On the 25th of July, Lollister brought his family aboard the Blue Seagull and set off for Port Qilin to attend the second prince's coronation ceremony. Of course, when they passed by the Cydegler Family's territory, they still had to stop for half a day at Platinum Beach to pick up Duke Cydegler who was going to travel with Lollister.
The Blue Seagull was a new type of large ocean-going ship manufactured by the Oxhorn Bay Shipbuilding Workshop for carrying passengers. The whole ship had 124 cabins and could carry 470 passengers at a time. This was the first dedicated passenger ship in the history of the Galinthea continent. The Norton family was planning to build three more passenger ships of the same model to open up the route from North Sea City to Hidden Gold Bay, instead of needing to carry cargo ships to both places.
This was the first official operation of the Blue Seagull. After transporting Lollister and his party to Port Qilin, they would continue on to Hidden Gold Bay. Lollister brought his family and close to two hundred guards and servants aboard the ship, leaving half of the cabins for Duke Kempis. However, he didn't expect Duke Kempis to bring more than two thousand people to the capital. Fortunately, Duke Kempis seemed to have anticipated this situation. He mobilized half of the Kempis Family's large merchant fleet to solve the problem of overcrowding.
"Locke, you're only bringing so few people to attend His Majesty's coronation ceremony?" This was the first thing Duke Kempis asked after boarding the ship.
Lollister was stunned, "Why, is there a problem?"
This time, Laurist had brought a team of a hundred guards with him. Including his five wives and his children, there were also some maids and servants, which amounted to about two hundred people. To put it nicely, they were lightly dressed, but to put it bluntly, they were a little shabby. On the contrary, as a Grand Duke of a territory, it was normal for a guy like Kenneth to bring over two thousand men and parade through the city with great fanfare. However, Lollister didn't like such extravagance. The simpler the better.
Duke Kempis said resentfully, "Although you're a swordmaster and don't have to worry about your safety when you travel, you're not like me. He wasn't like me, who had to bring a thousand guards with me at all times. But don't forget, during His Majesty's coronation ceremony, dukes like us have to send a thousand armed family members to participate in the parade to show our loyalty to His Majesty … "
"That's easy," Laurist said with a smile. "I can send a thousand-man garrison from Syrovas Island to the imperial capital to participate in this parade. In any case, it was just for show, and no one would take it seriously. Besides, my family's armed forces just returned from the expedition at the end of last year. They're all on vacation now, so there's no need to gather them and select people to participate in the imperial capital's grand ceremony. "
"Hmm, that works too." Duke Kenneth nodded. "No wonder I didn't see Shredder and Bodefinger heading to the imperial capital with you. The subordinates of the other lords are all eager to attend the ceremony to get familiar with them. "
"I asked them, but they didn't want to go. Perhaps to them, instead of attending the ceremony in the capital, they might as well stay at home and spend time with their families. After all, after three years of expedition, they needed the comfort of their families. That's why I brought Reidi and Genolio, as well as Commander Padt of the guards, "Laurist said.
Duke Kenneth sighed in understanding. "I understand. Three years ago, I brought the remnants of my family's armed forces back to Syrograd. Just like them, I stayed at home and didn't want to go anywhere. Unlike you, you have returned triumphantly, while we are survivors of a bloody battle. After returning home, the feeling of escaping death and surviving a calamity has been lingering in our hearts. During that time, I ate and drank to my heart's content, and made love to the maids like crazy. It wasn't until half a year later that I slowly calmed down. Only then did I have the mood to take care of my family and the merchant guild's affairs … "
Laurist didn't say anything. Everyone had been tricked by the second prince. They thought that gathering a million soldiers at the border would make the Trade Union agree to return the two provinces and reach a peace agreement with the Andinac Kingdom. Everyone thought that it was just a demonstration at the border with their armed forces, and then they could go home to enjoy the generous conditions promised by the second prince. No one thought that the Trade Union did not care about the million-strong army, and instead started a war. After three years of bloody battle, both sides suffered heavy losses.
Laurist fought with the Storm Swordsaint of the Trade Union and suffered heavy losses. Following that, a rebellion broke out in his family's territory, and the three field armies of the family returned to quell the rebellion. Once the three main armies of the Norton Family left, the Andinac Kingdom's army at the Mana Hill Plains could no longer hold on. Faced with the endless reinforcements from the Trade Union and their human wave tactics, the army suffered heavy losses and could only barely maintain the front line.
Fortunately, Laurist recovered from his injuries and quelled the rebellion in his family's territory. First, he destroyed the Trade Union's invincible fleet, then launched a surprise attack on the Hidden Gold Bay and took over Morent City. He reversed the situation on the battlefield and forced the Trade Union's armed forces to retreat from the Mana Hill Plains. He rescued the tottering army from the brink of collapse, and allowed them to return to their family's territory. Then, he used three years of battle to defeat the Trade Union, forcing them to lower their heads and admit defeat.
It could be said that without the Norton Family's battle, there would not be the second prince's coronation ceremony. It was the Norton Family's armed forces that saved the fate of the Andinac Kingdom. Duke Kempis was also very clear about this. What he deeply regretted was how he had been so easily tempted by the second prince's generous treatment. He had followed the second prince straight to the cliff, burying more than half of the family's meticulously organized heavy armed forces.
"I shouldn't have regretted it!" Duke Kempis let out a long sigh. "You once said that His Majesty was a man who loved grandiosity and did not know how to restrain himself when he succeeded. We have all forgotten your kind advice. If we had not attacked the Mana Hill Plains after destroying more than half of the Trade Union's armed forces, there might have been a high chance that we could have reached a truce with the Trade Union and restored peace. But His Majesty insisted on massacring Morent City on the Mana Hill Plains, and in the end, we were caught in a bloody battle. Most of our family's armed forces were injured and unable to continue …
Fortunately, the Norton Family was willing to lend a helping hand and send troops to help us. That was why we, the lucky ones, were able to climb back from the Mana Hill Plains. All the nobles of the kingdom know that without the Norton Family's help, it would have been difficult for His Majesty to have been able to retreat from the Mana Hill Plains in one piece, let alone hold the coronation ceremony now. Not to mention, if we had failed, the Trade Union's armed forces would have swept down. It would have been a problem for the kingdom to exist, because we had already lost all power to resist … "
"The war has ended, and peace has come." Laurist interrupted Duke Kempis's sigh. "You did not come with me just to complain about this bloody battle, did you? The past is the past, and we should learn from it to avoid making the same mistake in the future. We should not keep dwelling on the past. Tell me, what do you really want to say to me this time? Otherwise, with your love of gatherings and liveliness, you would have gone to the capital to enjoy yourself instead of waiting to go with me. "
Duke Kempis smiled wryly. "Don't look at me like I used to. After returning from the Mana Hill Plains, I lost interest in those gatherings. But you're right, there's a reason why I'm traveling with you. First of all, I want to thank you for supporting Dawn College in setting up a business faculty in Vanades City. This is very good news for all the Chambers of Commerce in Vanades City. With the establishment of a business faculty, the merchant guilds that want to expand will not have to worry about where to find suitable talents. With graduates from the business faculty, the development of these merchant guilds will be able to get on the right track and avoid detours … "
It had been more than ten days since the meeting with Dean Kruder. Duke Kempis had naturally received the news, so his gratitude was not surprising to Laurist.
"You're welcome. You've done well as the lord of Vanades City. Over the years, you've actually developed Vanades City into the largest commercial city in the kingdom. I've even begun to think about how to reward you. But what I'm curious about is, how did you convince all the merchant guilds in the kingdom to set up shop in Vanades City? "
To be honest, this was indeed Laurist's question. In his impression, Vanades City was the commercial city of the Madras Duchy, but it was much smaller than Morent City. Most importantly, the Madras Duchy used Vanades City to conduct food trade, which was why it was rather prosperous. After Laurist led his family's armed forces to destroy the Madras Duchy, he took Vanades City under his family's jurisdiction.
Later on, the Gammus Family changed their territory and moved from the eastern part of the Northern Lands to the Sigler Province. Lollister bargained with Duke Gammus and appointed Duke Gammus as the City Lord of Vanades City, handing over the largest commercial city in the northwest to him. This also gave the Snow Salt Merchant Guild a foothold.
However, contrary to Lollister's expectations, Duke Kemus was indeed diligent in managing Vanades City. Not only did he attract many merchant guilds to set up shop here, but he also helped Vanades City to become the largest commercial market in the northwest region. Every year, the Norton Family collected three to four hundred thousand gold fords in taxes from Vanades City, which was three times more than the largest livestock market in the northeast region, the Royal City of Windbury.
Duke Kempis grinned, "Actually, His Majesty should be the one to thank for Vanades City's prosperity. Back when he was conquering the four central duchies, he raised the taxes of merchant guilds to 30% in order to raise funds for military supplies. If customs fees and transport taxes were added, the total amount of taxes that merchants had to bear would be around 60% of the total cost. This kind of tax would cause even the most profitable business to lose money, and the merchant guilds that had set up shop in the imperial capital would have no choice but to move.
Under these circumstances, Vanades City became the best choice for most merchant guilds. Because Vanades City is under the jurisdiction of the Norton family, the taxes are only 10%. Furthermore, the Norton family's territory is within the sphere of influence of the four northern families, so the taxes are only collected once per family. Even if you go to a province in the kingdom, the merchant guilds in the Norton family's territory will be treated fairly, and you won't be exploited.
That's why all the merchant guilds in the kingdom chose to set up shop in Vanades City. With more merchants, the city will naturally become more prosperous. Besides, I'm a merchant myself, so I understand what merchants need the most. Strengthen the security and order of Vanades City, crack down on robbers and kidnappers, and eliminate bandits and bandits on the trade routes. Invest in large-scale city construction, improve public health, formalize business transactions, and provide guarantees. Once these are done, the city will develop rapidly. "
Laurist nodded in praise. "I didn't expect you to have such outstanding leadership skills in addition to the brains of a merchant. Of course, I won't say much about your ability to flirt and socialize. By the way, other than thanking me for supporting Dawn College in setting up a business school in Vanades City, is there any other reason you insist on coming with me? "
The duke's expression turned serious. "Yes. The other reason is that I'll be safer if I travel with you …"
"You mean …" Laurist was taken aback.
Duke Gammus slowly unbuttoned his shirt, revealing half of his chest. His white chest was wrapped in a thick white bandage, and there was a faint trace of fresh blood. Laurist immediately understood. No wonder he kept smelling medicine.
"In the past two months, I've experienced three assassination attempts. The most dangerous one was this month. The assassin couldn't get close to me because my family's guards were on guard. He swung his sword at me and cut a wound on my chest like this. That's why I've been waiting for you to come. Only when I saw you did I truly relax. I don't have to worry about being assassinated anymore, "the duke said bitterly.
"Who did it? Did you catch the assassin? Also, why didn't you ask me for help earlier? "Laurist was very angry.
The duke shook his head. "I don't know who did it. However, the assassin is a first rank swordsman. Our guards couldn't stop him, but he couldn't kill me either. As for asking you for help, haha, I can't afford to lose face like that. If a swordsman like you acts, the House of Kenneth will become a laughing stock among the nobles. "
"You … You're just trying to save face." Laurist frowned in thought. "It's a little strange. Why would a swordsman attack you? With your family's status and connections in the kingdom, there shouldn't be any reason for a swordsman to assassinate you. Besides, killing you would have a negligible effect on the kingdom. It's not worth it to have a first rank swordsman assassinate you three times in two months … "
Duke Kenneth protested. "Hey, hey, hey, am I as bad as you say?"
Laurist ignored him and continued to speculate, "He continuously attacked and refused to give up. After the first assassination failed, even though your family had already raised their defenses, that Great Swordsman Assassin still attacked twice. He wouldn't have done this if he didn't have a deep grudge against you. Could it be that you messed with some noble lady and didn't clean up her mess? That husband, who was cuckolded by you, bribed a swordsman to assassinate you? Hmm, I think that's the most likely possibility … "
Duke Kenneth was angry. "Stop joking. What's the meaning of that cuckolding? I like to be cuckolded. Alright, I'm sure it's not the reason you said. I suspect that the assassination happened at the Snow Salt Merchant Guild. "
"Snow Salt Merchant Guild?"
"Yes. Do you know the Wyksas Knight who had an affair with the former queen? The illegitimate son of the king … "
Laurist nodded.
"Two years ago, didn't you say that he coveted the Norton family's market in Port Qilin? Last year, the king conferred him the title of Earl and arranged for his territory in the Magick province. He was going to send him away from the capital. But this Wyksas Knight hugged the king's feet and cried. In the end, the king agreed to let him stay, but he was stripped of his position as the commander of the royal guards.
Then, this Earl Wyksas opened a merchant guild in the capital called the Ontario Merchant Guild. Somehow, he got the rights to sell two rock salt mines in the Crimea province in the center of the empire from the king. So, in the second half of last year, he started a commercial war with our Snow Salt Merchant Guild over the kingdom's salt market. I used all kinds of connections to reduce the price of the snow salt and finally won the war, causing that Earl Wyksas to lose nearly a hundred thousand gold coins. "Duke Kenneth was a little proud.
"So you suspect that this Earl Wyksas secretly sent a swordsman to assassinate you? That's impossible. First, with his status, he can't afford to support a swordsman. Second, he should know that if the truth of your assassination is revealed, no one can save him. Even the king can't bear the responsibility, so he wouldn't be so irrational. I still suspect that it's your philandering … "Laurist expressed his doubts.
Duke Kenneth sighed, "Sigh, I knew you wouldn't believe my intuition."
"Don't worry. From now on, you don't have to worry about anyone assassinating you. In the capital, I'll arrange for Reidi to hide by your side. If that swordsman assassin comes again, we'll capture him and find out who sent him. "Laurist said.
"Alright, thank you, Loke."
… …
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.
