PS: I'm late. It gets harder to write later. Sorry.
Laing had no intention of punishing Duke Taubot from the very beginning.
In fact, as mentioned earlier, it was legal for Duke Taubot to oppose him.
As everyone knew, when Brittany was founded, it was an alliance of twelve loose duchies. At that time, the first Knight King, Arthur, became the leader of the alliance in order to resist the invasion. After twelve wars, he was crowned as the Knight King.
This was why Duke Taubot repeatedly emphasized the "Knight's Covenant". The system of the Knight King's Kingdom determined that it was originally a loose alliance. In peacetime, it was autonomous, but in wartime, it was unified. The dukes had a lot of power, and the king's control over the dukes was largely dependent on the dukes' chivalry and the king's personal prestige.
This greatly limited the monarch's power, so the Knight King's Kingdom didn't expand much even at its peak. It had fought with the Estalians and the Empire several times, but most of them didn't gain much, and the Asoloren Forest was a lost cause.
Of course, there was a limit to dictatorship, and a limit to feudalism. In history, there had been two instances where the Knight King died suddenly, leaving the kingdom without a leader and facing multiple invasions. In the end, new kings were elected from the various dukes to defend the kingdom from the enemy.
This was the same as the Empire's election system.
On the way back to Culona, Laing and Suria each sat on one side of the table in a high-class hotel, discussing the next direction of internal affairs.
"There's a reason why I didn't punish Duke Taubot." Leon put down his cup, and the king said calmly, "I have to set an example for the other conservative dukes. Since I didn't pursue Taubert, who was the first to oppose me, then Adehard, Ford, Kasfane, and Hubbard will understand what I mean. My prestige is unparalleled, and those who oppose me will end up like Taubert. But I also let Taubert go. This means that as long as they follow my path, everything will be forgotten, and there will be no more worries. Naturally, they will all turn around and declare their support for my decision."
Sulia picked up the cup of black tea. The queen had been doted on by Leon day and night. Not only was her skin glowing, but her body was also overflowing with Leon's psionic energy. The female knight had changed into her favorite white military uniform, dark blue pleated skirt, and black pantyhose. She elegantly tasted the Assamese black tea imported from the Far East. The female knight frowned slightly after hearing Leon's words. "I understand what you mean, my dear. But could it be that they are just on the surface …"
"No." Don't forget, I'm the one who forgave them for their crimes. In this case, if the conservative dukes try to sabotage and stop my reform again, I'll have a legitimate reason to attack them. This time, even Francois and Bohemond won't be able to say anything. "Lucien nodded and said," You're right. Don't forget that I'm the one who forgave them for their crimes.
"Okay." Suria thought about it carefully. Laing was right.
No matter how benevolent Laing was and how he chose to forgive Duke Taubot's mistakes, his mistakes and public challenge to the Knight King had become an "original sin" that could not be erased. In this case, not only could he not pretend to obey, but he also had to do it properly. He had to increase the stakes. Otherwise, it would appear that he did not truly "repent" of his mistakes, and then he really couldn't blame Laing for making a move.
I've given you a chance, brother ~
Suria thought about it in her mind. The female knight was a little impressed by Laing's approach, but she was also a little worried. In the end, she could only sigh helplessly. "Lady above, fortunately, everything went smoothly."
"Okay." Laing also let out a long breath. This time, he had taken a certain risk. What if there was an assassination or a misfire during the process of persuading people to surrender?
However, there were rewards with risks. This time, not a single drop of blood was spilled and not a single person was killed. This would let Laing's prestige reach another peak.
Now, he was already a symbol.
"Then about the ten marshals …"
"François wants Lucien to take the position," Laing said directly. "And Berchemund wants Davu."
"Isn't Davu's experience too shallow?" Suria took the list. The queen shook her head. "You know, Laing, if we count his previous service, when Davu was still Nicolas of Bastogne, his service time was only a few short years. If he can be made a marshal like this, then …"
"Marshals focus on ability, and Davu is the one and only old guard of the Holy Grail." Laing shook his head. The Knight King thought carefully and still included Davu.
"It's really strange. If we had to choose at that time, why …" Suria secretly looked out the window.
The queen's meaning was very simple. Why not Raymond?
"Raymond is not a devout female believer. He has always been a believer of the God of Justice." Laing shook his head lightly. "In comparison, when Davu was still Nicolas, he was already a very devout female believer. Also, Davu was chosen because of his background. He was born in the Duchy of Bastogne, and not far from Bastogne Castle. Not only is his character and strength excellent, but he also stood up at the critical moment, which is in line with the spirit of chivalry."
"Yes." Suria could only nod. The female knight thought for a while and asked for Laing's opinion. "Then, it's Davu and Lucien?"
What did she mean by it's Davu and Lucien? Laing's heart skipped a beat. The Knight King thought that his wife was really amazing. She secretly added Lucien in without batting an eyelid. On the surface, she was asking for his opinion, but in fact, she was secretly adding something. If he nodded, wouldn't Lucien's name be confirmed?
But this was also good. It was originally an internal discussion, so it was a little fun for the husband and wife to play a little tricks. Laing thought for a while and shook his head. "Bastogne is the place where the Brittany rose. In addition, Davu is the first old guard of the Holy Grail, and for the time being, he is the only one. Letting him be the marshal is in the nature of setting an example. As for Lucien, I don't think it's so hasty to make a decision. Let's wait until he comes back from the Evil Land. He should be on his way, right?"
"He'll be here in a week." Suria took out a document and handed it to Laing. The female knight was a little embarrassed. "Father also wants Lucien."
"When he arrives, I'll talk to him and ask him about the recent situation of the Eight Peaks Mountain and his opinions on many things." Laing took over the document and glanced at it. He suddenly remembered something. "Right, where are Sylvia and Olica?"
"They? Olica has gone to train Sylvia as a female courtier." Suria picked up the teacup again and said with a half-smile, "I agree."
"Training?!" Laing suddenly had a bad feeling. "Wait, Olica's so-called female courtier training is …"
"What? Isn't Sylvia your female courtier? " Suria retorted. "Don't think that I don't know that you have asked Olica to train your female courtiers in the duke's castle. If that's the case, why don't you let Sylvia go for the training too? She does have a bad temper, which is one of the reasons why you rarely pamper her."
"Alright, if you think it's necessary." Clayon didn't really object. He didn't dislike Sylvia's temper, but it was indeed a little stressful to interact with her. She was too serious and serious, unlike Sulia. Sulia was usually serious, noble, and reserved, but she was quite open with Clayon in private. This was the so-called "introverted". Clayon really loved his wife in this aspect.
In the next room, Sylvia, who was wearing a black-and-white maid outfit with white stockings and black leather shoes, was tied to the bed with her eyes covered, mouth gagged, and eyes gagged. Olica was mixing new potions and preparing new items. The dark elf was assembling a few thick leather belts in her hands. She also installed two silver locks and some weird-looking things. "My dear Sylvia, are you ready?"
"Wuu (Fear)!" Sylvia could only struggle with all her might. "Wuu (Miss, Leon, save me!)"
Unfortunately, she had been sold by Suria and Laing. No one could save her.
"What about the remaining knights and nobles? What do you plan to do?" Suria continued, "This time, hundreds of knight families will be stripped of their noble titles, right?"
"I'll give them one more chance, including Baldwin's Clement Family and that bunch of trash hiding in Marlin Castle. I'll give them one more chance." Laing raised a finger and smiled maliciously. "A chance to atone for your sins."
"Get on board, backwater!"
… I am the dividing line of the last wave …
A week later, in the capital of the Empire, Brunswick, the Empire Palace.
Emperor Karl-franz, who had just recovered from his stomach ailment, was reviewing documents in his study again. He had been like this for more than a decade, and he was already used to it. Although the emperor usually preferred to stay with his army, a few good news recently made the emperor feel a lot better.
The first was that after the invasion of Chaos, the economy of the Empire showed signs of prosperity. A lot of infrastructure, castles, towns, and villages that were destroyed by Chaos needed to be rebuilt. A lot of manors and farmlands lost their owners. The emperor and many Kurfürst jointly issued a decree that as long as they were willing to emigrate, they would be given land and farming tools for free and tax exemption for a whole year. This led to a large-scale migration. After all, many civilians were willing to go there and work as self-employed farmers.
The second was that society had become active again, especially after a large number of nobles died in battle. Many territories and titles were vacant. Once again, a channel for social advancement was opened. For the north of the Empire, which was conservative and had few resources, the class that one was born in was destined to be the class that one was born in. Civilians rarely had the opportunity to move. However, in this Motekin invasion, the nobles lost too much military merit, so a large number of free soldiers and many middle-level and grass-roots soldiers really got the opportunity to rise. As long as they fought bravely, they were basically promoted, which made many people satisfied.
Knights were promoted to Barons, Great Swordsmen were promoted to Knights, and many soldiers from the regular army and the provincial army who fought bravely were promoted to Great Swordsmen who could live in luxurious barracks and receive double the salary.
The third was Galt's Saul Hill. This had already been mentioned before, so I won't repeat it here. The emperor looked at the financial report and was satisfied to see that the cash flow from Saul Hill had helped him fill up the huge financial deficit. Otherwise, Card Emperor would have almost declared bankruptcy.
At this time, the emperor's diplomat, Metternich, knocked on the door. "Your Majesty?"
"Please come in." Emperor Karl-franz put down the document and smiled. "Metternich? I hope you brought me good news. "
"Your Majesty, the civil strife in Brittany has been completely quelled. The king on the other side of the mountain did not shed a single drop of blood or hurt a single person." Metternich bowed to the emperor. "Since then, all the dukes have declared their support for King Laing's reform. The implementation of the governor-general system is imperative."
"He's really something, Laing." Karl-franz shrugged. The emperor's mouth was full of envy. The governor-general system? He did not even dare to dream that he could rely on Motekin's invasion to establish the Franz Imperial Guards when the Kurfürsten were weak, and let the Ricks Imperial Guards build Ricks Castles in the key areas of other provinces to expand his influence. The emperor was already very satisfied. "But I already know these things. Metternich, is there any new news?"
"Yes." Metternich took out a roll of parchment. "The new decree to cancel the privileges of the nobles has been issued. All the families that do not produce a knight within three generations will be stripped of their noble titles. But our Knight King is also considerate. Not only these people, but also the knight families who committed serious crimes during the rebellion, he has given them a chance."
"What chance?" The emperor took over the parchment.
"A chance to atone for their sins. The knights and nobles who were stripped of their knighthood and who committed crimes can choose one of the three cities in Kislöw, the Arabian Desert, or the Wretched Land for an expedition of at least three years." Metternich's expression was weird. "This is His Majesty Laing's speech in Colona, 'Get on the Boat, Back Waves!' To inspire the knights who are about to embark on an expedition to atone for their sins. "
"Let me see …" The emperor began to read.
"Those who keep saying that the Holy Grail is getting harder and harder to obtain should be looking at you, just like me."
"I'm looking at you with envy."
"The connections, wealth, resources, and channels that we Brittany have accumulated for hundreds of years are like gifts specially prepared for you."
"Generous basic salary, abundant trophies, and free lodging."
"The veils of the desert civilization, the ice civilization, and the mountain civilization have been lifted layer by layer. You can go on an expedition to your heart's content."
"You can freely learn the dwarf language, learn a piece of Arabian music, admire a girl from Kislöw, go on an expedition to distant places, and enjoy the exotic scenery."
"I can guarantee that many knights have embarked on your own path — the path of the Holy Grail from the moment they arrived. You can freely explore your own path of survival."
"I know that many of you don't have actual combat experience, but it doesn't matter. The moment you arrive, everyone will quickly learn what to deal with and what not to deal with. How lucky you are. With just a ticket, you can meet thousands of brothers who are going on an expedition together."
"You have the power that I have dreamed of. Wherever you land, it will be your new home!"
"You are lucky to meet these green skin, chaos, and undead. And these evil are even luckier to meet the brave you!"
"I salute your courage! The weak only complain, the strong are brave enough to accept challenges. "
"One day, you will understand that I, Laing Macado, am not the only one teaching you how to get close to the Holy Grail. You are also enlightening me on how to let the knights better understand the spirit of knighthood."
"Those who complain that the spirit of knighthood is getting harder and harder to understand should look at you, just like me."
"You don't have to imagine how noble your ancestral bloodline is, because no matter how noble your bloodline is, it's not enough to let you survive the expedition."
"If you still need my blessings, then …"
"Get on the ship! Come on! "
"Together with 16000 Brittany brothers and sisters, the Atonement Expedition!"
The coffee in the Emperor's mouth sprayed out onto the pile of documents.
"Laing … You … Hahahahaha!"
"As expected of my confidant!" The Emperor slapped his thigh hard. "I've wanted to do this for a long time!"
The Emperor's hearty laughter sounded in the palace.
"Good job! Well done! "
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