People in the Middle Ages, draw cards to get promoted

Chapter 54 The Inner Ghost
Following Leonard's stuttering narration, the context of the matter gradually became clear.

The desert bandits that Leonard said were mainly Zoroastrians, entrenched in the Jordan desert, and had been rampant for many years.

Relying on their own ability to come and go like the wind, and familiar with the distribution of water sources and oases in the desert, they often attack villages when the border patrol is not there.

Extorted a lot of wealth, cattle, sheep and food from the villagers who were already struggling.

Occasionally, there will be few merchants in the past, or noble manors that are not well guarded.

Even Earl Leonard, the lord of Kaleburg, couldn't do anything to them.

Leonard was also unlucky. He set off with five sergeants this morning. He wanted to go to a wealthy village under the jurisdiction of Fort Montreal to buy war horses.

There is a large horse market there.

The master behind the horse market is the wife of Count Leonard, Countess Stephanie, an iron rose known as the knight in a skirt.

The horses captured by Earl Leonard by plundering Ayub's caravan and defeating Bedouin tribes were occasionally concentrated here for sale.

Not long after they entered the territory of Fort Montreal, they encountered this group of robbers.

Lothar frowned, with a solemn expression: "Leonard, are you the only one who came back? How many people have we lost?"

Leonard immediately fell to his knees and said with a mournful face: "My lord, we have no losses. They learned that we are soldiers under your command, so they snatched the coins and left."

Lothar was slightly taken aback.

He didn't know whether he should be happy or unhappy.

Glad no one died.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, human life is not worth much at all.

Lothar thought about it: "Fort Montreal is also the fiefdom of Earl Renard. Didn't they say anything about this 'robbery that happened in the Counties of Jordan'?"

Earl Leonard was undoubtedly a powerful nobleman in the Kingdom of Jerusalem, but Lothar had very little contact with him.

Since Lothar was pushed onto the kingdom's political stage by Baron Godfrey, he has been deeply branded as a royal party, and has become the younger brother who waved the flag for Baron Godfrey.

At least, that's how it looks to outsiders.

Leonard said quickly: "My lord, I have paid my respects to Countess Stephanie, Countess Stephanie, Countess Leonard's wife. She used to be the only owner of this land, and Count Leonard relied on his marriage to this Countess to be able to To obtain the title of earl."

Lothar knocked on the table expressionlessly: "Get to the point! I don't need you to explain to me how Leonard, the former Grand Duke of Antioch, was kicked out of the duke position and relied on marriage Resurrected."

Leonard said fearfully: "Lady Stephanie didn't meet me, but one of her knights told me that a new army will be formed in the near future to encircle and suppress these bandits. Let me come back and wait for news."

"wait for news?"

Lothar snorted.

As a neighbor, Countess Stephanie of Jordan logically said that whether it was a visit or an invitation to a dinner, there was always a need for "human relations".

But it has been three days since he arrived in Fort Jogles, and the invitation has not yet been sent.

Either they looked down on him, or Leonard was hostile to him.

Lothar felt that the latter was more likely. After all, Belian defeated Guy, and the relationship between the Royalist Party and the Queen Mother Party deteriorated sharply, and he took a clear stand on the Royalist Party's side.

"I don't have the patience to wait."

Lothar was secretly thinking that this group of desert bandits must have accumulated considerable wealth if they could find their lair for so many years.

The territory's current financial situation, which is beyond its means, will certainly be improved.

In addition, the problem of war horses also needs to be solved urgently.

Otherwise, he would not be able to train hussars if he had money now.

Lothar planned to train at least twenty hussars in a short period of time to form a large-scale combat force.

However, in order to encircle and suppress this group of bandits, the current number of cavalry in the territory is still too small.

There were only three newly trained hussars, including Hans and himself, there were only five.

Relying on these five people to find desert bandits who come and go like wind in the vast desert and successfully defeat them is simply a dream.

If these bandits were really easy to deal with, Earl Leonard, a powerful nobleman, would not be helpless against these bandits.

"Leonard, do you think this group of desert bandits will collude with my citizens? Or, at least some people joined in?"

Lothar suspects an insider.

Leonard showed horror on his face: "God, I promise, my boys and I have absolutely no collusion with this gang of robbers. Those robbers are shameful heretics. If we dare to collude with him and seek Your wealth will definitely go to Hell and be tortured by the devil for 1 years!"

Lothar shook his head and said, "I'm not talking about you, I'm talking about the people! In those six villages, especially in the village where half of the people are pagans, it is very likely that someone has colluded with these bandits."

Leonard let out a long sigh of relief: "Yes, my lord, I also think they have a problem. This group of damned guys not only don't appreciate your magnanimity to them, but instead repay their kindness with revenge. They are simply damned!"

Lothar sneered: "Don't you think it's because they thanked me for my generosity that they gave up taking your lives?"

"Otherwise, that gang of robbers dared to offend Earl Leonard, so why wouldn't they dare to offend a mere Baron of Yogrysburg?"

At this time.

A prompt sounded suddenly in Lothar's ear:
You have completed the milestone: Model fief (your fief has at least [-] acres of land and a population of more than [-] food and clothing)

You have activated the advanced milestone: Model Territory (Your territory has at least [-] people above the food and clothing line, and more than [-] wealthy people.)
You have obtained a three-star special prop: "Statue of the Archangel".

Archangel Statue: When you place this item in your territory, all residents in your territory will get a small increase in their loyalty to you, and a small decrease in their favorability towards your enemies.

Lothar thought for a moment, and realized that it should be because he stopped imposing heavy taxes on Zoroastrians, which improved the living standards of these pagans living under his rule, and finally made up enough for 200 people above the food and clothing line. number.

As for the two thousand acres of land.
Here, the most indispensable thing is the desert full of gravel. Although there are only six villages in Yogryusburg, the land it covers is probably equivalent to some earldoms in Western Europe.

"It seems that the current situation in Jogrysburg is still very bad. Less than one-fifth of the people can eat enough to eat."

Lothar frowned.

Food and clothing are the basic conditions for human survival.

Lothar tapped the table lightly with his fingers: "It is impossible to reduce the tax cut any more, we still have to increase income. On the other hand, this group of desert bandits who often blackmail my citizens also need to be resolved urgently."

Lothar just thought for a while before finalizing an idea.

Since the desert bandits who come and go like the wind are not easy to catch, let's sit on the sidelines and wait for rabbits.

He looked at Leonard who was still kneeling on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Leonard, you have lost the wealth I entrusted to you to buy war horses. How can you repay your guilt?"

The shivering Leonard said in a crying voice: "I leave it up to you, my lord. I just ask you to forgive my sins after death magnanimously, and allow me, a pious believer, to ascend to the kingdom of heaven."

Lothar stood up and looked down at the other party: "Do you know what disappointed me the most? You didn't dare to fight, and you lost the property I entrusted to you. I can't forgive such a crime."

Leonard choked up and said: "Master, they have too many people, we can't be their opponents. I promise, we are definitely not Judas who betrayed us, we are just..."

"Okay, Leonard. I'll give you a chance to pay off your merits. Whether you can live or not depends on whether you can grasp it."

In fact, Lothar knows, is it Leonard's fault?
I don't complain either.

No one wants to run into robbers.

If they fought hard, their entire group was wiped out, and the money had to be lost.

But clear rewards and punishments are the characteristics that a lord must possess, and Lothar must not just hold it up high and put it down gently.

(End of this chapter)