Lord Witch, please don't resurrect me again!

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Chapter 81: The secret to longevity is fishing

The general's exhortations before he left must be extremely important, Leoric pricked up his ears to listen.

The general said to Leoric: "Leoric, you are now the commander-in-chief of the Northern Expedition. My military seal is in the drawer. It will be yours after I leave. Take it and you will You can call yourself a 'general'."

"But today's Northern Expeditionary Army is quite different from a few months ago. We have more weapons and equipment, more food and grass, a city, and more allies."

"Let me count, what is in our army? There are half-blood elves, there are demons, and militiamen. I also heard that there are some small tribes of barbarians who want to pay tribute to you and make you the new barbarian king. If that’s the case, then add the barbarians.”

"Leoric, leading a coalition army is a very difficult task, not only courage is enough."

"There will be more and more people behind you in the future, not to mention the distribution of benefits - after all, we haven't finished the war, and it's not time to share the cake. Let's talk about the most basic logistical issues, tens of thousands of people! People eat horse chews, how much does it consume every day? Weapons, armor, saddles, boots... It gives me a headache when I talk about it. These are big problems, and if they are not done well, something will go wrong."

"So the first thing is to do a good job in logistics. Don't expect the rear to give you any help. Those guys, it's good if you don't make trouble! It's good if they can get one-third of the supplies they promised. , just one-third of this, and more than half are defective products."

Leoric nodded, and couldn't help but think of a question that he had a long time ago: NMD, the plateau people are so weak, why dare they dare to go north?Betting on national luck?Or has it really reached the point of "no fight"?

To be honest, if it weren't for me, the "Heavenly Man", let alone the Crow King, he wouldn't even be able to pass the level of Wild Wolf City.

The general said: "Second, since you are a general, you can't do it yourself all the time. You have to learn to be lazy."

ah?Is the general going to teach me how to fish?Does this still need to be taught?

The general smiled and said: "I heard that you have been working overtime with Siya recently? This is not acceptable! The general's energy is very precious, and it should be kept in the most important place. You see, I am over 70, and I am still so energetic , because it saves energy."

Hearing this, Leoric Mose suddenly realized—oh!It turns out that the secret of your health and longevity is fishing!I learned!

"You have to learn how to employ people. A good general must use the right people in the right place! If you do everything yourself, you can't do anything well."

"Yes, I have been taught."

The general said, "That's all I'm going to say. Do you have anything else to ask? I'm leaving tomorrow, and it won't be too late to think about it later."

Hearing this, Leoric couldn't help saying: "General, I have a doubt. This matter has troubled me for a long time, and I would like to ask for advice."

"Say." The general picked up the wine glass.

"Northern Expedition, who decided this matter?"

General Akkad's hand holding the wine glass trembled slightly, and a few drops of wine spilled on the table.

"Of course it's the king's decision!" he said and drank it down.

"You didn't object?" Leoric demanded.

The general was silent.

"Hey, why are you asking this?" The old man looked a little embarrassed.

Leoric frowned, and said in a more serious tone: "This is no small matter, General! Since I have become the leader of the Northern Expedition, I should know the details of this army. Who am I fighting for? The king? The people? Nobility? Or myself?"

"This one……"

"What is the strategic purpose of the Northern Expedition? Wild Wolf City? Compete in the middle of the earth? Set foot in the northern border? Recover the plateau? Or..." Leoric said in a deep voice, "For show?"

The general smiled wryly, and said, "Leoric, for a young man in his twenties, you are too smart."

"Okay, I can tell you the cause and effect here, but don't tell others about this."

"Otherwise, our father and I will not be able to eat and walk away."

Then, he told the story behind the Northern Expedition.

It was said that in March of the previous year, the king found him out of the blue, and asked him straight to the point if he would lead his troops to the Northern Expedition?

When General Akkad heard this, he thought to himself: Have I offended His Majesty the King in any way?

From a righteous point of view, the general of the plateau people must go to the north, and he cannot refuse such things as recovering his homeland.But in terms of strategy and tactics, this Northern Expedition is absolutely impossible.As Leoric said before, how do you fight if there is no one who wants people, and no money if you want money?

The king held the old general's hand and held a long talk all night—a whole night!After dinner at night, until the rooster crowed the next day, the general was sleepy enough.Even so, the king still refused to let go, and wanted to drag him to have breakfast together, saying that the murloc had offered a batch of seafood, which was so fresh that he hurried to taste it.

If the young man is fine, but General Akkad is in his 70s, and he can't bear to stay up all night, so he quickly said: "Your Majesty, your body is worth a thousand gold, and you can't stay up late like us vulgar people. I beg you to go quickly." Rest, if you fall ill, I will be guilty of a heinous crime, old minister!"

Unexpectedly, the king smiled and said: "It's okay, I have insomnia, and I can't sleep all night."

What the hell are you doing to develop patients?

The general will not accompany you, just use the army as an excuse.Let's not talk about it after staying up all night. The key is that the king came back and forth with only a few words, such as "the plateau people want to recover their homeland!" There are words like "If we don't fight in the past, the barbarians will definitely come in."

If the general was a hot-blooded young man, he might have believed it, but he is already seventy years old, not to mention that he is mature, and he will never lose his mind because of impulsiveness, and agree to such a thing of death.

Unexpectedly, the king found the general again the next day, and said that they wanted to have dinner together. Today, the mutton from the boat was all black goats from the southwest islands. They were live and raised on herbs.In addition to mutton, there is also the famous valley white wine "Pale Virgin", which the general must try.

General Akkad didn't want to go. He knew that he would definitely talk about the Northern Expedition, but he was greedy. After all, mutton is very rare in the swamp, and traditional plateau people prefer beef and mutton. There is still good wine, and the general's will is shaken.

That night he went to the banquet again, but he didn't eat two bites of meat, and was held by the king for a long talk, begging him to go north.

Seeing that it was getting late, General Akkad was afraid that His Majesty the King would drag him all night again today, and after drinking some wine, his mind was very hot, so he said directly: "Your Majesty! The Northern Expedition is a narrow escape, if you ask My opinion, I absolutely disagree. But the old minister has already sworn allegiance to you, if you are determined to let me go, just make a decree! At that time, I will lead the army to the north. If I win, it will belong to all the plateau people Glory; if I lose, I will die with glory."

The king burst into tears when he heard this, and said, "Brother Akkad, do you think I don't know that the Northern Expedition is going to die? We are monarchs and friends, and I don't want to force you! I will give you all the food, grass, and troops." And all the resources I can mobilize...ah, let me put it bluntly, this battle has to be fought."

Akkad asked: "What does His Majesty mean by this? I don't understand."

The king said: "The so-called Northern Expedition is false to the outside world, but true to the inside."

The king took a sip of wine and said, "My vassals don't like me very much as a king anymore, and the young nobles think differently from me. Our country looks like a complete good ship. The ship, in fact, is rotten inside, full of holes, and if you apply a little pressure on the outside, the deck will crack."

Speaking of this, a fierce light flashed in the king's tired, yellow, cloudy eyes.Then, he continued to say in that drowsy voice: "Lord Jagober and Nicholas, they think that the northern expedition of the plateau people is hopeless, and it doesn't matter whether the homeland is recovered or not. They have more than once I have expressed my opinion. Instead of looking north to Middle-earth in Wangbei City, it is better to turn your head and look south. There are rainforests, beaches, coastlines and islands to the south of the Great Swamp. We should turn 'Wangbei City' into a new border fort, and then continue south In this way, we will have a more stable gate, and the barbarians will not be afraid when they come, and the barbarians will not look down on this dilapidated place in the south, so maybe they won't come to attack us."

The general was so angry that he sneered and said, "Absurd! This is more than self-willing to degenerate, it is simply forgetting our ancestors, and the land is not infinite. If we keep giving in like this, then we will eventually become fish in the sea!"

"That's the truth, but many people agree with this rhetoric. The Northern Expedition is nowhere in sight, and the hometown is getting farther and farther away. People have waited for 200 years, and their patience has long since disappeared."

The general was silent.

The king is right, even for a hawk like him, the greatest expectation is to "keep the enemy out of the country".As long as they can hold the land south of Wild Wolf City, it is considered a victory. As for attacking Wild Wolf City and then going northward, it is tantamount to nonsense.

"So I have to put the country on the right path."

At this time, the general could barely understand the king's intentions, but he couldn't accept it: this was too extreme, war was not a child's play, and once it broke out, the consequences would be disastrous.

"Is there no other way?" asked the general.

The king didn't answer his question directly, but said: "You have to know one thing, the king you are loyal to, the blood flowing on his body is not a pure highland royal family."

"This... the old minister has also heard about it." General Akkad began to regret why he was greedy for this roast lamb.

"If our family were pure-blooded plateau nobles, my body would not be so weak." He smiled wryly, "But it may be because our family committed the heinous crime of killing relatives and kings, so I was cursed. "

General Akkad hurriedly said: "Your Majesty, please don't say that!"

"There's nothing you can't say, it's a well-known fact!" The old king laughed. He lowered his head, and the bloodshot eyes looked particularly frightening.

"Kinslayers, regicides, godslayers! That's how the Nashbruts became royalty. After the Highlanders arrived in the swamp, my ancestors slew the cowards, the fallen gods, and their own thirteen relatives and their children.”

"At that time, my ancestor Schnathan said: 'Follow me, down-and-out losers, only I can take you back to your homeland and back to the plateau!'."

"From that moment on, we were kings."

The king looked to the north of the dining room, where there was an oil painting with snow mountains, hunters and ice wolves on it.

He said: "Recovering the homeland represents the legitimacy, justice, and sanctity of the king's regime."

"Once we look away from the North, it means the death of the regime."

"Speaking of which, can you understand, General Akkad?"

The so-called country is the sum of the interests of all people.

The so-called king is the person who represents the interests of the majority. He leads people to the future, so people follow him.

If the Southward Movement diverts people's attention, if he becomes the "leader", then the old king looking north will lose its meaning.

……

Time to go back to the present.

After General Akkad finished telling the story, the food on the plate was empty, and the wine in the glass was almost empty.He hiccupped and said, "Okay, Leoric, are you satisfied?"

Leoric nodded, this is different from the plot he guessed, but the difference is not big.

The strategic purpose of the Northern Expedition was to "transfer internal conflicts."

The various contradictions between the king and the nobles, the central government and the local government, the plateau people and other races have reached the point of irreconcilability, and only a war can solve the problem.Although the old king is old and weak, there are still three catties of nails on the rotten ship, and the nobles and the military can be mobilized by relying on the banner of the "Northern Expedition". After a few years, the old king and General Akkad are both dead. The next thing is troublesome.

After the king's death, the throne will pass to Princess Tevis.It is said that Princess Teves is very talented, but she is a woman after all, women have inherent disadvantages in politics in this era, and Teves is so young and lacks her own team, she will fall into a predicament of being alone.

As soon as the general died, a new "legion commander" had to be elected. There was no suitable person on the king's side.However, there are several "famous generals" on the noble side. Can these people be put aside for now? The eldest son "Nags", "Flo the One-Eyed" and so on, they have indeed made some real contributions in suppressing bandits, suppressing rebellion, crusade against pirates and rebels over the years.Once General Akkad retreated, a new commander-in-chief of the legion would have to be elected. Once this position was given to someone from the "Southern Movement", the king's army might not be able to keep it.

If there is a fight, the situation can improve.

If you are lucky enough to win, it goes without saying that the people sent by the king will return with victorious appearances, sweep away all political obstacles, maintain the legitimacy of their rule, and thus extend the life of the royal family for 20 years—the general said Back home, just to do this.Clear the obstacles behind, suppress the arrogance of the aristocratic faction, let them turn out their hearts, lungs and intestines, dry them in the sun, wash them, and tidy them up!From now on, be a honest and loyal minister!If you still have bad intentions, have you seen the head hanging on the gate of the city?That's the Crow King!Can the necks of you guys be harder than the Crow King's?

However, thinking of this, Leoric's logic suddenly broke, and he asked, "What if we lose?"

Leoric asked this question endlessly, and the general was also very puzzled, "What lost?"

He said: "If the Northern Expedition loses, won't the king send it next?"

The general didn't understand the word, but from the context he understood Leoric's meaning.

The general pondered for a while, and replied blankly: "But we won."

This is even more strange, how could the general say such a thing?He's not a crazy gambler.

Leoric wondered: "I mean, what if you lose? Didn't the king and you stay behind?"

The general showed a meaningful smile and said, "Of course I stayed."

"But it doesn't make any sense to talk about this matter, and it will put you, me, Shia, and even His Majesty the King and Princess Tevis at great risk."

"So, let this hole card be buried under the dust of history forever."

The general didn't continue to talk about this matter. Although Leoric was curious, he couldn't ask any more.

It was not until several years later that Leoric learned of this "hole card" by accident.At that time, this battle-tested legend couldn't help sighing:

"No wonder a sick man can be the king for so long, so fucking cruel!"

……

The next morning, General Akkad quietly left Wild Wolf City with four followers and a carriage.Leoric obeyed the general's wishes and told no one.Before leaving, Leoric asked worriedly: "General, if the king's faction gains power, they will definitely liquidate those nobles. Will they jump over the wall in a hurry? Would you like to take more people there, so that it will be safer."

The general laughed and said, "Just those bastards? They dare not! They were terrified when they saw me, let alone we won the battle now! You see, I'm just a bad old man, but I have the Northern Expeditionary Army behind me, and you This vicious God of War! Who the hell dares to move? Leoric, don't worry, those two old men, Jagober and Nicholas, only have the guts to make money, but they don't have the courage to fight!"

Seeing that the general spoke so confidently, Leoric did not stop him.

The old man walked forward a few steps, then suddenly turned around, slapped his head, and said, "Oh! I'm so old-fashioned. I talked so much nonsense last night, but I forgot important things." He said quickly Step up to Leoric.

Leoric asked curiously, "What is it?"

The general said: "Leoric, you have to hide your other identity, especially in front of the royal family."

Leoric wondered: "What other identity, how can I have another identity?"

The general showed a subtle smile of "I understand!" and said, "You should not have another identity. How could you be the heir of the demon wizard Miklos Andrew? So what I said was just talking to myself. You can just listen to it."

Oh, this setting!If you don't tell me, I will forget.Leoric recalled what happened when he first met the general. At that time, Leoric used the "Teachings of Slaanesh" to get rid of Pushila. Sanguan, so I made up a touching story of "the son of the devil, regardless of previous suspicions, joined the Northern Expedition Army incognito and devoted himself to the country", which can be said to be very outrageous.But this incident also indirectly made the general acquiesce in many outrageous behaviors of Leoric - after all, he is the blood of the first Mages, so it is normal to order outrageous things!

At this time, the old man mentioned this matter again, and he said to Leoric: "People in Wild Wolf City have never seen the world, so they can be fooled, but if you meet people from the royal family in the future, you can be careful. Succubus also Well, hellhounds, these are demons, and they will inevitably become suspicious when they see it. If the royal family knows your other identity, it may... be very troublesome."

Leoric nodded and said, "When I go to the imperial city, I don't need to take them with me."

"Yes, yes, that's fine. When you really become the lord of one side in the future, even if the royal family is suspicious, they won't do anything to you. Okay, it's okay, I'm leaving."

"Good luck to you, General."

"good good good good……"

Looking at the back of the general going away, Leoric suddenly felt a little sad. Although the general is returning to his hometown in good clothes, the journey is far away, and his hometown is thousands of miles away from Wild Wolf City. When we part today, I don’t know when we will see each other again?

When things are settled, I must go back and see this old guy, Leoric thought to himself.

……

The old man went all the way out of the city in a carriage.

There are large fields of wild flowers in the suburbs, the birds are singing and the flowers are fragrant, and the butterflies are flying. Akkad hums a little tune from his childhood, and he feels very comfortable.It will take about ten days from here to the swamp, General Akkad told the two attendants, don't worry, let's walk slowly.Take a rest when you are tired, camp on the spot, or find a place to stay. In short, there is no need to worry.

Those four attendants were all veterans who had followed him all his life, and one of them asked him suspiciously, "General, you are impatient, do you sometimes say you are not in a hurry?"

Arkad laughed and said, "Yes, I've been anxious all my life, and now it's time to rest."

They stopped and went like this, day and night alternated, the sun and the moon turned, and the wheels of the carriage kept turning.The old man thought to himself: How long has it been since I have been back to my hometown?ten years? 20 years?I don't know if my little broken boat is still there, and if the shop selling fishing rods is still open?My children must miss me too.