dognovel Chapter 247 Southwest Punk
Chapter 247 Southwest Punk
Earl Hawes was eventually forced to lead part of his army back south to the front line, and the remaining troops would return to the border mountains before 1453.
"I didn't expect that it's autumn already, but the trees here haven't lost their leaves yet." Looking at the lush woods on both sides of the road leading to Mont-de-Marsan, John couldn't help but think of the territory far in the north, and he didn't know when the new forest governor would arrive.
"Sir, Mondemarsan is ahead." At this time, a reminder came from the knight outside the carriage. John opened the curtain of the carriage, and a huge city gate came into John's sight. The city walls on both sides of the gate continued to extend to the end of John's vision.
"Hmm... looks pretty good." John looked around and saw that the external defenses of Mont-de-Marsan were indeed well done. Although it might be due to the war, a city wall of this scale could not be built in one or two years even if there were enough materials. This showed that the city had a good foundation and was built according to a fortress city like Wyndam from the beginning. No wonder it was called Southwestern Wyndam.
Since John had sent people to take over in advance, when John and his army arrived at the north gate, the beggars and hawkers who usually gathered around the gate had already been cleared out, and replaced by local city defense soldiers and a group of local officials in front of the gate.
The carriage stopped not far from the city gate. John came to the city gate with a group of knights and soldiers. An official from the center opposite saw this and trotted up to John.
"Hello, Governor. I am the mayor of Mont-de-Marsan, Thomas Hartmann."
"Little train?" John glanced at Mayor Thomas. He had a bowler hat, a mustache, and two eyes as big as soybeans. This was the first impression the mayor gave John. If you didn't know, you would think that Garden in his previous life had found a new job.
"Hello, Mr. Mayor." After the two shook hands tacitly, Thomas continued:
"The other main officials of the city council are waiting in the council hall. Would you like me to take you to visit Mont-de-Marsan first, or..."
"Time is short and the task is important. Take me to the parliament hall first." John rejected Thomas' suggestion to tour the city first. The two returned to their respective carriages. Amid the sound of horse hooves and the gazes of people around them, John led a group of knights into Mont-de-Marsan.
On the way to the Parliament Hall, John also got a glimpse of the prosperity of Mont-de-Marsan. Although Thomas had blocked all the intersections leading to the Parliament Hall in order to ensure the safety of the new governor, the buildings full of southern characteristics on both sides, as well as the bustling crowds and endless stream of carriages at the end of the road, were enough to prove that Mont-de-Marsan was now a vibrant city.
The convoy stopped at the entrance of the Parliament Hall, a large building located on a hill. Based on the marble columns standing on both sides of the gate and the sideways figures carved on the eaves, John speculated that this was a temple of the ancient empire thousands of years ago.
Under Thomas's guidance, John walked through the corridor with portraits of successive mayors of Mont-de-Marsan and arrived in front of a large door. The guards on both sides slowly opened the door when they saw their mayor coming. Then a magnificent hall came into John's sight. In the hall, there was a man who had been waiting for a long time.
After the two entered the hall, before John could take a closer look, Thomas' voice rang out:
"Governor, I would like to introduce you to the heads of the various departments of Mont-de-Marsan. First, this is the steward of the Council Chamber..."
"...This is Cruz, the chief steward in charge of the city's sewer maintenance. These are the top officials of all departments in Mont-de-Marsan. Do you have any other questions?"
After a while, John finally got through this tedious and boring introduction. To be honest, he basically didn't remember any of the people Thomas mentioned just now except for the one who repaired the sewer, because he didn't want to have too much communication with these people at all.
"Nothing else, I just have something I want to explain to them."
When the other officials in the hall heard John's words, although they didn't say anything, John still caught some people's eyes starting to sway left and right, as if some of them could communicate with each other's minds.
"Um, Governor, have you heard something?" Seeing that the situation was not quite right, Thomas leaned over to John and whispered:
"As you can see, the number of managers in our Mont-de-Marsan City Council is probably second only to that of Wyndam. They and their subordinate officials represent the interests of themselves or their backers and allies."
"Don't be fooled by the fact that I am the mayor of the entire city. In fact, I was elected by various forces to check and balance each other. They basically control the operation of the entire city, and most of the time I am just the initiator of the council or stamping the documents they have agreed on."
"So if you want to implement some policies, or simply come here to make money, it is best to discuss it with them first, otherwise your policies will not be accepted by them due to disagreements, and there may be many problems during your term later."
John understood the mixed situation of Mondemarsan after hearing this, and immediately patted Thomas on the shoulder and said softly:
"Don't worry, I still have this point."
Then John sat down in front of a chair with the Mont-de-Marsan city emblem hanging on the back, as if he was at home, and said to the officials present:
"Ladies and gentlemen, as the governor appointed by the king, I do have the authority to govern all affairs within the governor's territory."
"However, considering the special powers of Mont-de-Marsan as a free city and the tax revenue that Mont-de-Marsan has brought to His Majesty the King over the years, this shows that you are capable of governing Mont-de-Marsan in an orderly manner without relying on interference from external forces."
"Therefore, I will not change any laws or policies in Mont-de-Marsan. Everything will remain the same. During my subsequent term, I will only put forward some of my own opinions and suggestions based on reality. The decision-making power still belongs to the Mont-de-Marsan Parliament."
As John put forward his thoughts, the butlers' slightly tense brows gradually relaxed. However, at this time, John changed the subject and said to everyone in a slightly serious tone:
"As officials in the southwest region, you may have heard that something bad has happened in the border mountains half a month away from here. Although Marshal Hoss is leading his troops to block the Lana army that wants to cross the mountains and invade Midland, at such a critical moment, I don't want to find out that some people are secretly colluding with Lana or Yoda's spies. As the governor appointed by the king, I will be more serious about this matter. No matter whether it is a noble or a civilian, anyone who touches this bottom line will be punished."
Afterwards, John attended a dinner hosted by local officials. After enjoying the local specialties, he moved into the embassy with the farewell of the officials.
After watching the governor from another place leave, these officials left the door of the embassy in groups of three or five.
"How do you feel about this one?"
"I think he's pretty good. At least he's quite reasonable. I thought I was going to give him a warning, but now it seems that the governor is here just to make money."
"Then why not just follow the previous split?"
"No, no, no, didn't you see that this guy who came with the army is probably more difficult to serve than Hoss who just left? I think we should give him more money..."
In the bedroom on the second floor of the embassy, John looked at the officials who were gradually leaving through the gap in the curtains, and his heart began to stir. After all, the Governor-General of the Southwest was not the Governor-General of the Forest whom he had brought up himself. If he wanted to expand his influence here, he would have to rely on the help of local forces.
Just as John was about to go to bed, suddenly a burst of fire appeared in the farthest part of John's field of vision, followed by thick smoke rising into the sky. It seemed that a fire had broken out.
"Mont de Marsan and the Southwest Governorate are really not peaceful."