After the rainy season, it was time to harvest the winter wheat. The Norton Family's territory was brimming with joy. In the 20 years that Laurist had been back in the north, the heavens had been on his good side. There were no natural disasters, which surprised Laurist.
However, Spear, who had just been promoted to Earl, didn't think much of it. She said that the north had never had any major disasters. The main factor limiting the development of the north was its remoteness and lack of people. In the history of the Norton Family, the biggest disaster was the magical beast wave that came from the barbarian plains in winter. However, the magical beast wave had long been suppressed by Laurist and his family's armed forces. Now, the Norton Family had counterattacked and entered the barbarian plains to hunt the magical beasts for their fur.
Apart from that, there were only man-made disasters. Firstly, the nobles in the northern territories would attack each other over trivial matters, wasting scarce manpower and resources. No one could settle down and develop the territory in peace. Second, the Mountain Barbarians of the Demonic Dragon Mountains would come down from time to time. This was the case for the Norton Family's territory in the past. Just when there was some progress in the development of the territory, the Mountain Barbarians would come down and plunder, wasting all their efforts.
But now, the entire north had become the Norton Family's territory. There were no other nobles. Laurist had migrated many people and invested a large amount of money in the development of the family's territory. He had put an end to wasteful and disorderly development. He had also reorganized the transportation facilities in the north and set up many departments to supervise the family's territory. More than three million people treated the north as their home and lived in peace. Naturally, the development of the north became more and more prosperous.
As for the threat of the Mountain Barbarians, did they still exist? The Mountain Barbarian army of a hundred thousand had brazenly invaded the Norton Family's territory, only to be annihilated by the armed forces led by Laurist. After that, the Norton Family's sphere of influence had expanded nearly a hundred miles into the Demonic Dragon Mountain Range. The Mountain Barbarian tribes that were fortunate enough to escape hid in the deep mountains and forests. Even Laurist was planning to establish a province in that area, which spanned several thousand square miles, under the family's jurisdiction.
According to Spear, the situation in the Norton Family's territory was not just good, but excellent. Lollister, who had revived the Norton Family and dominated the northern region, would become the most glorious leader of the Norton Family. His name would be recorded in the annals of history, and he would be revered and praised by future generations. Therefore, General Manager Spear meant that Loriste could stay in the family territory and enjoy a few years of leisure as long as he didn't cause any trouble.
Ever since he decided to return to the Northern Lands to inherit his title and his family's territory, he had been running around for the past twenty years. If he wasn't leading troops into battle, he was always fighting. He didn't spend much time with his family. Fortunately, he still had a group of capable and reliable subordinates. With the hard work of everyone, the Norton family had finally made it to where it was today. Loriste felt that it was time for him to take a break, and at the same time, enjoy the luxurious life of the legendary fief nobles.
But soon, Laurist realized that he didn't have the fortune to enjoy such a peaceful life. There were always troublesome matters that he had to decide on his own. For example, Viscount Josk, the famous Golden Archer of the Norton Family, and Loriste's trusted knight and trusted general, had come to see him. He was solemnly saying that he was going to take the Hunting Cavalry to the Barbarian Plains for hunting and training.
Loriste went over and touched Josk's forehead. He didn't have a fever? What was going on? Everyone knew that the period from April to September was the mating season for magical beasts. Even if the Norton Family went to the Barbarian Plains to hunt, it would usually be after October. The magical beasts had accumulated a large amount of fat in preparation for the harsh winter, so it was the best time to go hunting. That was when the magical beasts were at their fattest. It was only April, and the magical beasts were all emaciated after the winter. The carnivorous magical beasts were also at their most ferocious. Why would they go hunting now?
It was obvious that the commander of the Hunting Cavalry, Freya, didn't agree with Josk's suggestion, and Malek of the family's armed forces probably didn't give Josk a good look either. That was why Josk had come to see him to persuade him. However, Loriste was curious as to why Josk, who was usually lazy and didn't care about the affairs of the army, would be so eager to bring his troops to the Barbarian Plains for training. This seemed to contradict Josk's personality.
"What happened, Jordie? You should take care of your viscount's territory and find yourself a partner. As a lord, I'm more concerned about whether my subordinates, the Josk Family, can continue to live on, and not have my soldiers go hunting in the Barbarian Plains during spring and summer. As your friend, I want to give you a piece of advice, Jordie. Your loyalty to love has touched and broken everyone's hearts. However, I believe that your fiancée in heaven would also wish for you to be happy and have a family, and not spend the rest of your life reminiscing about your lost love, "Loriste lectured Josk.
Loriste had met Josk on his way north. Josk's adoptive father, Baron Umador, had a feud with Count Corbili, and on the day of Josk's marriage to his lover, Baron Umador's only daughter, Count Corbili had ambushed Baron Umador's castle. Josk's lover had jumped off the castle in order not to be humiliated, and Baron Umador had been killed. Josk had been heavily injured and was rescued by his subordinates. From then on, he had been embroiled in a battle for revenge against Count Corbili.
However, Count Corbili's influence at the time was too great, and he had practically swept through the entire northwestern region. Loriste happened to be passing through the northwestern region with a convoy heading north, and they had a conflict with Count Corbili's armed forces. Josk had sided with Loriste at that time, and Loriste had led the convoy to wipe out Count Corbili's family, fulfilling Josk's desire for revenge. However, Josk had always missed his lover, and was determined not to marry in memory of his lost love.
Josk's eyes were evasive when Loriste tried to persuade him, and he hurriedly explained that he only wanted to do more for the family. At the end of last year, due to the New Year's celebration and the conferring ceremony, the family had canceled the plan to hunt in the Barbarian Plains. This made the Chief of Finance, Countess Spear, extremely distressed. Due to the high demand for magical beast hides in Moronte City and the countries in the central and southern parts of the continent, many countries had formed armed armies that could be dispatched during the winter. The price of magical beast hides, which were suitable for making warm and cold clothing, had already doubled. Canceling the plan to hunt in the Barbarian Plains meant that the family had lost nearly two million gold coins in profit.
Loriste smiled and told Josk that the family's financial situation was good, and there was no need to hunt in the Barbarian Plains during spring and summer. Moreover, temporarily halting the trading of magical beast hides would actually stimulate the market's demand for magical beast hides. Therefore, Loriste would not approve of the Hunting Cavalry's plan to go to the Barbarian Plains. What Josk should do now was return to his newly expanded viscount territory, manage the affairs of the territory, and be a qualified noble.
Josk's expression was a little strange when he left, as if there was something he couldn't say, but he didn't say it in the end. Loriste had his suspicions, so he ordered Genolio to find the Director of Internal Affairs, Viscount Criston, and have him investigate what happened to Josk …
Two days later, the head of the Monolith Army and the honorary head of the family's armed forces, Bodbinger, came to see Loriste with a distressed expression. He had come to consult Loriste about the marriage of his daughter, Eliza. Time passed so quickly. In the blink of an eye, twenty years had passed. That eccentric and adorable little girl had now become a beautiful lady. Her temper and personality made poor Bodbinger worry a lot.
In Loriste's impression, Alisa's memory was still stuck on the little girl who acted like a spoiled child in front of him. This couldn't be blamed on Loriste. After returning to the family's territory with the caravan, Loriste no longer had the time to play with Alisa. He was extremely busy, rushing about for the future of the family. He remembered that it was his lover, Miss Tracy, who had taken Alisa as a disciple before the establishment of the Nicol Academy, preparing to groom her into a young lady.
"What did you say? Alisa is now twenty-eight years old? And she's the deputy commander of the women's battalion? "Loriste heard some unbelievable news from Bodbinger.
The women's battalion was an extremely special existence in the Norton Family's armed forces. They were not part of the family's main armed forces, but they enjoyed the same treatment as the main armed forces. They were also not part of the family's armed garrison forces, as they were directly under the control of the matriarch of the Norton Family, Princess Silvia. In other words, they were a combination of a ceremonial barracks, a battlefield hospital, a rehabilitation center, and an art troupe.
Loriste had once wanted to turn the women into battlefield medics, but reality had proven that in this era of cold weapons, women were not suitable for the battlefield. He remembered that the first time the women had been sent to the battlefield was when the king of the Iberian Kingdom, the rebellious second prince of the former Christen Empire, gathered the nobles of the north to lead an army of a hundred thousand to attack the Norton Family. In the end, they encountered a storm of steel crossbows, and the army of a hundred thousand vanished like smoke in thin air. The second prince's lofty ambitions were destroyed just like that, and the Iberian Kingdom walked on the road to its end.
In that war, the casualties of the Norton Family's armed forces were negligible, and were extremely light. However, when the women went to the battlefield to treat the enemy's wounded soldiers, they were scared half to death by the horrors caused by the steel crossbows. They even had nightmares in the middle of the night, which almost caused the camp to blow up. Later, Loriste assigned the women's battalion to the Flying Tiger Army, but in the end, many of the female soldiers in the women's battalion married the soldiers of the Flying Tiger Army, causing a large number of female soldiers in the women's battalion to retire. In the end, he had no choice but to pull the women's battalion out and form an independent army.
Loriste had no choice but to nurture male battlefield medics in the various armies, and then used the women's battalion as the family's art troupe and battlefield hospital. From this point, it could be seen that the women's battalion did a good job. The art troupe they arranged was well received in the family's armed forces, and it greatly boosted morale. At the same time, the wounded soldiers could receive careful care in the women's battalion, which increased the effectiveness of the treatment.
After Loriste and Princess Silvia got married, Princess Silvia found out that the Norton Family's armed forces had a women's battalion, and was very interested in taking charge and command of it. Loriste didn't mind, and handed the women's battalion over to Princess Silvia.
"You're saying that Alisa decided to become a female knight because she saw Miss Bai Sha's majestic appearance in a female knight's armour when she was young? That domineering Miss Bai Sha also has admirers? "Loriste's mouth was wide open …
"Yes, Your Highness. That's why Alisa left the Nicol Academy to study at the Dawn Academy at the age of 16, and successfully awakened her qi, becoming a female knight apprentice. Four years later, she graduated from the Dawn Academy's knight training course, and returned to the Nicol Academy, becoming the first female knight of the Nicol Family to serve Miss Tracy. She then applied to enter the women's battalion, and received Miss Bai Sha's trust. Two years ago, she advanced to the Silver rank of 2-star qi, and was promoted to the deputy commander of the women's battalion … "
Bofinger was also very helpless. He didn't want to air his dirty linen in public, but he had no choice. Alisa's relationship with her father had always been very tense. Back then, he married the widowed daughter of the Norton Family's captive, Earl Spencer, as his second wife. In the end, his son, Howard, and daughter, Alisa, were very dissatisfied. Howard was still sensible, and even if he wasn't happy, he still maintained the necessary politeness on the surface. The adorable Alisa exploded, and ran away from home a few times, causing Bofinger to be embarrassed. In the end, Miss Tracy took Alisa in, and the matter came to an end.
In fact, Earl Spencer's daughter was very beautiful and virtuous, giving Bofinger a new lease of life. After so many years of marriage, Bofinger had two more sons. However, Alisa refused to forgive him, believing that Bofinger had betrayed her dead mother. Only Miss Tracy's words could make Alisa listen to her. However, Miss Tracy was Loriste's lover. Bofinger didn't dare to go to the Nicol Academy to teach his rebellious daughter a lesson, so he could only look for Loriste.
"So Alisa has become Tracy's female knight. No wonder I haven't heard any news about her." What Loriste said was the truth. If Alisa was loyal to the Norton Family, then her name would soon appear in front of Loriste. Apart from other things, Loriste had a good memory, and he remembered the names of most of the knights in the family.
"Bofinger, do you want me to go to the Nicol Academy and talk to Tracy, and ask her to persuade Alisa to marry?" Loriste asked.
"Your Highness, I don't know what to say. Howard has become Your Highness's disciple, and already has a family. Now that he can stand on his own, it's not a problem if he comes from a family or returns to my family. His future will be decided by Your Highness, and I have nothing to worry about. "The adorable Alisa is already 28 years old, and she's still not married. This is really too much.
The problem is that as a father, my words have no effect on her, and she seems to have her own ideas about her marriage. During this time, there has been quite a bit of a dispute in the family territory. Please forgive me, Your Highness. I can't speak ill of a colleague behind his back, but I hope that Your Highness can step in and stop this from becoming a joke in the family territory. "
After Bodfinger finished his confusing speech, he bade farewell and left like he was running away. Loriste rubbed his chin in bewilderment for a long time before he came back to his senses. He ordered Genolio to look for the Director of Internal Affairs, Viscount Criston, to find out what was going on with Alisa's so-called marriage. Bofinger couldn't even explain it clearly …
In the end, in less than half a day, the investigation report on Josk and Alisa was placed in front of Loriste. He flipped it open and jumped on the spot. So that's what happened!
…
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