Lollister needed Countess Miranda's help. Without the lord's permission, no matter how powerful Lollister's army was or how abundant their funds were, they would not be able to obtain the support of manpower and resources in Port Ametland. This would greatly affect Lollister's northward journey.
Lollister, Fatty Shi, and the family knights had held several discussions. Everyone agreed that the biggest difficulty in the journey north was how to cross the two thousand miles of the Redelis Kingdom. If Lollister only brought a dozen people through the Redelis Kingdom, it would not be a problem. However, there were more than six thousand people following Lollister north, as well as a large amount of resources. This became a problem.
The Redelis Kingdom was founded by the eldest prince of the former Crisen Empire. In the era of the former empire, the eldest prince was known for being tyrannical, greedy, and untrustworthy. That was why the old emperor abolished his right of inheritance and sent him to Podoorg Province far away from the imperial capital. In the end, the eldest prince was like a fish in water. Relying on the fact that the emperor was far away, he quickly obtained the military and political power of Podoorg Province. He plundered the wealth of the people, built a private army, and even pretended to be bandits to rob merchants. The destruction of the Norton Family's caravan was suspected to be the work of the eldest prince.
When the old emperor passed away, the eldest prince was the first to raise the flag of rebellion, dragging the entire empire into an abyss of civil war. Now, less than a year and a half after the armistice was signed, the eldest prince found an excuse to start a war with the Flondor Duchy. He actually wanted to get his hands on the wealthiest central region of the former empire. Fortunately, the four duchies in the central region — the Falkner Duchy, the Flondor Duchy, the Handa Duchy, and the Sabagi Duchy — had a clear understanding of the eldest prince's character. The four duchies formed a military alliance and sent out a joint army to resist the eldest prince's invasion. Currently, the joint army of the four duchies and the army of the eldest prince were entangled in the central south region.
What worried Lollister and the knights was that they were now in the Lulm Duchy. If they continued north, they would enter the Redelis Kingdom. They were carrying a large amount of resources and many soldiers, so it would be easy for them to become the eldest prince's target. It was said that the eldest prince's life was not easy either. Although his territory spanned as many as seven provinces, the wealth he plundered from the people was already as high as three feet in the sky. Flames of war were everywhere in his territory, and there were commoners everywhere who had become bandits and robbers.
The First Prince's army was now locked in battle with the allied forces of the Four Duchies, and had reached a situation where it was difficult to dismount. Thanks to the crown prince's army's killing and pillaging, everyone in the four duchies, from the nobles to the commoners, hated the crown prince to the bone. Even if the crown prince wanted to retreat, the army of the four duchies would definitely counterattack and enter the Redelis Kingdom. It was said that the eldest prince could only rely on borrowing money as military expenses to maintain the frontlines from collapsing.
Fatty Shi believed that no matter how strong the family's army was, they would still become the fat sheep in the eyes of the eldest prince. It was highly likely that the eldest prince would risk universal condemnation and send his garrison army to attack Laurist's northbound troops. Since he had a grudge against the Norton family, he would definitely not let go of the opportunity to eliminate them. Furthermore, Laurist and the others were carrying so many resources.
Both Fatty Shi and Boddfinger thought that the best way was to take a detour, so they chose a westward, northward route. This route would take them through the territories of a dozen lords, and it would take them more than 300 miles to get there than if they followed the main road. Fatty Shi believed that there were many benefits to this route. For example, the strength of the family's army could completely suppress these nobles and force their way through. Moreover, these territories were plagued with bandits, so we could suppress the bandits and train our troops along the way. We could also receive the gratitude and assistance of the nobles.
Bofinger believed that to pass through the Redelis Kingdom, we had to maintain a journey of at least 50 to 60 miles per day. As long as we covered half of that distance, even if the eldest prince received the news, he would not be able to do anything to us, as his army would not be able to catch up to us. Once we occupied this place, we would be safe.
The location on the map that Bofinger pointed to was a border fortress called Benz Castle. This was the border between the third prince's Andinac Kingdom and the eldest prince's Redelis Kingdom. Bofinger was very familiar with this place. When he was still in the White Lion Legion, he had fought a bloody battle here. He said that in the past, the White Lion Legion had defeated the eldest prince's army. However, the eldest prince's army had received endless support from the Ford Commercial Union. In the end, the White Lion Legion retreated from Benz Castle after running out of ammunition and food, giving up this fortress that controlled the border to the eldest prince's army.
Bofinger said that after that war, the two countries were unable to fight again. Following that, an armistice was signed, and the White Lion Legion was disbanded. As the eldest prince had turned his attention to the central region, only a thousand or so soldiers were left to guard this place. Half a year ago, when Bofinger and his children passed through here on their way to Morent City, he discovered that the defense of Benz Castle was extremely lax. If they could attack when they were unprepared, it would be a piece of cake for the family's army to take down this fortress.
Loriste understood what Bofinger meant. If they took down this fortress and handed it over to the third prince, not only would they owe the third prince a favor, but they also wouldn't have to worry about the eldest prince's soldiers chasing after them. Then, their troops could travel north along the main road without worry.
After confirming the route, they had to solve the problem of how to make the northbound troops travel more than 50 kilometers in a day. It was very simple. They could only rely on carriages. Otherwise, with the old and young military dependents, it would be good if they could travel 15 kilometers in a day. According to Fatty Shi's plan, four to five families would form a group, with 12 or 13 people per four-wheeled carriage. This meant that there were nearly 4,000 military dependents, and they would need at least 250 four-wheeled carriages. In addition to the carriages needed by the troops and the carriages used to transport supplies, Fatty Shi found that they couldn't travel without at least 600 four-wheeled carriages.
Fatty Shi used the manpower of the military dependents to the extreme. Those who were skilled in craftsmanship were divided into small groups according to their skills and worked hard. However, he estimated that they could only produce 200 four-wheeled carriages in a month. In addition to the 100 or so he already had, he was still short of half. In addition, the horses to pull the carriages were also a problem. A four-wheeled carriage required two horses, so 600 carriages would require 1,200 horses. The ones Loriste had on hand, including the ones he seized from the slave hunters' camp and Sloff Manor, only amounted to 600 horses.
Time was tight for Loriste. He had to reach the north before the third month of the new year to inherit his title and territory. It was already the end of November, and there were only three months left. Port Ametland was still nearly 5,000 kilometers away from the north.
He decided to stay in Sloff Manor for another month because he had no other choice. He had to buy carriages within this month before he could travel. As long as he passed through the Redelis Kingdom, Loriste could rest assured and let the troops slowly travel north. He would take a few people with him and rush to the north to inherit his title and territory.
Thus, Loriste really needed Countess Miranda's help. As long as Countess Miranda agreed to mobilize resources and manpower to help Loriste build or buy carriages, a month would be enough. At first, Loriste was still thinking about how to get to know the local lord and ask for help. Who would have thought that Countess Miranda would send herself to his door? How could Loriste not be overjoyed? Giving the manor to the relatives of the slave hunters was to get on the good side of the local lord and get him to agree to his request.
Countess Miranda stayed in Miranda Manor for four days, and Lollister's decision to rename Sloff Manor to Miranda Manor pleased the Countess greatly. She promised to help Lollister as much as she could, mobilizing all the manpower and resources in the territory to help build a four-wheeled carriage and gather a thousand pack horses for Lollister. Perhaps the count hoped that Loriste's troops would head north as soon as possible so that he could become the true owner of Miranda Manor.
The count openly told Loriste that he was preparing to move the castle he lived in to Miranda Manor. Firstly, the terrain was good, making it difficult to attack and easy to defend. The surrounding environment was also good, and the manor's defensive facilities were much better than the castle he lived in. Secondly, the count believed that after moving to Miranda Manor, his control over the Port of Amethrin would be strengthened. As long as he invested and developed the port, the Port of Amethrin would soon become a hen that laid golden eggs in the count's hands. The prospect of rolling in wealth was just around the corner.
Naturally, Laurist was filled with admiration for the count's foresight. As a token of gratitude for the count's willingness to provide him with a carriage and horses for free, Laurist decided to gift the three-masted ship of Slov to the count as a gift, fulfilling the count's wish to own a ship. In fact, the value of three hundred carriages and a thousand pack horses was equivalent to that ship. However, nobles could not trade with each other like merchants. That would be too uncouth. Thus, one was willing to help for free, while the other was willing to give a gift. Everything was carried out with tacit understanding.
Countess Miranda kept her word. On the third day, she sent her chief steward, nearly a hundred servants, and dozens of maids to Miranda Manor. She also assigned two young and beautiful maids to serve Lollister. She even had the chief steward come over to inform Lollister that the two maids had consumed the Mystra Divine Elixir, so Lollister could use it without worry.
Naturally, Loriste was tactful. He immediately ordered the knights under him to move out of the main building, each finding a house in the manor's residential area as a temporary residence. This way, the chief steward could hire craftsmen to renovate and decorate the main building according to Count Miranda's preferences.
Miranda greatly admired Loriste's tactfulness. If not for the fact that Loriste had to head north to inherit the family's territory and title, she would have recruited Loriste as her subordinate.
Perhaps the seizure of Slov's shops had earned the Count quite a bit. In the four days he spent in the manor, he signed a few agreements with Fatty Shi, who was lying on a soft couch.
Firstly, Countess Miranda commissioned the Laurist Family's army to train a private army of more than seven hundred men. There were a hundred and twenty heavy armored soldiers, two hundred and forty crossbowmen, and three hundred and sixty pikemen for a month.
Second, this private army of seven hundred and twenty men would be assembled within three days. They would be stationed at the former slave hunters' camp in the southern outskirts of Port Ametland. All their weapons and equipment would be provided by Loriste. The training fee and the cost of the weapons and equipment would total twenty thousand gold fords.
Thirdly, Lollister would sell the excess weapons and equipment to Countess Miranda at a 40% discount, and the Countess would sell them.
Fourth, Loriste would provide Loriste with three hundred beef cattle and two thousand sheep. The cost would be deducted from the purchase fee.
After signing the agreement, Count Miranda left the manor to gather the funds and recruit people. Meanwhile, Laurist and Fatso called El and Terman over and asked them to leave for Morent City immediately. There was no other reason than that Fatso felt that Laurist's idea of purchasing the scrapped and auctioned equipment from the academies was too great. Last time, Laurist had only purchased seven academies, while the academy district had a total of 28 large academies. There was still a lot of potential to be unearthed.
Fatty Shi regretted not discovering this way back in the academy. If he had monopolized this business of refurbishing and selling the old weapons and equipment of the various academies, he would be worth at least a million gold fords! The plate armor of the armored soldiers that Loriste bought was not even worth ten gold coins. If he sold it for forty gold coins, Countess Miranda thought that she had gotten a bargain and owed Loriste a favor.
Ell and Terman brought fifty thousand gold fords with them. Not only did they want to buy the weapons and equipment of the academies, they also wanted to order seven hundred axles for the four-wheeled carriage. Loriste had even written a letter to President Peterson. He believed that with the help of the Peterson Chamber of Commerce, the axles for the carriage would be completed very quickly.
The Miranda Manor was in full swing. Only now did Loriste realize how difficult it was to prepare for the long journey of six thousand people. In terms of clothing, food, housing, and transportation, Fatty Shi had long since prepared for the clothing. The clothes he had bought in Morent City and the ones he had confiscated from the residential district after taking over Slov Manor were enough to ensure the supply for the team.
Rations were meant to be prepared for the long journey. For example, the supplies provided by Countess Miranda to the six thousand people in the manor now amounted to ten thousand catties of rations a day. In addition to other non-staple foods such as fresh meat, vegetables, and fruits, even Countess Miranda's steward complained that it was too much for him to handle. Left with no choice, Countess Miranda had to fork out money to purchase the rations of two large ships to solve the problem.
Since the supplies for this month were provided by the Countess, the food that Fatty Shi had ordered and collected would all be used to make dry rations for the journey north. Fatty Shi decided to make army black bread. This kind of black bread was different from the ones sold in bakeries. A loaf was half a meter long and thicker than Loriste's arm. After being baked in the oven and cooled, it was especially sturdy. Loriste suspected that it was as hard as a brick.
A loaf of army black bread was enough for an adult for ten days. The way to eat it was also different from other bread. One couldn't chew it with one's teeth, or one's teeth would fall off. The correct way to eat it was: First, if there was enough time, roast it over a fire for half a day. When it was soft, cut it into two pieces, and put some dried meat in the middle. It was especially filling. Second, if there wasn't enough time, use a hammer to smash a piece into a bowl and boil it with water. It would immediately become porridge. Add some wild vegetables and minced meat, and it would be a big bowl. Third, if time was tight, add water to it. After soaking for a while, you could break off a small piece and chew it slowly. But be careful of burping.
The ingredients to make army black bread were very simple. Rye flour, bran, salt, and any other grains could be added. As long as the dough was sufficiently fermented, it could be made into black bread. Bofinger said that when there was a shortage of food, the White Lion Legion's army black bread even added sawdust and leaves. The shelf life of the army black bread could be as long as half a year. Fatty Shi planned to make ten thousand loaves of army black bread. Each soldier would carry two loaves, and each family member would carry one. Loriste praised the idea. If their weapons broke in battle, they could still use the black bread to kill the enemy …
In addition to the army black bread, there were also 300 cows and 2,000 sheep that Fatty Shi had asked Count Miranda to buy. All of them were to be slaughtered to make smoked jerky, dried meat, lamb sausage, beef jerky, and beef shredded for the journey. In addition, Fatty Shi had also ordered nearly 500 kilograms of preserved fruits, dried plums, and green olives as snacks for everyone to adjust their tastes during the long journey.
There was only one way to solve the problem of accommodation: tents. A large army of 6,000 people would not be able to find a hotel to rest in. Fatty Shi was very thoughtful. In addition to the soldiers' tents, the arrangements for the soldiers' families were the same as the carriages. One tent was arranged for each carriage. When the time came, the carriages would form a barrier on the outside, and the tents would be set up inside.
Needless to say, they would use four-wheeled carriages. It was just that this journey to the north was not a peaceful one. They would encounter all kinds of dangers, so they had to be escorted by the army. With the army, there were more things to do. They had to prepare the carriages to transport logistical supplies, prepare the team of pharmacists, prepare the spare weapons and equipment, and prepare the fine feed for the mounts and the fodder for the horses to pull the carriages.
Ell and Terman returned to Port Ametlin on a large ship of the Peterson Chamber of Commerce on December 23rd. They brought back 700 sets of axles for four-wheeled carriages. According to their report, for the sake of these 700 sets of axles, President Peterson had sent people to buy all the spare axles available in all the cart-making shops in Moront City. He had also dismantled more than 100 of his own four-wheeled carriages to gather the amount.
In addition to the axles, they had also spent more than 20,000 gold coins to empty the so-called scrap weapons and equipment in the arsenals of the eight academies. If not for the fact that they were in such a hurry to return, they would not have let go of any of the academies' arsenals. It was just that they were worried that they would not be able to move too much, and they did not have enough time, so they hurried back.
Just as Ell and Terman had said, the number of weapons and equipment was really too much. When Fatty Shi asked Count Miranda to fulfill the agreement and buy the extra weapons and equipment, the count was dumbfounded. This was because he found that even if he took out all the copper coins he had, he would only be able to buy one-third of the extra equipment that Fatty Shi had mentioned. This was after Fatty Shi had given him a 50% discount according to the market price, not the 40% discount that was stated in the agreement.
In the end, the count spent 60,000 gold coins to buy a quarter of the extra weapons and equipment. However, he could turn around and sell these weapons to the big and small nobles under his command and make a 30% profit, which made him very happy.
Fatty Shi found that the fleet he had planned had expanded to more than 800 carriages, of which more than 100 were carrying the extra weapons and equipment. Therefore, he decided to go all the way north and sell all kinds of weapons and equipment to the nobles along the way. He would first act as an armed caravan, and then invest the huge profits into the development of the north.
Time passed quickly, and the busy new year arrived. All the preparations for the journey north had been completed, and the fleet was ready. All that was left was to set off in three days.
In order to celebrate the new year, Loriste announced that every soldier would be given a gold coin, and every family member of the army, regardless of age, would be given a large silver coin. He also held a grand feast to welcome the new year, which aroused waves of cheers from the soldiers and their families.
In the dead of night, Loriste still could not sleep. He gazed at the bright starry sky alone in the courtyard. The journey north was imminent. What would his future path as a lord be like? He could not help but fall into a reverie …
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
