Volume 6: Helping the World Chapter 171 His Royal Highness's Teacher
Tim did not ask Carlisle if he wanted to do this, and Carlisle did not ask Tim if he could do this; the two leading figures of the younger generation of St. Bridge looked at each other silently for a few seconds, and then silently turned their eyes away...
Mr. Ayun (teacher) is so disgusting! He can even think of such a sinister trick!
I'm not thick-skinned enough to even open my mouth and say yes!!
After a long awkward silence, Tim, who still had some awareness of being a "little brother", coughed and said with a constipated look: "In this case, I think we should pay attention to Mr. Ayun's advice. Carlisle, what do you think?"
"...Let's do it this way." Carlisle said extremely unnaturally.
Tim silently placed the letter on the desk, then silently walked to the bookcase next to him, took out the key, opened the locked password box, took out a completely sealed document from it, and placed it on the table.
Carlisle opened the drawer and took out a knife. He cut the silk ribbon wrapped around the document, opened the wax-sealed document bag, and took out two small pieces of parchment with the royal seal of Ferdinand.
Having already spoken, Tim no longer cared about being reserved and respectable. He took a deep breath and said, "Mr. Ayun is right. Since Holmes' opponents are using the existence of traitors as an excuse to start a civil war, they should just confirm the rumor about the 'traitor' and use it to unify the opinions of Holmes... As the 'entry point', someone must have sufficient status."
"..." Carlisle was silent for ten seconds before he said with some difficulty, "I just don't know if King Valentine can make such a decision."
"It's much better than watching the Kingdom of Holmes fall into chaos. I'm sure Your Majesty Valentine can make a choice." Tim said dimly.
"Okay." Carlisle sighed, picked up the quill on the pen holder and wrote on the lambskin, smiling bitterly as he wrote, "Damn it, I can't imagine what King Valentine's expression would be when he sees this letter."
"I'm sure His Majesty Valentine doesn't want the truth of this matter to be known more than anyone else... Don't worry, Carlisle, this letter will not survive for more than ten minutes after it is handed to His Majesty Valentine." Tim said half-jokingly.
The Kingdom of Holmes was an important ally and the gateway to the six southern kingdoms. Allowing its internal strife to continue would benefit no one. That night, Tim took the official letter with the royal emblem of Ferdinand and set off for the border. He rode a chocobo for hundreds of miles at night and arrived at the town where Xiao Yun and his party were staying the next morning.
In the reception room of the town hall, after Tim conveyed Prince Carlisle's order, he looked at the confused Dan Claudy with great sympathy.
Xiao Yun was also looking at Dan kindly, with an unprecedented loving gaze.
"...Are you serious?" Dan tilted his head innocently, trying to struggle.
"This is for Carlisle," Tim said.
"This is for Saint Bridge." Xiao Yun said.
"..." Dan turned to look at Xiao Yun, trying even harder to look pure and innocent. "Mr. Ayun, I swear now that I will never have any ideas about Ashan again in my life. Is it too late?"
Xiao Yun looked at him kindly, smiling without saying a word.
Dan was extremely sad and heartbroken, and regretted it too late...
This knight, who was personally appointed as a major in the 1st Army of St. Bridget's Protectorate by His Royal Highness Prince Carlisle, set out to visit the Kingdom of Holmes with a regiment of troops that afternoon under the dual surveillance of Tim and Xiao Yun; he also took with him Viscount Colbert of the Kingdom of Holmes - this could be regarded as squeezing out the value of this unfortunate viscount. When the plan goes ahead, this guy will appear on stage as a "traitor" who does not play an important role in the play... Anyway, he has fled to Elliot Palace for refuge, and it would be strange if the nobles in Holmes would have a good face towards him.
"Mr. Ayun, the scenery at the border isn't that nice to look at. Why don't we head to the royal city as soon as possible?" Tim waved his hand to send his friend away, turned around, and put Dan behind his mind without any emotion.
Then Tim met Xiao Yun's kind eyes...
Tim: "..." No, wait, is there something wrong with your look? !
"That's what I thought, too. I do miss Carlisle a little bit." Xiao Yun said with a smile, "How about this, we go to the royal city, and Tim, you stay and inspect the border? Ah, of course, I'm not questioning that St. Bridge's preparations are not sufficient, but since the area where the enemy is most likely to land is in this area, then it is not excessive to strengthen the vigilance, what do you think?"
"Well……"
"When we entered the country yesterday, there was no sentry in the first thirty miles. The defense of this border town is actually all around the town. Tsk tsk..." Xiao Yun disagreed, "Even for our tribe on the grassland, daily patrols are an indispensable task. If there is an invasion by foreign enemies, it is even more appropriate to use the advantages of the terrain to set traps and blocking points. For example, on the coastal landing line, it is not excessive to dig a few rows of pits and insert some sharpened wooden stakes at the bottom of the pits? If the enemy attacks from the land, it is not excessive to dig some horse traps in the territory that allows the army to pass through?"
Counting on his fingers, he listed a series of ambushes, guerrilla warfare, and other common combat operations suitable for home-field players and cross-border hegemony. Seeing that Tim looked a little strange, Xiao Yun said in surprise: "Why did you react like this? Don't tell me that you still insist on two armies facing each other and shouting one, two, three before fighting? Then why are you still fighting? Why don't you hold an international friendly sports meeting?"
Tim looked embarrassed: "Uh..."
Growing up, whether he was accompanying the young master to study or studying on his own, or later joining the Alchemist Association, Tim had read about the battles of the past that talked about how wise and powerful the generals and marshals were, how they were invincible, and even when they were ambushes, they were played with righteousness; Xiao Yun threw out so many fancy moves, and Tim said that he needed to slow down his acceptance, because his worldview was refreshed too quickly...
"...I understand, Mr. Ayun, I will convey your suggestions clearly to Carlisle..." Tim said reluctantly.
"No need, I'll go talk to him." Xiao Yun waved his hand and patted Tim's shoulder. "As for you, you can help Carlisle to understand the border terrain first. You are a local, so you are more suitable for this than us. You should know where to set traps and where to lure the enemy into an ambush. Draw a detailed topographic map and bring it back. Carlisle will need it when the time comes."
Tim: "...But Mr. Ayun, I have never come across the tactics you mentioned..."
"It's not difficult. The place that is least suitable for fighting is the best place to set up a battlefield. The place that is most comfortable to fight is the best place to set traps. Isn't the home advantage reflected in these places?" Xiao Yun said with a smile, "You can lead the soldiers out and ask the soldiers for their opinions on any place you like. They are experts in fighting, and you are an expert in setting traps. The combination of the two is very appropriate."
——Mr. Ayun, what misunderstanding do you have about me? ! Tim roared in his heart.
Xiao Yun smiled kindly and said, "Don't pretend to be a young man. Your sultry and reserved temperament shows that you have the potential to be a sinister old man. It's just that you are too young and too proud~!"
Primo & Harris silently watched Xiao Yun send away Dan Kraus, who was about to cry but had no tears, and watched Xiao Yun send away Tim Humphrey, who looked constipated, without any feeling...
"Okay, we're ready to go." After taking care of the urgent matter, Xiao Yun clapped his hands and called the tribesmen together, "Hmm... Hmm? Why is the number of people wrong? Where is Dahe? Where are Qingyan and Rosemary?"
"A group of humans called them out." said Ashan, who was the first to run over.
"Huh?! When did it happen?" Xiao Yun was shocked.
"When you, Dan and Tim were hiding in the room and whispering to each other." Ashan said honestly.
"Shit, that was two hours ago!" Xiao Yun was sweating all over immediately, and he jumped up and ran out, "Go find them quickly - don't get lost if you try to find someone else, at least work in groups of three!"
"Ayun, don't be anxious..." The Grassroots Chief held Xiao Yun down with his hand. "Dahe and the others went out with the mayor's daughter. They are in the tavern across the street. They are not running around."
Xiao Yun breathed a sigh of relief at first, but then he flew into a rage: "Huh? These little bastards just got out and they're already learning bad habits and learning to hang out in bars?!"
Then this guy rushed out at a faster speed than before...
All the adult labor force in the entire border town was organized to work (Carlisle was Xiao Yun's direct disciple after all), and only a few people on their day off had time to hang out in the bar in broad daylight. When Xiao Yun rushed into the only tavern, half of it was empty, and the other half... was probably filled with all the unmarried women on their day off in the town. There were dozens of young girls in their teens surrounding Dahe, Qingyan, and Rosemary.
The three of them didn't seem to enjoy this kind of real harem treatment at all. Dahe looked confused, Qingyan had a headache and grimaced because of the noise, and Rosemary was drowsy...
Xiao Yun ran in angrily: "..."
When Xiao Yun appeared, Daha stood up excitedly, Qingyan seemed to have seen a savior, and Rosemary was cheered up and woke up from her sleepiness.
After rescuing this silly idiot, Xiao Yun was so angry that he poked everyone on the head: "What's wrong with you? I told you countless times not to follow others, but it was all in vain? You still followed all three of them at once? Where are your brains? Are these things on your necks just for your height?!"
"You can't blame me for this. I went there because they said they would treat me to delicious food. But when I got there, they only gave me terrible and pungent water to drink. It's too much!" Dahao still had the nerve to feel aggrieved.
Xiao Yun was almost pissed off: "You are now one of the best chefs and pastry chefs in the continent! If you want to eat something delicious, come here yourself! If there is a next time, you will have to accompany Lan Guo to build roads!!"
Da He immediately turned serious and said, "There won't be a next time. This loss is enough for once."
Rosemary pointed at Qingyan and said, "I am innocent. I went to play with Qingyan and was dragged away. It was you who stipulated that humans are not allowed to touch human women except cubs and females. That's why I couldn't break free by force."
"What? Qingyan, are you hanging out with Dahe again? How many times have I told you that you are not allowed to date if you can't give birth to a baby!!" Xiao Yun's voice suddenly rose.
"I've told you so many times, this is not true!" Qing Yan was so angry that his hair stood on end.
"Why are you running towards Da He if you don't have anything to do?! Tell me the truth, what kind of weird sexual fetish do you have? Every female cat in the tribe looks lighter and more flexible than Da He. What's wrong with you?"
"I--"
The Grassroots Chief appeared in time: "Ayun, everything is packed."
Xiao Yun turned around angrily and said, "Let's go!"
"Oh, let's go." The tribesmen & Balk walked out as if they were used to it.
Primo & Harris: "..."
Yes, they knew that Ah Yun never wasted time, but it was a problem to get used to it...
There was no need to be as cautious in the territory of St. Bridge as in Holmes. Carlisle boosted the reputation of the Snow Wolf Tribe while waging a propaganda war for himself. Over the years, the people of St. Bridge had a rapidly increasing favorable impression of the Snow Wolf Tribe that made them wear cheap sweaters, and their impression was at least above friendly. With this level of friendliness, everyone naturally did not have to rely on their own two legs to travel slowly. Mumu and Daha, who had been holding back for a long time, finally had the opportunity to reveal their wolf forms and relax.
Primo took the initiative to sit next to Xiao Yun, and took this opportunity to ask the question in his mind: "Ayun, what advice did you give to Ferdinand's family? Did that knight go to solve the civil unrest in Holmes?"
Harris, who was also sitting on the back of Mumu Wolf, immediately pricked up his ears.
"Yes, it is difficult to start the civil strife in Holmes from the outside, but it is not difficult to start from the inside. The Valentine royal family and the Ferdinand royal family have always been flirting with each other, and it is more reliable for Carlisle to make suggestions than for a foreigner like me to go to them myself." Xiao Yun nodded.
"What is the solution?" Primo was almost dying of curiosity.
"Haha..." Xiao Yun glanced at Harris who was sitting in front of him. "It's actually easy to explain. Why would a group of people in Holmes' upper echelons be so bold as to resort to territorial warfare to provoke civil unrest and force the royal family to surrender? If they can't force a result, then they're doomed. Politicians who can make such a big move, will they not care whether they have a way out?"
"Get to the point!" Primo urged.
"I'm talking about the main point... Among those who promoted this civil strife, there must be someone or several people who received definite guarantees from a third party and had no worries, so they dared to sell out their country." Xiao Yun sneered, "It will take too much time to slowly find the traitor. Time is very important for the six southern countries now. In this case, there is no need to identify the traitor."
After a pause, Xiao Yun said coldly: "Let the Valentine royal family choose a political enemy with enough status from the emerging opposition, and create an assassination operation in the name of the Federation that is enough to cause a stir. There is also a ready-made candidate to 'sell' this upper-level person to the Federation. The Colbert we picked up along the way is just the right person."
"The royal family came out to mourn the dead, expressed anger at the Federation's conspiracy and intrigue, and called on the whole country to unite and prepare for war and resist foreign enemies - as long as the royal family has the initiative, who can continue to wave the flag and shout that the Federation should not be the enemy? The opposition has been shouting for a long time that there are traitors in the country, and the mass base is very good~"
Primo: “…”
Harris: “…”
"The opposition's goal is to surrender, sell Holmes to the Federation and make a good price. The insiders behind the scenes must know that this is not an assassination from the Federation. But they can't jump out and explain: This is not right, the Federation has agreed with us to accept our surrender, right?" Xiao Yun spread his hands, "And for those who don't know, Holmes was assassinated at home before he officially became hostile to the Federation. If he continues to fight fiercely out of fear at this time, his political capital will be lost. It is better to make up his mind and fight hard, follow the royal family and follow the route of the six countries banding together, which seems to be more promising... After all, it is human instinct to seek benefits and avoid harm."
Primo's mouth began to twitch...
Harris turned back stiffly, with a complicated look...
"In short - as long as the IQ of the Valentine royal family is no less than that of an extremely aggressive pig, it won't be a problem to follow the plan and solve the civil war problem in a month or so." Xiao Yun leaned lazily against the strong and stable grassroots patriarch, "After we are done with this, we can renew our relationship with Carlisle, and they will definitely be much more obedient than before..."
"...I'm beginning to regret my curiosity." Primo raised his hand and pinched his forehead. "Next time if something like this happens again and I can't help but get to the bottom of it, just ignore me, Ayun. I don't want to know so much."
Xiao Yun laughed: "You said that yourself."
Two days later, in St. Bridget's City.
Upon receiving the news from the patrol team that the teacher and his entourage were about to arrive, Carlisle excitedly dropped his government affairs, took the officials and went out of the city to welcome them in person.
"Finally, I can meet His Royal Highness the Prince's legendary teacher in person." The new Home Secretary, Earl Hockley, said with reserve and a hint of anticipation.
Letting Yumi's father, Earl Hockley, take over as Home Secretary was just a joke of the little princess at first, but later... Carlisle thought about it and thought again, and there was really no one more suitable than Earl Hockley - there were really not many great nobles who had sufficient status and position, were under fifty years old (had the energy and physical strength to cope with the intensity of the work), were capable and relatively reliable.
So Carlisle happily let the former Interior Minister Harris go home to retire, and invited the little friend's father out - this also caused the nobles in the royal city to pay too much attention to the little princess, thinking that the little princess could influence Carlisle's decision-making, and there were noble ladies who tried every means to get close to the little princess... Anyway, it didn't affect the overall situation, so Carlisle ignored it.
"Your Highness, would it be detrimental to your status to go out of the city and welcome a group of foreigners with such a large force?"
The one who openly said such stupid and disappointing words... was Viscount Claudy, who had just been appointed as the chief of the palace guards. Not to mention that Carlisle's mouth twitched slightly, even Earl Hockley, who had just carried the sedan chair for the Snow Wolf Clan, had a blank look in his eyes - but Viscount Claudy had no awareness of spoiling the prince's interest. When Carlisle looked over, the chief guard was looking around and frowning at the people coming in and out of the city gate avenue.
Earl Hockley knew that Viscount Claudy was also one of His Highness's "own men", but he really didn't know how to remedy the stupid words that his colleague said without thinking, so he pretended not to hear them and turned his head to talk in a low voice with his personal guards.
Carlisle was really helpless. Dan's personality was a little eccentric, but he could still be sent out to do things. Dan's father was rigid and inflexible and could not handle the responsibility, so he could only keep him by his side to prevent him from holding Dan back. The Claudy family had just left the ranks of the nouveau riche, and Carlisle's promotion of Dan to major had already attracted a lot of criticism. If Dan's family was too incompetent, it would be a serious blow to Dan's future growth.
"That's the prince's teacher. How can it be beneath his dignity for the prince to show respect to his teacher?" The finance minister raised his eyebrows and scolded.
This Chancellor of the Exchequer was an outlier among the top bureaucrats at St. Bridget. The old earl was a true neutral, loyal to St. Bridget rather than to any member of the royal family. The king's move to the palace to recuperate was a big deal for others, but this Chancellor of the Exchequer did not take it to heart at all and continued to work diligently... Although he was not one of Carlisle's own, it was necessary for Carlisle to show respect to this old minister.
Claude shrank his neck, not daring to look around any more, let alone say a word. Viscount Claude was more afraid of the Chancellor of Finance, the most senior noble , than the prince.
"Your Highness, they are coming!" The eyes of a guard who had seen the Snow Wolf Clan lit up and pointed to the front of the road.
At the other end of the road, among the crowd of people entering and leaving the royal city, two huge snow wolves were trotting towards them.
"Teacher!" Carlisle was extremely excited. If there hadn't been a group of senior bureaucrats following him and he hadn't been able to lose his composure as a prince, he would have taken the initiative to greet him.
Two huge snow wolves trotted towards them, one in front and one behind, each carrying a lot of people on its back. Passers-by occasionally reached out to touch the wolf's fur out of curiosity, but were nervously pulled away by their companions...
"Hiss..." The giant wolf was getting closer and closer, and the welcoming team began to gasp, and some people even retreated quietly with pale faces. It didn't seem scary at a distance, but when you look closely, the huge wolf head, the big green eyes like lanterns, and the exaggeratedly large claws are really scary!
Dan's father, Viscount Claudy, was one of those who retreated with a pale face. After retreating a few steps, he finally remembered that he was still the chief guard of the palace. He stepped forward again and followed Carlisle with trembling legs.
"Carlisle!" Someone on the wolf's back waved happily towards this side.
"Mumu!" Carlisle raised his hand and waved, then walked quickly forward to greet him.
He first glanced at the person sitting on the wolf's back, but didn't see Xiao Yun. He then turned his gaze to the two giant wolves. Meeting their familiar and friendly (er) eyes, he couldn't help but raise his hands, stepped forward and hugged the drooping wolf head tightly, "Teacher!"
"......!!" Witnessing such an exciting scene with their own eyes, the kingdom bureaucrats who followed them almost managed to control themselves from shouting out.
The man on the wolf's back jumped down swiftly . Xiao Yun endured letting Carlisle hold him for a few seconds before gently shaking his head: "That's enough, Carlisle. I'm covered in dust after running this distance. It won't save much effort to wash it off if I rub it over to you."
Carlisle held back his laughter and let go of the wolf's hand: "Thank you for your hard work along the way, teacher. It really makes me happy to see you. You've grown a lot bigger than last year." He then stroked the wolf's fur a few more times.
"That's it. Would you like to introduce him?" Xiao Yun pointed his head at the large group of people dressed in fancy clothes at the back.
"Ah, of course, it's all my fault for being too happy." Carlisle smiled, turned sideways, and raised his right hand, "Everyone, this is my teacher, Ayun from the Snow Wolf Clan."
Xiao Yun raised his head to a level where the group of people could see his mouth clearly, and revealed a kind and cute smile.
The Kingdom’s bureaucrats: “…”
