Dark clouds covered the sky, and the wind howled.
However, the military camp on the mound was still bustling with activity. Under Laurist's guidance, the second prince had already learned how to use the skis. In high spirits, the second prince ordered the soldiers to clean up the accumulated snow in the military camp, turning it into a huge ski field. Braving the cold wind and the heavy snow, he had a great time with his knights …
Looking at the knights and soldiers chasing each other on the skis in the camp, Lorist had an idea. Perhaps skiing and ice skating could be promoted in the family's territory and become a winter competition. This would be better than the people in the family's territory habitually hiding in their houses during the winter. Speaking of which, it was shameful. Now that it was winter in the family's territory, only the Third Town of Fengle Plain organized the Bumping Sheep Festival to become a well-known event. Other towns were basically closed.
It wasn't that Lorist didn't want to bring some of the sports from his previous life to his family's territory, but it wasn't suitable. This was a world of combat aura. For example, in the three major sports of ball, using combat aura to play ball was like cheating. One kick would explode the ball, and the other hand would throw the ball. The entire blue board would be smashed to pieces. As for football, the high-level combat aura and its usage was the key to victory. To put it bluntly, a Gold Knight using combat aura to protect himself could carry the ball from his own backfield to the opponent's frontfield to score. It was like slaying a dragon, and the entire opposing team couldn't do anything to him because his combat aura was of the Gold rank.
Currently, the more popular sports in the Lorton Family's territory were old traditional sports such as swordsmanship, archery, spear throwing, axe throwing, and horseback riding. It wasn't that Lorist didn't want to hold a sports competition in the family's territory to liven up the atmosphere and unite the people, but he couldn't find a suitable sport for the masses, so he gave up on the idea. Sometimes, holding a sports competition wasn't just a matter of liveliness. Lorist wanted to use this opportunity to make the family's territory's economy circulate, so that the people's gold coins would have a place to spend instead of being stored.
The second prince stood in front of Lorist with a beautiful swing. The surrounding guards all applauded and cheered. Lorist also clapped a few times. "Your Majesty, your skills are getting better and better. You're really talented and learn quickly!"
The second prince smiled contentedly. "It's not too bad. In fact, learning this skiing technique was not difficult. The difficult part was mastering balance and body coordination. I found that soldiers who have awakened their fighting energy learn faster than those who haven't … "
"Yes, Your Majesty, you're right."
"Locke, you're still so polite. I told you long ago that we'll call each other brothers in private. You are the only one left in the Norton Family, and the Crimson Royal Bloodline only flows through my veins. We share the same fate. "
"Haha, Your Majesty, even without me, the Norton family still has many other descendants. For example, Christie, her younger brothers, and a few of my half-brothers. I already have three sons and two daughters. Your Majesty, on the other hand, you should take care of yourself. You haven't left any bloodline for the Andinac royal family! "
The second prince sighed deeply. "My mind is filled with the battle to restore the country. I don't have any other thoughts. Well, the weather seems to be getting better. The snow has stopped and the wind is getting weaker. It seems like it will clear up tomorrow. Locke, you're leaving too? "
Laurist bowed his head. "Yes, Your Majesty, we've been here for three days. As soon as the sky clears up tomorrow, we'll set off for the north. There are many things to do in the family territory that can't be delayed. Not to mention, we'll launch an attack on the Iberian Kingdom in the spring. This is a major event that can't be delayed. I believe Your Majesty also wants to see the Iberian Kingdom perish, right? "
The second prince nodded, "Of course, this is a kingdom established by a rebel. Although the rebellious second prince has been executed by me, the Iberian Kingdom named after him still exists, which is indeed unpleasant to look at. I'll leave this matter to Brother Locke. I hope the Norton Family's armed forces can destroy this abominable and sad kingdom as soon as possible. "
"Haha, Your Majesty, the destruction of the Iberian Kingdom is not our Norton Family's business. His Royal Highness Duke Gammus, Count Filim, and Count Shahin's armed forces will all send troops as agreed. Only in this way can we destroy the Iberian Kingdom in one fell swoop with the greatest military advantage. Next, we have to deal with the invasion of the Fisablun Family's Ranger Legion and the harassment of the southern province by the four central duchies. It may take a long time to end this war … "Laurist had long been mentally prepared for the war to attack and destroy the Iberian Kingdom.
However, the second prince was absent-minded. It was unknown if he was listening to Laurist. Taking off his skis and kicking the snow pile beside him with his leather boots, the second prince raised his head. "You're leaving tomorrow, so I'll treat you to a drink tonight. Just the two of us, it'll be a farewell for your departure tomorrow. What do you think?"
Laurist smiled and saluted. "Of course, it would be my honor."
That night, Laurist only brought Schwartz and two leather bags of fine grain brew to the meeting. Fine grain brew was a high-grade liquor that Laurist imitated from the way farmers brewed rice wine in his previous life. It was made from selected rice that was steamed three times and fermented three times. However, the quantity was limited. After all, it consumed too much food. Normally, only Laurist and a few high-ranking members of the family could enjoy it.
As expected, the second prince's igloo was empty. Apart from the two cooks outside the tent who were busy roasting meat, there was no one else. Laurist ordered Shihuard to stay outside the tent to heat the wine while he stepped into the tent.
The second prince was leaning against the table, thinking about something. He did not even notice Laurist enter the tent. It was only when Laurist called out to His Majesty three times that the second prince came to his senses. He hurriedly got up and invited Laurist to take a seat. Then, he clapped his hands and ordered the cooks outside the tent to serve the dishes quickly.
The second prince sat at the head of the tent, and Laurist sat to his left. The table in front of them was quickly filled with roasted meat, boiled apples, smoked turkey, and other dishes.
The second prince raised his wine cup and said, "We are in the wilderness, and our supplies are limited. It cannot compare to the banquets in the imperial capital. I hope Brother Locke does not mind."
Laurist also raised his cup. "Your Majesty, no need to be so polite. How can delicacies, wine, and food compare to the honor of Your Majesty's personal company? I'll drink this wine. "
The second prince also drank the wine in his cup with Laurist. "Thank you …"
"Your Majesty, I also brought a type of wine that I brewed myself. However, this wine is a bit strong and needs to be drunk slowly to taste it. I wonder if Your Majesty would like to try it? "Laurist said.
"Sure, let me try it." The second prince was a little curious.
Laurist clapped his hands to let Shihuard in. He first poured half a cup of hot fine grain wine for himself, and then poured half a cup for the second prince. The second prince stared at the steaming cup with great interest.
"Your Majesty, this wine tastes better when it's hot in winter, but you have to drink it in small sips, like me." Laurist took a small sip of the fine grain wine as a demonstration.
The second prince laughed. He felt that Laurist was too stingy with his wine. He picked up the cup and took a sip. It wasn't a small sip, but it wasn't a small one either. Then his whole face turned red. "So spicy, hot, so hot …"
It took a long time for him to regain his composure. Then, his eyes lit up, "I understand now. Locke, when your guards followed you to march thousands of miles on skis during the winter, did they all bring this kind of leather pouch with them and drink it to recover their heat when they were cold?"
Laurist nodded at first, then shook his head. "Your Majesty, my family guards do carry strong wine with them to prevent them from losing body heat in the snowstorm. But they have potato wine, which is very different from my fine grain wine. My wine is made from the essence of Mana Hill rice. Such a small bag is already worth a dozen gold fuds. If I had to equip everyone in my family with it, I would have gone bankrupt long ago.
Also, the potato wine given to the guards is limited to each person. They are not allowed to drink too much in a day. Your Majesty, this is the advantage of having fewer people. It's easier to supervise. You think that an army can rely on skis to carry out large-scale maneuvers in winter and raid enemy strongholds anytime and anywhere. In reality, winter clothing and not getting lost are just two common flaws. Take this ration of strong alcohol for example. No matter how strict the military law is, it won't be able to stop the soldiers from secretly drinking. Then, what you will get is a drunken army, and their combat strength will not be guaranteed. "
The second prince sighed deeply and raised his cup again. This time, he learned from his mistake and took a small sip. "Tsk …"
"Locke, I've wanted to talk to you for a long time. Let's talk openly tonight, shall we?"
Laurist's expression turned serious. "As you wish, Your Majesty."
"Locke, my brother, I don't understand why you aren't willing to help me. With your Norton family's strength, if you were willing to help me, you would have already unified the Crimson Empire. By then, you and I would have been able to leave a good name in history …"
"Your Majesty, you think that the Norton family is very strong, but do you know how we got our strength?" Laurist sat up straight and said seriously, "Your Majesty, do you remember our first meeting ten years ago? Our family's northbound convoy was blocked at the border of the Madras Principality. Two to three hundred thousand people were at a dead end, and they were the key to the rise of the Norton family in the north.
Your Majesty, do you know what my family's territory was like when I first returned to the north? Outside, the Duke of the North, Duke Lujins, forced us to kneel and swear loyalty to him. Inside, there were rebellious citizens who occupied the only town in the family's territory. Our family only had two thousand people left in the Maple Manor. At that time, we had to face the invasion of the neighboring Kenneth family. They had forcefully occupied our family's territory.
Do you remember our meeting then, Your Majesty? Your situation was many times better than our family's. You used our northbound convoy to wipe out the rebellious nobles in the kingdom and regain control of the kingdom. Then, you cooperated with our family's armed forces to sweep through the Madras Principality and occupy the Yungesandra province. After our convoy went north, you led your army to the east and defeated the eldest prince at Liuchuan, forcing him to cede two provinces in the southwest and sue for peace. That year, Your Majesty's name spread throughout the world, and you were hailed as the new generation's God of War.
But in the next five to six years of truce, Your Majesty, you went the wrong way. You've expanded the kingdom's army, forming an army of more than 300,000 soldiers. You've spent almost all of the kingdom's output on this army, and you've missed the best time for the kingdom to rest and recuperate.
Your Majesty, please don't interrupt me. Let me finish first. Perhaps you had your reasons. You always wanted to restore the former empire's territory and restore the former empire's prestige. But you forgot that war is not just a competition of military strength. Just like your army of three hundred thousand people, do you know how many of them were willing to fight for your dream?
The empire's civil war lasted for seven years, and after two or three years of peace, the kingdom's nobles became restless again. Your Majesty, do you remember the hundreds of thousands of refugees who wandered the kingdom at that time? They were originally citizens of the imperial capital, but they became refugees because of the war. We took half of them with us, and Your Majesty, you used the territories of the slain nobles to settle the other half. That was how the entire kingdom was stabilized.
Their most urgent wish is to live a peaceful and stable life, but Your Majesty, you have given them perfunctorily by saying that you will compensate them after the empire is unified. This is also the real reason why all the nobles in the Andinac Kingdom rebelled after the defeat of the Redelis Kingdom and made Princess Carey the new queen. Your Majesty, your promise has become empty words.
When Your Majesty, you expanded the army and prepared for war, the refugees who followed us to the north were finally able to live a peaceful life. We kept our promise and didn't let them experience the pain of war. So, apart from fighting against the Wave of Magical Beasts and the second prince's attack, we stayed in the family territory and developed quietly. We paid attention to the people's livelihood and spent a lot of money to develop the family territory. We worked hard to give the refugees who followed us to the north a stable and peaceful home. Our Norton Family was mocked as a black bear that didn't want to leave its nest.
Your Majesty, when you came to the north and praised the prosperity of our Norton Family territory, do you know how much effort and price we paid to develop our family territory? If you hadn't organized an army of three hundred thousand to prepare for war, the kingdom would have been flourishing as well. You have already missed an opportunity. This time, you have restored the kingdom's territory. As long as you settle down and work hard for ten years, you will be able to sweep the former empire's territory as you wish. "
After listening to Laurist's sincere words, the second prince only sipped the fine grain wine in his cup. He was still silent for a long time after he finished drinking.
"Loke, my brother, perhaps this is the biggest difference between you and me. I hope to first unify the former empire, then redraw the road of development on the empire's territory. But you, on the other hand, only reach out to other places after you've developed one. I can't develop the kingdom like you. I've always worried that a peaceful life will destroy all of my ambitions. I'll be content to enjoy life instead of fighting for power.
Regaining the throne this time has made me reflect a lot. I won't bet everything on armaments anymore. I'll learn from your family and take control of a territory before moving on to the next goal. I'll develop both production and armaments without neglecting either. However, I hope to receive help from the Norton Family in the process. Provide me with some of your weapons. "The second prince finally spoke, but his tone was pleading for help.
Laurist hesitated for a moment. "Your Majesty, please state your request. If I can do it, I will definitely agree."
… …
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