Traveling through the infinite wasteland

"The foreign minister has met His Majesty the Emperor of the Dao Mang Empire!" His steady and deep voice, his unhurried steps, and his impeccable manners all showed that he was a well-educated man who came from a wealthy family. !

"You're welcome, special envoy. Please sit down and talk!" Ye Qingyuan said gently.

Shuangyan directed the maids to bring up the seats and served them tea and snacks. Then she backed away and closed the palace door.

"Okay, there are no outsiders here anymore, so the special envoy may wish to speak freely!" He said with a smile.

"The head of the family used to work with me, and later helped me a lot. Although there were some unpleasant experiences, those are all in the past! Now he is sending an adult here. I don't know what his request is?"

"Furthermore, I think the special envoy is very popular. He should not be an ordinary member of the family? I don't know if you hold any high position in the Qi family?"

The special envoy gave him a slightly surprised look: "Although His Majesty the Emperor is young, his vision is not bad at all! Yes, I am not an ordinary person!"

"I, Zhou Mengde, am the brother of the current head of the family, Lang Hao!"

Ye Qingyuan couldn't help being horrified, and stared at him carefully: "You...the former head of the Qi family? You didn't expect that you would change your appearance and come in person! It really surprised me!"

Zhou Mengde smiled casually: "Although I am no longer in charge of the position of the head of the family, as a member of the family clan, I naturally have to plan for the interests of the family clan at all times! Since the family clan is here to discuss things with His Majesty the Emperor, for To show sincerity, the status of the special envoy must not be too low!"

"It's not convenient for the owner of the house to come here, so I have to let this old man do it for me! I hope your majesty doesn't mind!"

Ye Qingyuan didn't expect that the former head of the Qi family would come to see him in person. This surprised him, and there was something a little bit wrong about the ensuing discussion!

"Okay! You are here on behalf of your family this time. If you have any demands for me, you might as well tell them together! Let's see if I can fulfill your wishes!" He said in an easy-going tone.

Zhou Mengde looked at the extremely young emperor in front of him. Even though he was very deep in the palace, he could hardly hide the shock on his face.

The other side did not completely restrain his aura, and the pressure, which was much more powerful than that of an ordinary fifteen-star peak powerhouse, was released inadvertently, forcing him to feel vaguely distressed!

Could it be that Bifang has been promoted to the peerless realm of divine rank? It should not be relevant! However, my own feelings will not deceive me. I used to hear my brother say how outstanding this young man is and how amazing his talent is. He somewhat didn't understand it. Now that he saw it with his own eyes, he realized what he used to be. The perception has always been wrong!

Needless to say, the other side was able to build such a large foundation in just a few years, and could even compete with the Shuofeng Empire! This ability is no longer enough to be described as genius!

It seems that my brother is right! Being an enemy of such a person is really not the right choice! Anyway, the family race has no hatred against him at all. If Yunyun's continuous cooperation with him can guarantee the interests of the family race, why bother to push him to the enemy's position?

As long as it can bring enough benefits to the family race, it doesn't matter if the family race surrenders to him. If the Shuofeng Empire is over and self-reliance is not feasible, then it is the same as changing allegiance to another monarch!

Expecting this, the last trace of hesitation in his heart disappeared. After sorting out his thoughts, he said: "Your Majesty! I am here to discuss with you the content of the future cooperation between our race and you!"

"The combined legions of the eight great families have already marched to the border of the empire and will encounter His Majesty's fleet soon! I guess His Majesty must have already made up his mind about the outcome of this battle?"

"Of course!" Ye Qingyuan said calmly, "The fierce fighting power of several major races is not unpowerful. However, with the current fierce fighting power of the empire, it is not difficult to win!"

"Are you saying that you want me to stay away from the Qi family's army?"

Zhou Mengde shook his head and said lightly: "These troops are really important to the family race. However, they are not a force belonging to the family leader's lineage, but are in the hands of those hard-liners! Therefore, this battle should be fought for whatever reason. Fight! Your Majesty, you don’t have to worry about anything!”

"What I'm asking is, how sure is Your Majesty of plotting the Shuofeng Empire? How much price and time are you prepared to spend to win over this great country?"

Ye Qingyuan stared at him for a while, and then said slowly: "Of course there is certainty, but what's the price? It's hard to say, I guess it should be within the range I can bear! However, as for the time, it is only one or two at most. Years of hard work!”

Zhou Mengde smiled and said: "If it were anyone else, I would just think he was joking. However, with His Majesty's fierce fighting power and luck, there is no need to doubt this!"

At this point, his expression became serious: "However, Your Majesty, how much time do you think you have to waste? Today's situation in the Star Sea is changing rapidly, and all the big countries are desperate to expand. In one or two years, it would be worse in normal times. It’s nothing! However, at such a critical moment, a lot of trouble can already happen!”

"If Your Majesty spends too much time and costs too much in taking down the Shuofeng Empire! Then when you get what you want, you may not have time to digest the results of the victory, and you will have to face two or more half-matched opponents. opponent!"

"At that time, the empire will have to hurriedly fall into a series of wars and have no chance to recover! Your Majesty, how should you deal with such a dangerous situation?"

The smile on Ye Qingyuan's face froze and he was silent.

What he said is correct. Although the Shuofeng Empire is already divided and the political situation is turbulent! But after all, it is a great country, and the foundation accumulated over the years is there! Even if you have many trump cards and can guarantee that the final victory will definitely belong to you, the time spent in this process is really difficult to control!

Swallowing this big country within one or two years is almost a relatively optimistic estimate! If something unexpected happens, it will be hard to say! Once the war drags on for a long time, the strategic deployment of the empire's future will undoubtedly be extremely detrimental!

Moreover, such a dangerous situation has already appeared!

The ferocious tiger of the Tiloa Empire was freed from its shackles not long ago and is wreaking havoc on the Hell Soul Star Sea. It won't take long for it to rush over, and the fleets of the eight major families are already close at hand! He really doesn't have much time!

"What do you mean?" After thinking for a moment, he asked. Since the other party has raised this issue, there is no way to solve it!

Zhou Mengde said solemnly: "If Your Majesty is willing, our race is willing to form the strongest alliance with Your Majesty! We will also use all the resources of our race to assist Your Majesty and strive to capture the Shuofeng Empire within half a year!"

Ye Qingyuan was slightly frightened, sat up straight and said, "Can you explain in more detail?"

"Your Majesty! With the influence of the Qi family in the empire, if we are determined to support you with all our strength! Your Majesty's help is no less than the use of millions of fleets! For example, the current movements of the combined legions of the eight major families , marching routes, logistics material bases, battle plans, etc., can all be provided to you! I don’t need to say more about what to do next?” Zhou Mengde smiled:

"And from now on, all the secrets of the Shuofeng Empire's top officials will be reported to His Majesty in every possible way! Help Your Majesty instigate rebellion, assassinate the commanders of certain key defense areas, and even strike back when necessary!"

"We will spare no effort to do anything that can help His Majesty! I believe that in this way, the progress of the war will be greatly accelerated! When Your Majesty succeeds, there will be enough time to integrate internally and start the next step depending on the situation. The battle plan!”

Ye Qingyuan thought for a while and then asked softly: "The Qi family is willing to pay such a high price to help me, so naturally it won't be for free! How much return do you hope to get? You might as well tell us!"

"Your Majesty speaks quickly, so I won't be pretentious!" Zhou Mengde said with a smile:

"First, the title of the head of the Qi family remains unchanged. He is still the hereditary prince of the Daomang Empire! All property and fiefdoms of the family are protected by the laws of the empire and are inviolable by the gods!"

"Secondly, after the Shuofeng Empire is destroyed in the future, regardless of the Yun family, at least two of the remaining fiefdoms and properties of the other five aristocratic families will belong to the Qi family! The prince's title can be different, but two more families must be given to the Qi family. The number of first-class dukes in the empire will be allocated by the head of the family!"

"Third, in the imperial cabinet established by the new commando team, the Qi family can choose any of three ministerial positions! One of the positions must be an important position such as energy, diplomacy, finance, etc.! It will be filled by members of the family race recommended by the family head! "

"Fifth, the Qi family hopes to obtain forty fixed seats in the Imperial Parliament established by the new commando team! The family head will allocate them by himself!"

"Fifth, the master's granddaughter Su Lili has been betrothed to your majesty! For the sake of harmony between the two families, your majesty please make her the queen of the empire, in charge of the harem, and as a mother to the world!"

Ye Qingyuan was silent for a while, then slowly exhaled and said softly: "Your asking price is really unusually high! In today's Daomang Empire, even the top people at the level of Marquis have not been given titles. It’s happened before!”

Zhou Mengde said calmly: "Your Majesty, this condition is almost too much. However, the Qi family's contribution can help you obtain the entire Shuofeng Empire within half a year without paying much! Compared with this, these benefits are really nothing. !”

"You have to know that the risks taken by the senior leaders of the family in making this decision are not ordinary! Once an accident occurs, the entire family will face an immeasurable crisis! Therefore, I think such a request is It’s reasonable!”

Ye Qingyuan knew what he was talking about. The eight aristocratic families were united in the same spirit, helping each other, and they had not changed for thousands of years! Now for his sake, our family must completely break with the other major families, and even the important children who are married must be temporarily revealed. Such a decision is difficult to make!

He was certain that this was just the plan of their brother's faction, and the entire Qi family hierarchy may not agree with their views! Those hard-line figures who command the fleet must not agree with their views! That's why he said that just now!

If they can be solved with the help of the Dao Mang Empire, the two brothers will have a greater say within the family race, right?

Once the agreement is reached, the Qi family will be completely tied to the chariot of the Daomang Empire, and there will no longer be any way out! Zhou Mengde made so many requests in order to appease the different forces within the family race. In the end, only enough benefits can ensure the stability and development of the family race and ensure their right to speak within the family race!

If the news is leaked out, the Qi family will face all the attacks from other families and races! The losses in the short term will be extremely surprising, and may even shake the very foundation of our race! If the progress of Daomang Empire is not as fast as expected!

"The Yun family can actually do everything you said!" He whispered.

Zhou Mengde seemed to have guessed that he would definitely say this, and said calmly: "Your Majesty! Your grievances with the head of the Yun family, as well as the Yun family's Venerable Association controlled by your grandfather, have no influence on you. I have also heard of the partiality that is intentional or unintentional. Maybe they will really help you at all costs as you said!"

"But haven't you ever thought about it? Compared with the usual bold decision of saying a few words to you and giving you some less important benefits, the future of the entire family's race will be forced on the side of the Dao Mang Empire. It's almost the same. It’s your grandfather, and he can’t decide easily!”

"I don't deny that when you make a request to them, Yuntian will agree to cooperate! However, there is no free lunch in the world. This time, they will not be able to help you for free! There will definitely be requirements. By then you Are you willing to agree?"

He had heard about the secret dealings between the Venerable Yun Family and the Daomang Empire, but his estimate of the extent of cooperation between the two parties was wrong! I thought it was just a general trade relationship.

Ye Qingyuan shook his head and said: "Even if what you say makes sense! I can't afford these things, but have you made any assumptions? Once I fully accept your request, the future Dao Mang Empire will be What kind of power structure is this? Is this fair to me and the soldiers who have fought through life and death?"

There are some words he didn't say clearly, but anyone with a little bit of brains can see that if Zhou Mengde gets his wish, the power of the Qi family in the future empire will reach an unprecedented peak! It’s the same whether in court or in the palace! And unlike the Shuofeng Empire, it is unique, and there is no other half-matched race to check and balance it!

The royal family is thin and has not exerted enough power, and no other noble ministers or nobles can compete with it! The family is dominated by foreign relatives. Regarding how serious the harm is to the regime, are there few similar examples in the history books?

Such a situation is probably worse than Shuofeng Empire! Once something happens to Ye Qingyuan, the empire will definitely fall into the hands of the Qi family!

Zhou Mengde raised the tea cup on the table, opened the lid and took a sip. He smiled and said: "Your Majesty, I can understand your difficulties! Therefore, this condition is not non-negotiable. Well! The Qi family finally said You have made such a big sacrifice! So... just tell me how much reward you can give to the family!"

Ye Qingyuan thought for a while and said: "First, the title of prince of the Qi family can be retained, and the property and fiefdoms can be protected. There is no problem; secondly, the property and fiefdoms of those family races that are destined to be destroyed are all It must be turned over to the national treasury! It cannot be given to the Qi family. However, as compensation, I can grant another twenty prosperous universe areas to the Qi family;" (To be continued.)