"Your Majesty, why do you have to make things difficult for us? Without the Norton Family, the millions of soldiers you have gathered are enough to achieve your strategic goals." Loriste smiled bitterly at the second prince, who had come to persuade him to send troops to help unify the empire.
"Locke, my brother, are you going to just watch as the Norton Family watches from the beginning to the end of this great war that will unify the Norton Empire? When your descendants ask you where you were in this great war, are you going to tell them that you were just a bystander? "The second prince changed his tone.
Loriste rubbed his arms, which were covered in goosebumps. "Stop, that's disgusting. That's too mushy. Since when did Your Majesty change professions and become a bard? And your question is very simple. I will tell the children that Grandpa was watching a bunch of idiots fight to the death. Yes, it was very exciting … "
"You …" The second prince was furious and glared at Loriste. Loriste didn't care and pretended he didn't see anything.
"The Norton Family must send troops to participate in this war. As the Duke of the North, you must do your best for the kingdom and contribute to unifying the empire!" The second prince was forceful.
"Alright, as the Duke of the North, I am willing to serve the kingdom. How about this, I can go to the frontlines to fight the enemy alone, but Your Majesty has no right to let the soldiers of the Norton Family sacrifice themselves for nothing. As the head of the Norton Family and the Duke of the North, I can refuse any unreasonable request or order from Your Majesty … "Loriste's face was calm and confident.
"Ugh …" The second prince was the first to give up. Loriste was so stubborn that he couldn't do anything to him. Going to the frontlines to fight the enemy alone sounded nice, but he still wouldn't listen to orders. If you strolled around the frontlines and killed a few soldiers, that would mean you had done your duty. Then, you could go home and watch the show. Wasn't that the same as not sending troops?
"Alright, Brother Locke, just tell me what you want. As long as I can do it without making things difficult for me, I will definitely agree to your request …" The second prince was almost expressing his surrender. As long as he agreed to send troops, all requests and conditions could be slowly discussed. At most, the question of when to fulfill the promise could be delayed.
"I need to feel safe," Lollister said.
"A sense of security?" The second prince widened his eyes in surprise. What is this? Why haven't I heard of it before?
"If His Majesty agrees to let the Norton Family take over Makinohara Province, then I am willing to send my troops to fight," Laurist stated his request straightforwardly.
"Mu Ye Province? That's impossible … "The second prince jumped up.
"Oh, then we have nothing to say. Men, send off His Majesty … "
"Wait, Brother Locke, we can discuss this further." The second prince was anxious. What was the meaning of this? Chasing him away without saying a word? There was no way to discuss things like this.
"Your Majesty, I will return to the Northern Lands tomorrow. I wish you all the best in your expedition. "Laurist shook his head, indicating that he did not wish to continue the discussion.
"No, Brother Locke. Tell me what the safety thing has to do with the jurisdiction of Muganohara Province …" The second prince was determined not to leave. It seemed like he would not give up until he got to the bottom of it.
Laurist looked at the second prince as if he was an idiot. The second prince flew into a rage out of humiliation. "Locke, what do you mean?"
"Your Majesty, if you don't understand, please go back and look at the map hanging on the wall." Laurist let out a long sigh.
"Map?" The second prince looked back. There was indeed a map of the Norton Family's territory hanging on the wall behind him. However, this map was colored with red, yellow, blue, and green patches. What did this mean?
The second prince got up and walked to the wall to take a closer look. Yes, the Northern Lands were colored green, the sea was blue, the Delemark and Winston provinces were light green, the Southern and West Grad provinces were light yellow, several provinces around the imperial capital and eleven provinces in the central region were golden, and only the Eastern Barren Province and Jinchuan Province of the Fisablon Family's territory were dark red, while the neighboring Makinohara Province was light red. In addition, the Demonic Dragon Mountains and the Barbarian Plains were black and gray.
What did this mean? The second prince quickly noticed the color markings at the bottom of the map. Green, safe area, territory under the direct jurisdiction of the family. Light green, secondary safe area, territory under the family's jurisdiction. Blue, the color of the sea. Light yellow, secondary safe area, territory of the family's allies. Gold, territory under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family, level three safe area. Dark red, enemy territory, dangerous area. Light red, first alert area, secondary danger area. Black gray, undeveloped area, dangerous unknown area.
Very good, very good. The situation of each place was clear at a glance with this colored map. However, the second prince soon felt uncomfortable. "Locke, please tell me why the provinces under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family are rated as level three safe areas and not level one?"
"What do you think? Your Majesty, the classification of the safe areas is not decided by you or me. It is based on the feedback of merchants and the security situation of each province. "Laurist was very calm.
The second prince was speechless. He knew in his heart that he had been preparing for war for the past three years and spent all his energy and effort on armaments. He didn't care much about the people's livelihood. It was fine as long as it could be maintained. So robbery, theft, murder, and other crimes were endless. No wonder all the provinces under the direct jurisdiction were rated as level three safe areas. It meant that one had to carry a self-defense weapon with them when they went out in case of any accidents. They had to hire bodyguards or form a group to ensure their safety.
Looking at the colored map again, the second prince quickly understood the sense of security Laurist mentioned and the reason why he needed Munohara Province. There were four passages to the outside of the Northern Lands. The sea route was North Sea Castle, and there were three land routes, one each for Munohara Province, Winston Province, and Delemke Province. However, Winston Province and Delemke Province were both under the jurisdiction of the Norton Family. They were light green and safe. Only Munohara Province was light red, and it was a warning area. Laurist had to be wary of the Fisablon Family attacking the Northern Lands through Munohara Province …
Haha, I didn't expect Laurist to really treat the Fisablon Family as a potential enemy, the most dangerous enemy, even if they had signed a truce agreement. It seemed like what Grand Duke Fisablun said about the alliance of the four families in the north forcing their family to open up the trade route and forcefully buying and selling daily necessities and resources was all true. It was obvious that they wanted to ruthlessly exploit the Fisablun Family, who owned the Jinchuan Province, which was a large province with gold resources. Yes, that's right. The more conflicts there were between the Four Families Alliance and the Fisablon Family, the deeper the hostility would be. There would be more places for them to use and sow discord in the future.
The second prince stood in front of the colored map and let his imagination run wild. After a long time, he came back to his senses. "Locke, my brother, didn't Duke Fisablon sign a truce agreement with the four of you? I heard that the business cooperation between you and the Fisablon Family has been very close for the past three years, and you are all nobles of the Andinac Kingdom. You also married Duke Fisablon's granddaughter, Princess Sylvia. What I don't understand is why you still marked the Fisablon Family's territory as enemy territory. Don't you think that's very inappropriate? "
From the second prince's point of view, the Laurist Family's demand for Munohara Province was completely unnecessary. Wouldn't it be fine if they just broke the iron chain bridge leading to Munohara Province? Without the iron chain bridge, would the Fisablon Family's armed forces grow wings and fly over the natural moat to raid the North? Besides, the Fisablon Family has long withdrawn their armed forces from Munohara Province. That place is actually already under the Norton Family's control. Why do you have to embarrass me and force me to admit the jurisdiction of Munohara Province? Can't we just turn a blind eye and silently agree?
Not to mention that the jurisdiction of Munohara Province belongs to the Fisablon Family, even if I wanted to transfer it to you, there's no precedent. A family having one or two territories is already the limit. You want three territories? Aren't you making things difficult for me? Besides, Munohara Province isn't a good place. It doesn't have a large population, and although its territory is large, it's close to the Northeast Prairie. It's constantly being attacked and pillaged by the Grass Barbarians. It used to be a place of exile for the Empire's prisoners. Isn't it too senseless for the Norton Family to put in so much effort for this broken place?
Laurist sneered, "Your Majesty, if it weren't for the alliance of the four northern families that forced the Fisablon Family into a corner, do you think you would be able to recover Duke Fisablon and his family so easily? Have you forgotten how the Fisablon Family supported the second prince to establish the Iberian Kingdom? Do you think that just because you married a woman from the Fisablon Family, you can trust the Fisablon Family's loyalty to you and the Kingdom?
The Norton Family has never forgotten who their enemies are. Even if they signed a truce with us, we will never forget how the Norton Family's armed forces fell into the trap set by the Fisablon Family and the Grass Barbarian Tribe in Munohara Province. Tens of thousands of brave family soldiers fought bravely and were buried on the battlefield. Munohara Province is an unforgettable place for the Norton Family. That's where the souls of tens of thousands of family heroes returned to the Kingdom of War …
For the cause of the Empire's unification, in order to be loyal to Your Majesty's will, the Norton Family endured the humiliation, shook hands with our enemies, and stopped the war. We have patience. We will train our troops and wait for the time to come. Even if Your Majesty doesn't agree to transfer Munohara Province to our family, it doesn't matter. There will be a chance in the future, and we will take it with our own hands. We will use our own hands to avenge the tens of thousands of soldiers who sacrificed their lives … "
The second prince was overjoyed. He understood now that the real reason Laurist wanted Makinohara Province was because of the humiliation of the family's armed legion being defeated by Duke Fisablun in Makinohara Province all those years ago. Haha, now I don't have to worry about Duke Fisablun colluding with Laurist anymore. If Laurist managed to forcefully take away the jurisdiction of Mureno Province from the hands of the Fisablun Family, then the Fisablun Family would suffer great humiliation, and they would definitely fight to the death with the Norton Family …
Using a desolate place like Munohara Province to exchange for the Norton Family's troops to participate in the war, and at the same time, cause trouble for the Fisablon Family. This would make the two families mortal enemies. To the second prince, this was a great deal. As for the restriction that a family could only have one or two territories, it could be completely bypassed. This was because Munohara Province was not under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family, but was under the jurisdiction of the Fisablon Family.
If Duke Fisablon transferred Munohara Province to Laurist in exchange for the Norton Family's participation in the war, the Fisablon Family would only lose face, and the Kingdom would benefit. As the king, he was just going with the flow and giving confirmation. This would not adversely affect his wisdom and vision, and he did not need to pay any price …
However, the problem now was that the Fisablon Family was the key, but the second prince was more confident in convincing Duke Fisablon. The simplest reason was that the Fisablon Family was being suppressed by the alliance of the four northern families. If he, the king, did not support them, then it would be difficult for the Fisablon Family to survive under the Norton Family's aggressive attack. He believed that if he were to repeat the colored map and Laurist's words to Grand Duke Fisabulon, Grand Duke Fisabulon would definitely make a wise choice.
However, what kind of compensation should he give to Duke Fisablon? The second prince began to consider this question. He could not possibly let the Norton Family send their troops and the Fisablon Family did not, right? That way, he was afraid that Laurist would not be willing to do his best. In the first step of this war, the Norton Family's armed forces were very important, and he could not possibly fail at the last step …
"How about this, Locke, my brother, I agree to transfer Munohara Province to the Norton Family. However, you also know that Munohara Province is not directly under the jurisdiction of the royal family, but is under the jurisdiction of the Fisablon Family. This requires convincing Duke Fisablon. As the king, I do not have the right to transfer this province to you. However, since you have already made this request, I promise to fulfill your wish. I will try my best to convince Duke Fisablon. Can you wait here patiently for three days? "The second prince was very sincere at this moment.
Laurist bowed deeply. "Your Majesty, as you wish, I will wait here for three days. If you can let the Fisablon Family transfer Munohara Province to our jurisdiction, then the Norton Family will definitely do our best in this war to unify the Empire. We will be loyal to Your Majesty and the Kingdom with all our might in this war to unify the Empire. "
The second prince hurriedly left. Laurist smiled. Perhaps in the eyes of others, the desolate and desolate Munohara Province was just a piece of land for grazing. However, in Laurist's eyes, this was a treasure land for the Norton Family to develop trade and market with the Grass Barbarian tribes in the northeast plains. The family would use trade to influence the Grass Barbarian tribes and gradually turn them into their own subjects and market.
In the next three days, the palatial garden villa located by the platinum beach was very lively. Through various channels, all the nobles knew of Laurist's request to send troops and place Munohara Province under the jurisdiction of the Norton Family. Duke Kempis, Duke Filim, and Duke Shahin all came to ask for confirmation. Laurist kept his mouth shut, which proved that the news was not a rumor.
On the first day, the second prince went to discuss with Duke Fisablon. It was said that the old man flew into a rage and pulled out his sword to fight Laurist. He declared that Munohara Province was the territory of the Fisablon Family, and that he would not give it up even if he died. That brat Laurist had gone too far. He would rather fight him to the death than give up his family's honor. However, the old man only shouted loudly. He would not fight Laurist even if he was beaten to death. When the second prince stopped him, the old man turned around and closed the door, refusing to listen to the second prince's advice.
The second prince was not discouraged. He went to visit again the next day. This time, the old man did not get angry. He only listened quietly and did not say a word.
On the third day, the second prince persisted. This time, the old man's attitude softened. He said that for the great cause of the empire, to fulfill His Majesty's wish, and to not make things difficult for His Majesty, he was willing to endure humiliation and transfer Munohara Province to the Norton Family. However, he asked the second prince to give his family land as compensation. He asked his family to confer a province in the interior as their family's territory.
The second prince thought for a moment and agreed to Duke Fisablon's request. However, the territory he promised to confer was not under the direct jurisdiction of the royal family. It was currently in the territory of the Trade Alliance. The second prince promised that if the first strategic goal of this surprise attack was achieved, then the recovered Andvov Province would become Fisablon's family's territory.
Since the second prince was good at using the enemy's things to make promises, Duke Fisablon was not surprised by this result. He agreed to the second prince's promise, but he made the second prince make an oath on the spot. Then, accompanied by the second prince, he went to the villa where Laurist lived. Under the witness of a group of nobles, the transfer of Munohara Province to Laurist was signed and notarized by the second prince. After completing all the procedures, Duke Fisablon threw the goose feather pen he used to sign and left angrily …
On the 32nd day of the 8th month of the 1786 Galinthea Continent calendar, Duke Fisablon, under the witness of the Andenac King, Ognesero the First, and a group of nobles, transferred his family's jurisdiction over Munohara Province to the Grand Duke of the Northern Region, Norton Laurist. This made the Norton Family the only noble family with one direct jurisdiction and three territories.
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