Chapter 1322 - 567: Winning All the Way, Enjoying All the Way_2

Chapter 1322: Chapter 567: Winning All the Way, Enjoying All the Way_2

As time passed, the "Old Faith" basically disappeared due to having no specific deities to believe in, no clear doctrine, no divine grace, and a lack of preachers. At this time, the famous Mother Goddess "Freya," also known as the wife of the God of Nature Tal, and their natural sect took over the area, forming the famous Freya Ancient Church District.

That is where Alfred’s fief is located.

There is a sturdy monastery here, built from granite and slate. Originally, three Corpse Demon Kings led a small Undead Army residing here. Now, after the monastery has been thoroughly cleaned, Alfred and his subordinates can quickly move in, and the two thousand gold crowns given by Laine are enough for Alfred to quickly rebuild the area and restore production.

Teresa forced a smile. The female sorcerer could understand that Laine’s large-scale implementation of the feudal system was actually a helpless move at this time.

The drawbacks of the feudal system go without saying. The feudal nobles have lower mobilization power and tax contributions, but the benefit is that once Laine delegates the lands, he no longer has to worry about them. The knightly nobility who receives the land will naturally put in all their energy and savings into restoring production and construction. If Laine were to take on everything personally, it would be impossible to achieve. When he was a baron or a count, he could still manage, but once he became a duke, it was impossible for Laine to oversee all affairs of the Duke’s Domain alone.

Moreover, these knightly nobles under Laine have followed him for years, winning battle after battle, and have now become a group of capable and battle-hardened individuals. They deserve their rewards.

With Laine’s prestige at its peak, a single command from him ensures that these knightly nobles follow his will without needing to worry about their full mobilization of the army.

Heroes are created by the times. Now in southern Brittania, under Laine’s leadership, they have consistently won, leading to a surge of capable and battle-ready knightly nobility, stars rising high. From Lops, who followed him from Marinburg, to Olivier, who is brave and adept at leading cavalry, Hex, who is proficient at commanding infantry, and Lucian, skilled in strategy and tactics, they have all gained quite a reputation in the Old World. Alfred, who won the first honors in recapturing Musillon, will soon become known to the humans of the Old World.

"There’s no more effective way to win the hearts of subordinates than generous rewards."

——Emperor of the Empire "Iron Cross" William III

"By the way, Duke Laine, what about the titles of the Duke of Leonais and the Duke of Montfort? Are they vacant?" The Imperial side inquired with great interest.

"The King has already sent people to find the former Duke of Leonais, Lord Dalheid, who is on a penitential expedition. Meanwhile, Baron Adheid of the Leonais Duke’s family is ready to succeed. As for Montfort, Fulcard’s eldest legitimate son, Fod, has announced his appointment as the new Duke of Montfort."

The banquet ended quickly as everything was kept simple after just capturing Musillon. After dinner, the two Imperial Generals took their leave, and Alfred and Lucian left after saying a few words to Laine.

On the streets of Musillon, the two Imperial Generals were still discussing the matter. The over fifty-year-old Dieter gazed at the dirty Grismore River, suddenly filled with feelings: "It seems that the human companions on this side of the mountains are not as backward as we thought. From these battles, their combat will and morale seem even stronger than our army in Nuer."

Feeling the cool breeze of the summer night, Boris von Rukov scoffed dismissively: "That’s normal, sir. The serfs under Duke Laine are well-fed and well-trained. Although their cultural level is relatively low, they can win and have been winning all along. Laine himself has fought many battles, losing almost none. After being with him for so long, even the serf soldiers have developed a belief in certain victory. Even if the war suffers setbacks, they firmly believe it’s only temporary and victory will eventually come. In such a case, as long as the equipment, training, and benefits keep up, a truly elite force can be formed. This is the greatest asset for Duke Laine to establish the ’Old Guard.’

"On the contrary, if even our professional army in Nuer kept retreating and fleeing from strong enemies day after day, eventually, no matter how elite they were, they’d be wasted." Boris von Rukov remained somewhat arrogantly proud: "The army can only grow through the trials of real combat."

"Hmm, maybe that’s why Lady sent us to Brittania. In any case, the task is complete now, albeit not perfectly, but at least we didn’t suffer total annihilation." Dieter, steady and mature from years of war, opted for a cautious viewpoint, not seeking great accomplishments but aiming for no mistakes: "With Duke Laine’s words, we can report back to Lady, and the rewards from this campaign are pretty good. Alongside the King’s commission, we can take a lot of money, enough to cover all the pensions with a nice amount leftover as income."

"Hmm." Boris nodded, seeming preoccupied, answered simply: "Overall, it was okay."

"Do you have something on your mind?" Dieter keenly noticed a change in Boris’s state and probed: "Is it about your... father?"

Boris von Rukov’s father was the Duke of the Imperial Oster Territory and the Wolfen Prince-Elector, Vamil von Rukov. Since Boris was already recognized to use the von Rukov surname, everyone could openly discuss matters related to him and his father.

"Yes, sir. Do you know about Airenas-Salt Water Hatred and her Swordfish?" Boris said in a low voice.

"Of course, I heard that this pirate fleet received privateering permission from the Empire. They raided all the way along the South Coast of Norsca. Since Egil the Red-Eyed is dead, the Northern Barbarians along the Norsca South Coast are busy fighting for dominance, so these raids have been incredibly successful. All the Barbarian settlements along the Norsca South Coast have been crazily plundered." Dieter nodded: "I heard this was initiated by the Brittania side, and everyone is happy to see those Barbarians being beaten. They often raid south to plunder us, and now it’s their turn."

"My brother, Oleg von Rukov, is planning a military campaign. Taking advantage of the Barbarians’ current weakness, he wants to lead the fleet of the Oster Territory and the armies of the Kislev Kingdom northward to attack Norsca. Especially Oleg, he wants to leave an unforgettable lesson for the Barbarians, and my father... is somewhat interested, so he invited me to join the attack on Norsca." Boris seemed conflicted: "I’m not sure what to do now."

"For now, it’s just an intention. You might as well wait until the specific military plan comes out before deciding." Dieter suggested: "Wait and see the specific action plan then decide."

"I suppose that’s all I can do."

The night grew deeper, Musillon, Jiangxin Island, Landuin Street.

......I’m the dividing line above......

In the master bedroom of the three-story building, on the soft big bed, Teresa lay on top of Laine, her face showing a suspicious blush. She felt completely weak and her long black hair, shimmering with a faint glow, spread across the white sheets. Teresa asked, "Forget it, let’s not talk about this. We’ve been out campaigning for long enough, when are we going back? I kind of miss my Wizard Tower."

"It’s about time." Laine nodded: "Once we complete the personnel arrangements and leave the garrison, we can lead the remaining army back to Gene, and Surya is already eight months along, as her husband, I must return."

"Great," Teresa received the answer she wanted, indeed wanting to return.

"Want to go again?"

"Hmm."