Doctor Amnesiac, but not completely amnesiac

A young girl sat next to the Grand Duke, looking at Qiao Yelan with a wary and scrutinizing gaze. Next to the girl was a young man of similar age. His attitude was gentler than the girl's, but it was obvious that this gentleness was just an appearance.

"This is my daughter, Amphillies Windermere, and her husband, Kent Windermere."

"Hello."

"Hello, Mr. Qiao Yelan."

Qiao Yelan looked at Mr. Kent with interest - generally speaking, if it was a marriage between nobles, both parties would not change their surnames, and someone like Mr. Kent was probably not of noble birth.

"I used to think that I was strong enough to support my daughter, so I didn't want her love to become a victim of power trading. I don't regret my decision, but at this critical time, it undoubtedly deprived her of a lot of support."

The Archduke's words were very calm, and he indeed did not regret his decision.

"Father, I believe in Kent's ability. Compared to the nobles with ulterior motives, my husband can give me more and purer help."

Amphillis' voice was firm. Like her father, she would not look back once she made up her mind.

"I know, otherwise I wouldn't agree to your marriage - but you need time. You and Kent both need more time and experience to grow, but I can't buy you more time."

Lord Windermere sighed and turned his gaze to Qiao Yelan.

"Mr. Doctor, I think you already know the dilemma I'm facing now - please tell me your conditions."

It seems that these people who are good at fighting are not good at negotiation. Just like Helinmart, they first reveal all their cards and then ask you what you have to exchange for them as if they are giving up.

Even if they didn't uncover it, Qiao Yelan would have known it.

"My current identity is the Minister of Rites of Dayan, acting as the Minister of the Honglu Temple. This time, I came here mainly to discuss the Longmen Coin Project. If Your Excellency is willing to show goodwill, of course it is welcome. When we negotiate with Dayan later, we will talk as we should, and you don't have to give me face."

Qiao Yelan's words made Grand Duke Windermere frown slightly, and Kent's expression also became a little solemn.

The two of them had already heard that what Qiao Yelan meant was not to confuse the Longmen Coin project with the private negotiations with him - let's keep them separate.

They had already discussed the Longmen Coin plan when Da Yan submitted his diplomatic application. For Windermere, this matter actually didn't matter to them - because of Grand Duke Windermere's past actions, their relationship with the Elector of Leitania and with the other Grand Dukes of Victoria was not good.

Therefore, whether internally or externally, the business of Windermere Territory is not prosperous, and even the largest trading partner is Casimir - mainly because there is a company called Babel that sells very good medical products, and the feedback from the frontline soldiers and officers is very good.

"What is Babel's attitude towards the Longmen Coin project?"

Amphillis suddenly asked.

“I’d love to see it happen.”

Qiao Yelan answered.

"Then we are willing to join the Longmen Coin Project."

She answered decisively.

Grand Duke Windermere moved his lips slightly, but in the end he said nothing, but there was a hint of relief in his eyes.

At any time, it is better to have a decision than no decision.

"Next, can we talk about whether Mr. Doctor can increase his support for the Windermere Territory?"

"No problem. I wonder what kind of support Miss Amphillis would like to get—and what terms are she willing to pay?"

Qiao Yelan asked gently.

This Miss Anphilis's character is surprisingly capable.

"We need a sum of money to bribe and appease internal conflicts. At the same time, we need to restore the army as soon as possible and strive to regain the military advantage over the nobles."

"Excuse me, but bribery is usually equated with weakness for military nobles. If you want to use bribery to stabilize the internal situation, you are making a wrong decision."

Qiao Yelan waited until Anphillis finished speaking before he spoke slowly.

The scene fell into silence.

"I said I would restore the combat effectiveness of the Windermere army as soon as possible."

After a while, Amphillis said somewhat dryly.

"That won't solve the problem. The current situation of Windermere County should serve as a wake-up call to your father. If you continue to rely on the combat power of these military nobles and indulge their expansion, the future of Windermere County will be visibly divided."

"Just like—Victoria today."

Qiao Yelan looked at old Windermere, but the other party remained silent.

"The cause of Victoria's division came from the independence of a large number of colonies such as Columbia and Rempito. The king could no longer get enough money from the governors he sent to support his army, so he had to rely too much on the armies of the Grand Dukes during the Four Emperors' War."

"Originally, Frederick III planned to use the then-powerful King of Corsica I and his invincible Gallic army to consume the armies of the Grand Dukes, and then he would be able to regain control of the residents of Victoria."

"But unfortunately, the outcome of this war was beyond everyone's expectations. Corsica I was defeated in a very short time, but the destruction of Gaul made the Grand Dukes successful. Including the Iron Duke who was dubbed the [Death Knell of the Empire], the Grand Dukes who participated in the war made a lot of money."

Old Windermere remained silent. He could not refute this fact, because the Windermere army did plunder an astonishing amount of wealth from that war.

When his father came back, he invested the money into the construction of Windermere, which made the Windermere territory what it is today - then it is not difficult to figure out that the other grand dukes would gain less benefits than himself?

So he could only remain silent.

"The situation facing Windermere is just like that of Victoria before the Four Emperors' Battle. The leader's position is shaky, and the wolves below are willing but still lack confidence in their own strength. Now, you are planning to give them some money, strengthening their strength while revealing your own weakness?"

"They will only believe in your weakness, eat the money, and convert it into combat power more quickly, waiting for the opportunity to tear you apart - perhaps this time when the power of the Duke of Windermere is transferred, or perhaps the next time."

Qiao Yelan's words always sound so convincing.

"Frederick III's decision to declare war on Gaul earned him the title of 'Destroyer of Gaul' - but it also laid the final rope on his son's gallows."

"Are you going to the gallows yourself, then—or are you going to send your child to the gallows?"

Amphillis tightly gripped the sword at her waist, and the veins on the back of her hand were exposed.

Hard, the sword is hard.

But anger cannot solve the problem. At this time, she can only fall into silence like his father.

"But what we lack first is time, because the Windermere army has not yet recovered to its heyday. By then, we can naturally take whatever we want from these nobles. Even if this is a cup of poisoned wine, it can at least buy enough time. In the end, even if the two sides fall out and go to war, it is still unknown who will win."

The one who stood up to argue with Qiao Yelan was her husband. His voice was gentle, but it was quite iron-blooded.

"Or do you have a better idea?"

"Just for your information - why don't you sign a treaty of offensive and defensive alliance with the Duke of Wellington?"

Qiao Yelan spread out his hands.

"An alliance treaty that does not include the country but only targets Leitania. The content can be simply summarized in one sentence - when Windermere and Wellington go to war with Leitania, both sides can invite each other's army to come to help."

The three Windermeres were stunned.

This is certainly a good idea - in Victoria, the three words "Wellington" are a symbol of invincibility, and no one dares to ignore the importance of this old man.

But the problem is...

"Would the Duke of Wellington be willing to sign such a treaty?"

"Take the money and throw it."

Qiao Yelan shrugged.

"If you give money to the nobles under you, they will only laugh at your weakness - then why not give the money to the people who can really keep the situation under control?"

A silence.

"Smash it with money?"

Amphillis asked blankly. This method was so simple and crude that she couldn't even imagine it being used on Grand Duke Wellington.

He was the man who annihilated the main fleet of Gaul, blew up the high-iron walls of Lingone, and deterred Hercules from advancing westward. Even the former Emperor Ursus praised him highly.

【The Death Knell of the Empire】.

Could this bell sound be caused by money?

"That's right, just throw money at it - the Duchy of Wellington, is it very large?"

Amphillis shook her head.

"So is it that the resources in the principality are particularly abundant, or is it that the business is extremely prosperous?"

Continue to shake your head.

"So, is the army under the command of Grand Duke Wellington superior to that of Victoria in terms of both eliteness and number?"

Now I can nod my head.

"——Then why doesn't he need money?"

...It seems to make sense.

"The Duke of Castor, who controls almost the entire western part of Victoria, cannot afford to support a military force as strong and large as the Grand Duke of Wellington. You can fully imagine how terrible the annual military expenditure of the Grand Duke of Wellington is."

The evidence provided by Qiao Yelan made it impossible for the three of them to refute it.

"So, go ahead and throw money at him until Wellington is satisfied, then he will naturally agree to sign the treaty."

"And as long as this treaty is signed, do you think those conspirators will believe that His Excellency the Imperial Deathstroke, who has not signed any treaty with anyone or any force for decades, would condescend to write his noble name just for a small offensive and defensive alliance against Leithania?"

The truth never matters - you just have to make it seem worth thinking about.

"Babel Tower will provide you with enough funds, enough funds to convince Archduke Wellington, and enough funds for Windermere's army to rebuild and even expand. Now, it's time for me to ask for your offer."

Qiao Yelan interrupted the other party's fantasy and pulled them back from the future to reality.

"Amphillis, Kent - this is a Windermere dinner, and the Windermeres can't be absent for long. You should show up in front."

Old Windermere spoke.

"As for the rest, I will discuss it with Lord Qiao Yelan."

Chapter 112 Deal Done

After the newlyweds left the secret room, Qiao Yelan looked at old Windermere with a playful look.

"I say, you old man, are you planning to make me give you all the conditions and sign all the documents, and then say that this has nothing to do with your daughter and son-in-law, and then deny it in the physical sense?"

"I would deny my guilt to anyone except you. If I die, you will have the means to take double the benefits you deserve from my daughter and Lord Windermere."

The Duke of Windermere smiled bitterly and waved his hand.

"I asked them to leave because I didn't want to embarrass them. Besides, at a time like this, the presence of young people would be meaningless except for a few arguments and stimulating my blood pressure."

Qiao Yelan narrowed his eyes and a hint of interest arose in his heart.

It looks like Old Windermere is going to come up with some useful information?

"Signing this covenant is indeed a good idea, but it may not be able to deter those people, right? After all, when interests enter a person's eyes, that person is no longer a human being - but a beast."

However, the other party did not directly state his bargaining chips, but changed the topic and continued to discuss the proposal put forward by Qiao Yelan.

"Wild animals also know how to seek benefits and avoid harm, and they are even more susceptible to being frightened - so I am never afraid of wild animals, I only worry about madmen."

The man spread his hands.

"I know what you're worried about. It's nothing more than that if those people see through your bluff, or just want to go all in and really go all out at this time, your daughter won't be able to stop them - but Grand Duke Wellington won't send troops directly just because of the internal chaos in Windermere, right?"

Lord Windermere nodded.

"This is very simple. Isn't it enough to just make the other side move as well?"

"opposite?"

"Letania - if the electors of Leitania also take action, will the other nobles in Windermere be somewhat afraid?"

Qiao Yelan laughed.

"Can you get Leitania moving? Do you have connections in Leitania?"

The old man was surprised.

"What you said - do you think you are the only trading partner of Babel Tower?"

Qiao Yelan said jokingly.

This sentence directly blocked old Windermere's questions.

"However, I don't need to use this relationship this time. Before the treaty is signed, I may not be able to persuade the Elector to make a transfer. But after the treaty is signed... do you want to guess what the other side's reaction will be?"

Grand Duke Windermere's expression changed slightly.

The two hostile forces that were hostile to him suddenly signed an offensive and defensive alliance treaty that went further than the non-aggression treaty - could the Elector still have no Poland in his heart?

Of course not. The other side would definitely mobilize immediately, expand their military strength, and then win over allies as much as possible - but the relationship between the electors of each region is not good. For the time being, expanding the army is the most direct and reliable way.

Once Leitania makes a big move, no matter how much the nobles of Windermere covet the position of Grand Duke, they will have to turn around and unite to face the outside world.