Vol 3 Chapter 609: Sand King's Bargaining Chip

Chapter 609 Sand King's Bargaining Chip
As the cold wind blew into the room, Thales couldn't help tightening his clothes tightly.
"So, since last year, you instigated the Freedom League to rebel against Exeter, ignited the political storm in Longxiao City, sent star cavalry across the desert, and let me go back to China through the Western Wilderness... All these are the'Sand King'. a part of?"
The fire was faint, and the king across the long table was silent for a while.
"some are."
King Kessel raised his eyes and shot Thales directly:
"Some are not."
Thales exhaled, connecting with all the things that happened from the previous year to the present.
"Then why not choose to be in the north," the prince's voice was slightly tired:
"Don't choose the place where you also have Broken Dragon Fortress as a fulcrum, and the Duke family has been completely emptied by you, almost like a direct jurisdiction?"
The king did not answer, but stared coldly.
Thales sighed and looked back at the king:
"Please, if you don't tell me, I can't help you."
King Kessel did not reply, but his eyes were deep and he didn't know what to think.
And Thales stared at each other's eyes, trying to find something from the pile of blue.
Finally, King Kessel snorted and looked away.
"Because Val Allende is still in my prison, because the first heir of the winter castle is an unconvincing orphan..."
"All eyes will be on the northern border, on what the Fuxing Palace is doing."
The king's voice lowered:
"And the officials sent by the kingdom to the north...the time is still short and the prestige is insufficient."
"In contrast, the'emergency control order' of the Western Wilderness is still in effect. It is more convenient for us to do things."
Emergency control order.
more convenient.
Thales couldn't help thinking of Grace Town, what he saw and heard during the journey in the Western Wilderness.
"It makes sense," Thales said calmly.
"But not enough to stop you from reaching out to the north."
The iron-fisted king suddenly raised his eyes.
After a few seconds, he spoke slowly:
"The North, after all, is adjacent to Exeter."
Thales suddenly raised his eyebrows.
This is the reason.
King Kessel said solemnly:
"It is next to an enemy king who has not been crowned for a long time and is full of vigor-Chaman Rumba can bring too many accidents, unpredictable."
Having said that, he glanced at Thales, his tone changed:
"Of course, he is far behind you in this respect."
Thales ignored his irony.
"why me?"
The prince said lightly:
"How was the'Sand King' plan arranged? Why did you find me?"
The iron-fisted king said nothing, but looked at him coldly.
Thales sighed:
"Have you always talked like that? Can't hold back a word for a long time?"
The king stared at him, but his eyes looked strange as if he was staring at another person.
After a long time, King Kessel spoke:
"Because we need a reason."
"reason?"
King Kessel looked away and looked at the night outside the window:
"Because we want to deceive the cunning and treacherous Xihuang people, so that they will not be suspicious of the royal standing army's large-scale entry into the Western Desert, as a bargaining chip for all actions."
Thales understood.
"Oh, to protect the heir to the throne and return home safely, this excuse is indeed sufficient," Thales hummed softly:
"They probably thought: There are very few kings in the world who will take the safety of the heirs seriously."
The eyes of the Ironfist King were like sharp blades.
"Just a joke," Thales shrugged.
"That's it? I'm a reason to cover the standing army marching westward?"
King Cather said coldly:
"We also need a guarantee."
Thales frowned.
King Kessel continued: "So that the Xihuang people believe in the bargaining that the royal standing army was forced to abandon the blade camp and withdraw from the western front line in exchange for the support of the princes of the western wilderness to mobilize the army to protect you back to the royal capital. "
"And I am the guarantee," Thales suddenly realized, quietly said:
"Guarantee that their handy western frontline is not strange, and that this bait is non-toxic and harmless and can be eaten with confidence."
The Ironfist King nodded, seemingly disdainful:
"Because there are very few kings in the world, heirs are not taken seriously."
Thales froze for a moment, then hummed uncomfortably.
Meanie.
Isn't it just a mockery of you?
Really hold a grudge.
Thales sat upright and stopped thinking:
"So, in order to carve up the western front line and the vast territory you gave, the lords of the Western Wilderness who took the bait will pull up the team, willingly walk out of the castle that has been entrenched for many years, and walk into the position of the royal standing army defenselessly, and gather together. Is it convenient for you to catch it all at once, saving you the trouble of breaking one by one one by one?"
King Kessel was silent for a while.
"more than."
The king said solemnly:
"For this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, to seize the huge profits of the desert trade road, the princes of the Western Wilderness who have been jealous for more than ten years will even prepare their assets, prepare everything, and even find a business way to make war money. "
King Kessel looked at the door:
"Those will become the expanded budget of the standing army of the royal family."
Thales snorted, not surprisingly.
"Sure enough, take supplements on the spot, saving time and effort."
The prince lowered his head, his eyes frozen:
"Anke Bailar and his father, what happened to them is not an exception, let alone accidental."
"Because in the plan of the'Sand King', the princes of the Western Wilderness were destined to encounter strange attacks by the desert forces, and were even injured by the Wings of Legend and the Standing Army's'friendly forces' and lost everything."
Queen Kessel leaned back in her chair and nodded:
"When the Western Famine is defeated, the battle is urgent..."
He stared sharply:
"For the sake of the overall situation, in order to regain the significant Bladeya camp, the late royal standing army'had' to break the tradition, act cheaply, punish the incompetent aristocratic generals, punish the incompetent aristocratic generals, break up the remnants of the conscription army and reorganize..."
"Naturally it is justified, and they have no reason or ability to resist."
Thales exhaled and took the conversation:
"But there are always surprises in the war. If there is disharmony during the adaptation, the progress is not good..."
King Kessel glanced at him.
Thales paused, remembering the first time he and Mallos had met, slightly clear.
"I guess, since the heirs of the kingdom are in the Western Famine and are planning for the blood of the kingdom, the Fuxing Palace will increase troops there to support and deal with the accident. It is also natural to take care of it-such as the army you sent to'welcome' me. "
Thales remembered the black-and-white confrontation between the Western Wilderness Army and the Standing Army on the Avenue of Gifts.
King Kessel did not speak.
Thales stunned:
"As for the aftermath, it’s done, whether the conscripted army was broken up and reorganized, the nobles who were punished and deprived of command, or the family that was directly deposed for conscription, or the Western Wilderness, which was re-designated for military control. collar……"
"Everything you want will be under the garb of the "State of Emergency Control Order", under the name of the "Wartime Special Exception", "temporarily" in the Western Wilderness, just like Blade Ya camp and Grace Town."
Thales thought of the Earl of Wingburg, and what Dele Chroma had said to him during the escort, couldn't help thinking:
"One year or two years, five years and ten years, forever."
King Kessel sneered disdainfully, seemingly dissatisfied.
The lights flickered, and the light and shadow in the room swayed back and forth, shining brightly and dimming the surroundings, turbulent.
Thales took a deep breath.
He went back to the present and adjusted his state.
"So, from the time you negotiated with the princes of the Western Famine and exchanged their troops with the Western Frontline, to the standing army marching westward to rescue the prince, to the foreign enemy taking the opportunity to invade the Western Famine and defeating it, and then to the standing army's last resort and resorting to extraordinary means. Disposal' until the war subsides and the dust settles..."
Thales' tone became more serious:
"With this combination of punches, you will be able to literally twist the scattered and chaotic military arms of the Western Wilderness vassals into a rope."
"Change the historical military recruitment system."
Thales reduced his expression, slowly raised his head, and brought the king's figure across the long table into his eyes.
"The name, reason, general situation, and real benefits are all in your hands. The rest of the Western Famine vassals and other nobles in the kingdom, even if they are suspicious, have nothing to say, let alone resist."
There was no response at the end of the long table.
"Furthermore, the Western Famine has gone to the West. In the final analysis, this is only an emergency in a local area. It is not a compulsory ordinance that affects the entire territory. It will not cause excitement in the community and pay the price of the kingdom's chaos."
Thales’ words brought emotion:
"Of course, the wool comes from the sheep. Whether it is expansion or restructuring, the budget funds and conscription sources are all the money, land and people of the princes of the Western Famine. You don't even need to spend much of the national treasury budget.
The prince raised his arms and took a deep breath, recalling the warm and dryness of the Western Wilderness, while feeling the darkness and coldness of the Fuxing Palace:
"Once things are done, from then on, from Bladeya camp to Grace Town, from Likenan to Heroic Soul, even Wing Fort and Ruins..."
His tone unconsciously brought a trace of awe:
"On the land of the Western Desolation, unless approved by the Fuxing Palace, local lords can no longer conscript and command operations on their own. The Royal Standing Army will become the only reliable place for legal armed and military service.
The king did not answer, so the Ballard room was quiet.
The erratic, unextinguishable light gradually stabilized, illuminating every appliance in Ballard's room with its own unique shadow.
Thales gently rubbed the back of his hand:
"More importantly, this is just the beginning."
He looked deeply at the Supreme King:
"With the precedent of the Western Famine, the lord's recruitment and the princes' support of soldiers are no longer an irreversible natural tradition."
"When people slowly get used to the'king can have an army', there will be routines to reform the military system throughout the stars, and it will be a matter of course."
Thales suddenly remembered the battle he saw in the desert:
"It's like a cavalry charge, no matter how perfect the defense is, once it is rushed out of the gap and the flanks are exposed..."
He said in a daze:
"The rest is the wave sweeping..."
"The power is like a broken bamboo."
King Kessel still did not speak, but this time, he turned his eyes and stopped looking at Thales.
"What a'sand king'."
Thales couldn't help sighing:
"So Xihuang is really a good horse."
It can completely pull the kingdom's chariot.
just……
"Until you show up."
The king's voice suddenly sounded, interrupting Thales' thoughts.
The prince couldn't help frowning.
"Secret Section's subsequent report said that in the desert, you originally encountered the patrol of the standing army, but did not meet them as planned. Instead, you disappeared incognito and disappeared without a word."
If the king's words were powerful, the unextinguishable lights in the room flashed with the cold wind roaring outside the window.
Thinking of the past, Thales hesitated:
"I……"
But King Kessel did not allow the prince to interrupt, his eyes became sharp and cold:
"On the night when the action started, you appeared in the center of the storm for some reason, and brought a lot of friends: The Shield of Shadows, the Northerners, the darkroom, and even a lot of sword dealers followed your and got in-the bones A day trip to prison?"
Thales felt tight:
"about this……"
The king snorted and stopped looking at him: "The people on the western front do not have the courage to revive the palace. They are cowardly and hesitant. They dare not risk losing their heirs. Therefore, they stand still and disperse their hands, causing serious disjointed actions."
"And our spies should have stunned the militants among the orcs and the desolate, and attacked the army of the princes while the standing army was far away, but they seemed to smell something in advance. Not only did the main force not come, even the siege was just a feint. Retire."
When Thales heard this, he couldn't help saying:
"Uh, yes, I heard that there is an orc named Kandal in the desert..."
But in the next second, King Kessel's gaze came again like a sword!
"Uh," Thales put a smile away, determined not to say more:
"It's okay."
The king ignored him. Instead, he looked at a faint and erratic unextinguishable lamp, and the chill and dissatisfaction in his eyes were clearly visible:
"Williams was lying in ambush on the side of the Bladeya camp. The idiot has always been vigorous and resolute. On the contrary, he procrastinated and swallowed slowly that day. When the battle was almost over, he led the troops back to the camp and missed the opportunity."
Hearing the familiar name, Thales suddenly shuddered.
"This allowed the princes of the Western Wilderness in the Bladeya camp to retreat calmly-the ruins, the wing fort, and the spirit of the soul. The main force of the three major families of the Western Wilderness is even more alert. After detecting the strangeness, they avoided far away and did not enter. "
Thales frowned when he recalled that the Duke of the Western Wilds said to him that "power comes from violence".
"After the incident, the old bone of Falkenhausen suddenly visited the Blade Ya camp in front of everyone. Not only did he talk and laugh with you, he also presented the family sword, and the news soon spread throughout the kingdom."
Thales took a deep breath, remembering the "warner" sword that Falkenhausen had given him, and clenched his fist unconsciously.
"As for the crows and black lions, they are more like welcoming the king, escorting you all the way out of the Western Wilderness with ostentation and surrender, blocking the reinforcements sent by the Fuxing Palace by the way."
King Kessel snorted:
"Finally, the Kingdom Secret Division launched an emergency plan to try to recover the losses."
His eyes pointed directly at Thales, at that moment, as if to dig out his heart.
"As you said, in the Western Wilderness, the horse stumbled."
"'Sand King' failed."
Thales closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and sighed heavily.
It turns out that that night, when he ran away in the Yaya camp...
In places he couldn't see, many thrilling and significant things were happening.
"But the mere blunder of a horse and the mere failure of the Western Wilderness will not stop the kingdom."
The king's voice sharpened, causing Thales to open his eyes.
I saw King Kessel’s expression was extremely calm, but there was endless storm in his eyes:
"That's why I have this letter."
Thales lowered his head and looked at the letter beside him. The flame of the iris was dim under the unextinguishable lamp.
"Xihuang didn't do it, so I changed a place."
The iron-fisted king's tone is cold and cannot be rebutted:
"Regardless of the cost."
"The cost is geometric"
At that moment, Thales gritted his teeth tightly.
Falkenhauser's voice rang in his ears:
[And a person like your father will accept reality and give up, or after admiring me and Xihuang's strength and attitude...]
[Go all out, give it back a hundred times? 】
"Now," King Kessel's eyes returned to Thales:
"It's your turn to speak."
It's your turn.
The king’s words were plain, but they echoed countless in Thales’ heart:
"what do you have?"
"what can you do?"
King Kessel said coldly:
"To make up for your folly?"
Thales was silent.
He looked at the faint lights in the room without knowing what to think.
"how?"
King Kessel sneered, taunting:
"You can't hold back a word for a long time?"
But in the next second, Thales spoke suddenly.
"do you hate me?"
The tone is ethereal and the voice is indifferent.
At that moment, as calm as King Kessel, he couldn't help but wonder:
"what?"
Thales took a deep breath, looked at the empty corner, and spoke in a daze:
"I ask……"
"From Broken Dragon Fortress to Longxiao City, from Yongxing City to West Wilderness, you kept calculating me to take advantage of me, and you also put me in danger, trapped me to death, and threw your son into the wolf pack. "
King Kessel frowned deeply.
"why?"
Thales sighed:
"Why hate me so much?"
"As written in many novels, my mother was killed by my birth, so you even hate me?"
At that moment, King Kessel sharpened his eyes!
"Or, my mother, what did Seranjylana do before giving birth to me that made you hate your life?"
Thales stared at King Kessel.
Thranjylana.
Sure enough, the name worked.
Because the iron-fisted king who has always said that he is the one and only one, at this moment, his brows are frowned and his eyes are deep.
As if facing an unprecedented chess game.
Thales smiled.
"How, can we complete the'Sand King', promote the reform of the military system, and use the bargaining chip to prosper the kingdom..."
He gritted his teeth and stared at the silent Kaiser V:
"Can't you just exchange it for the truth about my mother?"
(End of this chapter)