Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

"My uncle no longer has any affection for me. The remnants of the Witch King are worsening the law and order in the territory. Add to that the troops that have been stationed at the Victoria border. All my bargaining chips are gone."

He covered his face.

He didn't dare show such weakness in front of anyone else, not even in front of his wife.

But Walter knew that deep down he was still the playboy who loved to escape since childhood, the second son doted on by his father and brother.

The reason he can still hold on now is entirely because he has to inherit the will of his father and brother and to protect his wife and children from wind and rain.

However, only half a year had passed - in just half a year, he was almost crushed by the pressure.

Qiao Yelan listened quietly, he knew it was not time for him to speak yet.

Of course he knew Werner's current situation - after all, if Werner still had bargaining chips, Qiao Yelan would not have been the first to come to the Hochberg family.

Babel, happy to be anyone's last straw.

"I want to ask you for a favor - please take my wife away from Shi Tongling."

The man's voice was tired, but calm.

"You can take her to Trilintelme, or even better, to Dayan. Anyway, keep them away from here and away from politics."

"I don't know how long I can hold on, nor do I know how long Shi Tongling can hold on, but I will continue to hold on - it's nothing more than death. Compared to being assassinated by someone with the same surname of Hochberg, dying under the sword of Grand Duke Wellington is also a kind of dignity."

The emotions are there.

When a person has calmly arranged the ending of his life, he will no longer care about any additional use.

We're already at the bottom, so no matter how we go, we're heading upwards, right?

"Your Excellency Elector Count Werner Hochberg, the situation doesn't seem to have reached the worst point yet. The forces that oppose you can have so many allies. Why don't you try to unite some allies?"

Qiao Yelan's words did not elicit any reaction from Walter.

"Allies... The Hochberg family, or rather, Shi Tongling who is now under my control, what other allies can there be?"

"The Grand Duke of Wellington can sign an offensive and defensive alliance treaty with other Grand Dukes around him. I think you are not the only Elector who will be shocked. After all, there are more than one Electoral Region bordering Windermere and the Duchy of Wellington."

Qiao Yelan began to throw out some ideas.

"You could start connecting now and have the electors on the Victoria border sign a tit-for-tat alliance. This will at least make the other side a little wary."

"It's meaningless. The conflicts between the electors are no less than those between the grand dukes of Victoria. These treaties are just waste paper. Those so-called [allies] who signed them will not send troops or manpower in the war."

Walter was not satisfied with Qiao Yelan's promise. Instead, he kindly began to explain the reasons to the other party.

"What Grand Duke Wellington wants is the binding force of the alliance - because his own military strength is enough to crush us. As long as other forces remain neutral and do not stab him in the back when he sends troops, it will be fine."

"But we are different. We really need to unite together to resist. This cannot be exchanged for a hypocritical covenant, so this cannot fool the old man on the other side."

Qiao Yelan also sighed and nodded.

"You're right. I took it for granted."

"The word ally is not so easy to use, and I am now an alien in the eyes of the electors. Before the emperor showed enough strength, I was eager to offer my loyalty, which they sneered at."

"Humph, they are nothing but bullies who only bully the weak and fear the strong. When the Witch King was alive, they were the ones who flattered the Emperor of Leithnia the most."

Qiao Yelan spit out something angrily—and then his eyes lit up.

"It suddenly occurred to me, Lord Volner, that you are not without allies. Aren't Her Majesties your best helpers?"

Qiao Yelan’s words startled the man. He put down his hands and his brain started working again.

"You were the first person to stand up and support the Queens. When I negotiated with you, outsiders didn't know much about the inside story. They just thought you chose to give up."

"As the first elector to pledge allegiance to Your Majesty and to publicly announce your recognition of Your Majesties, the Queen spoke highly of you. They will definitely not be willing to watch their only die-hard supporter fall."

Qiao Yelan said anxiously.

"Although I have been busy with the Longmen Coin Project and have also sought a job in the Da Yan officialdom, I still know the news about Cuilintelme. The place is now completely stable. The Queens are building a lot of public facilities to provide enough industrial jobs. It is a prosperous time."

"After the most turbulent period, the queens have enough energy to intervene in the affairs of other regions. Why don't you try to ask your majesties for help?"

Warner had now sat up straight, no longer looking as slumped as before.

"Mr. Qiao Yelan, I remember that you were once an aide to those two emperors?"

"Yes, I was the person in charge of the trade between Da Yan and Leitania at that time. In order to stabilize the situation, I chose to pledge allegiance to the twin emperors. Now Da Yan needs me to do other things, so I got this title."

Walter nodded in understanding. Given the situation in Cuilintelme at the time, Qiao Yelan, a businessman with a Dayan background, certainly did not want Leithania to continue to be in turmoil - so it was completely reasonable for him to go under the command of the twins, settle some things for them, help them secure their positions, and continue the trade.

"Are you sure, Your Majesty, that they can really spare some energy to help me now?"

"Of course. When I was on a diplomatic mission before, I also passed by Trilin Terme. It was just after the New Year at that time, but the whole city had already taken on a new look. Almost all the ruins had been cleared, and there were construction sites in many places. Large numbers of plots of land were being renovated."

Qiao Yelan said with confidence.

"How about it? Lord Volner, if you have this wish, then when I return to Da Yan this time, I will pass by Trilintelme again - I am happy to be your secret messenger."

Once again, Walter was moved by Qiao Yelan's words.

What he lacks most now is a mobile force - all of Walter's cards have been played, and he is tied up with all the hostile forces. In a balanced situation, any new force can immediately break the deadlock.

As long as the queens deploy a troop to help him quickly quell the voices within Shi Tongling, and then rely on the funding from the Tower of Babel to stabilize the people's hearts, he will be able to overcome this difficulty and turn Shi Tongling into a solid entity again!

"Mr. Qiao Yelan, this matter must be kept confidential, so I can only ask you for help."

The man bowed deeply to Qiao Yelan.

"If this can be accomplished, Hochberg will always remember this favor and will never betray me!"

Well, another chess piece wants to thank Qiao Yelan for allowing him to become a chess piece——

Although, he didn't know he was a pawn.

But it doesn’t matter, the other electors don’t know either.

Chapter 128: Departure

"Long time no see, teacher."

"Hmm? Helinmart, why are you here to see me? Where's Ivignad?"

Qiao Yelan looked at the Black Sheep Queen in front of him with some surprise.

"Teacher, would you rather see Ivignad?"

There was no emotion in Helinmart's voice.

"How could that be? You are both my students, and I like both of you equally - it's just that it was Ivignad who came to see me last time, and I thought it would be her again when I visited Trillintelme again this time."

Qiao Yelan waved his hand.

Only then did Helinmart smile.

"This time, Ivignad has been busy with official duties recently, so I am here to receive you and listen to your teachings in the letter."

Yes, it was her last time, and of course it’s my turn this time.

"Is that so... That's right, after all, everything is back on track. It's not easy."

Qiao Yelan didn't think too much about it, as the other party's reasons were very sufficient.

"Teacher, how long will you stay here on this return trip?"

"Three days. This time we are just passing through on our way back. It is not a formal visit. After a few polite greetings, we will set off back to Dayan."

"Oh......"

The empress felt a little lost.

"After I finish the work on Da Yan, I will go back to Leitania to stay for a while and help you take a good look at Trilintelme. I will also help you deal with the problem of Syracuse."

"Okay, then I will definitely prepare in advance."

Helinmart's drooping ears stood up again.

Qiao Yelan subconsciously reached out her hand to touch it. The empress's face suddenly turned red, but she quickly suppressed her emotion and quietly let her teacher continue to touch her ears.

"Ahem, sorry, Helinmart, it just suddenly happened--uh..."

He suddenly woke up and realized that the person in front of him was not Kal'tsit, but his own student. He wanted to try to find an excuse, but he couldn't come up with one for a while.

"It's okay, teacher, just touch me for a while longer."

Helinmart tightly grasped Qiao Yelan's half-retracted hand and pressed it forcefully on her ear.

"Uh, no thanks, Helinmart, I'm so rude--"

"Touch it for a while longer."

"Really not—"

"Touch it for a while longer."

"......it is good."

In the end, Qiao Yelan couldn't resist his student's request and touched the soft ear for a while.

My own students are still better. They just ask me to touch my ears, unlike myself before.

He thought with relief in his heart.

What? I was saying how could there be any problems with the students I taught - there must have been something wrong with that guy's brain before, what kind of students did he choose?

Each and every one of them has done great harm to others!

But let’s get down to business.

Helinmart sat down next to Qiao Yelan with a flushed face. She didn't even need to touch her face to know that it must be burning.

She now regretted her earlier boldness - was she too unrestrained? Would she make the teacher angry?

His Majesty the Black Emperor seems surprisingly innocent.

"Let's talk business. This time in Victoria, I gained a lot. I slightly provoked the conflicts between the various forces and made a few deals. They are beneficial to Leitania and Dayan."

Qiao Yelan said seriously.

There is no need to explain most things to Helinmart in detail, just talk directly about things related to Leitania.

"The issue of Longmen Coin has been almost resolved. All that remains is the formal negotiation and issuance. When the time comes, all you have to do is join. With me at the helm, Cui Lintelmei will not suffer any loss as long as he acts as a good middleman."

"Well, of course I believe the teacher."

Helinmart nodded seriously.

Anyway, she doesn't understand, but Ivignade probably does, so I can just convey what I want to her.

"In addition to the economic aspect, there are of course military issues, and that is the focus - this time you came first, which is just right to save me from having to repeat it again."

Qiao Yelan picked up a glass of water, let the detector smell it first, and then took a sip.

"Did you know about the offensive and defensive alliance treaty signed between the Duchy of Wellington and the County of Windermere?"

"Until, and it's not just Windermere. It seems that other dukes have also been tempted by this matter and are trying to buy an alliance treaty with money like Duke Windermere did."

The man's eyes lit up and he looked towards Helinmart.

"you know?"

"Yes, since Trilintelme got on the right track, we have the funds and spare capacity to start building an intelligence network. This is what you taught me before - intelligence is always the top priority."

Helinmart nodded seriously.

"While reorganizing our army, I am also setting up a new intelligence network. Today, Trilintelme is a mobile city with a huge throughput. Every day, a large number of people enter and leave. They come from various countries and go to various countries."

"This is a very good opportunity, so with the help of some of the information you left behind, I recruited a group of former Witch King spies and lurked in the surrounding areas, mainly Victoria and Ursus. As for Casimir, they don't pose a big threat for the time being. After all, the alliance has just been established, so it's okay to leave them alone for the time being."

Qiao Yelan clapped softly.

"well done."

He never hesitates to praise those who are truly talented.

You know, even Elector Woerna of Shi Tongling, who borders Victoria, knows less relevant information than Helinmart who is far away in Trilinterme, and this is even though Shi Tongling has always had the habit of infiltrating Victoria.

And relying solely on the list that he left for her and the group of people who used to be tax farmers for the Witch King, Helinmat has actually built an intelligence network that surpasses Shi Tongling's. This talent is truly outstanding.

"Then do you know what kind of changes this will cause in the international situation?"

"I am only good at war and military affairs, but war is a continuation of politics, so military changes can also reflect some political tendencies."

The empress did not get nervous, but reviewed the situation seriously.