Ai Lu suddenly looked up at Du Wei, with a solemn expression on his face, and said: "I... I have something to do. Who are you? Just now you actually recited the spell of Daxue Mountain witchcraft... These things, outsiders,
You can’t fake it! How did you learn these things?”
Du Wei laughed: "There are still many things you don't know about me! From now on, you will help me do things obediently. Hum... That Bai Hechou can be your teacher and teach you witchcraft, can't I teach you?
Is it witchcraft? Are you, the wizard from the Snowy Mountains, great? If you want to learn it, I will teach you everything slowly in the future."
But I thought: That witchcraft book was left by Gu Lanxiu. Although Bai Hechou is powerful, he is also a disciple of Gulan Xiu. Compared with Bai Hechou who knows it, Gulan Xiu will definitely be able to do it. However, the qualifications
People are different. Bai Hechou is a master who is better than a master. The apprentice defeated the teacher. But the methods of witchcraft should be the same.
Seeing the shock on Ai Lu's face, Du Wei didn't say anything. He dipped his hands in the bucket in the cell with a smile and drew a random symbol on the table. It was one of the witchcraft formations in the Snow Mountain witchcraft.
symbol.
Ai Lu looked even more surprised when she saw it.
Du Wei laughed and thought to himself, this little girl is too simple-minded. She might have a fight with my cute little Vivian. If she is left here alone, I'm afraid she can't think about it and commits suicide again. Well, she's dead
Immortality has nothing to do with me, but...if such a delicate and beautiful girl dies, I will always feel guilty in my heart.
Thinking of this, he walked out of the room. He summoned his personal guards and ordered two of the female "prey" who had been rescued from Lu Gao to be brought to him. He thought of the one named "Hanyue"
Pretty girl, I named her casually.
Not long after, Hanyue and two other girls were brought over.
After a few days of cultivation, the haggardness on the faces of these beautiful girls has long faded away. After dressing up, the charm of the girls is undoubtedly revealed. And the girl named Han Yue is like standing out from the crowd.
The extraordinary appearance and temperament are still outstanding.
Since Ailu had done him such a big favor, Du Wei would not let her continue to live in the cell. He asked someone to clean up a room on the castle floor, let Ailu live in it, and told Hanyue
Several girls said: "You will train as usual in the future, and I will leave this person to you to take care of. This girl is a bit stupid. I'm afraid she won't think about committing suicide. You keep an eye on her for me. If she dies... you guys
There’s no need to live anymore. Do you understand?”
Several girls agreed tremblingly. Du Wei glanced at Ai Lu, who had a sad face. He sighed, walked over, turned his back to Han Yue and others, and held Ai Lu's chin. He stared into her eyes, and then
Showing his despicable and shameless charming eyes, he whispered in a low voice: "If you listen to me, you are not allowed to die. Do you understand?"
After seeing the clarity in Ai Lu's eyes gradually losing, and the gibberish-like answers in his mouth, Du Wei felt relieved and left alone.
The remaining girls in the room still looked frightened. Hanyue, however, was the boldest. She walked carefully to Ailu's side, slowly squatted down, and said softly: "You... how are you?"
Ai Lu looked up in a daze, but saw a girl who was even more beautiful than herself. She was startled for a moment, then became worried, and frowned again: "You... who are you?
...Don't worry about me. Just leave me alone."
Han Yue pondered for a moment, then slowly sat down next to Ai Lu. She reached out and half hugged Ai Lu, and said softly: "Well, I know... you must be afraid of the Duke, right? In fact, you can
There is no need to be afraid, although the Duke looks scary, he is actually very kind to us."
Seeing that Ai Lu was still silent, Han Yue's voice became softer and she whispered: "Actually... I heard that this Duke is very kind-hearted. In the northwest, everyone is praising him. It's just that...
, everything in the future will be obeyed by him, and we will do whatever he orders, and the Duke will never scold you, right?"
Elu was dazed and whispered to himself: "Well... I will do whatever he says... right?"
After giving Du Wei such a fuss in the evening, during the subsequent negotiations, Hamuye's attitude towards Du Wei was indeed very good, his words were extremely cautious, and he followed etiquette. And then the conditions he offered to Du Wei's side were rare.
Although Muye can argue with some arguments, his tone is much softer. And often as long as Duwei shows a little toughness, Muye will have to soften his tone.
In this way, the strong and the weak were judged, and the negotiations quickly became smoother. In addition to the horses, cattle and sheep that were entrusted in the previous negotiation, Hamuyeh also tried his best to make concessions on how to write the letter of credence, and finally even the "peace" letter
Also signed.
While Du Wei breathed a sigh of relief, he couldn't help but have some daydreams: If I had known that pretending to be a wizard would have so many benefits, I might as well have asked for more war horses early in the morning. But this thought quickly disappeared.
, he also knew in his heart that if he went too far, the other party would still be suspicious.
Fortunately, there are no telephones in this world. It is impossible for the negotiators outside to keep in touch with the leaders at the rear all the time. Besides pretending to be the wizard of the Snowy Mountains, unless the other party goes to the Snowy Mountains for verification in person, they will not be able to find out at all.
of.
When the two sides finally signed a contract on the last day of negotiations, the grassland people took the initiative to seek peace and were willing to compensate the Roland Empire for war horses, cattle, sheep, and some odds and ends. In addition, the two sides also signed a friendship agreement, promising never to invade.
Friendly countries will always have good relations with each other's borders.
Of course, Du Wei simply ignored the last sentence. Talking about friendly relations and non-aggression between friendly countries is bullshit. Once both sides gather their strength, once they decide to fight, any peace treaty will be a piece of waste paper.
That’s all.
Du Wei and Count Villa signed the credentials as envoys and deputy respectively. Villa initially refused to sign, arguing that he was only assisting Du Wei. But later, seeing that the negotiations went smoothly and the results were good, he was not afraid.
What's the matter? I agreed to sign. I felt a little strange in my heart. Why did Hamuye seem to be afraid of Du Wei in the past few days? It's really amazing how Du Wei tolerated our little duke's methods.
This letter of credence cannot take effect directly after it is initialed by both parties. Someone has to be sent to the imperial capital to show it to Prince Chen, and it can only take effect after the regent signs it. Before that, this Hanmuye still has to
I will stay here in Duwei for a few more days.
However, Hammuye seemed to be really afraid of the tents Duwei gave him to live in. Moreover, when Ellu and Duwei pretended to be wizards, they deliberately warned him not to interfere in the search for pets in the snowy mountains and not to anger the Tulip Duke.
Hammuye speculated in his heart that if he continued to live in Roland and waited for his credentials, it would take more than ten days to go back and forth. Maybe even longer. And the Tulip Duke had a rather weird temperament. He stayed here, just in case something happened.
By accident, I offended him with my words, which would have ruined the important matter of the wizards on the snow mountain. So I offered to go to the imperial capital with Count Villa. Count Villa agreed without thinking much.
Du Wei sent these two people away, and wrote another letter for Villa to take back and secretly report to Prince Chen. The letter explained the abolition of the 20,000 cavalry on the grassland. Once the two people left, the negotiation came to an end.
, Du Wei finally felt at ease.
Then someone from below reported that they had received news that the soldiers originally stationed at the Northwest Army's checkpoint on the northwest corridor had been evacuated one after another. After hearing this, Du Wei fell into deep thought.
To be honest, he has not thought about how to effectively control this corridor. The Northwest Army had a secret communication with the prairie people before, and the checkpoint was just a bitch’s archway, a deaf person’s ear, and a decoration. Now since
We are going back to the Northwest Corridor, so how to effectively control it and prevent prairie people from sneaking in in the future is the top priority.
After thinking about it, Du Wei didn't have a good idea in mind. It was impossible to build a city in that place. There was no water source. No matter how many people went there, water had to be delivered from the rear, and the cost was too much.
Originally, Du Wei had also thought about digging underground water. However, this world is different from the previous life. The limit of digging underground water in this world is just to dig ordinary wells. Just like what Du Wei knew in the previous life, he could use technology to dig out water at will.
You can dig hundreds of meters or even deeper underground to get water, which is absolutely impossible in this world.
Du Wei once felt cruel in his heart, otherwise, he would simply use a large amount of gunpowder to blow up both sides of the northwest corridor canyon! Just seal up the entire northwest corridor!
But this idea was immediately rejected by himself. The Northwest Corridor is the only way to the grassland. It is also the only trade route for business groups, noble families, and grassland people from all over the Roland Empire to trade cattle, sheep, horses and livestock! What if?
If I dare to brave the world and do such a thing that ruins people's wealth, I'm afraid that all the business groups and countless noble families in the world will hate me. Moreover, my territory is located on the border and its agriculture is backward.
The land is barren, and the largest revenue above the fiscal revenue comes from commercial taxes. If the trade route is cut off, and there will be no border trade in the future, how many years can Du Wei survive by relying on his own capital? Du Wei is not willing to cut off his own financial path.
of.
Then... get a water pipe leading directly to the northwest corridor? This thought flashed across his mind, and Du Wei himself laughed.
It's easier said than done! Loulan Lake is the largest water source, but Loulan Lake is also quite far away from the Northwest Corridor! Need to build pipelines? The smelting technology and metal crafting in this world are not of this level.
How can we guard the gate of the Northwest Corridor well...
Damn Lu Gao, he must be waiting to see my joke.
There was no good strategy for the time being, so Du Wei simply moved a few hundred people to the Northwest Corridor with a stroke of his pen and stationed them in several checkpoints left by the Northwest Army. For the time being, let's stick to the previous model. A few hundred people guarded the area.
It was impossible to create a wide corridor and it could only serve as an early warning. He just told them to be on guard and light a beacon to warn them if something happened. Apart from that, Du Wei had no other good ideas for the time being.
The next month passed quickly. News came from the imperial capital that the regent had signed the letter of credence and allowed Hamuye to be brought back to the grassland. The military friction between the two sides was finally over. Du Wei heard this.
Upon hearing this news, I felt relieved: Prince Chen finally agreed to abolish the 20,000 cavalry on the grassland.
That Hanmuye was interesting. After getting his credentials, he returned to the grassland. He didn't pass by Loulan City, but deliberately took a detour and went back to the grassland without meeting Du Wei. Du Wei's heart
Knowing what Hamuye was afraid of, he didn't point it out. Some of his subordinates were angry that the grassland messenger was rude, so Du Wei smiled and passed away.
Count Villa came to the northwest again, this time bringing a secret letter. The letter was sealed with fire paint, and Du Wei held it in his hand and could still feel a trace of magic restriction fluctuations on it. In the evening, alone
When I opened the room, I saw that it was the handwriting of Prince Chen.
At the beginning of the letter, Du Wei was really praised a few words, saying that he had done an excellent job this time. He had saved the empire's face and received practical benefits. He also mentioned that Du Wei was in Gilliat City this time.
, led the family's private army to fight against the grassland people, and said a few words of thoughtful comfort and encouragement. At the same time, he also vaguely expressed that although the nominal victory was taken away by the Northwest Army, he, the regent, would not forget Du Wei's contribution. This time
The empire and Du Wei split the compensation demanded from the grassland people in half. In name, it was to reward Du Wei for his meritorious service in negotiations, but in reality it was to reward him for his military exploits and compensate him for his losses.
When Du Wei saw this, he was satisfied: It seems that Prince Chen is really on his way to doing things!
When I saw this, I felt very good. But when I saw the back, I frowned a little.
Regarding the abolition of 20,000 cavalry on the grassland, Prince Chen said that the central government of the imperial capital had already had this intention. Now the military headquarters has unified its opinions and is willing to withdraw the troops, but it does not agree to give the 20,000 cavalry to Du Wei. Although that
Du Wei followed the method proposed by Mrs. List and nominally stationed this army in his own territory, also in the name of the imperial official army. However, the big bosses of the imperial military still cannot accept this kind of official army in terms of self-esteem.
The practice of demoting him to a private army. Prince Chen had just taken office not long ago. He also expressed that he did not want to be too rigid with the military headquarters. After the final bargaining, he agreed to give Du Wei two cavalry regiments... that is...
Six thousand people?
When Du Wei saw this, he couldn't help but twist his nose in anger.
What does the military boss mean by this? It is clearly because the young regent refuses to give him military power! He is sandwiched between the prairie people and the Northwest Army, and his military strength is weak. If he can have a fully-organized and complete cavalry division
, if there are 20,000 people, it will at least be a deterrent to the enemy.
If there are only a few thousand people...who cares?
Fortunately, Prince Chen probably understood that Du Wei would probably be dissatisfied with this, so he also said something in compensation: These 6,000 people are not divided according to the establishment, but 20,000 people are arranged, and Du Wei picks up six thousand people.
thousand!
After the selection, the remaining people will be brought back to the imperial capital by Prince Chen to strengthen the Royal Guards of the Royal City.
Du Wei was a little dissatisfied at first, but then he felt relieved: these 20,000 people were actually very important to the imperial capital. However, they were stationed on the grassland before, and it was too expensive to support them. If they were to be withdrawn...
Twenty thousand people are rare elite soldiers! After all, they are cavalry on the grassland!
Prince Chen is not a fool. How could he easily give such a powerful soldier to himself? His previous thoughts did make him look down on the regent.
"Six thousand, just six thousand." Du Wei sighed, secretly calculating in his mind that he already had three thousand cavalry, and with these six thousand, when the Liszt family moved to the northwest, there would still be more than two thousand members of the White Feather Knights.
If we join, there are more than 10,000 people. If we recruit some more, we can barely make up a division of 20,000 people. But the combat effectiveness will not be as good as that of a complete prairie cavalry division.
After reading the secret letter, Du Wei then placed the letter on the candle and burned it.
Later, people invited Count Villa, who had just washed away his travel dust, to come and talk.
"When I set out, the transfer order from the military headquarters had been sent out immediately. The cavalry divisions on the grassland would be mobilized soon. At that time, the military order was to let 20,000 people come to Loulan City first. The specifics are
Yes, His Highness has already told the Duke in his letter, so I don’t need to go into details.” Count Villa was dressed in fine clothes and seemed to be in much better spirits than when he came for the last negotiation. Obviously, the burden of the negotiation was gone.
People are also much more relaxed.
Du Wei nodded: "How is the situation in the imperial capital now?"
"It's very interesting to say." Villa smiled slightly: "The main war faction and the main war faction gradually stopped arguing. After all, once the credentials were signed, even if the conclusion was finalized, there was no quarrel. However,
The temple seems to be a little unstable recently. I heard some rumors in the market...it seems that you are quite critical of some of the Duke's actions in the northwest."
"Oh?" Du Wei frowned.
I've reached my current position. It doesn't seem like I've directly offended the temple or anything, right?
Villa smiled softly: "After the last battle in Gilliat City, did you order that all the captives of the prairie people be tied to pillars and paraded around? Later, all the captives died this time, and no one was killed.
It's this matter that makes the temple disapprove of your actions. Especially Her Royal Highness the Saint... Hey, she criticized your cruelty in public, saying that such an approach is not in line with the mercy of the goddess of light.
The kindness of the world...hehe."
Du Wei nodded: "Saint... Well, what do the temple say?"
"As for the temple, they vaguely support the saint's remarks, but they have not expressed their stance publicly. However, at this time, remaining silent is regarded as acquiescing to the saint's arguments."
Villa hesitated for a moment and said: "Your Excellency, I have a suggestion. I don't know..."
"Please tell me, Uncle Villa." Duwei laughed and said, "Have you forgotten? In private, don't call me Duke."
"Yes." Count Villa nodded: "I heard that the temple was originally going to set up a religious place in your capital. But it seems that you are not very supportive... I even heard about your secret obstruction...
…”
Du Wei immediately cried out: "Where is it! The temple has sent people here. But although my new city has just been established, it is getting more prosperous day by day. The land price is expensive, and the temple itself is not willing to buy it, but it has nothing to do with me!"
Villa smiled a little awkwardly and glanced at Duwei: "Looking at all parts of the empire... I dare to let the temple pay for its own money to buy land and set up a religious place. The Duke is the first one."
Religious centers across the empire. According to the usual practice, how could local magistrates or noble lords dare to ask the temple to pay for the land? As soon as the temple wanted to set up a religious center, of course the best land in the location was given away for free.
Du Wei said calmly: "My city is newly built, and I am not a believer in the temple. I will not do the donation. Is it because of this that the temple hates me? Besides...there are no religious believers in the empire.
Among the nobles, I, Du Wei, am not the only one."
Villa smiled slightly: "This, it's just one of them. That Her Majesty the Saint gave you trouble was probably just...well, for the sake of the late eldest prince. But don't worry about this matter. Attacking you is an attack.
Prince Regent, when it comes to matters related to the late eldest prince, the Prince Regent will definitely protect you. This is a political stance that will never waver."
Du Wei understood. He nodded and smiled: "However, the regent has been very tolerant of this saint. But this woman is provocative... Sigh. I think this saint's brain may not be easy to use."
Villa laughed, then lowered his voice and said: "Well, I heard His Highness say... He said: If you want to kill a mouse, the most fearful thing is that the mouse shrinks into the hole and has nowhere to start. As long as this
It will be easier if the mouse can show a part of its tail and hold it. The temple and us have always been inseparable. Although we supported Prince Chen on the day of the coup, Prince Chen also paid an unknown price behind his back! Therefore, we also
There is no need to accept the love of the temple. We will still have to fight in the future. However, the temple has always acted cautiously and steadily. It is not easy to make a move... If we leave this stupid woman behind, even if the tail of this rat is caught by us! Even if it is
No matter how cautious the temple is, as long as this woman keeps making trouble, there will always be trouble. At that time, there will be an excuse to blame the temple! But the temple itself wants to show mercy and try to protect this saint... Hum...
"
These words were a confession, which made Du Wei feel moved... This old fox has always been wise to protect himself, and always quarrels when encountering these key issues. Why is he so confidant with him today? He actually dares to say it unabashedly in front of him.
The saint was a "stupid woman", and when she mentioned the temple, she showed no respect. In other words, she treated Du Wei as her closest friend.
Du Wei was confused and looked at Count Villa. Count Villa laughed dryly for a while, then coughed and said: "Actually...this time I came, in addition to delivering a message to His Highness the Regent, His Highness
You have another request for me. It’s just that this is a private matter, so I can’t come to you in a big way, so you can only send me for a run.”
"Oh?" Du Wei's heart moved.
The smile on Earl Villa's face became more and more friendly: "Duwei, you are already fifteen years old. According to the customs of our Roland people, you are already considered an adult. In the aristocratic circle, any man who has reached the age of fifteen is immediately considered an adult.
Get married. Even if you don't get married right away, you still have an engagement. But now, you are so popular and popular that countless wealthy families in the imperial capital are staring at you. If it weren't for the bitter cold in the northwest, you would have been there sooner.
Some people can’t wait to send their daughters over! Haha... To put it bluntly, it’s a pity that I, Villa, don’t have a daughter. Otherwise, I would propose marriage to you.”
Du Wei chuckled, feeling vaguely that something was wrong.
"The regent treats you with great kindness and honor. I don't think there is such a monarch in the history of Roland. He asked me to ask you... Well, His Highness Chen has a man who is fifteen years old.
The 20-year-old sister is the biological daughter of His Majesty Augustine VI. Among all the princes and princesses, she has the best relationship with Prince Chen. This princess is also very famous in the imperial capital. She is so beautiful that some people are vaguely aware of her.
She is compared to Miss Angel of the Liszt family. Although I have never met Miss Angel, I have seen this princess. She is indeed a beautiful woman and the daughter of a royal family. Whether it is manners or demeanor, she is top notch.
The best choice... Therefore, His Highness Chen sent me to the northwest for one more thing, which is your marriage!"
Du Wei couldn't help feeling a little unhappy, but he smiled and said: "Well...it seems that Uncle Villa is here to propose marriage to me."
"It's not a formal proposal of marriage." Villa smiled and said, "His Royal Highness Chen told me face to face. This kind of thing must be consensual on both sides. Moreover, although everyone in the empire wants to marry the royal family, His Highness Chen
I said it. You, Du Wei, are definitely not that kind of powerful person. You may not be willing to do so. So I just came to see what you mean. However, what His Highness means is that anyway, we have temporarily settled down with the grassland people, and there will be no change in the short term.
What's the big deal? It's almost the end of the year. I'd like you to go back to the imperial capital at the end of the year. As for the end of the year banquet, if you, the most popular grand duke in the empire, don't attend, I'm afraid it will be a lot less impressive. Last year.
You just arrived in the northwest, and your footing is unstable. His Highness Chen didn't dare to call you. This year, the situation is different. You have done a lot of great things in the northwest, and you just happened to return to the imperial capital to enjoy the scenery... What about this... Hehe
, at the banquet, Her Royal Highness the Princess will naturally attend. If I can bring about a happy event between the two of you, I, Villa, will be considered a great contributor."
Du Wei was dumbfounded... What is this? A blind date?
However...Prince Chen did not grant the marriage directly and rudely, but rather let him go on a blind date in a gentle manner, which is already very enlightened.
It's just that... I don't even want to marry a woman from the Liszt family... Do I want to marry a royal princess? If I have such a chess piece sent by Prince Chen, sleeping next to me every day... Humph, this kind of thing
How can you agree to this matter?
"Well, that's it. At the end of the year, you have to go back to the imperial capital no matter what. His Highness Chen's transfer order will be sent through official channels." Count Villa chuckled: "This princess is beautiful.
Touching, she is the dream lover of countless talented people in the imperial capital, Du Wei, you are very lucky this time."
After a pause, before Du Wei could speak, Villa said something again, but Du Wei was immediately speechless!
"The regent said that if... everything goes as expected and you really get married to his sister, then you Du Wei will be a collateral member of the royal family from now on! Although before... well, before... the Luo Lin family was demoted, will the family be restored?
It is possible, but if you become a collateral line of the royal family, then your father and younger brothers will naturally have royal relationships. In this way, according to the laws of our Roland Empire, the royal family has immunity. Although the previous
According to the law, Raymond and your brother Gabri are not allowed to be employed for life, but if you become a royal family... it will be different! With the name of a royal family, there will be no obstacles for your brother Gabri to join the officialdom in the future!"
When he said this, Du Wei raised his eyebrows!
What a good Prince Chen! What a regent! What a plan!
Hehe, you really took advantage of my Du Wei’s biggest weakness, your grip is very accurate!!
Du Wei was in a dilemma when he suddenly heard a burst of laughter from outside! The sound echoed throughout the Duke's Palace, and the sound lingered, with a hint of pride.
"Hahahahahaha..."
The sound was so loud that it made people feel harsh even through the doors and windows.
When Du Wei heard this, his expression changed.
That cuckold old gentleman... finally came out of the cellar?!
Alas, this teacher, you can come out of seclusion as soon as you come out of seclusion. There is no need to smile so scary.
Glancing at Villa, Du Wei smiled and said: "Oh, don't worry, this is one of my seniors, a magician. He's just a bit weird. Uncle Villa, please sit down for a moment. I'll be back when I go."
After saying that, Du Wei said goodbye and went out, but as soon as he reached the stairs, he saw his bodyguard Elder Yan rushing up from below with a look of panic on his face.
"My lord! My lord!"
"What's wrong?"
Lao Yan was sweating and shouted: "This... the old magician who lives in the cellar has come out."
Du Wei curled his lips: "I know... the old guy laughed so loudly, I'm not deaf."
"No...it's not!" Lao Yan said with a bitter smile: "It's bad! The old magician came out just now, but happened to meet Mrs. Lister! As a result, the Marquise only glanced at the old magician and didn't care.
Knowing why, he screamed on the spot and fainted with fright! The few white-feathered knights around the Marquise just thought that the lady had been injured in some way, and had already surrounded the old magician, fearing that a fight would start now!"
Du Wei's surprise was no small matter!
A fight between a cuckold and a member of the List family?!