It seems that there are indeed benefits to doing good deeds and accumulating virtue.
Kairos led the elite troops, but did not take control of Li Ang. Probably, as he said, it was entirely because of Li Ang's selfless behavior in helping to control Red Death.
Of course, it was precisely because he knew that Kairos was a principled person that Li Ang dared to go up and strike up a conversation.
The lord has been inquiring about the character and relationship of the Bacchus Empire's senior executives all the way, just to determine how to deal with Kairos.
In fact, before he didn't know much about Kairos, that is, before this night, he originally wanted to enter Imperial Port alone and take the initiative to be captured - or controlled.
Yes, this is the most efficient way to conduct a stranger's visit - to be sent to your door as a messenger and actively controlled by others.
Anyway, with Li Ang's current status, he will definitely not be killed or even suffer any pain.
And as long as there is a chance to speak, the lord will have the confidence to escape unscathed, or at least spend some money.
Buying food costs money anyway.
Although they are in a hostile country, this is actually much easier than the desperate kidnapping before - no high-ranking noble will kill a noble who planted three flags on the motorcade when there is no war, or even treat him rudely.
Unless there is a grudge.
Kairos has no grudge against him.
Now, Li Ang has the opportunity to talk to Kairos on an equal footing, which really helps isolate Red Death.
"The Governor is joking, I didn't let you fail... I was just trying to protect my territory. In fact, I should be considered as helping you..."
Li Ang had the same smile on his face as when he first saw Count Oden.
Such a great attitude.
"Lord Li Ang, you kidnapped two governors in White Deer Fortress, causing the empire to lose its troops but not be able to make any progress... As the marshal of the last war, this was a huge failure for me! You actually said you helped me? What did you help me with?"
Kairos almost laughed out of anger, leaned back and stared into Li Ang's eyes.
The lord was very satisfied with the governor's reaction - he successfully aroused Kairos's interest in talking.
He and his apprentices also said that how to make people listen carefully to what you say is more important than the content of the negotiation itself.
"Master Governor, you might as well think about it - there are only three governors in the empire, Livius and Justus, two governors leading an army of six thousand. Facing White Deer Fortress, who is guarded by a girl with five hundred old and weak soldiers, not only is the siege of the city unfavorable, but also the loss of troops...
Only you, Lord Kairos, led thousands of cavalry troops deep into the hinterland of the Lionheart Kingdom, easily defeated the world's famous general Count Oden, and escaped unscathed - things in this world are afraid of comparison..."
With a smile on his face, Li Ang used his fingers to help Kairos settle the accounts, with a hint of admiration in his tone.
Kairos was stunned for half a minute, and then he really laughed, "Lord Li Ang is really eloquent. After hearing what you said, it seems that I have made a great contribution?
But you should know that I didn't defeat Count Oden, I couldn't even break through his defense... He died in the hands of your traitors Lion Territory.
As a marshal, I ordered the division of troops to attack, but in the end I failed without gaining an inch of ground... Could this be considered a meritorious service in Lion Territory?"
Kairos's tone was a bit sarcastic, but his eyes and expression were obviously sharp.
"Mr. Governor, let's imagine a different outcome...
If Governor Livius leads the troops to capture White Deer Fortress, he will definitely be able to capture my little Wheat Fragrance Territory, and probably also capture Brave Shield Fortress which has lost Count Oden, and it is even possible to capture Long River Town...
This is a marvelous feat of expanding a thousand miles of land, and there is a great chance of obtaining Lionheart Kingdom's horse breeding land - if I guess correctly, this is the result you originally expected when you launched the war, right?
But if that's the case... Livius led the infantry regiment to defeat it, and you were not present at all...
In comparison, your record will be like, "You advanced with only cavalry and underestimated the enemy. You were unable to attack the city and returned without success. You also ordered traitors to kill Count Oden, whom everyone respected, so that Lion Territory and his subordinates shared the same hatred with the enemy and resisted resolutely." This is contrary to His Majesty Emperor Marius's political policy of integrating into Pande, and it can be said to be short-sighted and useless!
You see, things in this world are all about comparison... If you get the 'victory' you expected, then you might lose your position as marshal because of it, right?
If this is the result, then Livius, who has made extraordinary achievements, will definitely replace you as the marshal. Is it good for the empire, you, or your troops to let someone like him become the marshal?
Lord Kairos, tell me, did I help you?"
The Lord once again helped Kairos settle the accounts with his fingers. This time he did not smile again, but had a serious look on his face, with some emotion.
Kairos Now I really listened.
He probably had some realization, he frowned and sighed deeply.
Then, there was silence for several minutes.
The lord did not disturb him, but looked into Kairos's eyes quietly.
The sentence "Instigating the traitor to kill Oden without authorization..." Li Ang is actually completely sincere.
In a sense, Kairos was also an accomplice in the death of Oden.
But Li Ang will not have hatred because of this - public is public, private is private, Kairos is his duty to deal with the enemy's army in battle, and Li Ang can still understand this.
However, Oden's death will indeed be of no benefit to Kairos and Bacchus Empire. It will cause the nobles of Lion Territory to resolutely deal with the Bacchus Empire. This is a fact.
The lord wants to use this to criticize his short-sightedness, which is also true.
The reason why both sides have withdrawn their troops for so long without signing an armistice agreement is because of the death of Oden.
"Well, I probably should thank you... but it's happened, and there's no point in discussing it. You'd better just tell me why you're here."
Kairos finally spoke, but he did not mention victory or defeat, but looked at Li Ang meaningfully, as if he was hesitating.
"I came here with good intentions, and as you can see, I don't want to be an enemy of the empire. I plan to help you again. Of course, this is mainly for myself and my friends."
The lord pointed to the row of corpses of Snake Worship Cult disciples at the entrance of the village, saying that he was a good man who was eager to help, so don't mess around...
Kairos also turned around and looked, 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 the relationship between you and Emperor Marius is quite tense. You will probably bear a lot of responsibility after the defeat of the war. It is estimated that the two governors will join forces to oppose you... I have no other intention, I just want to tell you that I can help you solve these troubles."
Kairos's smile became a little stiff. He narrowed his eyes and stared at Li Ang: "You know quite a lot... Huh, tell me how to solve this problem."
The lord took out two crumpled pieces of parchment from his body, spread them out and handed them over.
"I have two IOUs here. You might as well take a look... You should be able to understand what they mean."
The parchment was placed on the small table between the two of them, and Li Ang thoughtfully stretched out his hand to press it, smoothing the parchment so that Kairos could identify the authenticity.
Those were IOUs written by the two governors Justus and Livius, each worth 6,000 dinars.
These two governors were released without compensation, and Li Ang did not ask for ransom.
The two governors' IOUs were voluntarily written for the purchase of the carriage, but 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.
Bacchus Empire should have gone smoothly in the White Deer Fortress theater on the eastern front. After all, Baron Godric, who was good at defending, was not there. With a ten to one force, the empire could logically capture at least White Deer Fortress.
But they inexplicably lost their troops and captured two governors...
This directly caused Governor Kairos to fail to achieve even the minimum goal in this battle. Kairos was afraid that the two governors Justus and Livius would chew it up...
We were about to capture White Deer Fortress, but the enemy single-handedly sneaked into the camp and kidnapped these two guys?
Okay, maybe the enemy is too powerful and has master-level kidnapping skills.
But so what?
Incompetent!
In the eyes of Kairos, or in the eyes of ordinary people, these two incompetent governors must bear full 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 wars involving tens of thousands of people.
Things in this world are not that simple as long as they involve 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 of the cavalry unit led by Governor Kairos was to block Count Oden, allowing Eldred to stab him in the back.
Although it was somewhat fruitful, this kind of conspiracy caused the opponent to lose a general, which was no different from conspiracy to assassinate.
The key is that Bax has not benefited from this, and has not been able to occupy even an inch of land.
The reason why the two countries have not signed an armistice agreement so far is because they cannot agree on this matter - this kind of thing destroys the tacit understanding between the nobles, and the nobles of Lion Territory dare not trust Bacchus Empire.
This is definitely what Emperor Marius doesn't want to see. To kill a world-famous nobleman in a dishonorable way. Lion Territory's territory will definitely be difficult to conquer in the future, and it will be difficult to rule after it is conquered.
In addition, Kairos has never agreed with the reform, and his Shadow Legion is not obedient, so will Emperor Marius think that Kairos did this on purpose?
Because this will prevent Baxian from integrating into Pendor.
Killing nobles without permission is something that can only be done by the conservative Baxian who considers himself a conqueror and opposes reform.
So Emperor Marius still dares to let him be the marshal?
And also using internal response, how is the reformist Justus designed?
Let Philina get sick and cheat Godric away, let Renier occupy Wheat Fragrance Territory to block reinforcements, and make White Deer Fortress an isolated city.
Since it can be called a 'think tank', these things must be handled by Justus.
It is also a pre-war plan, but Justus will protect the lives of the nobles - you know, he can make Renier treason, and naturally he can also make Renier assassinate Godric.
But he didn't do that, he didn't even kill Godric's wife Princess Philina... Creating symptoms is much harder than directly assassinating her.
Although the main reason for the defeat of this war was entirely due to the kidnapping of Justus, in Emperor Marius's opinion, who should bear the responsibility?
For Emperor Marius, things have already happened, and right or wrong is meaningless. What is before him is a multiple-choice question - should he deal with two governors, or one governor?
On one side are Justus, who supports his own reforms, and Livius, who keeps making small mistakes but never big ones.
On the other side, there is Kairos who openly opposes the reform, and Kairos has nothing to hold on to.
Then, Marius would of course put the responsibility on Marshal Kairos - this was the way to cause the least loss 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 bad style and bad temper, and he did not get along well with Kairos. Moreover, he and Justus were kidnapped together - they had a common appeal, and he had enough leverage in the emperor's hands to turn over old scores at any time in the future.
Only Kairos is opposed to reform, and his Shadow Legion is also disobedient, and it is difficult to find a handle, so the emperor will definitely seize this opportunity to reduce Kairos's power.
He is the marshal and the person ultimately responsible, so it is reasonable to shift the responsibility to him.
For example, Kairos's tactical arrangements were inappropriate, for example, killing Oden caused sequelae - there is no evidence anyway, 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 unreasonable. Camps and interests determine the final result. It is normal to confuse right and wrong.
So the result is easy to guess, Kairos will definitely take responsibility, and the marshal will probably be replaced.
In this case, Governor Kairos would be happy to exchange the grain for those two IOUs, and he would definitely be able to trade at a premium.
Because those two IOUs are irrefutable evidence that the two governors made private deals with the enemy during the war!
These two IOUs may not seem like a big deal, but they are enough to disturb the view, because in the eyes of the emperor, this kind of thing represents a more serious message than opposition to reform.
You spend 12,000 dinars on a broken carriage worth 600 dinars?
Ha!
Isn't this collaboration with the enemy?
Oh, you said this is the ransom you will pay after being captured by the enemy?
Who in the entire continent has ever seen someone pay a ransom to pay an IOU?
Even if this isn't treason, there's probably something fishy about it!
--The enemy captured you and then let you go with an IOU?
This is not something a normal person can do...
If there is no other situation, who would believe it?
Moreover, someone who can write such an IOU can also disclose other information to the enemy, right?
Then there is clear evidence to support the fact that the two captured governors caused Kairos to return without success.
If you have these two IOUs in hand, then Kairos can completely avoid this scapegoat, and can also change the camp from three to one to two to two.
His Majesty the Emperor will definitely put aside the matter of Kairos 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 is likely that Shadow Legion's originally unbalanced mentality will collapse, and they may rebel.
"Lord Li Ang, what do you mean, let me buy these two IOUs and litigate with the other two governors? This will indeed help me, but I don't understand, what benefit does this do to you? What can you get?"
Kairos can indeed think of these, but he doesn't understand why Li Ang would do this.
"Justus and Livius were both captured by me. If one of them becomes a marshal, where do you think the next attack target launched by the empire will be?"
The Lord Lord spread out his hands with a wry smile on his face.
"Huh... They want to clear away their shame and hide their guilt. Of course they will attack your territory first... I understand what you mean. Debt transfer is a normal behavior. Not only can you recover the debt, but you can also avoid danger..."
Kairos nodded. Indeed, Li Ang really had the motive to help him. This was indeed for his own safety.
"No, you don't understand... I am not trying to recover the debt, nor do I intend for you to use this IOU to litigate with the two governors. I suggest that you only hand over the Governor Livius IOU to Emperor Marius, and tell His Majesty the Emperor 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 also give the Justus one to His Majesty."
Li Ang reached out and covered one of the pieces of parchment 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 thinking about the country."
Kairos watched Li Ang's movements, leaned back on the soft cushions in the car, closed his eyes and thought for a moment.
If Kairos gives two IOUs to Emperor Marius at the same time, then the matter is just a lawsuit between the two camps, but Kairos can take the initiative because there is clear evidence to prove that the two governors are suspected of collaborating with the enemy.
--Of course, in fact there is no such thing. Justus even misled Li Ang with false information.
But Emperor Marius may still hold on to Kairos for his reform cause.
Because Marius definitely wanted to protect Justus, a reformist.
But if Kairos has the handle of Justus and provides the handle of Livius to the emperor, then this is a kind of coercion.
Force Emperor Marius to give in.
At the same time, this is also a way to change the camp again - this is telling the emperor that they can join forces to deal with Governor Livius.
If Kairos confesses to the emperor that he still has information about Justus but does not show it, this is also an expression of loyalty - indicating that Kairos is loyal to the empire and respects the emperor.
After all, the emperor just wanted to temporarily protect the reformist Justus. If two IOUs appeared at the same time, Marius would be in trouble.
But if the evidence only points to one person, Livius, then the emperor does not need to hesitate - Livius is the commander of the Eastern Front, and he is also a conservative...
The matter becomes a choice between two, choose Kairos or Livius.
It doesn't hurt to let Kairos take responsibility. It has no real impact. Even if he is no longer the marshal, Shadow Legion will still only listen to him.
But by putting all the blame on Livius, you can make him cut his flesh at once, and you may even make him hand over Shadow Infantry!
This is the core idea of upward management - helping superior leaders make choices.
As for the IOU Justus, the emperor can keep it in his hand, and maybe it can be used in the future.
"Lord Li Ang, thank you sincerely for your advice. You said you don't plan to collect the debt, so it seems you don't plan to let me buy the IOUs with money? So what do I need to pay in exchange for them?"
After opening his eyes again, Kairos sat up straight. He used honorifics for this thank you.