Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords

The winter night fell quickly. The clock above the Lord's Hall had just passed five, and the entire wilderness was shrouded as if by a black curtain. Clusters of bonfires were lit, emitting a warm yellow light, making Highcliff Castle a beacon in the wilderness, like a lighthouse guiding lost travelers.

Inside the Lord's Hall, Zart squatted in front of the fireplace, continuously adding firewood to gradually warm the entire room.

The Lord sat at the head of the table, tapping it. Tonight's meeting was his impromptu decision.

The heads of Highcliff Castle, big and small, were all present except for Olak, who had gone to White River City.

"Zart, during this time, you will lead the guard to patrol Highcliff Castle. Unless you receive my orders, don't let any outsiders in, except for that duchess."

"Also, our fields, which are now full of crops, are of utmost importance. Hogg, you will lead the cavalry squad to patrol the surrounding area. If anyone dares to actively damage our land, kill them without hesitation!"

Li Wei gave his orders one by one.

The arrival of a legion had a huge impact. Although on the surface, the soldiers of this legion seemed to follow orders, there was a reason why military rogues were called military rogues.

These soldiers were often full of energy and had nowhere to vent it, and sometimes they would do some unimaginable stupid things.

It was even possible that some soldiers would sneak into Highcliff Castle to find women.

These were all things that Li Wei could not tolerate.

The best way to avoid conflict was to isolate the two from the beginning.

"And the blacksmith shop, Muto, you will lead people to set up a cordon and patrol it every day."

"Yes, boss."

Muto nodded, wearing a thick cotton coat and a somewhat ugly woolen hat, which was said to have been knitted for him by his old flame.

He treasured it to death, wearing it on his head every day.

"Tina, inform the people tomorrow that they should not leave Highcliff Castle during this time, and we'll talk about it after the war is over."

With one thing after another settled, Li Wei thought about it and felt that there was nothing else that needed special attention for the time being, so the meeting came to an end.

He could fill in the gaps later.

Just as everyone was enjoying the warmth of the Lord's Hall, suddenly the door opened and a gust of cold wind blew in. Zart, who had become accustomed to the warmth, couldn't help but shiver. He wanted to start cursing, but he managed to hold back, kept silent, and continued to sit in front of the fireplace, acting as a stoker.

"Why are you here?" Li Wei was a little surprised.

"What, am I not welcome?" A red light flashed, and the snow on Fulina's body instantly melted and evaporated. She smiled and said, "I didn't mind staying in the camp, but now that there's a more comfortable place with you, I'm definitely coming to stay here."

Sam, who was sitting at the back, quickly ran over and closed the door.

"Speaking of which, did I come at a bad time?" Fulina looked around the Lord's Hall, which was full of people, with a smile.

This scene clearly showed that the Lord of Highcliff Castle was holding a meeting.

"Not at all, I just thought you would share weal and woe with the soldiers." Li Wei replied first, and then continued, "It's nothing, just giving instructions on some details before the big battle."

"Share weal and woe? Does sharing weal and woe with the soldiers guarantee victory? If the battle can't be won, even if you share weal and woe with the soldiers every day, you're still an incompetent person."

"Moreover, did the historically famous commanders achieve their merits by sharing weal and woe?"

Fulina shook her head, criticizing this behavior without any politeness, and sat down next to the Lord.

"The Duchess is truly insightful!" Li Wei gave a thumbs up.

In some ways, this duchess was really similar to him.

The effect of sharing weal and woe was undeniable, but in reality, for a leader, winning a battle was not just about sharing weal and woe.

"It's not really insightful. In this era of embracing false reputations, everyone is doing this, but the soldiers know better than anyone else that it's better to lead them to victory and give them more rewards than to share weal and woe. As long as the rewards and punishments are clear."

Fulina used herself as an example, "Like me, I never do this, and the soldiers still respect me. It's just that I never cut military spending and always reward merit."

"Among them, the fact that you don't cut military spending is something that few people in Debe can do." Li Wei said sincerely.

Debe claims to have a million military expenses every year, but in reality, the military funds that reach the hands of the common soldiers have been exploited at every level, and are at least 70% less than what was promised.

The fact that this duchess can ensure that the soldiers receive almost the same amount of money as promised already surpasses 80% or 90% of the people.

The previous topic was just a taste, and Li Wei waved his hand to send everyone away before asking, "How are you planning to fight this war?"

"I'll be frank, Li Wei. I want you to be an extra-territorial team independent of the Thorns Legion. You have a lot of autonomy." Fulina stared at Li Wei seriously. "As a condition for this battle, I will grant you the title of 'Lion Hunter Knight,' which is a very difficult honor to obtain in peacetime."

"You only need to participate in a war that is bound to be victorious."

"This is an opportunity that many people will be jealous of for a lifetime!"

Li Wei didn't expect this duchess to be so decisive. Compared to being in the castle, she was clearly more aristocratic, but now she involuntarily revealed a bit of military habits, probably because she had been in the army before.

He didn't rush to agree, but stroked the stubble that had just sprouted on his chin and thought for a while, before turning to ask with a smile, "Duchess, this title is probably to prepare for the southward journey, right?"

The meaning of this title was too obvious. One of the titles of Damon, the Southern Border, was "Golden Lion of the Highlands."

It was hard not to think about this when called "Lion Hunter Knight."

No wonder this duchess had come all the way here in person, and wanted him to join the legion to participate in the war against the Minotaurs. It turned out that it was all to gild his title for the sake of propaganda.

"That's right. You and Leah are the parties involved in this struggle for the title in the south, and in this upcoming war, I need someone to inspire the people and boost morale!"

"This person should be related to the cause of this war, and have considerable strength and prestige. Obviously, Li Wei, you are the most suitable candidate."

Fulina nodded very honestly, without hiding her thoughts at all.

"To be honest, Mrs. Fulina, with our Highcliff Castle's small guard team, it won't even make a splash in a war of hundreds of thousands of people in the south," Li Wei cursed inwardly, but on the surface, he complained, "If you really trust me, I can do the tiring work of guarding the rear. As for the title, please forget about it."

The benefits of this title were obvious, that was, his name as the Lord of Highcliff Castle would resound throughout Debe, but he would also face the most violent attack from that "Golden Lion of the Highlands."

In other words, this title was fucking used to attract hatred.

It was undeniable that with his current strength, it was already difficult for ordinary soldiers to stop him, but his subordinates were not supermen like him.

The consequence of attracting the attention of the entire enemy army was that he would become a commander without any soldiers.

"I have a candidate for this." Li Wei smiled, better for a dead Daoist than a living poor one, "Sir Skye has worked hard and has great achievements. His reputation and fame are stronger than mine, and he is fully qualified to bear this title. As for being related to the cause of the war? It shouldn't be difficult to add another name to the list of people who rescued Miss Leah from Corin."

"After all, civilians and soldiers only need a little guidance and they will easily believe it."

Fulina, who had long known the baron's temper, was not surprised. She remained noncommittal, sipped a mouthful of warm water unhurriedly, and then asked, "Li Wei, I heard that you have cultivated the 'Radiant Holy Word Scripture?'"

"Duchess, your information is accurate." Li Wei smiled slightly, with a sense of unwavering calm in the face of wind and rain.

"If I'm not mistaken, you only have the first stage of cultivation, and you don't even have Holy Light spells."

"That's indeed the case." The Lord nodded. There was nothing he could deny.

Moreover, Fulina would say this, which meant that she basically knew his situation.

"Generally speaking, the Holy Light Church will not manage the first stage of cultivation of Holy Knights too strictly, because the first stage of cultivation will autonomously screen out Holy Knights with good talents. If these knights want to cultivate the next stage, they can only join the Holy Light Church, which saves them a lot of manpower and time."

"Therefore, the Holy Light Church controls the subsequent stages and Holy Light spells very strictly, and they are almost never spread externally." Speaking of this, Fulina smiled slightly, as if she said very simply and easily, "I happen to have a good personal relationship with the Pope of the Holy Light Church, and I think I should be able to get some Holy Light spells with my influence."

Good, good, good, everyone either has a good relationship with the Holy Maiden or a good relationship with the Pope.

Are you all bullying me, Li, for not having any social connections? I'm trembling with anger.

The Lord vowed that if he had the opportunity, he would make friends with the Holy Maiden of the Holy Light Church and become close allies.

"Mrs. Fulina, look at what you're saying, spells or anything are not important at all, but if you insist on giving them to me, I won't refuse." The Lord waved his hand, with a righteous look, "Let's still discuss the issue of the 'Lion Hunter Knight' title."

"Oh? So you've changed your mind?" The corners of Fulina's mouth slightly raised, like a mischievous child who had succeeded in a prank.

"What change or no change, this war was originally caused by me and Leah, and I have an inescapable responsibility no matter what!"

Anyone else sitting here might blush, but the one sitting here was the Lord of Highcliff Castle, who was known for his thick skin, and he didn't even blush at all.

"Actually, you don't need to worry too much. This time, I've decided to divide the army into two parts for the southward journey. One part is a private legion composed of the lords under my command, and the other part is the Northern Border Legion led by me personally."

"You will be assigned to the same group as those lords. You will have a lot of autonomy. Except for a unified battle sequence, you will not be subordinate to each other during the period."

As a duchess, Fulina personally explained to Li Wei in more detail than a civil servant.

"Compared to the danger, the prestige and honor brought by this title are even greater."

Li Wei nodded.

To be honest, his previous stalling was just to get more benefits. Now, of course, he would stop when he saw the advantage.

After all, he couldn't really be a logistics officer and dawdle in the war in the south.

"As you thought, the reason for letting you join this war is to continue adding achievements to your resume. An invincible 'Lion Hunter Knight' is definitely enough to inspire people." Fulina threw an oily peanut into her mouth. "You don't need to put in any effort for the subsequent publicity. Just wait quietly for the prestige and honor brought by the 'Lion Hunter Knight.'"

"It is foreseeable that in the future, the 'Lion Hunter Knight' will definitely become the most admired knight by noble girls." Fulina smiled mischievously. "Maybe there will be a chance to become a guest of honor for wealthy ladies."

"Hey, am I the kind of person who loves vanity?" The Lord waved his hand with the appearance of a gentleman, and said righteously, "I don't care about young girls or wealthy ladies. I only have a heart to repay my liege."

Li Wei knew very well that a person's reputation was like the shadow of a tree. The benefits brought by prestige were often incomparable to money, so he agreed to this matter.

Highcliff Castle, which was in the development stage, urgently needed a positive figure to act as a facade.

And in the entire Highcliff Castle, Bai Ruisi Tina was a woman, Mir was obsessed with designing weapons, Zart was illiterate and still an orc, and all the others were aliens, so only the Lord had a little packaging value.

Sometimes, it was necessary to do things that violated one's will, which was perhaps the helplessness of being a lord.

The two discussed some more details, and from Fulina's mouth, Li Wei also learned more about her views on this battle.

The Minotaurs had never been taken seriously by this duchess. The fact that she showed so much importance this time and personally came to command the legion was just to build momentum.

To put it bluntly, everything was to prepare for the southward journey. For the duchess, only attacking and plundering cities in the south was her real goal.

After discussing the details, the Lord arranged for Fulina to stay in the room where Leah had lived.

It just so happened that Leah had just left not long ago, and the room had not been cleaned, so she could move in directly.

Fulina obviously didn't have cleanliness or anything like that, and moved in directly. Of course, it might also be because she knew that these were the bedding that Leah had slept on, so she didn't mind.

……

As the army set up camp, the cold wind in the wilderness seemed to carry a sense of unease, as if every plant and tree was a soldier.

These soldiers were more elite than Li Wei had thought. Not a single one took advantage of their position to leave the camp and have fun. They stayed in the camp every day, quietly waiting for the arrival of the war.

And two days later, Skye, who had gone deep into the wilderness, finally returned with his men.

It's just that his situation was not very good.

The first to discover them was the gnoll scout squad that had been patrolling outside, followed by Fulina's cavalry regiment.

"Damn it, we all underestimated these Minotaurs!!"

The Lord was the first to meet Skye, and this knight, who had always been unperturbed by favor or disgrace, rarely cursed, and his face was filled with disbelief, as if he had seen a ghost.