Berserk, Total War: Second Son of Nobles

After a week of preparation, the Forest Lord welcomed the Midland army.

John and Jules led the guard of honor and waited from morning until almost noon before they saw troops in the distance.

Leading the way was a group of nobles riding on fine horses and wearing gorgeous clothes, followed by neatly arranged soldiers and one carriage after another. Among them were several gorgeous four-horse carriages, which John guessed were the carriages of the second prince.

Just then the cavalry stopped, and the leading nobleman stopped his horse in front of John and others. Jules immediately pulled John to kneel on one knee.

"Forest guerrilla commander John is here to welcome the Midland Expeditionary Force," John said as Jules taught him.

"You are John. I have heard of you in the royal capital. You are now one of the elites of the younger generation in the royal capital. Only with you can Midland prosper," said the noble.

"Your Excellency, my abilities are limited, but I hope to guard the border for His Majesty the King, protect the border of Midland, and prevent Yoda's army from setting foot in Midland," John continued.

"Then John, take my army to the resettlement site, and then we can talk business." It seems that this is Count Milo.

"Then I will take you to the castle to rest and tell my men to prepare meals." John led the nobles to John Castle and asked Jules to lead the army to the garrison.

At this moment, the curtain of the carriage at the back opened a corner, then pulled down again. Soon, a little boy in gorgeous clothes trotted to the front of the team and said to John: "Your Highness doesn't want to live in the castle. Find a place for us to set up a tent. It should be a quiet place, not next to the military camp or residential area."

John glanced at Count Milo, who replied: "Just do as he says."

So John had to find a flat ground to guide the Second Prince's convoy. It was shocking to see that one third of the carriages belonged to the Second Prince. There were more than 50 carriages, carrying the Second Prince's family and his more than 100 servants, as well as various tents and daily necessities.

John led the nobles to Johan Castle. As he didn't know how many nobles there were, he made more than 100 chairs. Then the dishes served were the same as those mentioned in the banquet that Jules had attended, including roast suckling pig, roast chicken, various pies, and some thick soups. As John's territory did not produce wine, he used the wine that he had robbed from the various Yuda territories. Then John followed Jules' instructions and bought condiments from various towns. As for knives, forks, plates and the like, each noble brought his own, and those who didn't bring any just made their own. In this era, the nobles valued martial virtues more than moral character, so John didn't have to worry about it. Of course, the one sitting at the upper seat at the banquet was Count Milo. Surprisingly, John and Jules sat in the middle position on the right hand side. The position on the right hand side was a position that only very important people could hold, which surprised John.

After eating and drinking, Count Milo took a sip of water to clear his throat, then said: "Ladies and gentlemen, before we start the meeting, we would like to thank Lord John Hohenzollern for hosting this banquet for us. Thank him for preparing such sumptuous food for us while fighting against the invasion of Yoda." After saying that, he raised his glass to salute John. The nobles at the banquet also raised their glasses to salute John, and John returned the greeting according to aristocratic etiquette.

"Next, the court envoy will hold an awarding ceremony for John." After saying that, the man wearing gold-rimmed jewels stood up on Count Milo's right hand, walked to the center of the hall and said, "John Hohenzollern, accept the king's order."

John knew that the elder was coming, so he immediately knelt on one knee and waited for his instructions.

After the messenger opened the parchment, he said in a loud voice: "John Hohenzollern, under the recommendation of General Conseil, became the commander of the forest guerrillas. He wiped out the Yoda troops in the forest and launched an attack, making outstanding contributions to the war. Based on the above merits and the results of the discussion of the court ministers, John Hohenzollern is given the following rewards..."

"Title, territory, money, any one of the three will do," John thought.

"Appoint John Hohenzollern as the governor of the forest directly under the royal family of Midland. He will be awarded the title of knight and will be in charge of all affairs in the northern forest of Yuda in Midland. He will also assist Count Milo in conquering the Yuda army of the Kingdom of Balden. The awarding ceremony will be held in Windam after returning from the expedition." After the messenger finished speaking, he handed the parchment to John.

John was completely confused, but he didn't dare to ask any more questions. He could only take the parchment, return to his seat, and wait until after the banquet to ask Jules if he knew what this meant.

What happened next was not so complicated. The nobles just chatted with each other and got to know John, the upstart, and that was it.

But in the end, Count Milo still gave instructions on how to treat the second prince: "Regarding the placement of the second prince, Governor John, you should try your best to satisfy him. If he really wants to do anything to harm Midland, you can come to me." John could only agree. Why didn't you care when his group of mercenaries were causing trouble? How can I take care of it? One is Prince Balden and the other is a knight governor. It's good enough if you don't kill me.

After the banquet, John asked Jules what this reward meant and what the governor was.

Yule said slowly: "I don't know about this reward, but the governor is quite honorable. This position has a long history. It exists in both Mitlan and Yoda. In ancient times, because the number of border troops was greater than that of civilians, a position was set up. It is similar to the mayor, but has more power than the mayor. The mayor is also under the control of the Citizens' Council. As long as you don't rebel or kill clergy within your own jurisdiction and can complete the tasks assigned by the king on time, you can collect taxes. Because the governor's areas are military areas, they are basically tax-free. Sometimes you are even given money to pay your salaries. For example, Yoda, the lord of Dordorei, is the governor of Dordorei."

"But" Jules changed the subject.

"This kind of job is usually given to the royal family's confidants and nobles with great influence. It is rare for a fledgling noble like you to be a governor. There have been a few such cases in history, but I didn't expect that our family could produce one."

"So, my knighthood comes with the position of governor. If I didn't have this position, I wouldn't be given the knighthood, right?" John was speechless. You gave me such an important position, but you didn't even give me the title of earl. Not only do you not have the title of baron, but you also don't have the title of lord.

"Don't be discouraged. You are so young. Once you get into Barden, show your abilities and I'll use my connections to put in a few good words for you. Maybe we can become a family."

"So who are you related to, Count Milo?" John asked.

"Count Milo is just one of them. A cunning rabbit has three burrows. Anyone who is in the royal circle will have more than one connection," Jules said carefully, as if he knew many people.