It was impossible to arrange for them to stay at the Fairy Tower in the Lake for a week. There were a lot of things waiting for Laing to solve. In the past, when Laing went out to war, Suria would help him deal with the internal affairs at home, and Morgiana would be in charge of keeping watch. However, this time, Laing took Suria with him, leaving only Morgiana alone.
In addition, Laing left behind a group of three retainers for Morgiana. The original Butler of Mu Xilong, Katzenberg, Goffin from the Empire, and Steve, a noble from Mu Xilong, would assist Morgiana in dealing with the internal affairs. However, the three of them could only provide suggestions as the final decision was still up to Morgiana. The special identity of the Lake Goddess and the Fairy in the Lake meant that she could not interfere with Laing's internal affairs. As a result, in the past year, Morgiana had been troubled by this.
After Laing returned, many things had piled up for him to deal with. He simply gathered all his subordinates for a meeting and explained the next step of the plan.
First, there was the possible conflict between the Empire and the Brittany. Laing had immigrated about 300,000 people from the Empire's capital, Brunswick, and 120,000 of them were young and strong. The number of these people had exceeded the number of the natives of Mu Xilong. If it was not handled well, there was a high possibility of conflict.
Laing's solution was to encourage intermarriage and strengthen the propaganda. These immigrants from the Empire from Brunswick had brought with them advanced craftsmanship, various technologies, and many rare items that the natives of Mu Xilong had never seen before. They would help the natives of Mu Xilong get out of their current predicament.
The natives of Mu Xilong also had to take the responsibility of integrating the immigrants from the Empire into the local area. They had to get used to the fertile swamps and the environment of Mu Xilong where monsters would appear from time to time. They had to teach the people of the Empire how to deal with these monsters, how to build strong villages and barriers, what were the habits of the swamp monsters, and what were the taboos of Mu Xilong that should not be touched.
In this way, both sides could understand each other.
The difference in race and religion between the Empire and the Brittany was not so big that it was unacceptable. Everyone believed in the gods of the old world. The ancient church of Freya, where Alfred Freud belonged, accepted immigrants from the Empire. The two castles that replaced Nur were named "Charlemagne Castle" and "Nur Castle" respectively. Two companies of troops from the Empire had already moved in.
After settling the immigration issue, the second issue to be discussed was the issue of awarding the old guards. In the battle of Nur, many of the old guards had made great contributions. Laing said that it was time to promote some of these old guards and confer them the title of Knight. The old guards who received the title of Knight would be equivalent to a Ranger Knight. From then on, they would be true nobles.
No one objected to Laing's decision. In other words, his subordinates, including Count Durin and Count Larotte, who were originally from the south of Lyonnesse and were now in Mu Xilong, all agreed.
As for whether they could continue to be promoted after receiving the title of Knight, Leon did not say, and no one asked, because there was no need for it. In the eyes of the knights and nobles, it was already an extraordinary promotion for the old guards to be able to receive the title of Knight as a serf. As for the title of Knight, these serf soldiers probably did not even dare to think about it.
Leon also felt that the title of a knight was enough to satisfy this generation of old guards to the point that they would die for it. If they really made great contributions, they could even become a knight or a baron of the kingdom.
The champion of the Lady of the Lake silently set the title of Baron as the highest rank for the old guards. Baron was the highest rank for knights and the lowest rank for great nobles. This would be beneficial for Laing to control the Old Guard as his own troops.
The first batch of old guards to be conferred the title of Knight was set to be 30, and the time was set for this year's Winter Veil celebration. Laing, his wife Suria, and the Lake Goddess Witch Morgiana would personally confer the title of Knight to the 30 old guards.
After the two matters were settled, Laing first asked the new Baron Merovin, the flag bearer Holy Grail Knight Armand, "How's the security in Mu Xilong now?"
"We spent a year reorganizing the whole city, but the situation is not ideal. The whole city will need at least another six months to completely clean up the corruption left by the vampires," Armand said. "Especially the slums. There are many deep secret passages, some of which are even lower than the sea level. Only the Lady of the Lake knows what happened to Mu Xilong after it fell into the hands of the vampires."
"Very good. It seems that we can't move from Jean to Mu Xilong for the time being." Laing nodded. He then asked, "Juan, is there any change in the direction of the Orphan Hill?"
Juan Carlos, the Sun-Watcher, who was wearing the Scorching Sun Knight uniform, shook his head with a bitter smile. "If it weren't for the wood elves occupying that place, perhaps we would have been annoyed to death by the Skaven Ratmen hiding underground. For this reason, I have dealt with the wood elves many times. Sir Aralos the Brave has agreed to help us clean up the threat of the Ratmen, on the condition that their current observation station area is doubled!"
"Then give it to him!" Laing immediately made a decision. "Our goal now is to do our best to create an environment where we can peacefully develop and recuperate. Since the wood elves can help us, as long as it's not too much, we can agree to anything. Let us resume production first!"
"Yes!" Juan received Ryan's promise and responded loudly, indicating that he understood.
"As for the investment of the industrial belt along the Grismori River, Katzenberg, I'll leave this matter to you. Don't worry too much about the immediate benefits. The merchants of Nur know what to do." Laing continued, "At least let them stay first. Everything can be discussed. Our efforts in Nur won't be in vain. Their demands won't be too much."
"Understood." Katzenberg still maintained his usual appearance. He was bald, wore a monocle, and did not have a beard. He was in his thirties this year and looked a lot more mature. Everyone knew that the agreement with François back then was meaningless.
"Then … where is the construction of the canal now?" Laing asked Count Dulin. As a former noble of Lyonnesse, he knew the best.
A canal that connected the north and the south would connect the Sannes River in the north, the Grismori River that originated from Pallavon to the sea in Musillon, the Chalon River in the south, and finally the Bereon River that originated from the Azoloren Forest. This would complete the connection between the north and the south.
"The canal in the north started from the Sannes River in Curona. Currently, it is close to the Grismori River. It should be navigable by the end of the year," Count Dulin replied. Count Dulin replied, "For the time being, we still have enough people to dig the canal. However, that's because Lyonnesse is suffering from a famine. The serfs are willing to dig for food, but once we reach the Grismori River, it will be a problem for us to maintain this speed. After all, most of the serfs don't want to leave their duchies. They are the property of their lords."
Leon frowned when he heard that. The serfs in Bordero were not like those in Lyonnesse. The serfs in Bordero were richer and more knowledgeable. Richer meant higher labor costs, and more knowledgeable meant that it was harder to recruit workers.
They could only take one step at a time. They would wait until the canal from the Sannes River to the Grismori River was navigable.
After the meeting, everyone went to carry out their tasks. Laing wanted to see how Veronica and Teresa were doing, but he soon learned from the servants that Veronica was in seclusion trying to break through to the holy realm. Her wizard tower had been closed, and there were flames and lights coming out from the top of the tower.
Teresa had to go back to the Garland Council for a meeting. It would take a few weeks for her to return. She left a message for Laing, saying that she would return to Laing's territory before the Winter Veil Festival.
After thinking for a while, Laing decided to go to the Lake Nymph's tower and explain his plan to Morgiana and the Lake Nymph herself.
If Laing wanted the serf redemption system to be implemented smoothly, he needed the support of the Goddess. Otherwise, everything would be just empty talk.
… I am the dividing line to enter the tower …
Morgiana was the happiest thing for Laing to enter the Lake Nymph's tower. Morgiana's previous dissatisfaction disappeared when she saw that Laing had dealt with everything and immediately came to the tower. The Lake Nymph Witch personally cooked a large table of dishes for Laing, including a dish she had recently developed.
This dish was called 'Haggis', a dish passed down from Obion Island. It looked like a giant sausage. The heart, liver, lungs and other innards of the sheep were all minced and mixed together, then stuffed into the sheep's stomach. The stomach was then sewn together with various vegetables and cooked together to make a hodgepodge.
Laing looked at the Haggis the size of a watermelon. Its shape was like a giant egg that bred demons. When he cut it open, all kinds of unknown particles were densely packed. Black ash and yellow feces mixed together. He held the knife and fork in his hand for a long time but did not know how to eat. "This …"
"Don't know how to eat it?" Morgiana came from afar with a whiff of fragrance. She was wearing a snow-patterned retro rose evening dress with a unicorn fur vest. Under the dress, white unicorn fur pantyhose covered her beautiful legs. The Lake Nymph Tower was a private area. The Lake Nymph Witch only wore a pair of ordinary open-toed high heels. Through the translucent white pantyhose, Morgiana's tender white skin and round toes with pink nail polish could be seen.
"I really don't know where to start." Laing sat at the table, knife and fork in his hand.
"Haha." Morgiana sat gently on Laing's lap and reached out to take the knife and fork from his hand. She reached out and cut open the sheep's stomach, revealing the hodgepodge ingredients inside. Then she gently forked a piece. "Ah …"
"Ah … Mmm …" Laing reluctantly opened his mouth and ate it.
"Hmm?" The taste was quite surprising. Although the color was yellow and black, the texture was excellent. It was soft and had a special aroma. Laing tasted it and nodded. "Delicious, Morgiana. It's delicious!"
"As long as you like it." Morgiana saw that Laing liked it, and her face lit up. She took out a bottle of Colona whiskey and poured a full glass for Laing. She said softly, "The mutton smells fishy. This dish needs to be accompanied by whiskey."
"It's delicious, Morgiana. I'll have to trouble you for this." Laing ate the delicious food (although it didn't look good). He adjusted his sitting position so that Morgiana could sit more comfortably. "How did you learn to make this dish?"
"In the north of Colona and Lyonasser, there are some red-haired Obians. They have migrated several times in their long history. At that time, the Knight King saw that these red-haired Obians weren't corrupted by Chaos and were brave and good at fighting, so he chose to accept them. Haggis is a specialty of these Obians. I think you might like it." Morgiana continued, "Do you know the subordinate of Duke Laun of Connet, the Knight of the Holy Grail de Riognes? He is a descendant of the Obians. "
"I see." Leon thought to himself that the Kingdom of Brittania wasn't entirely made up of Bretons. In the north of the kingdom, there were people of mixed blood with the Obean people. In the east, there were people of the Empire who intermarried with the people of the Empire. In the south, there were people of the Carcassonne Duchy and Bereon Duchy who intermarried with the Estalians and Tyrians.
The dinner lasted for a long time. When it was over, Laing and Morgiana cleaned up the tableware and went back to the bedroom. The fireplace in the bedroom was burning brightly. The two sat on the sofa in the bedroom. The Lake Goddess was so tired that she didn't even want to move a finger. She whispered, "You must have something to tell me this time, right? Is it the serf household registration redemption system that you mentioned to me in your letter before? "
"That's right." Holding Morgianna's hand, Ryan said softly, "This step has to be taken. Otherwise, what I've done will only temporarily ease the conflict between the serfs and the nobles. Without any fundamental changes, it won't take long for the results of my reform to be swallowed by the great nobles, and the treatment of the serfs will not be fundamentally changed."
"I know that." Morgiana was a little confused. "But didn't you solve this problem with the Old Guard system?"
"The Old Guard is a way, but we can't expect all the serfs to be as brave as the Old Guard." Laing shook his head and explained, "People have a division of labor. For those serfs who aren't good at fighting, we also have to give them a chance to leave the serf register."
"What are you going to do?" Morgiana thought carefully and felt that Laing's words made sense, but she couldn't understand Laing's meaning for a while. "Let the serfs pay a large sum of money, and they can leave the serf register, get personal freedom, and buy a piece of land from the lord to farm by themselves? Just like the free people now, they are under the management of the lord? "
"No, if we change it like this, it will only make the serfs into tenant farmers. It won't fundamentally change the relationship between the serfs and the lord." Laing shook his head fiercely and said his plan.
The core of Ryan's plan to redeem the serf household registration system was the redemption, rather than the serfs being enslaved by the lord to become tenant farmers dependent on the lord after spending a large sum of money.
The core of Laing's plan was about the following three points.
First, as long as a serf participated in the conscription of a knight and participated in the war, he could have the qualification to redeem himself and his family.
Second, after meeting the conditions, the serf could ask the Church of the Lake for a ransom. By paying a large sum of money, the Church of the Lake would notarize and take a small amount of the notarization fee. The ransom would be handed over to the lord, and both sides couldn't go back on their words.
Third, after the redemption was successful, the serf would leave the register and become a "free person". He would have no relationship with the territory. He would no longer need to bear any obligations, taxes, and corvee to the lord. He could go wherever he wanted, farm if he wanted, work if he wanted, and become a soldier if he wanted. He would enjoy personal freedom and property freedom, and would no longer be controlled by others. He would enjoy all the rights and interests of a Brittany citizen. If the lord wanted to hire these people, he would have to fork out real money.
After Laing finished speaking, Morgiana fell into deep thought. Laing's idea had a great impact on her, and she didn't know how to answer for a while.
At this time, the voice of the Lake Fairy came from the door. The goddess today wore a white cinnamon gardenia skirt with black velvet pantyhose and white strappy high heels. She held a golden holy grail in her hand and walked in from the door. She said to Laing with a smile, "My champion, I have listened to your proposal. Here, I have a question to ask you."
"How much do you intend to set the ransom? Also, how do you intend to persuade the nobles of the kingdom to agree to this proposal? "
"I intend to …"
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