Realm of Power

Lisbon Toto, there are countless cars and horses in front of Wuhuang Tower, and there is a huge flow of people. A sign saying "No tickets today" has been hung at the door, which shows how popular it is now in Lisbon Toto.

"Oh my, I've lost a lot this time!" A young fat man with a depressed look got off a black carriage, looked up at the crowd of people in front of him, and muttered to himself with a slight frown on his eyebrows. If you can make so much money with just a few connections, you should have set a special reputation fee or something!

Next to the young fat man, Varisien, the general manager of the Puntau region, was reporting the investigation situation with his head lowered. "This was originally a hotel in the prosperous business district of Lisbon. It was not large in scale, but the location was good and the view was broad. , it is also a place where streets gather, and you can see the scene of thousands of ships entering the port from the third floor.

In April, we rented this place with the famous Tang Ru Dance Troupe in the Southwest District. After a few days of decoration, it was put into operation. It was named "Wuhuang Tower" in a Central Asian style. Every day at five o'clock in the afternoon, the Tang Ru Dance Troupe They will all perform here, and the phrase related to His Majesty, "Thousands of ships sail on the inland sea, the spring breeze in April rolls away the remaining flowers" comes from here,

I heard from some businessmen who know the culture of China and Bia that the word "Emperor Wu" has an extraordinary weight in China and Bia. Emperor Wu is actually the title of Li Wuhuang, the founder of the Sino-Bia empire. I heard that this Sino-Bia man The founding emperor of the empire had a similar experience to His Majesty. They both raised troops when the country was in danger of foreign invasion. They fought countless battles throughout their lives and never lost a single one. Finally, they conquered the iron-barrel-like country of the Central Asian Empire for five hundred years. . . . "

"So, you still don't know Tang Ru's true identity?" The fat man waved his hand, interrupting him to continue.

At 4 p.m., when the flow of people along the street is heaviest, no one would think that a big shot like Varisien would come here. Moreover, this new imperial minister, who has been rumored to be the "Governor of the Empire", did not wear any identification on his body. Something to do with it, he had a hat on his head and lowered the brim. If you weren't an acquaintance, you wouldn't be able to recognize him at close range.

"Real identity? Your Majesty, do you mean that Tang Ru has other identities?" Varisien raised his head and was surprised for a moment. He said with an embarrassed expression, "The time is too tight, and there is nothing unusual about this dance troupe in the Putao area." Action, so it has not been found out. At present, it is only known that they seem to be trying their best to win over the relationship with the Chamber of Commerce, but as a dance group that needs the support of wealthy businessmen, the reason for doing so is understandable!

Moreover, my subordinates also got a very interesting news. Miss Tang Ru, who is known as dancing like a group of flowers, actually opened a dance academy with good reputation. She mainly teaches Sino-Bian dance to other people. It attracts Many wealthy businessmen and aristocratic women joined in, and it became popular throughout the Southwest District!

In the Southwest District, Miss Tang Ru's influence can reach directly to the upper echelons of the business alliance. Many young nobles are pursuing her, but she is disdainful of all suitors." Varisien paused and said with a strange face, "There are rumors that Tang Ru actually likes women, not men! "

"Is this the result of your one-day investigation?"

The fat man glanced at Varisien and said in a serious tone, "It doesn't matter whether this Tang Ru likes women, but she was able to enter the Southwest District from Gaul in January this year. In just three months, she Opening up such a large network proves that it is not easy! "

"Your Majesty is indeed very knowledgeable! As expected, he already knew that this and that person was not simple." Varisien flattered him with a look of admiration.

"That's bullshit. I'm just talking nonsense and guessing! You really believe it!" The fat man laughed. "Actually, whether it's true or not, this woman must have a plot against me. I just don't know why she was allowed to have it." Such confidence! This also makes me very curious. No matter, I have sent someone to reserve a seat in advance. I will watch the performance first. I heard that this person is known as the "Beauty of the Group". No. Tang Ru, a feather dance can make even a blind man open his eyes! Now that you are here, why don’t you take a look? I have specially reserved the best seats. You don’t know, but one seat is now available! For three gold coins, there are so many of us. It's really a shame." The fat man gestured to the guard captain from behind, and he walked towards the gate of Wuhuang Building. ,

Soon, a servant came to guide the way

"Your Majesty is really here to see the show?" Varisien was stunned when he saw it. His eyes were a little confused,

"Don't talk nonsense. With my current status, I can't let any beautiful woman get involved. This will make the Chinese people feel very embarrassed. Others will scold me for being too bottomless! For the sake of the empire's face, I will also Come and confirm for yourself whether it is true or not." The fat man walked towards Wuhuang Tower and entered a private room on the second floor under the guidance of the servant.

The fat man gestured to Varisien, who was in a daze, "Sit down, I've agreed in advance that the cost of this time will be deducted from you!"

"Why... why!" Varisien looked dumbfounded.

"Because this place is a common place, and I'm here just for the sake of the empire's face. Do you still need me to pay?"

The fat man glared at Varisien angrily, his eyes swept across the performance stage on the first floor below, and said

"About this Tang Ru Dance Troupe, the Southwest District has long been paying attention. This dance troupe arrived in Xiannan District in January. It was also a dance troupe that reported to the Southwest District, but at the same time, it also submitted a report to the outside of the Empire. foreign affairs documents,

This Tang Ru also has another identity, that is, the liaison officer of the Zhongbia Empire to the Falcon Empire. He comes mainly to supervise the iron ore trade between the two countries.

"Is it the mineral sales agreement signed between the Empire and the Central Asians in the winter?" Varisien was stunned for a moment after hearing this.

Although he was in training at the time, he also heard that the empire had signed an iron ore sales agreement with the distant Central Asian Empire. The condition was that the Central Asian Empire must open its borders to the Falcon Empire's caravans.

"Yes, that's the one"

The fat man nodded, picked up the wine that had been prepared on the table, took a sip, and said, "I know many people think that agreement does not have many benefits, but they don't know, because this seemingly inconspicuous Agreement, a formal trade line was established between the Falcon Empire and the Zhongbia Empire,

This is a huge boost to the entire empire’s trade lines. Because of this agreement, the empire’s trade lines have officially penetrated into the interior of the Central and South-Biarian region for the first time, and the transportation routes are protected by the Central and South-Biarian and imperial armies. So since this agreement. There are also more and more businessmen traveling between the empire and China and Libya.

The fat man's eyes flashed like lightning, and he said softly, "This agreement also has another effect, that is, because of this iron ore trade, the Central Asians know that on the other side of the Gallic Empire, there is another one more powerful than the Gallic Empire." Falcon Empire

, although it is only an identity in distant areas. However, the merchants who returned from the Central Bian Empire have begun to report that the status of the Falcon Empire merchants has been greatly improved in the Central Bian Empire, and the routine difficulties imposed by some officials have been reduced a lot, and they have been able to enter China smoothly. Most towns in Biya”

"This agreement actually has such an effect!" Varisien's eyes lit up when he heard this, with a look of shock on his face.

The fat man put down his wine glass and took a deep breath. "High-level game. What matters is not the gain or loss of a little profit, but the development of the entire country. The Central and African people want to keep this lifeline, and now they are naturally treating it with all their strength. Indeed, the entire empire is I don't think this agreement has much effect. Many people have commented that this agreement signed with the Central Asian Empire is of little effect. Instead, it will cost some troops to station on the line. If the current situation is known to the merchants of the empire, it will be a huge disaster. Although the trade line has been established, the number of caravans that can be carried is limited. If there are too many caravans from the empire, a large amount of iron ore will flow into China. Ya, the empire's plan in this area may be in vain. For this reason, I asked the Business Alliance to suppress the propaganda in this area, so the outside world does not know the actual situation of this trade line.

The empire's trade lines have expanded to the central and northern Obarro region, and some chambers of commerce have begun to explore Central Asia and southern Obarro. The more remote the area, the higher the benefits that the goods can bring. It has become the consensus among the empire's businessmen, so many of them risk their lives to explore more distant routes, and the China-Biasia route was previously known as the most difficult route of death.

Merchants have to go through war-torn areas, bandits, and exploitation by the Central Africans. There are only ten caravans that can transport goods, so this trade line is almost abandoned, but it is different now, it is just a common practice. In this region, the number of merchants and goods types in China and Biya has increased significantly, not to mention the Southwest District, which is known as the commercial center of Obarro.

"According to statistics in May, the number of merchants in China and Libya reached 4,500, and there were more than 140 kinds of goods from China and Libya. Without that agreement, these would not be possible. . . . "The fat man's voice suddenly stopped and his eyes shot down the stage.

The performance begins,

"Thousands of ships are sailing in the inner sea, and the spring breeze in April is blowing away the remaining flowers..." The melody turned from low to high, and the female voice was euphemistic and smart, making the listener unnaturally focus their attention, only to see a black-haired girl with a lithe figure like a flower ball. The beauty looks like a fairy against the backdrop of a group of beautiful maids holding flower baskets.

Long sleeves in gauze in a Central Asian style. Hovering in the sky like dancing disks scattered, with graceful posture like clouds, falling from a high place, attracting the attention of all viewers.

Even some people who have seen it several times still can’t help but hold their breath

"Bang!" It turned out to be a dull drum sound, which sounded at the moment when the white feet under the sleeves and skirt came into contact with the stage below. The beauty's movements suddenly changed from being gentle and graceful like a fairy, to a kind of vigorous and agile like a swordsman.

There was a sound of a sharp weapon being unsheathed, and a dazzling sword light suddenly shot out like a cold moon. In the hand of the black-haired beauty, there was a long sword with cold light, and her body was like a sword. The light suddenly bloomed like a flower cluster, the sword light shone in all directions, and the dancing figures were almost invisible.

The accompaniment suddenly came like a tide, and the dancers in the sword light were like butterflies picking flowers and dancing rapidly, like birds flying into the forest. The melody suddenly became louder, and the drum beats of the soundtrack became more intensive, like the thunder of war drums on the battlefield. Everyone was dazzled. The fat man's eyes narrowed into a line. With her beautiful fragrance dance, countless petals in the maid's hands spread in all directions. .

"Okay, what a thousand ships sailing on the inland sea, what a spring breeze in April sweeping away the remaining flowers!"

There was a wave of loud cheers from the audience below. Amateurs were watching the fun, while experts were watching the door. Many of the audience below were soldiers from various countries during the civil war. They also thought that they did not have such dazzling sword skills, and only black hair could be seen. The beauty's delicate arms transformed into countless postures, some pointing the sword into the sky, or the sword was like a shadow. She even rarely used the posture of a daughter to show the majestic momentum of an army in the eyes of everyone. It couldn't help but make everyone feel proud.

"This woman is really good at swordsmanship!" Varisien also looked at it and secretly smacked her mouth. She must be the pretty girl Tang Ru.

The fat man's eyes flashed like lightning, and he said to himself, "It's a pity that it fell into the hands of a woman. Although it remains a bit heroic and majestic, it also lacks a bit of the bloody ferocity on the battlefield!"

These words fell into Varician's ears, and Varician looked stunned and asked, "Did His Majesty already know this?"

"I also heard what Li Yuehua said. According to the surveillance of the Southwest District Intelligence Department and Li Yuehua's personal confirmation, the real name of this pillar of the Tang Ru Dance Troupe is not Tang Ru, but Tang Ruyue!" The fat man's voice paused. . He tapped his fingers on the table, looked at the sword light dancing below, and sighed.

"It's a pity that there is a beautiful sword. It seems that Li Yuehua is right. The sword dance of the Tang people in the Zhongbia Empire is fierce and majestic, and the sword shines coldly. If a man dances, it can arouse the whole army's desire to fight to the death!"

"This woman is an important figure in the Tang Clan, one of the four most powerful families in the Zhongbia Empire," the fat man said. "In the Zhongbia Empire, the Tang family's power is mainly in the southwestern region of Zhongbia. It is a powerful family with a history of thousands of years. There are famous generals in the world. For example, Tang Ling, one of the three famous generals in China and Libya, is from the Tang people.

"And such a powerful family would not be interested in mineral transactions, and we don't know what the reason is this time. The Tang people want to send such elites to this foreign country thousands of miles away! Although Gaul has been conquered by us Two-thirds of it was swallowed, but before Gaul was completely destroyed, we were not borderline with the Central Asian Empire. ! If it is a request for military help, it is out of the question! "The fat man shook his head and said firmly," Li Yuehua's Southwest Intelligence Department has been monitoring this dance group for two months, and like you, nothing has been found. Abnormal, I thought I would be active in the Southwest District at most, but I didn’t expect to follow him in Putao!”

"Change your name and sneak into the empire. There must be an ulterior motive. It's really abominable. I'm going to send people to arrest this woman and torture her severely!" Varisien's expression changed, and his fingers clenched into fists. It's so embarrassing. Such a character has entered into a common trap and done it so blatantly. This is a serious dereliction of duty on his part.

"Don't worry, although this Tang Ruyue has changed her name, she is not completely hiding it. The other party directly revealed her identity as the China-Bialia liaison officer, which is not a lie!" The fat man shook his head and said, "The China-Bia Empire is currently under the control of Dongting. The people were so overwhelmed that we couldn't breathe. We suddenly rose up and defeated the Gallic Empire in one fell swoop. I have been paying attention to Gaul. I heard that the Zhongbia Empire lost its mining areas in the north. Now it is completely supported by the small mines in the south and our iron ore trade with the Zhongbia Empire. The more this situation becomes, the more powerful these wealthy families will be. It becomes increasingly difficult to control the mind. Now it is obvious that whoever has the mines can control the lifeline of the Zhongbia Empire. It is very possible that the Tang clan, as the bottom of the four giants, has some thoughts in this regard! "

"So, the Tang clan sent people here specifically to reach an agreement with us to monopolize the iron ore trade?" Varisien is also a smart man. He knew what was going on when he heard it. This kind of competition for power , I have seen too many things that secretly create trouble,

"It's impossible to confirm, but this is undoubtedly a factional struggle within the Zhongbia people. The fat man sneered and waved his hand, "If I hadn't taken into account that if the Zhongbia people collapsed too quickly, the Dongting people's forces would move westward, I would have Too lazy to care about these things! This woman is considered a smart person and knows that such a goal cannot be achieved through normal diplomatic channels. This kind of thing can only be finalized secretly and cannot be modified on the surface. The person in charge of the Southwest District Intelligence Department is Li Yuehua. The Li family is also one of the four wealthy families. Although Li Yuehua has left Zhongbia and the family, he still has a deep understanding of himself. My family should still have some favor, and naturally it is impossible to sit back and watch the Tang family surpass the Li family in the Zhongbia Empire because of this matter. This woman must have hit a snag with Li Yuehua, and was closely watched by the Southwest Intelligence Department, and it happened that I After hearing the news that she was leading an army south to the southern coast of Congo, this woman simply left the Southwest District and chased her here!

The fat man said, "You have some courage. You have used some small means to attract our attention. As long as there is contact with someone here, the other party will naturally make a request for a high-level meeting. According to the other party's identity conditions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we will We have to send people with the same status to contact us, but I don’t know how confident the other party is that they will be able to secretly modify the agreement? "

"Then we are..." Varisien asked cautiously.

"It's something useful, why don't you talk about it. In fact, it makes no difference to us whether these iron ores are sold to the Tang people or to the Central Asian Empire!" The fat man looked at the thousands of flowers falling below, the beauties standing proudly, and the sword light. Han, who is as beautiful as a bunch of flowers, said with a smile, "The area where the Tang people's power is located is not far from the eastern border of Gaul. For us, this may not be an opportunity to support the pro-imperial Zhongbia spokesperson!"