Jean Bate did not want to become the enemy of the King of Graycastle.
Although he had never really interacted with the people of Graycastle, he had heard many rumors about them. The God's Punishment Army, which had swept through the Kingdom of Wolfheart and the Kingdom of Everwinter, had been defeated by Graycastle. The allied forces formed by the nobles of the Kingdom of Dawn had been routed within a day. Roland Wimbledon had been invincible in the kingdom and had unified the entire kingdom within half a year. It was even rumored that Graycastle had played a role in the recent incident on the Archduke Island.
He had thought that these rumors were shocking enough, but he did not expect that the First Army had been fighting with demons of foreign races for the past year. If it had been another lord who claimed this, he would have scoffed at it. However, when it came from the Commander-in-Chief of the First Army, Baron found that he did not dare to express his doubts.
Of course, no one from the Sedimentation Bay was qualified to test it out.
The problem was that the plan of the King of Graycastle was too grand, or rather, too whimsical. If the King only wanted the throne of the Kingdom of Wolfheart, Jean Bate would not hesitate to submit to him. But the truth was that the other party wanted to empty the population of the two kingdoms! Just listen to what this commander-in-chief said. Advancing from multiple routes, with both land and sea transportation going at the same time. First the villages, then the towns. It really seemed like they wouldn't stop until they had moved everything. Most nobles did not care too much about the lives of their subjects, as long as their deaths were worthwhile or could be exchanged for sufficient benefits. But moving all of them away was a different matter. That meant that the territory would be empty, the food would not be harvested, the taxes would fall to the bottom, and no one would take care of the industry … Unless everything was irreversible, they would not easily agree to it.
No matter how powerful the First Army was, it would be difficult for them to fight against all the nobles at the same time, right? After all, this wasn't Graycastle. Without the support of the locals, the burden of marching and logistics would be greatly increased. Yet, they still wanted to split up their forces. It was as if they were treating the nobles of the two countries as air.
After a long silence, Jean Bate said in a low voice, "I don't quite understand why the King of Graycastle must do this. In case the demons do not intend to cross the Impassable Mountain Range to attack, we can support them here. But once the people are gone, the cities, farmlands, and mines will all become barren. Such a loss is truly incalculable. "
"I can't answer your question. As the Commander-in-Chief of the First Army, my only task is to complete the task assigned by His Majesty. But... "Iron Axe paused for a moment." As long as you go to Neverwinter in person, you should be able to get the answer. "
"Well, then I only have one last question …" Baron licked his dry lips. "You said before that the nobles are all voluntary. What if I decide to go with you? "
Iron Axe nodded and pointed to the civil servant beside him. "This is Remy, the migration personnel officer of the Administrative Office of Neverwinter. He'll tell you what His Majesty wants."
"Greetings, Mr. Baron. You are now a member of the Graycastle Kingdom." The personnel officer quickly flipped through the documents in his hands. "First of all, we can be sure that His Majesty Roland Wimbledon is a kind and generous king. He will not mistreat anyone who has contributed to Graycastle. Since Graycastle has abolished the system of feudal nobles and unified the laws throughout the kingdom, you will lose the right to inherit and enfeoffment your land. But as an experienced administrator, you can join the Administrative Office and become the governor of a region. Or you can help His Majesty develop a new territory, such as the Fertile Plains. Of course... if the demons don't invade the Four Kingdoms, you can continue to manage the Sedimentation Bay. If you're lucky, the area you're in charge of may be many times larger than it is now. After all, not every noble would make such a choice... "
The document was very long, and it took almost a quarter of an hour for the clerk to stop. He had considered all aspects of the situation, so it was obviously not made up in a short time. Jean Bate realized that the person who had written this document must be an extremely capable minister. He could never write such a comprehensive document.
In short, the content of the document was to exchange short-term benefits for long-term benefits. As long as he performed well, he could get far more than a harbor lord. As for whether the two were worth it, it was a question that varied from person to person.
In the face of an unknown future, it was unwise to make a hasty decision. However, when the situation was bad enough, the choice was not so important.
Compared to being hanged or burned to death, at least there was a way to survive in the future.
Moreover, a large-scale population transfer was not something that could be completed in a year or two. During this period, he could still stay as the lord of the Sedimentation Bay without worrying about the other two families.
Jean Bate took a deep breath and said, "I'm willing to join the King of Graycastle and serve his kingdom."
"Wise choice." Iron Axe's expression did not change, as if he had already expected this result. "Then from now on, you can mobilize the people in the surrounding area to move. We have a special team in charge of this, and they'll give you the most suitable advice. "
"So soon?" Baron was surprised.
"Yes, I won't stay here for too long. The First Army will continue to march into the interior of the Kingdom of Wolfheart in three days at most."
"But —" Jean Bate hesitated and finally said through gritted teeth, "The Tusk and Redstone Gate Knight may not allow me to do this. They may not dare to openly oppose Graycastle, but there are only a few patrols in the Sedimentation Bay. They can easily interfere with my orders. "
This was a little embarrassing. After all, an hour ago, he had said that he was the only one who could make decisions in the Sedimentation Bay. However, Baron knew that he had to bring this up now. Otherwise, if the other two families knew that he had pledged allegiance to Graycastle and that the Sedimentation Bay was open to them, they might secretly cause trouble. At the same time, this was also a test. If the other two families did not seem to care, then his previous promise would be greatly disregarded.
However, Iron Axe's answer was beyond his expectations.
"The Sedimentation Bay is one of the key hubs of the migration plan. There can't be any accidents. Even if the First Army leaves, I'll leave a hundred soldiers here." The Mojins nodded to one of their attendants, who quickly left the parlor. "Also, before I arrived here, I had a certain understanding of the situation in the Kingdom of Wolfheart. As I said before, you can't obstruct us by openly opposing us. You can also obstruct us by secretly plotting against us. In order to prevent the latter from affecting the efficiency of the migration plan, we often take some proactive measures to dispel their hopes. "
"You mean..."
"It's better to see it with my own eyes than to talk about it," Iron Axe said as he stood up. "Don't worry. The threat you're worried about will soon be gone."
...
"The rain doesn't show any signs of letting up," Smarty said as he stretched his hand out of the straw shed of the stable and felt the rain falling from the edge of the shed.
"So," White said as he hammered his sore leg, "why are you still here?"
"I don't want to get soaked. Besides, the lord built this shed for everyone. I can stay here as long as I want." He turned around and made a face.
"You..." The old coachman was speechless. "This damn brat. If I don't teach him a lesson, he won't know how to respect his elders." When White got up and was about to slap him, he suddenly noticed a group of people from Graycastle leaving their station.
Even in the heavy rain, these hundreds of people lined up neatly in two columns. Their hurried footsteps created a series of splashes on the stone pavement.
The most eye-catching thing was the things they carried on their backs. They were all metal pipes of different lengths and thicknesses, glowing with a cold light. Just like the black tools set up in the sentry post, they gave off an ominous feeling.
Looking at the backs of these people gradually disappearing in the rain, White suddenly realized where this ominous feeling came from. Regardless of the length or thickness, those metal pipes did not look like something a blacksmith could make. A creation that was beyond the power of man itself meant that it was extraordinary.
The other people who took shelter from the rain also noticed this scene, and there was a burst of whispers in the straw shed.
Unexpectedly, White did not hear Smarty's muttering.
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