The King

  The City Lord's Mansion sent away Governor Pierce, and Baron Sith finally took back his own territory.

  Just remembering the hard-earned money he had sacrificed his life for, and being fined and confiscated after being charged with a bunch of crimes, his heart collapsed.

One after another, they were fined 10,532 gold coins. Baron Sith was honored to occupy the top spot on the list of fines, which was more than the next two, three, four and five combined. ".

   There are numbers from zero to whole, as if they are telling the professionalism of the governor's fines. It just fell into the eyes of Sith, that was naked ridicule.

   There is no way, the children of the northern nobles who went south are the largest group of unstable elements in the southeastern province. Since Earl Pierce wanted to obtain a stable southeast province, he naturally wanted to take the leader of this group of unstable elements.

   Judging from the current effect, this trick was very successful. Baron Sith accepted the fine obediently, and none of the noble children of the Northland dared to make a fuss.

   Hard-earned money cannot be lost in vain. As a northern nobleman, Baron Sith's creed is - if there is a loss, he must find a way to make up for it.

   "How is the investigation?"

  Sith asked indifferently.

   There is no warmth in the speech, as if it is an emotionless machine. Only the look of expectation in his eyes betrayed the desire deep in his heart.

  "The four small branches of the Koslow family gathered together, accompanied by twelve noble families along the way, and the total number of guards totaled more than a thousand.

  However, these people should not all be escorted along the way. After entering the Maple Leaf Territory, only the Koslow family and the three knights attached to the mountain baron remained.

   If you want to make a move, the best place to make a move is at the maple leaf collar. At that time, their guard strength will be weakened to the minimum, and there should be no more than 300 people.

  Considering that the enemy has a large number of knights, and that the mountain baron is best at long-range attacks, can restrain heavy cavalry, and there is an earth bear of unknown strength, we have to dispatch at least 600 elites to be sure.

   If you don't want to lose too much, it's better to join forces with several companies, such as Baron Kettley. "

  Hearing this analysis, Baron Sith almost spat out a mouthful of blood. If this plan is carried out, it is estimated that the rest of my life will have to be accounted for.

  Who doesn't know that he and Lord Kettley are at odds? When they were in the Northland, the two had conflicts. Now that they are competitors, it is even more difficult to join forces.

  Especially the location of the attack, which is also chosen in the opponent's territory. After the incident, Baron Kettley was the first object of investigation when the kingdom was looking for the murderer.

   Baron Kettley will only agree if his brain is flooded. If they had joined forces in the past, they might have joined forces and backhanded him.

  Send troops to plunder the wealth of nobles, and they deserve to be killed. The laws of the kingdom strictly protect the personal safety of the nobles, which only protect the nobles in a legal state. If you run to kill yourself, your personal safety is not protected.

   "Idiot, it's almost common knowledge that Kettley, that bastard, colluded with the Mountain Baron. You still want us to join him, isn't that too long-term?

   And what do you judge, to take down a few local nobles, it is necessary to dispatch 600 elites?

   If so many people were mobilized at once, wouldn’t it directly expose us? "

   Baron Sith almost roared and asked three soul questions.

   A subordinate who was quite clever at first, didn't know what was going on now, but made so many mistakes, it was clear that he would not stop until he was killed.

   "Sith, don't embarrass Ravesi. The analysis he made may not be wrong.

   Kettler colluded with the Mountain Baron, that was just a rumor. The credibility of rumors that can make a lot of noise is not high.

  If the two really collude with each other, don't hide it, and wait for the critical moment to trick us, how can they leak the news in advance?

   As for the judgment on the strength of the Mountain Baron and his party, I think there is nothing wrong with it. A lion fighting a rabbit needs to use all its strength, not to mention facing the famous bow knight.

   You must know that this person's battle of fame came from stepping on the bones of the cavalry of the Holy See. Although the record of annihilating one thousand enemies is likely to be blown out, but to become famous in one battle, at least dozens of Holy See cavalry must be shot and killed.

   It is said that there is also a great knight, who is under this person's hatred. Ordinary knights can't dodge his arrows at all, let alone soldiers.

  According to the information we have collected, this person has been using ordinary standard bows and arrows in the army before, and cannot display the true strength of a sharpshooter.

  After becoming famous, even if you can't get a magic bow, it is not difficult to get a good elf bow with the connections of the Koslow family.

  Unless the melee siege is carried out immediately after launching the sneak attack, otherwise this bow knight may cause us a lot of losses.

  In fact, it is not easy to sneak attack him. Although this person's record is all on one bow, but he can recover an earth bear, and his own strength will not be much worse.

  We have all seen that bear before. It can change into a three-meter-high body, and it has obviously passed the most vulnerable juvenile period.

   It is not known exactly what stage it has grown to, but even if it is an Earth Bear that has just passed its infancy, its fighting power will not be weaker than that of a great knight.

  I don't think the Koslow family has the strength to accelerate an Earth Bear from its infancy to its growth stage in a short period of time.

  Although the reality is a bit cruel, I have to admit that there are indeed geniuses in this world. Sixteen or seventeen-year-old great knights, even silver knights, have appeared on the mainland.

  You have seen the more than one hundred armored soldiers in this person's hands. Judging from the military appearance alone, it can be roughly judged that its combat effectiveness is very strong.

  The guards carried by the nobles of other southeastern provinces are also the elite of each family. Although military training may be insufficient, individual combat effectiveness is not weak. With so many people standing in front, it was enough time for the Mountain Baron to attack.

  I think even if there are six hundred elites, they may not be able to retain them. Even our fastest war horses can't catch up with the growing Earth Bear.

  The name of the king of the earth is not in vain. It is rumored that as long as the earth bear stands on the ground, it can continuously obtain magical powers from the ground. It has set a record of seven days and seven nights of continuous fighting.

  Even if the robbery is successful, as long as the bow knight cannot be left behind. One person and one bear cooperate to launch a sneak attack on us from a distance, and it is difficult for us to retreat unscathed. "

  The old man's words made Baron Sith lose his temper instantly. Although gold coins are good, they have to be eaten.

   He has been going deep into the orc empire all year round. If his head is not bright enough, he will not be able to live now.

  Although deep down in his heart, he believed that the old man had overstated the other party's strength in order to dispel his idea of ​​robbing and killing the other party.

   As the master of one side, Baron Sith had to consider the issue of cost. Even if the robbery is successful, if the casualties are too heavy, it will be over.

   Not to mention how to make up for the loss, the Kingdom of Light will not be able to escape the investigation afterwards. As a man of the hour in the two counties, his strength was put on the bright side, and he lost hundreds of elites all at once, and he couldn't hide it at all.

   "Understood, Uncle Faerun. I won't mess with things I'm not sure about. Among the nobles of the Northland, is there anyone interested in them?"

  Sith asked with concern.

  Just because you can’t make a move yourself doesn’t mean you can’t encourage others to make a move. It would be even more perfect if he could take the opportunity to trap his competitors.

   "There are some. When I sent people to investigate, I also found spies from other nobles. However, after investigating the strength of the mountain baron and his party, I am afraid that few have the courage to act."

   Ravesi replied solemnly.

  No matter what Baron Sith thinks, as a loyal subordinate, the first thing to do is to answer the boss's questions honestly.

   After hesitating for a moment, Sith finally gave up the idea of ​​teaming up to rob and kill. On the one hand, there are too many people participating, and the spoils are not enough for everyone to share; on the other hand, they simply cannot trust their teammates.

   There was no betrayal, it was only because the chips in hand were not enough. When it came to his own wealth and life, Sith didn't dare to bet on the integrity of his teammates.

  The matter of robbing and killing nobles has too much impact. Once it is exposed, even the grand duke's legitimate son can't help it, let alone his illegitimate son.

   "It seems that if I want to control Wright County, this person is my biggest opponent. I can't get rid of him when he is fledgling. It will not be so easy to do it in the future!"

  Sith couldn't help sighing.

  Strategic vision, he still does not lack. Although Hudson's strength is not the strongest in Wright County, his financial resources are definitely among the best among the nobles.

  Where there is money, there are soldiers. This is the biggest feature of the Northland. Looking at the entire continent, the same applies.

   Any ambitious noble, after his pockets are bulging, the first thing he does is to expand his military power.

   It doesn't need much technical content, as long as the brain is normal and not messing around, it can produce an elite team by spending money.

   "Master, don't worry too much. The mountain baron is indeed outstanding in personal ability, but the strength of the Koslow family cannot support his ambition.

   From the choice of fief, it can actually be seen. The Salam mining area can indeed generate huge income in a short period of time, but this income is not sustainable.

  The southeastern province lacks high-quality coal, and even if it has mines, it is difficult to forge high-quality weapons and equipment.

  We have all seen the weapons cast by the Mountain Baron, and the quality is comparable to that of the orc empire. It can only make do with equipment for serfs, and putting it in the hands of elite troops is purely reducing combat effectiveness.

  Once the peace of the two counties is restored, the huge profits from the sale of weapons will immediately drop sharply.

   At that time, just selling some farm tools or daily necessities, the profit will not be too high.

  Among the feudal nobles in the two counties, the income of the mountain land may be higher, but it is impossible to be as outstanding as it is now.

   It is estimated that this person also saw this, so he wanted to gather the population from the outside world in an attempt to develop the vast area of ​​​​the Salam Mountains.

  This is a long-term project, without the continuous investment of hundreds of thousands of gold coins, nothing famous can be developed at all.

   If there is no accident, he will spend the next few decades on the development of the fief.

   For minor nobles, this is undoubtedly the most correct choice. Once fully developed, it will be enough to bring the Koslow family back to the ranks of middle nobles.

   But that's all there is to the limit. The strategic focus is on the development of the territory. He no longer has enough energy to compete with you, young master, for the dominance of Wright County.

   The top priority is to integrate the fiefs as soon as possible. Only by concentrating the strength can Dadir City be restored in the shortest time.

  As the largest city at the southern end of the southeastern province, Dadir City is inherently suitable to become a commercial and trade center, which is our greatest advantage. "

  Although the old man said it lightly, as if he didn't take Hader seriously at all, he couldn't hide his envy in his heart.

   With steady development, one can steadily step into the ranks of middle-class nobles, so why bother so much?

  Slowness is not important, the key is winning in stability. If ten years is not enough, it will be twenty years, if twenty years is not enough, it will be thirty years, if thirty years is not enough, it will be fifty years, and it will be enough to spend slowly on the fief.

  The input-output ratio is indeed low, but for nobles, they should not only focus on short-term economic benefits, but also focus on the long-term future.

  The upper limit of the Mountain Territory is middle-class nobles, so why not the upper limit of the Dadir Territory? Even if he seized the position of Sheriff, at most he could only support Baron Sith to reach the rank of middle nobles.

   Let Hudson pick up the bargain?

  This conclusion is actually absurd. Before Hudson moved into the Salam mining area, the efficiency of iron smelting was not so high, and the quality was even worse.

   It can only be used to forge farm tools and daily necessities, and even forge low-quality weapons. The income of the mining area is far less than it is now.

  After deducting all the expenses of the lord, the balance is at most thousands of gold coins. Wanting to complete the investment of hundreds of thousands of gold coins is simply a joke.

  If it is easy to do, the original lord will do it, and it will not be Hudson's turn to pick up this "cheap".

  Even now, there are still many people in the outside world who are not optimistic about this protracted development plan.

   After all, no one knows which will come first, tomorrow or the accident. It is purely irresponsible to devote all the power of a family to a bottomless development project.

  …

  After all the dust settled, the news about the conflict between the kingdom and the Holy See finally spread to the southeastern province.

  At this moment, everyone finally understood Governor Pierce's intentions. It just makes countless northern Xinjiang noble children feel sad and angry, you should tell me earlier when this happened, we promise not to cause trouble!

  The first step up was a blow to Sap, exposing everyone's dark history, and causing the already loose alliance to collapse directly.

  Once trust is lost, it will be difficult to recover even if you work ten times harder.

   Before everyone could catch their breath, huge fines were thrown down, which weakened everyone's financial resources to the extreme, and they didn't even have the capital to do things.

  The most important thing is that now everyone's life is under control, and they must purchase the limited and affordable food provided by the Governor's Mansion. The monthly ration is only so small, whoever dares to do anything, will be ready to go hungry next month!

  The local nobles were also unhappy, but they didn't have that much resentment towards Earl Pierce. After all, after this round of blows, the main unlucky ones were the northern Xinjiang nobles.

  The boss is biased towards his own people after all. The transmission of this political signal is enough to appease everyone's inner discomfort. Except for a certain Chi Yu who was still aggrieved, most of the local nobles accepted the current result.

   Arriving at the territory smoothly all the way, Hudson was a little suspicious that he was using the heart of a villain to save the belly of a gentleman. Perhaps the nobleman's moral integrity is not as low as he imagined.

   But the promise still has to be fulfilled. After entertaining with good wine and food, Hudson opened the warehouse and let everyone choose.

   Anyway, I have screened all of them, and I can't find a piece of high quality if I choose it casually.

  It's about his own life. Hudson will not make such a principled mistake. In order to conceal the fact that he was able to forge good weapons out of charcoal, he even bought part of high-quality coal from the outside world at a high price.

  Not sold externally, that is because the cost is too high. There is nothing wrong with it, Earl Pierce can testify to this, and the best weapons made by their family have never been sold.

  Purchasing sky-high high-quality coal from outside the province, the cost of the manufactured weapons and equipment is only a little lower than the selling price in the world, and does not have the economic value of large-scale sales.

  The Dalton family insists on casting by themselves, the most important thing is that they are not sure about the quality of purchased products. This is a magical world, and there are plenty of tricks for insidious people.

  If someone adds materials to the weapons and equipment for sale, it will be very fatal for a big family.

  Although it is possible to take precautions, the magician can't let the magician check each piece, right?

  If you have trouble with the skills of the mages, it is better to organize your own people to forge it. Anyway, in the hands of the Dalton family, there is no shortage of iron ore, and it can save a lot of expenses.

  As for the small and medium nobles, there is no need to worry about that. There is also a cost to using dark hands, and they are not worth that price at all.

   Even if you want to check, you just need to ask someone to help you see if the weapon you are using is cursed.

   There is no need to worry about the life and death of ordinary soldiers. If the enemy is willing to spend such a large amount of money on them, it is not difficult to kill them directly and kill them.

  A 100-member assassin team is enough to behead 99% of the small and medium-sized nobles. The remaining one percent are the lucky ones who happen not to be at home.

  Hudson's approach, although it seems a bit of a fuss, no one will find it strange, after all, it still saves a little money.

   "Hudson, quickly cast plate armor! I see that the iron produced in your territory may not be able to make high-precision armor, but it should not be difficult to cast large plate armor.

  Even if the quality is slightly worse, it doesn't hurt too much. As long as it is thick enough, it is not difficult to block ordinary weapons. "

  Visiting the smelting field, Adrian Knight proposed enthusiastically.

  The Baron Berio and the Guarente knight on the side also rarely expressed their approval of his proposal.

   It can be seen that the nobles of the Alpha Kingdom are obsessed with iron bumps like plate armor. Many powerful nobles have prepared this thing for their private army.

   "The practicability is too low. Unless you prepare in advance, it will be difficult to play a role. If you have a strong family, you can prepare some and keep it at home. It can be used when encountering foreign enemies.

  In normal times, those dozens of pounds of iron bumps were exhausting enough for soldiers to wear, and it was difficult for them to adapt to long-distance marches. If it is placed on a carriage, it will be too late to wear it when the war breaks out.

  Listen to my advice, this kind of expensive toy is not suitable for poor ghosts like you now. "

   Hudson replied unceremoniously.

  Taking back the complaints, his heavy armored infantry plan was secretly started. Although there are many disadvantages of plate armor, there is one advantage that is enough - the defense is strong enough.

   After all, it is the magical world. Warriors who have practiced fighting spirit are far stronger than ordinary people. Wearing dozens of pounds of armor, although it is a bit inconvenient, it is not difficult to say that it is even difficult to move.

   The three of them were persuaded to give up this idea, because the production capacity of the plate armor was extremely limited. In the territory, there are only three craftsmen who can forge plate armor, with an average monthly output of 30 sets of plate armor.

   The heavy infantry of the family alone has not yet assembled all the equipment, let alone sold it.