Riding and Slashing

Chapter 144 Create demand for Kairos

It seems that doing good deeds is indeed beneficial.

Kairos led the elite troops, but did not control Li Ang, probably as he said, it was entirely because of Li Ang's selfless behavior in helping to control the Red Death.

Of course, it was precisely because he knew Kailos was a principled person that Li Ang dared to strike up a conversation directly.

The lord has been inquiring about the character and relationship of the top management of the Bacchus Empire all the way, just to determine how to deal with Kailos.

In fact, before he didn't know much about Kailos, that is, before this night, he originally wanted to enter Emperor Lingang alone and take the initiative to be captured—or controlled.

Yes, this is the most efficient way to make a strange visit - to send the identity of the messenger to the door to be actively controlled by others.

Anyway, with Li Ang's current status, he would definitely not be killed, or even suffer any pain.

And as long as there is a chance to speak, the lord will have the confidence to retreat unscathed, at worst spending some money.

Anyway, it costs money to buy food.

Although in a hostile country, this is actually much easier than the previous kidnapping - any high-ranking noble will not kill a noble who planted three flags on the convoy when he is not fighting, or even treat him disrespectfully .

Unless there is a grudge.

Kailos has no grudge against him.

But now, Li Ang has the opportunity to talk with Kailos on an equal footing, which is indeed the role of helping to isolate the Red Death.

"Your Excellency was joking, I didn't let you fail... I was just trying to keep my territory. In fact, I should be considered as helping you..."

Li Ang had the same smile on his face when he first met Earl Auden.

Very good attitude.

"Your Excellency Li Ang, you kidnapped two governors at White Hart Castle, causing the empire to lose an inch of troops and lose an inch... As the marshal of the last war, this was a huge failure for me! You actually said you helped me? Help me what?"

Kairos almost laughed angrily, leaned back and stared into Li Ang's eyes.

The lord is very satisfied with the reaction of the governor - he successfully aroused Kailos' interest in talking.

He and his apprentice also said that how to make people listen carefully to what you have to say is more important than the content of the negotiation itself.

"Your Excellency, you might as well think about it—there are only three governors in the empire. The two governors, Levius and Justus, led an army of [-], facing White Hart Castle guarded by a girl and [-] old and weak soldiers. , not only the siege is unfavorable, but also the soldiers and generals are lost,...

Only you, Lord Kailos, led thousands of cavalry into the hinterland of the Sarleon Kingdom, easily defeated the world-renowned general Earl Alden, and retreated unscathed—everything in this world is afraid of comparison..."

With a smile all over his face, Li Ang helped Kailos settle the score with his fingers, and there was even a hint of admiration in his tone.

Kairos was stunned for half a minute, and then he really smiled: "Your Excellency Li Ang is really eloquent, hearing what you said, I seem to have made a great contribution?
But you should know that I did not defeat Lord Alden, I did not even break through his defenses...he died at the hands of your traitors in Sarleon.

As the marshal, I ordered the division of troops to attack, but in the end I returned without gaining an inch... Could this be considered meritorious service in the Lion Realm? "

Kailos' tone was a bit sarcastic, but his eyes and expression became sharper.

"My lord, let's imagine another outcome...

If Governor Levius led troops to capture White Hart Castle, he would definitely be able to take down my little McShamcollar, and probably also take over Fort Brave Shield, which lost Earl Alden, and possibly even Long River. town……

This is an extraordinary feat of pioneering thousands of miles, and there is a great chance to get the horse breeding land of the Sarleon Kingdom-if I guessed correctly, this is what you originally expected when you started the war, right?

But if that's the case... this was fought by Levius with the infantry regiment, and you were completely absent...

In contrast, your record will be "advance with cavalry and underestimate the enemy, unable to attack the city and return without taking an inch of ground."Moreover, he even arbitrarily ordered traitors to kill Earl Oden, whom everyone admired, so that the entire Sarleon Realm united with the enemy and resolutely resisted. 'This runs counter to the political policy of His Majesty Emperor Marius' integration into Pan De, and it can be said that short-sightedness is useless!
You see, things in this world are afraid of comparison... If you get the expected 'victory', then you may lose the position of marshal because of it, right?
If this result is true, then Levius, who has made great achievements, will definitely replace you as the marshal.Would it be good for the Empire, or for you, or for your troops... to make someone like him a marshal?
Lord Kailos, tell me, did I help you? "

The lord once again snapped his fingers to help Kailos settle the score. This time he didn't smile again, but looked serious, with some emotion on his face.

Kailos really listened now.

He probably had some insights, his brows furrowed, and he sighed deeply.

Then, there was a few minutes of silence.

The lord didn't bother him, but just looked into Kailos' eyes quietly.

"Arbitrarily instructing traitors to kill Auden..." In fact, Li Ang was completely sincere.

In a sense, Kairos was also an accomplice in killing Oden.

But Li Ang will not feel hatred because of this—public is public, private is private, Kairos is his duty to deal with the enemy's army during the battle, and Li Ang can still be clear about this.

However, the death of Oden is really of no benefit to Kairos and the Bacchus Empire. It will cause the nobles in the Sarleon Realm to resolutely deal with the Bacchus Empire. This is a fact.

It is also true that the lord wants to use this to scold him for being short-sighted.

The two sides retreated for so long but failed to sign an armistice agreement because of Auden's death.

"Well, I should probably thank you...but it's already happened, and there's no point in discussing it. You'd better just say why you're here."

Kailos finally spoke, but he didn't mention the victory or defeat. Instead, he looked at Li Ang meaningfully, as if hesitating.

"I came here with good intentions, as you can see, I don't want to be an enemy of the empire. I plan to help you again, of course, this is mainly for myself and my friends."

The lord pointed to the corpses of the snake worshipers at the entrance of the village, and said that he was a good person who was eager to help, so please don't mess around...

Kailos also turned his head to look, then shook his head and smiled: "Heh...help me again? Who do you want to kidnap again?"

"Don't always think of me as a kidnapper, my lord..."

The lord was very aggrieved: "Lord Kairos, I know that the relationship between you and Emperor Marius is quite tense. After the defeat of the war, you probably have to bear a lot of responsibility. It is estimated that the two governors will also cooperate with you...I have no other choice." I just want to tell you that I can help you solve these troubles."

Kairos's smile became a little stiff, and he narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Ang: "You really know a lot... Hmph, how to solve it, tell me."

The lord took out two crumpled parchments from his body, spread them out and handed them over.

"I have two IOUs here. You might as well take a look...you should be able to understand what they mean."

The parchment was placed on the small table between the two of them, and Li Ang thoughtfully stretched out his hand to press it, smoothing the parchment so that Kailos could distinguish the real from the fake.

It was an IOU written by Governors Justus and Livius, 6000 dinars each.

The two governors were released without compensation, and Li Ang did not ask for a ransom.

The IOUs of the two governors, written voluntarily for the purchase of the carriage, have not yet been paid.

The lord once told Amy that only by creating demand can people be willing to pay.

And these two IOUs can also create another demand for Kairos now.

The Bacchus Empire should have gone smoothly in the White Hart Castle on the Eastern Front. After all, Baron Godric, who is good at defending, is not there. With a force of ten to one, the Empire can at least capture White Hart Castle.

But they lost their troops inexplicably, and captured two governors...

This directly caused Governor Kairos to fail to achieve the minimum goal in this battle. Kairos is afraid that the two governors, Justus and Livius, have the heart to chew and eat...

It was about to take down White Hart Castle, but these two guys were kidnapped by the enemy alone in the camp?
Okay, maybe the enemy is too powerful, with master-level kidnapping skills.

But so what?

inability!

In the eyes of Kairos, or in the eyes of ordinary people, these two incompetent governors should bear full responsibility. Kairos did not make any mistakes, at most, he did not consider political factors when designing tactics.

But, but.

Emperors are not ordinary people.

War is a continuation of politics, especially wars involving tens of thousands of people.

Things in this world are not that simple as long as they involve politics. The results of political struggles are often completely inconsistent with common sense...

As the marshal of the last war, Governor Kailos divided his troops into two groups, but neither of them achieved the set goal.

The only action of the cavalry unit led by Governor Kailos was to block Earl Auden, allowing Eldred, the inner response, to stab the knife in the back.

Although it can be considered to have achieved some results, this kind of conspiracy to cause the other party to lose a general is no different from conspiracy to assassinate.

The point is that Bacchus hasn't gotten any benefits because of it, and hasn't occupied even an inch of land because of it.

The reason why the two countries have not signed an armistice agreement so far is because they couldn't agree on this matter - this kind of matter broke the tacit understanding between the nobles, and the nobles in the Sarleon Land did not dare to trust the Bacchus Empire.

This is definitely something that Emperor Marius didn't want to see. Killing a world-famous nobleman in a dishonorable way will definitely make it difficult to conquer the Sarleion Realm's territory in the future, and it will be difficult to rule if it is defeated.

Coupled with the fact that Kairos has always disapproved of reforms, and his Shadow Legion is also disobedient, will Emperor Marius think that Kairos did this on purpose?

Because it would make it impossible for the Bacchus to integrate into Pendor.

Killing nobles without authorization is something that the old-fashioned Bacchus who consider themselves conquerors and oppose reform can do.

So did Emperor Marius dare to make him a marshal?

And also using internal influence, how did the reformist Justus design it?
Let Felina get sick to deceive Godric, let Rainier occupy the Maixiang Territory to block the reinforcements, and make White Hart Castle an isolated city.

Since it can be called a "brain tank", then these matters must be handled by Justus.

It was also a pre-war plan, but Justus would guarantee the lives of the nobles—you know, he could make Rainier treason, and naturally he could also make Rainier assassinate Godric.

But he didn't do that, he didn't even kill Godric's wife, Princess Felina... It's much harder to create a disease than to directly assassinate.

Although the main reason for the defeat in this war was the kidnapping of Justus, in the eyes of Emperor Marius, who should bear the responsibility?
For Emperor Marius, things had already happened, right and wrong were meaningless, and what was before him was a multiple-choice question—whether to deal with two governors, or deal with one governor?

On one side are Justus, who supports his own reforms, and Levius, who keeps making small mistakes and making big ones.

On the other side, there is Kailos who openly opposes the reform, and Kailos has nothing to grasp.

Then, Mario will of course put the blame on Marshal Kailos—this is the way to minimize the loss of the entire country and the reform process.

Justus had always supported Emperor Marius' reforms, and the emperor would not touch him.

Livius was originally an old school like Kairos, but he was bad-tempered and did not get along well with Kairos, and he and Justus were kidnapped together - they had common demands, and he had enough Many handles are in the hands of the emperor, and old accounts can be turned over at any time in the future.

Only Kairos opposed the reform, his Shadow Legion was disobedient, and it was difficult to find a handle, so the emperor would definitely seize this opportunity to reduce Kairos' power.

He is the marshal and the ultimate responsible person, and it is reasonable to assign the responsibility to him.

For example, Kairos's tactical arrangement was improper, for example, the killing of Oden caused sequelae - anyway, there is no evidence, the reason is easy to find, and the two governors will actively cooperate to eliminate their own responsibilities.

Three to one.

Yes, political struggles are unreasonable. Camps and interests determine the final result, and it is normal to reverse black and white.

So the result is easy to guess, Kairos will definitely take the responsibility, it is estimated that the Marshal will be replaced.

In this case, Governor Kailos would be happy to exchange the grain for those two IOUs, and he would definitely be able to trade at a premium.

Because those two IOUs are ironclad evidence that the two governors had private deals with the enemy during the war!
These two IOUs do not seem to be a big deal, but they are enough to disturb the sight, because in the eyes of the emperor, the message represented by this kind of thing is more serious than opposition to reform.

A broken carriage worth 600 dinars, you paid 12000 dinars for it?

what!
This is not collaborating with the enemy, what is it?
Oh, you said this is a ransom that is about to be paid after being captured by the enemy?

Who in the whole continent has ever seen a ransom that can be issued an IOU?
Even if this isn't collaborating with the enemy and betraying the country, it probably has something tricky!
——The enemy caught you, and then let you go with an IOU?

This is not something normal people can do...

If there is nothing else going on, who would believe it?
Moreover, the person who can write this kind of IOU can also reveal other information to the enemy, right?

Then the two captured governors caused Kailos to return without success, and there is clear evidence to support it.

If he had these two IOUs in hand, then Kailos could completely avoid this scapegoat, and he could also change the camp from three to one to two to two.

His Majesty the Emperor will definitely temporarily put Kailos' matter on hold and reconsider the solution.

Because in the face of this kind of evidence, if you want to turn black and white again, it is very likely to destroy the unbalanced mentality of the Shadow Legion, and maybe they will rebel.

"Your Excellency Li Ang, you mean, let me buy these two IOUs and sue the other two governors? This will indeed help me, but I don't understand, what good will it do for you? Can you get what?"

Kairos could indeed think of this, but he didn't understand why Li Ang did it.

"I captured both Justus and Levius. If one of them becomes a marshal, where do you think the empire's next offensive target will be?"

The lord spread out his hands, with a wry smile on his face.

"Phew... They want to clear their shame and hide their guilt. Of course they will attack your territory first... I understand what you mean. Debt assignment is a normal behavior. Not only can you recover the debt, but you can also avoid danger... ..."

Kailos nodded. Indeed, Li Ang really had a motive to help him, and it was indeed for his own safety.

"No, you didn't understand... I didn't mean to collect the debt, and I didn't intend to let you use this IOU to sue the two governors. I suggest that you only give the IOU of Governor Livius to Emperor Marius , and tell His Majesty the Emperor that you still have Governor Justus' IOU in your hand—as long as Emperor Marius makes a decision in line with justice and conscience, you will also give Justus' IOU to His Majesty."

Li Ang reached out and covered one of the parchments on the small table: "This will not only ease the relationship between you and Emperor Marius, but also let the emperor understand that a noble like you who is loyal to tradition is also wholeheartedly for the sake of the country."

Kailos watched Li Ang's movements, leaned back on the cushion in the car, closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

If Kailos gave the two IOUs to Emperor Marius at the same time, it would be just a lawsuit between the two camps, but Kailos could take the initiative because there was clear evidence that the two governors were suspected of collaborating with the enemy.

——Of course, in fact there is no such thing. Justus even misled Li Ang with false information.

But Emperor Marius may still hold on to Kairos for his great cause of reform.

Because Mario definitely wanted to protect Justus, a reformer.

But if Kailos has the handle of Justus and provides the handle of Livius to the emperor, then this is a kind of persecution.

Forcing Emperor Marius to make concessions.

At the same time, this is also a way to change the camp again-this is to tell the emperor that they can join forces to deal with Governor Levius.

If Kairos frankly expresses to the emperor that he still has the handle of Justus in his hands, but does not show it, it is also expressing a kind of loyalty-it means that Kairos is loyal to the empire and respects the emperor.

After all, the emperor only wanted to temporarily shelter Justus, a reformer. If two IOUs appeared at the same time, Marius would be embarrassed.

But if the evidence only points to Levius alone, then the emperor does not need to hesitate - Livius is the commander of the Eastern Front, and he is also a conservative...

The matter became a choice between two, choose Kairos or Livius.

It doesn't hurt or itch to let Kairos take the responsibility, and it has no practical impact. Even if he is not a marshal, the Shadow Legion still only listens to him.

But putting all the blame on Levius can make him cut his flesh at once, and it may even make him hand over the shadow infantry!

This is the core idea of ​​upward management - to help superior leaders make choices.

As for Justus' IOU, the emperor can keep it in his hand, maybe he can use it in the future.

"Your Excellency Li Ang, I sincerely thank you for your suggestion. You said that you don't intend to recover the debt. It seems that you don't intend to let me buy the IOUs with money? So what do I need to pay in exchange for them?"

After opening his eyes again, Kailos sat up straight, and he used honorific words for this thank you.

(End of this chapter)