Mount and Blade System: Start from Pioneer Lords.

Chapter 221: Swinging the Sword to the South

Okay, okay, answering questions using formulas is fast.

Levi didn't expect that Count Andao, who looked like he had thick eyebrows and big eyes, had probably reached perfection in his slick skills and was not much inferior to him.

No wonder he could become an earl, there is a reason for it.

"I'll tell you a secret, too. I'm actually a staunch supporter of Florina."

Levi approached the young and vigorous earl and whispered, adding at the end: "Whether conservative or reformist, anyone who dares to block the Duke's path is a complete reactionary."

He acted so great and righteous as if he was ready to sacrifice himself for Florina at any time, and his empty words made even the most staunch believers feel ashamed of themselves.

Andao looked at the Lion Hunting Knight with a half-smile, and said in a playful tone: "Duke Fulina is actually the leader of the reformists."

Before the lord could complain, he continued, "The Duke is in his prime and has a long-term vision. He hopes to make the North more powerful through various new regulations."

"But just like a cup full of water cannot have a drop of oil added to it, most people in the North believe in the Ice and Snow Goddess. Many things have long been deeply rooted in people's minds, and it is difficult for them to accept new things beyond the conventions."

"Your Excellency the Duke will have to add another cup to transfer half of the water, so that adding oil or anything else will become easy."

"The Holy Light Church is obviously this cup."

"And Sir, I have studied you a long time ago. You practiced the "Glorious Words of the Holy Book" and believed in the Holy Light Church. Naturally, you are a powerful leader of the young reformists." Ando looked at Levi and smiled at him: "In some ways, we are colleagues, and you have similar experiences to me, so it's natural that we have a good impression of each other."

"Damn!" Levi looked depressed.

No wonder Count Tess was so confused. It turned out that he was inexplicably labeled as a reformist and became a backbone among them.

"Sir, I am actually a nonbeliever and do not believe in any church." Levi still wanted to struggle.

If he was a vassal of Florina, whenever there was such a factional dispute, the neutral faction would be attacked from both sides.

But the key point is that he is not a vassal of Florina. To put it bluntly, the two of them are just investors and investees with conflicting interests.

He was a little angry that he was inexplicably involved in the factional struggle.

"Sir, no one will pay attention to what you believe in. When you practice the top secrets of the Holy Light Church, others will subconsciously classify you as a member of this sect."

"Besides, your reputation in Bailiu City is too famous now. In the eyes of the people in the North, aren't you the leader who implemented the new rules?"

An Dao suddenly lifted up his sleeves and scratched his right arm hard, leaving fresh bloody marks.

Things that seem free are actually secretly priced. Our ancestors were right.

The lord could only sigh helplessly. When his relationship with Florina became deeper and deeper and he accepted various benefits from her, even if he was not a reformist, he would be labeled as a reformist.

"Let me give you an example." Andao put down his sleeves, wiped the blood from his nails with a handkerchief, and comforted the young baron in front of him.

"I once encountered a strong enemy. Because the opponent was very strong, I had to choose between painful honor and regretful mediocrity."

"When I was complaining about the long-term itching problem on my arms due to excessive use of Dou Qi..." It seemed that the itch came again, and Count Ando scratched directly through his clothes: "In fact, I also know that I have won the honor of being selected for this pain, and this is the choice."

“Not every choice is a bad thing. As a benchmark for the reformists, while being hostile to the conservatives, you will also gain unimaginable benefits.”

……

This brief conversation made the lord realize that the North was not as solid as it appeared.

Of course, this doesn't mean that these conservatives are not loyal to Florina. It's just that once certain interests are involved, both sides will inevitably start arguing and it will be impossible for one party to have the final say.

However, this conversation also made Levi understand why those minor nobles and the two earls had a good impression of him.

It turns out they are all gay.

This time, he was much more relaxed and no longer guarded against Brother Jie, dealing with these enthusiastic young nobles with caution.

With the hurried arrival of Fujiro and Florina, the banquet officially began.

It's nothing more than flattering each other while eating and drinking, and becoming familiar with each other.

In addition, this banquet was not a simple dinner party, so there were no noble ladies or young ladies attending. Therefore, the lord found it boring and worked hard to cook the whole time.

After eating and drinking, the maids began to clean up the mess and leave.

Several soldiers worked hard to carry a long table to the center of the hall and placed a large drawing on it.

Everyone began to sit down around the long table. Due to the lack of space and the large number of people, the petty nobles could only watch from behind.

The lord is a well-known figure at the moment, so naturally he got a position and was sandwiched between Andao and Earl Luke.

However, he felt really uncomfortable being sandwiched between men on both sides. He wanted to move his buttocks left and right to make more space, but he was afraid that he would not be able to control his strength and squeeze all the nobles present to the ground, so he had no choice but to endure it.

"Everyone, you are all vassals of the Martell family. You have sworn to fight for the Martell family, and now the Martell family needs you to raise your swords and swing them at those hateful challengers."

Florina looked around at these nobles, big and small, and spoke in a loud voice.

"Madam, don't worry. We will stab Damon Iseli's asshole with our swords, and then fight our way into Colum to rescue Madam Onaya!"

A burly elderly nobleman said with a laugh, not taking Damon seriously at all.

"Old Jon, I'll wait and see." Florina smiled, not caring about the other party's vulgar words at all.

All the nobles present echoed the sentiment, and morale was high.

After they expressed their loyalty, Florina continued, "I wonder what you think of this war?"

For a moment, the room was so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The nobles did not speak, but their eyes were constantly communicating with each other.

Levi sat in the crowd and took advantage of the situation. He looked around while no one was paying attention and found that the two earls, Ando and Luke, were both calm and composed, as if they were out of the matter.

Yes, these two guys are staunch supporters of the Duke. Anyway, they will do whatever Florina tells them to do. There is no need to worry about these issues.

"There are no outsiders here, so we might as well speak freely." Florina smiled, then paused and said, "In my opinion, the South Territory has been peaceful for a long time, and it will not be our opponent."

As soon as these words were spoken, they expressed the thoughts of most people present and immediately received a warm response.

"These southerners shouldn't have imprisoned a child with the blood of the King of the North. They will face the King's wrath." "Daemon, the golden lion of the prairie, may have been blinded by his arrogance."

Pride is a bad habit that every noble has, but those present here are all well-known nobles with great power, not to mention that they are not ignorant young men.

The Southern Territory has been in peace ever since the end of the Lizardman Rebellion twenty years ago. Those soldiers have probably been eroded by the rich and peaceful life, and it is hard to say how much combat effectiveness they have left.

Here in the northern border, bordering the wilderness, bloody conflicts with those wilderness people are as easy as eating and drinking. Every winter, they even come south to plunder.

And under the governance of Duke Florina, the North was thriving and its military strength was also increasing.

Perhaps the strength of the South was not weaker than theirs in the past, but when one was gaining strength while the other was losing strength, everyone in the North believed that if both sides declared war, the other side would definitely be courting death.

"Although we all agree that victory belongs to the North," Furlina paused for a moment before continuing, "In fact, we are now facing a difficult problem."

"That is how to bypass the location of the King's Court and lead the troops to the South Realm."

"If you pass through Gonda City in broad daylight, our king will not turn a blind eye."

"He is just a fat pig who sat on the throne because of the goddess of luck. He only dared to warn in a letter."

"If this lucky king cannot see the situation clearly, the North would not mind letting him see the bravery of the Northmen!"

When the old nobles mentioned King Derby, their faces were full of disdain and indifference. Only the minor nobles did not dare to speak.

After all, no matter how bad the king's reputation is, he is still the one in power in Derby.

Only these great nobles dared to discuss it openly.

"Quiet." Fujiro said expressionlessly.

Everyone stopped talking, and Florina pointed to a location on the map with her stick.

"I once discussed our marching route with Fujiro, and we finally concluded that the best position is to bypass Gonda, pass through the Mislin Land in the east, and then go diagonally to Koren."

Levi stuck his butt out and looked at the map. He didn't know who drew this map, but it was easy to understand and it was easy to figure out the locations of the major forces in Debe.

The Mislin Land is within the scope of the Eastern Territory.

The marching route that Florina mentioned was just a semicircle.

"Ma'am, if I remember correctly, Mithlindi is the territory of the skinning family Ted Bay. They built a stone bridge across the valley here and collected tolls for hundreds of years."

"Will he let us pass?"

Inquired a noble who had obviously researched famous families from all over the place.

"I heard that this group of despicable skinners charge per head. If hundreds of thousands of our soldiers pass by, then the fees they collect will be enough for them to die on women's bellies countless times."

Someone told a joke, but no one laughed.

"I will write to their lords and ask for money or something else, as long as it is within their acceptable range. If they don't know what's good for them..."

When Florina said this, she sneered twice.

Well, she doesn't mind letting these little skinners experience firsthand what it feels like to be skinned.

She was determined to win this battle between the North and the South, not just to rescue her sister.

"And according to the latest intelligence, the lizardmen in the southern border seem to be getting restless again. In order to wipe them out, Damon has sent his Golden Lion Knights to the border."

"It is said that both sides suffered losses."

Wow, this is really good news.

Levi's face showed joy.

It has to be said that what Damon, the rogue knight, is most famous for is his cavalry regiment composed entirely of magical beasts.

His fame was earned through battle after battle, and his record was brilliant. It was undoubtedly the top cavalry regiment in the world.

Even though I looked like a little jerk when I was beaten by the lord, that was only in comparison with the lord.

If it is compared with the Legion of Thorns, the Legion of Thorns will suffer a great defeat.

As long as the other side loses one knight, it is good news worth celebrating for the North.

Levi quietly poked Count Andao with his elbow and asked in a low voice: "Sir, do you think I really have such an advantage as Duke Florina said?"

Andao covered his waist and grimaced. After a long pause, he said, "Duke Fulina never does anything without confidence. Besides, it is obvious that the military strength of the southern border is weaker than that of the northern border..." At this point, he glared at the lord and said, "Do you know how strong your hand is?"

"This time, the Martell family will gather four legions, nearly 50,000 men, plus the 150,000 elite soldiers you have sent, a total of 200,000 men. In early March, we will take the initiative to march from the North and launch an offensive to make them pay for their ignorance and recklessness!"

Every time Florina spoke, the nobles present cheered, unable to conceal their excitement.

War is one of the few opportunities to significantly increase wealth. For them, war means money in addition to death.

The chance to get rich has finally come!
The people of the North have long been looking forward to war.

"This time, the vanguard will be composed of Earl Ando, ​​Baron Levi, and Earl Tess. They will launch an attack on the enemy's main force and pull out every nail in the road."

Levi was not surprised at all by this, and his face remained calm, but he was a little surprised in his heart that Florina would arrange the conservative Count Tess with them.

Don't be afraid of disagreements between the two parties and take the lead in doing it.

This trip south was different from the previous ones. It could be said that it was completely for his Feng Junlia to recover the lost territory.

The more contributions he makes, the more benefits he will naturally gain.

For example, although Debe has an unwritten rule of not killing nobles, once he is really on the battlefield, swords have no eyes, and no one can guarantee that he will not fail.

If the lord takes the opportunity to kill a few more nobles at this time, wouldn't those territories become ownerless?
Don't worry about any legacy issues.

However, once she supports Leah to take the throne of Duke, it is unknown whether this Northern Duchess will turn against her on the spot.

(End of this chapter)