On January 27, 1779, in the general calendar of the Galint subcontinent, Lorist returned to Rock Castle.
The family didn't hold a New Year's celebration this year. First, Lorist, as the head of the Norton family, was not in the territory. Second, it was a bit inappropriate to hold such a celebration during the war. However, the strategy to destroy the Kingdom of Iberia was completed, Winston Province and Southern Province were included in the sphere of influence of the four northern alliances, the Feisabrun family was trapped in the three provinces of the grassland, and Lorist had another crown on his head The laurel crown of the Governor of Windbury King City, which almost means that Winston Province will also become the territory directly under the Norton family.
It is conceivable that although there is no New Year's celebration this year, tomorrow's New Year's celebration will be even more lively, and another group of nobles will defect to the Norton family's wings. At that time, Lorist will confer a large number of territorial nobles and honorary nobles in recognition of their contributions to the family in the past two years.
Although the news that the mountain barbarians were coming to attack the family territory at the end of last year did not cause panic among the people in the territory, there was still an atmosphere of tension and chill in the heavily guarded Rock Castle. Lorist returned to the back castle of the Central Castle, only to find that only Diliana came out to greet her with her one-year-old son in her arms. After asking, I found out that her two nieces, Aristoli and her younger sister, Fenna Galli, had all gone to the new Baron Dina in Dremke Province, while Diliana was worried about the cold weather. He refused to go with his precious son.
The other two newly recruited concubines did not expect Lorist to come back in January, and they went back to their families to celebrate the New Year together at the end of last year. Well, let's go, anyway, just have Diliana to warm the bed at night. But Lorist still didn't sleep well, because this precious son was too noisy at night, he either wanted to nurse or cried because his mother wasn't around, and Lorist tossed Diliana three or four times in a row, As a result, I didn't close my eyes all night.
Lorist was about to go to the study to catch up on sleep, and was yawning as he walked towards the study, when he saw Schwader appearing in front of him: "Your Highness, Mr. Tagle and Mr. Duboff have been waiting in the reception room for more than an hour. .”
It's not surprising that Tagle came so early, Lorist, but who is Dubov? Sounds a little familiar.
Seeing Lorist's confused expression, Schwader knew that he couldn't remember: "Your Highness, Mr. Dubouf was the former head of the Five Swords Mercenary Group, and was later appointed by you as the mayor of Liangshan Town."
Oh, I remembered that back then, I hired the Five Swords mercenary group to station the sentry at the junction of the family territory and the Demon Dragon Mountain Range, as the first line of defense against the invasion of the mountain barbarians down the mountain, and to provide timely warnings for the family. But then I went to the mountain barbarians myself, and learned that the mountain barbarians in the neighboring family territory were in civil strife, and they went up and down the mountain to plunder for a while. Therefore, the outpost between the two mountains has been peaceful except for a few small-scale attacks by the mountain barbarians in the two years since it was first established, and its importance has been greatly reduced.
Later, the family developed the black mud swamp on the side of the territory, built a long defensive wall between Guishan and Woniugang along the border of the territory, built Guishan Fortress and Woniugang Fortress, and settled in two near The guard camp, the outpost between the two mountains outside the family territory can be abandoned, and the family has suspended the employment agreement with the Five Swords Mercenary Group.
Lorist wanted to incorporate the Five Swords Mercenary Group into the family's armed forces after the termination of the employment agreement, but Dubofu, the head of the Five Swords Mercenary Group, rejected this proposal. He said that he was old and did not want to continue With a blood-licking career, the mercenary group will soon be disbanded, and members of the mercenary group can freely choose whether to join the Norton family's armed forces.
However, Mr. Duboufu was a little bit reluctant to part with the Liangshan sentry where he had lived for several years. Because of the peace in the past few years, the two mountain outposts have developed into a small village. Many mercenaries and adventurers used this as a base to go to the Demon Dragon Mountains for expeditions. Commodity trading has driven some quick-witted mountain barbarians to use the special products of the Demon Dragon Mountains to come to this small sentry village to barter, making this small village a small window connecting the mountain barbarians.
It was just that Lorist had just returned from the mountain barbarians at that time, and the unspeakable experience made the mountain barbarians the biggest taboo in Lorist's heart. He never thought of using this small sentry village to infiltrate and influence the mountain barbarians. The head of the group didn't want to leave this post, so Lorist swiped his pen and appointed him as the mayor of the newly named Liangshan Town. In addition to paying a tax to the family every year, the family will no longer be responsible for the town of Liangshan. Step in and let things go. For Lorist, the family doesn't care if this place is outside the family's territory anyway.
Until the family established the Volibear Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, Tager, as the director, was keenly aware of this small town outside the family territory, and sent personnel to conduct a detailed investigation of the town, and found that the town was in Under the management of Dubofu, the former head of the Five Swords Mercenary Corps, the development is orderly and promising. Moreover, the mayor of Duboufu also kept his own law and order. He always believed that Liangshan Town belonged to the Norton family's territory, and he didn't breed ambitions and run amok just because the family didn't intervene in Liangshan Town. In addition to paying the family's taxes every year, the excess funds are used to develop public service facilities and housing construction in Liangshan Town, making Liangshan Town a town with a population of more than 2,000 people, where they can hunt, gather herbs and communicate with wild people. Tribal transactions are the main ones.
Tagle had submitted a report on Liangshan Town to Lorist two years ago, thinking that Liangshan Town could be brought under the management of the family and invested in development, making it a large-scale competition with the Shanman tribe. The market for large-scale commodity trading is like the business house set up by the Kenmes family in the eastern part of the Northland to trade with the barbarian tribes. Learn about the movement of the mountain barbarian tribe.
It's just that at that time, Lorist's mind was full of intrigue with the Second Highness and the plan to attack the Principality of Marades, coupled with the memory of the miserable experience of the mountain barbarian tribe, so he ignored this report. Very casually approved one, put it on the shelf when you know it, and put it in the archives room. But no matter how you evade, what should come will still come. The threat of the Shanman tribe to the family territory has always existed, and now it is finally imminent.
"Get me a basin of ice water to wash my face, and then bring the two of them to the study to meet me." Lorist felt that he should wake himself up and understand the warning of the upcoming invasion of the family by the mountain barbarian tribe. derived.
Tager and Dubov were quickly taken to the study, and Tager reported how he had raised the alarm after the audience ceremony to Lorist.
The matter was first discovered by Dubofu, the mayor of Liangshan Town. Dubofu reported that every autumn is the most active period for the mountain barbarian tribes in the Demon Dragon Mountains, and the transactions between Liangshan Town and the mountain barbarians are also the most. The mayor of Dubofu discovered a very strange phenomenon when he was inspecting the trading market. Most of the mountain man who came to Liangshan Town this time was unwilling to bargain with the merchants. Most of them are ironware and weapons.
This is not right, the mayor of Dubofu immediately became vigilant. It is not uncommon for the Shanman and the merchants to trade at a loss, but the Shanman who came to Liangshan Town to trade a few years ago are all veterans, and their heads are turning faster than one. They were deceived There are more and more peddlers, and there are not a few peddlers who take these mountain barbarians who come to trade as winners and are deceived and lose money. But this time these mountain barbarians made such an honest deal. I don't care if I suffer a loss, and I have purchased so many ironware and weapons, instead of the various daily necessities that I used to like, it makes people feel weird.
The mayor of Dubofu secretly found an old mountain man, who had been rescued by the mayor of Dubofu before. It was the first time that Lao Shanman came to Liangshan Town. When he met a group of tyrannical mercenaries, he took a fancy to a piece of intact white leopard skin that Lao Shanman brought for sale, so he insisted on using a pair of low-quality long-legged mercenaries. In exchange for the sword, he also boasted that it was a magic weapon. When Lao Shanman touched it with his short dagger, the blade of the magic weapon broke in two. Lao Shanman refused to change it, so the group of mercenaries accused Lao Shanman of ruining their magic blade, and rushed forward Lao Shanman was beaten until he vomited blood.
At this moment, the mayor of Dubofu happened to pass by, rescued the old Shanman, and punished the group of mercenaries after asking the truth. Special products and medicinal materials went to the home of the mayor of Duboff as a guest. With such friendship, mayor Dubofu believed that Lao Shanman would reveal some news to him.
Sure enough, the old Shanman told the mayor of Dubov that last year was the Kupawisen Festival held every 12 years by the Shanman tribe. Various commemorative celebrations and activities were held that year, such as blood sacrifice once a month, slaughtering a large number of livestock and offering sacrifices to the mountain gods, and all the patriarchs of the mountain barbarian tribes went to the sacred place Small Megan Mountain to participate in the Bayvis Conference, of course Those who participated in the meeting were all big mountain barbarian tribes, and the patriarchs were all Jambassons from various areas in the Demon Dragon Mountain Range, which means the lords.
The largest mountain barbarian tribe adjacent to the Norton family's territory is called the Habibaba tribe. The patriarch is Daqiang Bassen, who is equivalent to the Grand Duke of a human country, and there are more than 20 mountain barbarian tribes under his jurisdiction. In the past, the Habibaba tribe had been competing with another big mountain tribe for the title of Daqiang Basen. This time, when they went to participate in the Bayvis Conference, the mountain tribe finally conceded, and the chief of the Habibaba tribe got his wish. Became a strong Parson. After the meeting came back, Daqiang Bassen decided that the next step is to show the people on the plains at the foot of the mountain something amazing. They will go down the mountain to plunder, so the mountain barbarians who come to trade this year buy the most iron, and they want to melt these iron to cast arrows and weapons.
The old Shanman advised the mayor of Dubofu that it is best to avoid it next year, leave Liangshan Town, and not stand in front of the Shanman army to avoid accidents. The mountain barbarian army that descended the mountain this time was at least 100,000 in size. Daqiang Bason heard from his Shanman report that the Norton family territory is developing quickly, and he has made his mind on the Norton family territory. He heard that some merchants were bought by the Shanman to become their spies. The barbarian army leads the way...
The mayor of Duboff reported the news to the family, and Tager went to investigate in person and found that the news was true. More than one old mountain man and the mayor of Dubov had made friends and revealed the news, and there were many mountain man who came to trade in the wine Under the temptation of some exquisite luxury goods, it also revealed the information that the mountain barbarian army will go down the mountain to plunder next year.
At the end of November, the old Shan Man came to Liangshan Town for the last time and told the mayor of Dubofu that a group of grass man had come to the Habibaba tribe. They came to ask the strong Basen to immediately organize an army to invade the Norton family territory. And vowed that the Norton family's territory is now extremely empty, and there are not many troops in the territory. When Lao Shanman came down the mountain, he didn't know whether Daqiang Bassen had agreed to the request of the gang of savages. He was just worried that the mayor of Dubofu would be caught off guard and suffer an unwarranted disaster, so he asked the mayor of Dubofu to avoid it first.
However, just as Lorist expected, it is impossible for the mountain barbarian tribe to go down the mountain to plunder when winter is approaching. Even if the strong Bassen wants to agree to the request of the grass barbarians, it is impossible to do so, without enough cold-proof clothing. It's pretty hard to go back to the old nest once you get down the mountain. If it snows heavily, you may freeze to death without even using a knife or gun. Lorist estimated that it would not be until April at the earliest, and the barbarian army would not go down the mountain until the rainy season was over.
With an army of more than 100,000 mountain barbarians, Lorist sneered. The current Norton family is not in his father's time. Hundreds of mountain barbarians can plunder the family's cattle and sheep and run amok in the family territory. Today's Norton family is simply a behemoth, comparable to a kingdom in strength, whether it is military equipment or family weapons, I don't know how much it surpasses the army of mountain barbarians with original equipment, let alone a hundred thousand mountain barbarians, even if there are more than one hundred thousand. Food delivery materials.
"Your Highness, I have a map of the gold mine here for you." Mayor Duboff stood up, carefully took out a worn animal skin paper from his arms, and placed it on the table in front of Lorist.
Tager was taken aback for a moment, obviously he didn't expect this situation, and it seemed that he didn't know that the mayor of Duboff had the gold mine map.
"Actually, I didn't discover this gold mine, and this gold mine is also owned." The mayor of Duboufu explained: "Two years ago, an old mercenary was hit by a poisonous arrow from a mountain barbarian. I found the unconscious man while hunting." He, unfortunately he was poisoned and could not be rescued. He gave me this map before he died. I searched carefully for the past two years, and found that this gold mine is here, in the depths of the Black Forest, in the Woniugang and Rock Castle. In the depths of the black forest, there are hills and stream beaches, where the gold mines are located. However, there are now 20,000 to 30,000 mountain barbarian tribes in this area.
Your Highness, to be honest, I also have selfish intentions, and I also thought about monopolizing this gold mine. But I found that I can't deal with this mountain barbarian tribe, so I can only dedicate this gold mine map to you. "
Lorist admired Mayor Duboff's frankness very much. At this time, he thought of the mountain barbarian cavalry he encountered on the road from Maple Forest Villa to Rock Castle. The companion who was shot by the arrow fled into the Black Forest, and later went to check the bodies of the mountain barbarians and found that there was a small leather bag filled with gold sand around them. At that time, I suspected that the mountain barbarians might hold a gold mine. The gold mine and the mountain barbarian tribe that the chief said are likely to be the mountain barbarian cavalry he encountered back then.
"Thank you, Mayor Duboff, we will always remember your contribution to the family. The family will not treat its loyal people badly. We appreciate your efforts." Lorist stood up and expressed his gratitude.
"You're welcome. It is my honor to serve the Norton family." The mayor of Dubouf quickly returned the gift as if flattered.
"Tager, you take Mayor Duboff to rest in the Rock Castle for a few days. After the Flying Tigers arrive, we will hold a military meeting to discuss how to deal with the mountain barbarian army. At that time, we need to trouble Mayor Duboff to introduce us to the mountain barbarians. The situation. Let’s do this first.”
"Yes, Your Highness." Tager stood up.
"Thank you, Your Highness, I am happy to serve the family." Mayor Dubouf said.
…