Translator: Henyee Translations Editor: Henyee Translations Lollister did not live in White Bird Town. In Fatty Shi's development plan, White Bird Town would be moved more than a thousand meters to the east, and the vacated area would be expanded into a dock area. Walls would also be built. White Bird Town was too close to the dock. The Norton Family planned to make Silovas Island the most important fulcrum for the sea route. Therefore, not only did they have to expand the dock area, but they also had to change the wooden bridge into a permanent stone dock.
Fatty Shi's plan was to build a new residential and commercial area in White Bird Town first. After that, he would replace the old houses with the residents of White Bird Town, tear down the old houses, expand the dock area, and build walls and defensive facilities. Therefore, Lollister built a temporary wooden barracks on the empty land outside White Bird Town. He also lived in a large wooden house.
"Ah, it hurts … Let go, Christie. I'm Count Norton, the head of the family. I order you to let go …" As soon as he returned to his house, Christie grabbed Lollister's ear.
"I'm teaching my dear cousin a lesson as his older cousin. It has nothing to do with being the head of the family," Christie said.
There's such a thing? Lollister was stunned for a moment before he lost his temper. "Get out of here! What are you watching? Haven't you seen older sisters teach their younger brothers a lesson before? Schwald, don't run. Boil a pot of Max for my dear cousin. "
Thus, Ell, Josk, and the others laughed and left. It was rare to see Lollister being humiliated. This would become an interesting topic of conversation in the boring military life.
"Alright, cousin, it's time to let go. You're not giving me any face in front of my knights. We're all adults now. You're no longer the little girl with a runny nose when you were young, "Lollister said.
"You only had a runny nose when you were young, and you loved to cry. Whenever I grabbed you, you would cry …" Christie reluctantly let go of her hand that was twisting Laurist's ear and sank into a distant memory. "At that time, although the family's territory was in the remote north, the manor was very lively and fun. Every summer, I would urge my father and mother to go to the family's territory to play. Mother was always reluctant. The journey was too long, and every round trip would take two months … "
"Yes, it would be great if we could do it now. We've found an estuary in the family's territory, and it would only take ten days to travel from Syrovas Island to the family's territory," Laurist said.
"Tell me, Locke. What have you done as the head of the family? Are there any changes in the family territory? "Krisia asked.
Loriste began to tell Krysiya about the changes that had taken place in the family over the past few years, such as the White Deer Hill Family Graveyard, the resistance against the wave of Magical Beasts, the construction of Monolith Castle, the development of Fengle Plains and Xingan Plains, the defeat of the second prince, and the alliance with the three major families of the Northern Lands.
"I really want to go back to my family's territory to have a look. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years have passed …"
"The family territory welcomes you at any time, Christian. We've been chatting for so long that I almost forgot what I came here for. Tell me, is the second prince going to deal with the Norton family?" Laurist poured Christian a glass of Michael that had just been sent over.
Krisia cast a sidelong glance at Laurist. "You're very impressive. I heard about your heroic deeds the moment I returned to the capital. You killed Viscount Aslan in front of everyone at the welcoming banquet that His Highness held for you. You defeated Master Crimundo and embarrassed His Highness. If you hadn't captured the second prince and brought him to His Highness, making a great contribution to the kingdom, His Highness would have fallen out with you …
Before the aftermath of the commotion here subsided, another news came from the other side. You brought 500 family armed forces and defeated 7500 elites of the Imperial Guards. You even killed the leader of the team, Count Aslan, and planted his head on the beach as a demonstration to us. You're really amazing. I don't even know what to say about you, my cousin. You've changed so much compared to when you were young … "
Laurist laughed dryly and said humbly, "People change. Besides, I'm not as wise as you make me out to be …"
Krisia was so angry that she reached out to pinch him again. "Did you hear me praise you? It's true that you're getting more and more arrogant. Loke, you're too high profile and too arrogant. This will easily put the family in the limelight. The other nobles will see the family as a threat … "
"Krisia, it's fine. You don't have to worry. The family has the power now. We don't need to be afraid of anyone." Laurist interrupted Krisia's nagging.
Krisia let out a long sigh. "Loke, it's good that you have this confidence. I won't say anything more. This time, His Highness didn't send me here to blame you. He wanted me to inform you of how he's going to deal with the Aslan family. He hopes that you can help him in the war to unify the kingdom … "
After listening to Christie's account of how the second prince dealt with the Aslan Family, Laurist sucked in a breath of cold air. "That's too cruel. The Aslan Family has no hope of rising again. No, Krisia, why do I feel that the real reason why His Highness is punishing the Aslan family is to confiscate their assets for his own use? "
Krisia nodded helplessly.
"It can't be. Is the kingdom's finances really that tight? Then why does His Highness still want to unify the kingdom? Can't he just govern the Andinac Kingdom well and let the people live and work in peace and contentment? Then, when the kingdom is strong, he'll try to unify the kingdom? "Laurist expressed his surprise and confusion.
"Krisia, I don't understand. Why would His Highness decide to unify the kingdom in such a hurry? It's a big mistake to maintain so many troops for an army of 300,000. The kingdom's six provinces simply can't support so many soldiers. I believe that His Highness has already spent all of the royal family's savings on this army. Once the war starts, the expenditure will be even greater. How does His Highness plan to solve the problems of logistics, compensation for the soldiers, and supplies? "
Krisia made a gesture. Laurist's eyes widened. "No way. He's going to rely on looting for supplies?"
Krisia nodded helplessly again and said seriously, "Loke, I know you'll think this is absurd. But for the kingdom, this is indeed the best solution. What would you think if I told you that the kingdom can't even support a single army? "
Laurist shook his head. "That's impossible. The kingdom has six provinces. How can they not even support a single army?"
Krisia's expression was very serious. "It's true. The Andinac Kingdom has been established for almost ten years, and there's almost no foreign trade. As the legitimate heir of the Chrison royal family, the kingdom has always been subject to the Forde Commercial Union's trade blockade and trade boycott. Even through smuggling, the value of our goods is kept very low, and the price of the goods smuggled in is several times or even more than ten times higher.
Without trade, there's no monetary gain. The kingdom's tax revenue is very low, and most of it is paid with goods. The kingdom is located in the Great Plains of Ontario, which used to be the commercial center of the empire. After the civil war, refugees rose everywhere, and basic food and clothing became a problem. Five years ago, the family's convoy swept through the kingdom's three provinces and took away a large number of refugees. The second prince spent a lot of effort to stabilize the situation in the kingdom.
Then, the second prince defeated the eldest prince's invasion and forced him to cede two provinces. Together with Yungesandra Province, which was taken from the Madras Grand Duke, the kingdom had six provinces, but resources were very scarce. These few years were peaceful, but the taxes collected were all in the form of food. The resources that the kingdom lacked the most were iron mines and warhorses.
In the past, none of the seven iron mines were distributed within the kingdom's borders. The Kingdom of Redelis and the Kingdom of Iberia each had two. Of the four grand duchies, the Principality of Falkor had two iron mines, and the Principality of Handa had one. But without trade and a trade blockade, we can't use our own production to buy what we need. Developing agriculture requires a lot of iron farming tools. The kingdom now uses wood instead, which is extremely inefficient.
It's not that the second prince doesn't want to govern the kingdom first, but there's no other way. In the past few years, the eldest prince of the Kingdom of Redelis had driven nearly 400,000 refugees into the kingdom's borders. In addition to the large and small groups of deserters and armed refugees, the second prince had no choice but to take them in one by one to maintain the peace of the kingdom and reorganize them into a reserve army.
Just like the Gale Legion. Although it was known as one of the three major legions of the empire, it had always been outside the second prince's direct jurisdiction and was developing more and more independently. The second prince disbanded it to avoid any unforeseen events and merged it into the Royal Guards, but it had always been misunderstood.
If they were disbanded, the kingdom would fall into chaos again. They had to find a goal for the 300,000 troops. That's why the second prince proposed the strategy of unifying the empire, using the dividends of unifying the empire to maintain the morale and morale of the army. There was no other way.
The second prince's real goal was actually the Kingdom of Redelis. As long as he annexed the Kingdom of Redelis, the difficulties he faced would be alleviated. The Andinac Kingdom would get the resources it needed the most, and the second prince would be able to establish a self-sufficient business circle that would no longer be affected by the blockade of the outside world. As for the other duchies, the second prince doesn't want to fight them. I believe that the major guilds will return to the embrace of the empire, and the empire's revival will be just around the corner. "
"Locke, the eldest prince is the enemy of the Norton family. If he hadn't rebelled, my father, third uncle, and the young master wouldn't have died. The deaths of our family members are directly or indirectly related to the eldest prince. If the second prince wants to suppress the eldest prince, you should go and help him. The second prince admires you very much. He said that your military strategy and surprise attacks are always unexpected, and you always win. It was like that five years ago, and it's still the same now … "Christie looked at Laurist pleadingly.
Laurist shook his head. "Christie, since the second prince has reorganized 300,000 troops, why didn't he attack as soon as possible? Instead, he delayed it for almost a year, allowing the Madras Duchy and Redelis Kingdom to make sufficient preparations for defense at the border. Why?"
"Sigh …" Christie sighed again. "Isn't it because the third prince didn't pass away … He was bedridden several times, but he still survived. If the second prince goes to war, it'll be easy for the ruling center of the imperial capital to lose control and influence due to the long journey. If the third prince suddenly wakes up and gives an order that's disadvantageous to the second prince, then it'll be too late for the second prince to cry … "
"Hehe." Laurist laughed. "The onlooker sees the game more clearly than the onlooker. Christie, you're in the game, but you don't know it. You trust the second prince too much, so you believe his excuses. 300,000 troops would cost at least 500,000 to 600,000 Gold Merit Points a year. With so much money, why can't he afford to support a standing army? In addition to the equipment and supplies for the 300,000 troops, the second prince has invested at least 1,000,000 Gold Merit Points. It's such a waste to spend such a large investment on the army. What can't be done with the development and construction of the territory? "
"But I've checked the kingdom's tax list. The annual commercial tax is less than 40,000 Gold Merit Points. Supporting an elite regular army would cost more than 100,000 Gold Merit Points a year …" Christie argued, unconvinced.
"Christie, if the Great Ontario Plains could only be used for farming, then the empire wouldn't have arranged for the imperial capital to be there. You'll understand if you read more books. The Great Ontario Plains is rich in gold and jade. It's known as the Land of Gold and Jade, and it can produce hundreds of thousands of Gold Merit Points a year. The commercial blockade is just a joke. Merchants are greedy for profit, and they even dare to do business that involves killing people. Are you afraid that they won't be able to get the resources you need? Think about it, if there really was a lack of iron ore, how did the second prince equip the 300,000 troops with weapons …
I think the second prince is just going with the flow and taking advantage of the situation. His heart is set on hegemony and the ambition to unify the former empire. Compare the family territory and the kingdom, and see whose situation is more difficult. But our family still insists on opening up the territory to the outside world. Five years have passed, and our family territory has taken on a new look. Our strength has greatly increased, and even the second prince's army of 100,000 has been wiped out by our family. So, developing and building is the real way to increase our strength. Blindly increasing our military strength is just neglecting the essentials, "Loriste said.
"Forget it, Loke. I don't want to argue with you. The second prince doesn't want to force you. If you're not willing to help him, then the family armed forces in the north will keep an eye on Duke Fisabulon during the war to unify the empire. Don't let him cause trouble for the second prince, alright? "Christie took a step back.
Loriste rubbed his chin and paced around the room for a long time before reluctantly agreeing.
"One more thing. Hand over the soldiers of the Royal Guards you captured to me. Don't have any ideas about them," Christie said.
"Alright, you can take them away." Loriste said reluctantly, "I need you to compensate me. If I really want to pay them a ransom, it'll be at least 100,000 Gold Merit Points."
Christie knocked on Loriste's head. "Stop dreaming. We won't give you a single copper."
"Then I won't be able to answer to the knights under me. In fact, I'm taking them back to Sirovas Island because I need them as labor. "Loriste spread his hands.
Christie was angry. "They're all well-trained elite soldiers. You're treating them as labor? No way, I'm taking them away. If you need labor, go recruit them yourself. There are plenty of refugees in the two southwestern provinces. "
"The second prince allows us to recruit refugees?"
"Of course. He'd love nothing more than for you to take all the refugees away."
"How about this, Christie. I agree to let you take those captives away, but you have to guarantee that we won't be obstructed when we recruit refugees. Also, get the second prince to allow us to recruit some civil officials in the imperial capital. The family territory needs talents … "Loriste said.
"Deal!" Christie agreed without hesitation.
After staying for only one night, Christie was impatient to go back. What was slightly troublesome was that there were only three ships on the island, and they were all small ones. It would take a few trips to transport more than 2,000 captives back.
After sending Kristia off, Laurist said to Fatty Shi, "I have to go to Morent City."
"Why?"
"To buy a ship and to order a large amount of food," Loriste replied.
…
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