Chapter 293 Chapter 263: Three Birds With One Stone

Poor Hanmoye was thrown away by Du Wei for two full days.Hanmoye was very angry at the beginning, but he was an experienced politician after all, and then he controlled his anger very well, and even issued a strict order to strictly prohibit his subordinates from causing trouble in the Duke's mansion. Otherwise, those rude and tough prairie warrior followers under him would probably have fought with the guards of the duke's mansion long ago after holding their breath. Now, under Hanmoye's strict order, these grassland people are still peaceful.It's just that the dignified envoy of a country actually has to pay for it himself, and send people out to buy food in the surrounding restaurants every day... This kind of treatment is probably the first time in history.

At that time, the restaurants around the Duke's Mansion, after getting hints from His Excellency the Duke, raised their prices three times one after another in the face of these "fat sheep" that came to their door, which was considered a small profit. "They have been very honest these two days." Du Wei stood on the tower, hid behind the window sill, and looked at the tents below.The prairie warriors were guarding outside the tent, while Hanmuye stayed in the tent honestly every day, but sent people to ask Made routinely every day, "Duke, is the magic experiment over? Can we start the meeting?" .

Every time the other party asks this question, Made will reply perfunctorily, "After the Duke is done with his work, he will naturally come to see the distinguished guest." But then, I will add a sentence intentionally or unintentionally: "My lord duke said that the agreement drafted before, please think about it more. Anyway, nothing has happened recently. If you have any constructive opinions, you may as well give them your thoughts. Clearly, when His Excellency the Duke has time to meet, he can bring it up immediately, without wasting the time of both parties." That means: we ask for a price, and you pay back the money on the spot, but in the end you still have to make a condition.

But it seemed that Han Moye was not in a hurry, and seemed to have the determination to spend with Du Wei. "It seems that trying to provoke him is not very effective." Du Wei sighed, and looked at Philip beside him: "Do you have any other clever tricks?" Philip thought for a while, then smiled and said, "My lord, we are just testing each other's bottom line. From the looks of it these two days, the results have actually been pretty good." Du Wei rubbed his nose, nodded and said, "You're right. If the prairie people were really tough, he wouldn't be able to bear our neglect. It seems that they don't want to fight."

"I shouldn't want to fight. It's just that they were wronged this time. Their army ran to our territory. It's their fault anyway. However, it seems that they don't want to make any compensation. Fighting and I don't want to fight, so the grassland people are willing to spend it like this." "Then... why don't we be tougher?" Du Wei rubbed his chin and smiled cunningly. "I think it's almost done." Philip was a little worried: "After all, we don't have the strength to really start a war now. If we really pissed off the other party..."

"But you have to get some benefits and compensation." Du Wei shook his head. ... There is no good way for Philip, the staff member.This procrastination tactic is already a good strategy.Anyway, I don't want to fight, and the other party doesn't want to fight, and I have set a "harsh" condition, which is considered very tough. When the time comes, I will tell the outside world that no matter whether it is the main combat faction or the main peace faction, Du Wei will have nothing to do with it. words. How about... brainstorming? Du Wei also understands the truth that the three cobblers are better than Zhuge Liang.Although Philip's growth has been astonishing, but after all, his thinking is still biased towards orthodoxy, and the evil idea of ​​swordsmanship is not his specialty.

As a last resort, Du Wei simply called several generals under his command to discuss. Longbottom, Dardanelle, and even the heroic little 250 Gaida in the Battle of Giliat (now promoted to Longbottom's deputy), Uncle Alpha, the chief of the old smoke guard, etc. ... "I'm here today to discuss how to deal with this Han Muye." Du Wei looked at the generals under his command and said with a smile, "I know that this kind of government affairs strategy is not your specialty, but... brainstorming, Maybe our way of thinking is too routine, but you guys can come up with some fantastic ideas."

Several generals with rough lines thought for a while, but it was the little two hundred and five, Gaida, who spoke first. The man looked murderous, and said in a low voice: "My lord...don't they send people to the city every day? We can send people to pretend to be thieves or local snakes, teach them a lesson, and injure several people." One, kill a lot of people when necessary, and see if this guy can still hold his breath!" Du Wei glanced at the little Erbaiwu, sighed helplessly, picked up a pen and handed it to the little Erbaiwu: "General Al Qaeda, take this pen, there is a corner over there, go and squat there Draw circles and play..."

Then Du Wei looked at Longbottom: "Dear General, do you have any suggestions?" "Otherwise, find someone to pretend to be an assassin and assassinate this Hamuye, whether it be poisoned or assassinated... This guy is very difficult to deal with. Even if he is not really killed, let him be seriously injured or seriously ill, the prairie people will still be killed." Sending an envoy might be easier to deal with." Du Wei stared at Longbottom, handed him a pen, and pointed to the corner: "Dear general, go and draw with Al Qaeda..." When Du Wei looked at Lao Yan, Lao Yan didn't wait for Du Wei to speak, and directly smiled wryly: "My lord... please give me a pen too."

Dardanelle thought for a while, then suddenly said: "Perhaps... I have a way. However, I'm afraid I need the cooperation of General Longbottom." "Oh?" Du Wei's eyes lit up. Dardanelle then said a weird idea: "Right now Hanmoye is stubbornly refusing to speak, and everyone is competing for patience. Your lord, your strategy is right to leave him alone. But Hanmoye is not a fool. The key point is that we don't have enough chips in our hands. He understands that the empire is unwilling to go to war. So if we leave him alone, he will have nothing to worry about. And if we delay it day by day, we will do no good.

My lord, with all due respect.In this negotiation, no one wants to fight, so at least the two sides have agreed on this point.Then there are two biggest problems. This is the first, we can't offend the war faction in the imperial capital!Therefore, peace talks must be negotiated.But it is better for the other party to propose 'and', not us.If we take the initiative to seek peace, then the main combat faction in the imperial capital will probably blame you for being weak and traitorous, leaving a stain on your future political career.It would be best if the other side offered a 'summation', so that we pretend to be tough and accept it.On top of public opinion, it will also be supported.The other party gave us a step, and we followed the trend, and the main fighters in the imperial capital had no words to attack us. " A smile flashed in Du Wei's eyes, and he took a deep look at Dardanelle: "Go ahead." Dardanelle coughed and continued: "It was the first just now, and now it's the second... Uh, this second problem is a good thing! Logically speaking, the other party's fault this time. For peace talks, the other party should pay some compensation. The more compensation the other party pays, the more face you, sir, will have as a negotiating envoy. Speak out and let the grassland people bow their heads and pay compensation, and you can also earn fame and Political achievements. But the problem now is that the other party seems to not want to pay any price, and just wants to delay. He knows that we can't fight. So no matter how tough we pretend to be, he won't be afraid. This Hanmuye's plan is probably You don't want to pay any benefits, just want to deny this matter. But in this way, as an envoy, you have not received any compensation, but it is too unreasonable. No matter what you have to make the other party pay the price. We There is no benefit to be gained, it is absolutely impossible.” Du Wei laughed even more strangely: "Well, the two problems you mentioned are actually one: how can the grassland people take the initiative to seek peace and pay compensation." Dardanelle gave a weird smile, scratched his head, and said with a smile: "That's what I meant. But... If you gain something, you will lose it. If we simply ask for compensation, they will definitely not be willing. How about... …Use the method of exchange! Make a deal with the other party, as long as the content of the deal is covered, we can take advantage of it and get actual benefits, that’s all.” Du Wei nodded and looked at Dardanelle: "You don't have to hide it, just tell me, what exactly are you thinking?" "My lord, have you forgotten that there is an imperial cavalry division on the grasslands! An army of 20,000 cavalry is not too many, but it is not too small! The empire spends a lot of money every year to feed such a cavalry , but the main cost is wasted on long-distance supplies. For the prairie people, this army stationed on the prairie is also a thorn in their eyes and a thorn in their flesh. But in my opinion... this army The army really doesn't have much meaning to exist! Why don't you... withdraw!" As soon as he said this, Longbottom suddenly yelled, and glared at Dardanelle: "What are you talking about! Withdraw?! What are you kidding! If there is no army of 20,000 people, the people on the grassland Those guys are even more unscrupulous when they do things!" Dardanelle smiled, looked at Longbottom, and said calmly, "General, if it was when you commanded that army on the grassland, the grassland people might still have scruples under your prestige. ...But now, according to my information, the effect of the 20,000 people is very limited! The general you succeed is far inferior to you. The 20,000 people can not only make the grassland people disgusted In addition, it is not very useful, and it also consumes a lot of military expenses every year! To feed the military expenses of a legion, to feed 20,000 cavalry... Isn’t this ridiculous?! If you are in charge of this Commander of 20,000 people, with your means and the army, I will not hesitate to agree to continue to support 20,000 people! Even if it costs the military expenses of a legion, I think it is worth it! But now... it is not worth it Already!" Longbottom was silent for a while, although he was a little unwilling to admit it, he had to sigh: Dardanelle's words were indeed true. "Negotiating things like this, you can't just ask for it. If the other party makes a big step, we must first make a small step. We are now waiting for the other party to give us a step. Maybe he is also waiting for us to give him a step. Well." Dardanelle thought about this, thought for a while, and said: "I think this matter is an excellent opportunity for the Duke! We can propose a condition: withdraw the 20,000 people from the grassland! Of course... ...The transaction of withdrawing troops must not be made public! This kind of thing can only be a secret transaction, otherwise, those people who don't know the truth and the public opinion in the imperial capital will probably call us a traitor! We can secretly propose to withdraw the troops with the other party .In name, just ask them to pay compensation.” "What else?" Du Wei looked at Dardanelle with a smile. "Also... I think it would be the best if I can take the opportunity to get the 20,000 cavalrymen... I heard that the big bosses of the Imperial Command had actually revoked the 20,000 cavalry a long time ago. The cavalry is thinking. After all, the military expenditure is too huge, and the actual effect is low... If we take the opportunity to propose... we will receive the 20,000 people..." "No, no!" Erbaiwu Gaida shook his head, "Throughout the thousand-year history of the empire, only the private army has been incorporated into the official army! No official army has been demoted into the private army! The military will never agree to such a thing !" Dardanelle laughed and said, "That's why I said, this matter will depend on General Longbottom! Of course we cannot directly say that we will receive 20,000 people from the imperial capital. Army, this is too shameful in name. The military leaders will never be willing to lose face. So, we might as well say to the imperial capital: Duke Tulip is loyal to the country and is willing to bear the military expenses of 20,000 people! At the same time, when the application was made to the military, it was said that the Desa Province was short of troops, and it was located in the frontier, so it was short of troops, so please order an army of 20,000 people to be stationed in our Desa Province and become a frontier garrison. Officers! My lord, think about it, as long as an army of 20,000 people stays on our territory, and we provide them with food, clothing and shelter, they will be squeezed to death by us! Take your time! Those who are still under our control will be controlled by us, and although they are still an official army in name, in fact, they have become your private army." Du Wei's eyes became more and more serious. Dardanelle took one last look at Longbottom and said with a wry smile, "There is one more detail...I'm afraid General Longbottom will need to sacrifice a bit." "what……" "I know, General, that you hate the High Command of the Imperial Army. You once vowed never to return to the military. But... in order to help the Duke complete the great cause of the Northwest, you have to break your oath this time." Dardanelle looked around Looking at Du Wei: "My lord, you only need to propose that you bear all the military expenses, and at the same time, you write an official document in your name, which only says that you are loyal to the country and that you will not hesitate to give up your confidant and beloved general for the sake of the empire. Do your best to recommend General Longbottom as the commander-in-chief of this cavalry! The imperial military has long been devastated by military expenses. You will definitely agree to your request! By then... 20,000 people will be here, and the soldiers will be paid by us In addition, General Longbottom was originally the old commander of this army. With his prestige, he will soon be able to regain control of the 20,000 people! Even though their banner is still the thorn flower... But the heart has already It's tulips!" In the end, Dardanelle concluded: "Actually, when we did this, the imperial military and the regent must know our intentions. However, first of all, the regent is extremely fond of the Duke, and this time he puts aside I understand that I will let you take full responsibility. The Emperor has long wanted to get rid of the burden of the 20,000 people! Therefore, with such a disguised recruitment, the Imperial Capital’s military command will not lose face, and it will be able to get rid of a big burden. Most likely, it will agree! As for the prairie people, we asked them to compromise on the condition of withdrawing the troops, and asked them to bleed a lot on the basis of the negotiated contract. It would be much easier to think about it! As for you, my lord duke, since you have completed the negotiation without falling into the prestige of the empire, At the same time, we also got a 20,000 strong cavalry force! Kill three birds with one stone! Why not do it?" This eloquent speech made everyone around me dumbfounded!Even Philip looked at Dardanelle in surprise. This Dardanelle is usually quiet. Although he is very responsible as the city guard, he is just doing things calmly.But I didn't expect that he actually had such talent and could come up with such a strategy? Du Wei, on the other hand, laughed a few times, and said lightly: "In this case, why not try it. Philip, you can help me draft a letter to the imperial capital... Well, everyone else should leave, Dardanelle Stay here, let’s talk about this matter.” When everyone was sent away, only Du Wei and Dardanelle were left in the room.Du Wei sighed, stared at Dardanelle, and said in a low voice: "My friend... I'm afraid you didn't come up with this plan!" Dardanelle chuckled, and said: "Your Excellency is right, I, Dardanelle, don't have such a good mind. Well... this plan was conceived by the Marquis. She knows that most of your recent negotiations are for the sake of negotiation." The matter was troublesome, so I called me over last night, told me such a way, and asked me to find an opportunity to report it to you. She said that she is an outsider after all, and she is a woman, so it is not good to speak directly about such a major national matter. " Du Wei seemed a little absent-minded, hummed, and didn't say much. Dardanelle suddenly thought of something, his face changed slightly, and suddenly he knelt down on one knee: "My lord, are you blaming me again? I have already pledged my allegiance to you, so I just conveyed these words, not to return to Liszt The family has nostalgia, and they are willing to pass it on because they feel that the Marquise's plan is very subtle. Since I, Dardanelle, have pledged my allegiance to you, I will never be half-hearted!" Du Wei quickly helped the old friend up with both hands, and said sincerely: "My friend, you misunderstood. The two of us are close friends. How could I have the slightest doubt about you? I was absent-minded just now, I'm just lamenting the Marquis's cleverness. Such a strategy is really powerful. Although she is a woman, she is very admirable! With a woman, she can manage the Liszt family to the current scale. The Marquis... Don't dare to underestimate it!" After a pause, Du Wei looked at Dardanelle: "Well, how about it, the Marquise gave me such a good idea, and I can't say nothing. Help me to thank her, and ask her if she has any Anything that can help. Hmm... In the future, our family's business in the north and the transactions with the Liszt family will all be 10% lower in price." Dardanelle smiled slightly: "I don't think the Marquis would care much about the money. The Liszt family was originally rich... Well, my lord, if you want to express your gratitude, you might as well go see the Marquis in person." "Hey!" Du Wei laughed dryly: "Dardanelle, do you also want to marry our two families?" Dardanelle said seriously: "My lord, I really think so, but it's not because I came from the Liszt family, so I have no selfishness. I just think that you are a genius, rare in the world. And the Marquis Madam is beautiful and unparalleled... Uh, although there is a little difference in age. But I think the Marquis is quite sincere to you and helps you sincerely. If the two families get married, it will be of great benefit to your great cause." Du Wei patted Dardanelle on the shoulder: "I understand, you don't have selfish intentions, I know it. Um...but, my marriage...I don't want to settle so early. And...Political I don't really like things like marriage. Actually... other than marriage, I am willing to fully cooperate with the Liszt family. Is marriage the only way to form an alliance?" Dardanelle shook his head, obviously not agreeing with Du Wei's point of view, and said sternly: "Although this is your private matter. But as a duke, you have a different status. Marriage is naturally involved! With all due respect, if you You are just a commoner, who you want to marry is naturally your private matter. But as the lord, your marriage is no longer a purely private matter. Now it seems that it is the best for you to marry the Liszt family Choice...Actually, to tell you the truth. Colleagues, although they didn’t say anything, most of them actually approve of your marriage with the Liszt family. I once talked with Mr. Philip, and even he showed some hints I agree. It’s just that everyone knows your thoughts about Mage Vivienne… you’re too embarrassed to say it. And… my lord, to be honest, you’ve already passed your coming-of-age ceremony! In the empire, most of the nobles Early marriage, after the coming-of-age ceremony, most of them will get married. Even if you don’t get married, you will make a marriage contract first. And you have a prominent status, but you haven’t even had a marriage contract so far... This is a bit inappropriate." Du Wei was silent. Dardanelle in front of him looked sincere, obviously speaking from the bottom of his heart. It's just that Du Wei knows his own affairs. He is not some innocent boy.As for women, he doesn't mind a few one-night stands.Not even a conservative person.Mrs. Lister is beautiful and moving, of course he is tempted.It's just that most of them are only tempted by the beauty of the Marquis, purely a desire of the flesh.If you play ambiguously and be lovers, you can accept it. marry?Then forget it. The only thing that made him want to stay together for the rest of his life was that innocent little stammer. As for last night, I almost got the female prisoner of Ailu executed on the spot, but let go at a critical moment.It was also out of an inexplicable affection for the girl Vivienne. More importantly, although Du Wei is not a pure sentimentalist, he is not the kind of animal who can't control his lower body. That female assassin last night, it's nothing to push him down.But the problem is... after the overthrow, how to solve the troubles behind? After all, the other party was from Daxue Mountain and a disciple of the Witch King.I have enough troubles now, if I "defile" a disciple of the Witch King, the troubles I will cause will not be small! Damn it... Others can be as beautiful as clouds after time travel, but I just play with innocence.Speaking of it, it's really ridiculous. Mrs Lister... Mrs Lister... Du Wei thought and thought, and suddenly smiled: "In this way, it is really not sincere enough to ask you to convey my gratitude for me. How about this, let someone go to see the Marquis and say that I want to invite her to dinner tonight."