"Do you want to take a province for yourself?" Loriste asked Count Kemus who was sifting through the wine cabinet.
Count Kemus was the fastest of the three. Baron Filim and Baron Shahin would probably take another day to get here.
"You want to make a move?" Count Kemus looked up with two bottles of wine in hand.
Loriste nodded.
"Which province? I don't want the bad ones, "Kemus said.
"Look for yourself …" Loriste pointed at a purplish-black curtain hanging on the wall.
Count Kemus put down the wine and walked to the curtain, revealing a large map stuck on the wall. There were two red arrows on the map, one pointing to Mureno and the other to Delemark.
"You want to attack the Madras Duchy and the Fisablon Family?" Count Kenneth asked in surprise. "Can we withstand attacks from these two directions?"
Loriste shook his head regretfully. "It's impossible to attack both sides at the same time. What I'm planning to do is to attack the Madras Principality first. Once we occupy it, we'll set up a few pontoon bridges downstream of the Mitubro River, which is the sealed surface of the river. We'll then connect the Dreimuk Province to the North. This way, we'll be able to expand the sphere of influence of the four northern kingdoms. "After that, I'll target Iberia and see if there's a chance to annex Winston and the southern provinces.
"But before that, I'll need to give your family a good territory. Your army is defensive and won't be a threat to House Fisablon. "So, I'll need to take back the eastern part of the north, which is your current territory. Only by stationing Flying Tiger there will Duke Fisablon feel nervous. He'll have to at least transfer a Ranger unit to Mureno before he can sleep in peace."
Count Kenneth walked in front of Laurist and touched Laurist's forehead with his right hand. He then stretched out three fingers and shook them. "How many are these?"
Loriste glared at him, "What are you doing?"
"To see if you're running a fever and spouting nonsense. Do you think the Madras duchy is that easy to attack? For the past few years, the old tortoise Grand Duke Madras had been busy building castles, fortresses and defensive facilities in his territory. Although the lower reaches of the Mituobo River were calm, the opposite bank was full of watchtowers and walls. The riverside was filled with barricades and trenches. Not to mention landing, even boats couldn't pass through. Last time, Henned wanted to catch some fresh fish, so he asked his men to build a few boats to fish in that part of the river. As a result, two boats were sunk and seven or eight men were killed. Henned was so angry that he wanted to fly over and fight with them.
Look at the border between the Kingdom of Iberia and the Duchy of Madras, which is the border between the provinces of Winston and Delemke. Back then, the Duke of Madras had defeated the second prince in the Battle of Kebo City, and with great difficulty, he managed to recover the southeastern part of the province of Delemark. In order to prevent the second prince from invading the province of Delemark from the southern border, the Duke of Madras spent three years building seven fortresses along the little mountain range of Henderson, two at the front and three at the back, turning the border area into an impenetrable fortress. He also formed a garrison of forty thousand men to defend the area. The arms trade between the Snow Salt Merchant Guild and them all have to pass through there. You don't understand me, but I know how tight the defenses are. Are you going to use your family's armed forces against those fortresses? "
Loriste rolled his eyes, "Are you done? You don't have to worry about how to attack. I have confidence in taking down the Madras Duchy. "
"Confidence? Hmph, "Kemus said with concern," Locke, I really don't understand. Even if Duke Fisablon refused to marry Princess Silvia to you, you should still remain calm. You shouldn't be so agitated. You can't be so impulsive as to start a war … "
Loriste didn't know whether to laugh or cry, "It's not about Silvia."
"Then why are you so impatient?" Kemus didn't believe Loriste's words, "Right now, our Snow Salt Merchant Guild has basically monopolized the trade of salt and daily necessities in Fisablon's territory. As long as you are patient, we can control the import of salt and other daily necessities, or reduce the trade volume to force Duke Fisablon to lower his head to us. If they don't want chaos in their territory, they have to accept our demands. When that time comes, you can just wait to be the groom. This is also war, a commercial war. It's better than using swords and guns, isn't it? "
Loriste shrugged, "The Duchy of Mellin has been destroyed."
"What did you say?" Kemus didn't hear clearly, "What destroyed?"
"The four central duchies allied with Fisablon to attack the Duchy of Mellin. Duke Mellin died in battle, and the duchy was destroyed. The detailed battle report is in the blue folder on my desk, "Loriste said, pointing at the folder on the desk.
Kemus pounced over and flipped open the blue folder. After a few glances, he jumped up, "Send troops, we must send troops. We must immediately take the southern province. Only then can we seal the trade route from the four central duchies to the Eastern Wasteland Province! We can't let the Snow Salt Merchant Guild's efforts go to waste! Even if we cut off the snow salt trade, they can still obtain a large amount of rock salt from the four central duchies. If the Fisablon family obtains this trade route, then the Snow Salt Merchant Guild's monopoly in the three provinces of Fisablon's territory will be finished … "
At this moment, Kemus suddenly became a warmonger.
Loriste didn't know whether to laugh or to be angry. He pulled him to the sofa and sat him down, handing him a glass of wine, "Calm down. Now do you understand why I have to do this? Duke Fisablon is clearly getting closer and closer to the four central duchies. In the future, there is a high possibility that he will become the enemy of the four northern families. If we don't take down the Duchy of Madras, the northern land transportation will only rely on two iron chain bridges. It is very likely that the Fisablon family will be trapped to death.
Therefore, I have decided to make a move on the Duchy of Madras. After taking it down, we will exchange your family's territory and place the Flying Tiger Legion there. We will increase the military pressure on Makino Province, forcing the Fisablon family to engage in a military confrontation with us so that they will not have the time to calmly deploy in the Iberian Kingdom. We will then wait for an opportunity to take down the Winston Province. At that time, we will have the advantage and be able to attack and defend at will. "
Kemus drank the wine in his glass in one gulp and walked to the map on the wall, "Which province are you going to take as my family's territory?"
"Here." Loriste pointed to the Sigler Province, "This is the nest of the Duke of Madras. I am going to give this province to your family as an exchange territory. You should know the benefits of this province. It is easy to defend and hard to attack. The only exit to the outside world is the Sith Castle Fortress, and the Silver Beach is by the sea. There are no other nobles in this province, so there is no need to argue after taking it down. It is much better than the eastern part of the northern lands. "
Kemus looked for a long time, then gritted his teeth, "Not enough. It is difficult for me to explain to my family just the Sigler Province. If it is the Delemark Province, it will be fine."
Loriste shook his head, "No, I am going to enfeoff the Delemark Province. I cannot give it to your family."
"Enfeoff? You are going to establish a kingdom? "
"No, there are still seventeen nobles in the north who are supported by us in Monolith Castle. You know that their territories have been occupied by us. They are all former nobles of the Crimson Empire and have some relations with our family. I am not going to return their territories to them, so I want to exchange their territories with the Delemark Province. The land there is fertile and suitable for farming. I am sure they will be happy to do so. In the future, when the knights of our family make great contributions and are given titles, I am going to arrange for them to be in the Delemark Province as well, "Loriste explained.
"How about this? Our family also supports five Northland Lords. You can arrange for them to live in Delemark and hand over Vanades City to our family. I'll agree to the exchange," Earl Kenneth said, taking a step back.
Laurist still shook his head. "I can arrange for the five nobles that your family supports to live in the Delemke Province, but I can't hand Denas City over to your family. It is the largest commercial city in the Madras Duchy, and also the largest trading market in the northwest. In the future, it will become a commercial hub that connects everywhere. It cannot be controlled by your family, but I can let you be the mayor of this city for five years. If you do well, you can be extended for another term. Also, I can compensate your family by building a pier by the sea. When that happens, your family will be able to establish a merchant fleet. "
Count Kenneth's eyes widened. "Are you telling the truth? A pier can be built on the cursed coastline? You are not lying to me, are you? "
Loriste took out a scroll of paper from a basket. "Look at this yourself. This is the blueprint for a wooden pier that can be moved on the sea. Our family has already built two such piers in the Blade Edge Mountain Range, and they are doing very well. Your family can use this pier to carry out sea transportation and trade. However, if you want to build a permanent pier that can be sheltered from the wind and waves, you will have to survey the terrain and reclaim the land. "
Kemus held the wooden pier blueprint in his hands, admiring it. "Alright, I will do it. When can you let us exchange our family's territory?"
To Count Kenneth, who was born into a merchant family, controlling a sea trade route and building a merchant fleet was no less than injecting a steady stream of wealth into his family. This was much better than being trapped in the eastern part of the Northland and mining for gold mines that were drying up day by day. He could not wait to change his family's territory as soon as possible.
"Don't rush, it will still take some time. However, I guarantee that you will need to mobilize your family to move next year," Loriste said.
"Then what do I need to do? If you need my family's army to go into battle, let me know early. "Kemus volunteered.
Loriste smiled, "There is no need. My family's army will take over Sydgergrad and hand it over to you. What you need to do is to ensure the safety of your new family territory while you complete the relocation of your family. Then, deploy your family's army in Vanades City to intimidate the Andinac Kingdom's army in the south of Yungesandra Province. Also, guard against sneak attacks from the Falkner Duchy and Sabaji Duchy in the east. Although the road connecting the two dukedoms is a thousand miles long path through Egret Lake Swamp, you cannot be careless. "
Kemus nodded, "Don't worry. Although my family's army isn't good at attacking, it is more than enough to defend. But what do you plan to do with Henned and Baron Filim? "
Loriste pointed to the southeast of Delamuk, "After we take over this area, I will hand it over to Henned. Both he and Baron Filim are nobles from military backgrounds. Unlike you, their family's army is more capable. The Hindesen Mountains is the border between the two provinces. Leaving it to Henned will allow him to launch a pincer attack on Winston Province. If Vanades City is attacked, he will be able to send reinforcements immediately.
At the same time, I will build a few pontoon bridges on the lower reaches of the Mitubro River to connect the north and Delamuk Province together. You won't have to worry about reinforcements then. As for Baron Filim, his dream is to reclaim the southern province as his family's territory. That is the old territory of the Pegasus Family from a hundred years ago. We will help him realize this dream.
The southern province is now in ruins. If Baron Filim wants to restore the Pegasus Family to its former glory, he will need to work hard and our help. If we can occupy the southern province, it will be equivalent to locking the lion of the grasslands, the Fisablund Family, in a cage. When that time comes, we won't have to worry about that old fox causing trouble behind our backs. As long as we cut off trade with the Fisablund Family's territory, the old fox will have no choice but to bow down to us. "
Kemus looked at the map and pointed to Winston Province and the capital of Wendelamuk, "Then what are you going to do after we take over these two places?"
"If everything goes well, the southern province will be handed over to Baron Filim. I plan to use Winston Province to settle the nobles who have surrendered to us. If we attack the Duchy of Madras, there will definitely be nobles who will surrender to us. I plan to move these people to Winston Province. As for the capital of Wendelamuk, I plan to make it the commercial center of the southeast region, just like Vanades City. It will drive the development of the area, "Loriste said.
Kemus' eyes sparkled, "Locke, I suggest that you call yourself a kingdom after you take over the Duchy of Madras and the Kingdom of Iberia. I think the Norton Kingdom is a good name. I'm willing to become a noble of the Norton Kingdom. "
Loriste laughed, "We'll talk about it later. It won't be too late to consider this problem after Duke Fisablund bows down to me. For now, we should first take over the Duchy of Madras and let the first step of our strategy succeed. We'll have to talk it over when Henned and Phelim arrive. I need the cooperation of both their families. "
"Locke, I'm very curious. Are you really confident in taking over the Duchy of Madras? It's not only a tortoise, but also a hedgehog. If we are dragged into a long battle, even if we win, the gains will not make up for the losses. It will be even more difficult to deal with the Fisablund Family, "Kemus asked Loriste again.
"Don't worry, I'm really confident. When Henned and Filim arrive, I'll bring you to see our family's secret weapon." Loriste nodded again with certainty.
"What secret weapon?"
"You'll know when the time comes."
"You're so petty, Locke. Can't you tell me first?"
"No."
… …
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