The Lord of the Rings: Lords of Middle-earth.

Chapter 414 Private Army? Rebellion?
"Here you go, I'm off!" Caslo handed the umbrella to Apophis Breo.

"Hoo~" Apophis Breo stood silently in the rain, closing his umbrella and letting the rain soak him. The raindrops seeped into his armor through the gaps, but were quickly evaporated by his protective battle aura.

"Sigh~" Apophis Breo glanced northward and fell silent again... His shadow grew longer and longer in the rainy weather.

"what!"

"what!"

"what!"

Inside the fortress's gate, a group of strong and powerful soldiers were training hard, sweating profusely. They were all robust and strong, with piercing eyes and a faint but palpable aura of killing intent that constantly reminded others around them that this was an army that had seen blood.

……

"What's the situation? Has Apophis Breo really made up his mind?" Ajax asked anxiously, smoothing her hair.

“Hmm! That guy is determined…” Caslo’s eyes showed a serious expression. What was bothering him was that King Roland, who was far away in Swiftstream City, had no idea about all of this.

"Is there any difference between what this guy is doing and treason?" Ajax had a headache.

Some matters among the nobles can be kept in tacit agreement in private. Everyone greets each other with smiles on the surface, but it is common for them to engage in small, underhanded actions behind the scenes. However, these things cannot be discussed openly. Some tacit understandings cannot be broken, and Apophis Breo is clearly going to be the one to bring about this change.

"It depends on His Highness's attitude..." Ajax looked worriedly at the gate of the fortress, where two hundred armored soldiers were training hard. They were private soldiers recruited by Apophis Breo!

“Training a private army without a fiefdom…” Caslo frowned. This matter wasn’t a huge deal, but it wasn’t insignificant either; it depended on Roland’s tolerance. However, Apophis Breo’s actions were undoubtedly a provocation against the rules of the nobility! Fortunately, the kingdom currently didn’t have any truly powerful or nominally fiefdom-holding nobles, otherwise they would definitely have ganged up on Apophis Breo and slaughtered him! Strictly speaking, Apophis Breo was currently a member of the court nobility. Without a fiefdom, he naturally couldn’t have his own army. At most, he would have some attendants and guards, but these two hundred elite soldiers clad in armor could not be simply described as guards.

"When did he start this? Doesn't General Reno care?" Ajax angrily swung her fist.

"Alright, don't be angry... I guess Renault tacitly approved, after all, the glory of the Lion King... Sigh!" Caslo sighed and didn't continue. No matter what, they were a great family of defenders, and they deserved everyone's respect. Even now, the only remaining descendants can still enjoy the legacy of this family!
“The King’s Landing family has a strong influence…” Ajax nodded. After all, they are the strongest ducal family in the North, and they enjoy good public support in the North!
Otherwise, where would Apophis Breo find soldiers?

"It seems I should write to His Highness to report this. I'll handle the trouble of offending people!" Caslo, loyal to Roland, couldn't allow this to continue, so he had no choice but to report the matter to Roland...

“This…” Ajax hugged Caslow with heartache and sighed helplessly.

…“Pfft!” Roland was sipping tea, and before he could even put on airs of aristocratic refinement, Caslo’s letter broke his composure.

"Good heavens! Are all the King's Landing family monsters? Where the hell did they gather this team?" Roland exclaimed in disbelief.

Someone actually managed to train 200 fully armed soldiers in this tiny kingdom! Even if they were just ordinary soldiers, that's still outrageous! Roland asked himself honestly, is his control over the kingdom really that bad?

"How did he recruit people?" Roland was completely baffled. Lulong Fortress was a purely military fortress; there were no civilians recruiting soldiers for him!

“Regardless of how he recruited the soldiers, you should face one fact!” Nyx wiped Roland’s face with a handkerchief.

“The kingdom’s nobles are reviving, and you need to guide them! My lord, my love!” Nyx said solemnly, staring into Roland’s eyes.

"It's time to fulfill our promise, Your Highness. The King's Landing wants to return to the game of power, and they have proven their strength! The kingdom needs capable nobles to expand and restore it!" Nyx advised. A king clinging to power is not necessarily a good thing. Dictatorship is not always suitable for every king, like Roland! A good king will employ and manage various talents, which is exactly what Roland needs to learn. The art of kingship is nothing more than balance.

"What do you mean?" Roland countered.

"What do I mean? Isn't it normal for nobles to have their little quirks behind the scenes? The important thing is whether he can bring you what you want." Nyx poured himself a cup of black tea and took a leisurely sip.

"Does that mean I'm not going to care anymore?" Roland retorted.

“How do you intend to manage this, Your Highness?” Nyx retorted.

“If we’re just talking about how court nobles can’t have an army… don’t forget, you promised them the legitimacy of their ducal titles!” Nyx said slowly. After all, everyone knows what the Grand Duke of the Lion King means—a powerful noble family capable of establishing a duchy! As the heir, even the king cannot legally criticize him.

"..." Roland blinked, speechless.

“The return is inevitable! I just didn’t expect that the first noble family to regain its glory in the kingdom would be King’s Landing… I thought it would be Anthony!” Nyx chuckled lightly, appearing nonchalant.

Roland was taken aback. Indeed... 16 King's Landing Knights plus 200 fully armed infantrymen... more than enough to make a lordship.

(Lords are the lowest rank of nobles: although there are hereditary lords, the prestige of a lord is not very high, since most fiefdoms are just small villages, and it's a miracle if they can gather a hundred soldiers.)
"What should I do?" Roland was at a loss. After all, this real world wasn't a game with a walkthrough! He didn't know what to do with his loyal but scheming subordinate.

"Why bother with him? Just let him do as he pleases! How many troops can one person support? Are they going to rebel? In the end, they'll all have to go and expand, won't they? You're not happy that someone's taking care of things for you?" Nyx rolled his eyes at Roland. Why did the king like issuing expansion orders? Because the profits were high! A bunch of nobles working for the king, how could the king not be happy?
“Protect them a little longer. You can’t stay here forever. It’s a good thing that there are nobles loyal to you who are willing to expand your territory!” Nyx said. It’s good to have ambition! If you have no ambition and just lie low, the country is basically finished! Even the meritorious and vested interest noble group has given up. What hope does this country have? Are you trying to emulate the late Ming Dynasty in a parallel world?
(End of this chapter)