Empire calendar, Year 2524, autumn.
In the Duchy of Montfort, the mountain path leading to the Axe Bite Pass was filled with refugees from the Empire. They formed a long line that was nearly a kilometer long. The Montfort Castle was lush and green, and its tens of meters high walls seemed insignificant compared to the surrounding mountains that were hundreds of meters high. As the most important trade route between the Empire and Brittania, the Axe Bite Pass had been in operation for thousands of years, but it was still wishful thinking to accept so many refugees at once. Duke Ford didn't like having so many people from the Empire entering his territory. As everyone knew, the Duchy of Montfort wasn't a rich and fertile duchy. Duke Ford was very dissatisfied with the influx of refugees from the Empire.
The fortified fortress, which was dozens of meters tall, was filled with Brittanian troops. Other than the garrison of the Duchy of Montfort, there was also the flag of Brittania. The flag of Leon's sword and iris flower was erected above the castle of Montfort. At the same time, there was also the tricolor flag of the old guard.
With the arrival of Year 2524 of the Empire calendar, the Old World was in a precarious situation. The Chaos army in the North, under the leadership of Eichahn's adjutant, Keron – Conqueror, attacked the Golden Fortress. The Empire army was struggling under the leadership of Emperor Karl-franz. Due to the sturdiness of the Golden Fortress and the assistance of Vlad's Specter army, the Empire was able to resist the attacks of the Chaos army.
But the real problem was behind the Empire. With the decrease in rations, the Orcs and Green Dwarfs wreaking havoc, the Empire was in chaos, and many Chaos gangs appeared out of nowhere in the forests. The logistics and security of the Empire were severely challenged. Most of the Empire's army was focused on the North, and the Emperor was unable to solve the problem at the rear.
The rations and soldiers' rations caused the Empire's finances to be strained. Emperor Karl-franz had no choice but to impose new taxes. The taxes were as follows:
New Head Tax: Levied once every six months, mainly on the residents of the cities. The male tax rate was two silver coins, while the female tax rate was one silver coin.
Cattle tax: Collected once every three months. The main target of the tax is farmers. A farmer has to pay 6 copper coins for every cow he owns.
Dinner tax: Once a day, the tax will be levied on the peddlers, taverns, and restaurants in towns. As long as there is a place to sell food, the tax will be levied. The tax will be based on 3% of the price of the food.
Window Tax: Every building in the city will be taxed. The logic of taxation is that each window will be taxed once.
Belt Tax: A tax on fatties. Before entering the city, the soldiers would measure the waistline of the citizens. The thicker the waistline, the heavier the tax, ranging from 1 copper coin to 2 silver coins.
Alcohol Tax: An additional tax on all wineries and taverns within the Empire, including those who buy alcohol and those who drink it.
These were the more typical taxes. These taxes were collectively known as the "Three Northern Funds" or "Three Northern Salaries". They were respectively "New Funds (anti-corruption funds)", "Suppression Funds (domestic security funds)", and "Refining Funds (used to drill and form new armies)".
The new taxes formed a very heavy burden on the Empire's civilians, especially when the grain harvest continued to fail. However, everyone silently endured it.
At the same time, the Empire's court created a new 'Conscription Code'. 68000 soldiers were sent to the northern frontlines again. 20000 of them were transferred from the Empire and Brittany border, the southern border of the Empire, and the Black Fire Pass of Ivy. 8000 Brunswick and Brick City Guards and patrols, and 40000 new recruits. Two-thirds of these new recruits were under the age of 18. They seriously lacked experienced veterans and commanders. At the same time, they lacked weapons and equipment. The Nur was unable to provide so many new equipment for so many troops.
And the most troublesome thing was that the Empire's warhorses were also seriously lacking. There were many signs that the Empire was starting to be unable to support its northern defense line. The flames of war would quickly spread to the entire Empire.
Uncontrollable panic.
Then, where else in the Old World was safe?
Without a doubt, it could only be Brittania. A large number of imperial civilians and many imperial nobles brought their families over from the Axe Mountain Pass, attempting to enter Brittania's borders to seek refuge.
This made the Brittany feel very troubled. Chivalry and chivalry were Brittany's national policies and national image. Logically speaking, the Kingdom of the Knight King had no reason to reject the refugees' request for asylum. However, the Knight King and the serfs were very clear about the score. Previously, when we were fighting a bloody battle against the Skaven Ratmen and Prince Sigwald, you didn't come. Now that we are safe, you came?
Duke Ford of Montfort and Duke Casson of Pallavon came up with new customs standards. All citizens of the Empire who wanted to enter Brittany had to pay a 'poll tax', a 'millet', and a 'customs duty'. However, if the refugees from the Empire could prove that they were skilled in a particular field, such as being a priest, a veteran soldier, a miner, a hunter, a doctor, or a scholar, the Brittany's borders were still open.
Of course, the most important ones were the apothecaries, armorsmiths, bowsmiths, brewers, scribes, carpenters, cartographers, gemstone cutters, gunsmiths, herbalists, vendors, shipwrights, blacksmiths, stonemasons, tailors, and weaponsmiths. These craftsmen were considered the most valuable assets of the Old World. Not only did the Brittany not ask for a single cent from them, they even provided them with lodging, work, and free food for two months.
Looking at the long list, Duke Ford was grinning from ear to ear.
The Axe Bite Pass was an ancient plank road that the Empire and Brittany had managed for a thousand years. Compared to other Old World mountain roads, it was much easier to traverse. Because of this, Montfort and Helmgard on the other side of the mountain were simultaneously attacked by the Rat Plague Coalition (the Skaven Ratmen and the Nurgle Tribe). The Skaven Ratmen seemed to have used some unknown method to teleport the entire Northland tribe to the Grey Mountains.
Montfort immediately asked for help from Sun Wang Laing. Laing didn't say much. He immediately led the reorganized Old Guard, the Coldstream Guards, and the First Guard Cavalry Regiment to Montfort. When they saw Laing and the Old Guard's tricolor flag appear on the battlefield, the Skaven Ratmen and Nurgle believers were scared witless and fled into the mountains on the spot.
It was said that Laing received a new title from the Skaven Ratmen, "Nurgle Ghost."
The current situation was that other than the group of green-skinned people, the group of psychopaths, and the group of perverted believers, there was no enemy who wanted to go against Laing.
The threat of Montfort was instantly removed, and Helmgard on the other side of the mountain was attacked by the Skaven Ratmen and the Nurgle Rotten Blood Tribe.
However, Helmgard didn't fall. In the city's most critical moment, five heroes stood up and saved the city.
They were the Empire's Captain Markus Kluber, the Silver Hammer Order's Paladin Viktor Salzspire, the Wood Elf Ranger Kerilyn, the Dwarf Ranger Bardeen Garreksh, and the Light Fire Witch Sienna Fergenassas.
These five heroes foiled the Skaven Ratmen's plan to destroy Helmgard again. They even defeated the Nurgle Wizard, the Nurgle Champion, and the Skaven Warlord. Then, they went through the portal to Norsk and destroyed the Skaven Ratmen's teleportation device. Then, the moment before the portal collapsed, they came back and eliminated the 13th Gray Prophet, Lascornet.
This was a miracle. With the efforts of these five heroes, Helmgard didn't fall. They saved more than 50,000 lives. Brittany immediately sent an army led by the Holy Grail, Sir Amanric, to temporarily take over a part of Helmgard.
Incidentally, the first thing Amanric did when he arrived at Helmgard was to build a small church for the Lake Fairy.
In short, Brittany was now in a very tense and alert state. The Lake Fairy's church and the bards hired by the nobles were everywhere, preaching about the dangers of the old world. You can still drink in the tavern now, isn't it thanks to the Lake Fairy's protection, the Sun Wang Laing, and the Queen Suria's tireless fighting?
In the first-floor lobby of Montfort's most luxurious "White Castle" hotel, a large number of Brittany free people and refugees from the Empire were sitting together, drinking and chatting. The darker the moment, the more necessary alcohol was. The darker the moment, the more fanatical and devout the beliefs of the civilians, especially when the Lake Fairy proved that she indeed had the ability to protect her believers.
The first floor was noisy, and the VIP suites on the fourth floor were also noisy.
"Things … are … like this." The Lake Fairy's sweet voice came from the room. The goddess's light voice sounded a little heavy at this time. "Malecis has become the Phoenix King … he is enthroned in Lotharn, and … well, Tyrion has also announced that he is the rightful Phoenix King … he is enthroned in Kosikui."
"Oh, is that so?" Laing's voice was a little rough. He got the latest news from the Lake Fairy. The Sun King then asked, "Malecis has passed the test of the Sacred Fire of Asoyan after all?"
"Well … yes." The Lake Fairy panted. The goddess's voice was both happy and sad. "The outer circle kingdom of Ossouin … supports Tyrion. The inner circle kingdom … supports Malecis. The dark elves' Cain believers and Gollond … supports Tyrion. The rest … well."
The Lake Fairy's voice gradually trailed off. "In short … both sides have suffered a great loss. The army of more than 300,000 has now been reduced to less than 200,000. This is the last army of the high elves and dark elves. Olica … and I have tried our best … to collect souls."
"Did Malecis' proposal to Alariel succeed?" Laing asked casually. He was panting heavily.
"No … because Alariel and … Alariel have merged into one. She is now … Yisha … O 'Laing … Queen. She can't marry … Malle …" The Lake Fairy's voice was getting lower and lower.
"That's right, master." Olica's voice rang in the room. The Pale Queen said, "Since she has become the incarnation of Yisha, theoretically, Alariel is the wife of O 'Laing, the Queen of the Wood Elves. She can't marry Malecis, the Phoenix King. Malecis' proposal failed, but our new Phoenix King doesn't intend to give up at all. Seeing that Malecis is so smart, the high elves are less hostile to him."
"Malecis knows how to play." Laing sighed. It seemed that the Witch King had really changed. It didn't matter whether he could marry Alariel or not. The key was that his attitude made all the high elves realize that the Witch King was really willing to integrate into their culture and respect their customs. The first step of the union was taken, and the effect was good.
"Well … Well … Well …" The Lake Fairy moaned a few times, showing that she agreed with Laing.
"Malecis still has a chance. Yisha has returned to heaven after giving her power to Alariel. If the reincarnation of the Battle of Heaven continues, then Kane and Kunos will definitely fight fiercely, and the elven gods will all return to heaven and the underworld," Olica said sweetly. "It won't be difficult for him to marry Alariel then."
"Return to heaven and the underworld? Including you and Lilith? "Laing was a bit concerned.
"Lilith escaped from the last reincarnation. This time, she used your power to challenge the reincarnation," Olica said unhappily. "As for me, I'm not Urs-Haay at all. Mother has completely fallen. I'm not part of the reincarnation. What does it have to do with me?"
"I see." Laing still wanted to say something, but Olica interrupted him. "Alright, Lilith, get out of my way. It's my turn."
There were rustling sounds in the room.
"Then what's the situation now?" Laing's voice changed. He paused for a moment.
"Now, both sides are in the middle of a truce. Malekith needs time to unify the power of the high elves and dark elves and reorganize his court. Tyrion, on the other hand, is heavily injured. Lilith's poison and injuries have forced Tyrion to rest." Olica's cheerful voice sounded. "Both sides are expected to stop fighting for a while, but the outcome will definitely be determined again."
"… Didn't you make a lot of plans before?" Laing's breath was getting heavier.
"Yes … We made … many … plans." Olica's voice began to stutter, but it was still as sweet as ever. "Unfortunately … the situation changed too fast … It's useless … Lord of Shadows Aris is very stubborn … No matter what … Well … Kill Malecis first … As a result …"
Gradually, Olica couldn't continue.
Lilith's lazy and charming voice sounded. "We originally brought Alissanda to Ossouin to make the final decision at the critical moment of the battle between Malecis and Tyrion. But we did not expect Malecis to make Tyrion draw his sword much earlier than expected. With the Sword of Kain as Kain's incarnation, Malecis is no match for Tyrion with the Sword of Kain. Plus, Aris did not listen to me. He insisted on killing Malecis first, so Olica and I decided to give up on the operation and wait until later. You don't want anything to happen to us, right?"
"I see … Ah." Laing groaned and stopped talking.
"Alissanda went back to Nur. I brought Azarion's nephew and niece to the old world, along with the remaining 1000 soldiers of Iris." The Lady of the Lake let out a long sigh. "They are too young, too naive and too weak. Participating in the elven civil war is suicide. Didn't Bryon suffer a great loss in the attack of Skaven? Give them a coastal barony and settle them down first. "
"Azarion is a great hero. Give me some face, my dear." Seeing that Laing could not speak, Lilith continued. "His sacrifice encouraged me. His nephew and niece are the last bloodline of Prince Iris."
"Ha … You Assur are so pretentious … Last bloodline … Hmph." Olica complained. "Useless things … There is no need to keep them."
The conversation in the room disappeared.
After more than two hours, Clayon's voice sounded again. Gray Knight's original body was panting as he complained, "You … two goddesses … this is … immoral."
"I'm not done yet, Master. I've consumed a lot of energy on this trip to Osuran. Master, you can't rest until I've replenished my energy!" Olica said.
"Laing, your beard has grown again. It's uncomfortable. Come, I'll shave it for you today." The Lady of the Lake's lazy voice sounded.
"I can't. My waist really can't take it anymore. You can do it yourselves. I need to rest for a while." Laing did not answer the question.
"Then, I'm going to start!" Olica was excited.
The peak of the Gray Mountain was covered in layers of snow. The lonely peaks and migratory birds flew over.
Today was also a peaceful day in Montfort.
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