Laurist knew very well what the second prince wanted. He wanted nothing more than to tie the Norton Family to his chariot and work for him. But this was what Laurist could not understand. Why did the Norton Family have to contribute to the Second Prince's ambitions? Just like in business, there was always the expectation of profit. But what would the Norton Family gain by helping the second prince unify the former empire? The Norton Family had already reached the pinnacle of a kingdom's nobility, and there was nothing else that the second prince could reward them with. Did the second prince really want to convince Laurist to let the Norton Family fight for the second prince and sacrifice themselves for nothing?
The Norton Family did not get their current status for nothing. They had made great contributions to the Andinac Kingdom, and the second prince knew this very well. But on the one hand, the second prince was afraid of the Norton Family's strength, and on the other hand, he was very envious of the Norton Family's development in the Norton Family's territory. He believed that if Laurist was truly willing to help him, he would definitely achieve his ambition of unifying the former Crimson Empire in the shortest time possible.
This was what Laurist was most annoyed about. This time, he made it very clear that the second prince had chosen the wrong path, and he could not blame anyone else. If it weren't for the Second Prince's vigorous military expansion, the Andinac Kingdom would have developed much faster than the remote Northland. Whether it was the quality of the people or the production environment, they were many times better than the Northland. But the second prince missed the best opportunity. He only wanted to develop the military to unify the former empire, and in the end, he completely collapsed when he encountered a setback.
Don't even think about taking the Norton Family's territory after you've ruined the Andinac Kingdom. This was also the reason why Laurist was so straightforward. The second prince has already regained the throne, and the Andinac Kingdom has returned to your rule. Now it's up to you to grasp this second opportunity. Will it be like us, the Norton Family, learning to focus on the production and development of our territory and wait for ten years before plotting to unify the former empire when we have the capital, or will it be like the last time when we expanded our military to the point of exhaustion …
The second prince knew what Laurist was implying. He had already failed once. He had to promise so many unfair conditions and sign a humiliating oath to get the four Northern Families to work for him, and he had to rely on the Norton Family to regain his throne. In the eyes of outsiders, the Andinac Kingdom was like the sun in the sky. It had destroyed the Madras Duchy and connected the Northern Land with the Imperial Capital, expanding its territory by two to three times. But in the heart of the second prince, he did not have a shred of pride or glory. There was no other reason, because the victory to destroy the Madras Principality was not under his command. He felt no sense of accomplishment, and even a little anger and inferiority complex from being ignored.
The second prince also knew that empty words could not fool Laurist. Laurist was not stupid, and he was very satisfied with the current situation. Even though he belonged to the kingdom, he still maintained a certain degree of independence. Because of the second prince's previous actions, Laurist maintained a sense of vigilance and alienation from this superior lord. However, this situation made it impossible for the second prince to force Laurist to submit. Whether it was his personal strength or the strength of his family, they had formed an overwhelming suppression on the second prince's current strength. Other than trying his best to rope him in and maintain a close relationship, the second prince had to avoid alienating or becoming enemies.
The second prince thought for a long time, and finally chose to not neglect production and armaments. He took a step back and asked the Norton Family to give him some support, putting himself in a very low position. Laurist heaved a sigh of relief and began to bargain with the second prince. He knew that the second prince's great purge of the nobles in the Imperial Capital had allowed him to amass a large amount of wealth. Rather than letting the second prince invest these funds into the bottomless hole of armaments, it was better to let him take some out to increase the family's financial income.
After a night of intense arguments, the second prince and Laurist finally came to an agreement on a series of arms and merchandise trade agreements. As Laurist expected, the second prince's main focus was still on armaments. There were very few agreements on resuming production and development. For example, the few factories that were to be opened in the Imperial Capital were mostly related to armaments. However, Laurist did not intend to meddle. Anyway, he did not expect to be able to extort so much money from the second prince.
The second prince was also very happy. He did not expect that most of the armaments could be obtained from the Norton Family at a very low price. Some of the equipment was even more cost-effective than setting up his own factories. In the second prince's plan, the ten million gold coins in his hands were the guarantee for him to control the kingdom and the army. He had originally planned to use most of it to prepare for war, but he didn't expect to spend only three or four million gold coins to buy equipment and resources from Laurist, which he had expected to cost six million gold coins. There were also the Thunder Catapults that he had been dreaming of. This made him extremely excited. When Laurist was about to leave, the second prince still held onto his hand tightly, and the people around him had goosebumps …
At noon on the 19th of December, Laurist bid farewell to the reluctant second prince and embarked on his return journey. After leaving the Earth Hill Barracks, he ordered Tagger to release a messenger eagle to send a message to Parker and Hugh, who had set up camp on the other side of Egret Lake Swamp with a large group of guards. He asked them to break camp and return to Fandinas City to wait for his arrival.
On the 22nd of December, Laurist and the others arrived at Fandinas City. After resting for a day, they set off again. On the 30th of December, they arrived at the pontoon bridge at the lower reaches of the Mitrobro River. After crossing the river, they hurried and finally returned to Rock Castle on the evening of the 34th of December.
"Thank you, God of War, for your blessing. My prayers have finally been answered." Fatty Shi tugged on Laurist's sleeve. "Your Highness, I can't imagine what it would be like if you, the Duke of the North, couldn't appear in front of the family's knights and vassal nobles during the family's first New Year's banquet. That would be the most embarrassing moment for the Norton Family in the past three hundred years …"
Laurist did not know whether to laugh or cry. "Alright, alright, stop complaining. Aren't I back now? Just don't do it again. After all, missing the New Year's banquet would only be embarrassing. If I didn't go this time, not only Redi, but even His Majesty would be in danger."
"Ah? How come our bloody His Majesty is involved in this? "Fatty Shi was stunned.
Ever since the second prince massacred most of the nobles in the capital, he had gained the title of 'Bloody King' among the knights and nobles.
Laurist briefly recounted the process of rescuing Redi and the second prince.
"What a pity. Why couldn't you have arrived half a day later? His Majesty would have died in battle or been captured. Redi taking advantage of the chaos to escape would have been the best ending. "Fatty Shi's face was full of regret.
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Laurist scolded. "He is His Majesty, the only surviving bloodline of the former Crisen Empire. Who would kill him? Who would dare to kill him? Not everyone is willing to bear the title of 'King of Killers'. The Great Swordsmaster of Saint Stem and the other two duchies only wanted to kidnap His Majesty and bring him to the four central duchies. If that really happened, it would have caused trouble for our family. As the Duke of the North with the highest rank in the Andinac Kingdom, I have to step in and solve this problem. Whether we gather money to ransom him or send out the family's armed forces to rescue him, it would have disrupted the family's plans. I'm glad that I arrived earlier to solve this problem. "
"I'm just saying." Fatty Shi muttered, unconvinced. "Your Highness, tomorrow is the last day. After tomorrow, it will be the New Year's celebration. Right now, all the nobles and high-ranking knights of the family are here. His Highness Duke Kempis, Count Phelim and Count Shahin are here as well. They are staying at the same place. Also, all the preparations have been completed, including the family badges of the vassal families and the new nobles. Do you want to check them? "
"No need. I've already seen the design anyway. As long as there are no violations, it's fine. I'm not worried about you taking care of everything. Is there anything else? I want to rest now. Also, help me tell Duke Kempis, Count Phelim, and Count Shahin that I'll be inviting them for lunch tomorrow. "Laurist turned around and prepared to return to the castle.
"Your Highness, I know it must have been hard for you to travel, but there is something else that requires your immediate decision," Fatty Shi said as he rummaged through the documents in his hands.
"What is it?" Laurist stopped and turned around.
"It's Viscount Eddis, Viscount Schindler, Baron Claus, and Baron Wade from Winston Province. They're here." Fatty Shi's expression was a little strange. "They're here to join our family, and they've even brought their nephews as hostages. Here, these are their letters of allegiance. "
"What did you say?" Laurist didn't take the stack of animal skin papers that Fatty Shi handed over. He looked at Fatty Shi in surprise. "Viscount Eddis, Viscount Schindler, Baron Claus, and Baron Wade. Aren't they the traditional nobles of the Iberian Kingdom? The last time I went to Winderbury City, I even spent a night in a small town in their territory. Why did this Viscount Eddis bring his three allies here? "
"Your Highness, they really said that they're here to join our Norton family. These are their letters of allegiance. I told them that you really weren't here, and that they could come back in spring next year. But they refused, saying that they had to see you no matter what. They've already been waiting in the castle for thirteen or fourteen days. "Fatty Shi finally handed the stack of letters of allegiance to Laurist.
Laurist lowered his head and quickly read through the four letters of allegiance. Behind him, the obedient Schindler hurriedly took a candlestick from the corner of the wall to light up the room for him.
After reading the four letters of allegiance with similar contents, Laurist raised his head. "How about this, Schindler. Arrange for them to meet me in the study in an hour. I'll take a bath and eat something first, then meet them in the study. I'll ask them why they're so desperate to join our family. That's all."
He turned around and patted Schindler's shoulder. "And you, didn't you hear Lord Schindler? Count Phillip is here, and he's staying at the same place. Your beautiful fiancée must be here as well. I don't need your service here anymore. Hurry up and go wash up, then go meet your wife. Oh, right, control yourself at night. You're still young … "
"Your Highness!" Schindler glared angrily at Laurist, but in the end, he couldn't resist the desire to see his fiancée. He ran away with a red face.
Shi Panzi laughed and shouted from behind, "Don't forget to call Redi over …"
Laurist's study had a lot of secrets, so servants were usually not allowed to clean it. All the cleaning tasks were done by Redi, Schindler, Eyre, Parker, or Jim. However, Redi went to the back of the castle to train, Eyre and Parker started their own families, and Jim was sent by Laurist to the gunpowder lab to receive a secret mission after he recovered. Thus, the cleaning of the study was basically done by Schindler. Now that Schindler was on leave, Fatty Shi wanted Redi to replace him. Otherwise, he and Laurist would have to do the cleaning themselves.
Laurist took a bath, ate something, and went to the study. As expected, Redi had already cleaned it up. The fireplace was also lit, giving off a warm heat that dispelled the coldness of the study after a month without a master.
Looking at Redi cooking Max, Laurist fell into deep thought. Schindler already has a fiancée, and Eyre has a family, but Redi is still alone. Should I ask him if he has a girl he likes? It's time to find him a wife …
As he was thinking, the door to the study was knocked on. Redi went to open the door, and Fatty Shi walked in with Viscount Eddis, Viscount Schindler, Baron Claus, and Baron Wade. Their faces were filled with disbelief and joy, as if they were on a sinking ship and suddenly saw the arrival of a rescue ship.
Laurist stood up and apologized to the four nobles solemnly. "I'm very sorry to have made the four of you wait here for so long. I'm very curious. My disciple had some matters to attend to outside, so I had no choice but to bring him back. I only returned today after hearing that the four of you have waited here for more than ten days and even wrote a letter of loyalty to the Norton Family. I'm very curious. What happened that forced you to submit to us? "
The four nobles stood in front of Laurist and respectfully bowed to him. Laurist did not stand on ceremony and accepted the greeting. The four nobles let out a long sigh of relief. As the leader, Viscount Eddis took a step forward and smiled bitterly at Laurist, "Your Highness, the four of us are at our wits' end. We have no other way out but to submit to you …"
Following Viscount Eddis's explanation, Laurist and Fatty Shi finally understood that these four nobles were forced by Grand Duke Fisabulon. Just like what they said, they were truly at their wits' end. They could either accept Grand Duke Fisabulon's conditions, or watch their family walk towards destruction before their very eyes. Or they could only submit to the Norton Family. That way, they would still have a way out …
After the Knight's Tournament in May last year, Duke Fisabulon had brought 20,000 Border Ranger Legion soldiers to the capital of Wenderbri. They did not withdraw with the Duke's departure. Instead, they were stationed there. After that, Duke Fisabulon and the four central duchies formed an alliance and destroyed the Merlein Duchy, removing the threat from the Iberian Kingdom. Duke Fisabulon then arrived at the capital once again.
This time, the Duke was not as easily fooled as before. He once again brought 20,000 men and horses, making the number of Border Ranger Legion soldiers stationed at the capital of Wenderbri reach an entire legion. With this legion in hand, Duke Fisabulon bared his fangs at the nobles in the capital and mercilessly killed them. Every day, there were nobles who were either arrested and sent to prison or executed for conspiring against them. Compared to the second prince, Duke Fisabulon spent more than half a year to slowly punish these nobles. Similarly, he also purged the nobles, but the second prince mercilessly killed them, causing his own reputation to be tarnished. On the other hand, Duke Fisabulon used the strategy of boiling a frog in warm water. It did not seem obvious, but the number of nobles who died in his hands was not much less than the second prince …
Laurist had already learned of these matters through the spies in the capital arranged by his family's Wallibell Intelligence and Investigation Bureau. In any case, when he occupied the capital of Wenderbri, he would also make a move against those nobles. Since Duke Fisabulon was willing to do it on his behalf, Laurist was very happy. At least he did not have to dirty his hands. After occupying the capital, he could even pour dirty water on Duke Fisabulon and publicize his wanton massacre of nobles. He could also find the families of some nobles who had survived to spread the news around, ensuring that Duke Fisabulon's good name would be spread far and wide. Thus, Laurist's orders were for the spies to know their place and only record and collect evidence in secret. They were not to ruin Duke Fisabulon's plans …
However, after Duke Fisabulon purged the nobles in the capital, he turned his attention to the traditional nobles in the Winston province. He decided to make these nobles swear loyalty to him and move them to the southern province. This caused an uproar among the nobles, and they all raised their flags to resist. Duke Fisabulon had been waiting for this moment. He immediately declared these nobles to be traitors, and in two months, more than 20 noble families were annihilated. The men were hanged, and the women were given to the grass-barbarians who worked for the ranger corps at the border.
Although Viscount Edis and the other three families did not raise their flags to resist, they received the order to move their fiefs. Before the fifth month of next year, they had to bring their families, no more than a thousand subjects, and a garrison to the southern province to take over their new fiefs. The current fiefs would be handed over to Duke Fisabulon's envoy to manage. Everyone knew what the southern province was like now. It was in chaos, and bandits and bandits were like ants. The entire province had already become a wasteland. Under such circumstances, a group of a thousand or so people going to the southern province was like a fat piece of meat falling into a pack of wolves. No one could guarantee that they would be able to reach the new fiefs alive.
"Your Highness, this is the reason why we have come to serve you. We know that Duke Fisabulon is purging the nobles in the Winston province to prepare for the decisive battle with the Four Great Families of the Northern Lands. The news I have heard is that Duke Fisabulon is preparing to move the young and strong subjects of the various fiefs in the Winston province to their own fiefs in the Eastern Wasteland province. The old, weak, women, and children will be concentrated in the capital. With my Walker Town as the boundary, we will strengthen the walls and clear the fields in front. We will build Walker Town into a military fortress and act as a barrier for the capital. It will also be the first line of defense against the invasion of the Four Great Families of the Northern Lands. "
Buckingham nodded. "I am very happy to accept the four of you. The Norton family will treat you as one of our vassal families, and will transfer your family's territory to the Delemark province. There will be no reduction. As for the sons and nephews you have brought, I will arrange for them to serve in my guards. Gentlemen, are you willing to accept such an arrangement? "
The four nobles were overjoyed. They immediately knelt on the ground and swore in the name of their ancestors that they would serve the Norton Family wholeheartedly. They were so grateful that they cried for a long time before they respectfully took their leave.
Fatty Shi looked at Laurist from the corner of his eyes. When there was no one else in the study, he asked, "Loke, tell me, what are you planning?"
… …
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