Outside the window, it was raining heavily.
It was now the middle of March. March was the rainy season in the Galinthia Continent, and the rainy season in the south would last for more than two months. However, the North was located in the central region on the map of the Galinthea Continent. Due to the towering Demonic Dragon Mountain Range blocking the convection of the oceanic climate between the East and West, the rainy season in the North was generally only about a month, or even shorter, twenty days.
Laurist had already returned to Monolith Castle, handing over the Madras strategy to Bofinger to handle. After becoming the Duke of the North, just as his subordinates had advised him, he shouldn't be running around alone. As long as he had a good grasp of the strategic direction of the family, the specific matters would be carried out by the family's knights and civil servants.
There were as many as sixteen Gold Knights in the family now. If not for the Duke of Madras having a level-2 swordsman by his side, Laurist wouldn't have bothered to make this trip. Because of the surprise attack on Cedargrad, Laurist had missed Delia's birth date. Just as Laurist was enjoying the glory of being the conqueror and the service of his two new lovers, this young aunt of the Dena family had added another young master to the Norton family in Monolith Castle.
Laurist stared at the map for a long time. Fatty Shi ordered Schwald to get two more candlesticks to brighten the study.
"Loke, are you worried about the Madras strategy? The Monolith Army has already occupied Kebo City and cut off the food supply to the hundred thousand enemies who are confronting us at the river crossing. From the accounts seized from Kebo City, we discovered that before the rainy season, they still planned to send a batch of provisions over. Now it's gone, by the time they get through this rainy season, I believe that the Madras army of over a hundred thousand would be almost starving, and other than surrendering, they have no other choice … … "
Laurist shook his head, "The Madras Duchy's situation has already been decided. There won't be any waves. I've already ordered the Flying Tiger Army to immediately head west after the rainy season ends and force the hundred thousand enemies to land. Actually, you've seen Bofinger's report. Cutting off the supply of rations has already allowed the enemy to discover that we've occupied Kebo City. It's just that the arrival of the rainy season has prevented them from retaliating.
We already knew that the enemy on the other side was the 56,000 strong Seamount Legion. Originally, the garrison of Vanades City and Kebo City consisted of 10,000 soldiers each. There were also 20,000 soldiers from the Hindersen Mountain Range and 10,000 private soldiers from the Madras Duchy. It could be seen that the Madras Duchy was preparing for a decisive battle with us at the start of spring. We just didn't give him a chance.
Without the supply of provisions from Kebo City, the Madras Duchy's army would have a hard time during the rainy season. However, I reckon that with their remaining rations and the horses and mules in the camp, they should be able to survive the rainy season half-starved. I didn't send the Flying Tiger Army to the west to fight them. I've already written a letter to Ross, the Ferocious Tiger. His main mission is to trap the enemy in their camp. The end of the rainy season will be the harvest of winter wheat. I won't allow the enemy to harvest winter wheat to tide over the crisis of food shortage.
According to our plan, the Flying Tiger Army will besiege the enemy's camp, while Henned will lead his Shahin Family's army to the Hindersen Mountain Range to besiege the seven castles. Without the supplies from Kebo City, the remaining 20,000 soldiers will only be able to hold out for two months at most before surrendering. The Kenneth Family's armed forces will head to the Sidgre province to swap with the Monolith Army. The Monolith Army will board a ship back to Sirovas Island and wait for the next step. As for the Filim Family's light cavalry, they will wipe out the rebellious nobles in the Delemsk province. However, most of the nobles in the Madras Duchy have fallen into our hands. I believe this will be an easy task for Baron Filim. "
Fatty Shi flipped open a folder and looked at it. "Locke, after the Monolith Army occupied Edris City, they captured 38 nobles from the Madras Duchy. According to the title list, there were 63 noble families in the duchy. There should have been more than 80, but a few years ago, the second prince wreaked havoc in the Delemsk province and wiped out more than 20 families. The nobles who went to the Grand Duke's Mansion this time are basically not trusted aides of the Madras Duke. Because the Grand Duke's trusted aides are either in the Seamount Army or in important positions outside, we cannot be careless in the final stages of the Madras Duchy, lest we suffer the backlash of those people before they die.
Also, although the trusted aides of the Madras Duke did not attend the welcoming banquet at the Grand Duke's Mansion, their womenfolk are all there and have fallen into our hands. The more than 100 noble ladies and young masters we captured in the Grand Duke's Mansion are the families of these nobles. I think we can use this to persuade those nobles to surrender. As long as they surrender with their troops, we can allow them to leave the Madras Duchy with their families and belongings to go wherever they want. We will not stop them, nor will we hand them over to the second prince. I think this may break their will to resist … "
Lollister nodded. "Alright, we can do that. I will write to Borg and Ross to cooperate with you so that we can achieve victory with the least casualties and the least cost. Hopefully, everything in the Madras Duchy will be settled by June."
"Locke, will the second prince have any objections if we let the trusted aides of the Madras Duke go?" Although the second prince was the former king of Andinac in name, the Norton Knights usually addressed him as His Majesty in front of him and His Highness in private. Fatty Shi was no exception.
"Don't worry about him. Even if those nobles are rebels who conspired with the Madras Duke to rebel against the Empire, we don't have to sacrifice our loyal and brave soldiers for these rebels. If you want to capture those nobles, let the second prince do it himself. There's no need for us to do so, and we have no obligation to do so. " After more than 10 years as a lord, Lollister had become more and more integrated into this world, and he was becoming more and more like a true lord. Adding some trouble to the royal family and the superior lords was something every noble in the Galinthia Continent loved to see.
Fatty Shi chuckled. "Got it. But what about the 38 nobles who were captured?"
"If they are old nobles of the former Crisen Empire, viscounts and above will be reduced by one rank. Barons can't be reduced even if they want to. In the future, they will be enfeoffed to Winston Province. If they are nobles who were enfeoffed by the Madras Duke himself, then we will not recognize their titles and territories. We will release them and confiscate two-thirds of their property. The rest will be returned to them and they can go wherever they want, "Lollister replied.
"Wow, there won't be that many nobles left. I roughly estimated that there are only about 20 left." Fatty Shi flipped through the list in his hand and thought of something. "Locke, what if those trusted aides of the Madras Duke still want to keep their titles and territories?"
"Well, tell them that their titles and territories will be reduced by one rank, and they will become vassal lords of the Norton Family. We will take them in on the grounds that they have performed meritorious deeds. The Madras Duke isn't an incompetent person. Those that he likes must be extraordinary. Why don't we give it a try? Perhaps these people can be of some help to the Norton Family. "
Lollister thought for a moment and said, "By the way, don't reduce or transfer the titles of the Yuchenko Family and the Sabri Family. Just let them become our vassal lords. However, their territories still need to be adjusted."
Yup, the Yuchenko Family and the Sabri Family were the families of Laurist's two new beauties. Not only did these two families avoid punishment by using their daughters to get into Laurist's bed, but they also successfully switched sides. Who knew how many people would die of envy? At the same time, it also showed that the head of the Norton Family, the new Duke of the North, was a noble who valued relationships and was responsible. It was all because he didn't remove his ruthlessness …
Fatty Shi smiled faintly. "I heard that there was a lot of commotion some time ago?"
Lollister rubbed his nose awkwardly. When he returned from Alice City to Rock Castle, he naturally brought his two new beauties back. As a result, Miss Dena was furious. The two of us didn't even care about our status and followed you. Not only did we let our young aunt bear a son for you, but you used the excuse of attacking the Madras Duchy. Not only did you miss the birth date of our aunt, you even brought back two beauties as spoils of war. You've really gone too far. I'm going to kill you, you hypocritical bastard!
"How did you settle it?" Fatty Shi was very interested. Although Miss Dena was easily jealous and had a bad temper, she had a very good impression of her family members and knights. Firstly, she had trained hard to become a Silver Knight. Secondly, she had always gotten into conflicts with Lollister in private. She knew the big picture. Even when she had tormented her sister to get the position, she had first asked for the opinions of a few important family members of the Norton Family. Later, when she saw that things couldn't be done, she immediately gave up on the idea instead of continuing to tangle with Lollister.
"It's nothing. I promised her that I would move the Dena Family's territory from the Andinac Kingdom to the Delamuk Province. At the same time, they would become our vassal." Lollister smiled bitterly. "Also, I promised to bring the sisters with me when I go out in the future. She said that she wouldn't allow me to bring back a few beauties on a single trip."
"Haha …" Fatty Shi laughed loudly.
Lollister went to the wine cabinet and took out a bottle of fruit wine. After opening it, he poured a glass for Fatty Shi.
"Right, Sir, Knight Malek has sent a report. He asked for punishment and asked to take responsibility for the riots and massacres that happened in Alice City." Fatty Shi picked up a blue folder that he carried with him and took out a kraft paper document. "This arrived yesterday afternoon. Take a look."
Lollister took the document and glanced at it. Then, he did something that surprised Fatty Shi. He lit the document on a candle and watched the flames burn.
"Locke, what are you doing? This needs to be kept … "Fatty Shi was stunned.
Lollister shook his head. "There's no need for this document to be kept. All reports on the riots in Alice City are not kept on paper. In addition, I will give Knight Malek an order of commendation and have him report the names of those who performed meritorious deeds. His handling of the riots was not wrong. He was decisive and straightforward. I told them long ago that Alice City is the nest of the Madras Family that the Madras Family has run for forty years. The hundred thousand people who live in this city are all connected to the Madras Family. We were a little careless with only ten thousand men stationed here. If it wasn't for Knight Malek's ruthlessness and decisiveness, I dare say that the Cedargrad Province would immediately start a huge resistance once we were chased out of the city.
In the entire Cedargrad Province, other than Alice City, the Madras Family didn't confer nobility to any of the duchy's nobles. Instead, they built close to forty farms and took in close to two hundred thousand people. The families of the soldiers of the Seymour Legion lived here. That was why the Seymour Legion was the most elite military force under the Madras Grand Duke. The Madras Legion had practically kidnapped their families. If they didn't do well in battle, their families would be implicated. This forced them to fight to the death to obtain victory.
According to the roster of the soldiers of the Seamount Legion that we seized from the Grand Duke's mansion, I had Tagger's Volibell Intelligence Bureau collect the letters and items of the soldiers' families. When the rainy season was over, they would send them to the Seamount Legion to break the resistance of the soldiers. The instigator of the riot in Alice City obviously noticed this and instigated the people to start a riot. He wanted to stop our operation so that the Seamount Legion could continue fighting with us in the Drymsk Province. He wanted to stall for time and wait for the situation to change.
Haha, it's a pity that they're delusional. The situation has already been decided. A few schemes won't be able to make it onto the stage in the face of great power. They didn't expect that the Cedargrad Province would be the territory that we gave to the Kenneth family. After the great migration, no matter what schemes they have, they won't be able to survive. When that time comes, we'll see who's going to be dumbfounded. "
According to the land exchange agreement with the Kenneth family, the Kenneth family in the eastern part of the Northlands now had a population of nearly three hundred and forty thousand. This was the result of the Kenneth family's hard work over the past ten years. The Cummings family would bring 250,000 people to the Sidegler province, while the Norton family would be responsible for vacating the original residents of the Sidegler province, so that the Cummings family would be able to immediately move to a better place to live.
To put it bluntly, the Kenneth family would be moving people from the eastern part of the Northlands to the Cedargrad Province, while the original residents of the Cedargrad Province would be moved to the eastern part of the Northlands. According to Fatty Shi's words, this was a struggle between two sides. However, to the Kenneth family, it was better to move their own people over and occupy the magpie's nest. Otherwise, a single lord would not be able to live comfortably for a few years.
"Locke, once the soldiers of the Seamount Legion and the garrison surrender, will they also be sent to the eastern part of the Northlands for three years of labor?" Fatty Shi asked.
Laurist thought for a moment and replied, "We still have to wait for the development of the eastern part of the Northlands. The first people to move to the Cedargrad Province will be the families of the Seamount Legion and the garrison soldiers. Let them adapt to the environment in the Northlands first. Next will be the craftsmen and their families. These craftsmen are the easiest to integrate into the family. Because the Norton family values them more than anyone else, we can give them preferential treatment. Our family's workshops will have priority in selecting the people they need from these craftsmen.
As for the Seamount Legion and the garrison soldiers, after they surrender, they will build a road in the Delimuk Province. I hope to have a direct road from Fendinas City to Kebo City, and then to the Northlands in two years. I really don't understand what the Chrisen Empire did. If they built a straight road, it would only take them five days to get from Fandinath City to the Northern Land. Why did they have to stretch the road by three times, turning a five-day journey into more than fifteen days? "
Laurist's complaints made Fatty Shi laugh. "Locke, you don't know how much effort the Chrisen Empire had to put in to build this road. Firstly, it was resisted by the nobles. If they built a direct road, it would pass through the territories of many nobles. Their request for a toll was rejected by the empire, so they also objected to the road passing through their territories. In the end, they had no choice but to build the road along the borders of their territories. This is all recorded in the records.
Secondly, the construction of this road filled the stomachs of many nobles. The construction of the road in the Delimuk Province was famous for its high cost and long time. It took a total of seven years to complete. The cost was equivalent to building seven roads in other provinces. I remember that there was even a newspaper that sang praises for this road, saying that this twisting and turning road was specifically built to transport the products of the various noble territories to the granary of the empire, Kebo City. It was simply too shameless. "
Laurist also laughed. "I don't care about what happened in the past, but I will not allow such a situation to happen in our area of influence. Anyway, the territories in the Delimuk Province are going to be re-enfeoffed, and the Madras Principality has about a hundred thousand people who have surrendered. We can let them build the road. A straight road will save a lot of time, and it will also allow us to deploy our troops faster. I need this road to be completed in two years. "
"Your Highness." Fatty Shi stood up. Ever since Laurist became the Duke of the Northlands, his servants and knights called him Your Highness. Only a small number of people still called him Lord. Fatty Shi called Locke by this title in private, but he still addressed Laurist as Your Highness when discussing official matters.
"There's bad news. The family's budget will be greatly overspent again this year. Apart from helping the Kenneth and Shahin Families exchange territories, we also need to develop and construct the original territories of the Shahin Family in the eastern and southwestern parts of the Northlands. At the same time, we will be responsible for the migration of the residents of the Sigler Province to the eastern parts of the Northlands. "Our next military operation is the Flying Tiger Legion's expedition against the usurper of the Andinac Kingdom, Queen Kerry.
"Now, you want to build this road in the Delimuk Province, and our family's budget has already exceeded by six million gold fords. In my opinion, the construction of the road is more important than the war. So, Your Highness, for the family's financial balance and safety, I suggest that we temporarily stop the war against the Andinac Kingdom. I personally think that it is very unwise for our family to exceed our budget by nearly a million gold fords in order to let the second prince regain his position. "
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