It was the first time the Duke of Forendor had been to the North. When he followed Duke Gammus through the province of Delemark, he was very surprised. The clear borders of the territory, the straight and wide roads, and the well-structured water conservancy facilities on both sides of the road had completely overturned his impression of the agricultural province of the former Crimson Empire.
Wasn't it said that the Delemark Province's national highway was the longest and most expensive interprovincial highway in the former Empire? It was said that in order not to infringe on the rights and territories of the nobles of the former Empire, the national highway had been altered many times. In the end, an agreement was reached that the highway would take many turns along the borders of the nobles' territories. The cost of the highway had increased by several times, and all the nobles and families who were connected to the highway had made a fortune … What was up with this smooth highway? Could it be that this was left behind by the Madras Grand Princess when she was in charge of Delemark?
The Duke of Forendor led his family's armed army and escorted more than a hundred thousand people to Yungesandra. They did not pass through the Southern Province, Winston Province, or Delemark Province. Instead, they crossed the swamp of Egret Lake from Meishan Province to Yungesandra Province. Although this road was more difficult to traverse, it saved almost half of the journey and time. Not only him, but Duke Handa and Duke Sabaji, who had been transferred to the two provinces in the Southwest, also took this road.
Duke Kempis pursed his lips and told the Duke of Forendor that this was the work of Laurist. After the fall of the Madras Duchy, Laurist transferred all the surrendered nobles to the Winston Province. Then, he invested nearly two million gold coins and used more than a hundred thousand soldiers as labor. It took him two and a half years to straighten out the national highway in the Delemark Province. He also built the irrigation system, and then redistributed the nobles according to the geographical location …
"This … This … How did the Norton Family invest so much money into their territory …" The Duke of Forendor was speechless. Two million gold coins! Delemark Province was only under the jurisdiction of the Norton Family, and not directly under them. Who knew how many years it would take for them to recoup their investment? It was important to note that the territories under their jurisdiction were basically the territories of lesser lords and vassal families. The Norton Family could only collect a 10% management fee at most …
Furthermore, interprovincial roads like this were usually funded by the kingdom, and the Norton Family, as the ruler of the Delemark province, could apply for funding. But when he thought about the second prince's temperament, the Grand Duke of Fulundor knew that it was impossible. It seemed like the Norton family was really rich to be able to build a transportation system for a province like this.
Duke Kenneth laughed out loud. "You call this capital? My friend, you don't know that the Norton Family has spent close to 20 million Gold Ford in the North to develop their territory. They've also spent 10 to 20 million on the military equipment of the Norton Family. How do you think the Norton Family's reputation as an elite military force came about? It's purely because of money … "
Just like how Laurist muttered that Duke Gammus would rather spend his money on lifestyle than invest in the family's military, Duke Gammus also thought that Laurist had spent too much money on the family's military. He had heard Laurist mention before that half of the Norton Family's annual income was spent on military equipment. This made Duke Kenneth think that Laurist must be suffering from persecution paranoia. Spending so much money on military equipment was to protect the Norton Family. The strength of the Norton Family's military was even greater than that of the kingdom, which was why the second prince was so wary.
As a genius businessman, Duke Gammus could easily estimate the annual income of the Norton family. It was also because of this that he understood that the annual military expenditure of the Norton family was no less than two or three million gold coins per year. But the stronger the Norton Family's military strength, the more powerful Duke Kenneth would be able to rely on Laurist. He could rely on the Norton Family to earn his own money without worrying about others having designs on the House of Fulundor.
The Grand Duke of Fulundor was stunned by Duke Kenneth's words. "This … So much Gold Ford. Where did the Norton Family get so much money …"
"They robbed it," Duke Kenneth replied casually. He knew the ins and outs of Lollister very well. In the past, when he was drinking and playing with Fatty Shi, Bofinger, Ferocious Tiger Ross, and the others, he had heard them talk about their adventures in the north more than once. He knew that they had robbed their way to the north.
"You must be joking. How could they rob so much money?" The Grand Duke of Fulundor shook his head in disbelief.
"Haha, my friend, you don't know this. Back then, when he was studying in Moronte City and was about to return to the North to inherit his title, he and his friends from Dawn College organized a convoy to travel north. In the end, the nobles along the way had designs on their convoy, so they fought and killed their way north. As the victors, they looted the territories of the losers, so the convoy grew stronger and stronger. When they reached the Andinac Kingdom, they accepted the commission of the second prince and cleaned up the rebellious nobles in three provinces of the kingdom. They stabilized the situation in the kingdom and even helped the second prince to the throne.
You can imagine how much they robbed at that time. There were almost a hundred noble territories in three provinces! After that, they went crazy. They robbed the Madras Duchy, then went to the Northern Lands to rob the Grand Duke of the North. They robbed everything. Gold coins, women, men, even the elderly and children were not spared. Then, they robbed the second prince and the capital of Wendelbri. The biggest robbery was when they destroyed the slave kingdom of Haneabada a few years ago. I estimate that they robbed at least twenty to thirty million Gold Ford from that slave kingdom … "
The Grand Duke of Fulundor opened his mouth wide as if he was listening to a heavenly book. "Really?"
"Why would I lie to you? That guy and his men don't mind talking about the past. They even talk about robberies with relish. You will never understand how terrifyingly efficient the Norton Family's armed forces are. The places they rob are cleaner than a piece of white paper … "
Duke Kempis spoke enviously of the Norton Family's robberies. In the end, he licked his lips and said resentfully, "That guy even robbed me of a hundred thousand Gold Ford …"
Back then, when Laurist left the northbound convoy and returned to his family's territory, the first person he dealt with was the Kempis Family. Not only did he set fire to the Red River Valley Manor castle in the Viscount's territory, he also swept away all the materials stored in the manor. Even the hundred thousand Gold Ford that Duke Kempis had hidden in a secret room in the manor was not spared.
Even though Duke Kempis was now running the Snow Salt Merchant Guild, the amount of Gold Ford that he handled was in the millions. His extravagant lifestyle alone was more than a hundred thousand Gold Ford. But when he thought of the hundred thousand Gold Ford, his heart felt like it was being stabbed by a knife. The secret stash of one hundred thousand hidden in the secret chamber of the Red River Valley Manor Castle was a huge sum of money accumulated bit by bit over the past ten years after he took up a position in the family's Chamber of Commerce. Not even his father knew about it.
In the end, the money was stolen by Laurist. That was a pain in Duke Kempis' heart. When he thought of how he had been frugal ever since he entered the family's merchant guild, and how the Gold Ford that he had carefully cleaned before putting into the box had been saved for Laurist, Duke Kempis could not help but feel angry. Back then, when he received the bad news, he wanted to fight Laurist to the death. He ignored the heavy casualties of his family's armed forces and insisted on attacking Rock Castle that had fallen into the hands of the Norton Family, almost inciting a mutiny.
But Duke Kempis's greatest strength was that he was clear-headed and knew how to adapt to the situation. When he knew that he was no match for Laurist, he immediately listened to his father's orders and changed his course. He turned from an enemy to a friend, and he held onto Laurist's thick thigh tightly. That was how he had such an illustrious title and the Kempis Family's territory in the Sydgren province …
After crossing the pontoon bridge downstream of the Mitubro River, the Duke of Vorendor finally set foot on the land of the North. On the way to the Raging Bear City, he finally understood what Duke Kempis meant to say about the changes brought about by the Norton Family's tens of millions of gold ford in the North to develop their territory. Is this the remote and desolate North? Endless herds of cattle and sheep, spacious roads, boundless farmlands, row upon row of village houses, bustling town markets, and bustling crowds …
The Duke of Vorendor felt that the scene he had seen in the Ontario Plains when he was young could not compare to what he was seeing now. The closer he got to the Raging Bear City, the livelier and livelier the place became. Even though it was winter and it was snowing heavily, the streets were still filled with people, and the atmosphere was joyous.
Kempis proudly told him that the North's capital, the Raging Bear City, was not the most prosperous area in the North. The wealthiest areas in the North were the old Norton Family's Fengle Plains and North Sea City. One was the first to be developed, and the other was the port city. Other than having a mansion in the Raging Bear City and the largest manor in the Eastern Suburbs, he also had a large courtyard in North Sea City.
It seems like the Norton Family is really rich. The Duke of Vorendor was relieved. He should be able to borrow money this time. However, as Duke Gammus introduced the North, the Grand Duke of Vorendor suddenly had an idea. He wanted to get Laurist's permission to inspect the North and see the results of the Norton Family's land development that they had spent so much money on …
The New Year's celebration in the year 1785 of the Galinthea Continent was the largest and most attended New Year's celebration ever held by the Norton Family. There were more than 1,500 nobles and their families attending. Laurist felt that the central castle of the Raging Bear City was not big enough. It seemed like he would have to expand it again. Perhaps he would really have to build a palace this time.
The New Year's celebration this time was the highest in terms of the number of Grand Dukes attending. There were four Grand Dukes in the Alliance of the Four Families in the North. Duke Fisabulon brought his lover, the Great Swordmaster Sandy. It seemed like he was enjoying himself. Last year, after attending the banquet held by Duke Kempis' manor, he had specially asked Laurist about the price of a manor in the Noble District. It seemed like he wanted to build a manor for himself.
However, Duke Fisablon could not bring himself to pay for it. What he was implying was that he wanted Laurist to build him a manor as a show of filial piety to his elders. The manor had to be bigger and more luxurious than the one Duke Kenneth had …
Other than Grand Duke Fisablon, there was another Grand Duke of Flondor in the new year's celebration. Although they were once enemies, the war had ended and the Grand Duke of Flondor had surrendered to the second prince. They were all nobles of Andinac, so Laurist could not reject them. Not only did he have to welcome them warmly, he also had to receive them attentively. This was the so-called demeanor of nobles. Yesterday, they fought on the battlefield. Today, they chatted happily. This was the norm for nobles.
When Duke Kempis said that the Duke of Vorendor was here to borrow money to develop his territory, Laurist agreed immediately. Of course, the money was not borrowed for free. The loans between nobles were actually a type of usury. There were different interest rates for the repayment within a set time limit. For those who had a good relationship, they would borrow ten thousand and return nine thousand. The repayment would only be eleven thousand within the set time limit. If the repayment exceeded the time limit, the interest would double.
For those who were more demanding, it would be seven out of ten and return thirteen. A loan of ten thousand would cost seven thousand, but the repayment would be thirteen thousand. It was almost double. However, Laurist promised the Duke of Vorendor that the loan would last for three years. The Duke of Vorendor was overjoyed. However, he thought of the idea in his heart and suggested that he wanted to see the results of the Norton Family's development in the north after winter. He wanted to learn from their experience before signing the loan agreement. Laurist did not mind and agreed. He even ordered Redi to be in charge of the Duke's safety during this trip.
The Duke of Vorendor set off after the rainy season. Redi brought a team of guards with him and spent more than two months touring the north before returning to the Raging Bear City. The Duke of Vorendor requested to meet with Laurist and made a new request. He hoped that the Norton Family could provide him with manpower, technology, and funds to develop the Yungesandra Province. He was willing to pay a huge sum of money for this.
This was not a simple loan. The Norton Family needed to provide personnel to conduct a detailed survey of the Vorendor Family's territory in Yungesandra Province. The Norton Family had to design and plan the development of the entire province. In other words, the Duke of Vorendor was entrusting the Norton Family to develop his own territory. This was something that had never happened before in the era of the Crimson Empire.
The Duke of Vorendor's request caused a huge reaction within the Norton Family. There were many voices of agreement and opposition. Not only was there no precedent, there were also many who questioned how the Vorendor Family could repay the huge price that the Norton Family had paid for the development of the Yungesandra Province. The Duke of Vorendor was very calm about this. He said that the Vorendor Family was indeed poor and could not fork out much money. However, he had a province as his territory. As long as the development was completed, regardless of whether it took ten years or ten years, he would be able to repay the debt.
Laurist had a good impression of the Duke of Vorendor. When he went to the four central duchies, the Duke of Vorendor did not destroy the food and various material warehouses in order to protect his people. Instead, he sealed them up for the second prince to receive, so that the Andinac Kingdom's army would not harass his people. When the second prince moved the Vorendor Family to the Yungesandra Province, the number of people who followed the Duke of Vorendor to the new territory was also the highest. There were more than a hundred thousand of them.
Now that the Duke of Vorendor was willing to let his family bear a huge debt in order to develop his territory, Laurist was very impressed. He told the Duke that in principle, he supported the Duke of Vorendor's idea of developing the territory and improving the people's livelihood. However, the specific plan had to wait for the results of the comprehensive survey and exploration before proceeding. There was no point in being anxious now.
On the third day of the seventh month of the 1785 Galinthea General Calendar, the Duke of the North ordered for elite personnel to conduct a comprehensive survey and exploration of the Yungesandra Province. This was the beginning of the joint development of the nobles' territory.
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