Doctor, I'm really strong!

The Tsar's anger was completely uncontrollable, putting immense pressure on everyone present.

But everyone also knows that His Majesty the Tsar is just in a fit of impotent rage. At least in the short term, they can't do anything to the Red Guards and Chernobog; at most, they can use some underhanded tricks.

“Gregory, since you are the Black Serpent, shouldn’t you come up with some ways to uphold the dignity of the Ursus Empire?”

Faced with the Tsar's threatening questioning, Gregory stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, I do have a method, but the target is not Chernobog."

The Tsar frowned and asked, "Where is that?"

Gregory replied, "Longmen."

Everyone gasped in shock, and Speaker Witt immediately questioned, "Are you still planning to provoke a conflict between the Empire and Lungmen?!"

Gregory sighed, saying helplessly, "Plans can't keep up with changes. Now we want to do something to the out-of-control Reunion Movement, oh, now it's the Red Guards. Anyway, we can't just take direct action against them; that would make Liu Jiuli flip the table and fight us to the death."

The Tsar scoffed, "Does the Empire fear any one person?"

Gregory said with difficulty, "Perhaps the Empire can win on the front lines, but if they are only assassinating the Empire's high-ranking officials, are we supposed to deploy a million troops around everyone?"

That's definitely impossible; everyone looked helpless.

For a flexible and powerful individual, the best way to fight against a country is to eliminate the bureaucracy, starting with the tax collectors at the grassroots level. The Ursus Empire can't possibly protect even the tax collectors with a million-strong army, can it? Moreover, the deployment and maintenance of a million-strong army consumes resources and requires a large enough space. If you concentrate everyone together, and the other side doesn't come, you're just wasting money. How long can Ursus withstand such attrition?

Once Liu Jiuli has decimated most of the country's bureaucracy, the Ursus Empire will be on the verge of collapse. At that point, plenty of people will rush up and dismember the Ursus Empire, and Liu Jiuli will simply have to watch from the sidelines.

Realizing this, everyone fell silent again. The Tsar, realizing he had no other choice, could only ask Gregory, "Can your plan eliminate these traitors?"

Gregory bowed slightly: "At least we can severely injure them."

The Tsar nodded: "Very well, tell me your plan."

Gregory: "Chernobyl is an industrial city, so it needs foreign trade. In that area, its biggest trading partner is Lungmen. So if Lungmen falls into chaos, Chernobyl will also fall into chaos. As long as the mobile city cannot guarantee its internal supply, the Red Guard will collapse on its own."

Speaker Witt immediately objected: "What if this leads to a war between Yan and the Empire? What if Liu Jiuli sides with Yan at that time? Do you really think the Empire has a great chance of winning if this starts now?!"

Gregory smiled knowingly: "Your Majesty, and Speaker Witt, don't worry. This is an internal matter of Lungmen, a family affair of Wei Yanwu, and has nothing to do with Ursus."

About an hour later, Liu Jiuli, along with the eldest prince Alexei, landed in a city.

"Is this Chernobog? It doesn't look like an industrial city at all."

"Of course not. This is not Chernobog, but the Duchy of Koschche."

After a brief moment of surprise, Alexei asked, "Why did you bring me here?"

Liu Jiuli pointed to the Duke's mansion not far away: "Of course, we're looking for partners."

Alexei exclaimed in shock, "Are you crazy! You actually want to cooperate with Black Serpent? He supports Nikolai."

Liu Jiuli nodded: "That's right, so why can't he support you?"

Others may not know what's going on with the Black Serpent, but Liu Jiuli is very clear that each of the Black Serpent's clones has its own ideas.

Coincidentally, Duke Koschche, who is the incarnation of the Black Serpent, has been a neutral party for most of history, the kind of person who does not take the initiative to attack. But if delicious food is placed in front of him, can this old Black Serpent resist?

You might think Alexei is too incompetent and completely useless, but no matter how incompetent he is, he is still a fully educated crown prince, the eldest prince, the first in line to the throne under normal circumstances, and one of the people who can compete for the throne of the Ursus Empire in the future. For ambitious people, there is no such thing as being able to or not being able to, only wanting to or not wanting to.

Of course, all of this is predicated on the premise that Black Snake Koschke believes Alexei is worth investing in.

If it's not worth it, that's fine too. As a Paradox Interactive player, he knows exactly how many ways there are to play. Even if the Ursus Empire doesn't recognize him, he can still go to the capital to defend the emperor and explain the advantages to the court officials.

Alexei had no idea what Liu Jiuli was talking about. The latter didn't say anything more, but walked straight to the gate of the Duke's mansion, kicked open the gate, and shouted inside, "Black Snake, come out and greet the guest!"

To be honest, Liu Jiuli's voice was much louder than the noise at Ruimen. The guards around him were startled by his shout and rushed over to arrest him.

Just as a tragedy was about to unfold, a somewhat effeminate male voice suddenly came from afar.

"Stop! This is an important guest; we cannot be rude."

The guards, who had been so aggressive just moments before, instantly switched to polite mode. One of them stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Sir, please come in."

Liu Jiuli glanced at the other party with amusement: "It seems that Old Black Snake has a lot of experience in educating his lackeys."

"You flatter me, Your Excellency Liu Jiuli."

Kosichä, dressed in the special military uniform of the Duke of Ursus Empire, walked out of the room with a friendly smile on his face, just like the laid-off old man living next door.

His physique wasn't as robust as that of an ordinary Ursus, but in Liu Jiuli's perception, Kosich's power was steady and solid. The power used by these deities was different from that of Originium, belonging to a different energy system. But regardless of the type, this quality was enough to make him a superior person in human society.

Fragments of gods can become generals and leaders; with the characteristics of the Black Serpent, it is not difficult for it to dominate and influence a country.

Reserved, composed, and kind – these are the first impressions one gets of Kosichek.

By the way, most venomous snakes in farms are like this. You may think it's cute, but don't touch it. Farmed venomous snakes are still venomous snakes, let alone this one, which is a wild species disguised as a farmed species.

Liu Jiuli asked curiously, "Is this the original Koschek, or the spare Koschek?"

Koschke replied with a smile, "The Black Snake is Koschke, and Koschke is the Black Snake. Is there a difference?"

Liu Jiuli nodded: "Very good, you've really mastered the art of having three burrows."

"You flatter me, gentlemen. Please come in."

Although he was talking about two guests, Kosiché never once looked directly at Alexei, as if he didn't exist.

However, Alexei didn't care much. He had been discriminated against openly and secretly since he was a child, and he was already used to such strange looks. Koschche's behavior was seen as disrespect by others, but he saw it as normal.

Thus, a wonderful misunderstanding was born. Kosiché observed the eldest prince out of the corner of his eye, only to find that the prince did not react at all and seemed to be doing nothing.

He is a shrewd person who knows his place and his price.

Kosiché began to calculate in his mind.

Upon entering the Duke's mansion, Liu Jiuli immediately asked, "Is dinner provided? It's almost time for dinner."

Kosiché paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Of course, what would you two like to eat?"

Liu Jiuli rubbed his hands together: "Oh dear, I came in such a hurry that I didn't even have any gifts. I'm also too embarrassed to have a big feast, so let's just have a special Winter Olympics menu with 678 dishes."

Kosic didn't understand what the Winter Olympics were, but he understood the 678 dishes.

Damn it! Are you here to cause trouble? I'll give you a discount, but if a hundred dishes are served, can you finish them all? Who eats like this? Even the Emperor of Yan wouldn't dare to be so extravagant. Besides, the Ursus Empire's state banquet menu doesn't even have a hundred dishes. Are you implying that Ursus doesn't have as long a history as Yan?

Although he was mentally giving the middle finger, Kosiche maintained his smile and said, "You're joking."

Liu Jiuli sighed: "Forget it, I know you have no chance. Just bring me two steamed buns. Eating two steamed buns at the Duke's house in the Ursus Empire is quite a famous thing."

Damn it, I don't want this kind of fame!

Shocking! The Duke of Cosice served two distinguished guests cornbread; the Scrooge-like aristocracy you didn't know.

That's one way to do it, but Kosiché can't afford to lose face. We're all part of the Terran community, and from now on, when those old guys greet each other, they'll say, "Let's go eat some cornbread at Black Snake's place."

They've lost all sense of shame!

Calm down, calm down. Even though the smile in his heart had gradually disappeared and he wanted to punch the other person in the face, he restrained himself, considering the cruel reality that he was no match for Liu Jiuli.

If you want to get by, you have to have a knife stuck in your heart. I'll endure it!

Section 89: A Tribute to Idealists

Despite his reluctance, Kosiché prepared a sumptuous feast. He had heard that the chef was from Yan Country and had excellent skills, which reminded Liu Jiuli of his hometown in Northeast China.

It's rare to find pickled cabbage.

Alexei stared dumbfounded at Liu Jiuli, who was frantically eating the whole time. This tough guy who had scared everyone in the palace like quails was now eating like a starving ghost.

"You don't understand the wonder of sauerkraut dumplings! Hey, Lao Ke, could I have your braised pork slices over there? I can't reach them."

Liu Jiuli said this, and then continued to eat.

This unpretentious way of eating brought a genuine smile to Kosiché's face.

Liu Jiuli, who had just put a piece of sweet and sour pork into his mouth, asked, "What are you laughing at?"

Kosiché crossed his fingers over his chest and said with reminiscence, "I remember Maf Peter, oh, the ancestor of the current Ursus royal family."

Upon hearing his ancestor's name, Alexei asked curiously, "I heard that my ancestor was a horse breeder, is that true?"

Kosiché nodded and said, "Of course it's true. He was born a horse-breeding slave and is a very interesting young man. Even though his daily job is just to raise horses, he has learned a lot and is very good at getting things done."

Liu Jiuli wiped his mouth casually and said, "So the aristocratic theory of bloodline is bullshit. Only cats and dogs need bloodlines. For people, it's whoever is capable who gets promoted."

Alexei was speechless after being rebuked by Liu Jiuli. After all, it involved his family's noble heritage, so he had to retort: ​​"The rule of the nobility over Ursus is a truth passed down through generations. It is something engraved in our blood."

Liu Jiuli waved his hand and said, "Come on, bloodline? What do you want to engrave in your DNA? I'm annoyed by people like you who want to sculpt their DNA every day. The real reality is that most people are talented, but they just don't have the right opportunity to show their talents. Your ancestor just happened to have a talent that belonged to the times at the right time. Driven by the historical trend, he finally ascended to the throne. Otherwise, he would have been a horse breeder for his whole life."

Alexei immediately retorted, "No! Our ancestor relied on his extraordinary abilities and talents; it was he who led Ursus to prosperity and unification!"

Liu Jiuli picked his ear and replied, "Another guy with a heroic view of history. He talks as if the world would be destroyed without your ancestor. Let's not talk about the distant past, just talk about yourself. If I hadn't gone after you, but instead confronted your father and then left, you'd probably be dead by now."

Alexei retorted, "These are two different things!"

Liu Jiuli held up a finger and shook it: "Tsk tsk tsk, that's one thing. Now you know that your ancestor was a slave who raised horses for others, so you should understand that your ancestor was definitely not the only slave who raised horses. There were definitely many people in the same era who were stronger than your ancestor. There must have been such people among your peers. They just didn't become the darlings of the times because of bad luck. But if it happened again, do you dare to say that your ancestor would definitely be able to ascend the throne again?"

This principle is similar to Zhu Yuanzhang becoming emperor. He did create miracles and left behind a magnificent history, but his success was not replicable at all. On the contrary, unforeseen paths can be repeatedly practiced. This is the difference between true success and accidental success.

Alexei wanted to insist, but Kosiché said, "For us ancient gods, bloodlines are neither mysterious nor sacred."

Since even the Black Serpent said so, Alexei was completely speechless and could only sit down with a dejected look on his face.

Liu Jiuli casually added, "You need to understand one thing first: your power is not something you acknowledge yourself, but something given to you by others. Only what is acknowledged is power; what is not acknowledged is called a puppet."

"Since we're on the topic of the granting of power," Black Serpent Kosichrie looked at Liu Jiuli and asked, "I'm curious, who do you think grants power to the ruler?"

Liu Jiuli shook his head: "I am not a ruler. As for where my power comes from, it is of course given to me by the people. It is the power they have lent me."

Kosiché looked interested: "You mean, your power comes from the most ordinary people?"

“Ordinary people, those infected, and all those who support the great faith,” Liu Jiuli added.

Koschke: "What is this great belief of yours?"

Liu Jiuli: "A world where everyone is well-fed, warmly clothed, and can stand tall as human beings."

Kosichrie paused for a moment, then burst into laughter: "Hahahaha, sorry, sorry, you said something so funny with such a serious face, I, I couldn't help it, oh my, that would be a perfect world, hehehe."

Crown Prince Alexei laughed as well, clearly finding the idea too far-fetched.

Liu Jiuli shook his head and said, "Impossible. No matter what kind of world it is, as long as it is a world created by humans, including you self-proclaimed gods, it cannot be perfect."

Kosiché's smile faded, and he asked very seriously, "Since you know it's impossible, why did you still do it?"

Liu Jiuli countered, "Do you think the world is normal now?"

Kosiché replied matter-of-factly, "Of course, always has been."