Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

Mrs. Sicily's voice was hoarse.

She thought Qiao Yelan's plan was over, but she got an answer that made her dizzy -

Qiao Yelan believes that this plan still has surplus value that has not been fully exploited.

"Yes, the process - the land and the people will inevitably fall into your hands, so why should Madam waste her energy and troops on fighting for these things?"

He still smiled gently.

"Leave these to the families to fight for. How can you drive the wolf pack without enough bones?"

What is the foundation for the existence and development of the Syracuse family, no, any force?

It's the land, and the population.

Land determines the upper limit, and population determines the lower limit.

Therefore, every force will greedily desire to expand its territory.

The power structure of Syracuse had long been fixed. Lady Sicily had once torn a gap, but the power in her hands limited her ability to exert her influence, so soon the gap was filled again, and everyone was still deadlocked here.

As we all know, a stalemate situation is difficult to break without external force.

And Qiao Yelan's Sarkaz Legion is undoubtedly a sufficiently powerful external force.

Those "occupied areas" that were occupied by the Sarkaz and had not been touched by any family forces were a feast in the eyes of every family - how much they could swallow in this feast determined how much gap they could open with other families.

Every wolf's eyes will be fascinated by this piece of fresh meat, and they will regard it as their own exclusive delicacy, and then biting, infighting, and fighting will follow.

They don't mind how much power they will lose in the process, because they believe that these losses will be exchanged for the hope of the family's future rise.

They value the future, but Qiao Yelan values ​​the present more——

Because the future has already been determined.

The man's voice was gentle and calm, but his words were cruel and bloody.

"So, Madam, as long as you reach an agreement with those families before the coalition forces set out to fight, the future of Syracuse will be in your hands."

Qiao Yelan’s words made Mrs. Sicily’s pupils shrink suddenly.

"...What agreement?"

"The content of this agreement is that after the victory of this battle, the spoils of war that will become the [Free Zone] will be distributed based on the casualties and military achievements of each family."

Lady Sicily and Agniel looked at Qiao Yelan, one gripped the hilt of the sword, and the other touched the gun.

At this moment, only this familiar coldness could barely calm their thoughts.

Because these two leaders of the Gray Hall have realized one thing—

The purpose of this agreement was to shed more blood of the Syracusans.

However, this agreement will not be resisted by the patriarchs of other families - because it is in line with the traditional values ​​of Syracuse, and prey must be exchanged for claws and blood.

The Sarkaz's early invasion will inevitably cause heavy damage to several families, and may even cause one or two families to be directly wiped out.

Later, if such an agreement is proposed when forming a coalition army, the clan leaders will ignore the number of casualties and instead look more greedily at the spoils they are about to obtain.

Because they didn't know how strong the poison was contained in these spoils.

They even hoped that Lady Sicily would fall last, because in this way they could minimize her gains and keep the regained territory for themselves to enjoy - so even if Lady Sicily could fish openly, the head wolves of the families would even thank her for her "lack of ambition"!

Generally speaking, the division of spoils of war is usually based solely on military merit, but this will lead to the phenomenon of "stealing credit" being unable to be eradicated, and the "standing still as a mountain" among friendly forces will become more and more common.

But what if casualties are also taken as an indicator and included in the assessment of military merits?

This will reduce the phenomenon of those who sit back and reap the benefits, but at the same time, it will also make those in power care less about the number of casualties - no, on the contrary, they will be more eager for casualties because this will bring them more advantages in the distribution of benefits.

Because they don't need to go to the battlefield to die.

The only thing these people would be wary of is that if there were too many casualties, their own strength would decline, and even after getting their share of the spoils, they would not be able to make up for the gap between them and other families.

"When the time comes, we will exchange intelligence and cooperate with each other to ensure that every family is consumed equally. There will be no loss of one while the other gains, and they will not have such worries."

The bright red blood flowed freely between the words.

"Of course, under your artistic command, Madam, the Syracuse coalition will surely win the final victory and take back the spoils."

Yes, it will win.

But what's the cost?

The call for the coalition forces was initiated by Lady Sicily, and the commander-in-chief was also Lady Sicily. All the benefits of public opinion will fall on her alone. Every civilian in Syracuse, whether they participated in the war or not, will have more respect and love for this lady.

The casualties of the war will almost always be paid for by these family forces. From the early invasion to the mid-term fighting, and then to the later recovery of lost territory, it is the family's strength that is consumed.

The reclaimed land will become a sore on the bodies of the families that have settled there. These families, who have suffered huge casualties, certainly do not take these spoils for charity - they want to make up for their losses as quickly as possible, and then it will be their profit.

People are willing to endure the exploitation of their families because they can still survive and have some hope in life.

And when the conflict becomes so big that it cannot be reconciled, when the family is about to snatch away the last piece of bread from them - there is no possibility for them to continue to coexist peacefully.

Qiao Yelan is best at arousing people's desires.

And people want to survive - which is also a kind of desire.

Why couldn't Lady Sicily's reforms be implemented?

It’s because people are unwilling to accept opening windows and just want to maintain the current situation.

So, Qiao Yelan planned to blow up the roof directly.

[Everyone, look, it was clearly the coalition initiated by Lady Sicily, and it was clearly the Lady who won the victory, but the fruits were all stolen by the families - and these thieves are even more oppressive to us, and their methods and actions are even more despicable than those of the Sarkaz! ]

In fact, the families did pay enough, and these lands were the compensation they deserved.

But the truth never matters.

The families that have suffered heavy losses in the war must obtain more support in terms of money and resources in order to restore their strength and suppress their new territories. However, Qiao Yelan has enough strength to cut off all external funds.

Then their only recourse is to further exploit the people in their original territory.

The power of the family will be eroded step by step. Not only will they be unable to recover their losses in the war, but they will be forced to invest more and more of their resources in suppressing civilians. The more they suppress civilians, the less they can gain.

Then they fell into the same cycle again, until even their previously stable territory was filled with smoke of war.

And the people will gradually become more and more supportive of Lady Sicily - Lady Sicily doesn't even need to do much, she just needs to continue to uphold the laws she has made and continue to strongly try guilty family members.

Until one day, the family could no longer resist her.

And all of this originated from Qiao Yelan's gentle push.

He only used one Sarkaz Legion to pry open the stubborn boulder called "Syracuse" and let it roll down along the long-planned track.

Madame Sicily will finally realize her dream -

Under huge inertia.

Cold sweat was already hanging down Mrs. Sicily's back.

So far, this is of course still just a plan, a plan that only exists in Qiao Yelan's mouth.

But unfortunately, she couldn't find any way to stop this plan.

The patriarchs will not give up the struggle for power, the people below will not give up exploiting wealth, and the people will not give up what originally belonged to them - the Lady of Sicily, nor will they give up their ideals.

This plan's grasp of human hearts and human nature is truly extraordinary. Even if the other party laid out their cards in front of her, she simply couldn't find a way to counter it.

Except for the dead, every living person in Syracuse will become a part of the plan and push the plan forward, even without any of them realizing it.

They were doing what they wanted to do - and that was also what Qiao Yelan wanted them to do.

Are these people carrying out their own will or Qiao Yelan's will?

She can’t tell the difference! She can’t tell the difference!

Lady Sicily once again deeply realized the question that Agnier had asked her before -

Qiao Yelan, do you really need them?

Perhaps what Qiao Yelan is saying now is that she wants to be the final winner - but the fact is, what she needs to do in this plan can also be done by the other twelve families.

Lady Sicily has never been irreplaceable in Qiao Yelan's plans.

Mrs. Sicily took a deep breath, her expression gloomy and depressed.

She knew this was her last chance.

The woman's slender fingers twitched and trembled as she took off her sword.

She stood up palely, bent her back, and placed the sword on the table.

Then, the nominal supreme leader of Syracuse knelt down in front of Qiao Yelan and respectfully exposed his neck to the man in front of him.

The beast offered its claws and handed over its head.

"I will offer you my loyalty - but I ask you, sir, please do not pour the flames of war on the land of Syracuse."

The faint voice sounded more like a believer's prayer to God than words.

Agnier closed his eyes in pain, but his body reacted in the same way as his friend.

The more one understands power, the more respect he will have for it.

"I want your loyalty, what's the use?"

The man's voice remained calm, but Mrs. Sicily's body trembled violently.

"My plan has been made long ago, and my purpose is so clear - I need a unified Syracuse."

"As we all know, a contract is based on the principle of equal exchange. You want to use your loyalty in exchange for my stopping the plan, but if I stop the plan, I will lose a unified Syracuse - what I pay is more than what you pay."

She suddenly raised her head and defended herself almost at the top of her lungs.

"I can do it, sir. I can definitely unify Syracuse."

"Really? But I don't think you can do it now - otherwise Syracuse wouldn't be the way it is now, right?"

Lady Sicily thought with all her might, she knew she had to do something - the other party was the first to come to her with this plan, there must be some purpose. Although she didn't know what the other party was planning, she knew that this was her chance.

Equivalent exchange...Equivalent exchange - yes, equivalent exchange!

"Sir, in your plan, the cost of dispatching 15000 Sarkaz troops, the materials consumed in launching a war, and the time required for the war - these are the costs you have decided to pay in order to implement the plan. In other words, you think that using these costs in exchange for a unified Syracuse is acceptable."

"I promise you that if you give me this investment directly, I can unify Syracuse without the need for this legion to enter the battlefield! The same effort, the same reward, and my loyalty is only used in exchange for you to stop planning the war!"

A hint of surprise flashed across Qiao Yelan's eyes. He didn't expect that this lady could remain calm and think calmly after such a blow from him and seize her only chance.

He nodded slightly - if the other party could do this, then he would be qualified to be his chess piece in Syracuse.

"You seem to have convinced me, ma'am."

Qiao Yelan smiled and nodded.

"I think we can move on to the next stage of negotiations."

Chapter 160: Tracy: The Female Horse

"Thank you for your generosity."

Madame Sicily spoke these words in the voice of a drowning person grasping at a lifeline.

"My generosity also depends on your ability, ma'am."

Qiao Yelan chuckled.

"Of course, before we get back to the official negotiations - I want you to apologize to my guard first."

Ace was slightly stunned, obviously he didn't expect Qiao Yelan to say that.

Lady Sicily did not hesitate at all, she bowed deeply to Ace.

"I'm sorry, I got you hurt because of my impulsiveness."

The man remained expressionless, and Mrs. Sicily remained in a bowing position.

After a moment of stalemate, Ace realized that Qiao Yelan had no intention of speaking.

"......It doesn't matter."

After hearing this, the woman straightened up and cast an inquiring look at Qiao Yelan.

"Then please take a seat, Madam Sicily. Correcting mistakes as soon as they are made is an attitude I personally admire very much."

Qiao Yelan extended his hand and invited the other party to take a seat.