Kingdom’s Bloodline

Chapter 712 Foreign Forces

After reading the letter from Fuxing Palace, Thales took a deep breath and suppressed his anger and depression.

But facing the scorching eyes of everyone present, the well-educated Duke of Xinghu had to stare at the blank space on the letter paper seriously and pretended to read this extremely short "letter" for three more minutes, pausing in the process. I came down and drank two sips of tea, sometimes frowning, sometimes nodding, and kept mumbling the words in my mouth, like a spring breeze. After reading, I even concealed my letter and meditated, chewing on His Majesty's teachings for a long time. Finally, I put away the letter with great importance and folded it up to hide the truth. , giving a confident smile to his subordinates.

"Is everything going smoothly in the capital?"

"When will the relevant authorities take over?"

"Is Your Majesty still satisfied with the matter in Emerald City?"

"Will Fuxing Palace send officials to support it?"

"When are we going home?"

"Will a standing army be sent over?"

"How to repay Emerald City's debt?"

"Does His Majesty have any decree on how to rule on the old case of Kevin Deere?"

Faced with these hopeful and restless questions from the Star Lake Guards, Thales confidently waved his hand and answered them one by one, saying that the king's clever plan to secure Nan'an cost the prince and money... Ahem, in short, His Majesty Kessel is wise and wise, and the court All the officials in the hall have calculated their plans. The plans of the Fuxing Palace are exquisite and far-reaching. They control the whole territory of the stars in a game of chess. They have all expected the current situation of the Emerald City and made arrangements earlier. However, the true meaning is the secret of the kingdom. The Sacred Heart is arbitrary and cannot be announced easily. To the public.

As for where the Emerald City will go after, how to deal with specific affairs, and how to solve practical difficulties, well, Your Majesty knows it well. If you understand, you will understand. If you don’t understand, you will not understand. You won’t understand even if you say it. It’s better not to understand than to understand. In a word, Things will become clear when the time comes.

Therefore, before that, everyone does not need to worry unfounded, and should do his best to settle down in his position. You have made great contributions to the stability of the country during this trip, regardless of reputation or reputation. The princes of the Fuxing Palace will clearly understand the details and reward you for your merits. But you must remember that the so-called success does not have to be in I will never give up my skills...

Such a roundabout and official-style explanation at least temporarily calmed everyone's confusion and restlessness. After everyone dispersed in excitement, doubt or thoughtfulness, everyone returned to their posts. Ers then slumped down on the back of his chair and sighed numbly.

What should I do?

What can I do?

What should I, Nima, do? -

"I guess the support that the Fuxing Palace can provide is always limited, and it takes time to prepare." Mallos did not leave. He stayed and closed the door. "In the meantime, His Majesty hopes that you will step forward and shoulder the important responsibilities, and you will be stable for the time being." Stay in the Emerald City until they are ready to take over Kongming Palace, then they can finally retire? "

Thales hummed in confusion and said something rebellious:

"Have you ever considered becoming a king, Thor?"

Marius frowned, but he had been with Bright Star for a long time and had rich experience in rebellion. He was calm and calm when he heard the words and answered calmly:

"Yes - when I was five years old, I was playing house until my uncle slapped me away from my rebellious ambitions."

"Your uncle made a mistake," Thales said sarcastically, looking at the letter in his hand. "You know, at least you are more eloquent than our king."

"Perhaps he was mistaken, but at least I don't have to go to the gallows for treason," Mallos shot back without changing his expression, "or worry about how to fill the hole of one hundred, one hundred seventy-eight thousand six hundred and fifty-three gold coins." ”

Duke Xinghu trembled when he heard this. He was finally defeated by his opponent's critical hit and collapsed on the table.

"Your Highness?"

"It doesn't matter. The Emerald City has a self-liquidating mechanism. At most, it just can't squeeze out any money." Thales pulled himself up from the table with difficulty, like a drowning man struggling for the last time. "At least it didn't cause any big trouble. ——What are you doing?”

After Thales finished speaking, he stood up suddenly and walked towards the window.

"Your Highness?" The confused Mallos was about to ask, but was interrupted by a rapid knock on the door.

"Your Highness! The local officials came to report urgently again!" D.D almost rushed into the study, "They said there was trouble in the Emerald City, and it happened in-"

"On Ruhsan Street, right?" Thales didn't look back.

Doyle was stunned:

"How do you know?"

Thales turned around with a gloomy face and pointed out the window:

In the prosperous Emerald City, a thin but strong black smoke column broke through the obstacles of numerous buildings, and along with the looming firelight in the distance, it shot straight into the sky.

Mallos and D.D both changed their colors.

A few minutes later, when Thales hurried out of the palace with people cheering from behind, and when he arrived at Ruhsan Street in the Glorious District, relying on the guards and security officers to push the crowds through the passage, his face had never looked so ugly. .

This usually bustling market district was now being strictly blocked by the Emerald Legion and the security officers. The cordon was pulled out to block the crowds who wanted to stand and watch the excitement. Thales and his party passed through the blockade and prepared for The sight before me was shocking:

At some point, the bright and beautiful streets were burnt so black that it was difficult to discern their original appearance. Many stalls and shops were destroyed to tatters. Countless goods and sundries were scattered on the ground without anyone picking them up. Bright red blood was scattered everywhere. , mixed with the dirt and dust, indistinguishable, not to mention the broken limbs, intestinal organs, and iron rod knives with broken curling blades all over the line of sight...

Countless people are lying, sitting or lying on the ground, hugging each other and trembling, struggling and groaning, standing still, or desperately calling for help. Medical officers and priests from the Sunset Temple and the church are hurrying in and out, rescuing people. The living and the injured were so busy that they were sweating profusely without rest. The priests of the Mingye Temple chanted scriptures in a low voice, directed the believers to set up stretchers, and pulled them away amidst the wailing of the family members to confirm that they were dead. The dead, even the dark charred corpses...

The fire officers were all disgraced. The last group of people were still pulling the water pipes and pumping water with rockers, extinguishing the last few flames in the white smoke. Don't give up; the cavalry of the Emerald Legion rode in groups of three, riding tall horses, patrolling from this street to that avenue, guarding the surroundings; further away in the dark alley, several groups of vigilance officers waved their sticks to let a group of People lined up, held their heads in their hands, stood against the wall, and then went forward for a body search with rough movements...

The air was filled with the disgusting smell of burning and blood, and there were moans, wailings, cries, scoldings, roars, accusations... countless noises mixed together, coupled with the shocking sight of devastation. , Ruhsan Street seemed to have turned into a hell on earth.

In disbelief, Thales and his party walked through the wounded and blood on the ground and arrived at the center of the street. Directors or representatives of the major government offices in the Emerald City were waiting there early. They were quite uneasy and trembling with fear at the prince's arrival.

The incident happened at noon today. It is said that two groups of idle gangsters had a conflict in a nearby warehouse. It started as a minor quarrel and then turned into a fight.

Originally, the matter was not serious, but the two sides were very angry, so they each called on their friends to help. In just one hour, the two groups gathered more and more people, with a total of 200 people. The conflict quickly turned from a confrontation to a provocation. It escalated into a large-scale fight. One side gained the upper hand due to their numerical superiority, and the other side had to retreat and flee. However, the bad thing was that they ran to a crowded place - Ruhsan Street.

The incident happened suddenly, and I saw a group of desperadoes carrying men and covered in blood approaching in a menacing manner. A large number of travelers, tourists, and merchants crowded into the market by surprise. Many people fled in panic. Families were separated from each other. In the panic, they were again Someone accidentally knocked over the oil lamp, causing a fire and making the scene even more chaotic.

The fire spread, and amidst countless screams, rumors, fires, and thick smoke, the highly dense crowd surged unstoppably. They fled in one direction through the narrow streets and alleys, triggering a more serious squeeze. and stampede accidents, more innocent passers-by were injured at the intersection, and eventually turned into a human tragedy with serious consequences and bad impact.

"After hearing the news, the Police Department and the Emerald Legion deployed quickly. With the first principle of protecting the lives and property of citizens, they arrived in time and acted immediately to prevent conflicts and restore order. They successfully avoided further deterioration of the situation, and the Fire Department Then ten teams were quickly assembled, following the usual drill procedures and the instructions of the leaders present..." the director of the Emerald City's Security Department said unnaturally.

"Where are the casualties?" Thales interrupted him impatiently, not wanting to hear any more official nonsense.

"The Mingye Temple is still counting, Your Highness, but there are more than thirty bodies carried away on the spot, and there are many seriously injured and dying..." Another younger administrative officer was sweating profusely, and his body was covered with soot and blood. He couldn't care less about whitewashing and blaming his mistakes. "The Mingye priests recalled all their hands. They had to park the body in a cool place outside the temple for a while because the temple was being renovated and there were not many funeral rooms available. Li Jing passed away. Taiwan is enough, but the high-purity eternal oil for cremation is still waiting to be purchased, because we haven’t dealt with such a large-scale casualty since the Year of Blood..."

"There were countless injuries, ranging from the most serious burns, stab wounds, and fractures to blunt injuries, tramples, crushing injuries, and bruises... We coordinated with the Sunset Temple and the church. With the sunset above, the priests All the medical officers and nuns who could be dispatched were sent out, and the priests also opened churches and monasteries to use them as wards. Iris College even mobilized a large number of therapeutic apprentices, and even used the medicine reserves saved for the war. …”

"All the businesses on Ruhsang Street have suffered heavy losses. Your Highness, everyone is asking for compensation, but this is nothing," another market official said worriedly. "The real damage is probably people's lack of order in the Emerald City." Confidence, now citizens and tourists, especially those living near the Glorious District, are very scared. Ruhsan Street in the Emerald Celebration should have been the busiest, but now... and every house is closed, and businesses have also heard the news. Stay away, what will happen to the business if this continues..."

The more Thales listened, the heavier his heart became.

"There are still many family members gathered outside the temple and the security hall, crying and clamoring to find their missing family members... Of course, Your Highness, we will never stop those who are instigated by unknown forces and dare to make trouble at the gate of Kongming Palace. Don’t show mercy, catch them together and deal with them together…”

"The police department responded too slowly and arrived at the scene too late. If they had intervened in time when things started to appear..."

"What are you talking about? Aren't you in charge of the market? How do you manage the market and supervise the guild? There is no disturbance in advance, so you can nip it in the bud..."

"We are only responsible for managing the market and trading order, not maintaining law and order! It is obvious that your arrangements are not good enough and the manpower is not enough! If the follow-up reinforcements of the security officers arrive in time..."

"Then you just open less markets and make less money and you won't die! Do you know until what time my people have to work overtime every day during the celebration?"

"Do you know where your salary comes from? We can open a few fewer markets, as long as you can accept the salary reduction and be quiet..."

"They are all those damned unruly people, barbaric, despicable, selfish and despicable. What conflicts or grievances can't be resolved through negotiation? Are the laws and civilization of the Emerald City just a show-off? Don't you know how to report the situation to the police officer and go to trial? The court is litigating and causing trouble all day long..."

"There are many sneaky criminals among them, with despicable nature and low quality. Many of them are daring thugs who want to take advantage of the chaos and make trouble..."

"In my opinion, we need to learn from Wangdu and conduct a clean-up operation to remove the many vagrants, beggars, outsiders, and fearless gangsters hiding in the corners and gutters of the city. All these parasites that are lying on the Emerald City to suck blood will be removed. ——”

"enough!"

The prince shouted loudly, silencing the officials present.

Mallos coughed slightly:

"Your Highness, please give me your instructions?"

His Highness the Prince frowned and then remembered his identity.

Looking at the cowering and trembling officials in front of him, he had to sigh deeply, put away his anger, and imitate the calm and rational look of Zhan in his memory, first comfort the officials with gentle words, praise their response, and forgive their mistakes. , after such hypocrisy and subterfuge, he changed his tone amidst the officials' tears of gratitude and praise for their virtues, and solemnly ordered:

The Emerald Legion and the Police Department worked overtime urgently, strengthening patrols in several bustling neighborhoods to maintain order to ensure that such things would never happen again and let people know that the Emerald City is still safe; the Government Affairs Department promptly posted notices to inform the truth and appease the public. At the same time, they tried their best to treat the injured, bury the dead decently, and do their best to deal with the aftermath; market officials worked hard to use various means to visit and comfort the damaged merchants and stores, compensate for the losses, and restore reputation and confidence...

As for Thales himself, under the advice of several officials, he went to the Sunset and Mingye Temples under heavy security to visit and express condolences to the injured. He mourned the dead amidst a lot of weeping and wailing, and at the same time expressed his official feelings to the people present. Measures have been taken to protect the safety of citizens and ensure that such incidents do not occur.

Finally, the officials patted their chests and assured Thales: They will do their best to deal with the aftermath, guide public opinion, and tell everyone that this tragedy is a natural disaster, accident, and accident, and has nothing to do with His Highness Thales, who has just come to power. They must not let anyone I doubt Duke Xinghu’s ability and level of governance...

The more Thales heard, the darker his face became. However, due to various constraints, he could not get angry on the spot ("Why don't they just call me 'disaster' in front of me?" - His Highness the Prince's complaint about the puppet bear), so he could only Return to the palace hastily.

"This is definitely not a coincidence." Paul vowed on the way back to the palace.

"Of course not," D.D rarely agreed with him. "Such a thing happened on the first day His Highness took power, and it was a casualty 'unprecedented since the Year of Blood'. Who would believe it?"

"Kevin Dill, he must be controlling all this behind the scenes," Niexi was filled with indignation. "Although he himself is behind bars, there is definitely someone in the Kongming Palace who conspired with him and arranged all this to destroy His Highness. Their rule ruined our reputation..."

"Fortunately, Emerald City has money," Conmuto said with lingering fear, "These things can be settled with money..."

Thales, who was sitting in the carriage with a sullen face, frowned slightly when he heard these words.

The leader, Marius and Straw, looked at each other.

"Ha," D.D smiled sarcastically, "Believe me, the only thing that can be settled with money is money itself."

"Then what should we do?" Huaiya was worried. "Before His Highness came here, Duke Zhan was the supreme ruler of the Emerald City. There are probably only a few people in the entire Emerald City who do not have a secret conspiracy with him."

"The first priority is to maintain stability and consolidate rule."

Paul pondered for a moment:

"Seal down the relevant information at the scene, post notices to the outside world, blame the foreigners for causing trouble, arrest a few foreign criminals with criminal records, and tell the citizens that this is local traitors colluding with foreign forces to destroy the Emerald City, such as Egypt The barbarians of Kester or the pirates of Kasai, or if that doesn’t work, let’s say it’s a big country on the other side of the sea…”

"Really? Foreign forces?" Morgan, who had been silent in the team, suddenly spoke with sarcasm.

Paul was a little surprised, but still answered in a deep voice:

"This matter was deliberately caused by someone. This is the truth. We just made a slight change in the statement. At least it can attract attention and calm the outside world's doubts about His Highness..."

"Before the Year of Blood," Morgan interrupted with a sneer, "those damn Blade Lords posted notices every day, saying that the rebels on the border were just a bunch of bandits, a small group of villains, and a group of thugs. Foreign funding that was hostile to the kingdom was incited and instigated. There was no arbitrary extortion by vassals and lords, nor was there any extortion by noble lords, let alone people's dissatisfaction and complaints. 'Under the rule of King Eddie, the people lived in peace and contentment. The hall is clear and bright, and Xiaoxiao in the shadow has nowhere to hide'..."

Morgan looked at him with disdain:

"Huh, back and forth, the top said and taught me, and the bottom just praised me and coaxed me. You teased me, and I flattered you so much that I even believed it."

Paul was speechless and closed his mouth.

"Until one day, the big shots in the Blood Gate Palace, who were drunk and dreaming, turned around and found that there were uprising villains in all directions. Their eyes were red with hunger, holding bloody pitchforks, and they wanted to skin the nobles. bone."

Everyone in the team was surprised to see Morgan so talkative for the first time.

"This poor excuse for foreign forces can only be used a few times at critical moments." Morgan stared at the distant sky with hatred in his eyes. "If you use it too much and rely on it every time, it will be boring. "

"Even if it's true, no one believes it anymore."

When he finished speaking, the entire team fell silent.