The Battle of Eight Peaks Mountain yielded a total of a million gold coins, five thousand sets of exquisite dwarven plate armour (which could be used by humans after some slight modifications), twenty chests of rare treasures, ancient tomes, and a large number of precious cultural relics. There were even records of humans before 2500 years of the Empire's calendar, ten tonnes of vibranium, several tonnes of mithril, and several tonnes of meteoric iron!
Everyone was drooling over this wealth, and Laing didn't disappoint them. After a short welcome and banquet, Laing immediately ordered all the dukes to gather in the meeting hall of Bordero Castle to begin splitting the wealth.
A million dwarven gold coins could be converted to about 2.57 million crowns in human gold coins. Leon divided them accordingly.
The 488,735 crowns were to be used to pay off Eight Peaks' debt. Eight Peaks' debt had already been sold for five installments. The first one had already been paid off, but Leon would have to fork out a portion of the money for the next few installments. Those were all military expenses and had long been used up on the road.
There was also a small portion to be used for post-war rewards and pensions. The Battle of Eight Peaks Mountain had resulted in heavy losses. Excluding Belegar's army and François's reinforcements, there were fifty thousand Brittany knights and mercenaries who participated in the Battle of Eight Peaks Mountain. Only twenty thousand managed to make it back to Brittany alive, and the rewards and pensions for the remaining thirty thousand had to be paid on time.
Then, the Dukes would share the money according to the proportion of their troops. Leon would pay them a total of 520,000 gold coins as war dividends. Among them, Francois' Vanford Duchy had sent the most troops, the most elite, and personally led the troops to participate in the war. Then, the Duchy of Bastogne, who had sent a whole team of Holy Grail Knights, and the Duchy of Bordero, who had sent their own son to participate in the war. The Duchy of Le-Angouland had received the least share because Duke Taubert did not approve of this great expedition. Thus, the troops sent were relatively fewer, and he received the least.
King Leon said that about half of the money would be given out first, and the rest would be saved by the King. The money would be deposited in the Royal Bank of Brittany, which would be established soon. Large deposits carried interest.
The remaining 1.15 million crowns would be directly controlled by Laing. In theory, it was the kingdom's money, but Laing had the right to use it. He also planned to deposit it in the royal bank first before discussing how to spend it.
Of course, the pension would definitely be paid in full, but the king also suggested that they could deposit it appropriately. As for the reward, it would be kept first, and the king said that they could receive it at any time. The army had previously seized Skarnik's treasure trove and Headhunter Quake's collection. Everyone had received a lot of loot, so the last reward wasn't that important.
Everyone agreed on that point. Investing so much money in the market could easily lead to hyperinflation. Proper inflation was good for stimulating consumption and raising the standard of living, but hyperinflation could easily lead to a series of social problems.
Ryan also gave about one-third of the five thousand sets of dwarf exquisite vibrating gold rune plate armor. He promised that he would give them to the dwarf rune master, Deron Fiennes, to be modified and distributed to the dukes according to the proportion of troops sent and the degree of elite.
There were 20 chests of rare treasures, ancient texts, and a large number of precious relics. Laing wanted to keep them for his own research.
Everyone in the meeting room was beaming with joy. The dukes had profited greatly from this war, and the military expenses and pensions had been borne by the kingdom. Thus, every noble present had a satisfied smile on their faces.
But there was no such thing as a free lunch in the world. After Laing shared the rich dividends from the great expedition, the king immediately issued a new reform order.
The king asked for the reform of the court system. The Knight King would take back the power to interpret and adjudicate local laws. The Church of the Lake Nymph would cooperate with the Church of the Impartial Goddess Valentina to send out circuit judges and establish a new court of law. The dukes could now only act as moderators and jurors, and could no longer judge by themselves.
At the same time, the king also asked for the unification of tariffs and the establishment of a new monetary tax system. The local dukes must unify tariffs and abolish all kinds of taxes and levies, and gradually establish a new monetary tax system.
The king also asked for the revocation of noble privileges. Laing ordered that if a knight family didn't provide knights for the kingdom or send enough troops to participate in the defense of the country for more than four generations, unless there was a special reason, their fiefs and noble titles would be confiscated, and they would be demoted to free citizens. They still had a chance to regain their knighthood in one generation, but if they couldn't do it, they would forever be free citizens.
Incompetence, using the country's resources to support a group of useless people, was a sin, and they didn't deserve to be nobles.
The king's announcement shocked all the Brittany nobles in the meeting room. Obviously, Laing was going to further consolidate his power. But now that the king's prestige was at its peak, every word of his was absolute authority. The dukes didn't dare to fall out with him. Many of the dukes knew that they didn't even have the ability to resist.
As long as they dared to oppose the king's decision, they wouldn't even need to wait for Laing to suppress them. Laing's reform had benefited all the nobles and serfs. The knights, nobles, and serfs under their command had already regarded Laing as a great man who had fallen from the sky. Now they wanted to try and oppose him?
Laing didn't even need to say anything, they would be overthrown by their subordinates first.
"I think His Majesty's decision is very good! I believe all of you are aware that the laws of Brittania are often misinterpreted or intentionally altered to serve the interests of certain individuals. This is wrong and does not meet the expectations of the Lady. Coincidentally, I believe all of you have faced many troublesome and pointless trials. Since that is the case, why don't we just hand it over to the King and Lady, as well as the Church of the Lady of Justice? " François was the first to stand up and support his son-in-law. His father-in-law's stance was clear. "I agree, Winford Duchy will support the king's decision."
"And me, Bastogne Duchy will support the king's decision!" Red Dragon Duke Berchemund also stood up. Berchemund was already annoyed by these things, and he wasn't good at participating in trials or disputes. When he heard the news, he was overjoyed. Finally, there was someone to help him deal with these troublesome matters. Plus, he had a good relationship with Laing, so he immediately stood on Laing's side.
"I agree." Duke Bodrick also reacted quickly, but he said to Laing, "Your Majesty, I have a suggestion."
"Speak." Laing nodded slightly. The king's aura was shocking, and with the prestige of this great expedition, he had to take this opportunity to set the rules.
"I think it's not only the Church of Justice and the Church of the Lady, but also the local churches. For example, Montfort's Church of Justice, Carcassonne's Church of the Goddess of War, Bordero's Church of the Sea God, and Gisoleiox's Church of the God of Nature," Bodrick suggested. "As for the others, we are willing to follow His Majesty's will."
"Okay." Laing thought for a moment and felt that it was feasible.
"I agree." The kingdom's regent, Duke Lauan of Connet, also agreed.
Then, Duke Adahad of Lyonnesse and Duke Gisoleiox, Hagan, also agreed. The remaining dukes could only look at the Lake Goddess Witch Morgiana for help, but Morgiana's mind was clearly not on this matter, so she naturally agreed.
Moreover, the dividends brought by the great expedition were too tempting. On the market, a set of dwarven runic vibranium armor was worth about five thousand crowns. How much were five thousand sets worth? If the knights and nobles could get a third of it, how much would they actually get?
They couldn't say anything to oppose.
In the end, the king's decision was passed.
Laing used this method to announce the arrival of his powerful royal authority. In Brittany, in the Knight King's Kingdom, no one had the ability to oppose him.
After the meeting of the dukes, the king, who had just returned from the expedition, was actually a little tired. However, he definitely couldn't go to the guest room and sleep like Veronica did. He still had a lot of things to do.
After Suria made her son happy, she handed him over to Anglo. Anglo brought his nephew out to sea and said that he wanted to show him how his uncle used a harpoon to catch tuna. Little Devenhill clapped his hands happily and said that he wanted to see it. He then followed Anglo to Bordero's large fishing boat and went out to sea.
Laing and Suria were happy to see this. Little Devenhill was the closest to Laing, so both Laing and Suria were happy to see him interact more with the outside world and see what it was like. As for safety, with Anglo around, there was no need to worry.
After rewarding the dukes, Laing also rewarded the nobles under his command.
Although Grand Baron Deven Hex, who had been praised many times before, didn't perform particularly well in this expedition, he relied on his steady tactics and never retreated in the battle of Valaya's Gate. His performance in resisting the ogre army in the battle of Titan's Gate had received enough recognition. Laing officially conferred him the title of Count Deven, and gave him fifteen new villages as fiefs.
Baron Vaz, Lopes, who died in battle, was succeeded by his eldest son, Thierry. Laing greatly compensated him and promised to erect a monument to Lopes' sacrifice.
Baron Richard, Olivier, who died in battle, was succeeded by his and Baroness Jennifer's eldest son, Paul, who was given the same treatment as Lopes.
Baron Juan Gabio Carli was given a new fief, and Laing also gave him the remaining land of Orphan Hill.
The other nobles who participated in the battle were also rewarded. Laing added three more baronial titles and gave the border of Muxilon Duchy to his subordinates, while the core territory was under his control.
As for Baron Lucian of the Steeple Palace, who wanted to give him the title of Three Vile Guards, Laing hadn't thought about it yet. He would discuss it when he returned to his territory.
After a series of simple rewards, the king sat in the VIP suite of Bordero Castle for a short rest. As soon as he came back, he was so busy with a series of things that he felt dizzy. He had been in a meeting for five hours straight since he came ashore.
"Laing, are you tired?" Laing's queen, Suria, sat next to Laing and provided him with a knee pillow. She smiled gently and used her fingers to help her husband relieve his fatigue. The female knight was wearing a Brittany palace crystal white dress with black thread. Under the dress was a pair of beautiful long legs wrapped in black velvet tights with diamond luster. The tights were embroidered with a pattern of golden iris flowers. Her beautiful black feet were covered with a pair of light suede stilettos. Seeing her husband so tired, Suria was very distressed. "How about I help you postpone the next thing? You can rest well? "
"No, I'll be fine after a few minutes of rest." Leon enjoyed the female knight's knee pillow and massage service. Sulia had already taken off the queen's crown. Even she did not like to move around while wearing a heavy crown. Her long, bright golden hair was like a waterfall, exuding a strong fragrance of iris flowers. The female knight's exquisite and noble face, as well as her beautiful ocean-blue eyes, looked at her husband and her pride. She teased, "You really don't need it?"
"Politics is the mother of war. War is the continuation of politics, my lady." Laing nodded. The king narrowed his eyes and said softly, "My lady, it's been more than a year. How are you? Is everything okay in the territory? "
"Uncle Anglo and Her Highness Morgiana are there. What else can happen? The lady also comes to accompany me often. "Suria nodded slightly. Her face was flushed." It's just that sometimes … "
"Sometimes you miss me?" Laing smiled.
"It would be a lie if I said I didn't miss you." Suria gestured for Laing to turn over. At the same time, she pulled up her skirt a little embarrassedly so that her husband could rest on her long black stockings. "In fact, it's only been three months, and I've already regretted it. I should have gone with you."
"No, this is war, my dear. This war is very dangerous. How can I let you go with me? Besides, there needs to be someone at home." Laing quickly shook his head. "This is the greatest support you can give me, Suria."
"But … I always feel that I've been left behind by you." The female knight was a little unwilling to give up. "Don't forget, Laing, before I was your wife and queen, I was a female knight."
"Yes, yes, yes. Don't worry, Suria. I'm back. You'll have plenty of opportunities to be a 'knight'." Laing teased.
"You … you bastard!" Suria immediately understood her husband's meaning. She did not refuse. Instead, she only blushed. "Why? Isn't it enough for you to bring Veronica and Olica with you?"
"Uh … Madam, if you say that, we can't continue this conversation." Laing was a little embarrassed. He sat up and hugged Suria. "When we return to the territory, how about we go to Zeon's noble sanatorium and soak in the hot spring?"
"Then are you planning to bring someone else?" Suria said with a half-smile. "Us? It sounds like it's not just us. "
"Oh …" The king could only laugh in embarrassment. Suria was done here, but there was still Morgiana waiting for him.
The country's affairs were difficult.
After resting for a few minutes, Laing got up again and prepared to deal with the next official business. Suria did not embarrass him any further. The female knight tidied up her skirt and sat beside Laing, indicating that they could continue.
The next to enter was the kingdom's regent, Lauan Leo Cornwall, and the person in charge of MI7, the ice elemental holy witches Aurora and Teresa. Teresa had not seen Laing for a long time. Her eyes lit up when she saw him return. Laing smiled and waved at her, indicating that they should talk about official business first.
"Your Majesty, Lady Emmanuel of the Empire has sent us a diplomatic note. She wishes to come here for a private, long-term visit." Ron held a large stack of documents, and the regent of the kingdom took out a copy and handed it to Ryan. "Given our series of cooperation and good relationship with Nur, we have already verbally agreed to this request."
"No problem. The duke's castle is very big. It doesn't matter if more people live here." Laing nodded. He had not seen Emilia and her two children for a long time. It was a good time to reunite.
"Laing, there is bad news from the Empire!" Aurora was wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses with butterfly patterns. She did not call him Your Majesty, but called Laing by his name. Suria looked up at her, but she did not say anything when she saw Aurora's anxious tone.
"What's wrong?" Laing could tell that it was something important. He immediately signaled Aurora and Teresa to sit down.
"There is internal strife in the Empire. His Holiness Vicmar, the archbishop of the Church of Justice, and the bishop of the White Wolf Church, the bishop of the Wismond region, fought outside Brunswick! Nearly two thousand people were killed or injured! " Aurora immediately took out a document. The holy witches looked anxious. "Now, the White Wolf Kurfürst, Boris, led the army of Mideng Region to Kallon Castle and confronted the army of Brunswick Region across the river!"
"If this continues, a full-scale civil war in the Empire will break out!" Aurora was obviously very anxious about this situation. "Laing, what do you plan to do?"
"What?!"
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