In fact, the contents of these four letters are almost exactly the same. Except for the different names of the recipients, the contents of the four letters are generally the same.
First, he praised the king as the "great master of the grassland" in a humble and respectful tone, and then expressed his determination to lead his troops to be loyal. Finally, he agreed that on the day of the decisive battle, he would lead 40,000 men of cavalry from the battlefield.
Enter from the side, join the battle, and serve the great king!! At the same time, in order to attack the enemy unexpectedly on the battlefield and catch the opponent by surprise, please ask the great king to keep the secret. After defeating the enemy in the future, you must kneel down and worship the king.
Such a situation...
The signature at the end of this letter is none other than Saladin, the son of the slave girl who was always looked down upon by several princes.
If it were just Saladin's signature, I'm afraid the four princes might not believe it. But the problem is, after Saladin's letter of "surrender of integrity" was received, the four of them received another letter at the same time!!
And this letter forced the four "Kings of the Prairie" to fall into the trap!
This is a handwritten letter from Hammuye. Just like the previous one, the contents of the letters received by the four princes this time are actually the same.
In the letter, Hamuyeh expressed in a sincere tone that when he was in the royal court, he did not accept your call but left with others. This was not an act of fear or defection. After all, his tribe was small, with a population of only 30,000 and a military strength of only 30,000.
There are only a few thousand, so I can't help much at all. I left in order to preserve my strength, and at the same time to find strong support for you!
And now, I have tried my best to convince Saladin, the youngest prince. And Saladin has expressed his willingness to join me in joining you. Together with him, we have tens of thousands of troops. In this way,
It can be of great help to you.
On the day of the decisive battle, he and Saladin will enter from the side of the battlefield with their soldiers and horses, and then...
After receiving this secret letter written by Hammuye, the four princes were really fooled.
Who is Hammuye? He is his uncle and his father's brother. He also has very good personal relationships with the princes in the royal court.
No one believed that Hamuyeh would harm them... and no one thought that Hamuyeh would "take refuge" in Saladin. After all, Hamuyeh was a truly noble prince! And Saladin... was just a boy who was born into a slave girl.
A bastard who got where he is today just by flattering his father! Humph...
Moreover, what must be mentioned is that at the end of Hammuyeh’s letter, he made another point!
"Dear King, I think that although Saladin agreed to help us, we can't completely trust this little bastard. I will help you monitor him carefully... However, my troops are limited and it is difficult to effectively control him.
He, therefore, please send some troops to assist me. It doesn’t need to be many. As long as you give me five thousand more troops, I can keep a close eye on this guy. If he dares to make any changes, I can..."
It was this last paragraph that moved the four princes.
Every one of them was overjoyed. It was indeed the idea of the prince, the brain trust in our royal court! Humph, that bastard boy is probably unreliable! Moreover, the uncle only asked for 5,000 people, only 5,000 people. He could still squeeze in the crowd.
He came out of the ground! If he targets that kid, he will have to send 30,000 to 40,000 people! This will be a very worthwhile thing.
Even though his subordinates are very weak in terms of strength, they can still manage to squeeze out 5,000 people.
Therefore, the four went to the local "Prairie King" and after receiving the "secret message", they all fantasized about getting the support of Saladin and Hammuyeh, so they had to agree to Hamuyeh's request.
Three princes immediately ordered to separate five thousand men and horses, and quietly left their camp far away overnight. But the fourth prince really did not have any extra troops, so he simply ordered a man to join him.
The whole small tribe was sent out.
In the letters written by Saladin Hammuyah to the four princes, the places and times of contact were different. So this scene appeared:
In the next three days, at four different times and four different locations, the four groups arrived at the designated contact point and met the "loyal" Prince Hammuye and other people as promised.
Then... waiting for these local guys is the only fate: first being deceived by Hammuye into being defenseless, and then being surrounded by so many troops that no bird can fly out in this location that has been ambushed by Saladin, and finally put down
Without weapons, they can only accept their fate, surrender and be reorganized!
All Hamouye had to do was go to four places and perform four plays in three days.
And Saladin, without spending a single soldier, just used a letter to exchange for more than 20,000 troops!
Even Hamouye, who is known as the "think tank", admires this unconstrained and bold and adventurous idea.
But what he didn't know was that this idea was not Saladin's.
After completing this plan, Saladin met Alpha in secret. Alpha faced this gloomy prairie man. Although he did not like this guy, out of his loyalty to Duwei, he still completed his mission outstandingly.
"The Duke asked me to tell you that this plan he gave you is the last time he will help you. You have to rely on yourself for the rest. We will not give you any free help from today on.
, any help will come at a cost.”
The four "Prairie Kings" who did not know that they had "lost" 5,000 troops were still dreaming of sweet dreams. They believed that with the support of the coalition forces of Hamuyeh and Saladin, they had an advantage in strength.
But when the day of the decisive battle arrived, reality severely shattered their fantasies!
The four princes, who were stared at by the pack of wolves on the grassland, finally decided to fight to the death! Because they couldn't hold off any longer, they had to defeat their brothers as quickly as possible, and then act like a strong and victor. Only then could they win.
The tribes who were watching eagerly surrendered.
This is the only way.
So, on this morning, people and horses from all directions gathered on this grassland. War drums were beating and horns were blown. The cavalrymen polished their scimitars. The horses' noses were puffing with white air and they kicked their hooves uneasily.
…
The sharp scimitar shines with golden light under the sun.
What is ridiculous is that the four princes were looking at the side of the battlefield at the same time... waiting for their "surprise reinforcements".
At noon, when the sun was shining overhead, faint sounds of horse hooves could be heard from the side of the battlefield, and then large swaths of dust rose above the horizon. Unknown how many cavalrymen were galloping towards them, covering the sky.
The dust that blocked the sun undoubtedly stimulated the confidence of the four prairie kings!
Moreover, before the dust, a group of cavalry was galloping, and the flags they were holding were none other than Saladin and Prince Hammuyeh!!
The most ridiculous and ironic scene happened at this moment.
The four prairie kings, almost at the same time, pointed at the flying dust in the distance, then turned around, with the confidence of a winner, and roared loudly to their subordinates with red faces and declared: "Look! I am
Brave men! Have you seen those people in the distance! Those are the reinforcements brought to us by Prince Hammuye!! Our reinforcements have arrived!! Victory belongs to us! Now, raise your arms!
Knife. Charge to the enemy!!"
Although some people felt that the flying dust was very noisy... but the sound of horse hooves coming from far away did not seem to be as loud as imagined. However, at this tense moment, no one had time to pay attention.
Think about these questions.
So... the horn of charge sounded, the soldiers raised their scimitars, urged their horses, and began to charge without hesitation...
"Do you think they will be fooled?" Saladin smiled at Hammuye who was riding beside him.
Hamuye thought for a while. He immediately said: "Yes. My king. And... I admire your strategy very much, hum. It only used a thousand cavalry, and the horses were dragged on the ground with branches tied behind them.
Go, it raised so much dust... They must now think that we have sent out the entire army to help them."
Saladin smiled gloomily: "Then... now, let our people mount their horses and prepare to set off."
On the grassland, the four groups of men and horses totaled more than 100,000, and they had collided fiercely together, like a huge meat grinder, crushing all life that could be involved!!
Whistling, fighting, shouting, screaming...
When the battle went on for a while, the four "Prairie Kings" found out angrily that the "reinforcements" they had placed high hopes on did not join the battle! And the news that the people sent came back to report made the four kings extremely angry.
He almost vomited blood and fainted from the horseback!
The so-called reinforcements that came were only a thousand people... The dust in the sky was brought up by branches tied behind the horses. Moreover, when the battle started, they... all ran away!!
"Damn Saladin!! Damn Hammuyeh!!"
Still, the four prairie kings issued the most vicious curses at the same time in their respective military formations. However, they still made a unanimous decision.
The fighting can no longer stop! In the current situation, whoever flinches will die!
The four kings gave orders at the same time to let their last reserves and the whole army rush forward!
Life and death, it’s at this moment!!
Where are Saladin's men at this time?
He sent out four teams, each with 5,000 people. These 5,000 people were dressed in the costumes of the 5,000 people sent by his brothers, and under their banners, they marched on the battlefield.
When the battle was inextricable, he quietly approached the base camp of the four prairie kings...
Saladin's order was simple.
"Quick! Everything must be quick! Grab whatever you can! Burn whatever you can't take away! One strike can kill you, no one is allowed to delay!"
The four princes invested all their forces in the decisive battle, and the empty base camp was exposed to Saladin's minions. This time, he decided to end his lifelong hatred with this battle!!
It was winter in the nine hundred and sixty-third year of the Roland Empire.
The footsteps of winter are gradually coming.
Du Wei was sitting in the Governor's Mansion in Loulan City and received the last secret message from the grassland. This was also the last letter from Alpha. Later, Alpha would also end his two-year career in the grassland and return to the grassland.
Province of Desa.
In the decisive battle between the four "Kings of the Prairie", after Saladin released a huge dove on the four brothers, he sent troops to raid the camp of the four brothers and looted a large amount of materials and wealth, and even plundered many slaves.
Population. Finally flew away.
On the battlefield, the fierce battle lasted until dark, and the last drop of blood was shed in the duel between the four beasts. In the end, two princes died on the spot, but one, seeing that the situation was over, had to carry his remaining body with him.
The battlefield where the army left the battlefield. When he escaped, there were only less than 6,000 cavalry left with him, and most of them were injured.
The last "victor" was the eldest son of the former Prairie King. Unfortunately, this victor also paid a huge price... After he finally tallied the results, he discovered that after taking in the prisoners of war, his full strength
, and there were less than 30,000 people left.
Moreover... his base camp was also raided by Saladin.
Thirty thousand people...we defeated the general with only 30,000 remaining troops. How can we be called a king?
So, taking advantage of the darkness, the "victor" set a fire, burned the battlefield, and burned his "king's flag", and then left with his people in the southeast direction.
And the only winner in this war is Saladin!
His strength expanded to a new level. After the war, he already had a population of nearly 100,000 and 60,000 cavalry!
With this strength, it is already considered a first-class tribe on the grassland.
Moreover, the smart Saladin firmly remembered the advice Du Wei once wrote to him in a letter: slow down and become king!
From the beginning to the end, he never set up a royal flag or established himself as the king of the prairie. Instead, he led his army and gradually devoured all the snobbery that could be found around him that were weaker than him. Then, taking advantage of the collapse of the royal court,
There was a short-term vacuum in the southwestern direction of the grassland. His capital was rapidly growing...
When winter came, Saladin already had more than 100,000 troops! He became one of the most powerful leaders on the grassland!
As for his last two remaining brothers, one originally fled with thousands of remnant soldiers. However, on the way, he lost his prestige after the defeat and was killed by his rebel subordinates.
The other eldest prince went south with 30,000 troops, but was annexed by another large tribe, and the eldest prince's head was also chopped off.
In winter, several large tribes on the grassland jointly issued a proclamation, asking all tribal leaders to take their people to the former site of the "King's Court" to hold a grassland tribal meeting to re-elect a new grassland king.
After receiving the news, Saladin just sneered and tore up the letter casually.
Then, Saladin smiled, showing his white teeth, looked at his uncle Hamuye beside him in the tent, and sneered: "The Rolandian Duke Tulip once told me not to believe in any so-called 'elected king', the real
The king is not elected! Huh! If you want to get real allegiance, you can't do it by relying on such boring things as 'recommendation'! The only way is to use your scimitar to conquer! Completely conquer the enemy,
Those who disobey will be killed, and in the end, the remaining people will become your own people, and only then can you gain true allegiance."
"So... we will not participate in this conference?" Hamouye asked.
"Participate, why don't you participate." Saladin said: "You can go as my representative. But remember, we only recommend others to be kings, and we are absolutely inappropriate."
After Du Wei read the last letter, he handed it to Philip beside him. Philip read it with a smile, and then nodded: "Your Majesty, it seems... In the next ten years, we will not have to worry about the grassland."
The threat is worrying.”
Du Wei nodded and agreed with Phillip's words.
"In the past, the royal family was too powerful to suppress the entire grassland, so the grassland people would quietly unite under the royal court. But now, the most powerful royal family has disintegrated. The remaining large tribes, even the largest tribe
, the strength is far from enough to suppress the entire grassland. There is no overwhelming advantage. Therefore, even if someone is elected as the king, he still cannot hold this position. New challengers will soon stand up and start a stir.
A new civil war. According to our calculations, the civil war among the grassland people will probably last at least seven or eight years, and there is still an ambitious guy like Saladin. The time may drag on even longer. Therefore, within ten years, we don’t have to worry.
These are prairie people.”
From the beginning, Du Wei never thought about conquering the grassland. He knew that with the current situation of the empire, it was impossible to do this, neither strength nor time allowed.
Du Wei never thought of sending troops to invade the grassland. Even if the people of the grassland were seriously injured, even if Du Wei could win the war, "winning the war" and "complete conquest" are completely different.
Winning the war is easy, but conquering the grassland and conquering such a nation is definitely not something that can be accomplished in a short period of time. In that case, it will drag your own army into a quagmire.
Therefore, Du Wei's goal is to plunge the grassland into chaos. Serious civil strife and several years of civil war have caused the people of the grassland to be divided and their strength greatly weakened! In this way, Du Wei can concentrate all his attention with peace of mind.
, to deal with more important enemies.
"Then, we can evacuate the small group of troops stationed in the northwest corridor." Philip smiled: "In the past six months, we have consumed too much just transporting water every day."
"Withdraw... half." Du Wei thought for a moment: "The border cannot be left undefended. It is enough to leave half of the people."
In the afternoon, Du Wei walked out of the study. He rubbed his sore temples and let out a long sigh.
I looked at the sky and it seemed like it was going to snow.
Without any entourage, he walked directly through the corridor and walked to the other side of the castle. He came to a room upstairs.
The melodious sound of the piano came from the room.
Opening the door, there are still several beautiful girls dancing, and the person sitting in the middle is playing the piano...
Du Wei suddenly felt that he was in a trance. After he saw it clearly, he sighed.
Ellu, this female assassin from the Snowy Mountains, was wearing a long dress like a Roland woman. Sitting in the middle, even her posture while playing the piano looked very much like that beautiful girl who was as calm as the moonlight.
Du Wei walked into the room with his hands behind his back, and then asked everyone to go out, leaving only Ai Lu.
Ai Lu's expression was very gloomy, and she even looked at Du Wei with provocative eyes.
In fact, in the past few months after Hanyue's death, her attitude towards Du Wei has been like this, but Du Wei did not make things difficult for her. Even if she made a fuss, Du Wei would just lock her up for two days.
That’s all.
"You...what are you doing here again?" Ai Lu stared at Du Wei: "Are you going to send someone to die again this time?"
Du Wei shook his head, then stretched out his hand from behind, and a ray of light appeared in his hand. He had taken out something from the magic ring and held it in his hand.
This is a small organ with crystal-clear strings. It is obvious that someone has carefully scrubbed it every day and it is spotless.
"You play the piano very nicely." Du Wei said softly, "So, I give you this piano."
Ellu said nothing.
Du Wei's next words made Ai Lu shake violently.
"This piano... was left behind by her. After she left, this piano has been in my hand."
Ellu took the piano and lightly traced the strings with her fingers.
Then, Du Wei walked to the window, looked into the distance, and turned his back to Elu: "Play a piece for me."
Elu seemed to want to object, but when the words came to her lips, for some reason, they turned into: "What do you want to hear!"
Du Wei was silent for a while and then said: "You can play whatever music she liked to play in the past."
The soft and harmonious sound of the strings sounded, and the smooth tune fell into Du Wei's ears, and he sighed.
His eyes fell far into the distance.
The direction he was looking was due north!!
The dark clouds in the sky are very low...
"It seems like it's going to snow." Du Wei seemed to murmur in a low voice: "One year has passed. One year... there are still two years left... Time flies so fast, there are only two years left.
Already."
Although this guy's back was turned to her and she couldn't see his expression, Elu could clearly feel that this young duke, who was usually more majestic, was full of exhaustion in his voice at this moment!
Yes, tired.
It's the kind of exhaustion that feels like your heart has been hollowed out.
"Two years...what did he mean by two years? And...he is like this now. He needs the wind and the rain. Is there anything else that makes him so worried and tired..." Elu