The rain just kept falling...
This was the rainy season of the Galentea Continent. It rained ceaselessly for a full month, and in some regions further south, it could rain for over a month—even two months. There, floods and waterlogging were the most common natural disasters.
The southern reaches of Northland, Gildusk City, the former Grand Duke's residence.
A soft knock came at the door. Schward pushed it open and stepped into the study. "Your Highness, Baron Shrade, Baron Kamora, and Baron Farea have arrived."
Lorist was delighted. "Show them in at once."
"Your Highness, we pay our respects."
"That's enough, that's enough. There's no need for all these tedious formalities. We're all on the same side here, and you know I hate this sort of thing. Sit down, all of you." Lorist waved his hand dismissively.
"What would you like to drink? Fruit wine, tea, or Makess?" Lorist asked.
"Your Highness, I'll have a cup of fine grain brew. It's been raining nonstop and the dampness is terrible. A cup of fine grain brew will warm me right up." Fatty Shi said.
"No way. We're about to start our meeting—what good would it do you to get drunk right now? Don't forget last time you passed out after barely drinking more than half a cup. If you can't hold your liquor, don't try to show off. This isn't some wheat ale or fruit wine that you can drink endlessly without consequence. A single cup of this high-proof spirit is almost equivalent to downing five bottles of fruit wine in one go. If you want some, I'll bring a bottle for each of you when we're done, and you can drink it slowly at home." Lorist said.
"You said it! Heh heh, a bottle each. Schward, don't you forget about that. Now give me a cup of Makess." Fatty Shi grinned smugly.
"Damn it, you tricked me again." Only then did Lorist realize that Fatty Shi's entire aim had been to con some alcohol to take home.
Baron Kamora asked for green tea, while Baron Farea chose fruit wine.
"The rain has been falling for over ten days now. In Northland, it'll probably continue for another ten days or so. After the rainy season ends, I will head to the front lines to lead the campaign against the Iblia Kingdom. This will also be the war between our
After I leave for the front, Baron Shrade will take charge of Northland's administrative affairs. Given that the war may drag on, the main plan for Northland over the next two years is to develop the southern regions—establishing Ping'an Plains, Pingfeng Plains, and Pingkang Plains, following the model of Xing'an Plains. Each region will have six to eight towns established, along with eight knightly estates in each to serve as rewards for family knights who advance to
At the same time, Gildusk City will undergo comprehensive redesign and expansion. After the renovation, it will be renamed Roaring Bear City to serve as the capital of our Norton Family's governance of Northland. Furthermore, outside the future capital—in what is currently the eastern suburbs—we will establish a special zone. In this zone, we plan to sell land for those honor-titled nobles in Northland to purchase and build their own estates and castles. Of course, all of their architectural plans must pass our approval, and copies must be kept on file. Additionally, only noble titles recognized by our family will be eligible to purchase. That eligibility depends on how much they're willing to pay. Heh heh."
Lorist shrugged. "It can't be helped. The coming war against the Fisablen Family will be enormously expensive. This was Baron Speer's proposal. Our Norton Family is powerful right now, and having our recognition for a noble title is quite valuable. I estimate we'll gain somewhere between several hundred thousand to one million gold Fordes from this alone, and with the land sales, the family will bring in two to three million total. Moreover, the materials and labor for their castle and estate construction will need to be provided by the family, which will bring significant development to the territory's economy. So I agreed to establish this special zone as the location for those honor-titled nobles' estates."
"Baron Shrade, as the chief administrator of Northland, your main focus will be three things. You can leave the establishment of those three plains—Ping'an Plains—to
The first thing you need to focus on is the renovation of Gildusk City. This will be the center of the family's future governance of Northland—no room for sloppiness. The second thing is this special zone—dealing with those honor-titled nobles and haggling with them should be right up your alley. Don't let me down. The third thing is Count
Fatty Shi stood up to pledge his commitment. "Your Highness, rest assured. I will handle these matters well."
Lorist nodded and turned his gaze to Farea. "Baron Farea, the main reason I had you transferred from Silovas Island is for the upcoming campaign against the Iblia Kingdom. This time, you'll have to take to the battlefield as well."
Farea broke into an excited grin. "Your Highness, I've been yearning to go to the front lines. Stuck back in the rear the whole time, I've felt like I was starting to grow mold..."
Lorist beckoned him over. "Come, take a look at the map. The Imperial Guard Corps is the largest corps in the Norton Family's forces, comprising twenty-five battalions across five regiments—seventy-five thousand men in total. The main reason I called you here is to reorganize the Imperial Guard Corps's deployment and assign one Imperial Guard Regiment to garrison Winston Province.
The Fifth Battalion will be stationed in the old family territories north of Rockstone Castle—namely Rockstone Castle, Recumbent Bull Fort, Turtle Mountain Fort, North Sea City, and Blade Edge Castle. Blade Edge Castle was originally the garrison of the family's Fury Bear Knights, but this time the knight order will follow me to the front. Their future garrison will be relocated here, so Blade Edge Castle will be ceded to the Imperial Guard's Fifth Battalion.
The Imperial Guard's Second Regiment, the Sixth through Tenth Battalions, will be responsible for garrisoning positions south of Rockstone Castle. These include the chain bridge in eastern Northland, the Hendryford chain bridge in the southern region, the pontoon crossing at the lower reaches of the Midobro River, the pass fortress in western Northland's Blade Edge Mountains that leads into the family's interior territories, and of course, here—Gildusk City.
The Imperial Guard's Third Regiment, the Eleventh through Fifteenth Battalions, is deployed on Silovas Island. After Farea's transfer, the regiment will be led by Gold Knight Jeddes, a former slave gladiator.
The Imperial Guard's Fourth Regiment, the Sixteenth through Twentieth Battalions, is currently stationed in Dremek Province. One Imperial Guard battalion is deployed in Kebo City and another in Vandenas City. The remaining three battalions are responsible for overseeing and managing the enormous force of over one hundred thousand prisoners-of-war in building basic transportation and road infrastructure in Dremek Province. The regiment commander is Gold Knight Belunek, who has also been granted the title of Baron.
Farea, you will lead the Imperial Guard's Fifth Regiment—the Twenty-first through Twenty-fifth Battalions. After we capture Winston Province, you are to quickly move into its strategic locations: right here—Piedro City, Walker Town, Windbury Royal Capital, and Lake Dusk Town over a hundred li from the capital, as well as Sehake Ridge on the border between Winston Province and the Southern Province.
With the exception of Windbury Royal Capital, the other locations—Piedro City, Walker Town, and Lake Dusk Town—will need to be renovated into castle fortresses for defensive purposes. As for Sehake Ridge, there was originally a checkpoint fortress there, but it has been reduced to ruins by repeated warfare. We need to build a brand-new fortress there to lock down the gates of Winston Province.
If we can eliminate the border patrol cavalry corps that Grand Duke Fisablen has stationed at Windbury Royal Capital according to plan, then our renovation and reconstruction efforts will go smoothly. But if we fail to achieve that objective, you'll have to defend while building at the same time. Grand Duke Fisablen will absolutely not let us construct in peace—he'll send his cavalry to constantly harass our engineering progress. That is precisely why I ordered you to be transferred here."
Baron Farea laughed and thumped his fist against his chest. "Your Highness, the Imperial Guard specializes in defense. We'll be driven into our positions like nails. Even without castle fortresses as backing, we can still make any invading enemy smash their heads bloody against our lines. Honestly, at this moment, I can barely wait to set foot on the battlefield..."
Lorist also smiled and gave Baron Farea's chest a light punch. "I trust you. With you handling things, I have nothing to worry about."
Baron Farea snapped to attention and gave a knight's salute. "The Imperial Guard will never let Your Highness down."
Finally came Baron Kamora. Lorist said, "I called you here to put you in charge of all logistics and supply operations for this war. You will be the Chief Quartermaster. All military equipment and supplies needed for the front-line operations will go through your review and approval, and you will regulate the transportation and allocation of materials."
Baron Kamora nodded solemnly. "Yes, Your Highness."
"We've been preparing for this war for a long time. Whether it's weapons and equipment, provisions and materials, or transport vehicles, we've made thorough preparations. Here's the warehouse inventory." Lorist handed a thick folder to Baron Kamora.
"However, there are a few areas in this round of logistics that require special attention. For the escort detail, I've already ordered the Rockstone Corps and the Flying Tiger Corps to each contribute a battalion of veterans nearing retirement. I've also selected capable personnel from the garrison forces of traditional Winston Province nobles like Viscount Edis to form a five-battalion security regiment to handle escort duties. So you don't need to worry about transportation personnel.
What you need to pay attention to is that our family will be supporting Count Filim with one million gold Fordes worth of supplies. On top of that, the Kemais Family will provide five hundred thousand gold Fordes in cash, and Count Shahin will contribute three hundred thousand gold Fordes worth of materials—all to support Count Filim in rebuilding his family's territory in the Southern Province. After all, the Southern Province is currently in ruins, and rebuilding a family's domain from rubble without our support would be extremely difficult. These funds are earmarked for a specific purpose, and you must handle their preparation and transport with the utmost care.
Our family's various military corps have their own established procedures for logistics and resupply, so you can relax a bit on that front. However, the biggest difficulty this time lies in mobilizing civilian labor. On one hand, our forces need to prevent Grand Duke Fisablen from forcibly conscripting the young men of Winston Province into his family's territories. On the other hand, we need you to organize and deploy these young laborers.
You heard my conversation with Baron Farea just now. After we capture Winston Province, we'll immediately need to renovate or rebuild four castle fortresses, which will require a massive civilian labor force. I've already ordered four experienced construction teams from the family's territories to be assembled, each consisting of nearly a hundred workers. So you'll also need to organize the young laborers of Winston Province into four labor brigades of ten thousand men each, to work alongside those construction teams.
If the campaign goes well and we manage to annihilate Grand Duke Fisablen's border patrol cavalry corps, then after completing the construction of Winston Province's castle fortresses, these laborers will move on to the Southern Province to assist the Rockstone Corps in completing defensive installations at various strategic locations, digging trenches, and implementing our iron-chain cage strategy.
The logistics and supply center will also need to be relocated there to facilitate resupplying the Southern Province campaign.
The entire logistics operation is tedious and complex. After much deliberation, I believe you are the only suitable candidate. Baron Kamora, do you have any thoughts?"
Baron Kamora nodded and replied concisely, "Your Highness, I'll need the authority to formulate reward measures to boost the morale of the laborers and the escort teams."
"You may. Put together various incentive and reward measures, then report them to me for the record." Lorist agreed generously.
"Then I have no further questions." Baron Kamora accepted the position of Chief Quartermaster.
"Oh, right—Baron Shrade, during the past month of winter, how many people have been migrated from Winston Province?" Lorist suddenly remembered another matter, one that Fatty Shi was in charge of.
"Your Highness, the Rockstone Corps' First Regiment arrived at Viscount Edis's former territory of Walker Town on January tenth. Using skis and sleds, by February twenty-ninth, they had migrated approximately eighty-seven thousand people from Winston Province in total, of whom thirty-two thousand one hundred and seventy-nine were able-bodied young men. The family urgently allocated nearly one hundred thousand cold-weather leather garments for this..." Fatty Shi had been well prepared for this question and rattled off a string of numbers without hesitation.
The so-called able-bodied young men referred to males between the ages of sixteen and thirty-five.
"That doesn't add up. Didn't Viscount Edis say his family's territory only had about thirty thousand subjects in total? Viscount Sindler, Baron Klaus, and Baron Wader—their three families combined only had about forty thousand. How did we end up with so many more?" Lorist was puzzled.
"Your Highness, after Viscount Edis and the others returned, they braved the snow and wind to visit and convince seven other territorial nobles who were in the same situation. This is actually what I was about to report to you. Baron Bodenfeng and Baron Malek promised these seven lords that if they cooperated with their plans, they would receive the same recognition from our Norton Family and become our Norton Family's vassal lords, just like Viscount Edis and the others."
Lorist nodded. "Yes, those were the conditions I gave Bodenfeng and Malek before they departed. The traditional territorial nobles of Winston Province are old aristocratic families of the former Krisen Empire. Unlike the Southern Province nobles who tried to expand their families' power by exploiting the imperial civil war, they sacrificed many family members for the former empire and hardly participated in the civil war at all. I'm willing to give them this opportunity."
"You're absolutely right, Your Highness. These seven noble families have completely vacated their territories and moved their families to Northland as well. I've settled them all in the former noble residences here in Gildusk City. They hope to have an audience with you, and several of them wish to follow you on the campaign against the Iblia Kingdom.
Currently, nearly ten thousand subjects remain in Viscount Edis's Walker Town, mostly young widows and women. This is because Viscount Edis said that if the town had no women or children, it would arouse the suspicion of scouts sent by Grand Duke Fisablen. Lord Bodenfeng agreed with this assessment. He's stationed a repeating crossbow regiment and a heavy infantry regiment—thirty thousand men in total—at Walker Town, while the rest of the forces are hidden in Baron Wader's castle."
"Oh, by the way—you mentioned the family urgently allocated a hundred thousand cold-weather leather garments. What was that about?" Lorist asked.
"Your Highness, surely you didn't expect the Rockstone Corps soldiers to wear our family's standard-issue equipment while impersonating Viscount Edis's subjects. I had to trade our family's brand-new leather garments for those subjects' tattered clothes and worn fur coats, both as an incentive and to ensure they could safely reach Northland. As for those old clothes, they're for our family's soldiers to wear on the outside—only that way can they deceive the scouts of that border patrol cavalry corps." Fatty Shi explained.
"My apologies, I'd forgotten about that. Oh, right—go and notify those seven noble families. They can come see me here tomorrow, and I'll treat them all to lunch. Also, Baron Kamora, you can select twenty thousand able-bodied young men from the migrants who have already relocated to Northland and organize them first. When we launch our attack on Winston Province, they can accompany Baron Farea's Imperial Guard Regiment directly to those strategic locations and immediately begin the renovation and reconstruction work." Lorist ordered.
"As you command, Your Highness."