When Laing led his army to bid farewell to François and returned to Glamorgan, it was already winter.
It began to snow again. Laing suddenly realized that he was almost 32 years old. He laughed at himself. Time really flew. When he set off from Nord, he was only 24 years old and a knight. Now, he was 32 years old and a count.
After returning to his territory, he disbanded the army, distributed the salaries and pensions, and returned home to celebrate the Winter Veil. Laing's army had a casualty rate of about 25%, which was barely acceptable. He just needed some time to replenish his troops and rest.
On a winter day, Ryan invited Belle Jia to the winery. The two of them sat in the dining room and chatted. Belle Jia held a glass of beer and a plate of roasted lamb leg on the table as he started to eat.
"Oh, it's snowing. I like snowy weather. This way, I can hide in my house and drink warm beer." Belega stroked his white beard: "Brother Ryan, your territory is good in every way, but there is one thing that is not good enough."
"What's not good enough?" Laing thought. When did you stop drinking beer?
The dwarves had always drunk beer like water, which was similar to the freemen in the city. The new freemen were no longer satisfied with drinking inferior Brittany ale and eating black bread like serfs. Their daily diet was beer (produced in the Empire), whole-wheat bread, vegetables, and fruits.
After some people were promoted to free people, their desire and ambition for further promotion would also increase. Now that the Green Arrow Bertrand had been made a Lord, these free people would be fanatical for a long time. Ryan also had to think about how to properly guide this fanaticism.
"It would be great if your territory had mountains, brother Laing. You know, many of the dwarves are still not used to living under the sky. The sky is too high and too far, and we are worried about falling in," Bellegar said. "You should be thankful that the Angrends are used to wandering outside, so we are used to living on the plains. Many of the long-bearded dwarves in Karak Ironpeak Castle and Kraz A-Karak are still not used to leaving the mountains."
"I see," Laing nodded and said with a smile, "I heard the dwarves in the Grey Mountains are better."
"Indeed. The dwarves in Lorek Granite Hand and Breezy Castle have been in contact with humans for a long time and are used to going out to trade all day. Generally speaking, there are many different tribes among the dwarves. For example, the engineers in Riptide Castle are the most radical of all dwarven engineers. Ironpeak Castle and Bugle Castle are still not willing to popularize firearms," Bellegar continued. "And the stubborn Supreme King Solgrin the Grudge.
"However, as I recall, that stubborn old fart did his best to help you during your second attack on Eight Peaks Mountain," Ryan said with a smile.
"… I admit that I was wrong in that matter." Bellegar's face suddenly turned red. He said shyly, "At that time, I asked Solgrin for help, hoping that he would help me reclaim Eightpeak Mountain. Solgrin agreed at first, and he sent 10,000 dwarven soldiers to help me."
"10,000 …" Laing swallowed hard.
Don't underestimate the 10,000 Dwarves. For the Dwarves, 10,000 Dwarves were a true army.
When he was reporting to White Wolf City as a White Wolf Knight, he had heard from the Dwarves that the current population of the Dwarven Clan was less than six hundred thousand. Among them, the capital of the Dwarven Clan, Kraz A-Karak, had about one hundred and twenty thousand people when the Supreme King Solgreen succeeded to the throne.
After the end of the great Holy War, the Supreme King of the dwarves abdicated, and the new Supreme King Solgrin took the throne. He strongly encouraged reproduction and established a very good relationship with humans. The trade in Eternity Peak was prosperous, and the dwarves rested.
160 years had passed. Humans could increase their population by six or seven times in such a long time. What about the dwarves?
There were about 160,000 dwarves in Eternity Peak right now.
"Yes, 10,000 people. We formed an alliance and attacked Eightpeak Mountain for the second time. Originally, Solgrin said that he would lure the enemy while I attacked the main castle of Eightpeak Mountain. In fact, I did that. But the problem was … Solgrin encountered Skarnik's main army, and I faced some of Skarnik's subordinate tribes." Bellegar's face turned red when he talked about this. "I received Solgreen's signal for help very soon, but I thought I could take down the main castle …"
Hey, hey, hey! In other words, you borrowed a large amount of reinforcements from the Supreme King, and the Supreme King personally acted as bait for you. In the end, when Belegar saw that there was a chance to attack the main castle, he actually betrayed the Supreme King and his army?
Laing's face twitched.
"After a day and night of hard fighting, I finally took the main castle of Eightpeak Mountain and destroyed the Green Dwarves' attacks and statues. But Solgrin couldn't hold on and was forced to retreat. I immediately realized that my army and I didn't have the ability to stop Skarnik's reinforcements, so I could only order a hasty burial of the corpses of my clansmen and warriors and retreat before the army was completely wiped out." Bellegar's face was full of shame. "This was the closest I was to taking back Eightpeak Mountain. After retreating, the furious Solgrin cut off the food supply to my clan and scolded me for being a traitor. He said that he wouldn't support me anymore. I messed up."
"Then I hope you won't sell me out when the time comes." Laing joked and raised his glass.
"I definitely won't. I swear in the name of Eightpeak Mountain!" After hearing Laing's words, Bellegar anxiously said, "Brother Laing, you can't break your oath!"
"I won't break my oath, and I also hope that my dwarf friend won't break the oath of the alliance." Laing reached out his fist. "We need to respect each other."
"Hey, I like it when you're like this." Bellegar struggled to reach out his fist and hit Laing's fist. The King of Eightpeak Mountain drank his beer in one gulp and then arrogantly reached out his hand to the waiter on the side.
The little maid standing behind Bellegar, Emilia, immediately stepped forward to help Bellegar fill up his beer. It was winter now, and the little maid had changed into a thick maid dress with a fox fur jacket on the outside. The beautiful and charming Emilia smiled sweetly, and Bellegar also said a rare thank you.
Not far away, Bellegar's queen, Kmanic, was eating with her son under the hospitality of Suria. After their living conditions improved, Bellegar's people were no longer hungry. Suria even commissioned rune blacksmith Deron Fiennes to make a set of gold jewelry for Kmanic. The proud Bellegar didn't say anything, but he was very grateful in his heart.
Brother Laing and his wife, Madam Suria, are both my friends.
"Brother Laing, we still rely on you for our food supply, but this is not a long-term solution." Bellegar mentioned something he was concerned about. "Blackstone Stronghold still needs enough and stable food supply. We can't completely rely on trade, right?"
"This is indeed a problem, but … … I already have a solution." Laing took out a map and said in standard dwarven language, "Come, King Bellegar, look here."
A scroll of map was spread out on the table. Laing pointed at the vicinity of Blackstone Stronghold and said, "In fact, near Blackstone Stronghold, at the foot of the Gray Mountains, there is a fertile land near the Grismori River. Unfortunately, it is too close to Blackstone Stronghold. Due to safety concerns, no one dares to settle there, so it is all wasteland."
"Since we have already recovered Blackstone Stronghold, then we only need a few outposts, and we can put this land under the protection of the dwarves. But … … Brother Laing, the dwarves are not a race that is good at farming." Bellegar was tempted at first, but then he expressed his difficulties. "We don't have enough manpower. Rebuilding a dwarven fortress will require a lot of manpower."
"I know, but this problem is easy to solve. This land belongs to the Duchy of Gisoleiox, but Duke Hagan is in a terrible state right now. Kemmler and his Ancient Grave Army have almost turned the southern part of the duchy into ruins. We only need to propose to build a trading post, one that will sell goods and connect the north and south. The north will be connected to the Pale Sisters Mountain Range, and the south will be connected to Montfort. The dwarves are willing to cooperate with the humans to build a trading post and gradually develop it into a trading town. Duke Hagan will not find a reason to refuse." Laing showed a sly smile. "And this wasteland is right under Blackstone Stronghold. If we build the mountain path, we can reach Blackstone Stronghold in less than a day."
"Farming nearby, transportation is convenient … … Very good, but your smile makes me feel uncomfortable. Oh Granny, humans are always so annoying. They are as cunning as pointy ears." Bellegar had to admit that Laing was right. The King of Eight Peak Mountain stroked his beard and thought for a while. He then asked, "But what about manpower? The Brittany has been through a few years of war, so your population has decreased, right? Where do we get so many people to farm? "
"We have people." Laing smiled slyly. He pointed at the mountainside and the foot of the mountain near Blackstone Stronghold. "There are many rebellious serfs there! They are all fresh laborers. These places are dangerous, so it is difficult for the knights to attack. Duke Hagan needs the dwarves' help, King Bellegar. "
"Very good!"
… …
After receiving Laing and Bellegar's invitation and suggestion, Duke Hagan of Gisoleiox chose to travel to Count Glamorgan's territory even though it was close to the Winter Veil Festival.
Tens of thousands of people in Gisoleiox died under Kemmler's attack, and dozens of villages were destroyed. The entire duchy was in a mess. Kemmler attacked Gisoleiox and left the ruins and the refugees in the wasteland to Duke Hagan. Although Kemmler was defeated in the end, the scars he left behind would not disappear in a short period of time.
Due to the lack of food, the serfs' rebellions began to show. When Duke Hagan returned to his territory, he found that things were out of control. Food was stolen, bandits were running rampant, and starving refugees were everywhere. The town was like a meat barrel filled with dying refugees. The serfs' rebellions made Duke Hagan very anxious, but he was not a very capable ruler.
He was a Knight of the Holy Grail. He lived in the capital, Culona, all year round and rarely returned to his duchy. The whole duchy was ruled by Count Jean Harlan. Duke Harlan himself was more obsessed with showing his personal virtues and praying to the Lake Fairy in the church. He rarely took care of the affairs of the duchy.
However, he could not ignore it now. The southern part of the duchy needed to be rebuilt, the refugees needed to be settled, and the rebellions needed to be quelled. Duke Hagan, who was not good at internal affairs, was in a mess. He had a headache about how to deal with the rebellious serfs.
Quell? Those serfs were his property! Moreover, the serfs hid in the mountains. The cost of quelling the bandits was very high, and the knights were not good at fighting in the mountains.
Quell? Where would the food come from? How would they settle it? If he did not quell them, wouldn't he be encouraging the serfs to rebel?
After receiving the letter from Laing, Duke Hagan decided to go to Laing with Count Jean Harlan. The dwarves were planning to build a trading post in Gisole Oakes. It was a new source of growth for trade! No matter how slow Duke Hagan was, he knew that this was an opportunity for the duchy to develop and restore production.
Outside the castle, in the wind and snow, Laing and his wife went to the winery to greet Duke Hagan and his followers. Count Glamorgan put his arm around his wife's waist and kissed Suria's soft and smooth face. "My wife, I always thought that Duke Hagan was not a Grail Knight …"
"Laing, Duke Hagan doesn't leave Colona often, so he doesn't have much of a presence." Suria pushed Laing's hand away. The female knight was not used to being so intimate in public. Laing wanted to see her shy expression. "Duke Hagan is upright and powerful. He just doesn't like to manage the affairs of the duchy. Except for important events, he basically lives in Colona and prays and meditates in the Grail Cathedral."
He was wearing a dark red velvet coat and a hat with four mink stripes. There was a golden ring on his crown with eight red gold leaves. Duke Hagan of Gisole Oakes hurried to Laing's castle with 20 followers. Laing immediately stood up and greeted the duke respectfully. "Duke Hagan, welcome to Glamorgan."
"Greetings, Count Leon, Madam Sulia. On behalf of the Duchy of Gisoleiox, I would like to thank you for your help in the Battle of Blackstone Stronghold and the Battle of La Mesenelle Abbey. Without your and Francois' efforts, Kemmler and his Ancient Tomb Army would have brought a great disaster to this country," Hagan replied politely.
Duke Gisole Oakes looked like he was in his thirties. He had a mustache, a plain face, and a strong body. He was from the same generation as François. The youngest duke in Brittany was Duke Casfern of Pallavon, who was in his forties.
After some simple greetings, Laing had already prepared a banquet in the winery. However, it was clear that Duke Hagan was not in the mood to eat or drink. After filling his stomach a little, Hagan asked impatiently, "The dwarves plan to build a trading post in my duchy? And help me suppress the rebellion? "
"Yes, Duke Hagan. As you know, Blackstone Stronghold is not far from Gisole Oakes. King Belegar needs enough food …"
"Where is King Belegar? I want to meet him! "
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