"Why?" Lothar was puzzled. In his opinion, as the highest military commander of the kingdom, he should be with his soldiers.
"The seven kingdoms need a reason to work together." Duque's answer enlightened everyone.
Yes, the Arathor Empire.
Being of the same race, of the same origin, and of the same clan, especially in front of a great enemy, was the best reason to unite. Moreover, there was no deep hatred between the seven kingdoms. Abandoning the son of Thoradin The Great was indeed unkind, but they did not fight against each other.
Hence, Lothar's identity as Thoradin's son was very important.
"Your Majesty, I …" It was difficult for Andoine to deal with such a sensitive issue.
"Don't worry. After all, it was your ancestor who gave up the throne to my ancestor. In the eyes of outsiders, there was indeed a suspicion of usurpation. However, when it came to matters that concerned all of humanity, and even the World of Azeroth, such trifles were nothing. The training of the troops can be left to Bolvar. "
Andoine thought for a while, and nodded.
At the end of the day, Laing, Andoine, and Bolvar were all very upright people. Without the restriction of those annoying nobles, they could exert their full strength.
"Bolvar, I'll leave the training of the troops, my queen, and Varian to you." Laing did not have many capable subordinates. Some of the nobles who were originally in high positions had either become demons or been slaughtered by the demons in the middle of the sea.
This was almost equivalent to the position of an assistant minister, and was definitely the highest of the highest.
"As you wish, Your Majesty." Bolvar bowed deeply.
Laing turned to look at Duque. He took a deep breath, and with a wave of his hand, a servant handed him a small spoon of melted wax. Another servant handed him a document, opened it, and poured the wax on it.
Then, Laing took out the royal seal from his arms and stamped it heavily on the wax.
This is …
Duque glanced at it, and saw his own name.
King Laing turned his head and smiled at Duque. "Duke Marcus, please kneel."
"Yes."
Fine, the boss had given me an empty promise, so I'll just kneel then.
"Duke Marcus, in order to thank you for your great achievements, as well as to commend your loyalty, bravery, and wisdom, I now confer you the title of Duke of Stormwind. You are allowed to have twice the private army of a normal Duke. Your fief consists of the following: Eastvale Lumberyard in the north, Karazhan in the south, Mistmantle Manor in the west, and Triangle Junction in the east. I know that there are many places that have fallen to the orcs, but I believe that one day, we, the Stormwind, will reclaim this beautiful and fertile land. "
He thought it was over, but who knew it wasn't.
"You will be the Commander-in-Chief of the Stormwind Navy. You will be in charge of all naval ships, and you will be allowed to recruit no more than one-fifth of the navy's total forces."
Duque was visibly moved. The private armies of the nobles in Stormwind were strictly limited by class. Dukes were not allowed to have more than five thousand men. Twice that was ten thousand. This was a legal military force that could be put on the table.
As for the fief … No one knew better than Duque how powerful Stormwind was later. In the 'history'. Because the other human kingdoms had either fallen or declined, Stormwind City had become the greatest benchmark for the human race. Stormwind absorbed a large number of refugees from the north, and the speed at which its soldiers grew was even more exaggerated than the Undead Scourge.
Indeed, the Headwind Trail had been blown to smithereens by Medivh's big explosion, but Eastvale Lumberyard and other rich lands in Elven Forest were definitely first-class fiefs.
And as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, there was no doubt that the whole of Stormwind and the benefits derived from the sea were all given to Duque.
Everyone knew that now that Stormwind had almost completely fallen, and it was only a matter of time before the Western Wilderness was completely destroyed, if Stormwind wanted to continue, it had to rely on Duque. However, it was rare for someone like Clayon to have such boldness.
Without hesitation, Duque bowed his head. "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your gift."
Laing smiled, and finally sighed. "What gift? If it wasn't for you, even if Stormwind was not completely destroyed, I'm afraid only tens of thousands of people would have escaped. Maybe even I would have died in Stormwind. I'm the one who feels guilty for making these empty promises. "
"Your Majesty, you've done very well," Andoine and the other officials comforted Laing.
"Sigh, the resettlement of nearly 600,000 soldiers is a headache just thinking about it. But we don't have anything. If that doesn't work, try to ask other countries to take in our people. "
Right! No money! No food!
How could they survive?
Andoine and the others looked at each other, dumbfounded.
In times of crisis, they only thought about saving people's lives and saving them first. Now that they had saved them, they were dumbfounded. They had to eat, drink, and go to the toilet. If it was only tens of thousands of people, they might be able to beg the other countries. But there were 600,000 people here!
Just the thought of it was terrifying.
Yet, when he escaped, he didn't bring anything with him other than his weapons.
Not to mention that Duke Ferens, who was in charge of internal affairs, was dead. Even if he was not dead, he would probably be scared to death on the spot.
"Duque, can I trouble you to go to Alterac, Rapids Castle, and the Dalajan to negotiate with the heads of the countries? Also, our national treasury is finished. I wonder if you can lend a sum of money to the kingdom in your own name … "Laing's face was flushed when he said this.
On one hand, he really did not have any talented people around him. Bolvar and the others were indeed righteous knights, but they were definitely not good at diplomacy. Moreover, if they were to go begging like beggars, it would be strange if the other side would have a good expression.
On the other hand, a dignified king actually had to borrow money from a duke. What face did he have? And the richest person here was Duque.
"Your Majesty, please do not worry about the national treasury." With that, Duque snapped his fingers, and two burly male Nagas carried a huge box out of the sea.
The royal guards took the box and opened it. A burst of golden light almost blinded Laing and the other poor people's eyes.
Gold bars! So many gold bars!
These gold bars were engraved with the emblem of a lion. It was no doubt the gold bars used in Stormwind.
"These are …" Laing stuttered.
"Your Majesty, have you forgotten? A while ago, when those nobles were escaping, they encountered the Bloodsail Pirates. In order to escape, their ship turned and left behind a large amount of their belongings. Then, my Murlocs picked them up. "
Laing suddenly remembered that because those nobles had colluded with the demons, they had been demoted. According to the kingdom's laws, their fiefs and properties would be confiscated …
At this moment, Andoine, Bolvar, and the royal guards all bowed to Duque.
"Duke Marcus, you have a heart that shines with a holy light."
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