dognovel Chapter 126 Clarification
Chapter 126 Clarification
A week later, John's troops arrived at the outskirts of Wendam. The commander of the honor guard, who had been prepared long ago, rode up to John and said in a respectful tone:
"Count John, His Majesty the King has ordered me to wait here and prepare to guide the knights into the city."
"Thank you for your hard work, sir. Please lead the way." After saying this, John ordered his men to convey the news of their upcoming entry into the city to the rear.
"Everyone, get dressed, concentrate, and prepare to enter the capital to be inspected by the king!"
As the cavalry conveyed the message to the troops behind, the knights immediately cheered up, ignored the pain caused by long-term riding, rode with their heads held high and followed the guard of honor in front into the city gate of Wendam.
As soon as you enter the city gate, what catches your eye are the petals flying in the sky and the people cheering on both sides of the street.
John grabbed a flying petal, put it in front of his nose and smelled it. A faint fragrance rushed into John's nostrils.
It's the same flower as last year. It seems that the old king has invested a lot this time. Thinking of this, John couldn't help but ask the guard of honor commander next to him:
"This time we are just reviewing the Knights, why are we making it the same as last year's triumphal parade? Isn't this too expensive?"
The honor guard commander smiled and said to John:
"That's not the case. This grand event was held spontaneously by the citizens of Wendam. This shows that you are very popular in Wendam."
"Haha, really." John smiled, but he actually had no idea what was going on. He had only been to Windham once, and even if he was admired by the citizens for his military achievements, there were too many people. John even found a bunch of beggars cheering for him. These people who only cared about what they would eat tomorrow didn't even pay attention to the triumphal ceremony. Are they so excited about a group of knights entering the city?
Not only was John confused at this time, but even Count Milo who was observing with a telescope on the palace wall felt confused.
"Who brought these beggars here? What are they doing?" Count Milo looked at the minister next to him who was in charge of arresting them.
"Didn't you say that the whole thing should be more lively, and that the Knights' entry into the city should be even grander than the last triumphal ceremony? It just so happens that there is no shortage of beggars in Midland, so I asked someone to call them over to make up the numbers. Who knew that they would not pay attention to hygiene and even move forward." The minister who was being stared at by Count Milo said a little fearfully.
"Alright, alright, when John is answering the king's questions in the palace, if he can't answer them, you guys should help him out."
At this time, John had already arrived outside the palace gate under the guidance of the guard of honor. After the last experience, John dismounted, handed the tow rope to the groom, and walked straight into the palace. The Knights, led by the Midland City Defense Force, entered the city barracks to rest. Only a few carriages were left alone because John said there were gifts for His Majesty the King.
John walked quickly towards the palace hall. Along the way, he was observed by some people inside the palace. But when John looked at them, they turned their heads and looked elsewhere.
"It seems that the palace has begun to be infiltrated by various forces." John arrived at the door of the hall while thinking. The Minister of the Interior was already waiting outside the door. After handing over his sword to the guards, John walked into the hall under the guidance of the Minister of the Interior.
The hall was still the same hall, and the king was still looking at John with the same solemnity and majesty, but the atmosphere in the room was now depressing compared to the triumphal joy. The ministers standing on both sides were looking at John with different emotions.
However, John was no longer the knight governor who had just walked out of the forest, so facing these hostile gazes, John pretended not to see them. He walked straight to the king, saluted, and said:
"Your Majesty, Count of Franche-Comté, John Hohenzollern, has come to Midland at your request to answer your inquiries and hand over the trained knights to you."
The king nodded slightly and continued:
"Don't be nervous, Earl John. I summoned you this time to ask you some questions."
"I will answer your questions truthfully," John responded respectfully.
"Then Earl John, I would like to ask, you have been exchanging letters with Archbishop Midland for a period of time, and then the Archbishop sent a long team of carriages to your territory. Although this is your own private matter, such a large-scale transportation made the ministers at home feel uneasy. Can you explain it?"
After hearing the king's first question, John breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he didn't think that I was in cahoots with the French King's Office, so it was easy to deal with.
"Your Majesty, when training soldiers, you naturally have to teach them how to kill. Soldiers who can't kill are useless to the army, no matter how good their bodies and equipment are. So after much thought, I think only the cultists are useless. Instead of letting them waste their time in prison, it is better to let them become bloody materials for the new recruits. At least they have proved their contribution to the country at the last moment."
"Is that so, Your Excellency Archbishop?" the king asked the archbishop next to him.
The archbishop responded with words he had prepared long ago: "Indeed, Your Majesty, what John said is true. This is the letter John sent me." Then he handed the letter to the king.
The king looked at the letter. The words on it had dried up a long time ago, so it should not have been written recently. He checked the date to make sure it was correct, then closed the letter and nodded.
"Nonsense, then why don't you use Yoda POWs?"
At this time, a minister from the local faction accused John. John rolled his eyes at him and continued:
"Your Majesty, although the Yoda prisoners are not natives, I can get a reward by selling them to Isu merchants. So after reaching an agreement with the commanders of the southern battlefield, I purchased prisoners from the southern battlefield at a low price, transported them north to the port and sold them to Isu slave traders. The money I earned was just enough to cover the military expenses."
This statement sparked discussion among the ministers present. Some people sneered at John for being a nobleman and engaging in the slave trade, while some ministers who were engaged in the slave trade themselves beat their chests and stamped their feet because they had not thought of this idea.
"Oh, so that's how it is. I didn't expect that Earl John has so many ways to make money." His Majesty the King thought about it and felt that John's slave trade did not involve selling slaves to his own people and could bring in good profits, so he turned a blind eye to it.
"Then this matter has come to an end. I would also like to ask about the Knights Templar." Seeing that the matter was almost dealt with, the king turned the topic to the Knights Templar. The two factions had the same stance on this matter, and both hoped to strengthen their power in the army through this policy.
"Your Majesty, after a year of training, I think they have completed the test and have become qualified warriors. If you want them to go further, they need more experience in battle. However, during the training, they successfully cooperated with the White Wolf Knights and captured the Yoda noble Adam."
As soon as John finished speaking, the originally silent crowd was shocked again because of the news revealed by John. It was not only because John captured the noble Yoda, but also because this was the first time in the Hundred Years War that Midland captured the great noble Yoda and brought him to Windham.
Because only the Yoda people have captured Midland nobles and brought them to their capital over the years, this incident is also a powerful counterattack by Midland. If handled well, it may allow Midland to form a diplomatic deterrent to other countries.
"Bring him up." After a brief thought, the king realized the importance of the matter, so he ordered his men to escort Adam, who was tied up in the carriage, to the palace.
Soon, Adam, handcuffed and shackled, was taken to the palace by the guards. This time Adam was lucky, because John did not beat him because he was out to sea. When he came back, he took him to Windham in a hurry. Adam, who was locked in the carriage, did not realize that he was in Windham until then.
"I may be the first Yoda noble in history to be captured by Wyndam." Although Adam thought so in his heart, he still stared at King Midlan with an expressionless face, because great nobles like him would generally be redeemed, so he must appear mighty and unyielding so that Emperor Yoda would not have to vent even greater anger on him.
"How can you treat a noble who has come from afar like this? Someone, untie him." The king looked at Adam, who was staring at him fiercely, and smiled as he ordered someone to remove the shackles from Adam. After the shackles were removed, Adam moved his hands and feet and looked at the king in silence.
So the king asked John:
"Earl John, how did you capture General Adam?"
After John told the whole story in detail, he received praise from the king:
"It seems that these soldiers have been well trained under your instruction."
John said, "Thank you for the compliment. Besides these, I have another gift for Your Majesty."
"Oh? Thank you so much for your kindness, Earl John. May I ask what this gift is about?" The king was very happy to hear that his vassal presented him with a gift. Although ministers would present him with gifts on major festivals every year, as John was an emerging noble whom he personally supported, the king was not happy about John's gift, but about his attitude and loyalty as a vassal to his lord.
"Excuse me for leaving you for a moment." After John saluted the king, he left the palace first, followed by the Home Secretary next to him. After a while, the Home Secretary came back, followed by a dozen soldiers carrying three large sand tables into the palace, which made the king and the ministers very confused.
Looking at John who had returned to his seat, the king asked:
"Earl John, what do these sand tables mean?"
But John said something that shocked the king and his ministers:
"My Lord, these are all the Yoda territories I have captured. As long as you agree, from today on, Chusda, the South Grant Islands, and Richis Island (the island obtained through the trade with Roderick) will permanently become part of Midland."
"What!" While the ministers present were amazed at John's achievement, they also realized the political and historical benefits involved in this achievement.
The political benefits are self-evident, as King Mitland has a few more islands, which will help maintain the smooth flow of the northern route. The historical benefits are even more impressive.
During the Hundred Years' War, Midland was under attack most of the time. Being able to recover lost territory was enough to make one a national hero. It was the first time in history that John captured enemy land and presented it to the king. Although the land was not large, history would say: John Hohenzollern was the first general of Midland to capture the territory of Juda during the Hundred Years' War.
Looking at the sand table in front of him, the king was in a dilemma. Although Midland was relatively open compared to some ordinary feudal countries, its foundation was still the feudal system. The feudal lord gave the vassal territories to gain the vassal's support and recognition as the successor of the country, and at the call of the feudal lord, he led the army to attack the invading enemy.
However, if the king takes the territory conquered by the vassal, then even if the vassal does not say anything, he will be suspected by the nobles. After all, if you dare to take the territory that others have fought hard for, you may take back the territory that your family has managed for generations next time.
Moreover, since I can conquer the territory myself, why don't I just ignore the feudal lord and do what I want? Besides not having to abide by the monarch-subject treaty, I can also save money on recruiting soldiers. Even if I don't build the territory, it's still good to spend it on myself.
Then, in the presence of all the ministers, the king ordered his men to take out their swords and said to John:
"Earl John, come forward to receive the title."
When John heard this, he hurried forward and knelt on one knee.
The king drew his sword from its scabbard, placed the point of the sword on John's left shoulder, and said solemnly:
"From today on, Chusda, South Grant Islands, and Riches Island are officially incorporated into the territory of the King of Midland as baronies. John Hohenzollern is the legal lord of the above three territories and has obtained the noble title of the above territories. As a vassal, John needs to obey the sacred feudal lord and vassal treaty and fulfill his obligations when the king needs him."
"We will obey your orders, Your Majesty." After John finished speaking, applause from the court faction immediately resounded in the hall, and the ministers of the local faction also applauded reluctantly.
"The plan works." John thought to himself. The main goal of this trip has been achieved. With these three legal territories and an increasingly powerful navy, more and more ships will surely pass through John's territory on the northern route. John only needs to ensure the safety of the sea and provide merchants with daily necessities to make a fortune.
"Everyone, I hope you can expand the territory for King Midland like Earl John did. I will review the newly established Knights' Order tomorrow and grant them a flag and name."