��XVII）

February 8, 1667, late rainy season

Yellow Turban Taiping Daoguo, Central Province, Qingniu Province

According to legend, Jingzhao Mansion, the old capital of the Eastern Empire, is surrounded by eight waters.

More than 1,000 years ago, when the Yellow Turban Taiping raised the anti-flag, it was the world's largest metropolis. After they captured Games, the largest city in the Murayman region, they established the capital of the province here in the form of Gyejo Prefecture.

There was originally a local religion of cow worship, which made the monks of the Yellow Turban Dao very happy. After serious research, they believed that the temple of this religion was the place where Li Er, the last prophet of the only righteous path, stayed after sending a letter to the west with his green ox. They wrote a book called Lao Tzu Hua Hu Jing to describe this history, which became the first hadith of the new Taiping Dao kingdom and named the city Qingniu Fu.

The only regret is that there are no eight rivers around the city, only two large rivers pass through it. However, the Eastern Empire has been famous for its water control since ancient times, and they brought channels from those two great rivers to irrigate the fertile fields around Qingniufu, and all the channels flowed into the city, forming a moat for Gongwei Capital.

The monks of the Taiping Dao discarded the original names of the two rivers and renamed the big river in the east of the city as "Shangshan River" according to the Tao Te Ching, and the big river in the west of the city was renamed "Ruoshui River".

Located in the middle of the alluvial plain, the satellite city of the giant city stretches to the edge of the Sangzen and Ruoshui rivers.

On the edge of a small town on the east bank of the Ruoshui River, Gavin Alvarez and her "legion" set up camp.

The belongings they brought with them from Jiawen Feig's were abundant, and it was easy to buy supplies near the wealthy Qingniu Mansion. Looking out of the camp, the wide Ruoshui River looked like a large lake, and it was barely possible to see the opposite bank.

"Your Excellency Álvarez, the military attache to the ambassador in Ching Niu Province, said that the ambassador did not want to see us. ”

When he heard this, Jiawen Protector was looking for a place to eat with several middle-level officers in the town.

The season is approaching the New Year of the Eastern calendar, and every town around Qingniu Mansion is lit up with lights, creating a festive atmosphere. Along the Shangshan River and the Ruoshui River, trade throughout the Taiping Province was carried out in these towns, and eventually converged on Qingniu Province. The surrounding locals all cast stares at this stunningly beautiful, well-dressed elf woman, and some children deliberately ran around not far away, talking loudly about these foreign soldiers.

Jiawen was unaware of all this, and waved impatiently at the quasi-elf lieutenant who rushed back: "Don't be so depressed. The veteran who was bombarded to Qingniu Mansion to be an ambassador is not seen. The important thing is, have our credentials been delivered?"

"Ah, it's in. In the name of the embassy, it was sent in the form of a second-class credential......"

"See with your own eyes?" interrupted the Female Protector.

"I handed it over with my own hands as an entourage of military attachés. ”

"That's good. The embassy of Qingniu Mansion still has someone who knows the severity. A light smile squeezed out of Jiawen's grim expression, "Since we have handed it in, then our work is completed." Let's have some lunch, this thing called a 'pot helmet' or something, it seems to be quite delicious. ”

"Yes, Your Excellency the Tribune. ”

The smile completely melted the displeasure of the would-be elven messenger, and he sat down on a nearby stool, grabbed a corner of the pot helmet, and ate it with the sauced meat.

The sight of His Excellency the Protector of the Flower of Kaolin approaching these half-blood elves like this would probably be astonished if the people of Honrinasti saw it. But Gavin Alvarez doesn't care anymore. For her now, it is more important than anything else to be able to stabilize the remaining officers and train them.

Leading such a rabble army to Qingniu Mansion was much more difficult than she expected. It is only after the loss of a well-trained army like the Elven Legion that a commander realizes how powerful and convenient such a professional army is. She now regretted that she had not been able to save the Colonial Legion from the fiasco of Gawen Feigna - even if it was only a full centurion, it would be much better than the current situation.

From Fangdi Fort to Qingniufu, it is necessary to pass through the five states of Yinzhou, Puzhou, Duzhou, Zhongzhou and Shengzhou. It took the team twelve days to reach the outskirts of Qingniu Mansion, and more than one-third of the people fled along the way, most of the local Daoists and low-blooded elves fled, and the "legion" only had about 300 people left. Not only that, but the expected attack on both land and water had been completely bankrupt, and after the anti-Di army joined the Hengqu rebels, the great conqueror Kotuz had to abandon his plan to recapture Jiawen Feigna and use his fleet to blockade the nearby seas to ensure that the small ships of the Hengqu rebels could not land on the Taiping Peninsula.

All the chips she had left in her hand were only these three hundred.

In order to envelop the rest of the people, Jiawen had to release more kindness - for a pure-blood elf, a light smile was already a very big kindness.

"Your Excellency the Tribune, are we just waiting?"

"If that Master Zhang could realize the seriousness of the situation now, he would have come and invited us. Even we are already full of rumors, so what will happen to the city of Qingniu Mansion?"

The officers who were eating pot helmets nodded approvingly. These days, rumors of Hengqu raising troops have spread throughout the Dao Kingdom along the magical network at a flying speed, and everyone has heard these rumors. Even the boss who sells pot helmets may have heard the news that "the eldest lady of the real old Zhang family is coming back!".

"But that huge anti-Di army actually surrendered in one day? At the time of the anti-Di fort, it looked like a decent army. After eating a few bites of sauce meat, the would-be elf who rushed back couldn't help but sigh. When he was in Fort Defi before, he also went with Jiawen to meet the general of that army.

Jia Wen pursed her lips and explained: "If you think that General Zhu surrendered because the vanguard was annihilated, then you would underestimate him. From the very beginning, he was afraid that he had the idea of surrendering as a last resort. ”

"What do you mean by that?"

"That General Zhu is a person who attaches great importance to interests, and the action he chooses must be ...... In the words of your Taoists, he is the kind of person who will never give up any opportunity, which is actually very easy to estimate. ”

"In other words, it seems that he is sending the most combat-effective troops to a tentative battle, but in fact, he has been thinking about sacrificing these troops from the beginning and then turning around and surrendering?"

"Yes, if the vanguard wins, then naturally the troops loyal to the heir will all take the merits, and he will sell favors; if the vanguard wins miserably, he will have preserved his strength; if the vanguard loses miserably, then naturally this is the first great merit for the new boss. ”

The result was the third one, and he also decisively voted for the side of the cross-canal...... That General Zhu can calculate the interests to this extent, and he is really a terrible person. The would-be elf sighed.

Hearing the soldiers' exclamations, Jiawen shook her head: "You are wrong. It is precisely because the interests of such people are too carefully calculated that they are easy to deal with. When I saw that Zhu Taishou, I knew what he would do, and I worked out our countermeasures. The one who is really difficult to deal with is another-"

Before she could finish speaking, she heard the sound of violent horses' hooves breaking through the silence.

"The heir has passed the decree!

Hearing such a shout, the surrounding Daoists immediately knelt on the ground, and only they were still sitting upright in their seats. Two officers who had already believed in the Taiping Tao stood up anxiously and wanted to kneel, but were stopped by Jiawen waving her hand.

"It's a bit unexpected to come so quickly. The Female Tribune exclaimed softly.

The quasi-elf adjutant on the side couldn't sit still: "Your Excellency Alvarez, do you want to be vigilant?"

"It should ...... Need not. ”

The horseback team stopped in front of the small tea stall and for a moment blocked the road. The surrounding people came out of their homes and bowed down to the herald of the heir.

"On behalf of the Heavenly Dao Heir!" the man who came had a white face, dressed in fine clothes, and shouted in a sharp and piercing voice, "Which one is the Saint Sen Lei Jiawen Lei Protector?"

"It turned out to be a eunuch. A pseudo-elf officer whispered, and was kicked vigorously by the Daomin officer next to him.

Jiawen Alvarez stood up and replied in a somewhat haughty tone, "I am the Protector appointed by the Elven People and the Senate, Lei Jiawen. Do you have any questions about this adult?"

The corners of the eunuch's mouth twitched, as if he wanted to have a seizure, but the attendant in Taoist robes beside him spoke up first.

"This is Lord Changshi! How can you, a Sen Hudi woman, be so ignorant of dignity and inferiority—"

Jiawen's face did not change, and she put on an expression of "I don't understand what you, a human being, are saying".

The eunuch coughed lightly, and the robed attendant immediately fell silent. "You don't have to argue with them. The purpose of the heir is important. Dare to ask Lord Lei, did you send two warning letters using the Thousand-Mile-Messenger Method?"

"Exactly. Jiawen imitated the etiquette of the Taoist people and arched her hand, "I believe that Master Heishi has seen it." ”

"Good. The eunuch nodded, "Please bring your guards with me, the heir wants to see you." ”

Jiawen raised her hand and motioned for everyone to stand up, "Go to the camp and bring a few horses—"

"No need. Then the eunuch said, "There are nine of you." Nine horses were given to them, and the heir was anxious to see them. ”

As soon as he gave the order, nine of the escort horses behind him jumped off their horses. After the lieutenant casually ordered them to return to the garrison on their own, he mounted his horse and returned to Qingniu Mansion with the tribune and his party.

"And the messenger who was chasing after me came...... This was really unexpected. Jiawen stepped on the horse and whispered to her companions, "It seems that this master is much more difficult to deal with than that Lord Zhu." ”

"I don't think so...... quasi-elf was obviously prejudiced against the eunuch in front of him, "using eunuchs to oppress warriors is not what a king should do." ”

His words caused a whisper of echo among the officers, and the two officers from the Taoist background hurriedly signaled everyone to silence. In the Holy Forest, although the pure-blood elves also have house slaves, the level between the noble classes of different bloodlines is clear, and there will never be a situation where house slaves take advantage of the power of their masters to override the citizens of the Holy Forest.

"But this person does not act for immediate and visible interests, but for a larger purpose. That means his actions are much more difficult to estimate. Ladies and gentlemen, we must deal with this emperor of the East with care. ”

Three hours later, in the evening, in the misty drizzle, they arrived at Qingniu Mansion.

That was the first time the elven female protector had seen the Qingniu Mansion. The alluvial plain at your foot is full of farmland and canals, and there is not even the smallest hill, which stretches all the way to the foot of Qingniufu. You can see the huge white walls on the horizon, which are even bigger in the rain and fog. I am afraid that this city has more than ten city gates, and Tongdelan, Lenny, and Huajing are giant cities of the same level, and if you attack hard, you need at least 100,000 people to have any hope of taking it.

The guards at the city gate were extremely nervous, as if they were facing a great enemy, and the constant attendants of the leader of the team checked their identities before letting them go. Jiawen noticed that the defenders of this gate were clearly divided into five or six different factions, and several officers who spoke different dialects controlled their own men, and did not communicate with each other, but only shouted when they were released.

"The impact of the change of banners on them is greater than expected. It's not that there is no confidence in the loyalty of the troops, and they will not be deployed like this. Jiawen secretly judged.

As a thousand-year-old city, the city of Qingniufu is a little more chaotic than expected. The circular and curved buildings of the Murrayman style are unplannedly connected with the Taoist temples and monk towers of Taiping Road, forming streets, alleys and alleys. The only way to accommodate knights and carriages was the imperial road leading from the various gates to the central Taiping Palace. Jiawen kept an eye on the number of soldiers and monks on the streets, and secretly counted the staggering number in her mind.

"Even if there are no 660,000, I'm afraid 100,000 can't be defeated, at least it's equivalent to twenty legions......"

After checking their identity in front of the palace gate, the cavalry guarding the eunuch scattered to the headquarters, and most of them also ran in different directions, leaving only the eunuch and the two attendant eunuchs.

The forbidden army guarding the palace gate shouted a trumpet and slowly opened the huge palace gate.

"On behalf of the heavens—the way—the rebellion—"

"Forever - Reopen - Peace - "

The heir's guards opened the door in a long voice, and repeatedly tapped the ground with the hilt of their spears and shouted slogans. The officers behind Jiawen were all shocked by this momentum, only Jiawen, who was a pure-blooded elf, had the same face as usual, and could still talk and laugh with the eunuch next to her.

"Dare to ask Mr. Changshi, where is the heir going to summon us?"

"The Lord is in the Golden Iron Temple. ”

As soon as he entered the Taiping Palace, the eunuch's voice was not so high-pitched and harsh, but carefully lowered his voice.

"Is it a place to forge magical items?"

Smelling the smell of incense and spices wafting throughout the Taiping Palace, Jiawen asked casually.

"It's a place to discuss militaristic matters. The eunuch took these curious foreigners around one huge hall after another and Taoist temples, "Laojun Palace is a place of sacrifice, Taiji Hall is the place where the main hall holds a sacrificial wine conference, and Danding Temple is a place to study alchemy......"

Finally, the group stopped in front of a palace that was equally huge by the standards of the Sacred Forest.

"The envoy of the Holy Forest, the protector Lei Jiawen, and the daughter of Lei Lituo have been brought to the Lord to summon them!"

The eunuch shouted in a long voice. Soon, an answer came from inside.

"Master Hei summons Lei Jiawen!"

"Don't you need me and my guards to lay down our weapons?"

"In front of the heir, there is no need. The eunuch replied proudly, "There is no need to unload your weapons when you enter the Taiping Palace. In the Taiping Palace, no one is the enemy of the righteous path. ”

"I hope so. Garvin Alvarez whispered a sarcastic remark, calmed her breath, and strode into the hall with her head held high.

In her imagination, she expected to see a typical Oriental emperor, sitting on a high celestial chair and commanding others condescendingly.

She was taken aback by what she actually saw.

In this Jintieguan, there is a huge sand table, on which the map of the seven major provinces of the Muleiman Dao Kingdom is made of sand and soil, and the mountains and rivers are all plugged on it. A thin middle-aged man with deep-set eyes and a blue complexion, wearing a Taoist robe and a bright yellow ribbon Taoist crown, stood next to the sand table, directing several Taoist priests to plant flags upward.

He looked very similar to the monks around him, except for the tiara and the ribbon on his robes. But that astonishing, high-level caster's unique momentum will never make people mistaken. The moment she saw this man, Jiawen concluded that he must be Zhang Futu, the heir of the Shangqing Throne and the tens of millions of Daoists in the seven major provinces of the Taiping Dao Kingdom. Regardless of his ability to rule, there is nothing wrong with the religious fanaticism that is unusual to the ordinary.

"The face of an alchemist?"

Although Zhang Futu's appearance looks a little sick, Jiawen will not despise him because of this. Whether it is a human or an elf, senior alchemists and alchemists often have some side effects due to long-term drug testing, and this kind of face is called "alchemist face".

She patted the would-be elf interpreter on the shoulder, motioning for him to translate her speech as well.

"The people of the Sacred Forest and the envoy and tribune appointed by the Senate, Gawen Alvarez, have met with the heir. ”

"It's coming quickly, Ms. Ray. ”

Zhang Futu turned around and pointed at Jiawen with his deeply sunken eye sockets. His eyes deep in the sockets were like eagle's eyes, emitting two sharp points. That kind of religious fanatic's eyes, Jiawen had only seen in the deputy archbishop of the sun god in Hongrinasti.

"When we heard that the heir had summoned us, we naturally rushed here without delay. Sorry that the camp is on the banks of the Ruoshui River, and it took some time to get here. Garvin Alvarez couldn't bear the pressure, took a small step back, lifted the hem of her skirt and bowed in apology.

"I'm not talking about this fast. The 12th day of the 12th month of the Guozhou Concession has only been 16 days. Zhang Sishi waved the sleeve of his robe and reported a few dates, "It only took you sixteen days to lead your army here from the old Guozhou Mansion, and you hardly stopped for a day on the way. ”

"Yes, Master Heir. Jiawen was secretly frightened. All the rumors she had heard had said that this Master Zhang Futu was just a fanatical Taiping Taoist, with little common sense and reason to speak of, but the man in front of her who was talking eloquently in front of the sand table was clearly a terrifying tyrant—or a famous king.

This person does not focus on immediate gains. In other words, whether he pays attention to interests or not, Jiawen can't judge. Shengsen is staging a political game of interest exchange every day, but a person like Zhang Futu is definitely not a good opponent in the game.

"And you, Victor Lei Jiawen, did not hesitate to risk affecting the diplomatic relations between your two countries when you left my Fangdi Castle, and sent a letter that my auxiliaries called 'sowing discord', right? ”

"Exactly. ”

Zhang Futu turned sharply to the sand table, and his skinny fingers pressed on Guozhou's position.

"You predicted more than ten days ago that Zhu Duzhi would definitely lead the army to surrender. Since that battle, the red flag of the Hengqu rebels has been planted in the provinces of Fuxi and Haidong. Your prophecy has been fulfilled. ”

It was only now that Jiawen could turn her attention to the sand table. She was shocked to find that the red flag had been densely planted in the area west of Qingniu Province, and there were many white flags in the middle of the area that represented neutrality and suspicious positions. This is no longer just a sneak attack, this is a civil war.

A civil war is a civil war, the tribune thought. She took two steps forward, and also walked to the sand table, looking at Zhang Futu.

"This is not a prophecy, but a judgment after I met General Zhu Duzhi. That person is too focused on immediate interests, and he will definitely be intimidated by the fighting power of the attacking Free Army, and he thinks that he can speculate from it. In the entire territory of the Yellow Turban Taiping Kingdom, only me and my army have ever fought against them. ”

The master's fingers moved across the sand table, dragging deep marks, and the knuckles made a crisp grinding sound that was painful.

"You're only five hundred. And these five hundred have already run two hundred. Zhang Futu pointed out an accurate number again, and there was irony in his falcon-like eyes, "Even if you know how to fight them, do you know how to build an army, Miss Lei?"

"I may not know how to build a good army, but you can trust us, and we, the people of St. Sen and the Senate, will not succumb to the tyranny of the Interre. I wish to assist you, Venerable Heir. You already don't know which troops and which cities you can trust. ”

Without waiting for Zhang Futu's gaze to come over, Jiawen Alvarez refuted his words in advance.

"If you knew which armies you could trust, you wouldn't have come to a foreign envoy like me, who only had three hundred men in his hands, would you?"

Zhang Futu paused for a long time before withdrawing his hand from the sand table and asked, "So, what do you want when you come here?"

It's finally here, Jiawen thought. This is the difference between a high-level spellcaster and an ordinary person: a high-level caster always cares about what they can accomplish first, while ordinary people always care about what they can get out of it first. Zhu Jiezhi would care about what he had to do to get the most benefits, while Zhang Futu cared about more than that...... Much higher.

"If we win, I want to go back to what you call Gozhou, our Jiawen Feigna. ”

She replied categorically.

"If you can do what you want, you will be able to choose a new port on the east coast of the Taiping Peninsula. Use this reason to convince the patriarch you sent in Dongsanfang, that guy should do something other than drinking and having fun. ”

This time, Zhang Futu also did not give Jiawen a chance to refute or bargain, this gift was so amazing that Jiawen didn't figure out how to bargain for a while.

"The day after tomorrow is the Spring Festival of our lunar calendar. As soon as the festival is over, on the fifth day of the first lunar month, we will send troops south. Before that, together with your compatriots in Qingniu Mansion, let's form an army of at least a thousand people. If you need military expenses, you can contact our auxiliaries. ”

Zhang Futu casually pointed to an old minister dressed as a Taoist priest beside him and handed over the task to him.

Then, another eunuch led them out of the Taiping Palace.

Jiawen finally breathed a sigh of relief and asked a Taoist officer beside her: "What is our number on the fifth day of their first lunar month?"

"February 14th. ”

That's when the army is ready to leave.

It was cloudy and overcast on 9 February

Phase Port of the Republic of Intres

"Buy! Two hundred and seventy-four pounds per share of the United Trading Company!"

"Two hundred and seventy-six pounds!"

"Two hundred and eighty pounds to sell two thousand shares!"

"Eighty-two pounds of military debt, buy!"

"Eighty-four pounds of military debt, one thousand, buy!"

Such shouts continue in the café today.

Since the establishment of Union Bank, there has been a sudden increase in the number of cafes in the neighborhood, increasing at a rate of one or two per day. Countless agents and speculators gather in these cafes to drink new beverages imported from Shinsu that are said to be refreshing, and to reach prices and deals. The original nearby taverns changed hands one after another, because no one wanted to lose all their chips in the life while they were drunk.

Each café has its own customer base, with small retail tenants congregating in the few shops that use coffee in barrels, and agents mostly congregating in small cafes on the second and third floors of private rooms. As for the real big bookmakers, they can only be found in a few cafes closest to Union Bank.

"This should be it. ”

Archbishop Ionette Hartmann looked up, confirmed the target's café, and motioned for the driver to stop the carriage. He stepped out of the rental carriage with the hem of his skirt, covered his face with a half-open folding fan, looked down to check his makeup for flaws, and approached the back door, avoiding the noisy and lively front entrance of the café.

"Lady Magician, please confirm your identity. ”

A questioning voice came from the observation window on the back door.

Ionette nodded, and replied in a female voice, "Miss Rujing invited me here." She manages the funds for me. ”

"Understood. There was a soft laugh from a female voice inside, followed by the click of the latch of the door. The archbishop, who was dressed up in women's clothes, felt a heat on his face, but he held back and did not have a seizure.

Now, a person of Ionette's status simply does not dare to appear openly in the vicinity of Union Bank. The archbishop's silver hair and tall figure were so striking that he had to disguise himself as a woman to sneak in to find the trader he was working with.

After the Grand Fleet set sail and captured the infamous Gawen Figner, the hype near Union Bank entered a white-hot phase. The fixed asset was injected into the shares of the United Trading Company with a face value of one hundred gold pounds, and in one fell swoop it broke through the two hundred pounds mark, and it is rising at a rate that is visible to the naked eye. The Intern Army bonds, which were worth 100 gold pounds at an annual interest rate of 3 percent, had been sold at a 50% discount, but after this wave of news, the price soared above 80 pounds, and continued to rise.

The news spread to all parts of the free country through a new type of magic communication network, and several association mages who wanted to earn the influence of the magic network also rushed here, speculating on stocks and bonds, while researching and publishing a formula magic called "trading magic", so that everyone could record transactions on the magic network. Soon, new trading spells were being developed, and the Magic Item and Material Shop was opened in this area for magicians and non-magical mortals to use their magic to find trading opportunities.

Then, the Seventh Fleet went into a state of magical silence, raising the hype to new heights: all prices fluctuated in the range of tens of percent above and below with true and false news, finally forcing all the big dealers with inside information to take refuge in the private rooms upstairs of the café.

Today, the men who come and go here wear masks, while the women mostly wear the masks that are usually used at masquerade, and command the legions of agents below through silent magic and teleportation.

"Please cover your face. There are a lot of ordinary people and other agents of big money on the ground floor of this tavern, so please don't attract their attention if you are doing business with us here. ”

The hostess leading the way whispered to Archbishop Hartmann. Ionette hurriedly covered her face with a folding fan, climbed the stairs of the side door, and led by the waitress, past the bodyguards of the big dealer to the fourth floor, and knocked on the door.

There were seven or eight high-ranking agents sitting in this room, each of whom was a magic user, who were responsible for monitoring the entire trading area of the magic web. Most large transactions will be reached on the magic network first, and then the two parties will complete the transaction through a large number of general agents.

All the agents were busy, and no one noticed the outsider who had just walked in. The hostess led Ionette past them and pushed open the door to the back room.

There were two female voices in the room who were discussing something intensely.

"I still don't understand why these magicians are so keen to study the magic associated with bond trading. This magic can't be used in combat, can it?"

"You don't understand. The Magic Web is an interesting structure that at first glance seems to be connected to each other by magic wires, but it's not that simple. According to the articles I have seen, if you complete a magic spell and make it public on the magic web, then the magic web will lend more power to the magician like a god repaying its followers, which is why so many people are willing to publish their results on the magic web......"

Hearing this, Ionette couldn't help but interject: "It's also inaccurate to say that. According to our research, the working principle of the magic net is very different from our magic skills. You can't think of the web as a personified god, you should think of it as a tool for bringing together the work of a magician - not so much a god as a miracle magic or a stream of magic or something. ”

The two women turned their heads at the same time. One of them was a no-brainer for Ionette, while the other was a partner with whom he had dealt many times.

"This is Mr. Ionette Hartmann, the Apostolic Emissary of the Northern Orthodox Church in the Archdiocese of Interres. The Oriental woman among the two opened her mouth to introduce the two parties, "This is my colleague, who is also loyal to the beautiful lady of the Zhang family in Hengqu. Like me, she is also one of the treasurers of Huai Cui Hong. ”

"Disrespectful. Ionette bowed like a Taoist, secretly surprised at the thinness and youth of the other woman opposite. From the conversation just now, he could tell that these two women had no knowledge of supernatural powers such as magic and Taoism, which was even more surprising.

As everyone knows, Phase Port Wai Cui has become one of the largest shops in the area. Similarly, almost everyone who is a little bit unusual also knows that Huai Cuixing is the agent of the once down-and-out Zhang family in Donggang. Now that Miss Zhang has done her best, it is Huai Cuixing who is responsible for the assets left by the Zhang family in Phase Port.

A week ago, the Guozhou Fang Di Army recognized Miss Zhang as the heir of the Hengqu Sect. After that, the military states of the four provinces of Qianlong changed their banners one after another, and even many military states in Fuxi hung red flags. After that, Huai Cuixing's reputation became more and more famous, and it was even vaguely overwhelmed Bishop Bonnie Sephier's pure gold firm, and it was widely accepted that they would build a new beacon for the Hengqu Zhang family—of course, there were also many Taoists who felt that the new heir might completely transfer the property of Phase Port to a more suitable person, so as to prevent these possessions from clashing with the Free Nations in the future.

"Hey, sir...... I can't see this beautiful lady?!!"

Before Di Meiyi could finish speaking, Rujing flicked her forehead fiercely.

"Don't be rude to your guests! Mr. Hartman, please take a seat, and don't be like her. We have invited you here today because we are going to sell all the securities we have on hand, and you should have seen this in the letter. ”

Hartman nodded, "Yes, that's what I'm here for. In the past few days, we have worked together happily, and even made a lot of money in the hands of Bonnie Seifer's big black village, and I also admire your Hengqu Zhang's operation ability. But now I have not heard of any plans to sell the pure gold or the underground accounts of the Union Bank, nor have I heard of any changes in the situation on the front line...... Why emptie it all?"

Yin Rujing nodded: "Since I am here, I can reveal the reason for the short selling." ”

"Why, exactly?"

"The Seventh Fleet is about to resume magical communications. The number of agents holding pure gold is too large, and they also intend to speculate on it before shipping, and the unofficial agents of Union Bank are not far behind. But they are confident that they have inside information, and their actions are a little too big, giving us the opportunity to sell the short first......" Yin Rujing sneered, "So, I will withdraw the intelligence line on their side while throwing the short, and what I draw is the last briefing before this silence is about to be lifted." ”

"I still don't get it. Why did the Seventh Fleet have to be sold out when magical communications were restored?" Ionette's face changed drastically, "Could it be...... Has the Elven Fleet broken through the defenses, or has the Seventh Fleet been wiped out?"

"No, it's not that exaggerated. The Seventh Fleet is still there, and only two of the Elven Fleets have successfully set foot on the western route. But there are some difficult communications that you may only be able to understand as an envoy of the Empire......"

Di Meiyi on the side twisted up a piece of magic induction paper with her fingers, and rubbed her index finger on it. Her magic power was small, but it was enough to make the contents of this piece of paper clear.

"The location where they lifted the general silence was at the junction of the East Intre Bay and the West Qianlong Sea. Here, the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet suddenly appeared from the northeast and launched an indiscriminate attack on the Free Navy and the Elven Navy. ”

"Indiscriminate attack?!" Ionette stood up in surprise, "This is impossible! This would be a total enemy with the elves! I have never heard of an expeditionary fleet receiving such authorization!"

But that's exactly what the report says. Both the Seventh Fleet and the Grand Fleet of the Saint-Sen suffered heavy losses, and after a scuffle, each of them broke away from the battlefield......"

"I see. Ionette stood up, "I can understand your suspicions, but I really haven't received such news, not even Her Highness Olya. If there is such a decision, it must be directly conveyed by His Majesty the Emperor's secret envoy, and it is by no means something that we deliberately want to hide from you. ”

Yin Rujing nodded: "If the operation is profitable during this time, we will still keep it under your account in Union Bank as usual." Please convey Miss Zhang's greetings to Her Royal Highness the Princess. ”

"I understand. On the question of the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet, I will confirm through my channels. Ionai nodded and prepared to take his leave, "Please also convey my greetings and those of His Highness to Zhang Qushuai." In addition, please convey my personal greetings to Miss Briss and I hope that we will have the opportunity to meet you. ”

"We'll get it on. ”

The hostess who had brought Ionette in had gone out the way he came. The Archbishop of the Empire frowned, thinking about the new news, and hurriedly boarded another rental carriage, ready to rush back to contact the Empire.

After sending off the archbishop in women's clothes, the waitress quietly returned to Huaicuixing's operation room again and closed the door tightly. Her fingers slid over the crack in the door, confirming that no one was listening outside.

"Eldest sister, you are still so cautious. Even those of us outside don't know that you are the real treasurer of Huaicui Xing...... With Miss Zhang here, is it necessary to do this level?"

Briss, who had been dressed up as an ordinary hostess, shook her head and replied, "There's nothing wrong with being careful. Now that almost all the forces of the Hengqu Zhang family are invested in the Dao Kingdom, we must be careful to keep this hard-won position for her. ”

Di Meiyi couldn't help but ask: "Eldest sister, you have put so much effort into inviting this archbishop, but I don't think he has exchanged any information with us......?"

Bai Ruisi's face was grim: "Who said that? This Mr. Hartmann has told us a lot of important information. First, neither Princess Olya nor he knew about the actions of the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet. Second, the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet was not intended to attack both sides at the same time. Thirdly, if the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet had carried out such an unusual act, it must have proved that there was an envoy of the Emperor......"

Di Meiyi pursed her lips: "But this obviously means that you haven't said anything." ”

"That says a lot. "If this secret report is true, then it means that either the Imperial Expeditionary Fleet has an envoy, or ...... This fleet is not an Imperial Expeditionary Fleet. ”

Her gaze rested on a description in the middle of the secret war report.

"The enemy fleet is painted with black sails, like the legendary ghost ships. ”

P.S. The book finally has 10,000 collections...... What's going on with this complicated feeling......

P.S.2 So, die, Valentine's Day!

P.S.3. On the name of the Eastern Empire for other countries:

Sidi/Senhu (disparaged): A saint-sen. Named because the elf has long, pointed ears like a fox, the fox character was later faked as Hu. It is also sometimes called Haihu (due to the arrival of the St. Sen fleet from the sea). Half-elves are often referred to as miscellaneous beards. If they want to show even a little respect, they will use the name Sidi, which is the Di people west of the Tiedi (Holy Koman Empire).

Red Cloth / Red Cloth / Red Cloth: The Interre, sometimes referred to as the Nancoman people of the Free Kingdoms. Because there are red-haired people and they like to wear red clothes, they are named. The Intern Merchants introduced modern artillery to the Murrayman, Yingzhou, and Eastern Empires, and the cannons they introduced became known as the Hongyi Cannon/Red Cannon. Oriental people occasionally name the Phaetes Lanyi, the Itaean Huangyi, and the Rulok as the Green Yi or Qingyi. However, the latter three titles are less commonly used.

Tiedi: A member of the Holy Coman Empire. It was named after the empire's penchant for iron and gray. The Eastern Empire had a lot of exchanges with the Koman Empire in its heyday, and Emperor Tiedi still had some status in the eyes of the bureaucrats of the Eastern Empire.

Yellow Thief/Road Thief: Murrayman. Of course, the Yellow Turban Taiping Daoguo itself does not use this title, they call themselves Taoists.

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