dognovel Chapter 684 A young man arrived in Wyndam.
Chapter 684 A young man arrived in Wyndam.
When the last person bowed to receive the reward from the eunuch, he retreated to the end of the line.
The king slowly stood up, his gaze sweeping over the crowd bowing and standing solemnly below.
"You all did your best to resist Yoda's invasion. The defense of Midland's territory is inseparable from your bloody battles. I hope you will continue to fight bravely on the battlefield and achieve great merit."
His words were simple and straightforward, yet carried the unique majesty of a monarch.
Then the king waved his hand, and the Minister of Ceremonies immediately shouted:
"The meeting is over!"
Upon hearing this, the ministers rose and left in an orderly fashion along the passageways on both sides.
Count Yuris walked ahead, his steps steady yet revealing a barely perceptible urgency.
He had his own residence in Wyndam and there was no need for him to stay in the palace. He simply nodded to a few familiar generals and walked straight out of the council chamber.
Most of the other generals were in the same boat. Having been based in Wyndam for many years, their respective residences were already prepared. At this moment, they just wanted to go back and rest as soon as possible, change into proper clothes, and recharge for the victory banquet that evening.
Griffiths stood in the crowd, watching them leave one by one.
"Gentlemen, please follow me."
Soon, a servant dressed in uniform came over, bowed slightly to Griffith and his companions, and gestured for them to follow.
Griffiths and his entourage followed the attendants through several long corridors, finally arriving at a separate courtyard outside the palace, which was used specifically to receive foreign guests.
Griffith glanced around the courtyard and, though he didn't linger, he could tell that the decorations were quite luxurious.
The stone slabs underfoot were smooth, the pillars under the corridor were carved with intricate patterns, and even the tables and chairs in the courtyard were made of the finest wood.
The attendant led them to a room, handed them a heavy bunch of keys and a neatly folded document, and whispered that these were temporary passes to the palace, to be kept safe before leaving.
Griffiths took the keys and documents, then turned and left the courtyard.
Stepping out of the palace gates, the afternoon sun shone warmly on me.
As soon as he stood still, he saw Gus and Casca waving at him from the other side of the square.
Griffiths strode over, and as soon as he got close, Gus spoke first:
"So, what did the king reward you with?"
Griffith stopped, his gaze sweeping over the two men, and slowly said:
"The king seems to value our Band of the Hawk very much, and he is planning to hire us directly to make the Band of the Hawk his bodyguards."
Upon hearing this, Casca's eyes lit up instantly, and she could no longer hide her smile, her tone filled with joy:
"Great! This is a tremendous opportunity for us."
Her excitement was obvious. After all, as a mercenary group, the Eagle Band being directly employed by a kingdom meant that their resources and reputation would be greatly enhanced, and they would no longer have to fight tooth and nail with other mercenary groups for missions.
However, Griffith's expression did not relax at all; instead, it became more solemn.
He knew very well that being hired by the kingdom was never a free lunch; it always came with heavier responsibilities and more dangerous missions.
He looked at the two of them, his tone calm but carrying a barely perceptible hint of wariness:
"This is an opportunity, but also a very dangerous one."
Casca's smile froze for a moment, and she looked at him with some confusion, seemingly not understanding why such a good thing would be associated with danger.
She wanted to press for an answer, but then Gus suddenly leaned forward, staring directly at Griffith, and said in a very frank tone:
"Give me some money."
Griffiths was taken aback, clearly not expecting him to make this request so suddenly. His face showed obvious surprise, and he instinctively said:
"There are at least thirty silver coins in the bag I gave you, how could you be short of money?"
Guss shrugged and explained with a helpless expression:
"The cheapest inns around here cost at least ten silver coins a night, and there aren't any cheaper ones. I remember you said we were going to stay here for a week, right?"
Griffith was stunned. He never expected that the first crisis he would encounter upon arriving in Wyndam would not be the suppression from nobles or the difficulties from other forces, but rather that his subordinates had no money to stay in a hotel.
Thirty silver coins would be enough for a person to live comfortably in a good hotel for a month in an ordinary town, but in a capital city like Wyndam, where the cost of living is much higher than in other places, a week's accommodation would take up most of it.
"Here you go. Luckily, I brought an extra bag of gold coins. Take it and use it first."
……
Meanwhile, deep within the palace, in a secluded room, the light was dim, with only the flickering candlelight on the table illuminating the figures of two people.
Count Yuris knelt on one knee, leaning slightly forward, his tone urgent yet tinged with a hint of explanation:
“Your Majesty, I did this purely to uphold the honor of the Midland army and the dignity of the nobility.”
"If the credit is given to a mercenary group, it will have a very strong impact on the nobles and the army, and the consequences will be very dangerous."
In his view, mercenary groups were ultimately a motley crew driven by profit, how could they be compared to the regular army led by nobles?
The fact that the credit went to the Band of the Hawk was an insult to the entire Midland nobility and army, and those nobles who held military power would never accept it.
King Midland, seated at the head of the table, tapped his fingers lightly on the table, producing a crisp sound.
After listening to Count Yuris's words, he spoke slowly, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable authority:
“Every reform has its growing pains. It was through a series of reforms that Heldran was able to become a nation capable of influencing the course of our war with Yoda in just a few years. If we discover problems but stubbornly remain stagnant, the nation will only slowly decline.”
The king saw it clearly: Midland may seem powerful now, but its internal problems have been gradually emerging or have been present for quite some time.
If reforms are not implemented in time, and a centralized system is not adopted to break the monopoly of the nobility, sooner or later it will be surpassed by Hilderan, or even counterattacked by Yoda.
Count Yuris, however, disagreed. He raised his head, his eyes filled with stubbornness, and continued to persuade him:
"Our war with Yoda has now entered the decisive stage, and the most important thing now is internal stability."
"This reform has touched the red lines of many nobles. If we launch military campaigns abroad while carrying out internal reforms, and if the nobles leading the troops at the front and some officers rebel, we may lose all the gains we have made this year."
But the king's attitude was unusually firm; he interrupted Count Euryss, his tone turning cold:
“My mind is made up, there’s no need to say anything more. You’ve just come back from outside, you must be tired, so go back and rest.”
Having said all that, Count Yuris knew that no amount of persuasion would be of any use.
A hint of resentment appeared on his face, but he dared not disobey the king's order. He could only slowly stand up, bow to the king, and turn and stride out of the room.
Only King Midland remained in the room. He looked at the closed door, sighed softly, and then said quietly:
“Foolish brother, do you really think that you can restore peace after defeating Yoda? Hilderan is always watching us like a hawk.”