Calendar of the Empire, Year 2514, 3rd month, Brittany's capital, Kurona.
The Knight King's palace was still as resplendent as ever. Laing hadn't stayed there for long since he ascended the throne, but he spent a sum of money to renovate the palace to ensure it looked dignified.
The Knight King immediately held a meeting the moment he returned to Brittany. The king received the army that returned from Obien's Great Expedition and gave them great encouragement. At the same time, Laing summoned Regent Laun and the other commanders of Obien's Great Expedition.
In the meeting hall, Knight King Laing, Knight King's Queen Suria, Lake Goddess Morgiana, Regent Laun and Duke Adahad of Lyonnesse, Duke Taubert of Le-Angouland, Duke Jisole of Oxhagen and Duke Montfort were present. These five dukes were the main contributors to Obien's Great Expedition and the ones who benefited the most. They were all smiles. The northern nobles were finally able to hold their heads up high after suffering so many setbacks.
According to Laun's report, Obien's Great Expedition had looted close to 300 thousand crowns worth of wealth. The second wave of looting took another 100 thousand crowns before the spring plowing season. The money would be split according to Laing's request in a ratio of 6: 3: 1. Sixty percent would go to the northern nobles themselves, thirty percent would go to the national treasury, and the remaining ten percent would go to the southern nobles who only sent a small portion of the army but provided quite a number of transport ships and supplies (the northern nobles paid on credit).
The nobles in the north believed that they were the ones who provided the troops, gathered the supplies, and fought the war. In the end, they were only given 60%, which was too little.
The southern nobles, led by Francois and Bohemond, also had their own opinions. They felt that they could have participated in the Obien's Great Expedition, but they were sent by the king to build the fortress and didn't get any benefits. In the end, they only got 10%, which was too little.
In the end, Suria secretly told Laing that this was a war waged in the name of chivalry, so why did he only give thirty percent to the national treasury?
Laing was speechless after hearing the demands of the three sides. Everyone wanted to be fair, but the standards of fairness differed from person to person. To put it simply, there was no such thing as absolute fairness, only relative fairness.
Fortunately, Laing's prestige was greater than the heavens. Even though everyone had their own opinions about the ratio, they could barely accept it. Morgiana also nodded her head, so they didn't pursue the matter too much.
Victory could often ease conflicts and cover up many problems.
Sitting on the high throne, Laing listened to the reports of the northern nobles and Laun, nodding slightly. On the other hand, Morgiana, the Lake Goddess, was blushing. Her eyes wandered, and she stole glances at Laing from time to time. No one knew what she was thinking.
"So, you found a large number of Chaos Altars and traces of Chaos Demons in the depths of Obien Island?" After Laing listened to Laun's report, the Knight King shook his head in confusion. "Strange. Logically speaking, the northern barbarians should be at their strongest during the large-scale Chaos Sacrificial Ceremony. How could they be so weak at this time, to the extent that the expedition army attacked their home?"
"Are the barbarians preparing to give up on Obien Island?" Duke Taubert sat below. This war had given him and his Duchy of Le-Angouland a lot of magic ores, gold, and silver veins, as well as many rare ores, filled his warehouse to the brim. He said rather casually, "The Empire and the natives of the truth have been fighting with the barbarians on the island for decades. Perhaps the barbarians are tired of it?"
"How could the barbarians be tired of fighting? They are afraid that there will be no war! "Duke Adahad said unhappily." That's obviously impossible. "
"I think it might be a strategic retreat. The barbarians, Vanaheimlin, who were originally entrenched on Obien Island, saw that they were not as strong as our expedition army, so they chose to retreat and stay in the fortress deep in the fog until we leave." Duke Adahad then proposed an idea. Duke Adahad put his hands together in anticipation and said to Laing and Suria, "Your Majesty, I think we can build a new stronghold on Obien like the Empire."
"A new stronghold?" Laing frowned. Obien was close to Noska. Although the corruption of Chaos was not as strong as Noska and the wastelands in the north, the terrible environment and climate were not suitable for humans to live in. This was completely different from the three guards of the Evil Land. Although the Armory Guards, Iron Guards, and Eight Peak Guards of the three guards of the Evil Land had slightly worse weather, they could still grow crops and graze livestock. They also had the help of the dwarves and had to be changed regularly.
"Yes, a new stronghold. For example, the Obien Guard? We can send out troops, enfeoffment nobles, build a stronghold, and choose an area near Newland to let the soldiers farm and feed themselves. " Duke Montfort was only 30 years old this year and was the youngest among the dukes. He was young and full of vigor, and the victory of the Obien Expedition made him feel a little smug. "Like the three guards of the Evil Land?"
"Pfft …" Laing couldn't help but laugh. Are you Old Zhu? You even have a military household?
Knight King rejected this idea. The military household system looked beautiful. There were professional soldiers, compulsory soldiers, and super low maintenance fees. It seemed like killing three birds with one stone, right?
But in reality, under the military household system, the military strength of the army dropped quickly. Laing had a deep understanding of it.
In his previous life, Lan Yu was able to lead 150,000 soldiers into the Northern Desert when there was no water and food supply. They almost destroyed the Northern Yuan Imperial Court. At that time, the Northern Ming Army was able to fight the Meng Yuan Iron Cavalry head-on and was not weak at all.
However, the military household system was only passed down for one generation. By the time Old Zhu conquered the Mongol Empire, the Northern Yuan Dynasty's cavalry was no longer a match for the Meng Yuan Dynasty's cavalry. Zhu Di had no choice but to use the artillery and cavalry tactics. At the crucial moment, he had to personally lead the Emperor's Guards to charge to boost the army's morale. Only then did he finally win.
After that, it was the Earthwood Fortress.
Ignoring a series of elements, such as the corruption of the nobles and the serfization of the soldiers, Laing was very clear that the military household system was essentially the so-called "production and construction corps". This kind of army could be self-sufficient and maintain law and order. But if they had to fight the barbarians … Laing suspected that this group of people would all be finished in a few years.
Laing briefly explained the reason and then said, "Although this is possible, I don't think it's very likely. Think about it, would the barbarians be afraid of war? Would they know how to retreat strategically? "
Everyone was silent, as if they were unwilling to admit that the victory of this expedition was a fluke.
"Lau, Morgiana, how's your investigation of Noska?" Laing still felt that it was very strange. He could only ask, "What exactly are the barbarians of Noska doing?"
"Ah? Laing? " Morgiana had just recovered from the shock when Laing called her. She replied inexplicably, "How about I make braised veal and crispy onion soup tonight?"
“？？？”
“？？？”
The dukes in the conference hall were all confused. Laing's face was full of black lines, while Suria, who was sitting beside him, couldn't help but cover her mouth and laugh. The female knight took the initiative to speak to Morgiana. "Your Highness Morgiana, we'll talk about dinner later. We're asking about the investigation of Noska."
Morgiana finally recovered from the shock. The Lake Goddess witch couldn't help but blush. She took a few seconds to gather her thoughts and said, "I've sent Clement and the others to investigate the coast of Noska. The barbarians are very, very quiet now. Most of the ports and towns along the coast of Noska are quiet. It seems that they want us to forget about them, but Clement found a large number of Noska barbarian troops gathering at Ice Dragon Fjord."
"Their annual routine of raiding Nord?" Lauren said casually, "I received the same news. A large number of barbarian troops are gathering at Ice Dragon Fjord. Perhaps they're planning a new round of raiding the Empire."
Ice Dragon Fjord was located at the southern coast of Noska, almost directly opposite Hagendorf, Nord's most important port in the north.
If that was the case, everything seemed to make sense. Leon had grown up in Nord as a child, so he naturally knew that the war between the Nords and the Nords was eternal. Neither side had any intention of stopping.
"But it's still not normal." "First of all, it's true that Nord and Norsk have been fighting each other all these years, but it's still strange that they would gather such a large force. We all know that Norsk's barbarians are usually scattered and independent when they raid the south. But this time, they didn't raid during the winter and instead gathered their forces, which is indeed strange. We can't let our guard down. Also, Norsk has attacked our northern coast many times, so we must strengthen our vigilance."
"Yes!" The three dukes, led by Lauren, nodded. Their duchies were separated from Noska and Obien by the sea.
"Second, send more people to investigate." Laing then ordered, "We must find out what the barbarians are planning to do next. Also, Lauren, I asked you to contact the Empire and Obien's native Truth Sayers. Have you contacted them?"
"Uh … I've contacted the Empire's garrison in Newland. They've sent us a guide." Laughan was a little embarrassed. His contact in this regard was limited to asking the Empire's Newland Province to send a guide to lead the way, and then giving them a few gold coins.
To put it bluntly, the northern knights and nobles were no longer willing to involve the Empire in their share of the spoils, especially after discovering that Obien's expedition was successful.
Laing was well aware of the situation. Knight King nodded and said, "Forget it. Obien's expedition is over, so let's not talk about it for now. As for the investigation, try to contact Marlin Castle and Nord of the Empire. They trade with the Nords all year round and have established an intelligence network."
Even though the Nordic barbarians were constantly at war with Nord and Marienburg, with a war of plundering every 2-3 years, their trade never stopped.
"Also, what's the situation at Marlin Castle recently?"
"Recently, Fort Marlin …"
… I'm probing the section break again …
Extreme North, Chaotic Wasteland, Northern Royal Court.
Amidst the howling winds of Chaos and the twisting lands and mountains, the Chosen Champion of Zech, Zaan-Aik, and the Chosen Champion of Zech, Hal, the Eye of Eternity, stood in the royal court. They were discussing with Motekin how to make the Southerners lower their guard.
"Lord Eternal Chosen God, our large-scale mobilization of troops will not be able to hide from the southerners." Zainaik leaned on Zech's Twisted Staff and held the Demon Bird God's Sword of Venomous Tongue. His other two hands were pointing at the map. "If we don't plan it well, we will definitely alert the southerners."
"That's right. No matter how we cover up Operation Barbarossa, the southerners should have already received information about the gathering of large numbers of barbarian troops in Nord and Nord Wasteland." Hal, the Eye of Eternity also looked at the map and reported to Motekin. "If the southerners are alerted, we will not be able to destroy the human resistance before they react."
Motekin did not say anything. The Eternal Chosen God did not seem to have any reaction. His terrifying blue eyes hidden behind the Chaos helmet did not even fall on the map.
Zainaik and Hal looked at each other. They both felt that this Eternal Chosen God seemed to be different from the other Eternal Chosen Gods.
After the other Eternal Chosen Gods received the blessings of the Four Gods, most of them were filled with fanaticism and hatred as they prepared to march south, bringing The Final Moment to the cowardly mortals who refused to accept true civilization and believe in the True Gods.
But Motekin seemed to be different. This Eternal Chosen God only had one target, and that was the Empire's Auster Domain and Von Zhukov Castle (where the Zhukov family's ancestral mausoleum was located), as well as the first-in-line successor of Wolfen Elector, Oleg von Zhukov.
Seeing that the Eternal Chosen God did not speak, Zainaik prayed to the Demon Bird God in his heart. Hundreds of vicious plans flashed through the mind of the Zech Chosen God, and he instinctively tried to choose one to implement.
For the time being, the interests of the Demon Bird God and the Eternal Chosen God were aligned, for the time being.
And Hal did not think so much. The Eternal Eye was an assistant sent by Zech to assist Motekin in the mortal world. He received an oracle to advise Motekin. Seeing that Motekin did not speak, Hal continued, "Eternal Chosen God, we can't hide the fact that we have gathered a large number of troops. And at this time, if we try to hide it, it will be a cowardly and abnormal behavior, and it will most likely alert the Southerners."
"Yes, that's right. If the Southerners get nervous, it will be detrimental to my revenge." Motekin finally spoke. "What's the plan? For example, we send people to negotiate with the Southerners? "
"If the negotiation doesn't work, it will appear abnormal and cause the Southerners to have other thoughts." Zainaik shook his head. The Zech Chosen God knew the human world too well. "We are the higher humans who have truly received the blessings of civilization. How can we negotiate with the lowly people of the South? How many treaties have been signed with the Southerners in the history of Northka, but how many of them have actually followed them? "
"If we do too many actions, and they are obviously abnormal, the Southerners will definitely think the opposite. But if we do nothing, it will also make the Southerners wary." Hal agreed with Zainaik's idea. Zech Chosen God quickly came up with a plan. "If that's the case, why don't we just let the Southerners know that we have gathered our forces?"
"Let the ignorant Southerners know?" Motekin said in a low voice.
"Yes, let the ignorant Southerners know, let them be nervous, let them be afraid, and then when they are nervously preparing for battle, we will let them understand that our target is not them." Hal, the Eternal Eye said with a sinister smile. "At this time, the ignorant and lowly intelligence of the Southerners will subconsciously relax. At this time, our chance will come. Eternal Chosen God, why don't we act now and start plundering the Dark Elves of Nagaros? This way, the entire old world will think that our real opponents are the Dark Elves, and they will subconsciously lower their guard."
"Yes, this way, the Southerners will go from being on high alert at the beginning to being relieved at the end." Motekin agreed. The Eternal Chosen God nodded. "At this time, we will lead the army to the South."
"Oh, what a beautiful plan. I can't help but get excited." At this time, outside the Northern Royal Court, an entire army of perverted Chosen Warriors wearing gorgeous and reflective purple full-body armor blessed by Chaos appeared in dozens of rows in Motekin's court. The leader of the Chosen Warriors was wearing full-body armor made of perverted adamantine. He was tall and slender, with a silver sword hanging from his waist. When he walked, he would sway his butt back and forth, maintaining his perfect posture. His gorgeous golden hair danced in the air. "Other than that, I have another plan. Oh, Eternal Chosen God, are you interested in hearing it?"
"Go ahead …"
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