As the leader of a small village, how much strength can the knight have under his command
Fang Yuan made a rough estimate and found that Knight Jorah might have a hundred families of serfs and civilians under his command, which was already a lot.
If the fishermen are fishing from the lake, about a hundred adult men can be mobilized to fight. Of course, the location cannot be a day's journey from the fief. After all, these are strong laborers. Once they are far away from production activities, the territory will inevitably encounter famine in the coming year.
"Therefore... the number of troops that can be kept on standby is only twenty at most. According to the principle of drawing one soldier from every five households, it will not harm the people's power..."
"As vassals of superior lords, knights have the obligation to provide their own horses, equipment, and retinues every year, and fight for the superior lord for free for 30 days. If these days are exceeded, they will be compensated. If not, they can only collect the spoils of war by themselves... And The obligations of the Jorah Knights clearly stipulate that the number of militia followers must not be less than fifteen... "
Although he has not officially inherited it, Fang Yuan has undoubtedly regarded the entire knighthood as his own.
After all, under the system at this time, even the vassal superior to the Jorah Knights had no right to take back the territory they had conferred. It was even common for vassals to rebel due to excessive demands from the lord. .
"But...it is said that Knight Jorah's family died of the plague?"
Fang Yuan looked around and saw a harmonious pastoral scene with no signs of grief at all: "Is it a disease that only targets one family? Interesting!"
Thinking of this, he stopped a passing farmer and said, "Take me to Knight Jorah's villa!"
The lord has financial, military, etc. power over his own fief, and no one is in charge of even building a palace.
Of course, due to financial problems, it is difficult for even a baron to have his own castle, and most knights can only live in villas.
On the other hand, a castle that has been inherited for hundreds of years is a landmark, a source of noble glory, and it also represents security.
After all, in addition to showing off force and financial resources, the most important function of a castle in this era is defense. In other words, defense is the main function.
"Who are you… "
The person who was stopped seemed to be in his thirties or forties, with a gray face, wearing a sack-like clothes, and he had some muscles on his body.
However, Fang Yuan knew that it was not the result of eating enough, drinking enough and exercising, but the result of long-term stress from heavy physical work, which often meant that his life span was wasted in the future.
In fact, this person should be only in his twenties, but he is already showing some signs of premature aging.
When he raised his head, there was doubt and a little awe on his weathered face.
After all, a man who can ride a horse and wear weapons is not someone he, a little peasant, can offend.
"I am Rune, the heir of Knight Jorah!"
Fang Yuan said in a declared manner.
"It turns out to be Lord Lord! My name is Willy!"
Willie quickly bowed and saluted, as if taking off his hat. Unfortunately, he didn't have a hat on his head. Instead, it was as messy as a chicken coop, which looked a bit nondescript.
Moreover, Fang Yuan was even more keen to detect a hint of fear and pity in his eyes.
"Do you think I will be like the unlucky heirs before me and die of various accidents within a few days?"
He thought silently in his heart, and then threw a few coins over: "I am a generous man, this is your reward!"
"Ah...how is this possible?!"
Willy said quickly, but his hands unconsciously clenched the coins tightly.
This little money can buy a loaf of brown bread and feed the kids in the family. Alas... Poor little Creel has never had enough to eat since he was born, and he often competes with his sister for food.
Because of the tip, Willy suddenly burst out with indescribable enthusiasm. While leading the way, he introduced Fang Yuan to the deeds of the original lord Jorah and several heirs:
"Knight Jorah is a good man, and his wife is also very kind. Sometimes she will give bread to the people... But unfortunately, all the family died of the disease... Fortunately, the priest came and controlled the source in time, so it didn't spread... "
"When the Lord Knight left, Master Marvins was the first in line to succeed. Unfortunately, he was thrown off a horse on the way here and broke his neck..."
"Compared with Marvins, Engel is much worse. He has a very bad temper. He even whipped the unlucky guy. But after he stayed in the Lord Knight's villa for one night, he seemed to have been shocked by something. Frightened, he turned into a madman and drowned himself not long after..."
"Since then, things have happened to all the heirs one after another. Everyone has heard that the curse of Knight Jorah is lingering in the villa. He is unwilling to see outsiders inherit his family business... "
…
Although serfs in this era had natural awe in front of their lords. But at this time, under the influence of money and a little hint, Willy seemed to be very familiar with Fang Yuan and turned into a loudmouth.
It wasn't until he saw the two-story villa that he seemed to suddenly remember his identity, and quickly waved his hand and said:
"Oh! I'm sorry, sir, I'm not talking about you!... The so-called curse... is just a rumor! A rumor!"
"hehe!"
Fang Yuan smiled and ignored Willy, who was almost scared to death by him. He stepped forward and knocked on the door.
As a knight's residence, this villa is very large, with a very solid mahogany door and large windows. The purple curtains are opened, allowing the sunlight to shine in. The lighting is very good, which suits Fang Yuan's taste.
"No matter what, it's better than the castle..."
As a fortification, castles can often destroy the dreams of young girls.
Narrow windows and a cold, damp and dark environment are the prevailing conditions. If you stay there for a long time, you will definitely contract diseases such as rheumatism - of course, the exception is the physique of an extraordinary person.
In comparison, a lot of effort was put into the knights' villas - floors paved with marble, and a small garden behind, with vaguely visible fountains, statues, and cut vegetation. Some flowers were in bloom, exuding a sense of elegance. Intoxicating aroma.
When Fang Yuan saw this, he immediately decided that even if he had enough funds in the future, he would not build a stone coffin to bury himself in.
Just as he was daydreaming, the intricately carved door opened from the inside, revealing a middle-aged housekeeper wearing a wig, with some doubts in his cloudy eyes: "You are..."
"I am Luen from Blue Moon Town. This is my ID and other documents!"
Fang Yuan handed over the inheritance document in the package: "I will inherit the legacy of Knight Jorah!"
"It turns out to be Master Lu En. I am Lord Jorah's butler, Marseille. I have been waiting for you for several days. Please come in!"
The Marseille housekeeper immediately moved out of the way, leaned slightly, and welcomed Fang Yuan into the villa.
The light inside the villa is pretty good, there are copper candlesticks everywhere, and there are marble sculptures and oil paintings decorating the walls and corners, making it look very aristocratic.
"Master, it's hard work coming from afar, please take a rest first, and I'll let the servants prepare dinner!"
Marseille said politely.
"Don't rush these things!"
Fang Yuan came to the living room, sat down on a sofa-like chair wrapped in a thick layer of cloth, and waved his hands: "First of all, let's confirm whether my inheritance rights are legal, and what is needed to truly inherit the knighthood. Procedure…”
"Okay!" Ma Sai was slightly surprised, but then he held a pot of black tea, filled it for Fang Yuan, and said in a slow tone: "After the death of Master Raymond, you are already the first heir, as long as If you don’t give up, your inheritance rights are unshakable, but in the master’s will, you must fulfill one condition in order to fully inherit these inheritances!”
"What are the conditions? Noble trial?"
Fang Yuan took a sip of black tea, crossed his fingers, and asked with interest.
"No, no! It's just a very simple request. Sir Sir, I need you to stay in the study room of this villa for one night!"
Marseille replied in a calm voice.
"Stay in the study for one night?"
Fang Yuan immediately thought of the unlucky Engel mentioned by the guide Willy before. It seemed that he had a mental problem because of staying there for one night
"Can!"
But to him, this was nothing, so he immediately nodded and agreed.
"In that case, I'll call some notaries over immediately!" Marseille bowed and went out as if he was exasperated.
"Is there really any evil spirit inside this villa?"
This kind of performance made Fang Yuan slightly suspicious, his divine energy spread out, and a smile suddenly appeared on his lips.
…
The dinner in the villa was very good, including grilled lamb chops that were crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, various vegetable salads, white bread and fruit pulp. The drinks included wine, and the tableware was made of sparkling silverware, which looked very luxurious.
It is worth mentioning that Fang Yuan did not dine alone, there were several designated "notaries" with him!
Among them were the superior lord of the Jorah Knights, the envoy sent by Baron Shawshank, local prominent figures, and a bishop of the Church of Death.
What surprised Fang Yuan even more was that they seemed to live nearby. When Marseille went out, he immediately brought them back.
"Thanks for the hospitality!"
After eating and drinking, Daniel, the bishop of Hess, spoke first: "I wish you success!"
"Thank you!"
Several people raised their glasses and drank the wine in one gulp. Since it was the first time they met, Fang Yuan didn't say much.
I just felt that the bishop looked at me with a hint of deep meaning.
…
"Good night, Master Luen!"
After dinner, Fang Yuan was taken to Knight Jorah's study.
Immediately, Marseille directed the servants to put down the bedding and the like, exited the study, and closed the door politely.
Through the window, Fang Yuan saw the servants leaving the villa, apparently having another residence, and couldn't help but be even more surprised: "It looks like the water is really deep inside this villa!"