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(Today's update is here.)
Chapter 263 "Three Birds with One Stone"
Poor Hamuye had been tossed aside by Du Wei for two days straight. Hamuye was furious at first, but as an experienced politician, he managed to control his anger and even issued a strict order to forbid his subordinates from causing trouble in the Duke's Mansion.
Otherwise, those rough and sturdy grassland warriors under his command would have already started a fight with the guards of the Duke's Mansion after holding their anger in for so long.
Now, under Hamuye's strict order, the prairie people were still well-behaved. However, for a dignified envoy to have to pay out of his own pocket and send people to the surrounding restaurants to buy food …. This was probably the first time in history that such treatment had happened.
At that time, the restaurants around the Duke's Mansion, after receiving a hint from the Duke, tripled their prices in the face of these "fat sheep" that had delivered themselves to their doorstep. This could be considered as a small profit.
"They've been quite well-behaved these past two days." Du Wei stood on top of the tower, hiding behind the windowsill as he looked down at the tents below. The prairie warriors stood guard outside the tents while Hamuye was very well-behaved. Every day, he would send someone to ask Mard if the Duke's experiment was over and if the meeting could begin.
Every time he asked, Mard would give a perfunctory reply: "When the Duke is done with his work, he will naturally come to see you."
But then, he would add, intentionally or unintentionally, "The Duke said that he would like to ask you to reconsider the draft of the agreement. Since there's nothing to do these days, if you have any constructive suggestions, you might as well think it over carefully. When the Duke has time, he will immediately bring it up. It won't be a waste of time. "
In other words, we'll set the price as high as the sky and you'll pay us back on the spot. But in the end, you'll still have to state your conditions.
But from the looks of it, Hamuye wasn't in a hurry. It seems that he was determined to drag this out with Du Wei.
"It seems that angering him won't have much effect." Du Wei sighed and looked at Philip: "What other tricks do you have up your sleeve?"
Philip thought for a while and said with a smile, "Sir, we are just testing the other party's bottom line. From the looks of it, the results have been pretty good. "
Du Wei rubbed his nose and nodded. "You're right. If the people of the grassland were really tough, they wouldn't have been able to tolerate our negligence. It seems like they don't want to fight either. "
"They probably don't want to fight, but they are in the wrong this time. Their army came to our territory, so no matter what, it's their fault. However, it seemed that they didn't want to pay any compensation. They don't want to fight either, so the prairie people are willing to let this drag on. "
"Then … why don't we be a little tougher?" Du Wei stroked his chin and smiled slyly.
"I think it's about time." Philip was a little worried. "After all, we don't have the strength to start a war right now. If you really piss him off … "
"But we have to get some benefits and compensation." Du Wei shook his head.
•
Philip, the aide, did not have any good ideas. This stalling tactic was already a good strategy. In any case, he didn't want to fight, and the other party didn't want to fight either. Moreover, he had already put out a "harsh" condition. When the time comes, whether it's the pro-war faction or the pro-peace faction, they wouldn't have anything to say to Du Wei.
How about … brainstorming together?
Du Wei also understood the logic of three stooges being better than Zhuge Liang. Although Philip's growth was amazing, but he was still leaning towards the orthodox way of thinking. Unconventional ideas weren't his forte.
As a last resort, Du Wei simply called for the generals under his command for a discussion.
Longbottom, Dadaneier, even the brave little 250 Gada (who has now been promoted to Longbottom's deputy), Uncle Alpha, Old Smoke, and so on … ….
"Today I called everyone here to discuss how to deal with this Hamuye." Du-Wei looked at his subordinates and smiled: "I know, this kind of political strategy is not your forte, but … … Brainstorming, maybe our way of thinking is too conventional, and you all can come up with some strange ideas."
The generals thought for a while, but the little 250 Gada was the first to speak up.
The man had a murderous look on his face as he lowered his voice and said, "Your Excellency the Duke … Don't they send people to the city every day? We can send people disguised as bandits or local bullies to teach them a lesson. Injure a few of them, and if necessary, kill a few of them. Let's see if they can keep their cool!"
Du-Wei looked at the little two hundred and fifty and sighed helplessly. Picking up a pen, he handed it to the little two hundred and fifty: "General Guetta, take this pen. There is a corner over there, you can go squat there and draw circles … …"
Then Du Wei looked at Longbottom: "Dear General, do you have any suggestions?"
"How about we find someone to disguise as an assassin and assassinate this Hamuye? This guy is very difficult to deal with. Even if we don't kill him, we can at least injure or seriously injure him. Perhaps the prairie people will send another emissary to deal with this Hamuye."
Du-Wei stared at Longbottom for a moment, then handed him a pen and pointed to the corner: "Dear general, why don't you go and accompany Guetta to draw … …"
When Du Wei looked at Old Smoke, Old Smoke didn't wait for Du Wei to speak. Instead, he smiled bitterly and said: "My Lord … I'll have to trouble you to give me a pen as well."
Thinking for a moment, Dadaneier suddenly opened his mouth: "Perhaps … I have an idea. But I'm afraid General Longbottom will have to cooperate. "
"Oh?" Du Wei's eyes lit up.
Dadaneier then came up with a strange idea:
"Now that Hamuye refuses to open his mouth, we are all competing in patience. Your Grace, you're right to leave him hanging. But Hamuye is not a fool. The key is that we don't have enough chips in our hands. He also understands that the empire doesn't want to go to war. So even if we leave him hanging, he will have nothing to fear. And dragging this out day by day won't do us any good.
My Lord, forgive me for being blunt. In this negotiation, no one wants to go to war. So at least the two sides have reached a consensus on this point. Then there are two big problems.
First, we can't offend the pro-war faction in the capital! Therefore, they had to negotiate peacefully. But it's best if the other side comes up with a 'peace' and not us. If we take the initiative to ask for peace, then the pro-war faction in the capital will blame you for being weak and betraying the empire. This will leave a stain on your future political career. The best scenario would be for the other side to take the initiative to ask for peace. This way, we can pretend to be tough and accept. In terms of public opinion, we will also receive support. If the other side gives us a way out, then we can take advantage of it and the pro-war faction in the capital won't be able to attack us. "
Du Wei's eyes flashed with a hint of a smile as he looked deeply at Dadaneier: "Go on."
Dadaneier coughed and continued: "That was the first problem, and now the second problem … Eh, the second problem is the advantage! Logically speaking, the other side is in the wrong this time. If we want to negotiate, then we should ask them to pay some compensation. The more compensation the other side pays, the more face you will have as the envoy. If word gets out, the prairie people will lower their heads and pay compensation. You can also earn some reputation and political achievements. But the problem now is that the other side doesn't seem to want to pay any price and only wants to delay. He knows we can't fight. So even if we pretend to be tough, he won't be afraid. This Hamuye probably didn't want to pay any benefits and just wanted to deny this matter. But in this way, as an emissary, you didn't get any compensation. That's too unreasonable. No matter what, we have to make the other side pay. If we don't get any benefits, then we can't do it. "
Du Wei's smile became even more strange: "Well, the two problems you mentioned are actually one: How can we make the prairie people take the initiative to ask for compensation?"
Dadaneier gave a strange smile and scratched his head: "That's what I meant. However … there are gains and losses. For this matter, if we simply ask for compensation, they will definitely not agree. How about … we use the method of an exchange! We can make a deal with them. As long as we get some benefits, that's all. "
Du Wei nodded and looked at Dadaneier: "You don't need to beat around the bush. Just say it, what is your plan?"
"Sir, have you forgotten? On the prairie, there is a cavalry division of the empire! 20,000 cavalry soldiers, although not a lot, it is not a small number either! The empire spends a lot of money every year to raise this cavalry, but most of the money is wasted on long distance supplies. To the people of the prairie, the army stationed on the prairie was a thorn in their side. But in my opinion … this army doesn't have much meaning! How about … we withdraw it! "
As he said this, Longbottom suddenly shouted and glared at Dadaneier: "What did you say! Withdraw it? Are you kidding me? If it weren't for this 20,000-strong army, those guys on the prairie would be even more unscrupulous! "
Dadaneier smiled and looked at Longbottom. He said calmly, "General, if it was when you were leading the army on the prairie, the prairie people might have some scruples under your prestige ….. But now, according to my information, the effect of these 20,000 people is very limited! Your successor is far inferior to you in terms of ability. These 20,000 soldiers, other than making the prairie people feel disgusted, they don't have much use. Moreover, they consume a lot of military expenses every year! Using the military budget to feed an army of 20,000 cavalry soldiers … Wasn't such a method laughable?! If you were the commander of these 20,000 soldiers, with your methods and management, I would not hesitate to continue raising these 20,000 soldiers! Even if it costs the military expenses of a legion, I think it is worth it! But now … it is not worth it! "
Longbottom was silent for a moment. Although he was somewhat unwilling to admit it, he had to sigh: Dadaneier is right.
"Negotiation is not something that can be done by force. If we want the other side to take a big step back, we have to take a small step back. We are waiting for the other side to give us a way out. Maybe Hamuye is also waiting for us to give him a way out. " Thinking of this, Dadaneier pondered for a moment and said, "I feel that this matter is an excellent opportunity for the Duke! We can put forward a condition: Withdraw these 20,000 soldiers from the prairie! Of course … This deal of withdrawing the army must not be made public! This kind of thing can only be done in secret. Otherwise, the people who don't know the truth and the public will scold our Duke as a traitor! We can secretly propose withdrawing the army. On the surface, we can ask them to pay compensation. "
"What else?" Du Wei looked at Dadaneier with a smile.
"Also … I think if we can take this opportunity to get the 20,000 cavalry soldiers … That would be the best! I heard that the big shots of the Imperial High Command actually had the idea of withdrawing the 20,000 cavalry soldiers for a long time. After all, the military expenses are too large and the actual effect is too low … If we take this opportunity to propose … that we take over the 20,000 soldiers … "
"No, no!" Little 250 Guetta shook his head: "Throughout the Empire's thousand years of history, only private armies have been incorporated into the Imperial Army! How can an Imperial Army be reduced to a private army! This kind of thing, the military will never agree! "
Dadaneier smiled: "That is why I said, this matter will depend on General Longbottom! We can't directly say to the Imperial Capital that we want to take over the 20,000 soldiers. After all, it was too shameful for a dignified army to be reduced to the private army of a feudal lord. The big shots of the military will never be willing to lose face like this. Therefore, we might as well say to the Imperial Capital: The Duke of the Tulip Family is loyal to the Empire and is willing to bear the military expenses of the 20,000 soldiers! At the same time, we can make an application to the military saying that the Desa Province has insufficient military strength and is located at the border. Therefore, we can ask them to order the 20,000 soldiers to be stationed in the Desa Province and become an Imperial Army! My Lord, think about it, as long as the 20,000 soldiers stay in our territory, their food, clothing, and shelter will be provided by us and they will be under our control! Over time, they will slowly be under our control. Although they are still an Imperial Army in name, but in reality, they will become your private army. "
Du Wei's eyes became more and more profound.
Dadaneier looked at Longbottom and smiled bitterly: "There is one more detail … I am afraid General Longbottom will have to make a sacrifice."
"What …"
"I know that General hates the Imperial High Command. You once swore never to return to the military. However … in order to help Your Excellency the Duke complete the Northwest, you will have to break your oath. " Dadaneier turned to look at Du Wei: "Your Excellency the Duke, you only need to propose that you will bear all the military expenses. At the same time, you need to write an official document in your name. In the letter, you only need to say that you are loyal to the Empire and that you are willing to give up your most trusted subordinate for the sake of the Empire. You will do your best to make General Longbottom the commander of the cavalry! The Empire's military is already in a terrible state because of the military expenses. They will certainly agree to your request! When the time comes … these 20,000 soldiers will be here and they will be receiving our pay … in addition, General Longbottom was originally the commander of this army. With his prestige, he will be able to quickly regain control of these 20,000 soldiers! Even if their banner is still the Thorned Flower … their hearts are already the Tulip Family's! "
Finally, Dadaneier concluded: "Actually, the Empire's military and the Royal Regent are aware of our intentions. However, the Royal Regent is very fond of Your Excellency the Duke. This time, he has made it clear that he wants you to take full responsibility. The Empire has long wanted to get rid of the burden of these 20,000 soldiers! Therefore, with this disguised incorporation, the Empire's military high command will not lose face and will also get rid of a big burden. Most likely, they will agree! As for the prairie people, we will use the withdrawal of the army as a condition to make them compromise. In the negotiation of the contract, we will make them bleed a lot. Thinking about it, it will be much easier! As for Your Excellency the Duke, not only will you be able to complete the negotiation, you will also not lose the Empire's prestige. At the same time, you will also get a 20,000 strong cavalry! Killing three birds with one stone! What's not to like? "
This unceasing speech made the surrounding people dumbstruck! Even Philip looked at Dadaneier with a face of surprise.
This Dadaneier was usually quiet. Although he was very responsible as the city guard, he was only doing things calmly. Who would have thought that he would have such a talent to be able to come up with such a scheme?
Du Wei laughed twice and said lightly: "Since that is the case, there is no harm in giving it a try. Philip, help me draft a letter to the Empire ….. Hmm, the rest of you can leave. Dadaneier, stay. We will have a good discussion about this matter. "
After sending off the crowd, only Du Wei and Dadaneier were left in the room. Du Wei sighed and stared at Dadaneier. He said in a low voice: "My friend ….. I am afraid that this plan was not thought of by you!"
Dadaneier laughed and said: "Your Excellency the Duke is right. I, Dadaneier, do not have such a good brain. Hmm ….. this plan was thought of by the Marquise. She knows that you have been troubled by the negotiation recently. Therefore, last night, she specially called me over and told me this plan. She wanted me to find an opportunity to report it to you. She said that she is an outsider and a woman. This kind of national matter, it is not good for her to speak directly. "
Du Wei seemed to be absent-minded. He nodded and did not say anything.
Dadaneier suddenly thought of something and his face slightly changed. He suddenly knelt down on one knee: "Your Excellency, are you blaming me? I have already pledged my loyalty to you. The reason why I am conveying these words is not because I still have feelings for the Lister Family. It is purely because I feel that the Marquise's plan is very ingenious. Since I, Dadaneier, have pledged my loyalty to you, I will not be half-hearted! "
Du Wei quickly helped his old friend up and sincerely said: "My friend, you misunderstood. The two of us are friends who have been through life and death situations. How could I have the slightest doubt about you? I was absent-minded just now. I was just admiring the Marquise's intelligence. Such a plan is really amazing. Although she is a woman, she is very admirable! As a woman, she can manage the Lister Family to this scale. The Marquise ….. no one dares to look down on her! "
Pausing for a moment, Du Wei looked at Dadaneier: "Hmm, how about this. The Marquise gave me such a good idea. I can't not express my gratitude. You help me thank her and ask her if there is anything she can help with. Hmm ….. In the future, our family's business in the north will be 10% lower than the Lister Family's. "
Dadaneier smiled: "I think the Marquise won't care too much about the money. The Lister Family is rich ….. Hmm, Your Excellency, if you want to express your gratitude, you might as well go see the Marquise. "
"Hehe!" Du Wei laughed dryly, "Dadaneier, do you also want to matchmake our two families through marriage?"
Dadaneier said: "Your Excellency, I do think so. But it is not because I am from the Lister Family that I have any selfish motives. I simply feel that you are a rare talent in this world. And the Marquise's beauty is unparalleled ….. Well, although there is a gap in age. But I see that the Marquise is quite sincere to you and is sincerely helping you. If the two families are connected by marriage, it will be good for your business. "
Du Wei patted Dadaneier's shoulder: "I understand, you don't have any selfish motives, I know. Hmm ….. It's just that my marriage ….. I don't want to settle it so early. And ….. I don't like political marriages. In fact ….. In addition to the marriage, I am very willing to cooperate with the Lister Family. Is marriage the only way to form an alliance? "
Dadaneier shook his head, obviously not agreeing with Du Wei's point of view: "Although this is your private matter. But you are a Duke, your identity is different. Marriage was naturally a matter of great importance! With all due respect, if you are just a commoner, who you want to marry is naturally your private matter. But you are the Lord, your marriage is no longer a purely private matter. Now it seems that your marriage with the Lister Family is the best choice ….. In fact, I won't hide it from you. My colleagues, although they didn't say it out loud. But in fact, most of them are in favor of your marriage with the Lister Family. I once talked with Mr. Philip, and even he faintly showed some approval. It's just that everyone knows your feelings for Wizard Vivian ….. They are too embarrassed to say it. And ….. My Lord, to be honest, you have already gone through the coming of age ceremony! In the Empire, most of the nobles get married early. After the coming of age ceremony, most of them will get married. Even if they don't get married, they will have a marriage contract first. But you have a prominent status, and yet you don't even have a marriage contract ….. This is somewhat inappropriate. "
Du Wei was silent.
In front of him, Dadaneier's face was sincere, obviously speaking from the bottom of his heart.
It's just that Du Wei knows his own matters.
He is not a pure young man. For women, he doesn't mind having a few one-night stands. He is not a conservative person. Mrs. Lister is beautiful, so of course he is tempted. But most of the time, it's only because of the Marquise's beauty. It's purely a physical desire. If they play around and be lovers, he can accept it.
Marriage? Then forget it.
The only thing that makes him want to be with her for the rest of his life is that pure and innocent little stutterer.
As for last night, he almost got his hands on the female captive, but at the critical moment, he let her go. It's also because of his inexplicable feelings for Vivian.
More importantly, although Du Wei is not a pure man, he is also not the kind of animal who can't control his lower body.
Last night's female assassin, pushing her down is not a big deal. But the problem is ….. After pushing her down, how can he solve the trouble behind?
After all, the other party is from the Snowy Mountain and is also the disciple of the Shaman King. I have enough troubles now, if I "taint" a Shaman King's disciple, then the trouble it will cause will not be small!
Damn ….. Other people can have a lot of beautiful women after crossing over, but I have to be pure and innocent. Speaking of which, it's a bit ridiculous.
Mrs. Lister ….. Mrs. Lister …..
Du Wei thought about it and suddenly smiled: "So, if you help me convey my gratitude, it is indeed not sincere enough. Let's do it this way, send someone to see the Marquise and say I want to invite her to dinner tonight. "
(The following text is free:
Everyone, I'm sorry, today I have to write seven thousand words again ….. My computer at home is not ready yet. Today's update was written in the Internet cafe downstairs. The environment is too noisy, and the typing software is different from home. Especially without the familiar font library, it is very awkward to write. It affects my writing state. Today, I am very depressed. The computer system at home has been reinstalled, but I still can't get online. Finally, after a long time, I found that there is a problem with the router. But there is no place to buy it tonight, I can only wait for tomorrow …..
Let's talk about the issue of pushing her down. Yesterday's chapter made a lot of people complain that Du Wei is not a man.
Well, what I mean is very simple: If a man can't control his lower body, then he is an animal! A man who sees beauty and becomes dizzy in the brain can't be successful in his career. Pushing down Aylu is not difficult, but what will happen after that? After pushing down one, how do you deal with her in the future? This is the difficult part. Of course, little Du Wei's virgin days will not be long. But as for the candidate ….. I will not choose Aylu. Hehe ….. You will know when you read the next chapter.
This is a YY novel. Although it is a light YY novel, and I also like the aura of a king, I promise there will be no depressing plot. Beautiful women must be pushed down, but rice must be eaten one bite at a time ~)
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(To be continued, if you want to know the future, please go to www.qidian.com, support the author, support the original reading!)
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