"Your Highness, the Flying Tiger Legion's mission of escorting the immigrants to Yungesandra Province and the Hunter Legion's mission of settling the refugees in the Mana Hill Plains was completed by the second month of the new year. After two months of rest, the two legions are ready to move out again." Genolio reported to Laurist with a folder in his hand. He was in charge of all matters in Breen Manor while Laurist returned to his family's territory. Apart from a few people, no one knew that Laurist had left Morent City.
"Very good. How is Redi doing in the Flying Tiger Legion?" Laurist asked. Ever since Ross the Ferocious Tiger announced that he was going to become a great swordsman and disappeared without a trace, Laurist had no choice but to send his eldest disciple Redi to the Flying Tiger Legion to take over the position of legion commander. As Ross the Ferocious Tiger had a deep influence in the Flying Tiger Legion, there was no one else suitable to take over the position other than Redi.
"Big Senior Brother is doing a good job in the Flying Tiger Legion. The three Deputy Legion Commanders, Mason, Dolais, and Modrak, are very cooperative. They follow orders strictly, and the soldiers are very obedient too …" It seemed like Genolio had gone to the Flying Tiger Legion to observe.
Laurist nodded, "How is the Freedom Alliance?"
"The ruling council believes that our reminder is very correct. The ruling officer of Ledos has signed an order to reorganize the military system, reducing the city defense corps of the six fortress cities on the Mana Hill Plain to a city defense battalion of three thousand people per city. The remaining personnel will be expanded into a regular field army of forty-five thousand people, with a light cavalry regiment of ten thousand people. The commander of the army is an old acquaintance of His Highness, Lord Ayer's uncle Brunan Galilando, a one-star gold swordsman."
"Eh, why is Ol 'Gar here?" Laurist was stunned for a moment, but he immediately understood. If the Freedom Alliance's commanding officer, Ledos, wanted to stabilize his position, he had to tightly control the new Alliance Main Army. The only reliable and trustworthy person around him who was qualified to be the Army Commander was Ol 'Gar.
Although the Freedom Alliance and the Commerce Alliance had different names, in reality, the Freedom Alliance was no different from the Commerce Alliance from twenty years ago. It was also based on business, but without the monopoly of those large chambers of commerce, it was much freer. All the competitors were still at the same stage. Only after going through the trials of the market's storms would there finally be a winner who would stand out and become the leader of a certain industry, gradually developing into a large chamber of commerce with a monopoly.
This was the result of the survival of the fittest that came with the development of a market economy. Laurist did not want to prevent or stop this, but he was well aware of the temperament of merchants. Most of them would forget what was right for the sake of profit, and they would cram for Buddha's feet at the last moment. Thus, last year, he gave a suggestion to Ledos to fix the military establishment of the Freedom Alliance by enacting a law. This would prevent the city defense force from being reduced in peacetime like the Commerce Alliance in the past.
Laurist did not want his family's military to remain in Moronte City as the protector of the Freedom Alliance. Humans were forgetful. Although the millions of residents of Moronte City were grateful to the Norton Family's military now, when the situation calmed down, the Norton Family's military could easily become a target for those with ulterior motives. After all, there was a huge difference between the two sides. The conqueror and the occupied could easily have conflicts, and when that happened, it could easily shake the good impression and reputation of the Norton Family in the hearts of Moronte City's residents. Thus, Laurist was thinking of withdrawing the military back to his family's territory after dealing with the Commerce Alliance instead of stationing them in Moronte City.
The nature of merchants was to forget the pain once the wound healed. Laurist also did not want the merchants of the Freedom Alliance to feel that the military expenditure was too high after the withdrawal of his family's military. Without external threats, the merchants of the Freedom Alliance would very likely go down the same path as the Commerce Alliance in the past. Thus, Laurist asked the ruling council to fix the establishment of the Freedom Alliance's military in the name of law. After all, the Norton Family's territory was too far from the Mana Hill Plains. Even a round trip by sea would take two months. The Freedom Alliance had to have an armed force that could protect its own safety. Even if it was just a defense, it could still hold out for two to three months until reinforcements arrived.
Of course, Laurist's request for the Freedom Alliance to form a mobile main force was also for Ledos' sake. With the Norton Family's armed forces supporting Ledos, Ledos, who was the first commander of the Freedom Alliance, was naturally doing very well. And after the Norton Family's military retreated, as long as Ledos could tightly hold onto this main force, his position would still be safe.
"Yes, Your Highness," Genolio said. "Lord Ledos wanted to convince Lord El to leave our family and return to the Freedom Alliance to be the commander of this army, but Lord El rejected his request. Later, Lord El personally went to convince his aunt to let his uncle be the commander of this army," Genolio said.
Alright, Old Gar was a man who was afraid of his wife, and Aire knew this very well. After convincing Aunt Louise, Old Gar would have no problem. However, what made Laurist unhappy was that Ledos actually wanted to poach people from his family and recruit Aire back. Fortunately, his plan failed.
"Is there anything else?" Laurist snorted in dissatisfaction.
Genolio nodded and flipped to a new page in the folder. "Your Highness, the eldest young master of the Chikede Merchant Guild, Serliham, has arrived. He has been waiting in Moronte City for nearly three months. At the end of last year, Sir Sunbarwood, the commander of the North Sea Fleet, sent a letter to the Chikede Merchant Guild's territory as per your instructions. Not long after the new year, the Chikede Merchant Guild sent Serliham and more than ten people on the North Sea Fleet's merchant ship to Moronte City. They have been waiting for your return ever since. "
"Oh …" It seemed that the Chikede Merchant Guild had responded positively to the proposal of breaking away from the Trade Union and becoming an independent kingdom, just as he had expected. Laurist expressed his satisfaction. "Has Serliham been anxious for the past three months? What activities has he been doing?"
"Your Highness, I have arranged for them to stay in the villa at the foot of the mountain," Genolio replied. "According to the reports from the guards, the eldest young master Serliham did not seem to be anxious, nor did he do anything out of line. He has been very well-behaved. However, he is very interested in the current Moronte City, and he brings people to the market every day. "
"And then? What did he do in the market? "Laurist asked.
"This …" Genolio was a little hesitant. "Your Highness, I am not sure what exactly he did. You will have to ask Sir Tagger. He has arranged for people to monitor the eldest young master Serliham and his people. However, I heard from the guards that the eldest young master Serliham is not most interested in the goods produced from our family's territory, but the various raw materials produced in the Kingdom of Qilin Port. He took the trouble to inquire about the price and the place of production. He behaved like a very experienced businessman. "
"Alright, I will ask Tagger," Laurist said. "Send for Theriham," said Lollister, "to see me tomorrow morning at nine o'clock."
"Yes, Your Highness," Genolio replied. Genolio replied, "Baron Camorra has sent a report from Port Qilin. He said that the plan to turn Port Qilin into a large trade market in the southwest of the Radiation Kingdom is almost complete. The mayor of Port Qilin, Baron Fenston, has been very cooperative with our family. He said that he is an old acquaintance of Your Highness and has always admired Your Highness's plan to develop Port Qilin. Now, this day has finally come. He treats Baron Camorra like a distinguished guest and will grant all his requests. He even took the initiative to entrust the task of expanding the city's defense army to our family. "
"Baron Fenston, is it?" Laurist laughed. This was a noble who knew how to adapt to the situation. Back then, he had treated Laurist the same way when he had forcibly occupied Qilin Port. Now it was Baron Camorra's turn. "Yes, tell Baron Camorra that for nobles who are willing to cooperate with our family, he might as well give them some tips on how to make money. As long as it is not too much, we can turn a blind eye. Oh, right, didn't His Majesty say that he was going to send a division to be stationed in Qilin Port? How did it become the expansion of the city's defense army? "
"Your Highness, have you forgotten Lord Tagger's report? His Majesty did not have that many troops in his hands. After the bloody battle in the Mana Hill Plains for three years, His Majesty returned to the Imperial Capital to reorganize the kingdom's armed forces. Other than the reorganized White Lion Legion, which was deployed in Marivia Province, there was also the Royal Guards stationed in the Imperial Capital.
The remaining troops were not enough to form a complete legion. His Majesty dispersed them to various provinces, intending to use them as a pillar to form a division in each province to maintain stability and order. However, the current situation was that many provinces were in dire straits due to the years of war, and could not support the formation of such a division. His Majesty's tour of the country this time was focused on solving this problem.
Therefore, His Majesty ordered Qilin Port to expand the city's defense army. He was prepared to send a batch of royal knights to lead the army after the formation was completed. Hence, the mayor of Qilin Port, Baron Fenston, was very resistant to this expansion order. He was very dissatisfied with the fact that he paid for the formation of the city's defense army but did not have the authority to command it. Baron Camorra thought that this was a good opportunity to control the city's defense army. As for the royal knights that His Majesty will send in the future, we can completely control them … "
Laurist slapped his forehead. He had really forgotten about this report. Two years ago, the Andinac Kingdom's nobles under the command of the second prince did not even have 300,000 troops. Among them, only 120,000 belonged to the kingdom's armed forces. Back then, when the army attacked the Mana Hill Plains, the second prince commanded more than 300,000 troops, and this did not include the armed forces of the nobles. One could imagine how many casualties the kingdom's armed forces suffered during the three years of bloody battles in the Mana Hill Plains …
"Baron Camorra did a good job. I trust him. Oh, did he say that he encountered any difficulties? "Laurist asked.
Genolio looked at the folder and said, "Your Highness, Baron Camorra said that our family's plan to build a large trade market in Qilin Port was welcomed by many nobles of the kingdom's territories. They all transported the products of their territories to Qilin Port for sale. At the same time, there were also merchant associations and merchants hiring ships to Qilin Port to purchase goods. From the current situation, the development of Qilin Port's large trade market is very promising.
However, what puzzled Baron Camorra was that the food trade agreement with His Majesty the King was mysteriously suspended. It was said that this was an order from the acting mayor of the Imperial City, Knight Wyksas. Now, almost everyone knows that he is the illegitimate son of His Majesty the King, and also the successor of the kingdom that His Majesty the King thinks highly of, so his order is being carried out to the letter.
"Oh?" Laurist was also puzzled. Two years ago, the second prince came to Moronte City incognito and reached an agreement with him on the development and construction of Qilin Port. He asked Laurist to think of a way to increase the kingdom's revenue. In the end, he came up with an idea, which was to entrust the grain produced by the kingdom to the Norton Family and sell it in Moronte City. Last year's grain trade amounted to two million gold fords, which allowed the second prince to pay the salaries of the civil and military officials and the kingdom's armed forces. It also protected the dignity of the royal family. Meanwhile, the Norton Family only earned the transportation fee and 10% of the processing fee.
"Baron Camorra specially sent a messenger to ask Knight Wyksas. The reply he received was that Knight Wyksas claimed that the grain reserves were related to the safety of the kingdom, so we had to maintain a cautious and vigilant attitude towards large grain trade. We had to approve the grain sales targets, and we were determined not to let the grain be used to fund the development of potential enemies …" Genolio continued to report.
"After the messenger returned, Knight Wyksas also sent someone to see Baron Camorra. He said that the grain trade could continue, but it had to be done in Qilin Port. Money and goods were exchanged, and the amount of grain sold was less than half of last year's, but the price had doubled. Baron Camorra rejected his request, and the man sent by Knight Wyksas threatened that if he didn't agree to his request, Knight Wyksas would send the Royal Guards to Qilin Port. By then, Baron Camorra would have to do the trade even if he didn't want to, and the price would increase … "
"What did you say? Is that Knight Wyksas's head filled with dog sh * t? Or is someone instigating this arrogant fellow to come out and fight against the Norton Family? He ordered Camorra to stop carrying out the grain trade with His Majesty. We have plenty of grain in the north. We gave him face, but he doesn't want it! " Laurist was furious. It was obvious that someone was targeting Qilin Port and wanted to interfere, so they deliberately pushed out that silly Knight Wyksas to lead the way.
They were really blinded by greed. Didn't they think about what kind of person the second prince was? Did they forget the cruelty of massacring the capital? Originally, the second prince wanted to borrow some money from the Norton Family to spend the year before, but Laurist knew very well that if he borrowed the money, it would be like throwing meat buns at dogs. That was why he gave the second prince the source of income to supply Morent City. Now, someone not only blocked the second prince's source of income, but also wanted to target Qilin Port. Haha, Laurist sneered. He didn't mind watching the commotion in the capital. Someone was going to be unlucky anyway.
As for that Knight Wyksas, Laurist didn't take it to heart. The second prince had high hopes for this illegitimate child, hoping to groom him into a suitable heir of the kingdom. That was why he appointed him as the capital's governor when he was patrolling the kingdom, probably with the intention of training his abilities. However, looking at the current situation, the second prince would probably be greatly disappointed. This Knight Wyksas was so easily fooled by others. It seemed that he was also a greedy and lustful person without a clear mind and a sense of the big picture. Laurist made up his mind. Anyway, the next time he saw the second prince, he might as well persuade him to work harder on the new queen and see if he could give birth to a qualified heir of the kingdom.
"Genolio, use a messenger hawk to send a message about everything that happened in Qilin Port back to the family territory. Then, have the family territory send a messenger to deliver the letter to His Majesty as soon as possible. At the same time, have Baron Camorra be prepared. If there's any movement in the capital, immediately retreat to Cirvas Island. The most important thing is to ensure his own safety. It's a pity that we have something to do here. Otherwise, I'd like to meet that Knight Wyksas … "Laurist said hatefully.
"Yes, Your Highness," Genolio replied. "Lord Shredder and Lord Tagger have already arrived at the villa and are waiting for Your Highness' summons."
"Let them in. Help us prepare lunch."
"Yes, Your Highness."
…
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