Realm of Power

"Your Excellency, you want to enter the capital?" Caesar Zoro was startled by the fat man's words. Although Samoa has signed an agreement with Kyoto, no one can guarantee that Kyoto is safe, and it is against the will of the Samoa to enter the capital forcefully. After signing the agreement previously, Caesar Zoro was a noble from Kyoto after all, and he did not want to see Kyoto suffer war, he hesitated and said

"The situation in Kyoto is still unclear, and the reputation of the royal family is still there. Isn't it a little hasty for your Excellency to enter the capital at this moment? I'm afraid the lords from all over the country will also complain."

"Rush! Royal reputation? You don't think I want to take over Kyoto, do you?" The fat man's face was slightly stunned. He looked for half a moment before he came back to his senses. He knew that Caesar Zoro, a fox, must have had his head twisted, so he waved his hand noncommittally. smile

"You misunderstood. I came to Beijing this time only in the name of the business alliance, not in the name of the Satsuma army. In this agreement, we, Satsuma, rented four streets around the Governor's Palace. I have great use for these places. , I don’t worry about the others going, I have to go there myself, not to mention there are three of you and Crolisate outside Kyoto! There is a flag regiment, and I still have 20,000 headquarters troops stationed in the Volendi area in the west, and there are 1,000 Guards Cavalry stationed at the Governor's Palace in Kyoto. Even if there is any emergency, there will be no big problem. Now in Kyoto In this world of conservatives, you should know better than me. If they knew it was me coming to Kyoto, they would be more concerned about protecting me than their own mother! "

"Haha, sir, you are joking!" Caesar Sauron was amused by the fat man, and he kept doing it for a long time. Fatty was just bored and was going to go to Kyoto to show off. Regarding the conservatives in Kyoto, Caesar Sauron did know very well. What the fat man said is true

"In this case, my subordinates suggest that it is best for you to bring only a small number of guards. According to the agreement, the Samoer caravan is exempt from inspection and tax payment. You may as well mix it directly with the merchant alliance's caravan, which can hide your whereabouts and Avoid unnecessary trouble"

"I will consider your proposal!" The fat man nodded. Caesar Sauron's suggestion coincided with the fat man's original idea. The fat man casually arranged the matter of building a city at the mouth of the river, and then rode back to the camp outside Kyoto. , just as he dismounted, he saw Baron Si Duhan, Chairman of the Business Alliance, walking over in a hurry.

"Sir, here is the merchant qualification certificate and the trade pass issued by the Commercial Federation." Si Duhan respectfully took out a qualification document stamped with the emblem of the Commercial Federation from his arms. The fat man took it and flipped it over. He frowned slightly and asked with an unhappy expression.

"Why is it a fifth-level qualification certificate? Didn't I say that a certificate of the highest level is needed? Is it so difficult that your business alliance can't even handle such a small thing?"

The merchant qualification certification is a method thought up by Fatty. It uses the official background of the business alliance and the franchise of various special commodities (such as weapons, luxury goods, rebar, etc.) to classify merchants into grades one to six according to the grading system. The more level you can enjoy the preferential conditions of the business alliance,

The highest level six qualification certificates can even enjoy priority supply, the privilege of reducing transaction tax by 20%, and the right to purchase all types of special commodities.

The improvement of a merchant's qualification level is related to the total trade volume and quantity of goods. This can not only cultivate fixed large customers, but also attract more small customers to join. This is the same as the popular "membership system".

"How dare you neglect the tasks assigned by your Excellency? This is indeed the highest level certificate of the business alliance." Si Duhan was so frightened by the fat man that he was sweating. He quickly pointed respectfully at the label of the qualification document in the fat man's hand and said

"Sir, please take a look." The fat man then discovered that there was a blooming white thorn flower on the rubber label of the fifth-level qualification document. Because of the white cover of the certificate, it was difficult to detect it for a while.

Si Duhan said, "This is not an ordinary fifth-level qualification certificate, but an unlimited-level qualification certificate specially issued by the Business Alliance for adults. On the label of this qualification document, there is a thorn flower emblem representing the adult's identity. As long as there is someone Take this certificate and go to the Kyoto branch of the Business Alliance. All shops and goods in the Kyoto area can be requisitioned at will. If the goods are in short supply, we will immediately ship them from the headquarters. There is only one copy of this certificate in the Business Alliance, then This is what you have in your hands!”

"Oh, it was done well." The fat man looked happy and put the qualification certificate in his arms.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down. How are other things going? You have to give me some snacks for this Kyoto store bidding meeting. I decided to hand over the entire South Street to your business alliance. Everything else Several street shops have all been sold. This time I want to play big in Kyoto. Aren't those Kyoto aristocrats rich? I want to show them that money does not mean it is useful, and money must be based on status! "

"I understand! Sir, please rest assured that I will give my best in this bidding meeting. With our business alliance's business network all over the country and the preferential conditions for tax exemption in Beijing, I believe that the big businessmen will be interested.

"

Si Duhan saw that the fat man's face turned bright, and then he put down the idea of ​​mentioning it. This damn fat man can be famous for being petty. Even a few military bosses did not dare to play tricks in front of him, not to mention a small role like him. Just blow your breath and you might fly to nowhere.

When nothing happened, Si Duhan pondered his master's habits, and finally discovered that those who offended his master usually had no easy end. Many things seemed strange, but in fact, if you relied a little more on the fat man's character, no problem would be solved. ,

Following such a master, you really have to be careful at all times. As for the fat man's personality that likes to show off, Si Duhan has some experience after experiencing the Zhiva Cheze incident.

Don’t fat guys like to show off? Okay, I will make you a separate highest-level qualification certificate that represents your identity. It turns out that I was right. The fat man not only entrusted himself with the bidding meeting, but also handed over the South Street in Kyoto, which is closest to the noble residence. Business Alliance, when the time comes, the gold of those Kyoto nobles will not flow in.

On the early morning of the third day, a Satsuma caravan consisting of three carriages appeared on the trade road in Kyoto. On the front carriage, sat a fat man in ordinary clothes, leaning lazily on the carriage and basking in the sun. He was wearing makeup. The fat man of the merchant, this time the fat man only brought four guards, Three people were pretending to be carriage drivers, and one was pretending to be a guard. The old carriage wheels were creaking on the stone-paved trade road. There were not many goods, just some ordinary groceries. A few people looked like they were lazily driving the horses. Like a small grocery store owner who came to Kyoto to try his luck,

There are many such people outside Kyoto. Since Satsuma signed an agreement with Kyoto, the rich Kyoto trade has attracted almost all southern merchants. Every day, there is an endless stream of Satsuma caravans on the road.

From time to time, you can see several or even dozens of carriages with the coat of arms of the Commercial Alliance speeding past on the road. These are relatively wealthy businessmen. Of course, some small-capital businessmen are driving a few vehicles. It is not uncommon to see a shabby carriage with a few men staggering towards Kyoto to make a fortune.

The Satsuma Governor's Palace in Kyoto is still under construction. The Satsuma authorities have announced that they will not levy transaction taxes on Kyoto caravans for the time being. These speculators would be sorry if they did not take the opportunity to make a profit at this time.

"Sir, the south gate of Cresdo is ahead," the guard, who was sitting next to the fat man and dressed as a driver, reminded in a low voice. The fat man looked in the direction the guard was looking, and his eyes froze. He saw a huge The majestic city appears in the distance, with a twenty-meter-high city wall like a long black curved belt. , wrapping the beautiful and colorful Cresto in its arms, the densely packed roofs of various buildings in the city are like fish scales, one large one, shining golden light in the morning light, and in the diffuse morning mist, like Like a mirage, the blocks of isolated houses are like fields sown by the gods.

The population of Kyoto Cresdo is more than half a million, which is almost as much as the total population of the six counties of Satsuma. Although I knew that there were many people in Kyoto, seeing such a scene still made Fatty sigh, seeing tens of millions of people crowded together. The high-rise buildings are all together, and then look at Kelisduo where hundreds of thousands of people live in bungalows. It feels very extraordinary. Chang'an in the prosperous Tang Dynasty only had a population of one million, and Kelisduo is almost a small Chang'an!

"Give this to the city guards!" The fat man took out the trade pass issued by the Business Alliance from his arms and handed it to the guard beside him. "If you are interrogated, just say that we are merchants from Samoer!", and further forward, It was the level of Kyoto Castle. At this time, a gorgeously decorated carriage passed by the fat man's dilapidated truck. A familiar old voice came from the carriage, which startled the fat man.

"Natif, are you sure the lady is in Kyoto now!" The person speaking in the carriage was an old man. The voice was very familiar, but the fat man couldn't remember it for the moment. When he wanted to hear a few more words, the carriage was already flying past with a gust of wind, until The city guard checkpoint in front stopped, and a young man came down from the top, with a fierce aura on his face, and he was not angry with the city guard officer who was in charge of the light card.

"We are nobles from the Yulehua territory in the north, and we want to enter Cresto!"

"Northern Yulehua Territory?" The city guard looked at the coat of arms on the door of the carriage in confusion, and the corners of his eyes twitched unnaturally. There were two battle axes stuck on the Yulehua coat of arms on the door of the other carriage. , indicating that this family has quite honorable martial arts, but these are not important. In today's world, the families with military force in the north were either killed by the Kugits, or fled away from home.

"The country bumpkins from the north still want to show off in Kyoto!" the city guard officer curled his lips disdainfully. Every year, many nobles come to Kyoto to do business. This is the main source of oil and water for the city guards. The past two years have not been peaceful. There are fewer nobles in Kyoto. We finally caught one today, but we can't let it go so easily.

"I don't care where you come from or what your status is. Except for the pass issued by Samoer, everyone must pay taxes." The city guard officer cleared his throat and spoke in an official tone, not even looking at the young man from the corner of his eyes. , in the eyes of Kyoto people who are born with a sense of self-superiority, these people from the outer territories are country bumpkins. "This is a decree issued by His Majesty the King. If you dare to disobey, it will be an insult to His Majesty the King!"

"Bullshit king's decree! Even if His Majesty the King comes in person, I won't pay taxes." Before the young man could say anything, the door of the "touch" carriage was suddenly kicked open, and a strong and old figure got off the carriage and kicked him. On the arrogant city guard officer, he kicked the city guard officer "I am the Duke of Yuyehua in the north. If you dare to collect taxes from me, how about I just send people to kill your whole family!"

"Haha, it's this damn old man." The fat man not far behind smiled, with a smile that felt comfortable and refreshing, just like drinking a glass of iced fruit wine in the hot summer, or someone bringing a thick fur coat in the cold winter.

Isn't this an old acquaintance, Grand Duke Jones? It’s really like “enemies are on a narrow road”

The fat man had a deep impression of this stubborn old man. In his heart, the fat man could only comment on the old man with three words: "Bad, so bad!" The only loss the fat man suffered was that he used the title of duke as bait in the hands of this old man. He deceived himself into the city of Zivadin, and then accidentally discovered the rebellion of the nobles, which triggered a series of bloody events behind him.

When the fat man thought about it afterwards, he felt that it was too strange and that it was too coincidental. Whether it was the time or the place, he went just right. A few days earlier, it might not have happened, but a few days later, it would have been too late.

After some sorting, Fatty discovered a very serious problem. As a captive in exchange, this stubborn old man stayed in Zivadin City for a few days and then hurriedly returned to the Samoer Fortress, still refusing to leave. This was so strange and comfortable. If you don't wait for the "city that never sleeps", you have to go to the dilapidated Satsuma Fortress to eat rice bran. This is a problem in itself.

It was obvious that he had been plotted by this dead old man. As one of the three highly respected northern dukes, how could the noble rebellion lack this heavyweight alone? The old man knew everything that was happening in Zhivadin from the beginning, but he didn't. He said, and then encouraged himself at a critical moment. He was pushed forward as if by an invisible hand, and he almost vomited blood. If he didn't handle it properly, he would die.

The most disgusting thing is that the old man disappeared after the Battle of Sambuga Hills, leaving behind a meaningless farewell note, saying that he had gone back to get the treasure, thinking that he had suffered such a big loss and was being tricked. , the fat man stamped his feet in anger

It took two days to finally set up the subsequent development of the plot. Now I can update it happily. Today I saw that it was labeled as a slow-burner. Baozi decided to speed up the plot. The fat man finally entered Beijing. This is a mess. How will the stick disturb the muddy waters of Kyoto?