Once the alliance between the four families was settled, Laurist heaved a sigh of relief. The north was truly too big. The area of the north was the size of two duchies, and it would take seven days to travel from Monolith Castle to Hendry's rope bridge. Now, with Baron Philim's ten thousand armed forces guarding the north, there was no need to worry about anyone entering the north as easily as the second prince.
Laurist's request to Baron Philim and Henned was to reorganize the family's armed forces and form a fighting force. They were to bring their troops to the second prince's Winston province when they were free, migrate some civilians to the north, and eliminate a few lords who didn't have any eyes to gain some wealth. In short, they should not allow the Iberian Kingdom's capital to settle down in order to prevent the second prince from having a stable opportunity to develop his army and become a threat to the north again.
Baron Philim and Henned readily agreed to Laurist's request, but they also made a request. They were full of praise for the standard equipment of the Norton Family's armed forces. Fortunately, they did not know that this was steel armor, and thought that the surface was coated with silver to prevent rust, so they asked Laurist to provide them with the same standard equipment.
Originally, Laurist was going to give them the iron armor of the captured Iberian Kingdom's first legion, but unfortunately, Baron Philim and Henned were also not interested in the scrap metal produced by the second prince's equipment manufacturing factory. They felt that the quality of the iron armor was not very good, and its defense was only a little higher than some leather armor. With the Norton Family's standard equipment in front of them, they were no longer interested in the iron armor that they had been yearning for in the past.
At this time, Earl Kenneth also came over to join in the fun, and also proposed to equip his family's army with standard equipment. In the past, it didn't matter if it was plate armor or chain armor, as long as it was iron armor, but now that he saw the Norton Family's armed forces, he felt that his own family's armed forces were like a group of beggars. Not to mention, the standard equipment was not only pleasing to the eye, but it also made his family's soldiers more cohesive and recognized, greatly increasing their morale.
Laurist's head was spinning from their bickering, and he could only push all the credit to Sid. Of course, he couldn't provide the Norton Family's standard equipment to the three families, but he could ask Sid to design a new set of equipment for each of them. Its defense would not be any weaker than the White Lion Legion's armor.
The three of them were overjoyed. Laurist then changed the topic. But what about the price of standard equipment? Even if he didn't make a profit, it would still cost him forty to fifty Gold Fords. He couldn't just give it away for free.
When it came to money, both Baron Filim and Henned had a bitter look on their faces. Baron Filim was slightly better off. After conquering the manors and castles of the two lords, he had looted a total of about a hundred thousand Gold Fords. Henned, on the other hand, was a pauper. He could scrape together ten or twenty thousand Gold Fords. Originally, he wanted to take down the Grand Duke's Mansion and occupy the second prince's treasury to make a fortune. However, he did not expect that Princess Silvia and her grandmaster wet nurse would be there. Both he and Knight Tabick had become captives. If not for Laurist's arrival, the two would still be under house arrest in the Grand Duke's Mansion.
When Princess Silvia and her party left the Grand Duke's Mansion, there should not be any valuables left. Henned sighed, his brow furrowed. Now the Earl of Gomez stepped forward, and advised his cheap brother-in-law.
Earl Kenneth asked, "What is the best way to make money now? Reselling all kinds of armors. All three of us have bought a large amount of armor from the Norton Family. We can sell these armors and use the money we get to buy standard equipment. As long as Laurist doesn't try to make a fortune from us, we might even have a lot of profit left over. "
Both Baron Phelim and Henned were amused, and both praised the Earl for his quick wit and keen eye. So they asked, "Who should we sell the original armors to?
Earl Kenneth said, "The best target is the Grand Duke of Madras. In the past few years, his army has suffered great losses. Moreover, the Madras Duchy has never had copper and iron ore. His military equipment is bought at a high price or with food from the four central duchies. Now that the four duchies are preparing for war, the Grand Duke of Madras has been unable to complete the reorganization of his army. If we can get in touch with the Grand Duke of Madras, I believe he will definitely give us a good price for our armors. "
The three of them discussed for a long time and quickly decided to let the Snow Salt Chamber of Commerce handle this matter. After all, the Chamber of Commerce was managed by Earl Kenneth. But now that the Grand Duchy had just been divided, Baron Filim and Henned could not leave, so they decided to meet again in a month at Rock Castle. At that time, Laurist would ask Master Sid to design a set of standard equipment for each of the three families.
… …
After settling this matter, Laurist was about to go back when he suddenly remembered that there was a big problem waiting for him. Princess Silvia said that she wanted to return to Makino Province and asked him to escort her. If you want to go from Hendry Ford Bridge to the second prince's territory, can't you go back by yourself? If you insist on going to the eastern part of the Northern Lands through the iron bridge built by the Kenneth Family, Laurist would have to escort Princess Silvia and the others for about ten days before they could reach the Kenneth Family's territory.
With the thought of sharing weal and woe together, Laurist was prepared to complete the escort mission with Count Lakemax. However, Count Lakemax declined the offer, saying that he still had to see his cousin, who was now part of Henned's household. He also had to comfort his old lovers in Gildusk City, so he had to stay here for a while. So, he could only let Laurist escort Princess Sylvia and her party.
Lollister felt helpless. Fortunately, Josk's archer cavalry unit had arrived at Gildusk City, and together with Ael's personal guard unit, the six thousand or so people could be considered as an armed parade in the north. However, Laurist could only rely on himself to deal with Princess Silvia.
Princess Sylvia's party consisted of nearly four hundred people. Among them, there was a small group of 120 fully armed guards on horseback. Half of them were men and half were women, and all of them were Silver-ranked combat auras. Furthermore, Princess Sylvia was a Gold-ranked swordsman and her wet nurse was a great swordsman. Laurist could not imagine who would be foolish enough to provoke this group.
Apart from that, there were also more than eighty four-wheeled carriages and two to three hundred servants, maids, and attendants. It was a grand display. As a noble of the Northern Lands, it was only common sense and respect for Laurist to send troops to escort these people.
Not long after they started on the road, Laurist's expression changed. From time to time, he would see his family's armed soldiers escorting groups of people in ragged clothes, carrying simple luggage, and dragging carts filled with crude tools towards the Monolith Castle. Laurist could not stand it anymore. He stopped a small group of family soldiers and asked what was going on with these people.
The captain recognized Laurist, and he bowed as if he was flattered, replying seriously, "My lord, these people are prisoners of war …"
Laurist was furious. He pointed at the old, women, and children in the crowd and scolded, "Are you blind? Who told you that these old, weak, women, and children are prisoners of war? Can they even go to the battlefield? "
The captain felt wronged and said, "My lord, I can't do anything about it. If not for the fact that they are prisoners of war, the supply stations along the way will not give them food. Where am I supposed to get food for them? Moreover, they are related to the prisoners of war. Their families or relatives have joined the allied armies of the Northern Lords and are now our prisoners. These people are worried about the safety of their families and are willing to become prisoners of war with us. They were even singing happily as they walked … "
"Ugh …" Laurist was speechless. The people he saw did not seem to be forced. Instead, they looked like they were going on a hike in high spirits. However, Laurist could hear something strange in the captain's reply. "Supply stations along the way? What's going on? "
"My lord, I don't know. In any case, the orders from above are for us to escort these two hundred people to the main camp of Monolith Castle. We have set up supply stations along the way. We can spend the night in the camp there and obtain food, "the captain replied.
Oh, Laurist understood now. This was the same as the supply stations set up along the way. As for why the supply stations were set up, it was probably because of another large-scale migration of people. This captain probably did not know the details of the situation.
Laurist waved his hand, signaling the captain to return to his task. He then called Aire over. "Aire, bring some men to find out more about this. We only fought a battle, how did it turn into the situation of the Three Lights when the convoy returned to the family territory? Find out what's going on."
Just as Aire left with a dozen guards, Laurist heard a melodious voice ask, "Count Norton, what's going on with these people? Where are they going? What are your family soldiers doing with these people? "
Turning around, he saw Princess Sylvia riding a snow-white horse with her face covered. She had a few female guards with her, and they were curiously sizing up the people walking along the road.
Laurist sighed deeply and said in a pitiful tone, "Your Highness, ever since the second prince entered the North, he has raised taxes and squeezed the nobles and commoners of the North, to the point where the people of the North have no way of making a living. The second prince has become even worse, plundering the wealth of the commoners and preparing for war, preparing to rule the world. The commoners of the North are extremely poor and live in dire straits.
When they heard that I defeated the second prince, these commoners were overjoyed and rejoiced that the Norton Family chased the second prince away. However, they are very worried that the second prince will make a comeback. They also heard that our family territory is distributing land and houses to the new commoners, and that the taxes are low. So, they packed up and insisted on following our family soldiers, hoping to live a peaceful and happy life in our family territory.
Sigh, I can't do anything about it. They are all willing, and look at how happy they are. I can't persuade them to go back. It's so hard to be benevolent, and they have caused so much trouble for our family. For their safety, I have to send my family soldiers to protect them and provide them with food. Tell me, shouldn't a noble family like our Norton Family be praised and praised? "
Redi and Padt who were beside him could not help but laugh out loud … ….
Princess Sylvia was stunned for a long time, and when she came back to her senses, she turned her horse around and left. She only left behind a few words, "Count Norton, you are really shameless …"
Laurist did not blush at all, and he began to chuckle.
… …
EL returned after a day's absence, and said, "Monseigneur, I have met the messenger on the road."
The messenger said that he had been ordered by Sir Bofinger, Sir Shredder, and Sir Roth to deliver a letter to Lollister.
Laurist opened the thick letter and understood what was going on.
The cause of the incident was ten days ago. After the storm of ballistae, the Northern nobles' allied army scattered in all directions. In order to capture more prisoners of war, Ross, Terman, Yuri, and the rest led the cavalry to chase after them. In the end, a portion of the northern nobles managed to escape to a nearby lord's castle and put up a stubborn resistance. Ross arrived with his lancers, but they suffered some losses and suffered dozens of casualties.
This angered Ross, and he summoned a battalion of ballistae. With a rapid fire, the castle was riddled with holes, and with a sudden assault, they took it down. Ross then hanged the seven nobles who resisted. At the same time, the nobles who were hanged were also cleared out. Resources, rations, and other valuables were all brought back to Monolith Castle. All the citizens were brought back as well.
It just so happened that Fatty Shi had also arrived at the prisoner of war camp outside the Rock Castle. He had a discussion with Bofinger and Ross the Ferocious Tiger. The family needed manpower to develop the Black Clay Swamp, and all the nobles in the north had joined the Northern Noble Coalition Army organized by the second prince to attack the Norton family. Other than Earl Kenneth, Baron Shahin, and Baron Filim, the rest of the nobles were considered enemies of the Norton family. They might as well take this opportunity to wipe out all the nobles in the north in one fell swoop, lest they cause trouble for the Norton family in the future.
It just so happened that Laurist's order to Ross and the rest was to hunt down the remaining enemies. Of course, these nobles were all enemies. If they wanted to do it, they had to do it cleanly. If they did not resist and surrendered, they could still be spared and brought back to be dealt with by their lord. If they dared to resist, their entire families would be hanged. At this moment, Fatty Shi, Bofinger, and Ross the Ferocious Tiger, who were on their way to the north to wipe out the nobles of the Andinac Kingdom, had returned.
Yuri, Terman, and the others expressed their agreement after receiving the resolution and joint report on wiping out the territories of the Three Light Lords in the North. Hence, they split into four groups, led by Roth the Ferocious Tiger, Vasimir, Yuri, and Terman of the Knights. Each of them was equipped with a Chariot Battalion to sweep across the entire North. They destroyed the castles, burned the residences in the towns, and took away all the resources and citizens.
Laurist stayed in Gildusk City for a total of five days, including two days and three nights when he was unconscious. It took him five and a half days to reach Gildusk City from Monolith Castle. In the short ten days since he left Monolith Castle, the Norton family had already cleared out all the lords in the surrounding areas. Now, there were only a dozen nobles of various sizes left in the western part of the northern lands. In another half a month, apart from the Norton, Kenneth, Filim, and Shahin families, there would be no more nobles left in the northern lands.
What a headache! Laurist put away the letter helplessly. He knew why the messenger had come so late. After all, they had used Laurist's order to hunt down the remaining enemies to expand the scope of the mission to wipe out all the hostile nobles in the northern lands. Thus, the three fellows only wanted to let Laurist know later so that he wouldn't be stopped. When the time came, all of them would be blamed, and no one would be able to escape. The law did not punish the masses, and this was the reason why the messenger had come so late.
The problem was that all the nobles in the northern lands had joined the second prince's Northern Noble Alliance Army. No one dared to not participate. Now that the main force had become prisoners, the remaining guards in the territories could not withstand an attack from the Norton family's armed forces. Now, they were all wiped out.
Forget it, I'll put the northern lords aside for now. I'll deal with them when I get back. What annoyed Laurist was that the reason why the three fellows' decision was accepted by everyone was because the knights under him were all afraid of going back to the Black Clay Swamp to work. Thus, they were more than happy to capture captives and migrate the civilians. He had said that the family lacked manpower. Now, they really did not lack manpower. Now, they would be lacking food …
Laurist cursed hatefully. These bastards, they're so troublesome …
… …
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