Realm of Power

The sound of the wheels of the emperor's carriage grinding against the road is not loud. The fat man who covets comfort is most afraid of bumps, so he uses his personal authority to specifically request the Imperial Weapons Research Institute to install springs to reduce bumps on his exclusive carriage, and the driver he chooses is also the same. A thirty-year-old veteran can hardly tell If you move too cautiously, the carriage will slide smoothly on the road. The sound of the wheels is very soft on the flat surface in the quiet night, as soft as fine sand flowing on the ground. It is almost difficult to attract the attention of passers-by. But the sound of the hoofbeats of the black Guards cavalry leading the way could be heard far in the night.

"tread"

The tall war horse appeared on the road ahead with a pressing pressure. The horse's hooves turned briskly. The red cloak of the cavalry above fluttered slightly in the night wind. The cavalry above wore a uniform style of armor with a slightly curved waist. The sabers on the line are full of energy and murderous intent. Behind the Guards Cavalry is the black carriage that seems to have merged with the night, giving people a suffocating feeling.

"Everyone cheer me up!"

Seeing the appearance of this carriage, the three people who had been waiting outside the Governor's Palace for most of the night became energetic at the same time.

Salon, who was a soldier, was the first to react. While he was adjusting his collar in a panic, he stepped hard on the smooth street in front of the gate with his shiny riding boots, and used his voice to remind those who were standing at the gate of the Governor's Palace in the middle of the night. A dozen generals of the Salon Army looked decadent. When the generals heard that His Majesty was coming in person, the fatigue on their faces immediately disappeared, their eyes were bright, and they stood upright on both sides of the door with 200% energy, heads held high. . Wearing a black imperial general uniform of different shapes, with silver trimmed corners and several golden crosses on the cuffs. It all shows that each of these generals has experienced battles for a long time and has outstanding military exploits.

They were like guards at the door, looking at the oncoming carriage with eyes full of passion and admiration. Soldiers have always worshiped the strong, and the most powerful person in the entire empire was undoubtedly the person in the carriage!

"What an annoyance! Wouldn't it be embarrassing if word got out about standing with these stupid guys who have murder in their heads?" The girl in the purple dress sighed quietly. There was a flash of hesitation, but he still slowly came to Salon's side with a respectful attitude. Salon's nose twitched, as if he felt the faint fragrance in the night, and his muddy one eye was a little bright, and he looked distraught. The carriage in the distance said in a low voice, "I came here in the middle of the night. You really don't have any respect at all. I thought you would wait proudly until His Majesty got off the carriage and then came!"

"I'm not that idiotic. I can't even figure out the time of His Majesty's arrival!"

The girl's pretty nose twitched, with a hint of disdain on her face as beautiful as ice and snow, and she said proudly, "Actually, if you think about it, you know that since His Majesty arrived in secret, he would naturally not choose to do it in the evening when there are the most people on the street. Entering the city, even in the first half of the night when the night market gathers, most of the shops are not closed at that time. The activities of the caravan are even more frequent, so the latter part of the night is bound to be the calmest. His Majesty's preferred style is to control everything quietly. Only an idiot would do such a stupid thing, ordering his subordinates to wait for the whole night. Just look at the trembling feet of your subordinates, they may not even be able to stand firm!"

"Tch, it's just a blind cat bumping into a dead mouse!" Salon stood in the first position and rolled his eyes. "My subordinates are all real soldiers. Even if they don't eat or drink for three days and three nights, they can still stand upright." It's not like some people are mean and never dare to be in the sun."

"Someone seems to have forgotten that he is not a soldier, but a mercenary who dares not stand in the sun! And I think that discussing skills with stupid and incompetent guys like mercenaries is simply insulting my intelligence. !" The girl's face was cold, and her lips were sharp as she counterattacked this imperial general who was known as a poisonous tongue.

"It's better than a despicable assassin walking in the dark!" Salon sneered indifferently.

Hearing the sarcastic conversation between the two people standing in front of him, Si Duhan, the new head of the Obaro Business Alliance who was standing in the third position, smiled bitterly and pulled the two people together... I really don't know who your majesty is. What do you think?

Many people believe that one is a powerful minister who controls the empire as a mercenary, and the other is a woman who becomes the controller of the empire's underground world with an assassin background. Either she comes from that dark and bloody world, or she is too familiar with the other party's details. It’s clear, so when we stand together at the same time, there is always a feeling of exclusion! But Si Duhan knew that this was obviously not the case. He was born in a noble family and did not know much about the underground world. However, when he was in charge of the business alliance, he naturally came into contact with the contents of the underground world.

The underground world he knew was not as disordered as most people thought. It also had its own factions. The mercenary faction that protected the nobles and the assassin faction that used the sharp blades of the nobles to deal with the enemy had always been mortal enemies. One was to protect the target. One is to kill the target, Both are fighting for money and risking their lives. In particular, assassins use all means to achieve their goals, often using despicable methods. Because their employers are killed, mercenaries who cannot get money will also spread all kinds of grievances on them. Captured assassins who fall into the hands of mercenaries often die miserably! Assassins also treat mercenaries without mercy.

Therefore, there is almost a cat-and-mouse status between the two factions!

It is said that Captain Salon was already a well-known ruthless figure in the Kyoto area when he was a soldier. Because of a poor protection, the target was killed by an assassin. Salon even lost an eye in the fight, and his reputation was completely destroyed. He was destroyed and owed an amount of compensation that was impossible to pay off. When he was desperate, he was forced to flee to the southern region, which was similar to self-reliance, and joined the Samor army that was far away from Kyoto at that time to avoid pursuit from all sides! It is already very incredible to be able to stand with the person in charge of the secret assassination and just exchange a few words without drawing a knife to attack him!

Si Duhan believes that His Majesty Falcon is very clear about Salon's past history. It is precisely because of this that Si Duhan finds it even more difficult to figure out what his talented and strategic lord is thinking! You can still hear the voices of the two people sarcastic to each other, like listening to a couple and enemies scolding each other. As I listened, I seemed to feel something. A hint of shock flashed in Si Duhan's eyes,

Just as he hesitated, "Creak!" the wheels of the black carriage stopped in front of the three people.

"Welcome Your Majesty!" There was a neat voice, and the three people next to the car door immediately squatted down. Behind them were the imperial generals wearing general uniforms squatting on both sides. The guards at the door were holding long guns and squatting on the ground at the same time. . It was so dark and so quiet that you could even hear the frogs croaking in the summer night.

"Pa"

A car door with white thorn flowers opened from the inside to the outside. A fat young man walked out, lifted his collar, and looked at the people squatting on the ground with sharp eyes, and then stopped at Salon and the girl in purple. On the body, he said slightly hoarsely, "You two look like you are having a great time! You actually have the time to bicker here. No wonder you didn't even notice that someone touched you at the base camp!"

"Don't dare. Dare is just a misunderstanding!"

Salon and the purple-clothed girl answered almost at the same time. They looked at each other hesitantly and their bodies trembled slightly. They didn't expect that His Majesty Falcon's ears were so sharp. They lowered their heads. Even Salon, a shameless man, was a little embarrassed. redness. The girl in purple clothes is so red that even her cold white neck turns pink

"Misunderstanding! I haven't reached the age where my eyesight is dim yet!" The fat man curled his lips with disdain and moved his eyes to the familiar figure next to him. He seemed to think that Si Duhan looked better than in previous years. Thinking of the past, it was like time. Back to a few years ago. A little smile appeared on the corner of the mouth

"It's been five years. It seems that you are living well in Cresto. I heard that you got married last year. Unfortunately, I was fighting fiercely in the Biye Valley in the northwest and didn't have time to go back to congratulate you. But I asked Mao Monaqing to take you there. Can you receive the gift?”

"Received. The congratulations for the invitation of Princess Mao Monaqing have already made it difficult for my subordinates to express their inner gratitude! What's more, the title of Inspector General of the Business Alliance personally awarded by His Majesty makes it even more difficult for my subordinates to express their gratitude. !" Si Duhan squatted on the ground and replied excitedly, his face red.

"That's what you deserve! The Business Alliance already has your indelible efforts." The fat man chuckled and patted the shoulder of this capable man. "Back then, you were able to give up the promising president of the Business Alliance, just to keep your business." Those of you who came to Kleisto, I know that you are a person worthy of trust at critical moments!

"I didn't want you to come across the sea away from your wife, but it's a pity..." The fat man stopped, and glared at Salon next to him, who was so frightened that his face turned pale, and then he said with a muffled groan.

"Because two people who have no idea how business intelligence works, they did whatever they wanted and made the Southwest Territory a mess. As a result, the Gauls deployed a huge intelligence network under their noses. Now we are passive. So I can only ask you, the old man who founded the business alliance, to help! "

"A huge intelligence network... Your Majesty means...!" Si Duhan was a little frightened. He did not expect that His Majesty would use the word huge. Doesn't that mean that this intelligence network is bigger than he thought? many! As if he had thought of something, a drop of sweat gradually appeared on Si Duhan's forehead. He guessed based on just the few words he reported to the newspaper. He was indeed His Majesty, but just like that, I'm afraid it was not enough for His Majesty to come to the Southwest Territory in person. From this aspect, set Thinking about it, the first thing he thought of was "Someone in the business alliance played a disgraceful role! It's no wonder that His Majesty suddenly made adjustments to the business alliance in the Obaro region, and removed himself, who had already left the business alliance system, from Domestic emergency transfer!

"Everyone, get up. It's not easy to wait most of the night!" The fat man waved to everyone else. He seemed to know what Si Duhan was thinking. He strode into the gate of the Governor's Mansion and said as he walked, "Since April, I When the army broke through the Rusty defense line, the number of caravans from the Gallic nobles suddenly increased, especially many caravans came and went frequently. In the Southwest Territory and the areas controlled by the Slavs, the Gaul ban seems to have tacitly allowed these caravans to cross the border. This is really abnormal! The people I sent to investigate found that these caravans moved everywhere they went. The situation of the Slavic armies was secretly collected, and these reports about the Slavs were not reported to us."

"It is conceivable that the people who collected this information are working for the Gaul side. That is to say, the Gallic caravans in these occupied areas are doing things for the Gaul side under our flag!" The fat man said, "Then the Gaul side The Lu army's sudden reversal of victory against the Slavs proved this! That's why I went to the Southwest Territory and saw that it was a mess!

"Flying under our banner...could it be a business alliance..."

Si Duhan paused as he followed and shuddered. Under normal circumstances, allowing caravans to pass through several forces in a row must be a route laid out by the business alliance. If this is the case, the problem here will be serious! The fact that the other party can come and go so unscrupulously shows that this line is rotten from the root.

Salon and the girl in purple, who were following the fat man, half understood what they heard, but their expressions were ugly. They basically knew nothing about business networks. But no matter what, these caravans always set out from the Southwest District. As the regional governor and the head of intelligence, he did not notice anything unusual in this matter. No matter how you look at it, it is a serious dereliction of duty!

"Since the other party is using commercial power, I don't believe that the business alliance will not notice it at all?" The fat man glanced at the brightly lit lobby of the Governor's Mansion in front of him with a cold face, and said in a murderous tone, "I have asked the Supervision Department to investigate. . But the results were not great. What is known so far is that there are more than 300 Gallic nobles involved in this route, and they are all people of considerable status in the occupied area."

"Now that we know the problem, my subordinates suggest that we can cut it off from the source and control all the people involved..." Judiciary Du said carefully.

"No!" The fat man shook his head unexpectedly. He said coldly, "Because this is exactly what the other party wants. The people who set up this huge intelligence network are probably confident because of this. In the eyes of the other party, they really hope that the entire intelligence network will be exposed to our eyes." , remember what you reported? If I guessed wrong, the other party did it on purpose! "

"No way, could it be that the other party did it on purpose!" Si Duhan looked stunned. He never thought that there would be such a person who dared to directly expose the intelligence network to the enemy. How much courage does this require?

"It's not all the result of these two idiots fighting each other. Someone else took the opportunity to infiltrate without knowing it. Now I can only pretend to be a fool who doesn't know anything. The other party is not afraid of those irrelevant things. The Gallic nobles are exposed! For the real lurking flag is within our own mercantile alliance"

The fat man licked his dry lips, stepped up the steps of the hall, glanced at the black sky, and said with emotion

"On the contrary, the other party is waiting for us to use bloody methods to cleanse it. There are so many Gallic nobles involved. As long as we take action, I can guarantee that the other party will definitely be prepared in advance. It took us countless efforts to firmly occupy the area. Because these Gaul The execution of a nobleman and plunged into great turmoil,

In order to eliminate this turmoil, we will need at least half a year.

If we hesitate on this matter, the other party's intelligence network will intensify and form a larger infiltration area, just like pollution, expanding rapidly. I have to admit that this time, the other party has the upper hand, and the layout is quite bold. , no matter how we deal with it, we will always suffer!

"Hiss!" Si Duhan broke into a cold sweat when he heard it. He thought of the first possibility, but he didn't expect that the other party's real trap was to deliberately expose himself.

The fat man glanced at him and said, "The person who arranged this method can be called cold-blooded, but strategically speaking, using hundreds of nobles from the occupied areas in exchange for a breathing space for the Gallic Empire for half a year is definitely an incomparable plan." A cost-effective idea, half a year may not be a big deal to us, but for us who have just turned around the war situation in the north and are in urgent need of time, For the stable and supplementary Gallic Empire, it is simply a glimmer of hope for resurrection, so we must cut off this glimmer of vitality! And the internal operations of the Commercial Alliance, except for you who have been away from the Commercial Alliance for several years, but for the power of the Commercial Alliance The structure and operating procedures are so clear, I’m afraid I’ll never find the best person to handle this matter!”

"Yes, my subordinate understands what to do!"

When Si Duhan heard this, his face turned a little pale. As one of the founders of the Business Alliance, it felt a bit awkward to have to clean up his own hard work. However, it is better to clean up this matter by yourself than to leave it to His Majesty when the time comes. It’s better to force the cleanup. Although the war in the empire has been eliminated for more than two years, many people have forgotten it. His Majesty's violent and bloody methods were used in the past, especially the Business Alliance's power has expanded rapidly in recent years, and its personnel are also diverse. In addition, some Obaro regional branches have joined. People who have not experienced His Majesty's brutality at the beginning know Falcon. His Majesty's sword was so bloody and ferocious that it made people feel scared from the soul!

Sitting down on the main seat in the hall, a guard straightened the water up. The fat man took a sip of the water without ceremony, moistened his dry throat, and then said slowly, "I believe you can grasp the right balance." , you are responsible for this secret investigation, and those two idiots will give their full assistance. I don’t care how many people die. The key point is that the empire’s plan for a large commercial center in Obarro must not become a big joke that shoots itself in the foot. !

Don’t take action yet while you investigate everything! If the other person wants to see our joke, I have to tell him that the cost of seeing this joke is very expensive, so expensive that he can't afford it! "