It doesn't matter what the lord is.

Lid glanced at Xihe beside Lord Wanze, and understood Lord Wanze's attitude, and said with a smile:

"Yun Yang and Wan Ze fought against the demons in the west together. The king of the east, She Mi, advocated peace, while the king of the north, Hu Xiao, advocated war. Therefore, the pressure from the demons that Wan Ze has endured over the years is far greater than that of Yun Yang. If I must say, it was the whole Wan Ze territory that helped us share the pressure from the demons, and I, Yun Yang, am also grateful for this."

Lord Wanze looked at Lid deeply.

He naturally knew the purpose of Reed's coming here, and this was the first meeting between the two parties.

Lord Wanze sent a signal of goodwill, but it was also a signal of testing. Lord Wanze first had to figure out what kind of person Lid was. For example, in his stereotype, young talents often had problems such as being unruly, arrogant, and reckless, but he could not see any of these problems in Lid.

A strong but humble opponent is often the most difficult opponent.

24. The whole world is your backer

Lord Wanze invited Lid to the famous Xiakong City.

On the way, Lord Wanze briefly introduced himself. His name was Xihua, and he had ruled Wanze Territory for twenty years, continuing Wanze Territory's dominant position in the northwest of Yongtian Country. Lide could see from the conversation that he still exuded confidence, even though he had learned that the royal family and Yunhai were willing to cooperate with Lide.

In fact, it is normal. Wanze Territory is adjacent to the territory of Hu Xiao, the King of the North of the Demon Clan. The Demon Clan has always been the biggest threat to Wanze Territory. If Xihua, as the lord, did not have this kind of confidence, Wanze Territory would not be able to continue to develop under the pressure of the Demon Clan.

"Yunhai Baifeng has made a name for herself a long time ago. I'm not surprised that you can convince the royal family, after all, the royal family is now on the decline; but I'm quite surprised that Baifeng would be willing to join your army... After all, in my plan, we should attack Yunhai from the north and south to stop your expansion in Yunyang."

On the way to Xiakong City, Lord Wanze was sitting in the carriage with a smile on his face, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Lid also smiled and said:

"Then I'm afraid your idea will fail. If Wanze Territory moves south, it will face the alliance between Yunhai and Yunyang." Xihua shook his head:

"I don't think so. In my eyes, apart from the relatively solid relationship between the rebels and you, the royal family and Yunhai are only forced to join forces with you due to the situation. This alliance seems solid, but there are ways to break it. For example, I can send people to support the opposition in the royal family and provoke a rebellion; I can also send people to persuade Bai Feng and tell him that I am willing to send troops south now. I believe he will reconsider."

Li De looked at Xihua and didn't speak for a short time.

Xihua looked out the window and said:

What a coincidence, I just happened to catch the army of my Wanze territory training here. Lord Yunyang, why don’t you take a look at how the soldiers of my Wanze territory compare to those of Yunyang?”

Lide followed his line of sight and looked out. Now the carriage was passing through a field. The army of Wanze Territory was training in an orderly manner, and the army formation was mainly composed of infantry and archers. According to legend, the archers of Wanze Territory were the strongest among all the territories, known as the "Thousand-Step Camp". After seeing it now, Lide immediately felt that the rumors were true: the arrows that covered the sky and the sun were like waves of dark waves. Under the protection of the army formation, they could be shot two or three kilometers away and could effectively strike the target point.

Lid also expressed his feelings candidly:

"The bravery of the archers is far superior to Yunyang. But if they really fight, the outcome is hard to predict."

Xihua laughed heartily. He stretched out his hands to support his thighs, leaned forward, and said to Lid:

"Lord Yunyang is indeed an honest man. I have also heard that Yunyang's firearms have always been powerful. Perhaps one day, we will have a chance to learn from each other. In fact, I showed Lord Yunyang my army not to intimidate him, but just to tell him one thing - as long as Lord Lingwu and I don't agree, the situation in the world will still be uncertain."

Lid still smiled and replied calmly:

"Then it seems that I have to find a way to make you nod."

The two stopped talking until the carriage drove into Xiakong City. This place was much more prosperous than Lid had expected. The east and west sides of Yongtian Kingdom were not symmetrical. Wanze Territory was located on the northwest border of Yongtian Kingdom, but the latitude was similar to that of the old king, so it did not have the harsh climate of snow all year round like Lingwu.

This also makes the cities in Wanze territory that are not bordering the demons relatively prosperous. Although the shadow of iron and blood can still be seen from them, the people's rich life is also real. Lid praised this generously. After all, he did not want to take over some too poor territories, which would only increase Yunyang's expenses.

Wanze Lord Xihua invited Li De to the Lord's Mansion, and then they talked about things in the council hall. In addition to the Crown Prince Xihe, there was only one staff member Akita who had followed Wanze Lord for a long time. This staff member was about the same age as Wanze Lord. He had followed him before Wanze Lord ascended the throne and was also one of the pillars of Wanze Territory.

After the maid brought the tea, Lord Wanze did not drink it immediately, but took off the armor on his hands and put it aside.

He said to Reed:

"Wanze Territory has never been peaceful since its establishment. I heard that the first Lingwu lord was thrown to the north by Ji Yingtian to guard the national border, and the situation encountered by our ancestors was similar. At the beginning, Ji Yingtian appointed people based on personal connections, and the generals who obeyed him were assigned to wealthy and prosperous places, while the generals who disobeyed him were mostly thrown to the border.

My ancestor was a loyal and dull person who valued giving more than taking, so he was used by Ji Yingtian and sealed here to fight against the demons."

After that, Xihua took a sip of tea and said to Lid:

"Do you know what I want to say to you?" Lid knew it very well, but he smiled and replied, "I don't know."

Xihua put down the teacup and said to him:

"Wanze Territory has lost countless times so far. Facing the powerful demons, we retreated several times; but because we still have obsession in our hearts, we are unwilling to give up. For so many years, we have never compromised with the demons. Why do you think that your Yunyang army alone, combined with some forces that have lost their courage, can force my Wanze Territory to bow down?"

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became depressing.

Just as Xihua said, even if Ben De has reached cooperation with other territories, this cooperation is not stable. Except for Yunyang, all forces now have their own problems: the rebels have begun to show signs of greed for pleasure, the royal family has not yet cleaned up its own mess, and Yunhai is even more plagued by internal and external troubles.

Just because they have reached a cooperation with Yunyang doesn’t mean Wanze Territory will do the same.

Xihua's territory is the fourth largest in the world. With West Qin and South Chu now shrouded in fog, their strength is second only to Lingwu in the north. Even with the annihilation of the Lingwu cavalry, the influence of Wanze's territory is even more important. Once Xihua chooses to go to war with Lide, there is no guarantee that the royal family and Yunhai will not waver again.

Seeing that the atmosphere was becoming increasingly depressing, Xihua's aide Akita said with a smile:

"Let's put this aside for now. I actually have another question. Lord Yunyang said that he wanted to integrate us, from individual territories, into a group of forces with a central decision-making center.

I heard that Yunhai is mainly responsible for business, I wonder what areas we in Wanze Territory are mainly responsible for?"

Xihua also rubbed the teacup with his hands and said to Lid with a smile:

"Isn't it that they are sending us to guard the border again?"

Lide tapped his fingers twice on the table and said to Xihua:

"No, you don't have a specific area of ​​responsibility. You will work with Yunyang, Lingwu and the rebels to make the highest-level decisions.

This includes both external wars and internal governance. Although I still intend to hand over the garrison on the western front to you, from now on, the entire Eternal Kingdom will be your backing."

25. Reach consensus

Wanze Lord Xihua clapped his hands and laughed. After a moment, he placed his hands on the table and said in a deep voice:

"Lord Yunyang has a really good idea. He invaded my Wanze territory, but he made it sound so high-sounding. But no matter how he explained, he couldn't cover up one thing... You want this piece of land in my hands, you want my army, you want my people. I would like to ask Lord Yunyang, if it were me, Wanze, who led this alliance today, would you be willing to join in?"

Lid held the teacup in his hand and said calmly:

"If Lord Wanze is confident that he can lead this shabby world to resist the invasion of foreign races, I am naturally willing to be an idle person."

Xihua and Lide looked at each other, as if trying to confirm the truth from his eyes. However, Lide's words came from the bottom of his heart. If no one had been causing trouble for him, he would not have had any special interest in unifying the world.

Xihua's expression remained unchanged, and he said calmly:

"Perhaps Lord Yunyang does not have such an obsession, but not everyone is willing to be a rich man like Lord Yunyang. If Wanze Territory is unwilling to join the alliance, what does Lord Yunyang plan to do?"

Before Li De could speak, Xi Hua said:

"Since we have time, let me guess first. First of all, as long as I don't agree, you won't try to persuade Lord Lingwu, because that person is more difficult to persuade than me. You will wait for the rebels to capture the Qiming territory, and after joining you, you will jointly attack my Wanze territory. At the same time, you will also send the Anbu organization to lobby the nobles under my Wanze rule to put pressure on me."

Lid smiled and said:

"That is indeed the method I used to deal with Yunhai." Xihua shook his head and said solemnly:

"I am Wanze, not Yunhai. Why doesn't Lord Yunyang try to persuade Lingwu in this way?"

Lidd replied:

"That woman won't buy it, and neither will her subordinates." Xihua laughed and said:

"Then why does Lord Yunyang think that my Wanze Territory will fall for this? Yunhai compromised for this reason because there are many chaebols in Yunhai, and the Lord of Yunhai is in the period of power transition, so his control over Yunhai is very weak. But my Wanze Territory, like Lingwu, has established great merits in fighting against foreign races, and this merit is attributed to me. With this merit, the people under my command dare not make trouble. I will kill anyone who dares to talk about rebellion, even the prince. As for fighting, why has my Wanze Territory ever been afraid?"

Lide glanced at Wanze's son Xihe, and knew clearly that Lord Wanze meant that Xihe's intercession would be useless. Lide showed a sarcastic smile on his face, picked up the teacup, and said lightly:

"Lord Wanze takes himself too seriously."

Qiu Tian, ​​the counselor beside Xihua, trembled all over. He was a little worried that Li De's words would cause unnecessary conflict. Fortunately, Xihua did not seem to be angry. He just looked at Li De with a sullen face.

Lid raised three fingers and said to Lord Wanze:

"From the time I took over Yuxi City to the time I brought Yunyang to what it is now, Lord Wanze, how long do you think it has been? Only three years! The plan you mentioned is my means to deal with Yunhai, but not to deal with you. If Lord Wanze is unwilling to surrender, I will not do anything. In fact, in order to allow you to safely defend the demon clan, I will still send you support as before. But when you are fighting the demon clan, we will develop at a faster speed.

Three years later, I can easily take

To manage the entire Wanze territory - do you understand this principle?"

Lord Wanze looked at Lid and suddenly laughed heartily after a long while. He drank the tea in front of him and said to Lid:

"Lord Yunyang is only twenty years old this year, right? When we first met, I was wondering how such a young man could have built such a great foundation. Now I suddenly understand. Come here, bring up the agreement I drafted earlier."

Lid looked at Lord Wanze with a little surprise, and Lord Wanze clasped his fists and sighed:

"There are indeed many variables in this world. My Wanze Territory may have a chance to conquer the Central Plains. If I take action now, the royal family and Yunhai will definitely be

I was swayed, but after thinking about it, I really had no reason to do so. Lord Yunyang, do you know how we choose the prince in Wanze Territory? Civil and military achievements, and the final result is how many demons have been killed. When I was still the prince, I personally led the troops to the battlefield. In the past 20 years, I almost died no less than seven times, and I was injured by as many as three.

number. "

Lord Wanze lifted up his sleeves, and one could see that his strong muscles were covered with scars.

Just as the guards brought over some documents, Wanze Lord Xihua put down his sleeves and continued:

"Born in this land, if you don't want to be enslaved by aliens, you have to be more ruthless than them. I have seen the demons wantonly killing my fellow humans. Every time I

I would choose to fight back. But I have more and more wounds, and I don’t have a talented son. Although Xihe is also a good child, he is not ruthless enough and does not have the kind of decisive heart to fight back. "

Lord Wanze handed a contract to Lid and said with a wry smile:

"You've come at a good time. If it weren't for the invasion of foreign races, my Wanze Territory would never agree to unify the Yongtian Kingdom in this way." Reed took the agreement in his hand, smiled, and said nothing.

If there hadn't been an invasion by foreign races, he wouldn't have had to use this method. Yunyang only needed to develop normally, and he could take over the world as planned. Of course, Li De wouldn't take advantage of the situation. He took the agreement without reading it, but quietly placed it in front of him, and then said to Xihua:

"Why don't you tell me your request and I'll sign it directly later."

Xihua signaled the servant to change a cup of hot tea for Lid, then leaned back in his chair and said:

"First, I demand that the army of my Wanze territory be retained. No more than one-third of the generals in the army may be replaced. This army is nominally under your command, but in reality it still obeys my orders. Of course, I can promise you that if there are no unexpected circumstances, this army will always be stationed on the border of the demon clan."

Lid nodded and said:

"Yes. You are qualified to make this request, and I agree."

Retaining the army was not beyond Lide's tolerance. After all, a territory like Wanze could not hand over all power at the beginning. There was always a process of acceptance between the two sides. As long as Lide could guarantee the prosperity and wealth of Xihua's descendants, he believed that the army would be peacefully transferred to the new power center sooner or later.

Xihua continued:

"Second, I hope that your promise of 'the whole world will support you' is not just talk. We are fighting against the demons, and we need money,

We need food, weapons and equipment.

To the satisfaction that is due.”

Lid nodded and said:

"That's fine too. The biggest threats to humanity are the demons, giants, and dragons. I have to coordinate resources, but I can promise that from now on, the weapons and equipment of the army in your hands will be enchanted, and the military pay and food will be far higher than the current level. The scale will even be further expanded, which can be regarded as my return gift to you."

Xihua's expression relaxed a little:

"Third, I allow you to take over the personnel appointment and dismissal rights of Wanze Territory, but the capital of the new regime cannot be located in Yunyang, and future development cannot be centered in Yunyang. At the same time, for every five officials Yunyang replaces in Wanze Territory, there must be a person from Wanze Territory who holds a position of the same level in Yunyang."

Lid smiled and raised his hand:

"You've really thought a lot about how to prevent yourself from being sidelined...Okay, I agree to this. Do you have any other requests?" Xihua also breathed a sigh of relief, was silent for a while, and finally said:

"This is the last one. I heard that Lord Yunyang has not married yet. I wonder if my daughter Xihe can become Lord Yunyang's legal wife?"

26. I have a daughter

After hearing the last request, Reed showed a wry smile on his face.

He looked at Xihe who was sitting next to Lord Wanze. Xihe clenched his hands and placed them on his legs. He lowered his head and did not look at Lide. Lide said to Lord Wanze:

"To be fair, this is indeed a good idea. Only in this way can we completely trust each other. But sorry, I already have someone I love. Miss Xihe is very outstanding, but I would rather get along with her as a friend."

Lord Wanze shook his head:

"You should know that this is not a reason that can convince me. I grew up on horseback, and all I see are cold weapons, either kill or be killed. What love, who cares about it when it comes to our status? If you use this as an excuse, I can only understand that you do not really accept our Wanze Territory."

Lid glanced at him and said gently:

"Okay, then I'll give you a reason that will convince you."

Lord Wanze Xihua looked at Lid, and Lid also looked at him. The situation escalated to the point of being on edge, as if Lid's answer was not good, all the previous efforts would be in vain. After a moment, Lid picked up the teacup and took a sip of tea, and Lord Wanze followed him to drink a sip of tea. But before Lord Wanze put down the teacup, he heard Lid say in a calm tone:

"Lord Lingwu and I have a child. Can you accept this reason?" Xihua spat a mouthful of tea directly onto the table.

Xihe, who was standing by, also raised his head, his eyes full of shock. The counselor Akita's mouth was wide open enough to fit an egg. Xihua was stunned for a moment before he smiled awkwardly and said:

"There's no need to make up such a reason... it's a bit too shocking." Lid leaned back and said with a smile:

"Whether it's true or not, you already have the answer in your heart. Even you know that there's no need to make up such a reason, so what good would it do for me to deliberately exaggerate? Moreover, with the ability of your Anbu organization, they would naturally be able to find out that a baby girl named Chocolate was sent from Lingwu to Yunyang. I have always been reluctant to talk about this kind of thing, but if you must give a reason, this is it."

Reed stopped explaining and just waited for Xihua to give him a final answer.

Just as Lid thought, Xihua thought this was outrageous, but he didn't dare to completely disbelieve it. Yunyang's Anbu organization clearly had the shadow of Lingwu, and the compressed magic cannon embedded in the steel wall built by Lingwu in the north was also obviously Yunyang's equipment. The relationship between the two did not seem simple.

Xihua was not stupid. He knew very well that Lingwu Lord and Lide could not be lovers, otherwise Lide would not be the last one to visit her. In comparison, Huangyan of the rebel army had a closer relationship with Lide than Lingwu Lord. Huangyan had repeatedly expressed his support for Lide's decision, but Lingwu Lord had always remained silent.