Chapter 177

"How did saying that make her a true queen?" Xiao E Mo didn't know whether Mo Er Meng truly didn't understand, or if he just wanted to hear his analysis.

"Of course it's because the words contain the power of the dragon," Ti Li Ang laughed loudly, "These words will sooner or later spread across the world, deepening the conflict between slave masters and slaves. Ha, how wonderful, a single sentence can make every slave restless, make every slave master tremble with fear, and keep all slave-holding city-states in a state of panic and turmoil until the Dragon Queen is completely overthrown." His laugh made Mo Er Meng glance sideways, "That's why I can convince the mercenary corps to defect," he lowered his voice, "or perhaps the slave soldiers aren't necessarily so."

"We are still serving the consul of Wa Lan Ti Si, and still serving the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary army, Ma La Zi Ao Ge Mei Ya."

"Putting his head at the queen's feet is true service." That's what you have in mind.

"Although everyone seems to think that, I don't want Lord Ma La Zi Ao to know."

"Of course, he doesn't want his own head separated from his neck," he joked, "Your queen is so charming, why aren't you happy? With your gloomy appearance, I sometimes wonder if you are truly ready to pledge allegiance to her again."

Again, silence.

"Sir Qiao La, you must be worried that she defeated the alliance too easily, so you cannot earn merit and gain his forgiveness, right?"

"You're mistaken." He said indifferently.

"Oh, I was wrong, she is just as timid and warm-hearted, full of compassion as I imagined; that must be my mistake; she lacks the ability to handle complex situations, always passively defending and panicking in response, which is why the Minister of Trade sent me here; that was Illyrio and I both being mistaken; hehe, but will she forgive you for such a trivial contribution? On this point, I will certainly not be mistaken." He looked with satisfaction at Sir Qiao La's frost-covered face, "She exterminated the nobles because of a ludicrous assassination, and sparked war because of an assassination long past, wanting such people to forgive treasonous acts—you certainly need great merit! Ah, I'll say this first: a dwarf's head is far from enough, even if alive and able to speak, it would still fall short, moreover, this dwarf is missing half his nose, ugly in appearance."

"I won't send Commander Ma La Zi Ao's head to her; at least, I won't do so while fighting under his command. This is your first mistake."

"Why?" He began to wonder.

"I will never betray." He pressed his lips, speaking with difficulty, "Unless I personally see Ma La Zi Ao declare his stance to him, or he clearly sees me raise the three-headed dragon banner, before that, I belong to him, fighting for him."

"You damn it, you haven't taken the gold he gave you." "Why?" He intensified his tone, "If the timing of your defection is wrong, I think the first head the Dragon Queen will hang up will be yours, Qiao La Mo Er Meng."

"Honor, something you kin-slayers will never understand." His voice hoarse and low, Xiao E Mo practically wanted to pull out his throat and wash it.

Ha, even that damned slave trader dares to speak of honor in front of him!

He hated the thought, but dared not say it out loud.

"Then I can only ask you, when fighting for honor, please don't drag me along," Ti Li Ang looked around, making sure no one could hear their conversation, "These mercenaries chose you as captain not to have you lead them to die, to die for slave masters, but for victory, ah, for women, for gold! Damn it, not for that damned honor!" He felt like he wanted to hate that foolish-headed sir to death.

"There's nothing to say with someone like you, a kin-slayer." He said indifferently.

"What is my second mistake?" Ti Li Ang nearly fainted from anger; this teddy bear certainly felt the hurt of the kin-slayer label on him... He regretted not having shown delight, as if praised, when he first heard the term, which is now being used as a weapon against him.

He had to admit, this label hurt him; he needed to learn to familiarize himself with it. To that end, he took two deep breaths, pretending he had already flung this unhappy label far away.

"That sentence certainly has power, but it also catches potential allies off guard." He said, "That's your second mistake."

"What potential allies? What caught off guard?" Ti Li Ang didn't wait for the follow-up question, thus he pursued.

"These words might change the attitudes of those potential allies, and they are not all 'wise.' For example, the seaside widow, the butchers' guild, the performers' guild, and the Red Temple in Wa Lan Ti Si—I guess they mostly support the queen, but they also simultaneously hold large numbers of slaves; I don't know whether, after learning of this saying, they can still steadfastly support her. The seaside widow was originally a slave, so it may not be easy to change her viewpoint; this is still a rough deduction, just as hard as guessing whether you no longer care about your family—but the butchers' guild and the performers' guild are different: without slaves, their own businesses would also collapse; other organizations I don't yet know about are likely the same situation. As for the Red Temple, they prematurely supported Daenerys; this might be to respond to the elephant faction, reduce war; if the queen truly decides to take their foundation—that city and slave production—as enemies, it's hard to say whether she could still gain the Red Temple's support."

"Potential, maybe, perhaps, hard to say—that's the color of an unwise counselor." Ti Li Ang snorted after hearing it, mocking, "Nothing is certain; discovering problems, identifying the crux, solving problems—that's what rulers and their advisors should do." Rather than his random guessing and losing focus.

"Interests determine one's stance, and stance determines whose bed one sleeps in—this is an unshakable truth; their interests lie in Wa Lan Ti Si, so they can only sleep in the slave masters' beds."

"If so, the queen labeling them all as enemies—what's wrong with that? She might lose some guilds, some widows, but she will win over the slaves who make up over half the population."

Sir Qiao La stood on the high slope, gazing far at the city, as if looking at a long-lost lover, not taking his words to heart at all.

"Victory on the battlefield will ultimately rely on the army. Wa Lan Ti Si's Tiger Cloak Army is composed of slaves; among them, many follow La He Luo, so the Red Temple can thus exert influence over them. If the Red Temple has slept in the slave masters' beds, can the Tiger Cloak Army still be won over? If your ability is merely to persuade a mercenary band like the Windblown Troop that has no scruples, what value is there?"

Just don't let them sleep in my bed.

At this moment, Ti Li Ang gave Qiao La Mo Er Meng a serious look, feeling as if he had underestimated this northern ruffian who had roamed the Eastern Continent for many years.

This teddy bear had long stopped putting the mercenary band and the Yuan Kai slave masters' army in his eyes; he had already been scheming about Wa Lan Ti Si's Tiger Cloak Army, and thinking of this, he felt he had already tasted a hint of defeat.

If muscular men also had brains to match, where would there be any chance for a shorty to earn a castle?

I said before, I can also try to persuade the slave soldiers.

You can try many things, but failure has no meaning.

"Hey, then I'll guarantee to you that I can definitely persuade the Tiger Cloak Army to present the Queen with the biggest gift; maybe I can even send up the Commander-in-Chief Malarazio Gumeiya together, eh. At that time, Sir, you must not act impulsively, otherwise the slaves, in their impulsiveness, might mistake you for an enemy and send you up together, which would be no good."

"If you have this ability, I couldn't ask for more." Sweat dripped from his forehead; he finally decided to walk down from the high hill and return, as if completing a routine task. His solemn expression lacking humor made people think he was a completely boring jerk. "This afternoon we will, according to Malarazio's orders, relocate the camp and guard the northern flank of the Tiger Cloak Army. You have one afternoon to sneak into the Tiger Cloak Army and try to persuade them with your tongue."

"Why place it on the north side?"

"It is closest to the Sikazhadan River; if the Milin army launches a surprise attack, that place would likely be hit first."

"This is really good." This is the fate of the small mercenary band, being stationed at the most forward and dangerous position.

"Indeed, that's right. It's upstream of the moat, so you probably don't have to worry about the Queen throwing corpses into the river." He mounted his warhorse, "If the news leaks out while you're persuading them, I won't acknowledge you as a member of the picnic team, and your records will cease to exist." He sighed and said, "From now on, nobody will care about you, nobody will concern themselves with you; your deeds will have ended the moment you leave the Prime Minister's Tower, and in fact, you have been dead since that time."

"Then I certainly cannot die." He felt like crying; if he died at this moment, the world would indeed have no trace of his existence, and all that would remain in the world would be another little monkey who killed his parents and his ruler, a topic for people's gossip.

"Although the northern flank will be attacked first, it is also the easiest to establish contact with the Milin." The warhorse neighed once, as if complaining about the cruel weather.

"What do you mean by this?" he burst out laughing, "You, this inside-out traitor!"

"You have a third mistake," he said as he spurred his horse, "I can earn her forgiveness before achieving merit. If you can still return safely, you will have the chance to see the Dragon's Master."

After he finished speaking, he mounted his horse and left, returning to the camp, leaving behind a long trail of dust and the lonely sound of hooves.

The Dragon's Master, he was momentarily stunned.

He has crossed thousands of mountains and rivers not just for this day, for this opportunity? His wise father of a lifetime encountered the dragon‑less mad Tangeli'an, and his brother personally ended him, while he himself is about to witness with his own eyes his father, his brother, and the members of the Dragonrider family that the Lannister ancestors have never seen in a hundred‑plus years, to behold the renowned bearing of the Dragon King whose fame is sung across half the world.