Chapter 142 Creating Demand for Kairos
It seems that doing good and accumulating virtue does have benefits.
Kairos brought elite troops with him, but did not take action to control Leon. Perhaps it was just as he said, entirely because of Leon's selfless act of helping to control the Red Death.
Of course, it was precisely because Leon knew that Kairos was a principled man that he dared to approach him directly.
The Lord has been trying to find out the personalities and relationships of the top brass of the Bacchus Empire all the way, just to determine how to deal with Kairos.
In fact, before he knew Kairos well, that is, before this night, he originally wanted to enter Dilingang alone and voluntarily be captured - or controlled.
Yes, this is the most efficient way to make a strange visit - to go to someone's door as a messenger and be actively controlled.
Anyway, with Li Ang's current status, he will definitely not be killed, and he won't even suffer any pain.
As long as there is a chance to speak, the lord is confident that he can get away with it safely, and the worst that can happen is that he has to spend some money.
Buying food costs money anyway.
Although they were in a hostile country, this was actually much easier than the previous kidnapping - no high-ranking noble would kill a noble who flew three flags on a convoy when there was no war, and would not even treat him disrespectfully.
Unless there is a grudge.
Kairos has no grudge against him.
And now, Leon has the opportunity to talk with Kairos on an equal footing, which can indeed help isolate the Red Death.
"You are joking, Governor. I did not let you fail... I just wanted to protect my own territory. In fact, I should be considered to have helped you..."
Leon's face showed the same smile as when he first met Count Oden.
The kind with a very good attitude.
"Sir Leon, you kidnapped two governors in White Hart Castle, causing the Empire to lose many soldiers and generals without making any progress... As the marshal of the last war, this was a huge failure for me! You actually said you helped me? What ?"
Kairos was almost amused by the anger. He leaned back and stared into Leon's eyes.
The lord was very satisfied with the governor's reaction - he successfully aroused Kairos' interest in conversation.
He also told his apprentices that how to make people listen to what you say carefully is more important than the content of the negotiation itself.
"Governor, you might as well think about it carefully. There are only three governors in the empire. Livius and Justus led 6,000 troops to face the White Hart Fort guarded by a girl with 500 old and weak soldiers. Not only was the siege unsuccessful, but they also suffered heavy casualties...
Only you, Lord Kairos, led a few thousand cavalrymen deep into the heart of the Kingdom of Sarleon, easily defeated the world -famous general Earl Oden, and escaped unscathed - the things in this world are afraid of comparison..."
With a smile on his face, Leon counted on his fingers to help Kailos calculate the accounts, and there was even a hint of admiration in his tone.
Kairos was stunned for half a minute, then he really laughed: "Mr. Leon is really eloquent. After hearing what you said, I think I have made a great contribution?
But you should know that I did not defeat Count Oden. I could not even break through his defenses... He died at the hands of your Sarleon traitors.
As a marshal, I ordered the troops to attack, but in the end, I failed to gain any ground and returned empty-handed... Could this be considered a meritorious service in the Fierce Lion Territory?"
Kairos' tone was somewhat sarcastic, but his eyes and expression became noticeably sharper.
"Governor, let's imagine a different outcome...
If Governor Levius led his troops to capture White Hart Castle, he would definitely be able to capture my small Wheat Country, and probably also occupy Brave Shield Castle that lost Earl Oden, and it is even possible to capture Changhe Town...
This is a great feat of expanding the territory by a thousand miles, and there is a great chance of obtaining the horse breeding land of the Sarleon Kingdom - if I am not mistaken, this is the result you originally expected when you started the war, right?
But if that is the case...it was Livius who took the battle with his infantry corps, and you were not there at all...
In contrast, your record will be "only leading cavalry to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, failing to capture the city and returning without success. And you also arbitrarily instigated the traitor to kill the respected Earl Oden, so that the whole of Sarleon united in hatred and resolutely resisted. "This runs counter to the political policy of Emperor Marius to integrate into Pendor, and can be described as short-sighted and useless!
You see, the things in this world are afraid of comparison... If you get the expected "victory", you might lose your position as marshal, right?
If this is the result, then Livius, who has made great achievements, will definitely replace you as the marshal. Letting someone like him become the marshal, will it be good for the empire, for you, or for your troops?
Lord Kairos, tell me, did I help you?"
The Lord counted on his fingers again to help Kailos calculate the accounts. This time he did not smile, but looked serious and a little emotional.
Kairos really listened this time.
He probably had some realization, as he frowned and sighed deeply.
Then there was silence for several minutes.
The lord did not disturb him, but just looked into Kailos' eyes quietly.
"You instigated the villain to kill Oden without authorization..." Leon actually meant it completely from the bottom of his heart.
In a sense, Kairos was also an accomplice in the death of Oden.
But Leon would not harbor hatred because of this - public is public, private is private, it is Kairos's duty to deal with the enemy's army during combat, and Leon is clear about this.
However, it is true that Oden's death will not benefit Kairos and the Bacchus Empire. It will cause the nobles of the Serenity to resolutely deal with the Bacchus Empire.
It is true that the lord wanted to use this to criticize me for being short-sighted.
The reason why both sides withdrew their troops for so long but still did not sign an armistice agreement was because of Oden's death.
"Well, I probably should thank you... but it's already happened, and there's no point in discussing it. You should just state your intentions directly."
Kairos finally spoke, but did not mention winning or losing. Instead, he looked at Leon meaningfully, as if hesitating about something.
"I came with good intentions. As you can see, I have no desire to be an enemy of the Empire. I intend to help you once again, of course, mainly for myself and my friends."
The lord pointed to the row of corpses of snake worshippers at the entrance of the village, saying that he was a good man who was eager to help, and asked them not to mess around...
Kairos also turned his head to look, then shook his head and smiled: "Heh... Help me again? Who do you want to kidnap again?"
"Don't always think of me as a kidnapper, sir..."
The lord was very aggrieved: "Lord Kairos, I know that your relationship with Emperor Marius is quite tense. You will probably bear a lot of responsibility after the war is lost. I guess those two governors will team up against you... I don't mean anything else, I just want to tell you that I can help you solve these problems."
Kairos' smile froze a little. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Leon: "You know quite a lot... Humph, how can we solve this problem? Tell me."
The lord took out two crumpled pieces of parchment from his pocket, spread them out and handed them over.
"I have two IOUs here. You may want to take a look at them. You should be able to understand what they mean."
The parchment was placed on the small table between the two of them. Leon considerately reached out and pressed it down, smoothing the parchment to make it easier for Kairos to identify the authenticity.
It was an IOU from two governors, Justus and Livius, for 6,000 dinars each.
The two governors were released without compensation, and Leon did not ask for a ransom.
The IOUs of the two Governors, written voluntarily in connection with the purchase of the coach, have not yet been paid.
The lord once told Amy that only by creating demand can people be willing to pay.
And these two IOUs can now also create another demand for Kairos.
The Bacchus Empire should have had a smooth sailing in the White Hart Castle war zone on the eastern front. After all, the defensive Baron Godric was not there, and the Empire had a ten to one military force, so it should have been able to at least capture White Hart Castle.
But they suffered inexplicable losses and two governors were captured...
This directly led to Governor Kairos not even achieving the minimum goal in this operation. Kairos was probably thinking that Governors Justus and Livius were going to eat him up...
They were about to take over Bailu Fort, but these two guys were kidnapped by the enemy who sneaked into the camp alone?
Okay, maybe the enemy is too powerful and has master-level kidnapping skills.
But so what?
inability!
In Kairos's eyes, or in the eyes of ordinary people, these two incompetent governors should bear all the responsibility. Kairos did not make any mistakes. At most, he did not consider political factors when designing tactics.
But, but.
The emperor is not an ordinary person.
War is a continuation of politics, especially when it involves tens of thousands of people.
Things in this world are not that simple when it comes to politics. The results of political struggles are often completely inconsistent with common sense...
As the marshal of the last war, Governor Kairos divided his troops into two groups, but neither group achieved the set goals.
The only action taken by the cavalry unit led by Governor Kairos was to block Count Oden, allowing the traitor Eldred to stab him in the back.
Although there were some results, this conspiracy that caused the other side to lose a general was no different from a conspiracy to assassinate.
The key point is that Bacchus has not gained any benefits from this and has not been able to occupy even an inch of land.
The two countries have not signed a ceasefire agreement until now because they could not reach an agreement on this matter - this matter destroyed the tacit understanding between the nobles, and the nobles of the Sarleon Territory did not dare to trust the Bacchus Empire.
This was definitely something Emperor Marius did not want to see. Killing a world-famous nobleman in an ignominious way would make the territory of Fierce Lion Territory difficult to conquer in the future, and even difficult to rule after conquering it.
In addition, Kairos has always disagreed with reforms, and his Shadow Legion is disobedient. So would Emperor Marius think that Kairos did this on purpose?
Because it would make it impossible for the Bacchus to integrate into Pendor.
Killing nobles without authorization is something that only conservative Bacchus people who regard themselves as conquerors and oppose reform can do.
So would Emperor Marius still dare to let him be marshal?
How did the reformist Justus plan to use internal help?
Let Philina fall ill to trick Godric away, let Rainier occupy the Cornfield to block the reinforcements, and make White Hart Castle an isolated city.
Since he can be called a 'think tank', these things must be handled by Justus.
It was also a pre-war plan, but Justus would ensure the safety of the nobles' lives - you know, he could make Rainier commit treason, so naturally he could also make Rainier assassinate Godric.
But he didn't do that. He didn't even kill Godric's wife, Princess Fiona... Creating a disease is much more difficult than assassinating someone directly.
Although the main reason for the failure of this war was entirely due to the kidnapping of Justus, in the eyes of Emperor Marius, who should be held responsible?
For Emperor Marius, what had happened had already happened, and right or wrong was meaningless. What lay before him was a choice - should he deal with two governors or one governor?
On one side was Justus, who supported his reforms, and on the other side was Livius, who made small mistakes all the time but never made big ones.
On the other side, there is Kairos, who openly opposes the reform, and Kairos has no handle to hold.
Then, of course, Marius would put the blame on Marshal Kairos - this was the way to minimize the damage to the entire country and the reform process.
Justus has always supported Emperor Marius's reforms, and the emperor will not touch him.
Livius was originally a conservative like Kairos, but he had a corrupt style and a bad temper, and did not get along well with Kairos. He and Justus were kidnapped together - they had common demands, and he had enough leverage in the emperor's hands, so he could bring up old scores at any time in the future.
Only Kairos opposes the reform, his Shadow Legion is disobedient, and it is difficult to find evidence against him, so the emperor will definitely seize this opportunity to reduce Kairos' power.
He is the marshal and the person with ultimate responsibility, so it is reasonable to put the blame on him.
For example, Kairos's tactics were inappropriate, and the killing of Oden caused sequelae - anyway, there is no evidence and the reasons are easy to find, and the two governors will actively cooperate to eliminate their own responsibilities.
Three to one.
Yes, political struggles are not rational. Camps and interests determine the final outcome, and it is normal to confuse right and wrong.
So the result is easy to guess. Kairos will definitely be held responsible, and the marshal will probably be replaced.
In this case, Governor Kairos would surely be happy to exchange grain for the two IOUs, and he would certainly be able to trade at a premium.
Because those two IOUs were irrefutable evidence that the two governors had private transactions with the enemy during the war!
These two IOUs may not seem like a big deal, but they are enough to distract attention, because in the emperor's eyes, the message they convey is more serious than opposing reform.
You spent 12,000 dinars on a broken carriage worth 600 dinars?
ha!
If this isn’t treason, what is?
Oh, you said this is the ransom that was paid after being captured by the enemy?
Who in the entire continent has ever seen a ransom being paid in the form of an IOU?
Even if this isn't treason, there's probably something fishy going on!
——The enemy captured you and then released you with an IOU?
This isn't something a normal person would do...
Who would believe this if there wasn't some other reason?
Moreover, anyone who can write such an IOU can also reveal other information to the enemy, right?
Then there is clear evidence to support the fact that the two captured governors led to Kairos's failure.
If he had these two IOUs, Kairos could completely avoid the blame and could also turn the camp's score from three to one into two to two.
His Majesty the Emperor will certainly put the matter of Kairos aside for the time being and reconsider the solution.
Because in the face of this kind of evidence, if we continue to confuse right and wrong, it will likely disrupt the Shadow Legion's already unbalanced mentality, and they might even rebel.
"Mr. Leon, do you mean to let me buy these two IOUs and sue the other two governors? This will indeed help me, but I don't understand, what good will it do you? What can you gain?"
Kairos could indeed think of these things, but he didn't understand why Leon did this.
"I captured both Justus and Levius. If one of them becomes a marshal, where do you think the next target of the Empire's attack will be?"
The lord spread out his hands with a wry smile on his face.
"Huh... They want to wash away their shame and hide their guilt, so of course they will attack your territory first... I understand what you mean. Debt transfer is a normal behavior. Not only can you recover your debt, but you can also avoid danger..."
Kairos nodded. Indeed, Leon really had the motive to help him, and it was indeed for his own safety.
"No, you don't understand... I'm not here to collect the debt, nor do I intend for you to sue the two governors with this IOU. I suggest that you only give the IOU of Governor Livius to Emperor Marius, and tell His Majesty that you still have the IOU of Governor Justus in your hand - as long as Emperor Marius makes a decision that is in line with justice and conscience, you will give Justus's IOU to His Majesty as well."
Li Ang stretched out his hand to cover one of the parchments on the small table: "This will not only ease the relationship between you and Emperor Marius, but also let the emperor understand that nobles like you who are loyal to tradition are also wholeheartedly thinking about the country."
Kairos watched Leon's actions, leaned back on the soft cushion in the car, closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
If Kairos gave the two IOUs to Emperor Marius at the same time, it would just be a lawsuit between the two camps, but Kairos could take the initiative because there was clear evidence to prove that the two governors were suspected of collaborating with the enemy.
——Of course, that’s not the case in reality. Justus even misled Leon with false information.
But Emperor Marius might still keep holding on to Kyros for the sake of his reform cause.
Because Marius certainly wanted to protect Justus, a reformer.
But if Kyros had evidence against Justus and offered it to the emperor, that would be a kind of coercion.
Forced Emperor Marius to make concessions.
At the same time, this is also a way to change camps again - this is telling the emperor that they can join forces to deal with Governor Livius.
If Kairos honestly told the emperor that he still had evidence against Justus but did not show it, this would also be an expression of loyalty - meaning that Kairos was loyal to the empire and respected the emperor.
After all, the emperor only wanted to temporarily protect Justus, the reformer, and Marius would be in trouble if the two IOUs appeared at the same time.
But if the evidence points only to Livius, then the emperor does not need to hesitate - Livius is the commander of the Eastern Front and is also a conservative...
It became a matter of choice: Kairos or Levius.
Letting Kairos take the responsibility is not a big deal and has no practical impact. Even if he is no longer the marshal, the Shadow Legion will still only listen to him.
But putting all the blame on Levius would allow him to make some losses at once, and might even make him hand over the Shadow Infantry!
This is the core idea of upward management - helping your superiors make choices.
As for Justus's IOU, the emperor can keep it, maybe he can use it in the future.
"Mr. Leon, thank you sincerely for your advice. You said you don't intend to collect the debt. It seems that you don't intend to let me buy the IOUs with money? Then what do I need to pay in exchange for them?"
After opening his eyes again, Kairos sat up straight and used honorifics when expressing his thanks.
