince.

Lu Ming shook his head gently, "It's hard to leave my homeland, and I will have to go back sooner or later. Besides, Grand Duke, you also understand that the tens of thousands of citizens of my city-state also hope that after my travels, I can bring back the power to promote the progress of the city-state."

When spring comes, the railway is officially completed.

In the ancient aristocratic system of the Third Continent, a marquis is a noble without a fiefdom, but his status is extremely high. Usually only non-nobles, such as prime ministers and ministers of finance, who are important ministers, will be awarded the title.

Today, this fierce woman from the extreme southern wilderness tribe is the commander-in-chief of the slave musketry team in Lu Ming Manor.

This made Lu Ming a little overwhelmed, and he smiled bitterly in his heart. It seemed that honest and upright people really deserved respect.

When Emperor Falcon first came to visit, he rode in an extra carriage.

Over there, when Grand Duke Kang Ruide asked, Lu Ming nodded and said: "My hometown has a small population, and it is in the bitter cold of the extreme south. Only when I came to the imperial capital did I realize how vast the world is and how bright spring is..." Looking at the train The green fields outside the glass window sigh softly.

In fact, Lu Ming naturally relied on the mechanical power in the storage ring that he now calls "Long Yuan Realm", which is why he was so fast.

According to the news that Grand Duke Conrad received from his daughter, Lu Ming came from a city-state in the far south that had been separated from the imperial mainland before the proliferation of soul-eating beasts.

With the addition of Lu Ming's exclusive carriage, the speed is almost the same.

These are secret information that the daughter got from Fatima, the lover of "Director Yuan". To the outside world, "Director Yuan" is a visitor from the south of the empire.

As a result, it has been under threat from soul-eating beasts and marauders for a long time.

Grand Duke Kang Ruide's eyes lit up slightly and he smiled: "So, does Director Yuan have any plans to settle here for a long time?"

He is the eldest son of one of the city-state lords and the first in line of succession.

When the soul-eating beasts overran the empire, the empire was cut off from parts of the southern region. At this time, the land in Lu Ming's hometown had access to the southern region of the empire.

Nonetheless, over the past month, the railway line and its locomotives have been stealing the show.

Kang Ruide was extremely curious about the origin of this "Director Yuan" and asked about the "Yuan Family" from the far south.

Conrad was still explaining sincerely, "The words of the Marquis of the Empire need to be approved by the National Assembly. Now I am afraid that it will be difficult to pass my personnel proposal, but I can make decisions on the affairs of the Grand Duchy."

Lu Ming was stunned for a moment.

"Director Yuan, I am definitely not trying to force you to stay here, nor am I belittling your status as the heir to the city-state, nor am I trying to have any ambition for our Snow Lion Principality to incorporate your city-state into its territory in the future. I just seem to see it in you. A shadow of my youth, but unfortunately, I am far inferior to you, and my passion for traveling around the world in pursuit of knowledge has long been extinguished..." As he spoke, Conrad sighed deeply.

"Director Yuan, how about we sworn brothers?" Kang Ruide said suddenly, "In the future, our country will always be a country of brothers and a country of close friends!"

Lu Ming was even more stunned. There was a custom of sworn worship in the third continent.

But the question is, how could this Conrad come up with such a ridiculous proposal.

From his point of view, it was too condescending. The Snow Lion Principality was also a powerful country with a population of tens of millions. Moreover, he had a better chance of becoming the emperor of this huge empire, the Lion Heart Empire.

The status of the heir to his own small city-state with a population of tens of thousands was very different from his.

At least on the surface, there is an insurmountable gap between the status of the two.

"Grand Duke, I don't understand something..." Lu Ming looked into Kang Ruide's eyes lightly.

There was something moving in my heart, because forming a karma with a ruler who legally ruled over tens of millions of people also meant that on the invisible battlefield, my divine power could cover the land with greater efficiency.

"I just feel that you are trustworthy..." Conrad smiled bitterly, "Isn't it still possible after all?"

The guard behind him was stunned for a long time. His master's sudden and ridiculous suggestion made him think that his master, who always had a very step-by-step personality and a very calm personality, had been drugged by the other party.

However, it seems that this country bumpkin was not very willing, causing his master to suffer an emotional blow.

"This is your intuition, but are there any logical reasons that can be explained?" Lu Ming continued to ask.

Kang Ruide was stunned. He probably didn't know what he was really thinking. At this time, he thought about it seriously and nodded: "I don't know why, but I am a little afraid of the future. I hope to find a place for my children, or their descendants." Just have a place to stay, even in the worst situation, you can still have a place of refuge..." As he said it to the end, his tone became heavier, and finally he sighed deeply.

Lu Ming nodded silently. Apparently, Kang Ruide subconsciously realized how powerful and terrifying the Styx Empire was.

Especially after seeing the railway locomotive, I thought that these technologies came from the Styx Empire.

So how terrifying is the current military power of the Styx Empire?

He suddenly came up with the idea of ​​what would happen if the empire was completely defeated by the Styx Empire in the future?

The Snow Lion family is afraid of becoming the biggest scapegoat. Even if the Styx Empire does not require it to hand over responsible prisoners of war, the fanatical people in the country will vent their fanatical emotions on the scapegoat after the empire fails.

"Now that we are working hard to catch up, the outcome is still hard to say."

It was obvious that Kang Ruide understood Lu Ming's words. He pondered silently and sighed softly: "It's a pity, how many people have seen the great changes in the outside world? We just have to obey fate!"

Lu Ming nodded silently. Today, he seems like someone from his true hometown, someone who opened his eyes to see the world in the late Qing Dynasty.

However, within the empire, there are all kinds of struggles for power and profit. In this building that is about to collapse, people are still fighting for their own prosperity, and they even do not hesitate to collude with foreign enemies for the sake of their own prosperity.

He has the possibility of being the future emperor of the empire, but his abilities are limited. Even in his Snow Lion family camp, he does not receive the maximum support. You can imagine the pain in his heart.

"The interests of the enemies are not so consistent. I don't think the Grand Duke has a chance to turn the tide."

"Learning from the barbarians and developing skills to control the barbarians is a strategy."

Lu Ming's words were more straightforward, and they also meant that they had finally chosen a spokesperson for the ambassador in this continent. Kang Ruide looked up at Lu Ming and smiled: "You are indeed my confidant. I must sworn sworn brothers with you, my dear brother!"

Lu Ming smiled: "Okay, brother, but since you and I have a heart-to-heart relationship, the ceremony is not necessary."

The normal ceremony involves going to the Temple of Light and kneeling on one knee under the statue of the God of Light to take an oath.

Naturally, it was impossible for Lu Ming to agree.

Although he vaguely knew that if his camp won the final victory in this battle of faith, the god of light in the third continent in the future would be the immortal throne of Granny Tuolong.

But not now, the gods are not yet in place.

"The most important thing is to be in a heart-to-heart relationship. Okay, haha, my dear brother is really open-minded!" Kang Ruide laughed heartily and said: "The ceremony of awarding my dear brother the Marquis does not need to stick to the formality. There will no longer be an investiture ceremony. When I go back , write a letter to inform the Imperial Privy Council, and ask each club newspaper to publish the notice in a prominent position. I will have the relevant tokens sent to Xiandi Manor in the afternoon. "

Lu Ming smiled and nodded.

Kang Ruide added: "I am still hesitating whether to appoint my dear brother as the prime minister of our principality, but think about it, maybe what my dear brother is doing now will benefit the people of my empire more."

Lu Ming smiled and waved his hand: "Brother, I don't dare to take it seriously. I'm just a businessman investing here, and I don't think that much."

Conrad smiled, said no more, picked up the wine glass and signaled.

……

What Lu Ming didn't expect was that Grand Duke Kang Ruide was obviously in a high mood. He held a banquet for Lu Ming that night. He said it was a family banquet and he wanted to introduce his children to your uncle.

Thinking that it was also etiquette to leave sooner or later, Lu Ming rejected some of his original schedule and happily went to the appointment.

The female companion invited what some outsiders thought was her "lover", the former landlord Mrs. Fatima.

There is no other way. As far as the two "wives" are concerned, Queen Hera needs to retreat for twelve hours every day after she and herself went to Wushan together.

Nowadays, she can enter and exit the fairy mansion where her aura is extremely rich.

Crown Princess Sekhmet followed her in retreat and could benefit greatly.

Grand Duke Conrad's main manor is in the Snow Lion Principality. The manor in the imperial capital is similar to what Lu Ming sees as a "palace". In fact, the manor in the northern suburbs of the imperial capital is not as good as the one built by Emperor Falcon for his granddaughter Princess Constance. The manor is exquisite and luxurious.

But the grand banquet hall has a different kind of noble atmosphere.

The several-foot-high hall has a dome made of stained glass, luxurious chandeliers and candlesticks, and countless snow-white candles flickering brightly. The hall is as bright as day, and the sky is like countless bright stars.

Lu Ming was arranged to sit on the left side of Grand Duke Conrad. On the left side of Lu Ming was the somewhat bewildered Madam Fatima. This exotic beauty, who was like a Persian cat, was lifted up by the tide and received unprecedented honorable treatment. That kind of The vanity of the famous lady in the imperial capital was extremely satisfied, and her snow-white skin was flushed with excitement. However, she was even more frightened that she might have done something wrong, and her sweet dream immediately turned into a nightmare.

On the right side of Grand Duke Conrad sits Princess Sophia, who is also the biological mother of Princess Constance. She is not very old. Like Constance, she has pink hair and a beautiful appearance. She and Constance are like sisters.

Several princes and princesses were there, arranged on the left and right sides of the long table.

Grand Duke Conrad has many children, seven sons and five daughters, but only the youngest daughter, Princess Constance, was born to Princess Sofia.

The princess married a red-haired Redan, a foreign race that was discriminated against in the past.

Therefore, it seems that the atmosphere in this big family is not very harmonious, even in front of his father.

Grand Duke Kang Ruide seemed not to want to cover up his family's shortcomings in front of his "virtuous brother", so all his talented and generous sons and daughters ordered them to come and meet "Uncle Yuan".

The seven sons are all married, and their wives are sitting beside them. Four of the five daughters are also married, but the husband-in-law is not allowed to attend this family gathering.

The eldest son, Prince Bourbon, looked extremely ugly, as did his wife Belinda.

Because before the banquet started, he was scolded by his father and ordered to return the shares of Huanghe Industrial to "Uncle Yuan".

These things, it was the little sister who persuaded his wife Belinda, so he reluctantly accepted them and decided not to embarrass his friend, but now he was scolded by his father.

The pretty face of the princess Belinda, who loved money as much as her life, was even more ashen.

In the circle of celebrities, she learned that the Yellow River Industrial Co., Ltd., where she had obtained shares last year, had built trains and railway lines. She was very excited and waiting to receive the money. She even almost said in excitement that the company belonged to her family.

The results are overwhelming in the blink of an eye.

At this time, the princes and princesses were being asked by their father to toast their "good brother".

The eldest prince, Bourbon, who was the first to stand up, gritted his teeth and remained silent for a long time.

In fact, his father was generous. In order to avoid disputes among his many sons over inheritance rights, he granted Bourbon the title of Duke of Bourbon when he was sixteen.

Bourbon County is the capital of the Grand Duchy of Snow Lion, and it also means that Prince Bourbon has established his position as the heir early.

And once his father is established as the crown prince, he will be the crown prince and the second in line to succeed the empire.

Because of this, his younger brothers and sisters have been afraid of him since they were young, and his mother doted on him before she died.

This was the first time that I was severely reprimanded by my father.

Nowadays, I can’t even express my toast to this “uncle”.

Until my father looked over with a stern look.

Prince Bourbon gritted his teeth and raised his wine glass high: "Uncle, I wish you good health, and I also wish my two aunts good health! Haha, in my empire, no man can have the beauty of my uncle!"

This remark has several meanings. It is a subtle mockery of the country bumpkin’s habit of marrying several legal wives. It is also accusing the country bumpkin of bringing his “lover” to the royal family gathering in a completely unethical manner. Naturally, the “lover” does not receive a speech of his own. , you are not qualified to sit here.

After hearing this, Mrs. Fatima couldn't help but glance at Lu Ming worriedly.

She also felt that she was not qualified to sit here, so the eldest prince ridiculed her. She did not feel humiliated, but she had been talking to "Yuan" for a long time and did not want to come to participate, but he ordered him to follow. Now he is humiliated. , I also have a responsibility. I was blinded by vanity and did not resolutely refuse.

After hearing the eldest son's congratulations, Grand Duke Conrad's face suddenly sank.

Lu Ming smiled, raised his glass and said: "Thank you." He glanced at Fatima beside him, touched the wine glass on her table with the toast, and said with a smile: "You haven't felt particularly healthy recently, little one. You’re not sick at all? Judging from your body’s function, it seems like you haven’t passed any time?”

Fatima said smoothly: "Yes!" It is true that she has these abnormalities in her body, but she always thought that it was because she was in an extremely happy mood recently. She no longer had any worries or depression. As the saying goes, she always smiles and is naturally youthful. .

Lu Ming smiled and said, "Well, let's celebrate with a toast." The so-called toast in this world's etiquette naturally does not mean that you actually drink the wine in the glass, but just take a sip.

Fatima hurriedly raised the glass with both hands, "Thank you!" She was so grateful that her beautiful amber eyes filled with tears.

Lu Ming thought for a moment, maybe it was because his projection in the God Realm was becoming more and more powerful and affecting many people and things.

For example, Fatima, because many people believe that she is their "lover", she has really gained a lot of benefits. It is similar to the kind of thing where many people believe that a stone has supernatural powers and worship it for many years, and gradually it can really gain consciousness and become a life. The secrets of the body are difficult to stop by oneself. Of course, oneself will not be bored to change the cause and effect of these bonds.

"Okay, haha!" Conrad applauded after Lu Ming and Fatima clinked glasses. "Although I can't understand Xiandi's world, you are willing to do so. It seems that Xiandi's lovers are all very happy."

Princess Sofia curled her lips slightly, obviously disapproving, but didn't say much.

Lu Ming smiled and said, "Actually, I still have dozens of wives in my hometown."

Everyone was stunned.

Lu Ming added: "On this point, brother, I'm really shameless, and I often reflect on it, but I always meet people who I like, and it becomes an inseparable fate, so I just let it go and see what others do. Look, I have ignored it, and I don’t hide it from my brother. The most important things I do are all shared by them. As for Fatima, she will inevitably help me with things in the future, so I brought her here today, and I forced her to Come."

While he was talking, he glanced at the beautiful Persian cat-like lady next to him, and thought to himself, she will become his dish, right? Although in front of me now, she is indeed as well-behaved as a pet, but it just gives me the feeling of raising a pet.

Maybe like the myths and legends of her hometown, if she has talents, including the Dibaya-level slaves from a foreign land who can often hang around her, if they themselves have the determination to pursue the road, and have the talent to cross that threshold, they will Become the watchdog of your own fairy mansion, which is the kind of mount the fairy lord has in myths and legends.

What about Gui Yingyang, Yu Ji and the others? If they pursue the great path and have talent, can they be promoted to officials in the Immortal Mansion?

Lu Ming then shook his head and dismissed his random thoughts.

But today, Fatima does need her to help her with some things, so she threatens to let people know that even her lover can come forward on her behalf, and they need to respect her like his wife.

He looked at Conrad and said with a smile: "Brother, I drank too much. What are I talking nonsense about?"

Lu Ming was so frank that others were speechless for a moment.

Especially the men, most looked at Lu Ming with a hint of envy.

There must be two different feelings between being a secretive lover and being able to show off to the world openly and openly with your lovely wife and beautiful concubines.

The next words of congratulations given by the children to "Uncle Yuan" were much more polite. Even after the third prince brought Fatima, the others followed suit and wished their uncle and Mrs. Fatima together. how.

Seeing the light in the third prince's eyes, Lu Ming smiled bitterly. This was an ambitious child and he should be dissatisfied with his eldest brother.

"Uncle, I wish you and my aunts will always be happy!" The last person standing up was naturally the stunningly beautiful little princess. She was wearing a snow-white gauze dress, with pink hair and deep blue eyes. She was an extremely kawaii cute anime girl. , and like a spotless and pure little angel.

Her congratulations were sincere and her big eyes were dazzling. Although it was strange that she suddenly became an uncle and nephew with Lu Ming, she seemed to enjoy this change of roles.

Lu Ming looked at her eyes and smiled bitterly in his heart. This brat would feel confident asking him for help in the future.

She didn't know how much she understood about herself, but she once lent her ten silver coins through Madam Fatima, which was an astronomical amount of money for this world.

Moreover, in front of her father and brother, her majestic Loli queen aura disappeared, and she looked extremely innocent, adorable, and beautiful.

In fact, in the heart of this little guy, there lives a little lion with great ambitions. Where is the super cute little angel who is acting like this now, making people want to hold it in their hands and care for it?

"Thank you!" Lu Ming looked at her and could only smile bitterly. He swallowed the wine in the glass, feeling a little bitter for no reason.