Blue sky, white clouds, small town.
Hundreds of people gathered in the square again, but now they were watching Viscount Aslan covered in feathers. Lorist didn't join in the fun, he took Schward to an alley, and leisurely looked around at the scenery of White Bird Town.
The ground is made of large rocks mixed with pebbles, various shells and clay. Although it is uneven, it is clean, and there is no pile of garbage in the corners. The houses on both sides of the alley have stone walls and pointed roofs, and the cracks in the walls are covered with green moss. Wooden racks for drying dried fish are placed in several open spaces, and the wind carries a faint fishy smell.
The alley is very quiet and winding. After walking for a while, you will reach the end of the alley, which is connected to another road around Shiratori Town. This road is wider and can pass carriages. The other side of the road is covered with green trees. A large tidal flat of vegetation. It was the time of low tide, and there were dozens of people on the tidal flat carrying or carrying betels on their backs to pick up something on the tidal flat. My lord was fine, with his trousers rolled up and bare feet, he poked a little on the muddy mud with a small wooden stick. And those children took off their clothes and turned into mud monkeys...
"Teacher, this place is completely different from the Northland, and the scenery is so beautiful." Schwader said.
Lorist stared into the distance: "This is an island, of course it is different from the Northland. The sky in the Northland is wild and vast, the sky is high and the clouds are light, desolate and heroic. This is a pearl on the sea. Weilan is also a good place. It's a pity that the Second Highness has no eyes, and doesn't know that he lives in a treasured place, so he abandons this place like a contempt, making us cheap, which really makes me feel ridiculous."
Shi Huade tilted his head, puzzled: "Teacher, why do you say that? The transportation to and from Hilovas Island is inconvenient, and the arable area on the island is not large. It should be the right choice for the Second Highness to abandon the island and return to the king's capital."
"Concept, Schwader, you have to change your concept. The size of the cultivated land is not the most important basis for the prosperity of a family or a country. I told you last time that the condition for victory in a war is actually to fight consumption, resources and manpower. It is not hundreds of years ago that a knight with dozens of attendants could decide the outcome of a war. Battles involving tens of thousands of people are not uncommon in Galintia, so I am not optimistic that the Second Highness is going to use thirty The move of tens of thousands of horses to unify the empire.
There are currently six provinces in the Kingdom of Antinac, and the Second Highness almost uses one province to support one legion. It is already struggling to maintain it by relying on the output of the land alone. You have also heard that the tax revenue of the territories directly under the royal family reaches 100% Seventy years old, this is already considered a tyranny. If this continues, it will be difficult for civilians to make ends meet. No matter how grand the Second Highness's excuse was, in fact he had already sat on the crater.
If you look at the map, you will know that Hilovas Island is actually the center of this sea area. Mastering Hilovas Island is equivalent to mastering nearly a thousand miles of coastline. From an offensive point of view, we can land and attack in the coastal provinces of the Kingdom of Antinac or even the Kingdom of Ridleys at any time. In terms of defense, as long as we retreat to Hilovas Island, the enemy will have nothing to do with us no matter how many ships there are. Of course, the premise is that our family has to master a powerful fleet.
This is just for military considerations, Schwader, think about it, what would happen if we used Hilovas Island as a transit point for commercial trade? "Lorist asked.
Schwader thought for a while and replied: "Just like attacking, our family can import the snow salt and other special products produced by our family to these coastal provinces in exchange for money or the materials our family needs. Even if the arable area on the island No, we can still exchange a lot of food for our use, isn’t it so, teacher?”
"You're half right. Our family has to form a powerful armed fleet to turn the sea from here to the Northland into our family's sea territory. We can rely on Hilovas Island to drive our merchant ships as far as we can. In any coastal city in Galintia, as long as business and trade continue, money will flow in continuously, and the strength of our family will become stronger and stronger. That's why I think it is a very stupid decision for the Second Highness to abandon this place .He still has old ideas in his mind." Lorist sarcastically said.
"Teacher, I feel that you have become more and more confident in your actions recently, just like Josk Knight said, you are becoming more and more domineering, and you are becoming more and more like a lord." Schwader complimented.
Lorist patted him on the head: "Okay, I will flatter you. Schwarder, you have to remember that self-confidence comes from the strength of the family. The stronger the strength of the family, the more confidence you have. Just like To deal with Viscount Aslan, we don't have to give the Second Highness a face. His 300,000 army can scare other nobles, but it is useless to us, because we all know in our hearts that even if we fall out with the Second Highness, our family will be armed In terms of strength, the Second Highness has nothing to do with us.
Think about it, if it was a few years ago, when we led the convoy back to the family territory on the northbound journey, would we have thought about today? At that time, not to mention the 300,000 troops of the Second Highness, just talk about the Earl Kou who met? His family army of more than 10,000 makes us tremble with fear. In the past few years, we have devoted ourselves to the development of the family territory, like a tortoise with a shrunken head. Even the Grand Duke of the Northland and the second prince regard our family as a soft persimmon, and everyone will pinch it. But now, the Grand Duke of the Northland is paralyzed on the bed and is about to die, and the second prince has become our prisoner.
We don't engage in a trend, because even if you occupy a large territory but do not develop, it will be nothing after all. Just like now, even if our family's armed forces are completely annihilated, the family territory can still form a second and third family's armed forces immediately. It is because of this confidence that we are not afraid of any enemies. Development is the last word, understand? "
"Development is the last word? Teacher, what you say is so awkward. But it sounds reasonable. It's like I heard that the Second Highness has an army of 300,000, but I feel indifferent in my heart. What you said Yes, it is the strength of our family that makes me not feel that the 300,000 army is scary." Schwader nodded, and then heard a grunting sound in his stomach.
Lorist couldn't help laughing: "Boy, don't tell me when you're hungry. Let's go, let's find a place to eat first. I've forgotten to eat after getting off the boat."
There is a brown wooden signboard at the front corner, with a white flying bird outlined on it, and the words "White Bird Restaurant" written on it.
"I didn't expect there to be a restaurant in this small town. I thought I had to go to the Sailor's Bar or a tavern in the town to get food. Let's go and have a look," Lorist said.
The small restaurant is not big inside. It is obvious that the wall between the living room and the dining room has been demolished, and the next six small square tables have just been placed. A linen tablecloth with a blue check border sits on a small square table with a small flower basket filled with wildflowers. Although the layout of the small restaurant is a bit shabby, it looks exceptionally neat and clean.
It is around three o'clock in the afternoon, and there are only a few customers sitting at the two tables next to the wall in the restaurant. A chubby old man with a red nose saw Lorist and brought Schward through the door, he was taken aback for a moment, and then he shouted loudly: "Hey, look who is here, this is not the lord who just came to our Hilovas Island Is it? Unexpectedly, the lord will come to this small restaurant... "
The red-nosed old man was blushing, probably because he had drunk a little too much. Lorist didn't mind his rudeness, instead he nodded to the other guests and said with a smile, "I'm the lord, but I I also need to eat and sleep. Is it wrong to come to a restaurant to eat when you are hungry?"
After finishing speaking, he found an empty table and sat down, while motioning to Schwarder to be in front of him, he asked, "How should I order here?"
The red-nosed old man stared at Lorist for a long time before turning around and shouting upstairs: "Nataya, you have a guest, you must have never thought that the lord came to eat at your place, by the way, let Xiaoma Don't come down Sha, the lords are perverts, he will take little Martha away when he sees her..."
Schwader was furious, and was about to scold the red-nosed old man, but Lorist smiled and shook his head: "Don't you think this old man is cute? We know that there are beauties here..."
An aunt with a bucket waist hurried over and saluted Lorist respectfully: "My lord, what would you like to eat?"
"What do you have here that you can serve right away?"
"My lord, we have oatmeal bread, small meatballs, sausages, grilled herring, also fried, and seaweed soup, large snails, sea crabs, small rock crabs fried in bread, small loach. And mashed potatoes, boiled apples and Seafood Pie…”
"Let's have a seafood pie, small meatballs, some oatmeal bread, two servings of fried herring and seaweed soup, what is the fried bread small stone crab, and try some. By the way, what do you drink here? of?" Lorist asked.
"My lord, we only have self-brewed mountain fruit wine here, and the taste is not bad."
"Then let's have some, if there are fresh fruits."
"Okay, my lord, please wait a moment, I'll go and serve you food." The aunt with the waist of the bucket left in a hurry.
Soon Lorist and Schwader saw that beautiful woman, Martha, who was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with long chestnut hair, big gray eyes, and a few small freckles beside the bridge of her nose. She looked extraordinarily lively. Naughty. Coupled with her fair skin and slim figure, Lorist gave her an 80.
Martha came to deliver food, and she specially introduced every dish she served. Lorist did not expect that the dishes made by this small restaurant were really delicious, so he ignored the beauties and dealt with the food in front of him first. What Lorist likes the most is the deep-fried breaded small stone crab, which is the kind of small crab on the sea shoal. After cleaning, it is wrapped in bread crumbs and deep-fried in oil. The mountain fruit wine was really delicious, Lorist had to eat one and then asked for two to satisfy his appetite.
"The food here is delicious. Please help me figure out how much it costs." Lorist wiped his mouth with a white linen napkin in satisfaction, and said to the beautiful Martha.
"My lord, we feel honored by your presence, and this meal will be considered as our welcome to your lord..." Behind the beauty Martha turned the aunt with the waist of the bucket, and she bowed respectfully.
"Hehe, excuse me, I'm the lord, not here to eat the overlord's meal." Lorist took out a big silver coin and put it on the table: "Is that enough?"
"Oh, no, my lord, this is too much, and you can't spend more than three small silver coins..."
One golden fortune is equal to twenty large silver coins, and one large silver coin is equal to five small silver coins.
"Anything more is a tip. Shi Huade, give me another three Goldfords, and you will give me 70 meals in the evening. There is a boat named Chenxi Flying Fish parked at the pier, and you will give me 21 meals. In the past, the leftovers were sent to the town office. If there is any surplus, I bought the mountain fruit wine you brew here. By the way, you can go to the town office to inform us that the food is ready, and I will send guards to help you deliver it. Food." Lorist ordered.
The aunt with the waist of the bucket looked at the three Gold Fords and a large silver coin on the table, and nodded hesitantly: "Okay, sir, we will follow your orders."
After filling their stomachs, the two of them wandered around White Bird Town again. On the road, residents who knew Lorist as the new lord bowed to them from time to time, and Lorist always responded with a warm and gentle smile.
In the end, his teeth were sore from laughing, and Lorist turned back to the town hall. At this time, it was almost dark, and Farea Josk and others had led the team back. But the mess in front of the town hall was like a vegetable market. In addition to a large group of onlookers, there were three or four hundred people, both men and women, standing, squatting and sitting on the ground with their hands tied.
"My lord, we are back. Everyone in Wanghai Manor has been brought back. We left a small team of ten sailors there to take care of them." Farea reported to Lorist at the gate of the town hall.
"How about casualties?" Lorist asked.
"My lord, we have no casualties, but the guards of the manor began to resist. After we killed some of them, they wanted to slip away through the back door, but were blocked by Al and Pat. In the end, the guards of the manor died a total of twenty Seven. None of the eight noble children occupying the manor slipped through the net, and we captured them all."
"Who are these people who are tied up?"
"My lord, these are the servants and maids in Wanghai Manor. Didn't you say to bring everyone back? We will do so." Farea replied.
"Uh..." Lorist patted his forehead. He didn't expect that these noble children really regarded Wanghai Manor as their own territory, and they had so many servants to serve them.
"Why are our sailors and bodyguards guarding them? What about the guards?" Lorist wondered why he couldn't see a member of the guards. Could it be that the hundred people retreated as soon as the fight started
"Oh, they went back to have dinner, and said that after dinner, another team will come." It was El who explained.
That's about the same, Lorist rubbed his chin and thought.
"My lord, we have been tired all day today, and we just messed around with some food to fill our stomachs in Wanghai Manor. How can we solve the problem for dinner?" Pat came over. His armor was still stained with blood. It is said that he was the last guard who resisted. It was cut in half by him.
"Okay, I've already ordered meals for everyone at the small restaurant in the town, and it should be delivered soon." Lorist looked at the sky.
"My lord, a woman came and said that the food is ready and she wants us to get it." Said that Cao Cao had arrived, and a guard came to report.
"I'll go, I'll go, I'm starving to death." Pat said, turned and left.
Then a shrill scream startled everyone.
When Lorist heard the sound, he saw the beautiful Martha squatting on the ground crying, while Pat was at a loss, with a bewildered expression on his face.
"what happened?"
When the beautiful Martha saw Lorist coming, she stopped crying embarrassingly, and explained the reason hesitantly. She was frightened by Pat's bloodstains, and Pat went straight to her viciously. Come on, I was scared and cried on the spot.
The misunderstanding was resolved. Lorist asked Pat to take a few guards and follow the beautiful Martha to get food. By the way, he cleaned his armor by the well behind her small restaurant, and then returned to the town hall. When he entered the door, he heard A broken voice shouted: "How dare you attack us, our Reid family will never let you go, you are declaring war on our family..."
Lorist went in with a sullen face: "What are you all doing? Have you heard them say how powerful your family is? Come on, the one who screams the loudest is pulled out and given a hundred lashes, and the rest are given fifty lashes each, and then Hanging all night. Pump harder, it doesn’t matter if you die.”
Several guards came in and grabbed the hair of the loudest boy and dragged him out, screaming continuously.
"Knight Shredder, have you softened your heart after staying in the family territory for a few years? It's not worthy of your previous title of devil in the Antinac Kingdom!" Lorist's voice was stern.
"My lord, I just want to ask who ordered them to occupy the manor in our territory." Fatty Shi spread his hands helplessly.
"Do you still need to ask? I didn't see that the servants who serve them are equipped with so many people. It is obvious that their family members are behind the scenes. The two territories are so far apart that we can't take care of them. They want to cause the established situation. It’s just a fact. It’s enough to know which family they belong to. After the thousand soldiers from our family arrive, we will set off to the imperial capital to settle accounts with their family.”
"By the way, Knight Shredder, take someone to screen the servants outside at night. We will move to Wanghai Manor tomorrow, and take people to the village of Farama by the way. The pustules need to be squeezed early to heal Hurry up." Lorist said.
…