"M-My lord, Viscount Aslan is a tax inspector sent by the second prince …" Hugo's father was dumbfounded as he watched Viscount Aslan being dragged out of the house. Soon, heart-wrenching screams and whipping sounds came from the square, mixed with the cheers of the onlookers.
He didn't understand why this young lord dared to treat the officials under the second prince so unscrupulously. Was he inexperienced or did he have something to rely on? He didn't respect the second prince at all, who was currently at the peak of his power in the Andinac Kingdom and was feared by all the nobles of the kingdom.
No matter what, Hugo's father was still worried that the young lord's punishment of Viscount Aslan would incur the wrath of the second prince. Although Galinthea didn't have such an idiom, there were still similar epigrams. As the mayor of White Bird Town, Hugo's father was afraid that this Count Norton would get into trouble and run away. If that happened, the residents of White Bird Town would be the unlucky ones.
"Haha, Hugo's father, don't worry. I have my reasons for dealing with this Viscount Aslan." Loriste smiled and said to Hugo's father, "You've spent most of your life in the army, so you might not understand the customs and traditions between us nobles. You also don't understand the duties of a tax inspector. In fact, as the mayor of the Norton Family's territory, you have the right to refuse all taxes that you think are unreasonable unless I, the lord, order it.
A tax inspector is responsible for collecting taxes from the territories under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family and putting an end to smuggling and tax evasion. As for the nobles of the territory, his duty is only to investigate the economic situation of the territory and accept the tithes that we pay to the royal family. He doesn't have the right to increase taxes, so he must first get permission from me, the lord. How dare he recklessly increase taxes in White Bird Town? Does he think that my family territory is under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family? He has already violated the Norton Family's dignity, and has violated the traditional rules of the Norton Family. Even if I hang him, the royal family will not be able to say anything.
In a few days, I'll bring this Viscount Aslan in front of the second prince and ask him if this Viscount Aslan's actions were permitted by him. I'll have the second prince personally give the order to hang this bullshit Viscount. Only if he dares to go against all the nobles will he be able to protect this Viscount Aslan. In any case, this Viscount is dead for sure.
Father Hugo, you may have been in the army for a long time, so you don't know the habits of these nobles. The more you put up with them, the more they'll take advantage of you. Just like today, this Viscount Aslan dared to bring his troops into White Bird Town without my permission. This is practically a declaration of war against the Norton Family. Therefore, I will not let him go. Don't worry, even if the sky falls, the Norton family will hold it up.
Now, call your civil servants over and introduce them to each other. This is the chief knight of the Norton Family, Shredder. He's temporarily in charge of all administrative matters regarding the Silovas Island. "
"Yes, Sir Overlord, I will go and call them over." Since Lollister was so confident, Hugo's father could only anxiously go and call for help.
Soon, Hugo's father brought in five people.
"Lord, this is Old Mike, our accountant. He worked as an accountant for the Calry Merchant Group in the imperial capital for twenty years. He only returned home to White Bird Town because the business closed down."
Old Mike was half-bald, and he had a ring of white hair. He looked to be only fifty-four years old, and his hair had fallen out so quickly.
Next was a tall and skinny man in his forties. He introduced himself, "Lord, I'm Kriston, the sheriff of White Bird Town."
Father Hugo added, "Lord, Kriston used to be a secret agent in the former imperial police department. He was in charge of all kinds of criminal cases. His wife is from White Bird Town, and she settled here after the empire split. "
Lorist nodded, keeping Kriston in mind. Although the family territory had set up patrol teams in various towns, they could only deal with small matters like drunken fights. They really lacked an expert capable of investigating criminal cases. In the future, the family territory would become more prosperous, and there would be more and more citizens. Many talents would be needed to work together to get everything on the right track.
The third person to step forward was a red-faced old man. Hugo introduced: "My Lord, this is Old Hart. He's been the tax collector of White Bird Town for nearly forty years. He knows almost everyone on Silovas Island. "
The fourth person to limp over was naturally the garrison captain, Victor. He stepped forward and reported, "Lord, the soldiers have been settled. I've sent a small team of garrison guards to guard them."
The last person was a young man with a pale face. He should be five or six years older than Lorist. He came up and bowed to Lorist politely, "Lord, I'm Hickend, the clerk of White Bird Town. By the way, I'd like to say that your punishment of Viscount Aslan is very satisfying. But aren't you worried about the revenge of the Aslan family, my lord? "
"The revenge of the Aslan family?" Lorist laughed, "Tell me, what do you know?"
"Lord, although Viscount Aslan is an honorary noble, his brother, Count Aslan, is a noble of the territory. Moreover, the Aslan family was one of the first nobles in the capital to seek refuge with His Royal Highness, and they are deeply trusted by His Royal Highness. Count Aslan is not only a Gold Knight, but also a division commander of the reorganized Second Royal Guard Legion. His family is very powerful. This is also the reason why I could only persuade Father Hugo to let things go despite knowing that Viscount Aslan came to collect taxes. After all, there has been no news from the family, and I'm worried that Father Hugo might die if he resists. Without the approval of the family, the mayor, who is elected temporarily by the residents, can be easily charged with a few crimes … "
Hickend paused, "Lord, I don't know much about the strength of the Norton family. However, I heard that five years ago, the Norton family's convoy to the north helped His Royal Highness greatly. However, the old territory of the Norton family is too far away from here. His Royal Highness is now in a high position. In the past five years, he has built six legions of nearly 300,000 troops, waiting for the opportunity to reunify the former empire. At this time, if the lord thinks that he can deal with his people at will based on his previous friendship, I'm afraid it will make His Royal Highness unhappy. Personally, I think it's better to be cautious in dealing with Viscount Aslan. "
Fatty Shi laughed at the side, "Hickend, there is one thing I hope you can understand. The Norton family doesn't rely on friendship, but strength. My lord has his reasons for dealing with Viscount Aslan like this. However, I'm very interested in what you said about His Royal Highness building six legions of nearly 300,000 troops. Can you talk about this in detail? "
"You are?" Hickend looked at Lollister strangely. The knight next to him only had a silver badge, not a gold one. Why did he interrupt so casually?
"This is the chief knight of the Norton family, Shredder. He will be in charge of all the administrative affairs of Silovas Island," Lollister explained concisely.
"Oh …" Hickend suppressed his curiosity and nodded to Fatty Shi, "Lord Knight, I don't know much. However, in the past two years, I've been in charge of dealing with the merchants who buy fish, and I've heard many rumors about His Royal Highness. Five years ago, after His Royal Highness stopped fighting with the Kingdom of Redelis and Madras, he rebuilt the Royal Guards. He disbanded the Gale Legion and expanded the Royal Guards into three legions, each with 56,000 men. Then, he formed three reserve legions, each with 42,000 men, and formed the Royal Knights with nearly 5,000 men.
As far as I know, the taxes paid by the nobles in the kingdom to the royal family have risen to 30%, and the taxes paid by the royal family have reached 70%. All the wealth plundered has been used by His Royal Highness to support these six legions. His Royal Highness has announced that he hopes that the citizens of the Andinac Kingdom, regardless of nobles or commoners, will endure the hardship for the next few years, and will compensate everyone after the empire is unified … "
Lollister couldn't help but burst into laughter and patted Shredder's shoulder, "Shredder, did you hear that? This is the peak of the One Wave Rush. His Royal Highness wants to replicate the success of the first Christen Empire's founding emperor, Christen the First, and use these 300,000 men to unify the empire. Unfortunately, he forgot that times are different. He's staking everything on a single throw. If he fails, he won't be able to fight back, and the Andinac Kingdom will be finished. "
"My lord, are you not optimistic about His Royal Highness's plan?" Hickend asked.
"It's not that I'm pessimistic, but His Royal Highness's plan to unify the empire has no chance of success. Not to mention anything else, when Christen the First was able to establish the empire, there were many warring states, and a baron was a kingdom. The 300,000 troops formed by Christen the First swept away all the enemies like a tide. Even if dozens of kingdoms joined forces, they wouldn't be able to resist his vanguard. You have to know that at that time, the elite troops of a kingdom were no more than a hundred people. How could they resist the attack of a sea of people?
What about now? Even you know His Royal Highness's every move through the merchants. The hostile kingdoms at the border are all very careful. They have built fortresses and dug trenches, and have long been prepared to defend to the death. Even if His Royal Highness can take down a few border cities, he will suffer heavy losses. If he meets a clear-headed opponent who will lure the enemy in and fight a protracted war of attrition with His Royal Highness, how long can the impoverished Andinac Kingdom last? I suspect that the entire kingdom will collapse if half of these 300,000 men are used up … "
Shredder was deep in thought. Fatty Shi asked, "What I'm curious about is that the five-year armistice signed by His Royal Highness with the Kingdom of Redelis and the Duchy of Madras has long passed. Since he has prepared 300,000 men, why is His Royal Highness still unwilling to launch the war of unification? Isn't this a waste of a golden opportunity? The longer he drags on, the better the defenses of the Kingdom of Redelis and the Duchy of Madras will be … "
"I might know the reason. Some time ago, I heard from the merchants that the third prince is on the verge of death and doesn't have much time left. His Royal Highness is probably waiting for his father to pass away before launching the war of unification. I guess that if he really unifies the kingdom this way, His Royal Highness will become a resurgent king whose name will be left in the annals of history. If the third prince doesn't die, then this crown won't be placed on His Royal Highness's head … "
"Haha, blinded by greed." Lorist made a brief comment.
El and Jim came in from the outside, laughing, "My Lord, your orders have been fulfilled. Viscount Aslan's body has been smeared with fish glue and stuck with chicken feathers and duck feathers. Now he looks like a strange bird that we've tied to a hanging platform."
"Very good." Lorist nodded, "Father Hugo, how many people are there in that Wanghai Manor you mentioned?"
"We're not sure about this, but there should be more than a hundred guards guarding the manor." Father Hugo said after thinking for a while.
"Josk, Freia, the two of you take El and the other guards and marines with you. Bring everyone over. Kill anyone who resists. Forget it, try to catch a few alive. I suddenly feel like there's a lot of work that needs to be done here. "Lorist said in distress.
"My Lord, will you be fine after we leave?" Freia asked worriedly.
"It's fine. It's not like you don't know my skills. Knight Shredder and Shiward will be enough. That's right, Victor, take a hundred guards with you, "Laurist ordered.
"My Lord, the guards of White Bird Town don't even have leather armor, and our weapons are crude. How are we supposed to attack the fully armed guards with spears? We can't do anything." Viktor rejected Lorist's order.
"I'm not asking you to die. You don't need to do the work of attacking the walls. Leave it to my family's soldiers. I'm only asking you to go because you're familiar with the terrain and won't let the people in the manor escape. Also, you can bring more ropes to tie up the captives. If the attack isn't successful, I'll allow you to retreat first. "Lorist stared into Viktor's eyes.
Viktor gave in, "Alright then, my Lord. I'll immediately gather the guards. I hope we won't make a wasted trip."
"My Lord," Freia stepped forward and pointed at the map of Sirovas Island on the table, "After we take down Seaview Manor, should we also take down the village called Faramar?" Lorist shook his head, "There's no need. It's getting late.
Laurist shook his head. "There's no need. It's getting late. Take down the Seaview Manor and bring me the few noble scum inside. We'll deal with these blind bastards tonight. As for the village called Faramar, I'll bring you there tomorrow. No one can provoke us in Norton territory without being punished. No taxes for five years. Haha, very good. "
"Alright, my Lord. We'll set off first." Freia saluted Lorist and left the room.
"My Lord, you'll be offending more than just the Aslan Family if they go. You have to know that after His Highness left Cilovas Island, the people who occupied this Wanghai Manor were the children of his trusted nobles. Even if they caused trouble before His Highness, they would only treat it as a child's mischief. If you take it seriously, they will think that you didn't give His Highness face and even offended the trusted nobles and ministers around him … "Hickard anxiously advised.
"Haha, this fellow is interesting." Lorist smiled at Fatty Shi, "He doesn't understand that we're only giving His Highness face because he's our superior lord. We've never feared His Highness's power and influence. If others don't offend us, we won't bully them either. But if they provoke us, we'll only repay them with blood and fire. Shred, this guy is a talent. Ask him not to be a clerk and let him stay by your side to hone his skills. "
"Yes, my Lord. I know what I'm doing, "Fatty Shi replied.
"Alright, I'll leave this place to you. Get to know the situation of Whitebird Town and a few other villages on Sirovas Island and see how we can develop this new territory. We'll be heading to the imperial capital in a few days when the family's armed forces arrive. Take care of your matters, Shredder. Let's go for a walk. "
"Yes, my Lord," Shredder said happily.
… …
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