My wife is an immortal black snake.

Page 217

For the conquering knights—

That is indeed...

A major issue that must be considered.

After all, what can you say? It's not the god-like enemies you should fear, but the pig-like teammates. And what's even more terrifying than a pig-like teammate? A superior who's even dumber than a pig.

Although most of the conquering knights felt that their commanders weren't that incompetent—on the other hand, given the commanders' remarkable achievements during the gas war—the knights, while still wanting to give them some face, did need to consider whether to appoint a more suitable person as their commander, both for the sake of Kazimierz and to ensure their own lives weren't wasted.

The answer is yes—but before fast-forwarding to that point...

"...Everyone needs to think this through... If we violate the army's rules, our best outcome will be to become one of those wounded soldiers." An elderly knight, resting his chin on his hand, spoke at the conference table. "I don't mean to belittle those wounded soldiers who are currently fighting—but you should all understand that our superiors are so strict about carrying out orders that they've reached the point where they don't even consider long-term matters. The last Nowitsky family knight who disobeyed orders to preserve the army's strength was eventually expelled and even executed... You understand, right? Even soldiers who were not at fault at the time didn't escape the punishment of the army's high command."

If we truly disobey orders from above, we must find a way out—we are all patriotic and willing to give our lives for our country, but at the very least, we cannot watch those idiots condemn our victims as prisoners and traitors! If we don't want to be condemned as traitors after our victory... I think we must make those above... understand the gravity of the situation.”

The old knight's radical words drew attention, and even the seemingly most composed long rider of the Nearl family was stunned: You're actually planning to go this far?

But on second thought, it doesn't seem like there's anything wrong with doing this: after all, if you don't go all out this time to defy your superiors, those bastards will be the ones to do it next time! So, do we really want to start this?

The vast majority of the conquering knights hesitated. After all, not everyone had the courage to defy their superiors—no matter how dissatisfied they were, they were still their superiors!

However, there will still be a small group of people who understand the bigger picture and realize that if they continue to drift along aimlessly without resisting those bastards, only a bleak ending awaits them and the country they love.

"If the commander above is an idiot, then why can't we replace him with a better one?"

A more radical statement from a knight in battle made everyone present, including Yang Hao who was squinting, look up at him: This was a young knight, full of vigor and hot-blooded, whose eyes seemed to be intolerant of even the slightest evil—a good knight indeed!

"Fool! How could we..."

Although the other knights were all cursing this arrogant brat, they all had the same thought in their hearts: Why should we let these incompetent bastards continue to shit on our heads? Why can't we choose a better person to be our leader?

A seed has been planted in their hearts.

...... ......

Meanwhile, in Ursus, Her Majesty Catherine was receiving a distinguished guest from Yan Kingdom—Princess Wei Qing, who had been implicated in the assassination attempt that led to the deaths of the innocent Koschei couple and Duke Koschei in an accident.

Princess Wei Qing was dressed in a very simple black and white outfit today. Her expression was quite ordinary, not at all like someone who should be extremely anxious after requesting an audience for several days in a row.

However, a qualified diplomat should remain composed—so after briefly remarking on the significant difference between the clothing of the Yan people and that of her own country, Her Majesty Catherine, while stroking her lower abdomen, asked Princess Wei Qing what her purpose was in coming here.

“...Actually, Great Yan hopes to deepen its exchanges with Ursus.” Princess Wei Qing’s eyes flashed with nervousness as she spoke. She hadn’t forgotten the trouble she had caused. “Great Yan does not wish for our exchanges to be limited to…commercial exchanges. We hope to further deepen our friendship with Ursus and sign an agreement on technological exchange.”

"This is a good thing. In fact, we Ursus people do like making friends—but Princess Wei Qing? We haven't forgotten the extremely embarrassing incident that happened not long ago. Although I believe Duke Yang Hao is willing to forgive the Great Yan for its past mistakes, our people are not willing to have much interaction with the Great Yan right now."

This plan was confirmed by Her Majesty Catherine last night after her conversation with Duke Kosiché, and again this morning after a phone call with the Duke who was at work: they would use the "favor" that Princess Wei Qing and Da Yan owed to Ursus to make Da Yan and Ursus "friends" forever—perhaps by binding them together with mutual interests to form a "you can't live without me" relationship, or perhaps something even more. In short, Ursus needed a powerful ally to get through the difficult days ahead, and Da Yan perfectly fit their needs.

Even if they were to become allies... Her Majesty Ekaterina still needed to find a way to extract more favorable contracts from the Great Yan Dynasty for Ursus.

That day's "accident" was a perfect reason...

"...terribly sorry."

“Princess Wei Qing, as a daughter of the Emperor of Great Yan, you should also understand that this is not a diplomatic matter that can be resolved with an apology. We are willing to admit that this was an accident, but our people are not, especially the people of Duke Kosiché. They are filled with grief and indignation over the loss of their lord and are clamoring for Great Yan to pay the price—we do not want to see that happen. But at the very least, Great Yan needs to make a statement on this matter.”

"...Yes. The Great Yan is willing to issue a public apology for the accident last time and is willing to provide Duke Yang Hao with sufficient compensation—but Duke Yang Hao is currently away on campaign, and we simply cannot..."

"hehe."

Her Majesty Catherine looked at Princess Wei Qing, who was already somewhat nervous and uneasy as she explained something, and her smile widened.

Chapter 110

Princess Wei Qing was indeed prepared to face pressure from the Ursus Empire. However, her preparations may not have been sufficient, so now, facing the issue of public reparations, she found it far too thorny...

On the one hand, if a public apology and compensation were to be made, Mr. Yang Hao would at least need to be in Ursus—but he has already gone to Kazimierz to avenge his wife. Even if Princess Wei Qing has made the necessary preparations, she cannot send her apology and compensation there.

This is not a diplomatic matter that can be handled by ordinary people simply by having their servants keep it while the other party is away. Diplomacy between countries is generally public, especially in situations like this where an apology is being expressed... So right now, Princess Wei Qing really has no way to handle this matter: at least not until Mr. Yang Hao returns.

On the other hand, the pressure from within the country increased Princess Wei Qing's burden.

That was pressure from her father, the current Emperor of Yan. He demanded that his daughter take responsibility for her mistakes, while also trying to deepen the relationship between Ursus and Great Yan as much as possible—but that was just too difficult.

For the Ursus people, it's like one second the arrival of the Yan people caused the death of one of our dukes, and then you shamelessly demand to deepen our relationship. Is that acceptable? Definitely not!

For Princess Wei Qing, it was a situation where one second Duke Kosiché died because of her, and the next second she had to make even higher demands on her before resolving this diplomatic incident... While Princess Wei Qing would definitely accept them, whether she could actually do them was another matter entirely.

Ugh!

She sighed inwardly. How many resources did she have at her disposal to devote to this difficult negotiation?

Yes, but not much. The domestic compensation in terms of gold and essential resources can only satisfy a portion of Ursus's needs, and the diplomatic support from Great Yan can at best only bring the already tilted scales back to equilibrium—but what if Great Yan wants to gain more?

Princess Wei Qing hesitated for a long time, then gritted her teeth and said: "The only resources I can utilize are myself!"

Throughout history, the children of kings and generals, especially girls, have been used as political resources—Princess Wei Qing was well aware of this, so she had no objection to being used as a political bargaining chip. The only problem was, even if she was willing to put herself on the table for reparations, how much could she possibly change the situation?

Princess Wei Qing pondered for a long time. If she were to marry into Ursus, considering the dowry from Great Yan and the fact that the two countries would become in-laws and maintain an alliance until her death... she had already given enough. If she also considered the compensation she had to pay before... she should be able to get even more from Ursus.

The only problem is that this isn't a major deal that she can negotiate on her own—even if Princess Wei Qing is willing, if Mr. Yang Hao isn't, then she can't use this bargaining chip at all!

So what should she do? She has to admit that marrying a man she thinks is alright is better than marrying a complete stranger, but how can she get him to agree before that happens?

Princess Wei Qing thought of her cell phone.

"...I understand, Your Majesty—then I will return now. When I come again next time, I will provide you with a detailed list of the compensation we can offer."

Let's leave it at that for today.

I need to figure out a way... to build a good relationship with Mr. Yang Hao first.

Princess Wei Qing had an idea.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Her Majesty Catherine suddenly felt a sense of foreboding...

...... ......

The Grand Knights of Kazimierz—the conquering knights—have reached a conclusion.

They will outwardly continue to obey their commander's orders, but if their commander issues inappropriate orders, or if they are unable to fulfill their command duties for various reasons, they will leave the command structure of the War Knights and find their own way to serve their country independently.

So in a sense, Yang Hao's purpose for this trip was achieved. After the meeting, both sides shook hands to celebrate the consensus reached. Afterwards, Yang Hao led his men away from the Grand Knights' camp. On the way back to his landship, he said to Sonia, who was beside him:

"It seems we don't need to worry about the military operation in two or three days—but speaking of which, Sonia, I actually had a question I wanted to ask you..."

What is the problem?

"Well—aren't I going to Kazdel anyway?"

"Yes."

"But Hela has to go home, and officially, our landships can't linger in Kazimierz, nor can they go directly back to Ursus..."

"So?" Sonia's mother tilted her head, looking at Yang Hao with some confusion: she didn't quite understand what this question had to do with her.

"Well—if things really don't work out, I might need your help to take Hela back, right? After all, you see—"

"No."

Yang Hao was flicked on the forehead by Sonia's mother. He chuckled dryly, realizing that his plan had obviously failed.

Why would Yang Hao want Sonia to take Hela back? On one hand, when Theresa stays in Kazimierz and the landship heads to Kazdel, Yang Hao needs someone trustworthy to take Hela home and care for her properly... Considering this, the only person Mr. Yang Hao can trust is Sonia.

On the other hand, Yang Hao really wanted some... [rest] space lately. Sonia snuggled up to him every night when they slept; who could stand that? Of course, if he won this bet, maybe Yang Hao could tolerate it later, but right now he genuinely wanted some rest...

And there's an even more important reason—he's heading to Kazdel this time.

A place closest to the ruins of the Gallic Empire, the closest place to that psychic being.

He wasn't sure if something serious would happen if Sonia, as a targeted deep-sea hunter, got too close to the ruins of the Gallic Empire.

He had to do everything he could to avoid anything bad happening to Sonia, and if necessary, it would be necessary to find an excuse to send Sonia home first.

It seems that Sonia will definitely not agree to his plan. Since she is unwilling to leave, should I find something that can minimize the influence of psychic energy and then give it to her?

Yang Hao was seriously considering the question—then his phone started buzzing in his pocket.

Chapter 111

Yang Hao's phone kept buzzing in his pocket, which puzzled him greatly. After all, he didn't know who was calling him, nor was he sure what important matter it could be if it was Kosichelle or the others. In any case, after getting into the car, Yang Hao signaled the driver to start driving, and only then did he have time to take out his phone to see what was going on.

"Ok?"

So it was Princess Wei Qing texting him! Yang Hao thoughtfully examined his phone screen, thinking that Her Majesty Catherine's diplomacy must have yielded some results, so Princess Wei Qing wanted to chat with him through their "personal relationship" and then slightly lower Her Majesty Catherine's diplomatic demands, right?

Hmm, if that's the case, then Sister Li could help... But then again...?

Princess Wei Qing?

Why are your text messages so strange?

[Honorable Mr. Yang Hao]

I wonder how the fighting is going in Kazimir?

I have always felt guilty about what happened before. I hoped to offer you a public apology and compensation upon your return, but I think that would not be enough to soothe your wounded heart, nor would it bring joy to Miss Green, who has passed away.

Perhaps we can talk about what will happen next.

However, we can only do this after you return. So could you please let me know before you come back?

"Um..."

At first glance, this seems quite ordinary: a guilty young girl offering comfort to the person she hurt, and rambling incoherently in a state of anxiety, wanting to make amends but having nowhere to do so... right?

But for some reason, Yang Hao felt something was off...

Think about it carefully. This kind of diplomatic incident between countries was already almost over. Why did you, Princess Wei Qing, bring up the matter of the Duke of Kosiché—Miss Green, who is already dead in the eyes of the people?

If Miss Green is really dead, and if Yang Hao didn't have any plans with Kosiché, then you suddenly mention my wife who died because of you in front of me... This is really difficult to handle.

But—this doesn't seem like something deliberately brought up to disgust, satirize, or even humiliate me... Princess Wei Qing seems genuinely interested in giving me a satisfactory "compensation," doesn't she?

"It feels really strange..."

"Mr. Yang Hao?"

"No, it's nothing... just some things at home... oh dear."

But is it really necessary for us to discuss the compensation details directly to reach a conclusion? Yang Hao has serious doubts about this!

Princess Wei Qing, are you planning to take this opportunity to do something to me? He smacked his lips, pondered for a moment, and then replied to Princess Wei Qing with the following text message:

【Honorable Princess Wei Qing】

I probably won't be returning to China anytime soon. After the war with Colombia ends, I need to visit Ms. Therese's company in the Kazdel region at her invitation. If all goes well, I should be back in China early next year.

And regarding Green, I'm no longer too concerned. Continuing to mourn at this point is pointless; all I can do is continue to strive for her aspirations. That's all for now. I'll remind you before I go back, and we can talk about it then.

The art of language—Yang Hao subtly cultivated an image of a devoted husband willing to sacrifice his personal feelings for his deceased son's grand ambition, while also subtly reminding Princess Wei Qing of his busy schedule. He hoped that Princess Wei Qing, considering his predicament, would offer him more benefits.

Okay, that's it!

He put down his phone, lay back in his chair, and began to think about the upcoming war and the plans for Margarita and the others after their return.

... .....

And the other side.

He has returned to his embassy and is in his room.

Princess Wei Qing looked at the text message Mr. Yang Hao had sent her on her phone and fell into deep thought.

"...Kazdel? Ms. Therese? If I remember correctly, that's...the founder of Umbrella Security?"

She frowned and muttered to herself, realizing that this might be a formidable opponent.

The intelligence department of Yan Kingdom provided Princess Wei Qing with many conveniences. One of them was that Princess Wei Qing was also aware of some of Mr. Yang Hao's personal connections—which naturally included the Umbrella Security Company, registered in the Duchy of Kosiché and headquartered in the Kazdel region.

According to information from the Great Yan intelligence department, the founder of that security company, Ms. Therese, is actually likely a member of the Kazdel royal family or a noble race. She has an ambiguous relationship with Mr. Yang Hao, but considering his support for her without interference, and the fact that Ms. Therese's company is governing the Kazdel region based on the policies of the Duke of Koschie, Princess Wei Qing speculates that they likely have a teacher-student relationship—Mr. Yang Hao is the teacher, and Ms. Therese is the student.

Their relationship was likely closer than they imagined. And Ms. Therese was indeed shrewd; shortly after the company's founding, she secured investment and support from all neighboring countries except for those in Casimir and Colombia, thus achieving a suitable position of neutrality in diplomatic circles...

She was a smart woman, and naturally, this clever Sarkaz woman should know what it really meant for Mr. Yang Hao to lose his wife... For the vast majority of nobles, it meant an opportunity. Whoever could win Mr. Yang Hao's favor would gain the support of the current Duchy of Kosiché—although Princess Wei Qing felt that the newly appointed Duke of Feldia Kosiché was probably also interested in Mr. Yang Hao, her threat was probably not as strong as that of this Lady Therese.

"After all, the newly appointed Duke of Kosichä, though she seems a bit strange, always carrying around a rag doll... I think she should be a person who cares about her reputation and is well-mannered—that Lady Therese is clearly shameless... not long after Mr. Yang Hao lost his wife, in the midst of seeking revenge, she actually invited him to her territory as a guest... a single Sarkaz, a widower... good heavens, I can only imagine the chaotic scene that will unfold..."

Ms. Therese is a Sarkaz. Sarkaz—well, Princess Wei Qing doesn't mean to look down on Sarkaz, but frankly, this Sarkaz doesn't look like a good person at all.

...I need to think of a solution myself.

She gritted her teeth and decided that if all else failed, she might have to be more radical.