Duke Ulubaha had brought about his own destruction.
There had never been a level 3 swordsman who died as pitifully as Duke Ulubaha. He could only blame himself for being greedy and not knowing what was good for him. Even the chairman of the Double-headed Dragon Chamber of Commerce, Cumbert, could not stand it any longer. He disregarded their relationship and forced Ulubaha to take a Cultivation Dispelling Potion during the banquet. Like an ordinary old man, he was beheaded by his servant …
In the middle of the seventh month of the year 1773 of the Galinthea General Calendar, under the Feyes Kingdom of the Trymber Kingdom, the 140,000 troops of the Allied Army of the Eleven Kingdoms and the 180,000 troops of the Commerce Confederation had been in a stalemate for over two months. There had been no attacks, no battles, not even a duel between Knights. The main reason for this was that the Knights of the Allied Army of the Eleven Kingdoms believed that there were no Knights in the army of the Commerce Confederation, only mercenaries, and that it would be too humiliating to challenge them.
The two armies were in a stalemate, and the walls were tightly guarded. However, messengers kept coming and going between the two armies. It seemed like it was just as the Morent Daily had said. Before the royal treasury of King Trymber VII was emptied, this war of glass would not end.
To the Allied Army of the Eleven Kingdoms, this was a tacit understanding. King Trymber VII was a fool with too much money. His 140,000 troops would definitely not attack the army of the Commerce Confederation. Every month, they would stay comfortably in their camp, with all their supplies provided by the Trymber Royal Family. Not only did they eat and drink well, they would also receive a large sum of money every month. Many rich ladies would also come to the camp to have fun. These days were more enjoyable than a vacation. They really hoped that this war would last for another two or three years …
However, to the Commerce Confederation, this war had already put them in a difficult position. From the initial self-defense counterattack to the occupation of half of the Trymber Kingdom, and then to the destruction of the Trymber Kingdom, the goal of the war changed. The scale of the war grew larger and longer. Compared to the Trymber Kingdom, the Commerce Conglomerate's army of one hundred and eighty thousand soldiers could not find such a spendthrift to support them. This was a heavy burden on the Commerce Conglomerate.
However, the Commerce Alliance could only grit their teeth and persevere. The war had dragged on for so long and had already affected many aspects. Just like now, the eleven kingdoms had accepted the Tellimbo Kingdom's request for help to confront the Commerce Federation's army for money. However, if the Commerce Federation could not hold on and collapsed, nobody could guarantee that the eleven kingdoms would not turn on the Commerce Federation and bite them hard …
This was also the main reason why the 180,000 strong army of the Commerce Alliance did not dare to launch an attack. They were confident that they could hold their ground, but if their attack was thwarted, it might cause an avalanche of defeat. This 180,000 strong army was almost the entire combat power of the Commerce Alliance. If the attack failed and their morale was damaged, the consequences would be unimaginable …
As the instigator of this glass war, King Tellimbo VII finally came to his senses in the face of such a situation. He raised a new request for peace talks. This time, he was very humble, and was willing to accept the Commerce Alliance's original request. He would cede half of his land, apologize to the Commerce Alliance, and compensate for all their losses.
However, King Tellimbo VII had forgotten that it was easier to invite a god than to send him away. He was no longer the master of the house, but the eleven kingdoms that controlled the Feyes Kingdom. The commanders of the Allied Army had already treated King Tellimbo VII as a big fat sheep, and would not rest until they took a knife from him. They were living a good life here, but this rich man said that he wanted to quit. How ridiculous. Therefore, they patted their chests in front of King Tellimbo VII and promised that they would drive the Commerce Alliance's army out of the Tellimbo Kingdom's territory. At the same time, they cut off all communication with the outside world, as long as King Tellimbo VII stayed in the palace and paid for the Allied Army.
Seeing this, King Tellimbo VII knew that the situation was hopeless. The Tellimbo Kingdom was done for, so he simply gave up and doubled the bounty on the Commerce Alliance's high-end combat power. This time, the Great Swordsmen and Golden Knights of the Allied Army were tempted. Therefore, the assassination and counter-assassination of the high-end combat power of the Allied Army and the Commerce Alliance reached a climax. Among them, the most eye-catching was the Great Swordsmen of the Duchy of Ulubaha.
As the ruler of a duchy and a third-level Great Swordsmen, Duke Ulubaha should be the noblest person in the Allied Army. However, he had a problem: he valued money as much as his life. Although the Duchy of Ulubaha was a poor country, the Duke had an ingenious idea. He rented out two of the duchy's armies, and the annual employment fee was no less than a million Gold Fords. However, all of these gold coins went into the Duke's personal pocket. He was not willing to invest any of it in the construction of the duchy's public infrastructure.
Anyone who had been to the Duchy of Ulubaha would know that, be it the capital of the duchy or the Duke's Castle, everything was in ruins. The only fountain in the square in front of the Duke's Castle was built by the Duke's grandfather when he was still the Duke. It was also the only public service facility in the entire duchy, providing water for thirsty passersby to quench their thirst. However, back then, the Duke had the idea of charging a fee for the fountain. However, he later realized that the water fee was not enough to pay for the guards and toll collectors who went to the fountain, so he gave up.
To the citizens of the Duchy of Ulubaha, the current Duke was an insatiably greedy dragon, just like the legendary dragon. People spread rumors that the Duke's Castle was a dragon's lair, and that the Duke's favorite activity was to sleep on a pile of gold coins. It was obvious how bad the Duke's image was in the hearts of the citizens.
Even the two mercenary corps that earned a large amount of gold coins for the Grand Duke had their soldiers complaining about the Grand Duke's character and stinginess. For example, the monthly commission for each corps was a hundred thousand gold fords, but sixty thousand of them went into the Grand Duke's pocket. The remaining forty thousand were used for the salaries, food, lodging, and equipment changes of the corps' soldiers
What could a small army of twenty-four thousand people do with only forty thousand Gold Fords a month, and that included the soldiers' salaries? Therefore, the soldiers ate the worst of food, barely enough to fill their stomachs. Their equipment was also the crudest. The happiest thing for them was to be hired out for a few good meals, because the employer provided them with food and lodging during their employment.
Duke Ulubaha had brought the two mercenary armies to the Tellimbe Kingdom to make a fortune. This was because Tellimbe VII had offered three times the usual price, which was three hundred thousand Gold Fords per month for each army. The Duke was tempted, and he did not even care about the Duchy anymore. After all, it was a run-down place, and no one would have any ideas about the Duchy.
When Tellimbe VII doubled the bounty for the Trade Union's top combatants, Duke Ulubaha thought that with his Level Three Master Swordsman ability, he could easily earn a few million Gold Fords. Therefore, he also threw himself into a series of assassinations.
However, the Trade Union was already prepared for this, and their counter-assassinations were just as effective. They even set up traps to lure the Alliance's top combatants, and killed a few of their Master Swordsmen. This way, Duke Ulubaha could not find a chance to strike, and so he began to think of other ways.
As a relative of the Twin Dragon Merchant Guild's Camberlet, Duke Ulubaha had been to Moronte City before. His precious grandson was studying in an academy in Moronte City. Relying on the fact that his grandfather was a Duke and a Master Swordsman, and his relative was the leader of the Twin Dragon Merchant Guild, which was ranked number one among the seven giants in the Trade Union, his grandson lived a comfortable life in the academy. He often bullied people, and was a real spoiled brat. He often had the Twin Dragon Merchant Guild clean up his mess …
Since Duke Ulubaha had been to Moronte City many times, he would naturally go to the Twin Dragon Merchant Guild to get to know them. He had also gotten to know quite a few Master Swordsmen from other Merchant Guilds, and they would occasionally exchange swordsmanship and talk about their experiences in cultivation. Now the Duke had set his sights on these Master Swordsmen from the Trade Union.
First, he sent a letter to these Master Swordsmen from the Trade Union, saying that the Master Swordsmen from the Alliance would be lying in ambush and trying to assassinate them. After a few days, the Master Swordsmen from the Trade Union found out that it was true. After two or three times, the Trade Union was relieved, and thought that Duke Ulubaha was a good person. Although he was a little stingy, he still cared about their friendship in the past, and was still biased towards the Trade Union.
Then Duke Ulubaha made his move. First, he gave a wrong information, saying that the Master Swordsmen from the Alliance were the same person. As a result, the Trade Union sent three Master Swordsmen to kill them. It was a three-on-three battle, and no one could do anything to the other. At this time, the Duke hurried over and apologized profusely, saying that there was an accident. Before they left, there were two Master Swordsmen from the Alliance who insisted on going with the Master Swordsmen. When the news reached him, he was worried that something might happen, so he rushed over to help …
The three Master Swordsmen from the Trade Union did not suspect anything. Instead, they treated Duke Ulubaha as one of their own. They were very friendly and sincere, thanking the Duke for everything he had done. In this harmonious atmosphere, the Duke killed the three Master Swordsmen who were unsuspecting.
As a 3rd Rank Great Swordsman, it would be easy for him to deal with a 2nd Rank Great Swordsman and two 1st Rank Great Swordsmen, especially when the other side was not on guard. The three Master Swordsmen from the Trade Union were left lying in the wilderness. The Duke cut off their heads and took them to King Trumbo VII for a bounty.
This happened right in front of the scouts from the Trade Union's army. The frightened scouts sent the news back to the main camp. The entire camp was in chaos, and angry people filled President Cambert's tent. The Level Two Master Swordsmen who had died was paid by the Peterson Chamber of Commerce. The other two Level One Master Swordsmen belonged to the Mayflower Chamber of Commerce and the Chikede Chamber of Commerce.
The three Guild Masters were so angry that they almost pointed at President Cambert's nose and scolded him. They finally stopped at midnight. President Cambert, who had aged ten years in an instant, slumped in his chair, exhausted. He hated his so-called relative, Duke Ulubaha, to the core. Not only had he stood him up, but he had also disregarded his status as the commander of the Trade Union's army. He had used the connections he had introduced to him to do something so outrageous. He really cared about money more than his life …
At this time, President Cambert suddenly realized that there was still one person left in the tent. It was the young master of the Chikede Chamber of Commerce, Theriham. He told President Camberlet politely that he had an idea …
It was that night that the Duchy of Ulubaha was doomed. President Cambert and the young master of the Chikede Chamber of Commerce, Theriham, reached an agreement. It was said that President Cambert lamented that his descendants were not as good as the young master of the Chikede Chamber of Commerce, Theriham, who was a real businessman.
Duke Ulubaha's precious grandson was forcibly taken from the college in Moronte City to the main camp at the frontline. President Cambert wrote an invitation letter to his relative, the Duke himself, saying that his precious grandson had come and wanted to meet him. He set up a small camp not far from the main camp and invited Duke Ulubaha there.
Although Duke Ulubaha was greedy, he was also a cunning man. He did not believe that President Cambert would do anything to him. However, he had just killed three Master Swordsmen from the Trade Union and received a huge reward. He had to be wary of the Trade Union setting up a trap for him. However, he had to meet his precious grandson. Otherwise, there would be no one to inherit the Duchy in the future …
The Duke replied that they could meet, but the place had to be arranged by him. President Camberlet agreed.
Duke Ulubaha ordered his Scarlet Legion to break camp and set up camp on the left of the two armies. He then asked President Cambert to bring his precious grandson to the camp to meet him. The Grand Duke's calculations were very precise. Even if he was ambushed by a large group of Great Swordsmen, as long as his soldiers gave a warning, he would be able to escape unscathed with his 3rd-rank Great Swordmaster skills. As for the Scarlet Legion, it did not matter even if they were all destroyed. After all, the Duchy of Ulubaha had many people, and there were many who wanted to serve as soldiers …
Once again, President Cambert agreed without hesitation. That day, a large group of carriages entered the camp, carrying the materials for the banquet. As President Cambert had invited him to the banquet, he had to pay for everything. If it was Duke Ulubaha, he would rather die than invite anyone to a banquet. Even if he could not invite anyone to a banquet, he would only be served the simplest dishes. He might as well not eat at all.
Duke Ulubaha personally inspected the servants and cooks, as well as the food for the banquet. After confirming that they were all ordinary people and had not tampered with the food, he was finally relieved. He began to wonder why President Combert would invite him to a banquet at this time. What was he up to?
President Cambert did not even bring a single Gold-tier Swordsman with him. He only brought a dozen Silver-tier Servants and the Duke's precious grandson. As soon as the banquet began, Grand Duke Ulubaha let down his guard. Chairman Camberlet was here to persuade the Grand Duke to withdraw his troops and return to his country. He wanted to stop getting involved in the war between the Trade Union and the Tellimbo Kingdom.
In other words, the Commercial Union had suffered a loss at the hands of the Grand Duke, and the death of the three Great Swordsmen was their own bad luck. But that was the end of the matter. Chairman Cambert begged Duke Ulubaha to stop making things difficult for him for the sake of his relatives.
Duke Ulubaha immediately rejected President Cambert's suggestion. In fact, if it were not for the sake of his relative, President Cambert would not be able to return today. As the commander-in-chief of the 180,000 troops of the Commerce Alliance, President Cambert's head was worth 3,000,000 gold coins. This was a very difficult decision for the Grand Duke. If he didn't kill his relative, the Grand Duke would lose 3,000,000 gold coins. Thus, the Grand Duke requested compensation from President Cambert …
Never in his wildest dreams did President Cambert expect his relative to have designs on his head. He finally gave up completely. Duke Ulubaha laughed strangely. It was fine if President Cambert did not want compensation. As long as President Cambert tricked a few other Chamber of Commerce leaders into coming here, and their heads were worth more than three million gold coins, he would let President Cambert go …
The banquet fell into a deathly silence. Even the Scarlet Legion's Gold Knights felt ashamed of the Duke's words and actions. At this moment, the Duke's precious grandson jumped up and said that he had bought a bottle of good wine in Morrent City. He had brought it for the Duke to taste. This was his filial gift to his grandfather.
Duke Ulubaha was harsh to others, but he doted on his precious grandson very much. He was naturally happy that his grandson was so filial. He opened the bottle and poured a glass for himself and President Cambert.
President Cambert did not mind. He was drowning his sorrows with wine. He picked up the glass and drank it in one gulp. It tasted good, so he put down the glass and signaled for another.
Duke Ulubaha was unhappy. This was a gift from his precious grandson. Pouring a glass for President Cambert was not only out of courtesy, but also to check if there was anything wrong with the wine. Seeing President Cumbert drink so quickly, he became stingy. He ordered the president to bring another bottle of wine, and he finished the whole bottle, one glass after another.
Duke Ulubaha heard the sound of a sword being unsheathed behind him. He turned around and saw one of the Silver Squires brought by Camberlet slowly unsheathing his sword. The squire looked at him as if he was a sheep waiting to be slaughtered.
"What are you doing!" Duke Ulubaha shouted.
He wanted to jump up, but when he moved, he found that there was not a trace of Combat Energy around him. He felt like a person who had been sick for a long time. He felt weak all over and could not even stand up.
Duke Ulubaha was shocked. He knew he had fallen into a trap. He hurriedly shouted at the Crimson Legion's Golden Knights, "Help me!"
But the Golden Knights looked at the Duke with eyes full of mockery and disgust, as if they did not hear his cry for help.
There was a flash of sword light, and a head flew.
Duke Ulubaha, a level-three swordsman, had died under the sword of an unknown Silver Servant.
The Duke's precious grandson was stunned and frightened. His beloved grandfather had been beheaded in front of him.
The curtain was lifted, and the young master of the Chikede Merchant Guild, Theriham, walked in with a smile. In front of the Duke's head, his precious grandson and the young master signed an agreement. The agreement was that the Duchy of Ulubaha would be transferred to the Chikede Merchant Guild for one million gold fords and a hundred thousand gold fords a year. From then on, the Duke's precious grandson would live in Morent City.
After the agreement was signed, the Scarlet Legion cheered thunderously. The other Tricolor Sword Legion of the Duchy of Ulubaha also defected to the Trade Confederation's side. Then, with the help of the Scarlet Legion, the Peterson Merchant's Association swept through the Duchy of Delia. Two of the Duchy's Master Swordsmen had fallen into the Trade Confederation's trap during an assassination attempt and died long ago. Eighty percent of the Duchy's military was sent to the Trymber Kingdom as reinforcements.
Without even fighting a battle, the Crimson Legion successfully took over the capital of the Duchy of Delia. The Duke of Delia and his family were hanged by President Peterson in the name of being enemies of the Trade Union. Then, President Peterson announced that the Duchy of Delia would be incorporated into the Trade Union's territory, and the Duchy of Delia would become the Peterson Merchant Guild's territory. At the same time, the Chikede Merchant Guild also announced that the Duchy of Ulubaha would be incorporated into the Trade Union's territory, and would become the Chikede Merchant Guild's territory.
Is that even possible? Therefore, the second and third-rate Merchant Guild leaders in the Trade Union's army also turned their attention to the Kingdom of Delia, which had no swordsmen and reinforcements …
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