Why did the lord rebel

Chapter 287 No.20 Catch-[-]

After sending His Majesty the Emperor out of the gate of the mansion respectfully together with Katerina and Isa, Xia Houyan was a little surprised to find that Chief of General Staff Quentin didn't seem to have any intention of leaving.

Chief of General Staff Quentin and the lord stood side by side, watching His Majesty Basil III board the carriage surrounded by attendants and royal guards, and go all the way. Then he turned his head and said to Mr. Xiahou with a half-smile:
"Eliott, I heard that you and Katerina are preparing a banquet? I wonder how your drinks are going?"

Xia Houyan, Katerina, and Yisha, the three elites of the imperial aristocratic circle, how could they not know that this is Quentin's chief of staff and he has something to explain to the lord of Shuangfengling.

This is a matter of the Igor family, and Isa Sandria should avoid suspicion.The countess of the stigmata saluted immediately, and smiled sweetly at the lord:
"Then Elliott, I have something to do at home, so I'll go back first? Remember to climb over the wall and come to play with me..."

Katerina glared at her: "Be careful on the road, don't get hit by a carriage."

Isa rolled her eyes, and under Katerina's angry gaze, she stood on tiptoe and lightly pecked the lord's mouth, then put on her coat and left Igor's mansion.

Chief of Staff Quentin watched this scene with great interest, and the look of nostalgia on his face showed that the king of the imperial staff obviously also recalled those romantic years when he was young.

After Isa Sandria's deadly enemy left, Katerina also quickly returned to her former eldest lady posture.

She nodded slightly towards Quentin's chief of staff, and said with a smile:

"Your Excellency Quentin is a well-known master wine connoisseur in the imperial capital. It is an honor to be judged by you on the wines newly prepared by our Igor family! Please wait a moment with Elliot, and I will bring wine for you In 982, there was a heavy snowfall in Swan Lake, and the quality of 'Reventon Icewine' produced in that year could not be better, you must taste it, Your Excellency Quentin..."

The two male nobles watched Katerina swaying away, and the lord squeezed out a sentence from the corner of his mouth:
"Mr. Quentin, the Igor family is poor, and it costs money to drink our wine from Shuangfengling."

Chief of Staff Quentin saw at a glance that the lord was obviously still secretly dissatisfied with being used as a spy by the empire...

He could only smile wryly:

"Eliott, we are all subjects of the empire and His Majesty the Emperor. We are in a high position, and we really can't help ourselves... Back then your father—"

"As I said, what happened back then is over." Xia Houyan smiled coldly, "The future of Shuangfengling cannot always carry the historical burden of the past. We, the Igor family, are now focused on looking forward."

Chief of Staff Quentin was stunned:

He originally thought that "not discussing or pursuing the original Vincent Igor rebellion case" was just a rhetoric used by the young lord when negotiating with His Majesty the Emperor; but Quentin never expected that Lord Frost Maple Ridge It seems that I really think so in my heart...

Can the hatred of killing one's father be laughed off?The Chief of Staff of the Imperial Army couldn't help but look at Lord Shuangfengling a few more times.

"Let's sit in the back garden." Xia Houyan said plainly, "It's too hot in the house, it's cooler outside."

Quentin's chief of staff suddenly turned bitter:

It's almost winter, the outdoors of the imperial capital, let alone "cool", the occasional north wind is so cold that it can penetrate into the bones of people.

The lord of Shuangfengling wrapped in a woolen coat naturally didn't care, but Quentin, the chief of staff who had just come out of the house and thought that His Majesty would return to the house after seeing off the emperor, was still wearing the gray military uniform that had no ability to keep out the cold. casual clothes...

But at the home court of the Igor family, Xia Houyan obviously did not intend to give Quentin the chief of staff any choice.

Seeing Lord Frost Maple Ridge striding towards the back garden of the mansion, Chief of General Staff Quentin could only let out a long scholarly sigh and followed quickly.

After the two sat in the marble gazebo in the back garden, Xia Houyan accidentally discovered that the tea set left by Master Laurie and Chris when they played Marne before was still on the table in the gazebo.

Xia Houyan picked up two teacups on the table, put them in front of his nose and sniffed them respectively, and instantly recognized which cup was used by Master Laurie.

Then he pushed the cup in front of Chief of Staff Quentin.

Although Katerina had already gone to get the wine, Xia Houyan seemed to have forgotten this matter, picked up the teapot, and poured a full cup of black tea for Chief of Staff Quentin.

Quentin's chief of staff looked down at the cold tea in the quilt, and his face became more and more like a bitter melon.

"Do you want to add sugar?" Xia Houyan picked up the sugar jar on the table and looked at Quentin's chief of staff affectionately.

"Uh..." Quentin opened his mouth in embarrassment, "Just a little..."

Xia Houyan quickly poured sugar into Quentin's chief of staff's teacup from the sugar bowl.

Lethal dose.

Quentin's Chief of Staff looked at the beast-like eyes of the official Xia Hou, and swallowed uneasily.

Seeing that the sugar in the teacup was almost above the liquid level, the lord stopped his hands and looked at the other party expectantly:

"Your Excellency Quentin, drink it!"

Chief of General Staff Quentin picked up his teacup with a bitter face, and took a sip cautiously.

Although the tea set in Shuangfengling was always clean and hygienic, it was used by Master Laurie after all, so it was somewhat smelly.

After watching Quentin's chief of staff finish the cup of black tea with a full diabetes risk index, Xia Houyan leaned back on the rattan chair with satisfaction, and relaxed his posture.

Quentin put down his teacup, smiled bitterly and said:

"Eliott, don't mess with me. The whole matter of your Frost Maple Ridge is mainly the idea of ​​His Majesty Basil. Grimm and I really can't decide... Besides, I have important things to think about when I stay. I told you..."

"Please speak." Xia Houyan raised Erlang's legs, made an invitation gesture, and then took out a cigar from his coat and put it in his mouth.

Quentin's chief of staff had 1 thoughts:
Obviously he is the supreme chief of staff of the Imperial Army, and the opposite is just a noble kid in his early 20s. How come this scene makes him look like a junior and inferior?
But the matter is important, Quentin still shook his head and said solemnly:

"Eliott, I want to remind you that the orcs should not be underestimated, and you must be careful when setting up the defense line at the Lionheart River!"

Xia Houyan was smoking a cigar leisurely with the flames at his fingertips, when he heard this, he let out a absent-minded "huh".

Lord Shuangfengling's unconcerned attitude made Quentin anxious.

The chief of the general staff of the Imperial Army stared at Xia Houyan, and said quickly:
"Eliot, you must not underestimate the orcs of the Glorious Federation! The troops sent by the orcs to raid the southern front may be limited in size, but they must be the best of the best! What you will face in the south will be a raider The orc wolf cavalry of fire, the most experienced shaman, and the most powerful berserker! Today's orc military industry can no longer be taken lightly. According to intelligence, their flesh and blood ballista has been improved, and its range is likely to approach Our "Seven Styles of Lion's Roar"! Most importantly, although we have always believed that orcs are not good at water warfare, since they dared to attack from the southern border, their strategic goal must not be a small piece of soul-breaking land—orcs The army must be ready to forcibly cross the Lion Heart River!"

"Oh." Xia Houyan extinguished the flames on his fingertips, raised his eyebrows and said, "Then tell me, what should we do?"

Quentin's chief of staff said in a deep voice:
"It's very simple: stick to the Lionheart River! Elliott, you are still young and have no experience in commanding large-scale battles. This time, the empire needs you as a local nobleman to preside over the overall situation at a macro level, rather than asking you to command specific battles." ! I will pick a few prudent and reliable staff officers from the military department for you, I hope you can trust them, and strictly deploy defenses along the Lion Heart River, and don't let your temper take risks!"

Xia Houyan squinted his eyes and blew out a smoke ring, but said nothing.

Quentin's chief of staff continued:
"No matter how fierce the elite orcs are, the Lionheart River is always the most important natural barrier of our empire in the Southern Governor's District! As long as the defense line is strictly arranged on the north bank of the Lionheart River, and the use of projectiles such as trebuchets and ballistas to reduce its strength, plus With the assistance of the Western Navy, you can completely turn the Lionheart River into a sad river that makes the orcs conquer their dreams!

"However, neither the Southern Army, the Central Army, nor the Eastern Army currently have the spare capacity to support and increase troops to the Land of Broken Soul, and the entire Rock Creek City's troops have lost their combat capabilities—Eliot, I don't know your Frost What is the strength of Fengling's own troops, but to fight against the orc raid, the biggest thing you can rely on is the militia temporarily recruited from the Southern Governor's District: soldiers of this level are fine for appearances, but no matter what There is no way to fight head-on with the orc elite! Without the protection of the Lion Heart River, they will only be defeated with one blow, and they will be defeated for thousands of miles!"

After Quentin's chief of staff finished speaking in one breath, he gasped for breath with his chest rising and falling.

And Lord Shuangfengling, who was sitting opposite the chief of staff, just let out another puff of smoke ring expressionlessly.

"So, my question is..." Xia Houyan asked slowly, "'Stick to the Lion Heart River', so what about my Shuangfengling on the south side of the Lion Heart River? What about the towns on the left bank of the Lion Heart River? "

"Relocate the residents of the Land of Cracked Souls to the north! All buildings, farmland, and facilities south of the Lionheart River will be destroyed!" Quentin's chief of staff said firmly, "The Land of Cracked Souls is a natural wilderness and a prison , as long as we can keep the walls clear and clear the wilderness, we can starve to death the invading orc troops!"

Xia Houyan lowered his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly, and said slowly:
"My Route 66 has just started construction, and the town hall has just been built on Phoenix Terrace..."

"Eliott! Now is not the time to be indecisive and lose your fingers!" Quentin's chief of staff said anxiously, "When the orc army is withdrawn and the empire's worries are relieved, you will still have a lot of time to rebuild the land of broken souls! More What's more, didn't His Majesty Basil promise you Rock Creek City? As long as you can repel the attack of the orcs, the capital of the Grand Duchy of Houston, the pearl of the southern wilderness, is not more fragrant than your small broken territory in the land of the broken soul?"

Xia Houyan lowered his head and was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:

"Okay. But we don't need your staff in Frost Maple Ridge. The Igor family has its own staff. Sean Mountbatten, have you heard of this kid?"

Hearing this familiar name, Quentin, who is also the honorary principal of the Imperial Military Academy and the director of the staff department, was stunned.

"Sean, he...is in Shuangfengling now?" Quentin's chief of staff hesitated to confirm with Xia Houyan, and after receiving the latter's affirmative reply, he sighed, "Okay... Sean Mountbatten is here. The military academy left a deep impression on me, he is a capable young man, but the aggressive and fancy military style he showed in school may not have changed for so many years..."

"I like Mountbatten's style." Xia Houyan defended his subordinates lightly.

"Okay, but sooner or later he will suffer a lot." Quentin's chief of staff shrugged, "Since you have reliable staff, then I won't send additional people, just because the staff in the east is not enough... ...But please be sure to act according to the plan I said, give up the land of broken souls, and stick to the Lion Heart River!"

"I will, I swear to death." The lord solemnly raised three fingers, assuring Quentin's chief of staff.

Hearing the oath made by the senior official Xiahou, Quentin felt a little relieved.

"Although the military does not send staff officers, the Governor of the Southern Territory, Count Dimitri, will still help you organize logistical matters—although the Governor of the Empire has always ignored the military, you should respect his opinion more or less." President Quentin The chief of staff warned, "In addition, other southern lords who have conscripted troops will also form a temporary military council—His Majesty the Emperor asked you to lead the overall situation, not to let you act arbitrarily, and you should listen to the opinions of other lords."

As soon as Xia Houyan heard it, he knew that these "Governors of the Southern Territory" and "Temporary Military Council" were all shackles specially set up by the empire to restrain themselves;
After all, no one can safely hand over the military power of the entire southern region to a single person.

Regarding these institutional practices, Xia Houyan had no room to refute, so he could only let out a muffled "hmm".

"I'm going back to the house to drink. The cold wind is howling outside. It's really not a place for people to stay." After explaining important matters, Quentin's chief of staff finally found a chance to complain, then turned up the collar of his military uniform, got up and walked towards the mansion. walk in.

It wasn't until Quentin's loud footsteps of military boots went away that Xia Houyan took off the cigar in his mouth and said with a smile:

"Messi, what do you think?"

A round, translucent wraith ball emerged from the air in response.

Messi let out a mocking sneer:

"Hey, what is Quentin's name? It's called 'Fox of the East'. I thought the military level was so high. I didn't expect it to be so lucrative. It's even worse than you, boss!"

Xia Houyan said angrily:

"What do you mean 'not as good as me'?! How the hell do you talk?"

Messi quickly flattered and apologized:
"Slip of the tongue! Slip of the tongue! But this Quentin's chief of staff is nothing more than a dead bone in a tomb, so don't mind! Boss, don't worry, these idiot orcs have been bad luck for eight lifetimes - I dare not say anything else, at least in On the ground of the soul-cracking soul, if you come, I will kill one, and if you come two, I will kill a pair! No matter if they are humans, orcs, or demons, if they dare to act wildly in my territory, they have never died!"

(End of this chapter)