Big win, all win, big win.

The battle on the shores of Lake Pontchartrain ended at sunset.

On land, the Felt Battalion suffered 62 killed and 47 wounded, and the Guards lost 2 killed and 6 wounded, and the dead and seriously wounded were all loyal soldiers drawn from the former Earl's guard.

The Jackdaw-born musketeers were much more sleek than them, and knew how to complete tasks while protecting themselves, which was highly regarded by Hérault.

The Indians suffered heavy losses, with a total of 385 people killed, 88 seriously wounded, and most of the remaining prisoners, according to confessions, less than 20 of whom fled.

Their misery is much more than that.

The Baton Rouge Legion skillfully asked for the names and locations of all four tribes involved, and the elite slave hunters with the army as the backbone had already set out, and even the Chitimacha tribe, who were friendly with France, were powerless to prevent this retaliation from being carried out.

According to the most optimistic estimates, nine tribes in northeastern Louisiana will be wiped out.

On the lake, the Jackdaws easily sank a Sloop sloop and a Skuna brig with the help of its guns, and captured the Brigentin-type pirate ship Rain Frog.

Lorraine did not hand over them to anyone, but convicted them on the basis of their captured nautical diaries before they landed, and hanged them all on Brigenting's mast in accordance with the punishment of the pirates of the nations.

Under the setting sun, the dozens of corpses that shook with the waves brought an incomparably huge impact.

Lorraine, dripping in blood, sat lazily on the bow mast, like a demon sailing out of hell, and the sight of those who saw it was unforgettable.

The name of the tyrant Edward spread far and wide, with the Felt Camp and the captured Indians as its source, and hurricanes blew through the corners of New Orleans.

After that, nine days.

At the invitation of the Count, Lorraine led Carmen in full costume to Kent Manor again, and in front of the gate of the manor, he met Eero, who was leading a group of wounded soldiers.

Recognizing several of the wounded soldiers' faces, Lorraine stopped and called out to Hérault through the window.

"Knight Ero, if I'm not mistaken, these people ......"

"There are twelve of them all guards who have committed betrayal. The current guard should be reliable, but unfortunately after review, there are less than twenty people who are still willing to serve the earl, and it is imperative to reorganize the guard. ”

"What's the difference between this and just disbanding the Guard?"

Ero shook his head solemnly: "There is always a reason for the Earl's actions, just like the decision to release these traitors today, although I can't understand it, but I believe that the Count will not be untargeted." ”

"The reason ......," Lorraine pondered for a moment, "I guess there was a turning point." ”

"What turnaround?"

"A turning point in the war."

……

The spring meadows are blanketed, the whip rack used for violent censorship has been completely removed, and the servants are busy dismantling the tallest gallows, the corpses on which are long gone.

Lorraine saw the Count in the study, full of spring breeze and full of pride.

"Drink something?" The Count asked Lorraine with a smile.

"Whiskey, on the rocks."

"What about this beautiful lady? If I'm not mistaken, she's your right-hand man, Donna. Miss Linka? ”

Lorraine smiled faintly: "You guessed wrong, she is Carmen, my staff officer." ”

Carmen bowed respectfully and gave the Count a standard lady's salute: "First time we meet, Carmen, the trade manager of the Edward Merchant Order, greets you. ”

The Earl frowned in displeasure: "The trade manager is not allowed to mention the surname either?" ”

"There is no so-called forbidden, it's just that the Earl's destiny is honorable, and deceiving you will condemn my conscience."

The Earl was stunned for a long time, and suddenly burst out into an uncontrollable laugh: "Tyrant Edward, the water and soil of Louisiana really can't raise such an excellent farmer. ”

"I have nothing but the strength of my arms by wielding a scythe, the physical strength cultivated by devoting myself to farming, and the bravery of driving away wild beasts."

The Count was noncommittal to Lorraine's rebuttal, poured two glasses of wine at the bar, and pushed one of them in front of Lorraine.

"Come here at this time, did you see a lot of unexpected scenes?"

"Yes, those who betrayed you were released instead of exiled, and the corpses that had been hanging for many days were lowered, and I think it seems to you that there are no more people to determine."

"As you said, there is no one to deter, and now I need to show goodwill."

"Has anything changed?"

"The stage has changed." The Count sat down on the couch opposite Lorraine, "A stupid assassination has brought me into a crisis, a great crisis, there is no one to rely on, and the whole world is an enemy. I have to let those who plot against me know the cost, and it's the least costly counterattack. ”

"So you deliberately made a big deal out of it, gouging out every eye and ear around you, even if it shook the morale of the army?"

"Yes, you provided me with an excellent escort plan, stand-ins, guards, personal guards, random car driving, the probability of a single-handed assassination is too low, and the large-scale attack can't hide the news, as a result, you have already told them for me."

"Four hundred men and three ships, it is true that it is very difficult to organize a larger force with a hidden head and tail, and the position of the Baton Rouge Army means that even if the next attack is doubled, they dare not guarantee that it will be rewarded." Lorraine shook her glass and thought, "But, with the huge profits from smuggling, I fear that this peace will not last long. ”

"It doesn't need to last long." The Earl sneered, "Tomorrow, I'm going to start a decisive battle." ”

"Tomorrow? You mean, you have already surrendered the Baton Rouge Legion? ”

"They just made a sound decision to protect the interests that had been gained, and to give up more rewards that were only left in the dream."

"Why?" Lorraine couldn't figure it out.

"Because the group is always more rational than the individual."

"Groups?" Lorraine tilted her head, "Do you want to tell me that in the face of huge interests, the officers of the Baton Rouge Regiment actually achieved equal interests, and are willing to let every soldier become a shareholder to share the cake?" ”

"Except for the word willing, nothing else, you guessed it."

"Except...... Willing? ”

It was only then that Lorraine understood the Count's entire plan.

The genius commander never thought of using it to his advantage by intercepting smuggled arms, a lever designed to pry the rebellious Baton Rouge Legion.

The legion did not want to join the war, so he used smuggling as a bait to trick them out of their lair and into the battlefield first.

When he came to the battlefield, he entrusted all the smuggling to the Legion.

The legion is responsible for the interception of arms, the legion is responsible for mercenary militia, the legion is responsible for settling merit, and the legion is responsible for collecting and shipping......

Is it true that these labor-intensive chores can only be left to the Legion?

The answer, of course, is no.

If profit is the primary starting point, the Earl's best option is obviously to leave the details to the Doge's Court or Kent Manor, and only contact the senior officers of the Legion as allies, so that he or they can take care of the interception of the goods.

The Count does not control the legion.

Leaving all the details of smuggling to the Legion is tantamount to handing over the initiative of cooperation to allies, turning oneself into a complete vassal.

Because he is nominally the promoter of interception and smuggling, the notoriety and risks he bears will not be reduced at all. Because he gave up the initiative, the benefits he obtained were bound to drop sharply.

Didn't the Count know that this was a detriment to himself and others?

There has never been such a concept of selfless dedication in Western cultural traditions, and the Count's actions are only to make the details of the smuggling visible to the legion, and there is no trace of secrecy to be hidden.

This meant that the senior officers of the legion had to work out a plan for the distribution of profits that stood up to scrutiny, a financial plan in the form of a big pot.

It will protect the Count from becoming a puppet on the table.

It drastically diminishes the amount of money each person has in their hands, without provoking excessive greed or making them give up easily.

Above all, once certain conditions have been met, the Count can at any time induce them to make a choice in their favor, to keep the past, to give up the future, to stop the interception in due course, and to give his life for the honor and position of the Count.

Like right now!

The successive and increasingly uncontrolled assassinations made the Baton Rouge legion aware of the danger facing the Count, and that once the Count died, no one could guarantee that the new Governor would tolerate their theft of the property of the French nobles.

Now is the right time.

Eight thousand officers and soldiers, each of whom earned the equivalent of a salary of several months or even years.

Rather than taking more and more risks to make limited profits, it is more sensible to end the war quickly and to keep the windfall by consolidating the status of the count.

As the Count said, the intellect of the group is always greater than the intellect, or more appropriately, the adventurous spirit of the group is always less than that of the individual.

"What a big game of chess, Lord Earl."

Thinking of this, Lorraine admired the Count so much.

The Earl accepted Lorraine's compliment with a reserved expression, raised his glass, and whispered, "The Battle of New Orleans is expected to be decided in seven to ten days, so I will stay on the battlefield for the rest of the day, and no longer think about anything other than war." Today is a rare leisure, and I would like to hear your opinion on the post-war period......"