It seems that there is indeed a benefit to doing good deeds and accumulating virtue.

Kairos led the elite troops, but he did not control Leon, probably because of Leon's selfless behavior to help control the Red Death, probably as he said.

Of course, it was precisely because he knew that Kairos was a principled person that Leon dared to go up and talk directly.

The lord has been inquiring about the personality and relationships of the top brass of the Bacchus Empire all the way, just to determine how to deal with Kairos.

In fact, before he knew much about Keros, that is, before this night, he had wanted to enter the port of Emperor Lin alone and be captured - or controlled.

Yes, this is the most efficient way to make a strange visit - to be sent to the door as a messenger to be actively controlled.

Anyway, with Leon's current identity, he will definitely not be killed, and he will not even suffer anything.

And as long as there is a chance to speak, the lord has the confidence to retreat with his whole body, and it is a big deal to spend some money.

Anyway, it would have cost money to buy food.

Although he was in a hostile country, it was actually much easier than the previous kidnapping - no high-ranking nobleman would kill a nobleman who planted three flags on a convoy when he was not fighting, and he would not even be rude.

Unless there is a feud.

Kairos has no enmity with him.

And now, Leon has the opportunity to talk to Kairos on an equal footing, which is indeed the effect of helping to isolate the Red Death.

"The Governor laughed, I didn't let you fail...... I was just trying to keep my territory. In fact, I guess I've helped you......"

Leon had the same smile on his face as he had when he first met Count Auden.

The attitude is excellent.

"Your Excellency Li Ang, you kidnapped two governors in White Deer Fort, causing the empire to lose troops but not advance an inch...... As the marshal of the last war, this is a huge defeat for me! You actually said you helped me? What is helping me? ”

Keros almost laughed angrily, leaning back, staring into Leon's eyes.

The lord was pleased with the Doge's reaction—he had succeeded in piquing Kairos's conversation.

He also said to his apprentice that how to get people to listen carefully to what you say is more important than the content of the negotiation itself.

"Lord Governor, you might as well think about it - there are only three governors in the empire, two governors of Livius and Justus, who led an army of 6,000 people, and faced a girl with five hundred old and weak soldiers guarding White Hart Fort, which was not only unfavorable for siege but also lost troops,......

Only you, Lord Kairos, led a few thousand cavalry into the hinterland of the Lion Kingdom, easily defeated the world's famous general, Count Oden, and retreated—the things in this world are afraid of comparison......"

With a smile on his face, Leon crossed his fingers to help Kairos settle the score, and there was still a hint of admiration in his tone.

Kairos was stunned for half a minute, and then really smiled: "Your Excellency Li Ang is really eloquent, hearing you say this, I seem to have made a great contribution?"

But you should know that I didn't defeat Count Oden, and I didn't even manage to break through his defenses...... He died at the hands of your traitors to the Lion Realm.

As a marshal, I ordered the division of troops to attack, but in the end I returned without gaining an inch of land...... Could it be that in the Lion Realm, this is also considered a meritorious achievement? ”

Keros's tone was a little sarcastic, but his eyes and expression were noticeably sharper.

"Your Excellency the Governor, let's imagine the result......

If Governor Livius leads his troops to capture White Hart Castle, it will definitely be able to defeat my little wheat collar, and probably capture the Shield Fortress, which has lost Count Auden, and may even take the town of Long River......

It's a great achievement, and there's a good chance of getting the lion kingdom's horse breeding land - if I'm not mistaken, that's what you expected when the war was waged, right?

But if that's the case...... This is Livius with 5,000 infantry, but you are not there at all......

"Becoming an Immortal"

In contrast, your record will be 'only lead the cavalry to light the enemy's advance, and you will not be able to storm the city, resulting in a lack of land. and also arbitrarily instructed the traitor to kill the Count of Auden, whom everyone admired, so that the whole Lion Realm resolutely resisted with the same hatred. This is contrary to the political policy of His Majesty Emperor Marius to integrate into Pande, and it can be called useless!

You see, the things in this world are afraid of comparison...... If you get the 'victory' you expected, then you will lose the position of marshal because of it, right?

If this is the case, then Livius, who has made great achievements, will inevitably replace you as the marshal. Let someone like him be a marshal, for the Empire, or for you, or for your troops...... Is it good?

Mistress Kairos, did I help you? ”

The lord crossed his fingers again to help Keros settle the score, and this time he didn't smile again, but looked serious and a little emotional.

Keros really listened to it now.

He probably had some realization, his brows furrowed, and he sighed deeply.

A few minutes of silence followed.

The lord didn't bother him, just quietly looked into Kairos' eyes.

The sentence 'instructing the traitor to kill Auden's ......' was actually completely sincere.

In a sense, Keros was also an accomplice in the killing of Oden.

But Leon didn't have hatred because of this - public is public, private is private, and it is his duty for Kelos to deal with the enemy army when he fights, and Leon can still handle this matter.

However, the death of Oden is really not good for Kairos and the Bacchus Empire, and it will cause the nobles of the Lion Realm to resolutely deal with the Bacchus Empire, which is a fact.

It is also true that the lord wants to use this to scold the rat's eyes.

The fact that the two sides retreated for so long but did not sign an armistice was because of Auden's death.

"Well, I probably do have to thank you...... But it has already happened, and there is no point in discussing it. You'd better just say what you mean. ”

Kairos finally spoke, but did not mention any more wins and losses, but looked at Leon meaningfully, as if hesitating about something.

"I'm here with good intentions, and as you can see, I don't want to be an enemy of the Empire. I'm going to help you again, but it's also for me and my friends. ”

The lord pointed to the row of corpses of snake worshippers at the entrance of the village, and said that he was a good person who was eager to help, so don't mess around......

Kairos also turned his head to look, then shook his head and smiled: "Huh...... Help me again? Who do you want to kidnap? ”

"Don't keep thinking of me as a kidnapper, sir......"

The lord was very aggrieved: "Lord Kairos, I know that you have a tense relationship with Emperor Marius, and you will probably have a lot of responsibility after losing the war, and it is estimated that those two governors will also cooperate against you...... I don't mean anything other than to tell you that I can help you with these problems. ”

Keros's smile stiffened a little, and he narrowed his eyes and stared at Leon, "You know a lot...... Hmph, how to solve it, you can talk about it. ”

The lord took out two crumpled pieces of parchment from his body, spread them out and handed them over.

"I've got two IOUs here, you might as well take a look...... You should be able to understand what they mean. ”

The parchment paper was placed on the small table between the two, and Leon also reached out and pressed it intimately, smoothing the parchment paper so that Keros could distinguish between the real and the fake.

It was an IOU written by two governors, Justes and Livius, for 6,000 dinars each.

The two governors were released without compensation, and Leon did not ask for ransom.

The IOUs of the two governors, written voluntarily as a result of the purchase of the carriage, have not yet been paid.

The lord once told Amy that it was necessary to create demand in order for people to be willing to pay for it.

And these two IOUs can now also create another demand for Keros.

The Bacchus Empire's battle zone in Fort White Hart on the Eastern Front should have been smooth, after all, the well-defended Baron Godric was not there, and the empire with ten to one troops, it stands to reason that it would at least be able to capture Fort White Hart.

But they lost their troops inexplicably, and were captured by two governors......

This directly led to the fact that Governor Keros did not even achieve the minimum goal in this operation, and Kairos was afraid that he would chew and eat the hearts of the two governors, Justes and Livius......

Seeing that the White Deer Fort was about to be defeated, these two guys were single-handedly infiltrated into the camp by the enemy and kidnapped?

Okay, maybe the enemy is too powerful, and he has a master-level ticket binding skill.

But so what?

Impotent!

In the eyes of Keros, or in the eyes of ordinary people, the two incompetent governors are fully responsible, and Keros really did not make any mistakes, at most he did not take political considerations into account when designing his tactics.

But, but.

The emperor is not an ordinary person.

War is a continuation of politics, and even more so a war involving tens of thousands of people.

As long as politics is involved in the affairs of this world, it is not so simple, and the results of political struggles are often completely inconsistent with common sense......

As the marshal of the last war, the Governor of Kairos divided his troops into two routes, but neither of them achieved the set goal.

The only action of the cavalry troops led by the Governor of Kairos was to block the Count of Auden, allowing Neiying Eldred to stab him in the back.

Although it can be regarded as a little fruitful, this kind of conspiracy leads to the loss of the other party's general, which is no different from a conspiracy to assassinate.

The point is that Bacchus has not yet benefited from this, and has not been able to occupy even an inch of land because of it.

The two countries have not yet signed an armistice agreement because this matter cannot be negotiated - this kind of thing has broken the tacit understanding between the nobles, and the nobles of the Lion Realm dare not trust the Bacchus Empire.

This is definitely what Emperor Marius doesn't want to see, killing a world-famous nobleman in a disgraceful way, the territory of the Lion Realm will definitely be difficult to fight in the future, and it will be difficult to rule after defeat.

Coupled with the fact that Kairos has always been in favor of reform, and his Shadow Legion is not obedient, would Emperor Marius think that Kairos did this on purpose?

Because it would make it impossible for the Bacchus to integrate into Pande.

Killing the nobles without permission is what the old-fashioned Bacchus, who considers himself a conqueror and opposes reform, can do.

So would Emperor Marius still dare to make him a marshal?

And the same use of internal response, how did the reformist Justes design?

Let Filina get sick and trick Godric, let Rainier occupy McHyald to block reinforcements, and make Fort White Hart an isolated city.

If it can be called a 'think tank', then these things must be handled by Justes.

It's also a pre-war plan, but Justes will ensure the lives of the nobles - you know, he can make Rainier treason, and naturally let Rainier assassinate Godric.

But he didn't, and he didn't even kill Godric's wife, Princess Filina...... It's much harder to create a disease than to assassinate it outright.

Although the main reason for the loss of this war was entirely because of the kidnapping of Justus, in the eyes of Emperor Marius, who was the one who should be held responsible?

For Emperor Marius, what had already happened, right and wrong was meaningless, and he was faced with a choice question - should he dispose of two governors, or one governor?

On one side is Justus, who supports his reforms, and Livius, who keeps making small mistakes and big mistakes.

On the other side, there is Kairos, who is openly opposed to reform, and Kairos has no leverage to grasp.

Well, of course, Marian will put the blame on Marshal Kairos - this is the way to minimize the damage to the country as a whole, as well as to the reform process.

Justus had always supported Emperor Marius's reforms, and the Emperor would not touch him.

Levius was originally the same old-fashioned as Keros, but he was not very compatible with Keros because of his bad style and short temper, and he and Justus were kidnapped together - they had a common demand, and he had enough power in the hands of the Emperor to settle the old score at any time.

Only Kairos is opposed to reform, and his Shadow Legion is disobedient and difficult to find, so the Emperor will definitely seize this opportunity to reduce Keros's power.

He is the marshal, the person ultimately responsible, and it makes sense to shift the blame to him.

For example, Keros's mistactics, such as the aftermath of killing Oden - there is no evidence anyway, the reason is easy to find, and the two governors will actively cooperate in order to eliminate their own responsibility.

Three to one.

Yes, political struggle is not reasonable, camps and interests determine the final result, and it is normal to reverse black and white.

So the result is easy to guess, Kairos will definitely be responsible, and it is estimated that the marshal will be replaced.

In this case, Governor Kairos would be happy to exchange the grain for the two IOUs, and he would certainly be able to trade them at a premium.

Because, those two IOUs are irrefutable evidence of the private dealings between the two governors and the enemy during the war!

These two IOUs did not seem like a big deal, but they were enough to distract the vision, because in the eyes of the emperor, such things represented a more serious message than opposition to reform.

A broken wagon worth 600 dinars, you pay 12,000 dinars to buy?

Ha!

Isn't this a collaborator?

Oh, you say it's captured by the enemy, and then the ransom that is about to be paid?

Who on the entire continent has ever seen a ransom that can be used for an IOU?

Even if this is not a traitor to the enemy, most of them are boring!

- The enemy captured you and released you with an IOU?

This is not something that normal people can do......

If you want to say that there is no other situation, who believes it?

Moreover, the person who can write such an IOU can also reveal other information to the enemy, right?

Then there is clear evidence that the two captured governors caused Kairos to return in vain.

If he had these two IOUs in his hand, then Kairos would have avoided the cauldron altogether, and he would have been able to change his faction from three to one to two.

His Majesty the Emperor will certainly put the matter of Kairos on hold for the time being and reconsider the solution.

Because in the face of this kind of evidence, if black and white are reversed, it is likely to break the already unbalanced mentality of the Shadow Legion, and maybe they will rebel.

"Your Excellency Leon, you mean to let me buy these two IOUs and fight a lawsuit with the other two governors? This will indeed help me, but I don't understand, what good is it for you? What do you get? ”

Keros could have thought of this, but he didn't understand why Leon had done it.

"I captured both Justus and Levius, and if one of them becomes a marshal, where do you think the next attack of the Empire will be?"

The lord spread his hands with a wry smile on his face.

"Whew...... They want to clear their shame and hide their guilt, and of course they will attack your territory first...... I see what you mean, debt assignment is a normal thing to do, not only can you recover your debts, but you can also avoid danger......"

Kairos nodded, indeed, Leon really had a motive to help him, and it was indeed for his own safety.

"No, you don't understand...... I'm not here to collect my debts, and I'm not going to let you use this IOU to go to court with the two governors. I suggest that you give only the IOU of the Governor of Livius to Emperor Marius, and tell His Majesty that you still have the IOU of Governor Justus, and that you will give it to His Majesty if Emperor Marius makes a decision that is in accordance with his just conscience. ”

Leon reached out and covered one of the pieces of parchment on the small table: "This will not only ease your relationship with Emperor Marius, but also make the Emperor understand that a nobleman like you, who is loyal to tradition, is also dedicated to the country." ”

Keros watched Leon's movements, leaned back against the cushions in the carriage, closed his eyes and thought for a moment.

If Kairos had given both IOUs to Emperor Marius at the same time, it would have been a lawsuit between the two camps, but Keros was able to take the initiative because there was clear evidence that the two satraps were suspected of collaborating with the enemy.

- Of course, in fact no, Justes even misled Leon with false information.

But Emperor Marius may still be holding on to Kairos for the sake of his reforms.

Because Marius must have wanted to shelter Justus, a reformist.

But if Carlos had the handle of Justus in his hand and offered the handle of Livius to the emperor, then it was a kind of persecution.

Forced Emperor Marius to make concessions.

At the same time, it was also a way to change sides once again - it was to tell the Emperor that they could join forces against Governor Livius.

If Kairos is honest with the Emperor that he still has Justus's handle in his hands, but does not show it, it is also a sign of loyalty - a sign that Kairos is loyal to the Empire and respects the Emperor.

After all, the emperor only wanted to temporarily shelter Justes, a reformer, and if two IOUs appeared at the same time, Marius would be embarrassed.

But if the evidence points to Levius alone, then the emperor does not need to hesitate - Livius is the commander of the Eastern Front, and he is equally old-fashioned......

It became a choice, Keros or Levius.

It doesn't hurt or itch to hold Kairos accountable, it has no real impact, even if he is not a marshal, the Shadow Legion will only listen to him.

But putting the black cauldron on Levius can make him cut his flesh at once, and it may even make him hand over the Shadowwalkers!

This is the core idea of upward management - to help superior leaders make choices.

As for Justes's IOU, the Emperor could keep it in his hand, and maybe he could use it later.

"Your Excellency, thank you very much for your suggestion. You say you don't plan to collect the debt, it seems that you don't want me to buy the IOU with money? So what do I need to pay in exchange for them? ”

After reopening his eyes, Keros sat up straight, and with this thanks, he used an honorific.