"In reality, you don't represent anyone!"
* Clang! *
The door was pushed open, and Wu Ming strode in.
"My Lord!"
Amelia was so excited that she almost cried tears of joy, "You're finally back!?"
"You're William? William Wallace! "
Sisay looked at the young Wu Ming, the jealousy in his eyes almost unconcealable, "I am the Earl of Blue Mountain's envoy. You must give me an explanation for what happened today!"
"Explanation? What explanation? "
Wu Ming shook his head, "I only saw a bandit who lived in my house and received my warm hospitality, but maliciously tried to rob me of my property!"
"Amelia, tell Jorv to hang all those who don't follow the rules!"
He laughed coldly and shouted.
"You … You dare?"
Lord Sisay's face was as red as a cooked prawn, "Are you thinking of rebelling?"
"I am the Lord of this place. In my fief, I can do anything I want!"
Wu Ming replied calmly. Immediately after, he took two steps forward, and his calm aura caused Sisay's legs to weaken, causing him to directly fall into a chair.
"Also … Don't think too highly of yourself. Compared to me, who has tens of thousands of subjects and thousands of soldiers, what are you in the eyes of the Earl of Blue Mountain?"
He said in a very low voice, right next to Lord Sisay's ear.
Sisay felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss.
At this moment, he suddenly understood that the power represented by the Territory of Carros had unknowingly grown into the top power of the Wind Fireflies Plains, especially when the lion and the tiger were about to determine the victor.
In order to rope in this newly rising power, what was a Lord like him worth? Presumably, as long as Wu Ming continued to be loyal, even the Earl of Blue Mountain would be happy to hand him over to Wu Ming to deal with.
With his greatest reliance taken away, he immediately felt as if all the bones in his body had been pulled out, and he fell limply.
"Bring him back to his room. His Lordship is sick and needs to rest!"
Wu Ming waved his hand, and two guards came in, immediately carrying the clown-like Lord Sisay out.
"Also … get the bathroom to boil some hot water and prepare a sumptuous breakfast. I want to eat to my heart's content!"
Only now did a trace of exhaustion appear on his face.
The attentive Amelia immediately noticed that Sir William was covered in dust and quickly bowed, "Yes … I'll order someone to prepare!"
…
Mist rose into the air, and the pure white marble statue stood there quietly. The lines were smooth, and there was a hint of warmth in them.
Wu Ming leisurely leaned against the edge of the pool. Beside him, Amelia rolled up her sleeves and revealed her fair arms. She held a towel and did not shy away from serving him.
"Sir, your breakfast!"
The kitchen maids had prepared exquisite pastries and milk, which were placed on wooden trays, floating on the surface of the water like flowing water.
"Time is of the essence! Amelia, tell me everything about the territory! "
Wu Ming held the milk bottle in one hand and stuffed the white bread into his mouth with the other, but his voice was quite clear.
"Yes! Everything is fine in the territory, but because of the war, our goods are piling up for the first time. Also … a large number of free people and serfs have fled to our territory because they are afraid of being affected by the war … "
Amelia took a deep breath and quickly reported.
"War! This is the second battle between lions and tigers! "
Wu Ming sighed deeply, "What's the cause of this?"
"According to the Count's conscription order, it's because Viscount Garcia moved the boundary stele and occupied the sacred and inviolable territory that originally belonged to him …"
Amelia said, "But we all know the reason behind it. The Count has been recovering for many years, and can no longer hold it in."
"Currently, both sides are gathering the nobles' private soldiers, knights, mercenaries, adventurers … The number of people participating in the war is over ten thousand at the Horton Plains."
"What are the specifics?"
Wu Ming slowly asked with his eyes closed.
"The Count of the Blue Mountain has six thousand people, and Viscount Garcia … four thousand. This is the latest information!"
"Our Lord Count is still too impatient …"
Wu Ming suddenly opened his eyes, and there seemed to be a glint in them, "Has he forgotten the lesson of being defeated by Viscount Garcia despite having an advantage in numbers? If he fails again this time, even if Viscount Garcia is willing to accept peace, the ransom will definitely be doubled. "
"Thus, the Count has issued the strictest summons to his loyal vassals, saying that those who follow him will be rewarded with glory, and those who go against him will be stripped of everything after the war."
"From the fact that he sent Lord Cesar, I really don't think much of his actions!"
Wu Ming shook his head and got up, wiping off the water droplets on his body and putting on a white and soft bathrobe, "But within our territory, we're going to start mobilizing."
"Mobilizing?"
"That's right, a full-scale mobilization order!"
Wu Ming's expression was firm, while Amelia was slightly dazed.
As a knight's territory, Wu Ming had five hundred standing soldiers under his command, which was several times more than other knights, and even more than a baron.
But Amelia knew that this was far from everything.
The sweating workers in the mines, factories, and water forging workshops were all adult males who had received militia training and had strong organization and discipline. After the mobilization order was issued, they only needed to gather together and train slightly, and they would not be any worse than the regular armies of other nobles. As for their numbers, it was terrifying to the extreme.
After all, with the arable land of Karros, it was impossible to support so many farmers. Most of it was industrial, and they could easily take out thousands!
This is the difference. Although my territory is not even semi-industrialized, in terms of war potential and mobilization mechanism, I'm still miles ahead of those primitive agricultural nobles …
Wu Ming sighed softly in his heart and went to the meeting hall.
Here, Joff, his tax officer, the factory manager, the mine slave owners, and a group of confidants had already gathered. When they saw Sir William coming, they all bowed respectfully, as if they had found their backbone.
"I won't be staying in my territory for long. According to my duty, I will lead four hundred men to the Horton Plains to fulfill my duty of loyalty to my lord …"
Wu Ming looked around and spoke first, "At the same time, I want you to start organizing all of my workers and slaves. Start reorganizing and training them. Use the plate armor and swords produced by the water forging factories to arm them."
"Sir William …"
Another fat man had to wipe his sweat, "I have to remind you that although you can get thousands of troops this way, we may face a shortage of food and cloth."
"Didn't I order you to store as much as possible?"
Wu Ming frowned.
"But … A small amount of food is fine, but if the trade volume is too large, it will definitely raise the alarm of other nobles …"
More sweat appeared on the fat man's face.
Wu Ming rubbed the space between his eyebrows. In ancient times, food was a strategic resource that was above all else, even in the Wind Firefly Plains.
This was especially so for a territory like his that had developed abnormally. It was too reliant on the outside world. If the war continued and they could not continue trading, and they had to purchase large amounts of food and other necessities from the outside world, the entire system would collapse in an instant.
That was why he had decisively ordered the workers to stop working and prepare for war. After all, even if he did not do this, it would not take long for the workers to realize that they had no work to do.
Rather than causing trouble when that time came, it was better to start arming now and suppress them with discipline.
"I will solve the problem of food through other channels. You do not have to worry!"
Wu Ming muttered to himself, but still made a promise.
This was the benefit of working with the church.
As a huge force that had been rooted here for a long time, he did not believe that these priests could not even find a few channels to smuggle food.
Taking a step back, who knew how many war resources were stored in the church.
However, the cooperation with the other party was still in a secret stage. Unless he had an advantage, it would be harmful to speak openly.
… …
After Lord Wu Ming made up his mind, the entire territory of Karros immediately began to operate like a sophisticated machine.
Factories stopped working one by one. The slaves and workers were called to participate in organized training, picking up various skills that they were already familiar with.
A large number of warehouses were opened, and spears, javelins, swords, and plate armor were armed like flowing water.
The workers were different from the serfs. Most of them were smarter, more dexterous, and some could even understand a few simple words. They were a little more astute and could see the world.
They knew that when the war broke out, other than weapons, the orders from other factories and workshops were greatly reduced. If this situation continued, they would soon lose their jobs.
And losing their jobs meant no salary, no butter and bread for the next day, and their families would starve and wander the streets.
In order to defend their original lives, they had to pick up their swords and defend this territory, and defend the previous circulation of goods. Simply put, it was to stop this damn war! And to return everything to its previous track!
Moreover, now that they were participating in the training, their treatment was still similar to that of a militia. They still had a salary, and at least the most basic livelihood of their families was guaranteed.
As for what would happen next, what did it matter if they went to war with the lord?
After all, they were not serfs loyal to the lord!
Most of them were free people, runaway slaves, and even barbarians from the wilderness! The blood of freedom flowed through their veins!
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