690 A secret agreement Part 1 (2/2)

Of course, the Qin emperor could send the imperial swordsman's camp to fill this cavity, but it was more thrifty asking Saleen to take on this task. Due to Emperor Chanake's campaign, the imperial swordsman's camp had lost more than ten-thousand people. In the next few years Holy Rock City would not dare to deploy the imperial swordsman's camp for another campaign.

The gap was too huge between Qin and Tanggulasi, Qin's civilians were relatively richer and had some status. On the other hand, the Tanggulasi people were treated like beasts and the emperor could command them at will. When necessary, one-third of the three-hundred-million Tanggulasi people would be sent into battle. That was the most feared situation.

”What do you think about my army, Great Mage?” Saleen rebutted.

”It is passable.” Tiffany laughed, it was interesting for Saleen to ask this question because he did not even display his strongest forces.

”Even if there is a letter of credence, it doesn't constitute a military alliance. If my army enters Loulan by accident, it will prove to be a big trouble.” Saleen declared his worries directly. He wanted a more concrete answer from the Holy Rock City. It would be no laughing matter if the Holy Rock City turned against him in the future otherwise.

”But the alliance issue is a little tricky. Decisions in the Holy Rock City aren't made by His Majesty alone. You can form a mercenary group though.” Tiffany was desperate, so she revealed Ojarvis' plan. ”This Saleen is indeed very cunning, but unwilling to take initiative.” Judging from this reaction, Tiffany was in admiration of Ojarvis' deduction.

If Tiffany was in Saleen's shoes, she might not be able to resist the temptation and would have deployed troops to join in the war.

Even if one-hundred men were deployed and they all died in Loulan, there would still be a reason to invade Loulan. ”This Saleen remains unmoved and he isn't putting on a pretense.”

”Mercenaries? How will the price of the mercenaries be calculated? If they are going to acquire magic nuclei like what His Majesty did, I will not be able to afford them.” At this moment, Saleen's behavior greatly resembled that of a Sikeqinyan. There was no other way. Saleen could sell magic nuclei to Ojarvis at half price because the cost was very low. If mercenaries were deployed money would be consumed daily. If too little mercenaries were sent, they would not affect much change. If too many were deployed, their commission would be a big issue.

”It's not like you aren't getting any benefits, you don't have to keep refusing.” Stephanie could not tolerate it any longer. She was not an imperial mage, she was just a sorcerer whom Emperor Chanake had groomed, so she did not treat Saleen as politely. She was viewing this problem from her own perspective.

”Benefits? What will I receive?” Saleen sneered, ”Even if the mercenaries I deploy emerged victorious, they will only get a commission. Can my soldiers occupy the land? Will my nobles receive rewards as a result? Can my mages choose to build a magical tower in a city of their choice because of this?”

”Your brain is filled with all these complicated thoughts, are you still even a mage?” Stephanie rebutted.

”I can choose not to care about such stuff, but my subordinates will be mindful of it. If I cannot give them a satisfactory answer, why should they follow me?” Saleen retorted.

”So, Your Highness Saleen, what do you have in mind?” Stephanie smiled slyly.

Saleen shrugged his shoulders like a noble, then said, ”The size of my mercenary group shall not be limited and it can travel within Qin. They will not pay taxes and will not be commanded by anyone else.”

”How is that possible?” Tiffany was puzzled, ”By making such outrageous demands, Saleen is hindering the opportunity for cooperation.”

”Why not? My soldiers might not necessarily enter Qin. From Phoenix, they can enter Laiyin Duchy directly. This is a form of precaution.”

Stephanie furrowed her brows, then said, ”Don't beat about the bush anymore, you know that Holy Rock City will not accede to these terms.”

”Then give me Laiyin Duchy.” Saleen went straight to the point. His agenda was to seize Laiyin Duchy. With Lex around, he would not need to fight with Qin.

”Hah, can you devour Laiyin Duchy?” Stephanie said in a sarcastic tone.

”I was born in Sikeqinya. A Sikeqinyan merchant will order goods in advance even if they aren't produced yet,” Saleen answered plainly.

”Seems like what you really want is a secret agreement!” Tiffany sighed, ”His Majesty Ojarvis has guessed everything correctly, there wasn't one request by Saleen which wasn't anticipated by Ojarvis. If Ojarvis didn't have such a weak body, he could become Qin's noblest emperor without any problem.”

A secret agreement was an allusion. Simply put, it was a private deal between two emperors to target a third party. This deal would never surface to light, but it was binding. Such an agreement could bypass the forces which restrained the emperor, it could be executed directly.