Swept clean canyons have grown in popularity.
Compared with the original blockade, although there are still few mercenaries coming and going, it can also give people a sense of security. At least it is not like the lifeless desolation where no one came in the past ten years.
Occasionally, a few courageous hunters can be seen walking by together, holding short spears and hunting bows for self-defense, and the quiver at the waist is also bulging. The antelope or pheasant looked at Kant and the others who were passing by on a handsome horse, with awe and envy in their eyes.
The soldiers at Jianshi Pass were originally the most elite armed militia recruited from these hunters.
Ordinary farmers are just cannon fodder.
These hunters are good archers with a longbow.
Kant didn't think much about them. In his eyes, these hunters were actually just commoners who made a living. Although their life was better than that of the most humble serf, it was not much better.
The lives of civilians in this world are severely exploited, even if they want to live a better life, there is no way.
There are many tax subjects.
There are more than a dozen dogs waiting for them to hunt.
For example, in the Sanwaya Mountains, when hunting desert antelopes and hares and pheasants, the lord will charge entry fees, hunting license fees, four-hoof tax, two-hoof tax, feather tax, injury tax, mercy tax, spring, summer, autumn and winter four seasons tax, etc. wait wait wait.
In the end, if the whole family can be fed, it will be considered a good day.
Those hunters are also grateful for this.
Peasants are exploited even more!
Not only the landlord's tax, the lord's tax, but also the duchy's tax had to be paid.
If you are unlucky, you have to go directly to the battlefield as cannon fodder with the crude weapons assigned by the lord. It is still the kind of close combat. From a farmer who only knows how to plow the land, he becomes a moving target to be harvested by the knights.
All in all, as long as you are not an aristocrat, your life is really miserable.
Kant understood this.
Standard feudal lord rule mode.
The people under the rule are miserable, even worse than that of a unified imperial dictatorship.
Even if there is no war, daily friction between lords and various taxes will suck up the wealth of the people at the bottom, and in the end there will only be food that can wrap their stomachs. In times of disaster or war, there will be even more Groups of people went bankrupt.
This also led to the fact that ordinary civilians didn't care much about who was the lord except that the nobles had a sense of belonging.
Of course, the most concerned thing is the tax policy of the new lord.
Taxes are about livelihoods.
As for the Stone Pass, the place already under the control of Kant is much better due to tax relief.
Fatis canceled some exorbitant and miscellaneous taxes, which was also allowed by Kant after discussing with him, especially the reduction of various miscellaneous taxes for hunters and farmers, which can be regarded as a very strong benevolent government.
In just two or three years, it is estimated that the common people here will be completely converted.
The same is true of the small landowners, merchants, and squires.
Only those landlords, merchants, and nobles who can be regarded as relatively large-scale would have a faint resistance to Kant. If Fatis and those elite troops hadn't been stationed here and firmly controlled the Stone Pass, it would have been a long time ago. They joined forces in an attempt to carry out a rebellion and restore the rule of the Lion Principality.
If you think about it, you can understand that once the Stone Pass is seized by them, the credit will definitely be great. Whether it is the Viscount Wayne who has joined the Northshire Territory, or Kevin with the background of the Grand Duke, they will all get great benefits. Benefit.
In the territory of North County, Viscount Wayne is not alone.
And in order to check and balance the North County leader.
Viscount Kevin, who was inserted by Grand Police Cameron, also has a high position and authority!
In the eyes of many nobles in the rocky pass, the background of these two people is much better than that of Baron Kant who walked out of the Nalun Desert and was lucky to get some help!
Even if the title of Baron Kant is rumored to be raised, that is just a rumor.
For the sake of the salt mines.
Once Baron Kant's salt mine in the depths of the Nalun Desert is seized by other nobles, it is estimated that what awaits the baron is not only the improvement of the title, but also a more miserable death.
It is really too easy for the majestic Lion Principality to deal with a little baron.
This is also mental inertia.
The Lion Principality, which builds a country with military force and takes cavalry as its forte, is not weak.
This can be seen in the war with the Yinpan Kingdom. Even the Yinpan Kingdom, which has at least 7 counties, failed to crush only 3 counties. Among them, the North County is still a barren land, and the South County and North County are still The Lion Principality in a state of Cold War.
Just relying on Kant and his little friends, maybe it's okay to take advantage of it in a short time.
It's been a long time.
Will be crushed by the united nobles!
It has only been half a year since Kant's rise to the present, and those nobles and ordinary people have not reacted.
What's more, the most important thing is that Kant's secrecy work is really good. No matter whether it is the secret agent or spy of the Lion Principality, there is no way to detect his true reality.
It is inevitable to underestimate Kant based on the inertia of thinking alone.
Come to the city gate.
The city walls and gates are still built of thick rocks and thick logs.
However, the guards at the city gate were Swadian infantry wearing chain armor, linen robes, and heavy military spears. They formed a team of 20 people and lined up in front of the city gate. They were very majestic and majestic.
On the top of the city gate and on the walls on both sides, there are also Swadian infantry standing guard with military spears.
Clearly wary.
After all, this is not his real power.
It still belongs to the occupied area. If you are not careful, there will be big troubles.
The Swadian infantrymen on the city had apparently spotted Kant and the others, and hurriedly greeted the people below. They took control of the city gate one after another, dispersed the mercenaries and hunters who were still coming in and out, and deliberately left a passage for people to enter and exit.
The surrounding mercenaries also stood peacefully by the side, not daring to put their hands on the handles of their weapons at will.
There were Swadian infantrymen watching them coldly.
The eyes are extremely penetrating.
If the situation is not right, these infantrymen will not show mercy, even if there is a misunderstanding, they will not be held responsible at all.
For the safety of the supreme lord Kant, no one should relax their vigilance, let alone the occupied area, which has not yet been completely conquered. There are so many spies inside, and perhaps even assassins waiting for the opportunity.
Some nobles are not happy with the rise of Baron Kant in their hearts.
For example, the people who assassinated Princess Sophia.
Kant rode forward.
30 lion knights are surrounded by guards, and the safety is guaranteed.
The wide-faced fan-shaped shield was firmly placed on the left arm, and the lion knights swept around vigilantly, carefully surveying any corners and dark places, and were very careful to ensure the safety of the supreme lord.
On both sides and front and rear, there were 20 Swadian infantrymen opening the way and dividing the crowd.
But the situation is fine.
Most people stared blankly at Kant and the others.
Both the common people and the poor looked at Kant and the Lion Knight with envy and awe.
At the same time, his eyes showed his eagerness for the exquisite linen robes and well-made armor. After all, in their eyes, Kant, the lord and knight, was more shining than Baron Dylan and those knights. Bright!
In particular, the war horse under the crotch is even more majestic, which makes people feel awe.
dark corner.
Several people in regular black hoods were standing.
Sensing the indifferent gaze that swept over them, they all chose to stand where they were and did not act rashly.
That was the double scrutiny of the Swadian infantry and lion knights. Even though they were wearing the linen hoods and robes that ordinary people like to wear, they were still standing on street corners and in the dark at this time, attracting scrutiny.
They are not afraid at all, after all, their mental quality is here, turning around and running away will only scare the snake.
The basic literacy of spies and secret agents is still very important.
Just like well-trained them.
Since they can be dispatched to Stone Pass, it means that they are indeed elites.
Most importantly, they did not intend to assassinate Kant, and of course they did not receive orders from their superiors. If they really wanted to come and carry out the assassination, then military heavy crossbows or longbows were definitely the best weapons of choice.
It's really whimsical to want to assassinate with a dagger by yourself.
Not to mention whether the guards will let them pass.
Even if it passed, the disturbed and vigilant target would not make it easy for them to assassinate.
Even if he was assassinated, the target wearing a full set of armor would definitely not be able to pierce in a short while, probably only suffered minor injuries and some frights, and there was no danger of his life at all.
Moving on, the Jianshi Pass has not changed much, but the pedestrians are hurrying and their faces are much more serious.
Although Baron Dylan said that he invited Baron Kant's troops to be a guest.
But actually.
Many people have guessed it.
Even if you can't guess it, you can feel it, the rocky pass is now a change.
At the very least, the arrogant and domineering knights in the past are now obediently huddled in their lairs and cannot come out. Even the soldiers who used to patrol the streets are led by three infantrymen who look like knights.
A patrol team consisting of 3 Swadian infantrymen and 10 Stone Pass spearmen.
Mixed forces.
Fatis' strategy here.
Basically, it has now controlled the financial and military power of Jianshi Pass.
Even though the lower-ranking knights and those squires have not yet fully returned their hearts, they have no objections now, and they all agree that Kant's forces have occupied the Stone Pass and held Baron Dylan hostage. They still choose to remain silent and obey.
Without the ability to resist, they will not easily set off a rebellion that is enough to lose their heads.
They are also waiting by default.
Or called wait and see.
Whoever wins the final victory will earn their allegiance.
Whether it is Baron Kant, or Viscount Wayne, or Viscount Kevin, even Duke Cameron the Lion, or Countess Agatha of the East County, they can choose to be loyal.
The barren North County Territory, and the even barren Stone Pass, are now important nodes in the salt trade.
You can enjoy everything here.
So they are at ease.
(end of this chapter)