"This doesn't make sense!" Archbishop Milomon's eyes widened. "You're just a baron. There are viscounts, earls, marquises, and then grand dukes. Wouldn't your lord be annoyed if the grand duke came to rob you like this? Aren't their claws stretching too far? "
"… Our territory of Keane is directly under the Grand Duke," Crick sighed. "Although the surrounding area is Earl Horhak's territory, this is the only place that is not. Probably when it was established, an enclave was specially arranged to prevent this area from being completely controlled by Earl Horhak. "
"Since the surrounding area is Earl Horhak's territory, the people who suffer from the disaster are also Earl Horhak's people. Even if someone comes to ask for food, it should be Earl Horhak who sends someone."
"Just looking for an excuse." Crick continued to sigh.
"How shameless!" Milomon understood, shook his head, and said, "I can't do anything about this. We orcs have never done this before."
"Didn't we just go to war according to the Grand Duke's order the winter before last?" Knight Howard James frowned and said, "Even if vassals should be loyal to their lord, my lord, you personally led the troops to participate in the battle of 'Sun's Death Day', and the army of our territory of Keane suffered heavy losses. Even my lord was almost killed on the battlefield. Isn't that enough?"
"So this letter is very sincere. It says that it's not His Majesty the Grand Duke who needs food, but those affected territories need food." Crick sneered and said, "His Majesty the Grand Duke has a very good brain!"
"Didn't we also have a good harvest last year? Why did he suddenly ask for food this year when he didn't ask for it last year?" Knight Charles Auth asked, puzzled.
"Last year's harvest was not obvious," Crick said. "Last year, except for a few experimental fields that used fertilizer, most of the fields adopted new farming techniques, but the increase in harvest was limited. The total harvest increased by about 20%. To be honest, this level of harvest is not particularly conspicuous. But this year is different. Because of the comprehensive promotion of fertilization and new agriculture, this year's harvest has skyrocketed. Although the statistical results are not fully out yet, based on the current statistical situation, this year's total harvest may be … nearly four times that of previous years. "
When Crick said this, the entire conference room fell into a shocking silence.
After a few seconds, Reina could not help but ask, "My lord, are you sure?"
"You're right."
"… No wonder!" The patrol captain of Keane City, Reid, sighed deeply. "If it were me, I would also be jealous!"
"But our neighbor, the Earl of * * *, is not jealous," Butler Leighton said.
"Perhaps he's also envious. It's just that he didn't act as quickly as our Grand Duke." Intelligence officer Lafleur said faintly, "He has held several high-level meetings during this period of time. Maybe he discussed the matter of taking advantage of us in the meetings."
Crick's face immediately darkened. The tiger at the front door had not been chased away, but the wolf's howl could already be heard at the back door.
What could be worse than bad news? That was two pieces of bad news!
"But fortunately, Count Horhak hasn't made a move yet, so we still have a chance to turn things around." "But the Grand Duke's order has come. This is a difficult problem that must be solved immediately."
"Is there still a solution to this?" Crick sighed deeply. "That damn fatty looks like he's going to eat me. I really want to hack him to death!"
"You can't hack him to death. Don't let your imagination run wild." Although he was a priest of the God of Literature and Art, he did not do his proper work and spent all day doing research. "With the manpower in our territory, we can fight a viscount, but against the Grand Duke, we'll definitely lose."
"I'm just saying." Crick sighed dejectedly and could not help but cough twice.
"Master, you have to take care of yourself!" Butler Leighton advised worriedly. "No matter what difficulties there are, as long as you're here, our territory will have a future. Even if we suffer a loss this time, so what? In any case, we still have a good harvest, and it will continue to be a good harvest. "
Crick nodded slightly and sighed softly, acknowledging his words.
Just as Butler Leighton had said, even if they suffered a loss this time and had a large batch of food robbed, His Majesty the Grand Duke of Thunder could not come again every year!
The new agriculture of Keane was already on the right track. Perhaps next year would not be as bountiful as this year, but there would still be two to three hundred catties per mu of land. Even taking a step back, there should be at least two hundred catties per mu of land.
With such a harvest, it would be enough to support the continuous advancement of Keane. Even if they suffered a loss this year and the greedy fat Grand Duke took away a large batch of food, he would not be able to find an excuse to ask for it next year …
"Hehe, that's a little naive!" Archbishop Milomon said with a sneer. "I don't know if you've ever seen a pack of wolves hunting on the grasslands. Ordinary packs of wolves will only chase and attack smaller packs of beasts, capturing the old, the sick, and the disabled. But those especially powerful packs of wolves will choose the stronger beasts and follow them from afar. Each time, they will hunt a little, just like herding. "
His round eyes narrowed and glowed with a sinister light. "As long as we get the benefits this time and taste the sweetness, there will definitely be a next time next year, and from then on, it will continue and become a routine."
The people of Keane fell into silence. Although they were unwilling to admit it, at the moment, everyone felt that what Archbishop Milomon said made sense.
"I remember the winter before last, he called on all places to send troops to support the Kingdom of Eagle. At that time, at least four Earls ignored him." Intelligence Officer Lafleur recalled and said slowly, "Nothing seemed to happen after that. It was left unsettled."
"Those are the Earls," Butler Leighton hurriedly advised. "The power of the Earls is not something we can compare with. Even the Lord Duke would not dare to really fall out with the great nobles over such a small matter. But we are not great nobles! "
As he said, Keane was not a great noble and lacked the confidence to go head-to-head with the Grand Duke.
The Duchy of Thunder was founded by a knight who was conferred by Master Ymir Lamperus, the "Supreme Wizard." Because there was a monarch above him, the knight did not later call himself a king. Instead, he honored Lamperus as king and called himself the Grand Duke of Thunder.
At present, the nobles of the Duchy of Thunder were divided into seven classes. The highest was the king — the Grand Duke of Thunder himself. In theory, he was the master of the entire Duchy of Thunder, but in reality, apart from the direct territories and territories, the lords of the other territories were all great nobles. He was just the leader of those great nobles.
The second class were the three Marquises. They were respectively held by the Queen's brother, the most valued of the princes, and the Grand Marshal of the Duchy. The Marquises did not have fiefdoms. They were the close officials of His Majesty the Grand Duke. Their power and status came from the trust and grant of His Majesty the Grand Duke.
The Marquises were the Earls. They were the descendants of the companions who had pioneered the territory with the first Grand Duke. The first Grand Duke was not the only subordinate of Master Lamperus. There were several others whose status was close to his. Later, when the country was founded, the first Grand Duke made them fiefdoms and conferred them the title of Earl. The Earl was the supreme ruler of a territory. Even the Grand Duke had no right to tell him what to do with his territory. In fact, from the development of the Duchy of Thunder to the present, with the prosperity of the various Earls, the Grand Duke's control over the entire country was declining.
The fourth class were the Viscounts. The Viscounts were the nobles with more fiefdoms and greater power. Some of the more powerful Viscounts had Barons under their command, while others only had Knights. The Grand Dukes and the Earls all had Viscounts under their command. They were respectively conferred by the Lord and pledged loyalty to the Lord. Although they had relatively greater power in their own territories, the Lord's orders still took precedence.
The fifth class was the Baron. The Keene Territory was a Baron Territory. The Baron was the lowest class among the "nobles with cities." Every Baron had their own Lord, and some even had several layers of Lords. But most of them still had Knights and Quasi-Knights under their command. They were not as good as the Barons, but they were better than the Barons.
The sixth class was the Knight. The seventh class was the Quasi-Knight. The difference was whether or not they had a fiefdom. The Knight had his own fiefdom, while the Quasi-Knight could only receive a salary from the Lord. Moreover, the Knight's fiefdom could be inherited along with the family name. Quasi-Knights were not. Unless their children were conferred, their title could only be enjoyed by themselves and could not be passed on to their descendants. So they often did not have a family name.
There were currently two knights in the Duchy of Keane, namely the Knight of Owens and the Knight of James. The current Knight of Owens was Charles Owens, who inherited the title, territory, and glorious name from his father, Devore Owens, while the father of the Knight of Howard James was Nain James, a close friend of the old Baron Keane.
The system of the seventh-class nobles was orderly. If one wanted to challenge this system, one needed not only great courage, but also great strength.
Obviously, the current Baron Keene Territory did not have this strength. Otherwise, Crick would have beaten the messenger out of the door.
After a discussion, everyone felt that there seemed to be no other way but to admit defeat and send the food.
Just as Crick sighed and was about to end the meeting, Archbishop Miloman's eyes suddenly flashed with a cold light. He leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Lord Baron, why don't we kill the messenger and pretend that we didn't receive the news? What do you think? "
Crick's eyes lit up and he thought about it carefully.
Although this idea was a bit unconventional, it was not impossible. After all, the Keene Territory was far away. Even if His Majesty the Grand Duke wanted to send troops to suppress them, Earl Horhak would not agree. In that case, they might as well do something big!
As long as they did it cleanly, there would be no evidence. They could insist that they did not receive the news from the capital, and of course, nothing happened.
And when His Majesty the Grand Duke found out and sent another messenger, it would be at least a month later.
Taking advantage of this time, there was absolutely time to deal with this batch of food. At that time, even if His Majesty the Grand Duke wanted to snatch it, there would be no food for him to snatch!
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