"But there's no time for me to rest. Sira Marne shook her head, she knew very well that in the king's heart, the war in the Herion Territory was just foreplay, the real battle had just begun, and a vacation could only be a luxury for her.

Xiu Ni frowned after hearing her superior's words, "You should tell Your Majesty about your physical condition, this is not only responsible for yourself, but also for the entire kingdom... What will you do if some of Your Majesty's plans fail in the future because of your body?"

Siala Marne was a little stunned when she heard these words, she frowned and thought seriously for more than ten seconds, then looked at the blue sky, and said in an affirmative tone: "I don't think I have a problem. ”

"But... As a member of the Supervision Team appointed by His Majesty, although your body has nothing to do with evil powers, I still have to report your situation to the higher authorities truthfully. Hughny was blunt.

"It's your duty, and I'm not going to stop you. Silah-Marne gently stroked her mount's neck and looked sideways at her retinue, who had been following her for five years.

Hughny didn't hide from Sheila Marne's gaze, and after the two looked at each other for a while, Sheara Marne first withdrew her gaze and sighed secretly, turning her head to look at the people who were seeing off the town of Talau in the distance... The surviving Heronites of the Northern Passage have returned in the thousands, and they have stopped what they are busy with today, just to see off the departing army.

But Sira Marne felt that she was not qualified to accept the send-off of these people, because this war was not a victory for the Kingdom of Kruria. It was for this reason that Pedi and his entourage left before the Herians arrived in the town of Talau.

Three o'clock in the afternoon,

In the northern trade road camp, Pedi receives a message from the direction of the city of Herion, followed by a report from the inspection team on the condition of Sira Marne.

It is a very detailed report detailing what kind of disease Sheila Marne has.

The casual Drachir saw that Pedi was deep in thought after seeing the information, thinking that some bad news was coming, so he asked, "Is it the news from the Eluk Leader?"

"Elok Leader?" Pedi was stunned for a moment, looked at Draxier's inquiring gaze and reacted, and replied, "No, it's the news of the Herion Leader, the main army has been withdrawn, but..." he shook his head, and did not tell the news of Sirah-Marne's illness.

"How are you thinking about the Principality of Suluk?" said Pedi changing the subject.

"Don't force the First General to agree to your request, it's impossible. Drahil said with a hippie smile: "However, the first general will not explicitly object." ”

"Maybe I'm oversimplifying. Pedi was not satisfied with this answer, he originally wanted the elves to support him in taking the Elok Territory, but now it seems that the elves are not sages, and they also know how to make trade-offs.

"If you really want Iruk to take that territory, you have to act quickly, otherwise you will only get a dead land!" Drahir admonished, "Although the army of the Suk Plains appeared outside Tyre in time and attracted most of the main force of the undead legion, if the undead army outside Iruk City attacked the city wall defense line like crazy, Iruk City would fall for five days at most." ”

"Don't worry, if the Legion of the Dead dares to storm Iruk City at this time, my garrison in the eastern part of Elok will be able to rush to the flank of Elok City in two days. Pedi was not worried about the undead army's onslaught, "More than that, I am more worried that after my army enters the city of Eluk, the allied forces of the Suk Plains in Tyr will retreat immediately. ”

"Retreat is not enough. Drahir seemed to be analyzing, and as if assuring, "At least we can restrain the army of Fort Norma, the army of the city-state alliance is too complicated, and it will only be a waste of time to entangle with those people." ”

"I'm not afraid of wasting time. Pedi stared at Drahier with a slightly happy expression, "And... Why should you waste time with the people in the city-state alliance, maybe it would be more effective for you to use orders directly. ”

"We don't intend to impose any restraints on the city-state alliance, and even Fort Norma is only our ally. Drahir looked back at Pedi, "All cities on the Suk Plain are absolutely independent, and we will only help them in times of need, not force orders on them. ”

Pedi listened to Drachiel with a smiling expression, and then thought for a few seconds with a pensive look and said, "In other words, you will not ask about any decision made by the city-state alliance, but when the city-state alliance is threatened, you do not rule out the intention of sending troops to help them?"

Drahir smiled and didn't shy away from the question, "Yes, your understanding is completely correct. ”

"Who came up with this idea?"

"It's not anyone's idea, it's the Elves' consistent assertion that we are not conquerors, but managers. Drahir shrugged.

"Managers, who to manage?"

"Everything in the Alan Continent, everything in this continent belongs to the 'Alan Alliance'. ”

"Interesting idea. Pedi chuckled under his breath.

"Don't look at me like that, I'm not really interested in the so-called 'Elland Alliance'. Drahir shrugged, "Since the 'War of the Three Clans', there has been very little mention of the 'Elan Alliance' within the elves, but we always need a reason to manage the Suk Plains." ”

Drahil's straightforwardness stunned Pedi, and Pedi didn't know how to answer for a while.

"Those old guys in the council are tired of war, they have been fighting for half of their tens of thousands of years of life, and they have long wanted to retire, otherwise the 'War of the Three Clans' three hundred years ago would not have ended so easily. Drahir continued, "For the past three hundred years, you have done a good job of managing the Elan Continent in place of the elves, but—" he shook his head with a slight disappointment.

"We thought you would do your duty forever, but it's clear that you're limited in what you're capable of... In the past few years, it has not only substituted itself into the war, but also revived the undead legions. The frustration in De La Heel's language does not resemble a lie, "We don't like war. ”

"Nobody likes war. Pedi replied.

Drahir tilted his head sideways and gave Pedi a serious look and smiled, not continuing the topic.

Ignoring De La Hir's smile, Pedi stood up and walked to the door as he said, "Thinking about 'war' is not an easy matter, and these questions should be left to the scholars of the academy to think about... If you're still on my side, you should help me take the Elok Territory. ”

...

The Northern Trade Route Camp was built as a small city due to the previous civil war, but the bustling trade and the tolerant attitude of the Hallensburg Consulate turned the camp into a city completely.

It's a very special city, with less than 200 settlers, and all the rest are migrants.

This has led to an unusually prosperous entertainment industry in the city, with casinos both legal and illegal, and signs of pubs and inns lining the streets. Even Sir Seker Marat, who was supposed to be based in Harrens City's Governing House, moved his office to the Merchant Fair.

After Pedi finished his unpleasant conversation with Drahir, he headed straight for Seke-Marat's office building. He needed to hear a debriefing, which was supposed to take place a month ago, but the war under the Herien leadership had delayed it for more than a month.

The ruling building of the Shangdao camp is very special, the whole building has six walls, the walls are dyed red throughout, and the corners of the walls are densely packed with magic circles outlined with purple gold powder. The whole building looks a bit like the office building of Pedi's previous life, but because of the magic runes outlined, it is much more spectacular than the ordinary office building.

Pedi had heard about the building three months earlier, and according to a report from the police department, the local government had not spent a penny on the building, and all the costs of its construction had been donated by merchants from the north of the kingdom.

Because the local government had already had a welcoming ceremony when they entered the city before, they did not let everyone know when Peidi and his party entered the building this time.

In a small conference room in the office building, which was simply decorated but very refreshing, Pedi's clerks and servants were all listed, and the accompanying ministers sat on either side of an oval conference table, and Harrence led the supreme chief of affairs, Seke Marat, at the very end of the conference table.

"I've heard a lot about the official roads in the north for a long time, but I didn't expect it to change so much..."Pei Di leaned on the sofa and looked around the simple decoration of the conference room, and said casually: "I remember that when I left last time, the surrounding area was just a dilapidated fortress built with tents, and now it has begun to take on the appearance of a city. ”

"It's developed... Some extreme cities. Baron Hannina didn't like the city, "Without the merchants, the city will decline within half a month." ”

"I think it's a nice city, and I personally like it. Collier's smiling face completely drowned out his small eyes, "I believe that even if the end of the world comes, the merchant will not give up enjoying here." ”

"I agree with that!" said Drahir loudly to show his presence, as Pedi hadn't invited him to the meeting, but he cheekily followed.

"It's a nice city indeed, but Baron Hanina is also right to say that the city lacks its own heritage and the crime rate has been high for the past three months. "You should use better conditions to attract more people to settle down, because too much floating population will increase urban crime." ”

"Yes, we're struggling with crime too, but—" Seke-Marat stopped talking, cautiously looking around at the people seated, unable to utter the next words.

Seeing the other party's appearance, Pei Di frowned and asked, "Could it be... Is there anything else that cannot be said to your king?"

"No, I'm just wondering how to explain it..."Seke-Marat's already somewhat pale face immediately turned pale when he heard the king's words, and he took a deep breath and said with little confidence: "The crime problem in this city is not just a problem of moving people..."

"You can tell me more about it, that's what we're here for today. Pedi sat up straight and looked at Seke-Marat with a very formal expression, "By eight o'clock in the morning, my family will belong to this room... We can even stay up all night if necessary. ”

After hearing Pedi's words, Saike-Mara's body trembled slightly, and he thought for a few seconds in front of everyone's gaze and said, "Because of the particularity of this city, many unimaginable things are possible, such as getting rich overnight... The cloak of krona has flooded the city with many young people with illusions, who can do anything for money. ”

"With a bunch of wealthy businessmen and a bunch of rich-hungry outlaws, I can imagine what kind of city it is. Cowrell stretched the wrinkles on his face that had piled up with his smile, "and with the casinos, pubs and inns lining the streets, it's simply the best choice for adventurers." ”

"You need more police!" Baron Hannina looked at Seke-Marat very seriously, "I propose to set up an operations section at the police station in the northern official road to deal with the violence in the city. I am confident that the financial resources of the city can independently bear the cost of the Operations Section. ”

"Trust me, it's not a good idea. Seke-Marat shook his head.

Pedi nodded thoughtfully and asked, "Is it because of the problem of corruption?"

"It's just one aspect, and the other side is more complex. Seke-Marne had a wry smile on his face, "This city is mostly a floating population, and—" he looked in the direction of the king, but did not make eye contact with the king, "and because of the kingdom's immigration policy and reform system, the new merchant aristocracy and the traditional nobility who have lost their territory are almost all drilling into the city, and the migration of orcs and goblins, werewolf mercenaries, etc., fill every street of the city." ”

"These problems cannot be solved by the establishment of a police task force alone. "I used to try to open an industrial factory to help young people in the city find jobs... But in this city, the wages of ordinary workers are not even as high as the tips of casino waiters. ”

"The most fundamental reason is that the official roads in the north are developing too fast. Morinda spoke at a very slow pace, "The rapid development of the city has left the city without the necessary basic industrial factories, and the wealth everywhere has made people forget the most basic fact that 'only real labor can obtain money.'" ”

"That's not the root cause, though. "The fundamental reason is that our government structure is problematic, and the northern official roads are now under the jurisdiction of Harrence City," he looked at Sekka Marat, "and the jurisdiction of Harrance City covers the northeastern part of Harrance Highlands, the southern and western parts of the Jamici Meadows, and there are countless towns and villages under its jurisdiction, and in terms of population, it has more than one million. ”

"Although the ruling office of the capital is subordinate to the local government, but..."The old orc glanced at the king of the first seat without continuing the topic, but changed his words and said: "Although this ruling building is in this city, it is not only responsible for the city, it needs to manage too many places... Our path of reform has only just begun, and although we have tried to see the sweetness of reform, there are also many problems. ”

The old orc's words made everyone present fall into deep thought, and Seke-Marat nodded repeatedly, "Yes... Although corresponding local governments have been set up in various cities and towns, most of the officials appointed by them are elected by the localities, and even in many places, the former lords still serve as the chief officials of the local governments. ”

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