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Chapter 266 "Bad Intentions"
This was the first time Blue Ocean's disciple took the initiative to bring up the Snowy Mountain. Du Wei's heart skipped a beat. But looking at Philip's calm expression, it doesn't seem like he's hiding anything.
Maybe … … Even if Blue Ocean is from the Snowy Mountain, Philip is just an ordinary disciple.
Du Wei thought for a moment: "What do you mean?"
"The prairie people have always regarded the Snowy Mountain as the supreme existence. Under the orders of the Shaman King, not even the King of the Prairie would dare to disobey." Philip said slowly: "I don't think there are any Snowy Mountain people among the entourage of this Hamuye envoy. Your Grace … Have you forgotten about the confession written by the female assassin we captured regarding the Great Snow Mountain? "
Of course, Philip was aware of the assassination attempt by Aylu in the Northwestern Army's Watt Fortress and the capture of Du Wei's base at night.
Later, Du-Wei brought Aylu back to Loulan City and imprisoned her in the dungeon of the Duke's mansion. Under Du-Wei's "coercion", she eventually wrote down that confession. As Du Wei's chief aide, Philip has seen these things before.
When Philip brought it up, Du Wei's heart also skipped a beat. The two looked at each other for a moment and couldn't help but smile.
•
Speaking of the Snowy Mountain in the prairie, it is indeed a mysterious existence. In the prairie, the sorcerers cultivated by the Snowy Mountain are revered by all. The Snowy Mountain to the prairie is like the Shrines to the Roland Empire. It's just that in terms of status and prestige, the Snowy Mountain far surpasses the Shrines in the Roland Empire.
At least in the Roland Empire, the imperial power can still contend with the Shrines. The power of the empire is still firmly in the hands of the imperial family and the central government. But in the prairie, the Snowy Mountain's prestige is far above the King of the Prairie!
The confession written by the female assassin Elu was indeed detailed enough. In the Snowy Mountain, the Shaman King has the highest status. The succession of every Magus King would only be effective if the previous Magus King appointed it. It has been passed down from generation to generation without exception.
Even the current Shaman King, Bai Hechou. Because Du Wei found the will of the previous Witch King in the underground labyrinth of Anglia City, he knew that Bai Hechou seized the throne by force, but Ai Lu's confession made it clear. Bai Hechou's prestige in the Snowy Mountain was extremely high, and his status was also very stable.
Because in Ai Lu's confession, she didn't hide the methods used by Bai Hechou to ascend the throne. It also showed that Bai Hechou defeated his teacher, the previous Shaman King, to ascend the throne. Originally, this kind of rebellious behavior would never be recognized. However, what was puzzling was that after the previous Shaman King Gu Lanxiu was defeated by his own disciple, he eventually chose to leave the Snow Mountain, and his whereabouts were unknown. Although Granzon was defeated, before he left, he also left behind a decree to publicly acknowledge his traitorous disciple as the new Mage King!
This kind of action was very strange. However, because of this, Bai Hechou's own strength was extraordinary, and although he was rebellious, he still managed to obtain the recognition of the previous Shaman King, allowing him to sit firmly on the throne.
There are many strange rules in the Snowy Mountain, and one by one, they were written down in Ai Lu's confession. However, this female assassin relied on what she said she knew, so she wrote down what she wanted to say. Even so, the rules of the Snowy Mountain, in Du Wei's view, still made him very apprehensive!
In the Snowy Mountain, the most mysterious thing is naturally the witchcraft of the Snowy Mountain. How can it be ordinary if it can compete with the Empire's magic? In Ai Lu's confession, the Magi of the Snowy Mountain have a very different habit from the Empire's Magi. They place great importance on communication!
For example, Du Wei founded the Magic Society last year in the Imperial Capital, which called for the "spirit of sharing", but in the Snowy Mountain, it has long existed!
In the Snowy Mountain, the division of labor is clear. The overall organizational system is divided into "three rooms". The lowest level is "Entering the World". There are about two hundred Magi in the Snowy Mountain, and more than half of them belong to this "Entering the World". The so-called "Entering the World" probably means that the Magi in this room are often ordered to go down the mountain and travel back and forth in the prairie, spreading the faith of the prairie. No matter the size of the tribe, they are treated equally. While spreading the faith, they will also help cure the diseases of the tribes, teach some backward tribes how to take care of livestock, and even mediate some disputes between tribes.
There are more than a hundred Magi in the World, and all year round, walking around the prairie, the people of the prairie will worship them. The Entering the World has a strict rule that any Magi who walks under the mountain is not allowed to receive a single gold or silver reward from any nomads or tribal chiefs. Wherever they go, no matter if it's a tribal chief or an ordinary nomad, they are all treated equally, regardless of status. These Entering the World wizards, in addition to having good witchcraft, must also know medicine, astronomy, geography, arithmetic, and so on. Often they will even teach the nomadic tribes how to judge the rainy season according to the weather, how to chase after water plants, and so on …
The only point is that the Magi in the World are not allowed to interfere with the politics of the prairie! Regardless of whether it's the change of the throne or external wars. For these major matters, the Magi in the World are not allowed to extend a finger to interfere, and let nature take its course.
When Du Wei found out about Blue Ocean's identity, he couldn't help but associate Blue Ocean with this group of Magi in the World! Blue Ocean indeed has the appearance of an erudite scholar. He is proficient in astronomy, geography, arithmetic, and medicine. Most likely, Blue Ocean was one of the Magi in the Snowy Mountain who "Entering the World"!
In fact, Du Wei's guess was not wrong. Blue Ocean was indeed from Entering the World, and he was once the leader of Entering the World.
Above Entering the World, there is still the "Scripture Room". The description of this "Scripture Room" made Du Wei even more surprised! There are about seventy to eighty Magi in the "Scripture Room". These Magi are always on the Snowy Mountain, and most of them have never taken a step down from the mountain! According to the description of these people in the confession, in Du Wei's opinion, they are basically a fixed "research organization"! They are specifically responsible for researching the results of magic research left behind by the past generations of Magi in the prairie. In Elu's words, these people are like a bunch of lunatics, or a bunch of idiots. Apart from their daily research, they don't care about anything else.
In addition, there is also the "Preparation Room" on the Snowy Mountain. This "Preparation Room" is mainly responsible for nurturing Magi. Every year, the Magi in the prairie who "Entering the World" will select a few children with exceptional aptitudes and send them to the mountain. The "Preparation Room" is responsible for accepting these children, selecting those with exceptional aptitudes to be nurtured as Magi. Apart from nurturing new Magi, the "Preparation Room" is mainly responsible for matters on the Snowy Mountain. In terms of status, it is slightly above the other two rooms. However, this room has the least number of people. Throughout the year, there are only about ten to twenty people. But in terms of strength, it is the strongest room on the Snowy Mountain. Most of the Magi in this room are in white robes.
The classification of the Magi in the Snowy Mountain is not as complicated as the Magi in the Empire. There are only two kinds of clothes: white and cloth. Generally speaking, ordinary Magi wear cloth, and there is not much requirement for the color of their clothes. Some wear black, some wear grey. Often, when one's strength reaches a certain level and obtains the approval of the Magus King, the white robe is the symbol of a high-level Magi.
Above these three rooms, the Magus King is the supreme existence. However, this existence is also very mysterious. According to Ai Lu's confession, although she is Bai Hechou's disciple, she only sees Bai Hechou a few times a year. It's just that most of her time is spent in the "Preparation Room". Bai Hechou appears for about ten days a year, at most a month, to personally instruct his disciples. The rest of the time, he is hidden on the highest peak of the Snowy Mountain to cultivate. Without the Magus King's summons, no one is allowed to disturb him.
The people of the prairie see the Snowy Mountain as a god-like existence. Often, the Prairie King will send people to the foot of the mountain to worship it. Often, for some difficult and important matters, the Prairie King will personally go to the foot of the mountain to ask for the Magus King's instructions. The Magus King will definitely not meet him. At most, he will send a Magus with a blood-red skull flag down the mountain to pass on his orders.
If the Magus King is on the mountain and has something important to tell the Prairie King, he will also send someone with a blood-red skull flag to the palace.
According to Ai Lu's description, although Bai Hechou is the Magus King, he seems to have never gone down the Snowy Mountain.
Du Wei and Philip looked at each other and smiled. Du Wei shook his head and said: "You aren't going to pretend to be someone from the Snowy Mountain Magi to deceive the Prairie King, are you?"
Philip also smiled: "You can't blame me for this. From the confession, the Snowy Mountain Magi and the Prairie King's palace are almost a one-way communication. This kind of communication method has too many loopholes. If you want to make trouble, as long as the Prairie King doesn't go to the Snowy Mountain to verify, there won't be any flaws. However, if you want to pretend to be a Magus to deceive Hamuye, we don't have anyone here. That female assassin, I don't know if she will be obedient. If she doesn't want to, then don't do it. We don't want to expose any flaws and give others something to use against us. "
"That female assassin … …" Du Wei thought for a moment: "She should be obedient."
•
The negotiations on the second day went much more smoothly. Du Wei had already secretly reached a deal with Hamuye, hinting that he can persuade the Empire to disband the troops stationed in the Prairie. However, Hamuye was still unwilling to let go of the terms of compensation.
"Duke, I think your Empire is asking for too much! 80,000 war horses? In the first contract you drafted, you only wrote 30,000 horses!! Even if it was thirty thousand, it was absolutely impossible! Let alone 80,000!! "
Du Wei immediately retorted: "But Lord Hamuye, the previous contract didn't say anything about us withdrawing our troops! We have already made concessions, can't you pay a higher price? "
"80,000 horses … … That's too much!" Hamuye shook his head again and again: "We may have a lot of horses in the Prairie, but war horses are not ordinary horses. Out of five horses, there may not be one that can be chosen!! I think the number of cattle and sheep is acceptable, but the number of warhorses is absolutely unacceptable! "
Du Wei's face sank as he shook his head: "Absolutely not! Ordinary cattle and sheep are worth nothing! A good sword from our Empire can be exchanged for two sheep in the Prairie! Ordinary cattle and sheep, what use do I have for them? "
Hamuye chuckled coldly: "Duke … … Since both sides are in peace, then we will be brothers and friends in the future. You want so many war horses, are you preparing for war?!"
Du Wei also retorted: "Then, who are you storing so many war horses for?!"
Both sides argued like this for an entire morning before finally settling on the number of war horses at 30,000.
Seeing that Hamuye finally agreed to the terms, Du Wei didn't know if he should be happy or heavy!
If the Prairie people can easily give out 30,000 war horses … … then how much potential do they have? It is said that a large tribe in the Prairie can control tens of thousands of horses! Any larger tribe would be able to mobilize at least a hundred thousand cavalrymen with a single order!!
Then how much cavalry can the Prairie King mobilize if he wants to go to war?!
Later on, when they were talking about other compensation, Hamuye proposed 10,000 cattle and sheep as compensation. Du Wei immediately sneered and said the value of warhorses is much higher than cattle and sheep. If the price of a warhorse is already 30,000, why would the prairie people care about cattle and sheep? Or do the Prairie people think that cattle and sheep are more valuable than war horses? "
After discussing for a long time, they finally settled on 20,000 cattle and sheep. Du Wei then proposed an additional 10,000 pieces of good quality leather. Hamuye thought for a moment and agreed. Of course, these 10,000 pieces of good quality leather were not for the Empire, but for Du Wei himself.
Hamuye was very familiar with the customs of the Roland Empire. If the other party didn't ask for something, then it would be strange. Seeing that Du Wei took the initiative to ask for a private gift, Hamuye was relieved.
Ten thousand pieces of high-quality cowhide were nothing to the people of the prairie. Even Hamuye himself can afford it.
But in the end, the two sides reached a deadlock on two issues.
Du Wei asked for 5,000 slaves, but Hamuye refused to agree. The Prairie people are not that big. Every young adult was extremely precious. Even if they were slaves, they would not be easily given away. Because of the custom of the Prairie people, once the war starts, the Prairie King will issue an order for the slaves to join the army. Once they make a contribution, they will be free. Therefore, the slaves are often very brave in battle. The fighting strength of the "slave cavalry" of the Prairie is also very feared by the Empire's army.
Count Biliaibuer, who was also involved in the negotiation, was puzzled by Du Wei's insistence on the issue of slaves. During the negotiation, Biliaibuer found an opportunity to pull Du Wei outside and asked in private: "Duke, our Empire is not short of people. 5,000 slaves is just a small number. There is no need to fight over such a small number. "
Du Wei just smiled.
Of course, he doesn't care about a few thousand slaves. According to the Empire's price, 5,000 slaves are only worth a few hundred gold coins.
But what he cares about are the Prairie people's slaves! The Prairie slaves are not the same as the Nanyang slaves! The Nanyang slaves can do some manual labor. But the Prairie slaves are good at raising horses and herding animals! More importantly, these people are all good at riding!
"Count Biliaibuer … I want these 5,000 slaves for myself." Du Wei smiled and said: "As for the use, it is not convenient for me to say."
Biliaibuer looked at Du Wei with some doubt. This Duke is very strange. He is already very rich, but why is he so interested in a few thousand slaves?
Count Biliaibuer also wanted to end this negotiation as soon as possible. After thinking about it for a moment, he took advantage of the time when everyone was eating lunch to quietly talk to Hamuye. This explained Du Wei's intention.
Hamuye was also tired of wasting time like this. After listening to Du Wei, he immediately said: "So it is the Duke who wants the slaves … If that is the case, then it is another matter. Let's do it this way, the matter of the slaves is not written in the contract. Although my own tribe isn't big, we still have some slaves. But the number of 5,000 is not easy to come up with … Well, I will personally give you 2,000 slaves as a gift to make friends with the Duke! "
When Biliaibuer said this to Du Wei, Du Wei pretended to say "How can I accept this kind of gift", but his pen was very straightforward.
Count Biliaibuer has always deliberately made friends with Du Wei, so he naturally won't let go of this opportunity. He also smiled at Du Wei and said: "Since the Duke wants so many slaves, is it because you want to build a city? How about this, my family also has some slaves. If the Duke doesn't mind, I will write a letter tomorrow and have people immediately send 2,000 slaves to the Northwest. "
Du Wei thought: I want the Prairie slaves. If they are Nanyang slaves, then why would I want so many? I have the future king of Nanyang in my hands, so why would I lack Nanyang slaves?
Then he smiled: "Uncle Biliaibuer doesn't know, but I am planning to build a ranch to raise horses and livestock, so ordinary slaves are not useful.
Hearing this, Biliaibuer pondered for a moment: "So what you lack are the Prairie Wranglers. It is just that we have not fought with the Prairie for many years, so there are very few Prairie slaves in the domestic market. How about this, I will go back and transfer them. Although it is not a lot, I can still gather 300 to 500 slaves. "
"Thank you so much!" Du-Wei was not polite, and agreed at once.
After that, Philip couldn't help but ask Du Wei in private: "My Lord … Why do we need so many Prairie slaves? These guys are very barbaric and not easy to tame … Besides, the Northwest is desolate, it is not easy to build a ranch. "
"I am not asking for it for myself!" Du Wei smiled and shook his head: "Well, you heard Guptad say that when I attacked Anglia City last time, I released a Prairie prisoner. That guy is called Saladin! That guy had some ability, ambition, and means. He also had royal blood. I released him because I thought that sooner or later he would not be content in the Prairie. Sending such a person back is equivalent to burying a seed in the Prairie! The only problem is that that guy is all alone and doesn't have much power. I'm afraid he won't be able to do much in the short term … The thousands of grassland slaves I want are for him … Then, I'll just take it as sending him off … Hehe! "
Philip came to a sudden realization and chuckled to himself.
The afternoon negotiations started off smoothly. After all, the main conditions were agreed upon. Hamuye did not insist on anything else.
What the Prairie people desire the most is naturally the Empire's metal. There are no mines in the Prairie, so what they lack the most is iron. However, the Empire strictly forbids the export of any iron to the Prairie. Hamuye did not think too much about this issue. He also understood that even if he asked the Empire to ban the export of iron, the other side would absolutely not agree.
Only at the end of the letter did Hamuye give his final greetings.
Du Wei asked the Prairie people to make a solemn apology and to take the position of 'peace'. This was very difficult for the proud and unyielding Prairie people to accept.
Cattle and sheep can be given, and war horses can also be given. But 'peace', Hamuye refused to agree. Although it was only in name, Hamuye refused to budge.
Du Wei was furious. Everything he did was to not bear the crime of 'betraying the Empire'. If he were to 'sue for peace', he was afraid that in less than three days, the news would spread back and his reputation would be tarnished in the Imperial Capital!
Not to mention, Du Wei's Desa Province is the biggest victim in this matter. If the Prairie people do not apologize, does he want me to?!
But it seems that this is the bottom line in Hamuye's heart. Compensation can be given, but bowing down and admitting fault is unacceptable.
Du Wei did not say anything more. Instead, he stood up and exchanged a glance with Phillip. The meaning behind his eyes was clear: Looks like I still have to use that move!
Seeing Du Wei's disgruntled face, Villa had no choice but to smile bitterly at Hamuye: "Well, since it's getting late, why don't we discuss the rest of the matter tomorrow?"
•
That night, Duwei dismissed the guards around the dungeon, and came to the dungeon alone. When he pushed the door open and entered, Duwei was shocked. Inside, Eileen was hugging her knees with her head down. Sitting in the corner, she was in a daze.
Ever since the last 'molestation', Du Wei hasn't come to see her for several days. Being trapped here alone, Eileen's heart naturally cannot be expressed in words.
That … … that terrible Duke Tulip, that day … … actually … …
But every time she thought of what Du Wei did to her that day, she should have hated him. But to her horror, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't produce even a trace of hatred! On the contrary, there was a faint trace of expectation in her heart.
Sitting alone, she couldn't help but think of Du Wei's smile that made her heart tremble, and those eyes … …
He … … the way he smiles, and his eyes, they are really beautiful … …
When she thought of how Du Wei almost stripped her naked that day, "treated" her like that, then suddenly got up and left, Eileen's heart was filled with a complex feeling. Aside from a faint trace of shyness and expectation, there was also a trace of shame and anger. Of course, this trace of shame and anger was far from hatred for the enemy. Instead, she faintly felt: That damn guy, at that time, how could he just leave like that?! Am I so unattractive in his eyes?!
Sitting alone in this cell, the past few days really felt like a year. Her mind was in chaos, distracting thoughts unceasingly. Vaguely, Du Wei's face couldn't be suppressed in her mind. The more Ai Lu thought about it, the more scared she became, and the more she looked forward to it …
Finally, when she heard the sound of the door opening, her heart suddenly trembled: It's him! He's here?
Looking up expectantly, she saw the person coming and couldn't help but be surprised!
The person who came in was wearing a white robe, clearly the attire of a Magus from the Snow Mountain! Under the tall cloak, although the face couldn't be seen clearly, there was a string of black beads hanging around the other's neck, clearly the attire of a Magus!!
Under the shock, her first thought was: Is it someone from the Snow Mountain who came to rescue me? Teacher thinks so highly of me, yet he actually sent a white robed Magus?
But then, she heard this "white robed Magus" chuckle. There was a trace of slyness and malice in that chuckle. It was the laughter she had been thinking about for the past few days.
Under the shock, Elu couldn't help but stare blankly.
Du-Wei laughed and casually lifted his hood, revealing his face. Looking at the female captive in front of him, he said, "Look at me, don't I look like a wizard from the Great Snow Mountain?"
"You … … Why are you dressed like a Magus?" Elu asked hesitantly.
"Humph." Du Wei lightly said: "When I was in Anglia City, I killed a Magus with my own hands. I remember he was dressed like this at that time. Well, although I remember it very well, I'm not sure. Can you help me take a look and see if there are any flaws? "
Elu was stunned, forgetting to question Du Wei's intention of dressing up as a Magus. When she saw Du Wei, her heart seemed to fly to Du Wei's body. Her mind was blank, how could she think of anything else? She couldn't help but listen to Du Wei's words. Looking at him a few times, she whispered: "Hmm … … The robe should be shorter, the rest … … nothing else."
Du Wei nodded with satisfaction. Taking out a dagger from his chest, he cut off a part of the lower hem of his robe. Taking out a bundle from his storage ring, he threw it to Elu: "Well, there's your clothes inside. Quickly put them on and accompany me to do something."
Clothes, clothes?
Elu blankly took the bundle thrown by Du Wei. Opening it, she found a Magus robe inside, but it wasn't white, but black.
"You … … What do you want to do? Why do you … … "Elu asked with some trepidation.
Du Wei didn't answer. Instead, he looked up and down a few times and sighed: "Alas, in fact, there are still flaws. Although the style of a Magus' robe is very similar to that of our Roland Empire's Magus' robes, the quality of the materials used is after all different. I vaguely remember that the white Magus I killed that day, although his robe was white, it didn't seem to be made of ordinary cloth. When I touched it, it felt smooth and soft, but it was also very sturdy. I don't know what kind of cloth it is, but in a hurry, I could only make a temporary one. I only hope that in the night, the opponent wouldn't notice it … … Humph, although he has a noble status, he wouldn't dare to come up and touch a white Magus' robe. "
"You … … What do you want to do?" Although Elu was somewhat infatuated with Du Wei these past few days, but after all, Du Wei's Eye of Charm could steal a girl's heart. After all, Elu was still a person of the Snowy Mountain. She could faintly feel that Du Wei had ulterior motives, so she couldn't help but ask.
Du Wei smiled faintly. Taking a few steps closer, he whispered something in Elu's ear. Hearing this, Elu's expression changed: "You … … This kind of thing, I absolutely cannot do! I will not betray the Snowy Mountain! You … … Just kill me! "
"It's the 'just kill me' line again." Du Wei deliberately whistled, then reached out his hand to pinch Elu's chin. Elu could have dodged to the side, but when she saw Du Wei's hand coming towards her, she didn't know why, but her body went soft. She didn't even have the slightest thought of dodging.
Pinching the female captive's chin, Du Wei leaned closer, stared into her eyes, and whispered: "Don't worry, you will definitely do it!"
In front of the Eye of Charm, Elu was frightened by Du Wei's gaze. The clarity in her eyes disappeared little by little. Finally, she couldn't help but whisper: "I … … I … … I … …"
"You what?" Du Wei's voice seemed to pierce into Elu's heart.
"I will do … …" Elu's voice sounded like she was sleep-talking: "Whatever you want me to do, I will do it … …"
(Author's Note: After the earthquake, there were a lot of orphans who lost their parents in Sichuan. After discussing with my wife, we decided to raise an orphan in the disaster area. Our power is limited, so we can only express our sincerity. Originally, we wanted to adopt the orphan, but after learning about the relevant regulations, we knew that our conditions didn't meet the adoption standards set by the state (requiring both husband and wife to be at least 30 years old). But it is said that adoption is possible, that is to say, you can't bring the child home, but you can pay the child's living expenses to the civil affairs department every month to take care of the child.
But the problem is, I am in Nanjing now, which is too far away from Sichuan. I don't know much about the regulations of the civil affairs department in Sichuan, and I don't have any channels to do this. So, I would like to ask readers, if there is anyone in Sichuan, or you know some channels that can do this, please contact me and tell me how to do it. I have been in contact with several charity organizations in the past two days, but they only handle some applications for adoption. I haven't found any channels to support the orphans.
For this matter, I would like to ask for everyone's help.
Thank you!)
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