When it came to July, the slow Brittany Holy War finally arrived at Bogenhafen, the main point of the Axe Pass.
After hearing about Callaard's victory, Sun Wang Laing personally rode his horse to inspect the battlefield with his wife, Suria, and son, Devenhill. Wherever they passed, the soldiers present personally described the situation of the battlefield to Laing. Laing stopped around the battlefield and sighed for a long time.
The three armies were easy to obtain, but it was hard to find a general. Laing immediately announced that all the soldiers who had participated in the Battle of Helmgard would be awarded a third-class iris medal. All the soldiers who had followed Callaard's charge and survived would be promoted. The serfs would be promoted to freedmen, the freedmen would be given the title of sergeant, and those with the title of sergeant would be directly selected to join the Young Guards.
As the main commander, Callaard was awarded the honorary title of "Duke of Flanders" and a large fief, which meant that he had begun to be on equal footing with the dukes in political terms, but he did not have a corresponding dukedom.
The entire legion of the Young Guards was temporarily placed under Callaard's command.
Lauren received the glory of the top-class Holy Grail medal and was granted the hereditary fief of Shantiron. Laing ordered him to add the title of Lionheart to his title of Marshal, so that he could call himself Marshal Lionheart in the future.
Sir Armanrick, the Holy Grail from Carcassonne, was conferred the title of Marshal of Brittany on the spot, which added to the number of marshals to six. His main army was replenished by Laing. Because of the large number of white horses in his cavalry and the fact that he had defended the already crumbling city in Helmgard, he was given the name "White Horse Legion" by Laing, and Sir Armanrick was also called "Marshal White Horse".
As for Diego … Diego didn't need a reward, and Laing doubted if he had the qualifications to give Diego more rewards. The Gray Knight's supreme mentor had reached the point where he could not be rewarded. He had already become the supreme mentor. Could it be that Laing had given up his original position to him?
However, Imperial Entertainment already had a set of mature rewards system for such situations. Laing just had to follow suit.
Emperor once said, don't become a slave to honor … Laing thought to himself.
But I did.
Because it was cheap, it would not be excessive for the Emperor to reward an Imperial Guard who had served for countless years with an entire world. However, the Emperor could not do that. Thus, he could only give out a long list of names that could not be finished.
It might seem unfair, but the Imperial Army viewed it as the highest level of honor and reward.
What about Imperial Entertainment? He had done so much for mankind, but had he ever asked for any reward from mankind?
Thinking of this, Laing understood that the original body no longer felt guilty about Diego, because loyalty itself was the best reward. What we did was for the well-being of all mankind, and we didn't need to care about some details and small sacrifices.
Oh no, could it be that I've also started to change into Zhuang Sen?
Thinking of this, Laing couldn't help but laugh. Yes, the Gray Knight was actually a little similar to the Dark Angel.
"Father ~" Devonshire's voice came from the side. His son, who was about to turn twenty, said to Laing, "Mother is calling you."
"What is it, Suria?" Laing looked at Suria, who was not far away.
The Knight King was wearing her typical white square buttoned uniform with a golden braid and a sky-blue pegasus cloak. Her soft, exquisite, and sacred face frowned slightly, and her slender white neck looked even more proud and aloof under the reflection of the white snow of the gray mountain peaks. This was a flower on a high mountain, and it clearly belonged to Laing alone. The collar of the full and firm military uniform was very high, and from this angle, it looked even more spectacular than before. White breeches and boots wrapped around her slim and plump figure, revealing all her moving curves. The charm of a wife was undoubtedly revealed with her master's slight rebuke.
"I've called you a few times. Are you thinking about something?" Suria walked to Laing's side and tidied his hair that was blown by the wind. "I asked you what to do next."
"Next …" The magnificent peak of the gray mountain range was still rising at an unimaginable height in front of them. Its distant peak was blocked by thick clouds, but the most difficult part of the journey was over. The knights began to carefully move down the mountain along the gravel path, and they were doubly cautious to prevent more horse hooves from falling.
The air became turbid and stinky. The expeditionary soldiers could no longer enjoy the pure and sweet fresh air of Brittany. It was replaced by more and more filth.
The decaying and dilapidated town of Helmgard was behind Laing. It was now just a piece of rotten land that was blown up by the Skaven ratmen and covered in thorns.
In front of them was the city of Bogenhafen. There were almost no living people in the city after the Chaos passed through, but the general outline of the city was still there.
This was not the most troublesome thing. The most troublesome thing was that the plague of Nurgle had spread here. The dense forest of poisonous moss, vines, and shrubs started from Bogenhafen and spread to more than ten kilometers away. It was as endless as the ocean.
Below the city of Bogenhafen, the knights were in a heated discussion. They looked at the thick tangle of thorns on the city wall. Other than that, there were vines and dense weeds everywhere. Everything seemed to have a will of its own as it moved slowly around. Trees gathered on the crowded roads as if they had grown out of the rocks that had just been given life. Their roots were frozen on the broken bricks of the city wall, and their canopies were thirsting for the gift of air and sunlight.
There was no road. There was only the forest of Nurgle where there should have been a road.
There was no river. The place where the river should have been was all mud, swamp, and countless poisonous vines.
Suria sighed. "Berliat and the others estimated that it would take at least a few weeks for us to clear the road, and if the whole Empire is like this, it may take us a few months to reach Brunswick."
"We can't wait that long." Laing thought for a moment, but immediately denied it. "But we can't rush into the army either. The army is very tired after walking for more than a month in the Hatchet Pass. What we need to do is to rest a little."
"Forest?"
"The forest is not a problem." Laing looked into the distance. "Devon?"
"Hmm? What's wrong, dad? "
"Come with me." Laing gestured to Suria, and the Knight King blushed. It was a gesture that indicated that they were going to spend the night as husband and wife, but she had no reason to refuse. She said, "Take your son for a walk first."
Laing took his son and ran towards Bogenhafen, leaving the beautiful female knight Suria behind. She looked at their backs and shook her head helplessly. Her husband obviously wanted to say something to her son, and she would not participate.
"Bogenhafen is the key point of the Hatchet Pass. It is connected to dozens of water veins in the Empire. It is an important trade town." On the way, Laing smiled at Devonshire. "When this place was at its peak, the amount of gold in the warehouse was much more than that in Brunswick. Several big families controlled the city council of Bogenhafen and enjoyed rich profits. The merchants from the nearby city of Nur also came to the river to collect lead and mercury from other parts of the Empire. The residents of the town went down the mountain to exchange local wool and wine for supplies."
Devonshire did not know why his father was telling him these things. As his son, he could only say casually, "I know. The four big families of Bogenhafen, Stein, Hagen, Timgen, and Rugebrod, controlled the city council. They ensured that the policies and trade taxes were beneficial to the merchant guild and their families. They earned unimaginable wealth."
"Oh, you did your homework well." Laing looked at his son with a slightly surprised expression, but he soon calmed down. "Then what happened next, I don't need to say more, right?"
"The Timgen family declined because of the Tib Treaty of Alliance and Mutual Assistance," Devonshire said with a smile. Devenhill smiled and said, "Due to the trade tariff agreement between the empire and us, the Timgen family's business suddenly declined. They tried many ways to reverse the process until the new patriarch, Johannes, took office. The Timgen family's business suddenly exploded and even merged with three other families on a large scale. This attracted the attention of the empire's officials. Soon, a team of combat priests and demon hunters discovered the secret of Johannes joining the Cult of Chaos. The entire family was wiped out and all their assets confiscated."
"Not bad. Seems like you have studied history and humanities well." Laing nodded slowly. He looked at his son and continued to smile.
"Hey, my memory was praised by grandpa." Devonshire was proud of himself. Laing's son put his hands on his hips to show that he was very strong.
His memory and talent in Psionic Abilities were indeed praiseworthy to the Emperor. Many of the ancient Saint Spells had a successor.
"Then have you ever thought that this might be a conspiracy of the other three families? Is it possible that Johannes himself was actually a business genius, and the other three families were competing with each other, so they forged evidence of Johannes joining the Cult of Chaos and reported it to the Empire, which led to the destruction of the Timgen family? "Laing continued to ask.
"…" Devonshire was stunned by Laing's question. His son opened his mouth and suddenly did not know what to say.
"Don't worry. Think about it slowly." Ryan motioned for his son to think first. He noticed that his son, Cardo Diego, was surrounded by a group of official Garlan witches and apprentices with a troubled expression.
"Handsome, handsome! You're so handsome! "
"You smell so good. Which brand of perfume do you use?"
"Mr. Diego, I heard that you are His Majesty Laing's relative? Can you tell us something about the past? "
"Your muscles are so strong! Can you let me touch them? "
The Gray Knight, who had killed his way through the subspace, was extremely embarrassed by this situation. He could not scold or hit him, so he could only retreat and be surrounded by a group of idiots. The witches had no resistance to the pure light in the subspace of the Gray Knight, especially Diego. Laing could not touch him, which was forbidden by the Chairwoman. The Gray Knight recruits under Laing had little contact with him. Now that Diego appeared in front of them, how could they let him go?
There were already bold fourteen-year-old apprentices who reached out their hands and touched Diego's body.
"There is no such worldly desire, no such worldly desire!" Diego, who would not be embarrassed in the face of ten Tzeentch Demon Legions, was at a loss and could only keep emphasizing.
"Hahaha ~" Laing did not seem to have any intention of helping his son. The Gray Knight laughed for a while and turned his gaze back to his son.
"It doesn't make sense, Dad." After thinking for a while, Devonshire finally had an answer. His son pulled the reins of the warhorse and said, "Actually, if you think about it carefully, you can know that if Johannes is really a business genius, he has no reason to not handle the relationship between the other three families well. Besides, even if he can't handle it well, there are many other ways to solve the problem, such as buying people's hearts, giving small favors to the citizens of Bogenhafen, donating to the Church, and providing financial support to the major guilds."
"If he doesn't understand this, he is not a business genius at all." Devonshire concluded, "So I personally am inclined to believe that he has joined the Cult of Chaos."
"… To be able to judge the truth of the matter by oneself and not be influenced by the instigation of others and subordinates, this is the standard of a qualified monarch." Laing nodded. Seizing this brief opportunity, the Sun King and his crown prince chatted cheerfully. "So you, don't just care about the strength of power. Most of the time, the strength of power does not determine everything. The elves and dwarves are strong individually, but they have a small population. The Empire's army is more numerous than the sand on the beach, but they lack strong fighters. The Knight King's Kingdom does not lack strong fighters, but it lacks strong infantry. The vampires and the Chaos are especially afraid of slaying generals. The vampires have to constantly divert their energy to control the entire army, while the Chaos has to face the eternal challenges from their subordinates and the insatiable demands from the evil gods."
"Then what is the real strength of the Chaos?" Devenhill seized the opportunity to discuss this with his father. In the past month at the Axe Bite Pass, his son and father had discussed a lot, and their relationship had improved. "For example, the strength of countries, and the strength of people?"
"There are a lot of things to discuss about this." Laing pursed his lips and smiled. He pulled the reins of the second generation grape and said, "The most typical thing is, what is the most important thing at the end of the day? There is nothing else. First, it is food, and second, it is an army. That's all. War requires a strong army, and an army needs enough food. If these two cannot be guaranteed, how can we survive? "
"Is this the so-called farming and war system?" Devonshire deduced. "Stockpiling food and training a strong army?"
"Yes, but what happens after stockpiling food and training a strong army?" Laing continued to ask. "The high elves have more food than they can finish. The farmlands near the Tower of Horth are harvested eight to twelve times a year. But there is no rich country and strong army?"
"Because … after a full stomach, people will always want something else, like … warm clothes? Like … entertainment? " Devonshire said thoughtfully. "Mother always told me that having enough food and warm clothes are the most basic needs, followed by safety, and then social interaction, respect, and the realization of self-worth."
"I was the one who taught your mother that." Laing glanced at his son. "After having enough food and warm clothes, people will start to have other needs. Like you said, they will want to have a house to live in, to have pots and pans to use, to have meat to eat, to wear nice clothes, and to leave their village to see the outside world."
"Yes, yes." Devonshire nodded.
"When the family has a certain amount of money and is able to raise a person who is no longer a farmer, they will want to be able to escape their fate of being a farmer for the rest of their lives. They will want to send their children to the church to learn, and they will want to send their children to serve in the army, hoping that they can change the fate of being a farmer. Many of the children of knights and nobles who have a higher starting point will start as apprentice knights or ranger knights. Even if their starting point is much higher, they will still be unable to help themselves from wanting more. They will want to become a kingdom's knight, they will want to become famous heroes, they will want to leave behind their own glorious epics, and they will even want to be bestowed by the Holy Grail and become the Lady's Holy Grail Knight. They will return home with incomparable glory and glory and receive the worship and cheers of everyone."
Speaking of this, Laing smiled. "Son, do you feel that these are all very far away from you?"
Devonshire did not say anything. He was born with everything, and he was not very interested in these things. However, his son had learned to be tactful from Lilith's mother, and smart and calm from Suria's mother. He only said, "Father, you have almost done everything in the past few decades. The hearts of the Brittany are under your control. You opened the way for the knights and serfs to rise, promoted industrialization, went on an expedition to the Eight Peaks Mountain, swept away the Chaos, received the Lady's favor, and fulfilled the expectations of thousands of people. You have achieved self-worth, right?"
"Hey, Devonshire." Leon could not stop himself from laughing. He said seriously, "If that's the case, then let me ask you. If obtaining the Holy Grail means the realization of one's self-worth, then why would those Grail Knights not cherish their own lives?"
Devonshire was stunned. He suddenly blushed.
"You are my son, Devonshire." Laing's face became serious. The Gray Knight was now more like a father than ever. "You are blessed by nature, so you should have high expectations for yourself. I have something to say to you.
"I'm listening, Father," Devonshire said seriously.
"As the descendant of the Lord of Mankind, do you expect the Gray Knight Brotherhood and the Imperial Guard to pledge their loyalty to you?"
"Then you can get the Divine Artifact at will? You will be cared for by the uncles again and again?
"Then you won't feel any pressure at all? You can get the Holy Grail at will? You just have to pretend and the Lady will appear?
"Then you just have to court a girl you like and she will agree?
"No way? It can't be, right? "Ryan looked at his son in amusement." It can't be, right? "
Devonshire's face was red.
Laing ignored Devonshire. He just continued, "If someone said this to a serf, I would slap him. Talk to a serf about struggle? What chance do serfs have? How much effort do they put in just to eat? How much social resources are there for them to distribute? How many serfs join the army every year? How many of them end up in the Old Guard? For serfs, having a house in the castle, being able to marry a wife, being able to get a set of armor, and becoming a free person is their highest pursuit. We shouldn't constantly raise the conditions and difficulties for them and criticize them for not being enterprising. This is human nature. "
"Yes." Devonshire nodded silently.
"But that's a serf, not you." Laing chuckled, but there was no trace of a smile on his face. "You are the next generation, the second generation. You are my son. You have great potential and unique advantages. You should strive because you have what it takes. For you, the last thing you should do is to slack off. I know you don't want to follow the Twilight sisters into the roots of the Oak Tree because you don't want to suffer. You think it's a waste of time underground, right?"
"This is also the human heart." Laing continued, "Everyone has their own goals. Since ancient times, the Knights of the Holy Grail were not even afraid of death. So why would they obey you, fear you, and worship you? Is it because you are Devonshire? No, it's because you are my son, the grandson of the Emperor! You will leave my wings one day. What will you do then? Kill them if you don't obey? Are they not afraid of death? Do you think you can kill them twice? "
Devonshire was stunned.
"If you can't even kill the old king, how can you become the new king?" Laing grinned. "There is a mighty Wall of Kings in front of you. You don't even know how to surpass it, and you admit defeat? Then you should give up early and replace someone else. "
"I didn't!" Devonshire's youngest son shouted angrily. "Just you wait, father. I will surpass you! Just you wait! "
"Then, I look forward to it." Laing laughed loudly. He flicked his whip and signaled Grape II to quickly enter the city.
"Wait, father. I have a question!" Devonshire suddenly felt that he was at a disadvantage. His son gritted his teeth. He wanted to get back at his father.
"Speak." Laing laughed. How could it be so satisfying to scold one's son?
"You make your mother wear stockings for you all day long. Is that also a way to fulfill your self-worth?" Devonshire deliberately shouted. "A father who repeatedly fulfills his self-worth? The great Sun King? "
Devonshire's voice was a little loud. The Old Guard and the group of Garland witches all heard the baron's words. The men all showed a mocking expression, while the witches laughed. Laing's hobby was not a secret in the Brittany court.
Son of a bitch! Laing's body tilted and he gritted his teeth. You did well!
Tomorrow, you will go to the Youth Guards and see how Kalad will deal with you!
Without stopping, Laing personally entered Bogenhafen.
The Five Rats had been waiting in the city for a long time.
They had a huge secret about the town to report to Laing.
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