HCB Chapter 289 The Distant Frontier
Chapter 289 The Distant Frontier
As one of the most populous cities in Midland, Wyndam has regained its vitality after the spring breeze blew through the city.
In Windam's most heavily defended palace, new branches and leaves sprouted from the trees that had been ravaged by wind and snow, and even the originally barren land in the garden sprouted tender new buds. In summer, these new buds will bloom into bright flowers for the royal family and ministers to enjoy.
“Spring is here.”
The king looked out the window at the tender sprouts on the ground and muttered to himself. Then he put on his clothes with the help of his servants, put on the crown, and walked to the meeting room of the palace to start a new day's work.
At this time, in the meeting hall, the ministers were gathered in twos and threes to discuss the latest news. As ministers appointed by the king, they naturally did not talk about gossip, but about all aspects of the country.
"Have you heard? Earl John has won another victory. This time the king will definitely reward him again." A minister whispered to the others.
"Not only have I heard about it, I even know the details. John led the army in his territory to attack the border mountains. With 10,000 troops against 50,000, he actually won."
"It's a miracle that we dared to fight a siege when we were outnumbered by the enemy."
"Don't call it a miracle. This is simply God's blessing. John has never lost a battle since he was promoted by the king. He fights in the east and west. He fights wherever the king tells him to go. He always wins."
Just as the ministers were marveling at John's military achievements, the king walked into the council hall from the back door.
When the king sat on the throne and looked around at all his ministers, he found that all of them had happy expressions on their faces. The king thought about it and knew the reason. Spring had come and it was time to pay them their salaries.
"My dear ministers, the spring of the new year has arrived. Do you have any important national affairs to report?"
Before the king finished speaking, a minister stepped forward and said:
"Your Majesty, Lord John just recaptured the Pis Mountains occupied by the Lana people a few days ago, and also captured the Lana leader alive."
"Yes, Not Bad."
The king was very satisfied with this. One of the reasons why he transferred John here was because Hoss fought so badly. With 200,000 troops against 100,000, they were completely defeated even though they were on the defensive. The king had no choice but to send John to hold on. As the king expected, John completed his task brilliantly.
Just as the king was about to reward John, the minister in charge of taxation came forward and said:
"Your Majesty, Sir John is not only able to win battles, but he also manages the Southwest Governorate in an orderly manner. Even when there is a war ahead, Sir John is still able to pay you part of the Governorate's taxes. After counting, the value is about 10,000 gold coins."
As soon as these words were spoken, they immediately caused a lot of discussion among the ministers, especially those ministers whose families had territories. They knew the annual tax revenue of their family territories, and the tax revenue of most of the territories did not exceed one thousand gold coins.
The border of the governorship under John's rule was completely plundered, and he had to fight the Lana people while rebuilding it. Even the most shrewd noble lords in Midland could not collect so much tax on such a piece of land, let alone collect it while fighting a war, but John did it.
Even the king's eyes lit up when he heard this. The two most urgent problems facing the king were the Hundred Years' War and taxation, and John happened to fully meet the king's needs.
"Cough cough!"
The king coughed a few times to get the ministers' attention back to him, and then he continued:
"I didn't expect that Earl John is so good at governing his territory. I have decided that after King Lana sends someone to ask for peace, I will recall Earl John and personally reward him here."
Having said that, the king began the next agenda:
"After Earl John left the Forest Governorate, there has been no governor in charge for several months. Do the ministers have any suggestions on the selection of the governor?"
However, when the king said this, the originally good atmosphere came to an abrupt end, and all the ministers lowered their heads in silence. The Forest Governorate was where John made his fortune, and the ministers were relatively clear about the governance capabilities of the Midland officials. If they really went there and caused public outrage, who knew if John would come after them one day.
Looking at the dumb ministers, the king sighed. This was not the first time he had mentioned this matter. Every time, the ministers responded in the same way. The reason was simple. John had no allies in the court and no one dared to take over from him. Moreover, that was where John had made his fortune. If he could not govern well and aroused public anger, John was at an impulsive age and the situation would most likely lead to war.
But if it is not collected, it would be equivalent to losing a territory that can produce stable tax revenue, and it would also have a serious impact on the king's majesty.
Seeing no one answering, the king could only say:
"Then I will be solely responsible for selecting the forest governor. If you have nothing else to do, please step down."
Far to the north of the Pis Mountains, the convoy carrying John was speeding from east to west on a dirt road. John lifted the curtain on the car window and looked north. A few hundred meters away, a settlement was rising with smoke.
This base is not a village for the locals, but a place where Blackwatch settles the young men. These young men will engage in agricultural production here while receiving instruction from mercenaries. This will not only reduce some of the food consumption, but also exercise the physical strength of the young men.
"This is a good idea. Maybe in ten years, I will be able to gain a group of high-quality mercenaries."
John put down the telescope, looked at the settlement gradually disappearing in the distance, then drew the curtains, closed his eyes and waited for the convoy to reach its destination.
In the settlement in the distance, the children put down their farm tools and lay on the wooden wall of the settlement, watching the departing convoy. They looked at the convoy with curiosity. They had not seen such a grand ceremony for a long time. Even the noble lords they had seen before did not bring so many carriages when they went out.
Among them, Griffith was looking at the team of carriages still in his field of vision. Unlike other children who were curious, he began to wonder about the identity of the owner of this team. How could he lead so many people and carriages to pass through the area guarded by the army without any hindrance? A desire was quietly arising in his heart.
"state!"
A fist hit Griffith's head from above. With the sudden pain, Griffith squatted down in pain, protecting his head with both hands and looking at the tall and strong instructor behind him. Even the desire in his heart temporarily disappeared.
"Griffith, look at what you're plowing?"
The instructor grabbed Griffith's slender arm and dragged him onto a cultivated field.
Pointing to the wavy furrows on the ground, the instructor reprimanded:
"Look at the land you've plowed. It looks like it was gnawed by a dog. Plow it again. If the furrows are not straight before noon, you won't have any food!"