Law of the Devil

Chapter 195 [smashing the situation]

Of course, Du Wei will not take the four thousand rebels to the territory with his own team. After all, this thing is somewhat disgraceful. Of course, Du Wei does not expect anyone to get rid of this thing, especially the regent of the Imperial Capital. Du Wei believes in these actions of his own, Chen Huangzi knows, but he has to stand on the ground of the tiger wolf in the northwest, always grasping all the capital. The rebel army of 4,000 people said that there were not many, and that there were not many, and that they were within the tolerance of the prince of Chen: This priest took the shackles of the entire Luolin family and scattered them. Lin’s “sinner” can’t be used. Can’t let Du Wei’s Duke be a duke to go northwest?

In a very special time, it is very important. I believe that Chen Zizi still has it.

But after all, this is not something that can be placed on the table. These four thousand people are stopped by Du Wei by bribery. If the four thousand people are swaying all the way to the northwest, some will not give the regent's face too much. This kind of thing, everyone is unaware of it.

The Knights of Roberts, with two hundred garrison troops, commanded the rebel army of 4,000 to quickly march, not taking the road, turning the path, and going to the territory first. Don't worry about the supply along the way. There are Du Wei's official documents, and the local garrison government along the way will provide food.

Du Wei, he has to move slowly. Before reaching the territory, Du Wei is going to make a general investigation of the situation in the whole northwest. A lot of things, it’s one thing to hear, but it’s another thing to experience it personally and see it with your own eyes.

Mulan City, the capital of Nurin Province, is not a big city if it is placed in the bustling central or southern part of the mainland. The size of the population of more than 100,000. At most, it can only be regarded as second-rate. But in the northwest, it is already the most prosperous place in the province of Nurin.

This is the last big city in the northwest region. The caravans from the south, the caravans returning from the northwest, will meet here. A variety of rare goods trafficked from the southeastern continent, as well as cattle and sheep or leather goods merchants who have been transported from the northwest grasslands in the desert, will also stay here.

The carriage was just near the outskirts of Mulan City, and Du Wei had opened the window. Enjoy the view from the window.

In the northwest, because of the geographical reasons, there is a wind season of one or two months every year. Although the Kilimaro Mountains is a natural barrier that blocks most of the wind, the annual wind season will still In the desert on the other side of the mountain, a lot of dust was coming.

The wind is big and big. This is a feature of the northwest. Therefore, the buildings here are not too high, like the architecture of the imperial capital, or the construction of towers that are more than ten meters high. There is absolutely no land.

The entire Mulan City, the tallest building. It is the wall of Mulan City. The 12-meter-high city wall is fully in line with the Imperial Army system.

Because it is a common low-rise building, the city of only 100,000 people has a small footprint.

Because the Knights of Robert have already sneaked with four thousand rebels. Responsible for leading the cavalry in front of the road, it was replaced by the leader of the five hundred garrison troops responsible for escorting Du Wei to the northwest. Although it is only a small officer of five hundred cavalry, the identity of the Guardian Army is naturally different.

In the south of Mulan City, it is the largest market here. It was originally a town outside the city, but it has become the largest trading place of the South to the North. When Du Wei’s team passed by, they immediately felt the noisy atmosphere here.

When passing the road on the road. Du Weiyuan smashed the market not far away, crowded with people, shoulder-to-shoulders, those flat-nose hairs wearing cows and sheepskins in the northwest interracial, as well as businessmen from all over the empire, riding horses, rushing herds, and those hanging Shops of all kinds of leather goods... have been disturbed. Miscellaneous.

But Du Wei has pointed his eyes at the money bags of these businessmen.

"Adult. This is the largest trading location in the northwest. Mulan City has a small population. But the annual business tax revenue is extremely objective. The northwestern land is poor and not good at producing grain, especially this Mulan City, as the Nurin Province. The capital of the country, the annual business tax revenue can be five times more than the agricultural tax!"

What he said was a handsome young man sitting next to Du Wei in the carriage. The man, named Philip, is one of the eighty disciples recommended by Blue Ocean scholars to Du Wei. Twenty-eight years old, but the appearance of life is beautiful, looks like a teenager. His surname "Philip" should be an ancient aristocratic surname on the mainland of Roland. This surname was once a famous family on the mainland before the establishment of the Roland Empire a thousand years ago. However, it fell in the mainland unified war. Today, the once prominent Philip family has long since ceased to exist.

This Philip was born as a civilian, a child of a civilian family in the southern part of the city. In the eighty disciples recommended by the Blue Ocean scholars, after a brief couple of contacts, this person immediately received the attention of Du Wei. Eager, steady, rigorous, and no shortage of urgency. It is a very capable candidate.

What makes Du Wei feel more valuable is that this Philip had traveled to the northwest with a business group when he was young. When Philip was young, he studied the customs of the mainland and was extremely fascinated. Under the encouragement of the blue sea scholars, the disciples under the blue sea door were extremely disgusted with empty talks and keen on hard work. When Philip was young, he joined a business group and acted as a book apprentice, taking a big circle in the northwest.

Originally, Du Wei did not expect that the situation in the northwest had been smashed to this point, but that day came out of the city of sin, and he felt a ridiculous absurdity about the so-called temporary provisional twenty years ago!

The war has ended for twenty years, and the wartime war zone order has not been abolished yet? Let the military in one region control the financial power of the entire region? It even replaced the material distribution rights of the Imperial Central. Can you also interfere with the administrative power of local governments at will?

This is simply ridiculous!

Is this not a complete warlord? It is no wonder that the empire has not interfered with the situation in the northwest. In fact, it is simply unable to interfere! The faintness and great joy of the old emperor Augustine VI made him not "effective" on the post-war issues in the northwest after he "winned" the Northwest War. Instead, he concentrated his energy on allowing him to continue to show off his own Wuwei. Nanyang!

The Northwest Army Corps has almost become the emperor of the Northwest Territories! Such a military group controls the Northwest. The financial revenue can be self-sufficient, and the shackles of the Imperial Central are getting smaller and smaller, and even extremely exclusive!

Do not say anything else, just said that the last time Raymond told Du Wei, there were two lords in the northwestern region who were driven out by the Northwest Army. One of them lost his life... What a arrogance? !

The military and political powers are all in their hands. Who are the Northwest Army still afraid of? !

After learning about these things, Du Wei immediately found Philip, a disciple who was familiar with the blue ocean in the northwest. Along the way, Philippe stayed in Duwei's carriage and Du Wei introduced what he knew about the northwest. Du Weiyue heard the back, the more shocked! I can't help but regret it. I didn't talk to Philip earlier.

"The Governor's Office of Nurin Province is located in Mulan City. The current Governor is Bohan, the Baron, and the Northerners. This guy also has a bit of background. He once served as the chief financial officer of the province in the South, and later relied on The political achievements have risen. I used to work in the Financial Department when I was in the Imperial Capital. I have no doubt that this guy is a bit of a skill. And the Imperial Central’s placement of him in the northwest also shows that the Imperial Central’s northwestern army is in the northwest. Control has caused some vigilance, the Baron Bohn is sent to restore the authority of the central government. He has done a good job in recent years. But this place in the northwest is not the South, he is a good financial manager. Yes, but the military has been a little bit worse. So when facing the Northwest Army, his waist has been unable to harden. The Northwest Army is dead and dead, and the so-called wartime rules that were 20 years ago are not loose. According to that order, the Northwest Army has the power to interfere with the local finances in the entire northwest. Every year, the local fiscal revenue must be drawn out and not handed over to the Imperial Finance Department. It is handed over to the Northwest Army and acts as a military material in the theater. Financial self-sufficiency is only one of them, and another situation that makes people helpless is: According to the temporary regulations, in the theater, the command of the Northwest Army has the power to meet the needs of the war. Temporarily appointed some officers to serve as the chief of the theater, have the power to control the local government! It is also called the 'military government.' In this way, even some local governments have been vacated by the Northwest Army."

Du Wei frowned: "So, in the northwest. No one can control the warlords of the Northwest Army?"

"There is still." Philip thought for a moment. He was very careful in wording, after all, with his current status. It’s just a civilian. When I talk about these big-handed amnesties, I still don’t dare to be too sharp: “When I came to the northwest a few years ago, I felt that the situation in the northwest region had already reached a peak, when I even ...... Well, I feel privately that if the Imperial Central Government does not make anything, I am afraid that in less than five years, the Northwest will become the country of the country. Here, the administrative documents of the Empire are far less authoritative than the Northwest Army. Military order. This is a terrible thing, but in recent years, I am curious that the situation in the northwest has gradually calmed down. It has to be said that this is the Governor of the Nurin Province, the Baron of Bohn. The credit."

"Oh?" Du Wei secretly noticed and asked: "Talk to me about the Baron Bohn."

"Fairly, adults, I really admire him." Philip, the handsome young man's face, did not hide his adoration: "I even think that the Baron Bourne is the best in the Empire for nearly two decades. The job is done! When he came to the northwest, the situation here was far worse than it is now!"

As he said, Philip suddenly took out a thin booklet from his pocket and smiled. "When the teacher asked us to follow the adults, I was already at home, and I have been with me for years. Some of the views and understandings of the situation in the northwest are written above, and many of them are the decrees of the Bohan adults I recorded. If you look closely, you will find it very interesting."

Although the Northwest Army is dominated by the Northwest, they still have one of the biggest weaknesses!

food!

The northwest is not a grain-producing region. The grain output here is very low. Every year, the two provinces in the northwest rely on purchasing food from other provinces in the mainland to meet local demand. To feed a legion of nearly 200,000 people, the food needed is not something that the Northwest Territories can satisfy.

Therefore, the annual military food. It is necessary to buy from the south of the empire... Food has become an important means for the central government to bind the Northwest Army.

And the Baron Bourne, also caught this!

There was a big weakness in the temporary order of that year, which was seized by the keen Baron of Bohn, that is, the provisions of the regulations, the Northwest Army can intercept the financial income of the local government in the northwest to supplement the military capital, but ... is limited to Agricultural income!

"This order has a strong era, the era of the order. The northwest interracial rebellion continues, where is there any commercial tax? There are not many businessmen willing to risk their lives to do business in the northwest, even though the northwestern alien cattle and horses are It was a tight cargo. At that time, the northwest was poorer than it is now. The annual fiscal revenue is mostly agricultural tax, and the wartime order is derived on this basis. That is... after the decree was issued, the place The new other aspects of the government’s taxation, the Northwest Army can not intervene! This is a very critical issue."

Said. Philip opened his book and turned to one of the pages. He smiled and said: "Adult, look, this is my statistics. According to the official statistics of the Imperial Finance Agency, oh, these data are published annually from the official. The data was copied and written, although the official newspaper’s figures have always been hydrated, but there is also a certain reference."

“Before Baron Bourne took office, the annual revenue of the Nurin Province was 3.8 million gold coins, of which the agricultural tax accounted for 2.4 million gold coins. This is a big proportion. But look at the back. After the Baron Bourne took office, in the following three years, the agricultural tax of the Nurin Province began to decrease, dropping to 2.2 million in the first year and 1.8 million in the second year. Suddenly it fell to 1.2 million! Only the original half! What does this mean?"

Du Wei’s eyes flashed: “The Baron of Bohan wants to ‘starve to death’ these northwestern troops.”

Philip smiled: "Adult, the word 'starving' is very accurate. In fact, after the Baron Bourne took office, the whole grain of the province of Nurin began to cut production! He passed a series of administrative orders... these orders Very good, as a good administrative officer, he is much better at this aspect than the military guys. The guys in the military were blinded by him at the beginning. They were not in the heart. The result was when the decree came into play. The grain in the northwestern region has been reduced a lot! The grain is the biggest killer of the northwestern military. The northwestern army relies on the purchase of food to survive every year! And as the output of grain decreases, the northwestern army relies on the central government. The stronger it is! This is a weakening means, although some...but it works."

"Of course, if the grain output is reduced and the agriculture is abandoned, the Northwest Army will be weakened, but the civilian life in the northwest will become more and more difficult. In this respect, Baron Bohn is doing very well. He is vigorously developing business, The annual tax revenue of businesses has risen steadily, and now the financial revenue of the province of Nurin is higher than that of Baron Bourne before he took office."

"Of course, the Northwest Army is not without its own methods. At least in terms of military power, they have been firmly suppressing the Baron of Bourne. The local garrison in the northwest region is in the command of the Governor of Bohan, but in According to the wartime regulations, they are distributed by the Northwest Army. Therefore, the equipment of the local garrison in the entire northwest region is very backward, and the materials are often delayed. The local garrison has low combat power, and there is no way for the Baron Bohn. Although he has money in his hands, he can't spend money to supplement the army himself, because it is against the imperial decree! The northwestern army is very smart and has been firmly staring at the Baron of Bohn, if he dares to act rashly, I will report him on charges of interfering with military affairs. However, I have reason to suspect that Governor Bohan has also made some secrets in his secrets. At least I know that in the Mulan City, the garrison is very well equipped and the daily training is also Very formal."

"Overall, the current situation in the northwest is that the Governor of Bohan alone is the only one to support the overall situation and the Northwest Army. The Governor of Bohan is pressing the Northwest Army on the grain, while the Northwest Army is pressing on the military. Governor of Bohan. The two sides have been confronted for several years. At present, in general, the Northwest Army has the upper hand. However, the biggest trump card in the hands of the Northwest Army is the wartime order of 20 years ago."

At the end of the day, Philip couldn't help but complain: "Adults, this order is the biggest reliance of the Northwest Army. A wartime order 20 years ago has been used today. It must be said that it is a ridiculous thing. ”

"But this order, the Imperial Central has been unable to cancel, right?" Du Wei sighed.

"Not bad." Philip nodded. He turned to another page: "Look, this is the record I made. The annual military exercise of the Northwest Army is very strict. This has to be said to be a act of showing off force. I want to see it. Come, the empire wants to eradicate the bane of the northwest. This weakening policy of Baron Bohn is difficult to accomplish this task, because even if it is weakened, the military power is still in the hands of others, and he has no choice. Unless..."

Having said that, Philip did not dare to continue.

Du Wei did not shy away from it, faintly said: "Unless the Imperial Central can have a courage... fight a civil war!"

Philip fluttered and looked at the young Duke in front of him. The young aristocrats also had the tenderness of the youngsters, but the cold light in the eyes and the sneer in the corner of the mouth, where is there any trace of childishness?

"Big, adults..." Philippe barely smiled: "This can't be said casually."

"Oh." Du Wei smiled and shook his head: "You can only talk about it. With the current national strength of the empire, can you support a civil war!"

Philip’s eyes glanced, and he knew very well that Du Wei said it was the truth!

In order to completely eradicate the chaos in the northwest, there is no means of thunder, and only by weakening and restraining, we can barely maintain a balance. If you want to eradicate, you must be willing to pay a certain price!

It’s just the price... Can the empire be affordable now?

Thinking of this, Philip couldn't help but look at the Duke's adult. Frankly, when the teacher recommended these people to the Duke of Tulips, Philippe still had some suspicion in his heart. After all, the Duke’s adult is very famous, but his age is really hard to convince. A teenager who is not 15 years old, going to the northwestern tiger-wolf land, is not still swallowed by the warlords, and there is no residue left?

Even if he is a powerful magician! This kind of thing, the strength of the individual can not control everything!

With these days and Du Wei's deep talk, Philip more and more feel the extraordinary of the Duke. From his quiet voice, he got a complete empire emperor's corps from the big ear city. In the conversations these days, Du Wei's words revealed this temperament. It can be said that Philip has completely convinced the teacher's arrangement. This duke adult has absolutely the qualification to be effective!

However, Du Wei’s occasional grievances in his eyes and words made Philip’s heart worry.

Such a decisive juvenile, coming to the northwest, can bring stability to the northwest... Or, a big chaos? !

"Philipp." Du Wei smiled and woke up the sorcerer's aides: "Looking at the gates, I think the Governor must send someone to greet us. I really want to see that person now." You admire the Governor of Bohan."