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Chapter 11 Wangxiang went through ups and downs all the way, and Rogge finally rushed back to Yanjing Richelieu. Pen & Fun & Pavilion www.biquge.info After he changed his tattered robe, he immediately went to see the old steward, Sara Winger.

At this time, his energy and physical strength were almost at the limit, and Androni was far away in the City of Oracles, so when he met the old manager, it was also a time when the fat man could rest in his spare time. Because as long as Rogge is in the Imperial Palace, the wrath of the goddess of nature will not attack.

It was late at night.

In a remote hut in the Imperial Palace, the old steward sat peacefully in his chair, looking at Rogge with cloudy eyes. The dim magic flame kept jumping, and the dim yellow light made every wrinkle on the old manager's face appear extraordinarily clear, and it seemed that this old man who was in his old age could fall to the ground at any moment and sleep forever.

Rogge and the old manager were not polite or noisy. In front of this unfathomable old man, the less you talk, the less you make mistakes. So getting straight to the point is a good option.

He frowned, his mouth opened, and he spat out a large lump of dark brown moss, and the unbearable stench immediately filled the room.

But the old manager's cloudy eyes immediately had a look!

He stretched out his bony hand and took the moss with a shudder. He tapped his other hand in the air a few times, and immediately several balls of light lit up. Bright light staggered down from different angles, illuminating every corner of the moss, leaving no shadow.

Rogge was a little shocked in his heart. These balls of light were not magical light, but were condensed by Dou Qi, and they were Dou Qi without the ability to emit light. It's just that these fighting spirits are so condensed that they release dazzling brilliance. Although this hand is not as strange and unpredictable as when it is said to test the wrath of the goddess of nature, it is also a rare magic skill.

After a long time, the old manager breathed a sigh of relief. He raised his head and said slowly, "I really can't imagine that you are willing to go to the Dragon Graveyard." ”

"Being able to get the dragon bone grass for the emperor, no matter how dangerous it is, it is worth it. ”

The old steward nodded, and he stood up, took out a box of black satin, and carefully placed the keel grass into it. Then I sat down again.

The stench still lingered in the room, but it was from the keel grass. Dragon Bone Grass is extremely precious, and it is not at all something that mortals can think of. For many old people who are almost at the end of their lives, even a little smell of keel grass is good.

The old steward pondered for a moment, and finally spoke: "The last time the Empire went to the Dark Forest, the purpose was precisely for the dragon bone grass that would only appear in the Dragon Graveyard. The emperor was ambitious, and his youthful ambition was not yet half accomplished, and he certainly did not want to sleep there. In fact, the Empire has long known about the existence of the Dragon's Graveyard in the deepest part of the Dark Forest, but has never sent troops. The real reason for this advance is that the druids of Cloud Night City said that they could invoke the divine power of the goddess of nature to suppress the flame tyrant who had inhabited the cracks of the abyss since ancient times. If you want to enter the Dragon's Graveyard, you must pass through the territory of the Flame Tyrant. If the Druids are able to overpower the Flame Tyrant, the Imperial army will use the lives of most of its soldiers to attract the attention of the graveyard guards in the Dragon's Tomb, and then the strong will storm the Graveyard and take out the Dragonbone Grass. Alas, but before the army reached the territory of the Flame Tyrant, it had already been defeated by the endless demonic beasts of the dark forest. Hey! The druids can't even suppress these magical beasts, how can they suppress the master of the dark forest, the flame tyrant in the crack of the abyss? The emperor was suspicious of this, so he ordered the withdrawal of troops on the spot. I thought it would be impossible to see keel grass in my lifetime. ”

The old manager seemed to be a little tired after saying such a long sentence, and took a few breaths before asking: "I can see that your achievements in necromancy are not low, and it is still possible to hide from the graveyard guardianship of the Dragon Tomb, but how did you evade the attention of the Flame Tyrant and cross his territory?"

Rogge said: "Lord Sarawinger, the villain's luck is better, this time the flame tyrant didn't know what the reason was, and he actually left the abyss gap. So I was able to easily cross his realm and retrieve the Dragonbone Grass for the Emperor. ”

The old manager nodded and said, "With your current magic power, you can't appease the cemetery guard of the Dragon Tomb, so you should have infiltrated the cemetery." You are willing to take such a great risk into the dark forest, and your loyalty to the empire is already clear. Don't worry, I will truthfully convey this loyalty to the Emperor. ”

Rogge was overjoyed and immediately saluted and thanked him.

At this time, the few bright douqi light clusters in the room had disappeared, and the room was dark again. The old manager's sharp eyes turned cloudy again, he leaned lazily on the back of his chair, heard the night wind whistling outside the window, and said slowly: "Winter is coming." ”

Rogge was stunned for a moment, and could only continue vaguely: "Yes, you must pay attention to your physical ......"

As if he hadn't heard Rogge's words, the old manager said to himself: "Winter is the cruelest season in the north. On the snow-covered earth, there was no food, and there was no grass for cattle and sheep to eat. Every winter, there is no telling how many young lives in the northern land will be abandoned in the snowy fields, leaving them to become food for snow wolves. When spring arrives, the only important thing for the tribes that roam the northern lands is to prepare for the next winter's food. The north is different from the rich south, and there is actually a simplest reason behind the killing, bloodshed and wars here, food. ”

As Rogge listened, fine cold sweat began to ooze from his forehead. As soon as the old manager's voice stopped, he immediately asked: "Now that the empire is strong, as long as you have money, you can exchange it for food." ”

"In times of crisis, food can save lives, but gold coins cannot be eaten. ”

Rogge nodded heavily, sighed, and said, "But it's winter now...... It seems that the only way to ask for help from friends is to ask for help. ”

"In winter, food comes first. Although it is true that there are friendships that transcend life, the foundation of most friendships is still based on the quicksand of interests. The old manager's low, hoarse voice struck Rogge's heart one by one.

Rogge was silent for a long time, and finally said: "I have shallow wisdom, I really can't think of a solution, and I have to ask you to show me a way." ”

"There is a blue-backed demon wolf in the wasteland. In winter, they can migrate thousands of miles to prey on food. If there is really no food to find and the survival of the entire group is endangered, a battle will be held within the wolf pack for the position of the wolf king. The weak are eliminated as a result, and become food for the other survivors. Therefore, no matter how long the winter is and how scarce the food is, the blue-backed demon wolf can always survive in the Northland wasteland, but in one winter, it is unknown whether the wolf king has changed several times, or whether it is still the original one. ”

Rogge nodded and said, "I understand, then let's prey first! Their voices are still very loud. ”

"When night comes, everyone rests, and the emperor is no different. As long as it's not too loud, you won't wake up the Emperor. ”

Seeing that the old manager showed a little tiredness, Rogge retired.

When he went out, Rogge suddenly thought that he didn't know if the old manager would keep some keel grass for his own use. Humans tend to have a much shorter lifespan compared to other intelligent races. However, the relationship between strength and longevity that is very obvious in other intelligent races cannot be reflected in the human powerhouse at all.

Judging from historical records, some people can have a lifespan of hundreds of years, while others have a lifespan similar to that of ordinary people. It seems that this question will have to be consulted by the old fox of Theseus in the future. This not only helps the fat man to learn more about the world of these mysterious old guys, but also gives him a clear understanding of the enemy's strength.

At the thought of Hughes, Rogge couldn't help but hate it. This old thing comes as soon as it is said, and it can leave when it wants, and it comes out of nowhere every day. He hasn't been there for so long, and I don't know what he's doing.

After returning to his residence, Rogge immediately began to deal with government affairs. His trip to the Dragon Tomb took a lot of time, so when he returned, all kinds of documents, secret reports, and letters were piled up.

He rummaged through the letters for a long time and pulled out two secret letters. One letter from Kerry, Prince of the Duchy of Layton, and the other from the Duke of Dolyak, were similar in content. They responded enthusiastically to Rogge's request to buy grain from both places a month earlier, saying that they were mobilizing grain and that they would be able to transport enough grain into the Duchy of Arei by the end of the year.

Rogge smiled coldly and threw the two letters into the brazier beside the table.

Since Rog stepped out of the Central Mountains, the Duchy of Arley has been plagued by wars one after another. After the collapse of the Holy Alliance and the merger of the Duchy into the Asrofik Empire, the Warlord's rebellion led by the Bauhinia Butterfly has greatly damaged the vitality of the Duchy. Since then, Adele's policy of reckless military force has transferred a large number of young and middle-aged people for military training, and to a large extent, a large area of agricultural land has been wasted.

After annexing several countries one after another, the Duchy of Arley not only expanded its territory several times, but also its population. But the war scorched the land, and the grass and wheat were trampled to smithereens by the horses' hooves. As the autumn harvest approached, Rogge suddenly realized that his people would have to face a hungry winter.

Rogge actually didn't care about these internal affairs at all, but after Helai's death, Adele, who lost her child, didn't care about government affairs. Without these two major helps, the shortcomings of the old and complex bureaucratic system of the Principality of Arei were all exposed, such as forming a party for personal gain, reporting good news but not bad news, deceiving superiors and subordinates, and so on.

The dire situation of the extreme food shortage was reported to Rogge by Horn, who was in charge of intelligence. However, General Horn, while capable and loyal, was busy laying and consolidating the intelligence network, which was equally important to the Duchy.

And on the other hand, Horn is a very good hound, but not a diligent ploughing ox, he is not suitable for government affairs.

Rogge stood up and walked around the room with a gloomy face. Behind him, a chair quietly stretched out and turned into a dozen cat-like monsters. More than two inches of fangs protruded from their mouths, and they lunged at Rog's back with light, silent steps.

Rogge turned around suddenly, and with a shout, more than a dozen small beasts were frozen in place on the spot, unable to move! Only one escaped the shackles of magic and roared and pounced!

The fat man sneered, stretched out his hand and caught the beast in the air, and with one force, it was torn into two pieces! Despite this, the anger in Rogge's heart still could not be vented. He strode forward, one by one, and the fierce beasts that were fixed in place by magic were trampled one by one, and only then did he count the evil qi in his chest.

The fat man gasped, and his angry heart calmed down a little. He walked over to a large map of the empire and its environs hanging on the wall, and pondered the future situation.

Three days later, Rogge was unexpectedly summoned to the Imperial Palace.

In the Maple Leaf Hall, which is famous for its late autumn beauty in the Imperial Palace, more than a dozen of the most important ministers of the empire are already sitting inside. On the throne in the center, Feuerbach the Great looked red and energetic, as if he was ten years younger. The emperor was obviously in a very good mood, and he couldn't stop talking and laughing with his ministers.

Rogge entered the Maple Leaf Hall under the guidance of the waiter and sat at the bottom of the seat. The door to the Maple Leaf Hall closed behind him.

The Emperor looked around the audience and said, "Not long ago, Duke Frederick suddenly fell seriously ill and died. You all already know the news. This time, I summoned you to discuss the ownership of the 'Tide' legion and the combat strategy of the Empire's southeastern front. You don't have to have any scruples, speak your mind! Alexander, you can start first!"

After a moment's thought, Alexander began to state the strategy of the southeastern front of the empire, and he spoke freely for a long time, but did not say a word about the 'tide' army. Pompey then talked about strategy and tactics, completely avoiding the matter of belonging to the 'Tide' legion. After Pompey, the ministers followed suit and avoided talking about the Tides.

After all the ministers had spoken, it was finally Rogge's turn. Although the fat man was bent on fighting back to the south, he had not considered the strategic issue of the southeast front at all. Before Frederick's suicide, it had nothing to do with Rogge. However, the fat man can still cope with this situation, he copied everything from east to west, and brought all the views that everyone reached consensus on in the previous speech, and shook it out as his own opinion. In this way, although he could not have anything to show off, he would never make a fool of himself on this unprepared issue.

Seeing that everyone had 'spoken freely', Feuerbach the Great coughed, and the Maple Leaf Hall immediately fell silent.

"The 'Tide' Legion was divided into two, and the 123rd Corps was placed under the command of Pompey, and together with the Poseidon Legion, it was responsible for attacking the Duchy of Lucerne Alliance. The 456th Corps was commanded by Rogge, and another 40,000 troops were drawn from the Duchy of Arley to attack the Duchy of Thurkle and the Delaware Empire. This appointment will take effect immediately! Rogge, Pompey, each of you go back and prepare, and in a month you will arrive at the front station. So be it!"

Without waiting for the stunned ministers to speak, Feuerbach the Great got up and left. The old steward, who had always followed behind the Emperor, gave Rogge a meaningful look as he left.

Not only were the faces of all the powerful ministers stunned, but even Rogge himself opened his mouth wide, completely unable to believe the order that the emperor had just issued.

The three major legions of the empire have been fighting for many years, and the army is full of elite soldiers with extremely strong combat power. The 'Tide' Legion has 80,000 troops, and its combat strength can be imagined. Most of the special classes and accompanying mages in the 'Tide' legion are allocated to the 123rd Corps, and in terms of troops, the first three corps also account for 50,000 people. But the last three corps, with 30,000 soldiers, were also a very large force. In the eyes of the emperor, those rookie recruits in the Principality of Rogge were also assigned to the 'tide' legion to dig fortresses and carry ordnance. If you really want to go into battle to kill the enemy, I'm afraid the effect will be more negative.

Rogge is also self-aware in this regard. Except for less than 10,000 veterans in the Duchy of Are, all of them were poorly trained recruits. And the Dark Side of the Moon, the Tikton Warriors, and the Spartan Knights, combined, were less than 2,000 people. In a large-scale war, this is simply not enough to turn the tide of war. Therefore, Feuerbach the Great asked Rogge to transfer 40,000 troops from the Duchy to the southeast front, which was just to give him a step.

In fact, there is another layer of deep meaning in this, according to the imperial tradition, when the conscription of the subordinate [***] team goes out, the military equipment, salary and pension of the requisitioned troops are all borne by the empire. In normal times, this expenditure is nothing to a subject country, but for the current Duchy of Are, where the treasury is empty and the granary is at the bottom, it is equivalent to the empire paying for Rogge to raise 40,000 troops.

Except for sending charcoal in the snow, Rogge can't think of a better adjective at the moment.

Rogge, who owns a country, is already one of the few powerful ministers in the empire, and now he has obtained the most elite 30,000 'tide' warriors, and his power has immediately risen to a new level. The eyes of the powerful ministers looking at him were completely different at this moment. It's just that on the faces that suddenly became much more enthusiastic, the thick doubts couldn't be hidden.

How could half of the Empire's most elite legion suddenly be in the hands of a surrendered general who had served the Empire for less than a year?

Although they doubted in their hearts, the result was irrevocable. However, these old and slippery guys only look at the results and don't care about the process, and as soon as they saw Rogge's power rise, they immediately changed their faces.

Pompey and Rogge left the Maple Leaf Hall side by side, and he said affectionately: "Lord Rogge, I really didn't expect to be able to fight side by side with you again so soon. What Frederick couldn't do in more than ten years, we may not be able to do it! Lord Rogge, you have a heavy responsibility on your shoulders, but you must work hard! Don't let me preemptively copy the Delaware Empire and take away the credit when the time comes!"

Rogge laughed and said with a hint of pride: "Don't worry, Lord Pompey! But then again, you have to be careful that the few small principalities in your hands fall into my hands!"

The two talked and laughed all the way and walked outside the palace. When he was about to reach the gate of the imperial palace, Pompey finally distanced himself from Rogra and took his leave. Rogge knew that Pompey was well aware that he had fallen victim to the wrath of the goddess of nature, and that as long as he took a few more steps in the direction of the gate of the Imperial Palace, the mysterious power of the Imperial Palace that suppressed the wrath of the goddess of nature would disappear.

It seems that Pompey is well aware of the existence and scope of this mysterious power. Outside of this power, staying by Rog's side becomes a very dangerous thing to do.

Looking at Pompey's departing figure, the fat man still had a slight smug smile on the corner of his mouth, but there was no smile in his eyes.

As soon as he returned home, Rogge immediately sent several secret letters to the principality, instructing Bauhinia Butterfly to immediately reorganize the army, pick up 40,000 potential recruits, and prepare to march to the southeastern front of the empire. On the other hand, Rog sent people to the Central Mountains to find out the whereabouts of Durin, and needed to determine the results of his investigation and whether he had defected.

The fat man hesitated for a while, and finally wrote the third secret letter. The letter told the Ticton warriors and the Spartan Knights to prepare for battle, and to go with them as soon as he arrived in the principality.

When Rog prepares to return to the City of Oracles, he will bring all the elven troops with him. Once these elite troops are lost, it will make him very painful. However, although Rogge does not believe nonsense such as "the fate of a soldier is to sleep on the battlefield" that poets often say, if he does not experience the baptism of war from time to time, no matter how strong the army will slowly become mediocre.

He was planning to open the door to the south, and with the help of the strength of the wild warriors from the north, he would step on the opponents in front of him.

In fact, Rogge himself is now a little unclear whether the reason that has supported him for so long in his crazy quest for power and power is the sudden outbreak of love at the beginning, or the paranoia that has become a habit for a long time.

The rhythm of the magic flames in the room suddenly changed.

Rog's pupils shrank, and he was still reading the document as if nothing had happened, as if completely unaware that someone had crept into the magical barrier he had set up.

At this moment, there is not a single strong person around Rogge, but the level of the people who come does not seem to be ridiculously high. What's more, the wrath of the goddess of nature is a double-edged sword. Although it threatens the life of the fat man all the time, anyone who enters its area of effect is equally dangerous. The approacher does not know which piece of clothing or equipment on his body will be activated by the divine power of the goddess of nature, and if his strength is insufficient, even his skin and internal organs may become a victim of the wrath of the goddess nature.

(To be continued)